On the ice, Bradie Tennell is applauded for gravity-defying triples and choreography that accents every crescendo in her music. On scoresheets and podiums, however, it's the consistency of her performances that has solidified her presence in international skating.
Since bursting onto the senior ladies Grand Prix circuit in 2017, she's earned an Olympic medal, Four Continents bronze, a U.S. title and has placed in the top three at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships for three consecutive seasons. But this year, Tennell is focusing on her flexibility off the ice to become a stronger athlete.
"I'm looking for a sense of normalcy in the midst of all this," Tennell, 22, said. "I continue to train the way I want to compete while trying to think about it like any other year — even though it is not like any other year, and I have to be ready for anything."
While the skating community copes with the challenges presented by COVID-19, Tennell is experiencing growing pains of her own. As a creature of habit, it's taken time for her to adapt after moving from Illinois to train in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"I'm not somebody that likes to throw things to the wind," Tennell said. "I get up and eat and train at the same times every day. It just takes me time to adjust to change."
Months into a new training regimen at the Broadmoor World Arena, Tennell now feels her feet are under her. She earned the silver medal at 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America and placed third at the Las Vegas Invitational presented by HomeLight behind Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou in the mixed event scored on a 1.6 component factor.
But the secret to her continued success isn't plotted, mapped or sketched on a drawing board. Instead, her strategy for the upcoming season is controlling what she can and staying present.
"I like to live in the moment when it comes to [season-long goals]," Tennell said. "If I think about it all at once, I get overwhelmed and anxious."
So, she relies a solid network of family, teammates and coaches to feel grounded. She has collaborated with choreographer Benoit Richaud since 2017 and said their partnership not only presents a sense of security, but also offers rewarding new challenges.
"We have a great dynamic between the two of us because I want my programs to be functional and comfortable, but never easy," Tennell said. "He always brings something new and progressive, and he knows when to push and when a movement doesn't work"
Tennell said intentionally curating her programs to develop over the course of a year creates a natural progression for the competitive season.
"I want to grow into my programs like a little kid trying to buy shoes," she said. "I don't want it to be a perfect fit right away because that limits the amount of progress I can make."
With Richaud, she also likes her short program and free skate to present different sides of her skating skills, the contrasting styles showing off her expansive artistic repertoire.
"I like to take a step up every season and try something new and different," Tennell said of her short program set to "Moderation" by Florence and the Machine. "It's very fun, flirty and sassy. Having lyrics all the way throughout the music is also different for me and think it's more mature than things I've done in the past."
Her free skate, on the other hand, is set to "Sarajevo" by Max Richter and "Dawn of Faith" by Eternal Eclipse, which Tennell describes as haunting, serious and powerful. The program is also structured to intensify throughout the program, which she said is another exciting obstacle from Richaud.
"My free skate this year starts slow and continues to build the whole time — which is the opposite of your energy," Tennell said. "You start off fresh, and by the end, you're tired during the most powerful part of the program. But even in day to day training, it's really fun to try to accomplish that."
Change may be something Tennell feels uncomfortable with, but in a season no one could have predicted, it doesn't seem to have slowed her down. Her recipe for consistently executing flawless athletic elements remains a secret, but if you asked Tennell, she would say it relies on support.
"The atmosphere at [the Broadmoor World Arena] is one of the things that attracted me there in the first place," Tennell said. "The skaters all have a mutual respect for each other and want everyone to be in this for the long haul. It's been very rewarding."
In the meantime, Tennell will continue to push her boundaries training in Colorado Springs before the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas. She said aside from the love from her family, friends and fans, the one thing she can rely on is how she feels on the ice.
"Whatever happens in the world, being on the ice is still the same," Tennell said. "I think that's probably the most normal thing for me right now. No matter what rink I skate at, ice is ice, and when I step on, I know exactly who I am and what I have to do."
