French Figure Skater Maé-Bérénice Méité Preps Up For The Olympic Season 2018

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)

7 years ago

Mae-Berenice Meite

Maé-Bérénice Méité is a French figure skater. She is the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, the 2016 International Cup of Nice champion, the 2015 Winter Universiade silver medalist, and a three-time French national champion. She has finished in the top six at three European Championships and represented France at the 2014 Winter Olympics, placing tenth.

Lets check out her preparation for the future Games in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You began skating at the young age of five and reached the pinnacle of success by becoming the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, the 2016 International Cup of Nice champion, the 2015 Winter Universiade silver medalist, and a three-time French national champion. Walk us through this spectacular journey and tell us how it all began?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

It all started in my home town in France, Vitry sur Seine. I went to the rink after school and just loved it: I told my parents that’s what I wanted to do; and here we are, 18 years later!

Throughout the journey, as every athlete, you have ups and downs: here are my career milestones.

Season 2010/2011, at the age of 15, I had to make the decisions to move up to senior and switch coach: it’s always hard to leave the coach you’ve had for 10 years. But those are decisions you have to make throughout a career.

After that , I made my first steps on the « big scene », first Grand Prix selection, European Championships (9th place) and World championships (14th). It was a huge milestone for me, as well as for the women category in France, as it’s been 10 years since a french lady has been in the top 10 at Europeans. Moving forward to 2014, my first olympics and a 10th place. And then, a knee injury happened, a tear in the right tendon (my landing leg) that would bother me for 3 seasons and a half.

Since then, I tried to fight as much as I could with the injury to keep up: but the level is getting crazier every single seasons and fighting was no longer enough.
Last year, I decided to move permanently to the US, in Chicago. With my current coach, Shanetta Folle, we’ve been working on building new skating skills basis. It’s a time process and last season was especially rough for me, as I didn’t get the results I was aiming for!

But during those hard times, you get to learn a lot more, rather than when everything is going perfect. So today, I’m working hard to be back stronger than ever for the Olympic season.

Full Interview on Next Page!

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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Introduce us to a day in your life, preparing for the Olympics.

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

A day in my life starts with an early wake up call: around 6.30 am. Then I spend a good 10 minutes laying in my bed haha then the second alarm goes off and I finally wake up (for real this time !)

Taking a quick shower , grabbing my oatmeal as well as my lunch meal, and then heading to the rink. Usually, I’m 3 to 4 hours on the ice, at least 1 hour a day doing some off ice so I spend at least 7 hours at the rink. Then I go to the PT for my knee and then I head back home… and lay in my bed till the very next day!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine that you may like to share?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

If there is one thing I’ve learned since my injury, it’s that your core is the key to keep your body healthy and functioning. So my fitness regime is all about core and cardio work out. To help me build up my strength, I do Pilates 3 times a week, core exercises every single day (except on Sundays !!!!) and cardio at least 3 times a week if not more. Plus, I try to stay hydrated by drinking at least 3L of water a day: it’s hard but I try to always have a bottle of water with me.

Oh, and don’t forget that rest is as important as your exercise time, if not more, because that’s when you’re body recovers from all your efforts. So don’t neglect this as well as stretching, your body will thank you later!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Maé-Bérénice Méité:

As a figure skater, 500g can make a difference: especially because when we jump, it’s 8 times our weight on a tiny little blade.

So with the help of my nutritionist Camille, based at INSEP in Paris , we established a new plan meal according to my eating habits and my daily schedule.

Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=28cgwHUXvPw

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

At such a young age, you are out and making history. How are you able to balance your personal life and competing for figure skating?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

My parents are my rock, and they are the first one to allow me to keep a good balance. Then whenever I’m in France, I get to do some get together with some of my closest friend from school; and when I’m not skating, I’m doing my homework: it allows me to focus on something else from time to time and that’s about it!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding figure skaters who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in this field?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

If there is one good advice I can give to someone, no matter what sport you are doing, you have to be passionate and you have to believe in yourself. This will lead you straight up to your dreams. But you have to face joy, pain, failure, hard times, get back up when you don’t feel like it, you have to persevere to get where you want to be. Remember: pain is temporary, glory is forever.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

How did you feel before and after representing France at the 2014 Winter Olympics?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

My only goal was to go the Olympics; so I was really just focused on that.

After all the magic happened, I just couldn’t believe I was there. I was very proud but already, I was looking forward to the future, to keep building up that path to my journey.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of your career in figure skating?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

I’ve always looked up to athletes, not only in figure skating but also other sports that I love; to name few of them : Michael Schumacher, Usain Bolt, Gabby Douglas, Teddy Riner.

Now in figure skating, I’ve admired both lots of men and women for many different reasons: Alexei Yagudin, Surya Bonali, Brian Joubert, Florent Amodio, Marina Anissina/Gwendal Peizerat, Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron, Javier Fernandez, Ashley Wagner, Daisuke Takahashi, Mao Asada, Yuzuru Hanyu and many more!!!!!

They all inspire me by their determination and dedication to that sport, their personality, the passion they give us while they are skating: watching them, I learn something new that I would try to apply to myself.

Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pX1jZt2lqJE

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Tell us about your preparations for the future Games and Championships.

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

The Olympic year is very intense, physically and emotionally. Knowing that, I just want to build this season step by step, setting goals at every competitions and improve each time.

Starting in September, I will have to compete approximately every 3 weeks till hopefully the end of March (for the World championships).

For that I will basically train 6 days a week, running programs and getting in shape, reviewing every single competition, to set all the details.

It’s going to be a crazy year but hopefully the hard work will pay off.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

While playing professional sports, athletes often face injuries and other difficulties, would you like to tell the audience about how to cope up and make a comeback after an injury?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

As I’m still recovering, it’s not always easy. Your body doesn’t react the same way, and it always feels a little bit weaker than it was after an injury. But if you’ve done everything you had to do to get back on track, if you have the motivation, the ambition to come back, if you are willing to make it happen then it’s just a matter of time. As I said earlier, it’s all about perseverance. No pain, no gain right ?

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

With a massive following who look upto you and follow you, how does it feel that you are able to influence and inspire the healthy lifestyle of so many individuals?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

I feel very grateful whenever people come up to me or send me messages of support, to tell me how much they loved my performance or my jumps, those little girls and boys that have sparkles in their eyes when you take some time to show them tricks, this has absolutely no price. And that’s a part of my strength too. Because sometimes, thanks to them and their support, we get up and go back to work after a painful fail; they always have kind words to give us the energy to keep doing what we do because to them we do it great ; they inspire us to inspire them. Again and again. Everyday. You simply feel grateful and want to give back as much as you can , by sharing your experience.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for our visitors on our 18th Anniversary?

Ms. Maé-Bérénice Méité:

It’s a milestone !!!
Eighteen years that you are promoting women; eighteen years that you are empowering women.

Thank you for sharing this with all of us, all around the world, and Happy Birthday Women Fitness !
To many more years !

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Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dg0nPc6eP-c