On the Mend, Tennell Looks Forward to Return to Competition

A year ago, two-time U.S. champion Bradie Tennell was struggling. The 24-year-old was nursing a foot injury that was wreaking havoc on her preparations to make a second Olympic team. As the U.S. Championships approached, Tennell realized that it was just not meant to be and made the difficult decision to end her season without stepping onto competition ice.
 
With no formal diagnosis, the only path back to health that Tennell knew to pursue was to simply rest. So, she waited impatiently on her couch for the injury to heal. Weeks turned into months, but eventually over the summer, Tennell felt ready to get back to training.
 
In July Tennell traveled to Lagarde, France, to work with her longtime choreographer, Benoit Richaud, and was reminded of how much she treasures the collaborative relationship the two share. She was also intrigued by the possibility of working with Cedric Tour, a technical coach whose methods inspired the 2018 Olympian to begin to see a new path forward in her training. After careful consideration, Tennell made the decision to move across the Atlantic to train with Richaud and Tour in Nice, France, and on September 5, she made the move official.
 
"First of all, I love Europe so that that was a big plus for me, but it was really just being able to experience something new in the sport as far as training methods and technique," she explained. "For me it wasn't necessarily about learning something new, but more about looking at things in a different way. That really intrigued me because at this stage in my career I feel like keeping it interesting and having a fresh perspective is really important. I just really enjoyed the dynamic and I thought that if any year was going to be the year to make such a drastic change, this one would be it."
 
Despite the lack of pumpkin spice products, which she admits to missing this time of year, and limited weekend hours for most businesses, Tennell is beginning to settle into her new city. The Illinois native is loving the local cuisine and includes the mild weather and the short commute to the training rink as big plusses.
 
"I love being able to walk to the rink. It's amazing — it's like a 10-minute walk, and every day is like sunny and 75 degrees — who could complain about that," she said. "It's been really incredible. I've been to so many places, but living somewhere and having the mindset that 'Okay now, I'm living here,' is different than just visiting for a week. It's been really cool to see the markets in old town and right down the road there's a couple of beautiful gardens with huge jungle gyms for kids."
 
While Tennell is working on improving her French, she is thankful that everyone has been so kind to her while she learns.
 
"My French is abhorrent but I'm learning slowly and am already starting to pick up just a few small things," she admitted. "Every time I'm like 'Oh I understood that' they start laughing. I train with (French silver medalist) Adam Siao Him Fa, which has been really fun. We are always on ice together and we do off ice together, too."
 
Tennell was set to make her season debut at last month's Japan Open in Saitama, but a pre-competition ankle injury kept her at home at the last minute. She then shifted her focus to the Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur at the end of October, but she had to scratch from that event as well.
 
"I'm not going to lie, it's been a bit of a struggle physically and mentally just to kind of be in that position again," Tennell said of the injury. "I was so excited to go to Japan. I could not wait to get there and compete, and then literally the day before I go, I just like randomly did something weird to my ankle."
 
The injury not only delayed Tennell's return to competition, but it also limited the time that she had to prepare for this week's MK John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Given all that she has endured over the past year, Tennell is tempering her expectations, and is simply excited about getting back onto competition ice.
 
"I haven't been able to get really solid training in, but I'm doing the best that I can," she shared. "At first, I was thinking, 'Oh my God this is happening again.' It's not as serious, but it's like a roller coaster and if I am being honest, it takes its toll. This past month has been challenging for me, but after having gone through what I did last year at least I know better how to deal with it."
 
"I'm just so excited to go and compete after everything that I have gone through this past month," she continued. "I know it's not going to be my most amazing, but I also don't want to say that I'm doing horribly right now. I'm going to go and give it everything I have, which is what I do every time anyway."
 
Tennell plans to debut her two new programs in Sheffield and is looking forward to sharing what she and Richaud have created. The short program, she says, is something that she has never done before, and without revealing details, she believes will show a different side to her skating. With regards to her new free skate, Tennell wants to keep the music and theme under wraps until she takes to the practice ice in Sheffield.
 
"It's a very famous piece of music that most people will know," she teased. "The story Benoit and I have created to go along with it will hopefully help to bring more awareness to a social issue that I feel is very important in today's society."
 
Competing in Sheffield gives Tennell a bye into the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, but she does not want to predict how the chips may fall in her return to the national stage. Instead, she is staying focused on the event in Sheffield and her second Grand Prix event this season, the series closing event in Espoo, Finland.
 
"I feel like it's a bit too soon for me to lay down any specific goals," Tennell concluded. "I will say that I want to step on competition ice again and feel the energy of the crowd. I miss that so much and I just want to compete and feel that adrenaline again. I'm looking forward to sharing the programs I've been working on, and I can't wait to be back."
 
And no matter how she skates or where she places, Tennell plans to take it all in stride.
 
"I feel like it's a gift because this is what I love to do," she said. "I feel like I've kind of been given another chance, and I have to remember that this is the path that I've chosen. All of the struggles will just make the return that much sweeter, and I wouldn't be putting myself through this if I didn't truly at the bottom of my heart love it."