Being a world champion and feeling like your country doesn't pay attention to you

OlotSixteen world championship golds should be enough to receive some institutional recognition. But in figure skating, this isn't the case. CPA Olot is the most decorated club in this discipline internationally, and despite the fact that its skaters dedicate their lives to the sport, they are still not considered high-performance athletes. Júlia Casadevall, vice-captain of CPA Olot's Grand Show team, is a clear example of this reality. She has been skating at the club since she was five years old. She joined because a friend told her she had to try the sport, and taking her advice changed her life: "Thanks to her, I've learned the values ​​that skating provides and the gratification of being a world champion," she says. After two seasons in the Olot club's Junior Show, her career has solidified in the Grand Show, where this year marks her eighth season. Her record is indisputable: four world championship golds and two silvers in the last six seasons. Results that, in any other sport, would be synonymous with elite.

The daily demands are surely just as demanding. Training is concentrated mainly on weekends. "On Fridays, we do one hour of technique and three hours of preparing the season's dance routine. On Saturdays, three hours on skates and one hour of flexibility in the morning, and another three hours of dance in the afternoon. And on Sundays, when competitions are approaching, we repeat the same routine," explains Casadevall. As if that weren't enough, during the week, they must at least complete the two mandatory physical training days. "We have to send videos to our coaches to show them that we've been training," she says. "We're young people who study in different cities, and this is the only way we've found to maintain the required physical level," the skater argues. In total, they train approximately fifteen hours a week, spread over four or five days, not counting extra training sessions before competitions.

This volume of training already demonstrates the weekly demands of figure skating. But over Christmas, the intensity skyrocketed even further. With the season-opening championship scheduled for the first weekend of February, the skaters had to juggle vacation, family, and sport to perform their routines flawlessly. "It was a very intense Christmas," admits Casadevall. "We trained every non-holiday day, from December 22nd to January 7th, with morning and afternoon sessions. Some days we trained for up to six hours, and in total, we put in approximately sixty hours." This effort makes it clear that this sport demands as much dedication as any other high-performance discipline. Despite the sacrifices and the demands, however, they lack institutional recognition: "We need to be considered high-performance athletes. We are young women who plan our weeks around this sport. We win international medals year after year, and we want support when it comes to studying and, above all,..." The skater explains that, when you're an elite athlete, the Catalan government reserves university places for you, meaning you don't have to deal with such high entry requirements. However, this doesn't exist for show skaters, world champions.

Feeling of institutional disinterest

The Olot club has taken steps to address this deficiency, and, after considerable effort, has managed to secure university sports tutors for its skaters. "We feel more at ease because we can contact them and reschedule exams and other graded activities if they conflict with competitions." However, Casadevall maintains that this is still not a guaranteed right for all skaters: "The University of Girona, for example, has recently implemented it across the board, but there are teammates studying elsewhere who face significant difficulties." The sense of institutional disinterest is evident. "Those in charge always tell us they're pulling strings, but they never actually do anything," Casadevall complains. She explains that the clubs themselves must constantly push for even "a small result." "The limited support we receive comes from the Olot City Council, the Girona Provincial Council, and local businesses. Beyond these sources, recognition disappears," she laments. "Only when we become world champions do people know who we are," the skater asserts. This season, CPA Olot and all the Catalan figure skating clubs will work hard to accumulate world medals. Their efforts, dedication, and achievements will shine within the arena. But outside, they will continue waiting for answers from the institutions.