By Gina Capellazzi, Team FSO website administrator
Photos by Camille Jouanne (http://camillejphotographe.fr) and Megan Wessenberg
Figure Skaters Online has started a new series to introduce fans to the new pair teams who will be making their debut during the 2025-26 season. For this series, we chatted with Megan Wessenberg and Denys Strekalin, who are a new team for France.
Tell us about your individual skating journeys, including any early special memories.
Megan: I started skating when I was five because my dad took me to some public sessions at our local rink to teach me to skate. He originally thought he would put me into hockey, but I saw figure skaters practicing at the rink and told him that I wanted to do that instead.
Denys: I started skating when I was seven because I was trying different sports and I wanted to play soccer but they were not taking kids to the team until they turned eight. So, I was trying a lot of different sports and my dad brought me to try figure skating. At first, I really didn’t want to skate but my dad convinced me to give it a try and I ended up liking it.
What drew you to pairs? Did you compete in singles before and if so, how long did you skate and compete as a single skater?
Megan: I skated singles until I was 21. At the end of my singles career, I was pretty unhappy and I knew I needed to make a change. I still loved skating and wanted to continue my career but I wasn’t sure what the next step was for more. As I was reflecting during this time, the idea of trying pairs came into my head and I thought it could be interesting and something that I might be good at. Once I gave it a try, I really enjoyed it and decided it was something that I wanted to pursue.
Denys: I skated in singles until I was 16. Right after I turned 16, my former partner proposed for me to try pairs and skate with her. At first, I did not want to do pairs because I did not want to have the responsibility for someone else on the ice. But, my coach talked with me and said that I should give it a try and that there could be a lot of opportunity for me in pairs skating. So, I decided to give it a try and here I am.
Tell us how your partnership started.
Megan: I was looking for a new partner and my coach, Stefania Berton, thought that Denys could be a good option for me. So, I reached out to him and we set up a tryout pretty quickly.
Denys: I was searching for a partner too and Megan texted me. I came for a tryout in Chicago and it went pretty well, so from there we decided to skate together.
Denys, would you be willing to share what happened with your previous partnership with Oceane Piegad? Megan, would you be willing to share what happened with your partnership with Edoardo Caputo?
Megan: Last season, Edoardo and I were not able to compete due to injury. Our paths then went in different directions and I decided to look for a new partner.
Denys: I stopped skating with Oceane because she was struggling with injury since the fall of 2022. Unfortunately, her injury was not getting better. In September of 2024, she decided to stop completely to try to heal this injury and I decided to search for a new partner.
What is it that you already like most about skating with your new partner?
Megan: I think that from the beginning the communication between us has been very good. For me, this is very important because it is the foundation of a strong partnership.
Denys: First, I like skating with Megan because she is very mature, determined, and a hard-worker. I also think that we are pretty compatible in our personalities.
What experiences do each of you bring to the partnership? (International competitions, training, etc.)
Megan and Denys: Aside from each of our individual competitive experiences, we have both faced many challenges and setbacks in our careers. Because of this, we both have a mature perspective that is valuable to our partnership. Even though we come from very different backgrounds, we feel that we can really relate to each other in this respect.
What has been the biggest adjustment for each of you so far in the partnership?
Megan: I think that for the both of us, one of the biggest adjustment has been getting back into the rhythm of competitive training. We were both out of competition last season, so it is taking some time for us to adjust, both physically and mentally, to the demands of daily training in preparing for the season.
Denys: For me, it has been an adjustment moving to the US as I have been living in France for the past nine years.
Tell us about your training sites. How much time are you spending in France and how much time are you spending in the U.S?
Megan and Denys: Denys came to the U.S. for our tryout at the end of March and after we stayed here until May. In May, we spent three weeks in France before coming back to the U.S. to train for the summer. We will be returning to France at the end of August and we will be going back and forth between the U.S. and France throughout the season.
Tell us about Bruno (Massot) and Stefania (Berton) and Rockne (Brubaker) and their coaching styles. Is there something specific that each coach is focused on in your training? Who will be traveling with you this season?
Megan and Denys: Our collaboration with Bruno will start when we return to France in August, so we have not had the chance to begin working with him yet. But, we are really looking forward to working with Bruno and sure that with his experience, he will bring valuable insight to the team. Stefania and Rockne are our main coaches in the U.S., and Stefania will be travelling with us to most of our competitions. They both have a good technical eye and are detail-oriented, which has been fundamental in our development as a new team.
Why did you choose to skate for France instead of the U.S.? What is the status of Megan’s French citizenship?
Megan and Denys: From the beginning of our communication, there was an understanding that if we decided to skate together that we would skate for France. We both felt that skating for France was the best decision and would give us the most opportunity. Megan’s French citizenship will be a work in progress.
What are you skating to this year, if you would like to share with us?
Megan and Denys: Our short program this season is “Le dernier jour du disco” by Juliette Armanet and was choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo. Our free skate this season is “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings and was choreographed by Rohene Ward.
What are each of you looking forward to most this skating season? What will be your biggest challenge(s)?
Megan and Denys: We are both looking forward to being back on the competition circuit this season. Our biggest challenge will be qualification for the French Grand Prix and qualification for the European Championships.
Tell us about your debut competition this season?
Megan and Denys: Our first competition will be the French Masters at the end of August.
What are your goals for this season?
Megan and Denys: As it is our first season together, our biggest goal is just to gain experience together at the competitions and develop as a team throughout the season.
And finally, a fun question, if you could have a lesson with any pair skater past/present, who would it be? Why?
Megan: Denys has a good relationship with Vanessa James, so I think it would be really cool to have the opportunity to work with her at some point.
Denys: I think it would be interesting to have a conversation with Cong Han and find out more details about his approach to training.
