If you hear the name Thomas Alsgaard (48), you probably do not think of Latin rhythms and sequins. He has five Olympic gold medals, six World Cup gold medals and seven Norwegian championships on his merit list as a cross-country skier, but this autumn the ski boots have been put on the shelf in favor of patent leather shoes.
After being asked countless times, he has in fact urged himself to join “Skal vi danse”. He makes no secret of the fact that it has been tough to suddenly become a dancer.
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– It has been incredibly difficult, because these are completely new ways of moving for me. The rhythm and flow of skis can not be compared to what you have to do on the dance floor, he chuckles to Dagbladet.
Alsgaard did not get the best scores the first two weekends, which may surprise many. He is used to winning in both the ski track and on TV, as when he ran away with the victory in “71 degrees north – Norway’s toughest celebrity” last year.
However, he has not gone into this with the hope of winning. Participation is the goal in itself, he says happily.
Reveals social anxiety
Got blackout
– And if I am to be generous with myself, then I have learned more dance than I thought was possible. Rikke and I have a lot of fun training, and it feels good. We aim to work hard, and the goal is to deliver during each shipment. If we feel that we can do it, it does not have much to say whether the judges show a three or an eight, Alsgaard explains.
12 hour long days at the dance studio are consuming, but it works. At least he hopes so, even though the trophy seems very far away.
– I will probably not be a Nate (participant Nathan “Nate” Kahungu, journ.anm.), Because he has the rhythm in his body naturally. Many of the other, younger participants also take things much faster than me. Reaching a final is unrealistic, he says.
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If you look at how it went last Saturday, it is perhaps not so strange that the former ski professional has such thoughts about himself. It did not go exactly according to plan for Alsgaard, who danced a Viennese waltz to Ingrid Olavas’ “Take This Waltz”.
– I do not remember anything from that dance. I have a complete blackout, he says, and continues:
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– This is an arena I have feared all my life, and everything turned black for me when we entered the parquet. Luckily, I have the world’s best dance partner who discovered it quickly, and she got to talk me through it.
The judges criticized the couple for having just talked together during the dance, which they thought was not appropriate.
– But if she had not talked to me, we would still be standing there. I have some challenges related to anxiety, strangers and new environments. And when you have to deliver something you are not completely comfortable with, in front of lots of people and cameras… I can not explain it, but it went completely in black, he says.
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Guilty
Fortunately, this did not happen during the broadcast on Saturday 19 September, when he received standing ovations for his paso double and 28 points.
He sends all his gratitude towards the dance partner.
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– She has opened new doors for me, and I look forward to every single session. I’m very frustrated, but it always gets better when you get into choreography, he smiles.
Alsgaard entered the process much later than the other participants. He had initially said no, but when another participant withdrew, TV 2 called.
– And it is not more than four weeks since I was suggested. I have, in other words, not practiced much on my own. It came like lightning from clear skies.
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He has fortunately recovered through the first few weeks without any significant injuries or stretches. The body tolerates a good deal from before, even though he notices that he loads on places that may not have been so top trained before.
– My life tends to take directions that are a bit contrary to what I really think. I did not want to work in the media after I quit, but then I suddenly worked for NRK. This summer I said that I should never be part of “Skal vi danse”, but now I’m probably on the floor, he smiles.
Throughout his career, he has thrown himself into projects, which have often deprived him of time with his family. His wife Rønnaug Schei Alsgaard, whom he married in 2004, has not always been as happy with it.
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– I have some time to catch up with her and the children, but the coming weeks is not the time to do it. You’re in a dance bubble, and I’m barely home. Fortunately, there is a horizon for this, but I feel my conscience all year round, he says, and continues:
– If you want to have any chance in this, you have to come in with skin, hair and all the time you have. Then life at home should rather be a little downgraded. We have a good dialogue about it, and the marriage is fortunately firmly rooted, he laughs.
That’s how Thomas got the super body
A constant loss
The family was present in the hall during the first broadcast, and cheers on him from the couch when they can not be present. One person who is not allowed to be present for the ski hero is his father Per. He passed away in 1996, aged 51. The ski legend has several times talked publicly about the loss, which will also be reported this autumn.
– He is still in my mind every day, even though it has been 24 years. I miss him all the time, and he was one of my most important counselors. He still is, even though he is gone, says Alsgaard, and continues:
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– I still consult with him, in that I think about how he would have handled or handled things. It would have been exciting to know what he would think about this participation, he smiles.
Alsgaard still says that he thinks his father had supported him. He loved to dance, and rarely shot the dance floor if the opportunity arose. That interest or desire did not inherit the son.
– I have been terrified of dancing all my life. The bridal waltz is the only one I have had in the repertoire before this participation. I have protected the dance floor like the plague. Dad would probably have been proud of me now, he adds.
