Berliner Morgenpost has an
article about Hocke/Kunkel: "
Berlinerin Hocke as surprise guest at Grand Prix Final" – The Berliner figure skater Annika Hocke participates with Robert Kunkel as the first German pair ever at the Junior Grand Prix Final.
excerpts:
_When the two met in the summer to plan the new season, the conversation at some point also came to the Junior Grand Prix Final. At that time, it was more of a dream than a concrete goal, as no German figure skating couple had managed to qualify for the competition by then. ... "We are the surprise guests at this party," says Annika Hocke. "But we don't want to be intimidated and want to show our best performance at the finals."
_For Hocke in particular, the decision to compete again in the juniors this winter seemed at first like a step backwards. (as an Olympian ...) "But the results show that in reality it was a big step forward," says her coach Alexander König. ...
_A return to singles was not an option, but a new partner was also not in sight. Hocke soon started to skate with Kunkel ... "We were two pair skaters without a partner and simply thought that we could do the exercises together in order to stay fit," says Kunkel. They realized this could be more. ...
_H/K wanted the partnership – against the initial concerns of the coaches. "Some elements really didn't look that great at first. The decisive factor for us, however, was, that we clicked immediately. It doesn't happen too often," says Hocke.
_Hocke is much more experienced internationally, Kunkel's best result was 7th place at Junior Worlds. Nevertheless, according to coach Alexander König, both athletes are acting at eye level. "It is mutual learning. Both benefit from this partnership," he says....
_They aiming for Euros, and Worlds. ...
"In regard to the 2022 Olympics, the World Championships would be an important experience," says Hocke. It sounds as if at least this goal is now firmly on their agenda.
Attagirl!
