PatinCarrera Interview in English

NICOLE BEGG

The multiple champion from New Zealand is one of the great figures of world skating at only 23 years of age.
Wearing the new colours of X-Tech she spoke exclusively with us and told us about her exiting life on wheels.

1.What is your analysis of the first half of the 2010 season?
I think my performance has been pretty good in recent months. I'm skating alone which isn't always going to be easy. My strength isn't really long straight line sprints and we have had quite a few of those this season. There aren't a lot of skaters racing full time on the circuit this year so a lot of the races have been slow and boring and that's not really my style of racing. I prefer harder, faster races with a lot more attacks.
Since there are few teams, Powerslide have been able to control the vast majority of races because many times they have been the only strong team present.

2. What has been your best race of the season so far?
Probably the WIC Incheon. It wasn't my best result but the finish was very close between Seul Lee, Cecilia and myself. As for atmosphere it would have to be Dijon. The TV was there along with a spectator friendly course and a large field in the women's event.

3. How was your off season?
During the preseason I didn't know exactly where I would be based during the year and what events I would be racing in so I didn't train specifically for marathons. I done a lot of cycling over the NZ summer and I was really busy with other ventures. Our family opening a shop in the main street of our city (Timaru, New Zealand), helping coach and promote our club and trying to get the funds we need to build a new track. Then we brought back the Tour of Timaru which also took up some of my time helping to get things organized for the event which hadn't been run in nearly a decade. It used to be a very popular skating event in New Zealand and we hope to bring it back to it's former glory over the next few years.

4. How is the life of Nicole Begg constantly traveling around the world?
It can at times be frustrating and stressful, is not always glamorous. Even during the off season when I'm not travelling as much I still seem to be busy. The last few weeks have been hard since Incheon I have had flights every week. Waiting around at airports is probably the most tedious part of traveling. I like to try and relax when I get home to New Zealand at the end of the season but I'm usually actually busier there than when I'm in Europe.

5. What is your favorite place in the World? And what is the worst, where do you dislike going?
There is no place like home, Timaru is my favorite place it's what I class as my home. It's difficult to think of the worst place. Some places I don't like just because I have had bad experiences it's not that they are bad places it's just I haven't had a good time there. For example at the moment I'm not in love with Spain because on the last trip there 3 of my 4 flights were delayed and my luggage didn't make it on board. Switzerland is a beautiful place but I also love Singapore. Singapore has great food, a million and one places to shop and some really nice cycle paths to skate on.

6. What's on your calendar in the coming weeks?
On Sunday I will be in Biel (Switzerland) for the 8th stage of the World Inline Cup. In early July I will be racing for a team in the Gigathlon then I will return home for a month. I will travel to China in August for Haining Skate Festival and train in Haining. Biel should be an interesting race, especially if it rains.

7. What are your goals for the World Championships in Guarne?. What do you think about the height of the town and how will you adapt to 2100m above sea level?
I think it will really hard, I've never competed at a similar altitude. But my goals do not change, of course I want to win a World Title in Guarne. I have 11 Senior world medals so far and I want to keep adding to them.
Good preparation for me would be going into the champs with a season behind me that's injury free. The last two years I've had bad injuries during the season, so to have no interruptions in my training this year would be nice. I think I will have to go to Colombia earlier than I normally would to adapt to the altitude.

8. What do you think the World Championships in Guarne will be like? And who will be your personal rivals on the track?
Colombia have a passion for skating so no doubt there will surely be an enthusiastic crowd. Hyo Sook Woo and the rest of the Korean team are always going to be hard to beat. Of course the Colombians will be strong at home and China may be a surprise if they bring their best athletes. Chinese Taipei really performed last year and Italy had a strong team in 2009 as well. The German women are strong on the road and there are always others to watch out for. I think a lot will depend on how everyone prepares and adapts to the altitude.

9. Will we see Nicole Begg on ice skates soon?
I really don't know at this point. I haven't fully analyzed the possibility of switching to ice or racing seriously on the bike. It would have been an easy question to answer if inline speed skating had made it as an Olympic sport.

10. For many years you were the image of Bont, it was a big surprise when you joined with X-Tech. What is your feeling after the first few months?
Yes, it was a surprise for a lot of people. I'm very grateful to Bont because they supported me for a long time but it was really exciting for me to start a new adventure with X-Tech. I love the new X-Tech products. They worked hard in the off season experimenting and perfecting their products to provide first class equipment and have achieved key partners like IS frames and MPC wheels.

11. What would you change in our sport to make it more professional? What would you like to see change in skating?
I think everyone needs to push to be more professional, athletes, organizers, promoters, federations absolutely everyone. It was great to see TV coverage in Dijon, we need more of this even if it's only on a local channel we need to start somewhere. Skating still lacks a press presence, if everyone pushed for a little publicity in their area we could start being noticed.
I think Asia is the next place where skating will have it's big boom. When it takes off we need to start fresh with a new atmosphere, professional people involved and new ideas.


By Guido Ferraiuolo: PatinCarrera.com Group