This interview transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity by Karly (@cyberswansp), Becs (@becsfer) and Evie (@doubleflutz)
Karly (@cyberswansp): Hi guys, it's Karly from In The Loop, and I'm here with two-time French national champion and your Autumn Classic 2019 silver medalist, Kévin Aymoz! Welcome, Kévin, to In The Loop!
Kévin: Hi!
We're so excited to have you, especially with your competitions coming up.
Yes, me too. Thanks for interviewing me.
You're welcome! So you've already started out your season with a silver medal at Autumn Classic. How was the competition, and what was it like doing so well so early in the season?
I think I was already ready, more ready than last season, because last season was my real first Senior season and I was a little bit stressed and not really prepared. But this season, with John [Zimmerman] and Silvia [Fontana], we were off ice, and got my programs and my technical to be more consistent in the jumps, and I was less stressed because it was my second season in senior, so I was more ready to compete, and I was really excited to compete because last season I did pretty good, so all the summer I was just waiting for competition, to skate again.
So you were really excited to start your season?
Yes. And now I can't wait to do all of the competitions.
That's awesome. So you said last season was kind of your first official Senior season, were you especially nervous for last season?
Yes, because it was the first time I was doing two Senior Grand Prixs, European Championships, and World Championships - so it was a real, full season. Even in Juniors, I was always doing stuff, not just competitions, so for me this was the first real season. And yes, it was the first time for every competition, so I was more stressed. The goal was just to create a name for me, for everyone to remember me. So yes, I was more stressed last season. I don't know why, but other first seasons in Senior weren't.
You had a really good selection of programs last season. How did they come about? Because they were really good for making a name for yourself.
So, I know people are here in figure skating looking for the performance, and people love what's the story of why we choose this music and everything. And with me, I know I'm not choosing music just to do a performance. I need to feel something for the music and last season, when I chose my long program, it was matching with what I feel in my life. So it was easy for me to express myself on the component part of the program and just matched with me and the music. So it was easier to express myself.
So, you have a new set of programs this season, you have the Prince program to "The Question of U" and then you have "Lighthouse", can you tell us a little bit about how these ones came about? Especially the Short Program, cause it's really fun.
Yes. So last season, I chose "Horns" by Bryce Fox. My best friend, she said "Oh, listen," we were listening to some songs and I said, “Okay, we're in July and I need a Short Program.” So I was at her home, and we were just listening to some songs, and she gave me the playlist of songs. When I was back in the US I listened to the songs again and I was in the shower and heard "Horns." I was like "Oh my god, I need to go to the rink with this one," and I put the music on in the rink, and John directly came to me and said "Oh my god, we need to skate to this one," and I said yes! And at the end of the season, I think I did the maximum I can do with that program, so we said right now we need a program where I can catch everyone. So it was a challenge to find a program more like - we said something with Silvia, we said we need the program or music that people can clap to during the program. So "The Question of U," it's hard because the rhythm and tempo is not like that, but it was the way we want the new Short Program, people can be really inside of the program and I catch everyone with me.
You said last season your free program was easier to express for you. Is "Lighthouse" a program like that for you?
So, before we built "Lighthouse," we did another program [with different] music. I felt the music with me and everything was good, but I didn't have a connection with the music. After we made that long program, I said, “We need to change the program, because I'm not going to enjoy it,” and I said “Okay, I think I have a song, it's "Lighthouse" by Patrick Watson,” and John and Silvia said “Yes, we already listened to this song a few weeks ago.” So they said “Aljona [Savchenko and Bruno Massot] skated to this two years ago.” So I said "Okay, I'm going to skate to this one, but with my style." And the lyrics of this song are matching again with what I feel, so it's really easy to skate to and express myself, and the program's more smart. It makes it easier for the technical, but I can still express myself because the lyrics are more matching with what I feel.
You kind of talked about how you made a name for yourself last season. You gained a lot of attention for your unique programs and your performance. What was this experience like, and how has it affected your training and your skating?
So, the goal of last season was to "create a name," which is the only way I can say it in English, create a name. Because that's sometimes how figure skating works. You need to create your name and [then the] audience and judges are gonna follow you. That's how it works. And the goal was to arrive in the figure skating circle and say "Hello, I exist, I'm here!" And now I’ve done this, so there's a big check mark on this one, and now the goal of this season, now that people remember me, it's to arrive to perform and show what I can do. It's the next step now.
So now that you've changed your goal, are you training differently?
I think I didn't change my goal because I was already thinking of the future from long ago. It was just small work with John and Silvia, one step at a time last season, we were going slowly and saying we need to work slowly, with small steps to build my skating. So now this season I feel more ready to prove to people and perform in competition. So yes, we changed the work, the work off ice and on ice. It's one step at a time. And yes, we build it step by step.
Speaking of your performance skills, is that something that you've trained a lot, or do you find it comes naturally to you?
I'm working on my skills and skating - and I'll work for days. Like I can't skate, or jump, or do stuff before I do my full skating. It's the best feeling ever. That's why I'm still skating. When I'm on ice and I feel my blade gliding on it, it's the best feeling ever. And I love just moving on ice. I extend my body, my heart, my legs, to the movement, and do the skills of figure skating and everything. I think a little bit [comes] naturally, because I feel what I'm doing with my blades, with my body, with my muscles, with everything, but it's a lot of hard work, too. It's half and half, I think.
You kind of talked about how your new goal, or what you want to do with this season now, is to perform and show your capabilities. Do you have any other goals for this season specifically?
I have a main goal, the way I want to go, it's to perform this season. But inside of [that], I have some stuff, and [these things are] my small goals of the season like to be on the podium of my Grand Prixs, be the national champion again, go to Europeans and perform at Europeans and be on the podium. Go to Worlds and do the best I can, maybe the [Grand Prix] Final if I do well - it's just step by step. My main goal is to perform and do the maximum I can do clean and everything.
So you finished fourth at last season's Euros, which is a pretty high placement. So your goal is to beat that?
Yes, for sure, that's why I continue. Last season, when I finished fourth, I was so happy that I didn't care about the podium. Yes, inside of me it was like, "Oh no, it's so close," I did seven turns on the spins, so I lost points and I'm at 0.20 off the podium. I [fell,] and I popped a loop - so it was really close. But I was happy last season because that's what I said, it was my first real season in Senior, and the season before I was not skating. So for me, I was just happy because I did my job at this competition. But right now I'm like “Okay, last season the podium was so close. Right now you need to be on this podium and you need to work.” I think it's not to beat the other skaters, it's to be better than myself, if you see what I mean. It's not like a fight against the other skaters, it's a fight against me to say “Okay, you need to fight to be on the podium.”
You said you're looking forward to your Grand Prixs. Your first is in France, what is skating on home ice like for you?
I feel so blessed and lucky, because we're one of six countries to have Grand Prixs in Seniors. And inside of this, to be from a city and the country picks your city to be the [host] of the competition, I feel so lucky to be at home. It can put [on a] little bit of stress because I know all of my friends, all of my family, all the skaters I've skated with when I was young - everyone is gonna be there. But I feel so lucky to be at home, because I know the place. Yes, I feel lucky and I'm so excited to skate.
So it adds a little bit of pressure but you're just happy to be there.
I think the pressure [is] because it's home, but I feel lucky because it's my home and I know the place. Other skaters don't know this rink, and I know this rink from when I was five and I'm now twenty-two. So yes, I feel so lucky. It's just exciting to be home and skate for family and friends, but after doing the programs, I feel like I'm at home. Like during the programs, everything disappears. Like you're here.
When you're performing, what is in your head? Are you thinking about jump after jump, are you thinking about your performance?
Oh my god, during my programs, my brain is thinking about so much stuff. I'm thinking of my jumps, I'm thinking of competitions, I'm thinking of everything at the same time. I'm like "Oh my god!!" So I work with John and Silvia to do every element of the program like a box. So, I don't know how to say, it's like a box. The first technical element is a box, and when you're done with this box, you put this box away. And you change the box, and move this box, and change - so it's like one element at a time.
It's like step by step?
Yes, yes. I'm gonna explain but it's so bad. It's like the stuff where you put your clothes in your home. Everything's like when you put stuff in and then you close it, and after the next one you close it, and after the next one you close it. It's like that, so every element is a part, and when the jump is over you close it, but after this one you can't go back and you need to be there for the next one.
Yeah I understand! That makes sense. So going on to your choreography, everyone knows you for having lots of unique and innovative choreography, like the slide you do. So how do you come up with these?
I'm working with John and Silvia because inside of me I have a lot of ideas, and John and Silvia are so good with that because they let me express myself. Like always with John and Silvia we have fun on ice. We find new moves and new fun stuff, and I love it - it's the best part of the year. One of the best parts because they're all fun this season, but to create something, and work on something, and after you find something and you build something, and something you can show to people, that's so cool to do.
You've mentioned you would like to possibly choreograph for other skaters.
That's my dream to be a choreographer, to teach dance on the floor. I'm not the best dancer in the world but I have a lot of ideas of movement of the body to express stuff or make teams on the ice. I'm not really a show person, I prefer competition, but I would like to create something for the shows or for dance on the floor. Like for shows or for music videos or movies. I just want to create something.
Would you say that you play a big part in your own choreography?
In the Short Program this season, I choreographed I think between 80 or 90 percent of the program. John and Silvia helped me - because without John and Silvia, this program doesn't look like a program. Because I said "Okay, I want that. I want that. I want this here. I want this," John and Silvia put everything to make it matching and be one movement and not like a lot of stuff in disorder. So without John and Silvia, the program is not going to look like that, for the short. And I also have help from other skaters, I have all of [these] ideas about what I want to do in the programs. But yes, without John and Silvia and other people I can't make everything together. But 80-90% of the program is from me.
They look really awesome. So you train in Florida with John and Silvia, and you just moved there in the past couple of years. How has training in Florida been different from training in your previous location?
Hmm, firstly because it's a different country and there are different cultures of the sport. So in France, we don't have ice all the day, [but] in Florida with the rink we have ice all day. So while you can’t always skate when you want, you have a bigger scale of skating. And what I find is that with John and Silvia, I’ve found someone with whom I can speak with. Like everything is matching together and we are a small team. We do everything we can do on the ice and off the ice. I don't know how to explain but John and Silvia know what to do on ice because they've already done it in the past. Because they go to the Olympic Games and they know how it works. Right now I can't see my future in skating without John and Silvia.
So do you feel like you've found a really good coaching system?
Yes. I know everything happened for a reason, and I feel so lucky to have found John and Silvia at a good moment in my life. I feel just so lucky, yes.
So going into the Grand Prix season, what's the most recent thing that has motivated you or inspired you?
Ooooh. I'm just so excited to skate because I have two good programs. I just want to show that and I'm just so excited to skate. I don't know why but I just want to skate and am excited to be on ice. For the goals, I want to be on the podium, to maybe [go to] the [Grand Prix] Final I've got to fight. I'm not sure because it's the Final so it's hard but if I'm going, I'm going to fight to do something. If I'm not going, it's okay. I just want to skate, so I'm excited to skate. That's it.
Do you have any advice or motivational quotes that you would say to someone who is struggling?
I know for me I had bad moments when I really go up and go down. Even [if] I'm really excited to skate next week, I'm still waking up like "Today is gonna be so hard." When I wake up and I'm like "It's gonna be so hard," I'm like "Okay Kévin, remember why you do that. Why you love that." And after when I'm on ice and I fight even [if] I'm doing six falls, ten falls, or a perfect program in a day, I'm like "It's just so good to be here and I'm lucky to do this." I just remember what I love in figure skating. After all, it's day by day you drill something, if you have a week of a bad moods - it's just a moment. Keep skating, keep waking up with your head up and say "Okay, you need to find something positive in why you wake up to go to skate." I don't know if everything makes sense in what I said, but yes, just when you wake up and you need to go to skate and you don't want [to] and you're like "Oh no," remember why you do that. Just remember why you fell in love with skating, why you want to go, and it's going to work, really.
So moving on to some fun questions. If you could have any skill that another figure skater has, in any discipline or any skill, what would it be?
If I can be like another..the skill of another skater? Oh my god. I want the powerful - not of the skating of [Yuzuru] Hanyu - but there is something when he goes out, like you can see only Hanyu on the ice. Like I was at Autumn Classic with him on the ice and I was doing my best at training. I'm a small skater so I train to be big and everything. There’s something inside of him like power, and I would love to have that more and more. After that, I wish… I don't know I have too many skaters I want stuff [from]. I would love to have easy jumps like Nathan Chen. But even if I want the stuff of other skaters, I'm really my own skater. It's not that I don't need the things of other skaters but...
You have your own capabilities, yeah. Do you have any favorite figure skating performances by any other skaters or teams?
There's a lot of skaters I like on the ice. Because everyone is different, so everyone has something different. Like I'm going to love the spin of someones, I'm going to love one jump of someones, I'm going to love the skating skills of someones, I'm going to love the other skating skills of someone else. Right now I can't tell you a program or a performance I love because there is too much and nothing at the same time. But I have a lot in Pairs skating - I have like five programs in my head that I'm like "I love this program." In Ice Dance, I have maybe five performances I love. In singles skating, I have some girls I'm like "Oh my god they're so good" and guys too. But right now I can't tell you who.
So do you like watching the figure skating of other people?
No. [Laughter] I am only following figure skating because I have some friends in figure skating, so I love skating during the Grand Prix. But if I can choose to see a movie or figure skating I'm like "Hmm maybe I'll go watch a movie." But I'm following skating because I need to know what happened in [the] figure skating world right now because it's going to help me to grow my skating to know what happened. It's like the newspaper, every morning you need to know what happened in the world because you live in this world and I'm living in the figure skating world so I need to know what happened in competitions.
Do you have any memorable performances of your own? Any programs at specific competitions that you remember?
I think if I have to pick just one competition… I can say my first World Junior Championships, My second one is the European Championships of last season, and then my first Worlds in Senior. Every competition is different with different fields so I can't pick… I can give a list of competitions but at the same time, I can't pick something.
Is there a style or type of program that you'd really like to try in the future?
I am going for everything really. I have a lot of ideas in my head so right now I'm going for every style of programs. But I need to find the one I can perform.
So you just want to challenge everything, really?
Ah yes.
Thanks again to Kévin for talking to us! We’ll provide links to Kévin’s social media in the transcript of this interview and we wish him the best at IDF! Thanks for listening, and watch out for our upcoming Grand Prix coverage!
You can follow Kévin on Twitter and on Instagram.