OCTOBER 2019 IFSMAGAZINE.COM 21PH
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hen Stefania
Berton and
Ondřej Hotárek
claimed bronze at
2013 Europeans,
it marked the
first Championship medal ever won
by an Italian pairs team in the nation’s
skating history.
Nicole Della Monica and Matteo
Guarise took that success a step further
last season.
At the 2018 Grand Prix event in
Helsinki, the duo claimed the lead in the
short program for the first time in their
career. They ultimately finished second to
Russia’s Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander
Enbert. At Rostelecom Cup, their second
Grand Prix competition, Della Monica
and Guarise again wound up in second
place — this time behind the Russian
team of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir
Morozov — and qualified for the Final
in Vancouver, where they finished fifth.
The Italian duo missed the third step
of the podium at the 2019 European
Championships by a scant 0.14 of a point.
Della Monica said that result was not easy
to swallow, “but we learned a lot and it will
be good for the future for sure.”
The World Championships held its
own challenges. During the six-minute
warm-up for the short program, Guarise
collided with French skater Vanessa James.
Both were shaken by the collision and it
mentally affected the Italians’ game plan.
“It was a shock. You are not ready for
that shock. I had pain in my ribs because I
cracked them and it took weeks to recover,”Guarise explained. The team placed eighth
in Saitama, three spots lower than what
they achieved at Worlds the previous year
on home soil in Milan, and ranked third
in the pairs competition at the 2019 World
Team Trophy.
Though Della Monica and Guarise
believe they could have performed better
last season, overall they were satisfied with
what they had accomplished. “It was the
post-Olympic season and it was not easy.
We needed to keep up the heat with our
elements — to see what’s new, what’s not
new, who is quitting, and who is not,” said
Della Monica, 30.
“But we managed to achieve our first
goal of the season, which was to qualify
for the Grand Prix Final.”
“We actually thought last season was
going to be easier because we had a lot of
preparation for the previous season andthere was physical and psychological stress.
We said: ‘OK, next year will be easy — just
downhill,’” Guarise added with a laugh.SECOND CAREER
During the 2018 off-season, Della Monica
and Guarise joined the Italian state police
force through a program that supports
competitive athletes. They were required
to attend classes and had to learn how to
shoot a gun. Though they now have the
right to carry weapons, they store them at
the police station.
“Our guns need to be with us all
the time. It means that if we are at a
competition in Japan, we need to take them
and cannot leave them in the hotel. So it’s
complicated,” Guarise explained.
Being accepted into the state police
force was important to both skaters since
it guarantees them a salary and a job
following their skating career, if they so
wish. “For us it was the last chance because
after 30 you cannot get in. It is like the
big prize for your career. Matteo and I
have always struggled and have shared
an apartment for many years because of
money problems,” said Della Monica.
“They pay our taxes and we will get
a pension,” added Guarise, 30. “So, in
our mindset, we are already working for
the future.”
They are currently the only figure skaters
in the Italian state police force. Former
Italian ice dance champion Federica Faiella
joined the state police during her career
and is now the supervisor of Della Monica
and Guarise.
But their new police careers andI was at the point
of quitting figure
skating. I needed
new inspiration,
new things to try.
—Nicole Della Monica