Welcome to IDC’s New Crew Collection! For this sequence, we interview athletes who will enter the upcoming 2024-25 season in a brand new partnership, or debuted final season. In our seventh interview, we meet Summer time Homick & Nicholas Buelow, junior ice dancers who symbolize Canada and practice at Mariposa Faculty of Skating in Barrie, Ontario.
On ice picture by Yoriko Suzuki.
Summer time started skating on the age of 4 within the Canskate program in Tillsonburg, Ontario and began as a singles skater till she was 13. At age 13 she started pairs and after three seasons of pairs skating she transitioned into ice dance.
Nicholas began free skating in Barrie when he was 5. He began as a result of he had siblings within the sport and he needed to offer it a strive for himself. When he was 8 he was approached by his now coach David Islam as to if he needed to strive ice dance and he needed to proceed to pursue that aspect of the game. He continued to do each disciplines up till the age of 13 when he switched to only ice dance.
What drew you to ice dance?
When Nicholas first began ice dance at age 8, he realized he cherished the performing aspect of skating and needed to proceed skating with somebody. Summer time was approached by an ice dance coach when she was a pairs skater who advised her she ought to think about ice dance. After just a few days of tryouts for ice dance, she was so within the self-discipline and needed to pursue it.
Inform us how your partnership began. Describe the tryout.
Our partnership began when Summer time was within the transition from pairs to ice dance and we have been each on the search for new companions. Summer time’s pair coach, Alison Purkiss, reached out to our present coach, Mitch Islam, asking if Nicholas could be fascinated about doing a tryout with Summer time. A few week later we had our first tryout and it went so effectively. We instantly felt a connection despite the fact that we had by no means met earlier than. Throughout this tryout we each came upon we now have comparable goals and aspirations within the sport of determine skating.
What’s it that you simply already like most about dancing together with your new companion?
Summer time likes most about Nicholas is his dedication to the game and his work ethic. Nicholas has a optimistic mindset and is at all times prepared to strive new issues.
Nicholas likes that Summer time is at all times prepared to strive once more when one thing isn’t proper and that she’s going to do no matter it takes to realize her goals.
What experiences do every of you carry to the partnership? (Worldwide competitions, coaching, and many others.)
Nicholas competed on the junior worldwide circuit for 2 years along with his former companion.
Summer time competed pairs for one yr on the Junior Circuit nationally and internationally along with her earlier pair companion. Following the junior yr, Summer time competed for 2 seasons in senior pairs.
What has been the largest adjustment for every of you up to now within the partnership?
The largest adjustment for each of us was determining every others routines at competitors and matching our power ranges at occasions. Total, we simply wanted to determine what one another wants with a purpose to be as profitable as doable.
Inform us about your coaching web site.
We practice at Mariposa Faculty of Skating with our beautiful teaching employees, Mitch and David Islam, Kelly Johnson, and James Callan. We skate 4 hours a day, 5 days every week at Allandale Recreation Centre in Barrie, Ontario. We’re additionally lucky to have an atmosphere crammed with supportive coaching mates who assist push us to be higher.
Who’re your coaches?
Our coaches our Mitch and David Islam, Kelly Johnson, and James Callan and after we partnered up, Summer time moved to Barrie to coach on the Mariposa Faculty of Skating.
Who’s choreographing your packages. Is another person arranging your music? If that’s the case, please share these experiences.
Our rhythm dance is choreographed by Mitch Islam and Kelly Johnson and our free dance is choreographed by Kaitlyn Weaver and Mitch Islam. Once we came upon the rhythm dance theme for this season, Grease was one of many first choices and we have been bought on the thought. We cherished the thought of portraying the character of Sandra Dee and Danny and needed to carry this film onto the ice. Our free dance is a chunk of music from Sleeping at Final and is so particular to us as we inform the story of the 2 sides of affection. The start begins with cautious aspect of affection the place you’re scared to lose your individual and the second piece builds to the carefree a part of being in love and never eager to reside with out your individual.
Should you may have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who would it not be? Why?
Nicholas could be fascinated about having a lesson with Adrian Diaz. He looks like we’d have an fascinating view on how we are able to enhance.
Summer time would have a lesson with Madison Chock as a result of she is so gifted and has distinctive packages each season.
What’s every of you wanting ahead to most this skating season? What might be your greatest problem(s)?
We’re wanting ahead to our first Nationwide Championship collectively as a crew. We will even be wanting ahead to persevering with to realize expertise as a crew and rising collectively as athletes and folks. Our greatest problem is adapting to this modification of self-discipline and getting comfy with every others personalities.
Inform us about your debut competitors this season?
Our debut competitors was Subsequent Gen Camp in July of this yr. We had struggles initially whereas we have been determining how competing collectively would work, nevertheless after the rhythm dance we have been capable of come again and put out a free dance that each of us have been proud of.
Please share something you want to our readers to learn about you as a crew?
We’re each similar age and attend the identical college. We love the coaching atmosphere at Mariposa Faculty of Skating and our teammates are so uplifting and we attempt to encourage others round us.
