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- Jan 5, 2019
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matchtv.ru
Interview with Anastasiya Tarakanova about restarting a career, behind the scenes emotions and training with Tutberidze and Plyushchenko.
Her plans include selection for the Olympic Games.
At the last stage of the Russian Cup in Kazan, one of the brightest participants was Anastasiya Tarakanova. Although she did not win a medal, the very fact of returning to the sport after injuries, uncertainty and numerous changes of coaches is a dramatic event and a personal victory for the figure skater, as well as her current coaching staff - Kseniya Ivanova and Adyan Pitkeyev.
In an interview with Match TV, Tarakanova spoke about the difficulties of the last season, behind-the-scenes moments in sports and the experience of rollerskating.
We also recollected the periods of training in the groups of Eteri Tutberidze and Yevgeniy Plyushchenko. Some topics, in particular, the last two transitions to coaches, the search for funding and the level of mastery of ultra-si elements, Anastasia is not yet ready to discuss. But let us hope soon in a competition we will see super elements in her routines.
Read in this interview:
* About the favourite coach of Anastasia and training without a choreographer
* How she managed to outplay today's leaders
* Why does she still remember Eteri Tutberidze during competitions?
* How were Medvyedeva and Zagitova before the Olympics
* About the reasons for the transition to Plyushchenko's Academy and skating at the Grand Prix finals with a temperature
* Yevgeniy Plyushchenko's response to critical press reviews
* What made Tarakanova restart her career?
" Sometimes we were doing choreography in the form of stretching - right in the locker room, if we weren't thrown out before "
- Your dad is a professional swimmer, and you initially tried yourself in his sport. What place does swimming take in your life?
-- As a child, I came to figure skating and swimming almost simultaneously. I mastered the main strokes: breaststroke, crawl, butterfly, backstroke. But then, at the age of five, the choice fell on ice - ice skating just warmed my soul more. I still swim - I go with my dad to the pool on weekends. I performed in competitions up to my tenth, but only for myself, when it didn't interfere with figure skating.
- Your family moved to Moscow from Volgograd in 2011. Who did you train with in the first years?
-- My first and favourite coach is Irina Mikhailovna Klimova. She gave me my sliding base, taught me all the double jumps. Our families still communicate, they come to visit, and Irina Mikhailovna's daughter is my best friend. Then it so happened she left the Krylatskoye skating rink and I ended up in the group of Mariya Butyrskaya. I skated with her for about a year, then with Svetlana Panova. With Eteri Tutberidze I already entered the international scene.
- What were the conditions for training at Snow Leopards? I saw your old comment that Panova's group lacked choreography and physical training classes.
-- In that school, in principle, there was no hall, so we had to rent it ourselves in different places, look for additional teachers. Sometimes we were choreographed in the form of stretching - right in the locker room, if they weren't kicked out of there. Usually, after all, our ice time was over, and that's it, the hockey players have arrived ... they are driving us out of the locker room.
- During 2014–2015, you beat the current stars - Anna Shcherbakova and Aleksandra Trusova - by a solid margin (more than 20 points). What content did you own then?
-- Our content was about the same: everyone was jumping, there was no talk of quads yet. I had to take something, and I seriously took up sliding, choreography. Plus, I was an artistic child from childhood. Coach Nadezhda Kanayeva, who works in the group of Rafael Harutyunyan, came to us from America to stage programs. All this helped to create a strong overall picture, and I won on my grade in components.
- How did your move to the Eteri Tutberidze group happen?
-- I went to the assessment even before the 2014 Olympics. But then I was told to come back later - a lot of work. I got in the way at the rink, of course. I remember I went out on the ice and interfered with Yuliya Lipnitskaya, Zhenya Medvedeva, and many others. Therefore - only after the Games. I couldn't wait that long and ended up with Svetlana Panova. After a while, my parents called Sergey Dudakov, agreed on a time, and I came to a second assessment. I was immediately approved, somehow everything worked out nicely that day.
- What did Eteri Tutberidze give you in terms of skills and mental attitude?
-- It is difficult to identify specific features. I will say this: I began to skate on a larger scale and feel differently on the ice. Internal balance, got a stronger core. I found out my worth, found out who I was, and my competitive attitude changed. And now, whenever I go out on the ice to perform a program, somewhere in my heart I remember Eteri Georgievna, her words with which she knows how to charge a person.
- How would you rate your high results in your first junior season?
-- I understood that the main competition is still at Russian level, even within our group. Therefore, I went out completely calmly with this mood to cleanly execute my programs. Most of all I was worried at the first stage of the Grand Prix, especially before the short program. Before me, other skaters from our Russian team have already performed, they went all wrong. And on me - the final competitor - lay the responsibility: to adequately represent not only myself, but the whole country, to please the coaches. All hope was only on me. Fortunately, I skated cleanly and it was a success.
- You then successfully spent the first half of that season, entered the top three at the Grand Prix finals. What do you think prevented you from qualifying for the main start at the Russian championship?
-- There I performed both programs cleanly. The only thing was a bad entry into the Lutz, but then, in the second half, I jumped a cascade of Flip - Toeloop. Therefore, I was satisfied with my performance, just at that time others were stronger.
- You were a direct witness to the preparation of Yevgeniya Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova for the Olympics. How do you remember them during that period?
-- Zhenya is a real fighter. She had a fracture, and often she forced herself to go out on the ice through her discomfort. Such a purposeful workaholic, for me she is the number one athlete. And to this day for me there is no one stronger and cooler skater than Zhenya Medvedeva! Alina is also great: when something did not work out, she got up again and skated programs without music. It was clear she at the age of 15 realised that a decisive start is coming up soon.
But Zhenya showed this more, as she is older. Her age showed, and it was evident Zhenya fought to the end for her victory, fought through obstacles. And Alina had her first senior season, which she prepared without any injuries, with a cool heart and head. Everything went in a zigzag for Zhenya, so I was very excited for her.
" Plyushchenko made a huge contribution to my development. Many say he doesn't train personally, but this is not true "
- Why did you transfer to Yevgeniy Plyushchenko's school in 2018?
-- I was at a psychological impasse. Before, when I was little, I understood: if I skate clean now, I'll win over everyone. I was the first with a wide margin, I won over Sasha Trusova, Anya Shcherbakova, Alyona Kostornaya. And in the 2017/18 season, I began to loose, even with perfect skating runs. I didn't qualify for the Junior World Championships, which was very disappointing. At some point, it became difficult for me to go out on the ice, and I quit figure skating.
A couple of months later I met again with my wonderful mentor Irina Mikhailovna Klimova: she took me to the rink and returned my faith in myself. She said that she was planning to go working at Plyushchenko's Academy, and I followed her. Later, Kseniya Ivanova became my main coach, but Irina Mikhailovna was always there and consulted me. Yevgeniy Viktorovich, as the head coach, also helped a lot.
- How do you feel about the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix finals? There were many Russian skaters there, and you performed well.
-- Yes, despite the fact I had chickenpox and temperature. The background is very complicated: I was seen by a doctor, and only on Tuesday, the day of departure to Vancouver, he gave a certificate that I was not contagious and could, in principle, travel. The fact that, after this nervous tension, I performed my free program cleanly, was a small victory for our entire team. Because I was preparing, skating for 40 minutes alone at night (I couldn't contact anyone). Kseniya Semyonovna and sometimes Yevgeniy Viktorovich helped from behind the boards. I am very grateful to them for their support during in this difficult situation!
- Why did you fail to show a high result at the Russian Championship that season?
-- On the Flip, I had to put down a hand and didn't rotate properly in the Lutz-Toeloop cascade. Honestly, then I did not understand what was happening at all. On the day of the short program, my grandmother died. When I learned about it - all my emotions came out.
- What made you leave the group last summer?
-- Initially, I came to the academy with Irina Klimova to get myself on my feet again. We needed a person who would support and help me to gain strength, there was this coach who had ice and time for me. The condition of a large skating rink was immediately discussed. And they promised me again during the whole season - either after the Grand Prix finals, then after New Year, then after the Russian Championship ... all those new dates, but the big ice never appeared. I was already mastering quadruple jumps under the guidance of coach Amir Khabibullin, and then I was transferred to other specialists with whom I got injured. I had to stay at home for a week or two, to be treated.
There were many more nuances, I will not mention them now. My parents decided: it is better to change the team. Personally, I didn't really want to leave, but I didn't decide everything. I was 14 years old, the choice is rather on the parents.
- Big skating rink - you mean the size of a competition rink?
-- Yes, at the academy it was very small, non-standard. True, I rode such that it caused problems in training. Especially with cascades 3-3, which need a lot of space. I began to get indignant, I wanted to move the boards and "stretch" the ice. But this was more in the form of jokes. Now, a large skating rink is being built for our "Army of Figure Skating" sports club. Everything is calm, we have a friendly team. This was not the case a year and a half ago at the academy: due to disagreements between the coaches, each gave different tasks, and the athletes were torn apart. I didn't understand what to do in this imbalance.
- Why do you think Yevgeniy Plyushchenko spoke rather negatively about your departure in the press, given that you said your goodbye well on your part?
-- Unpleasant moment, I was shocked. Perhaps Yevgeniy Viktorovich still has grievances. But if I offended him in some way, I apologize a thousand times - both to him and to the entire team! Plyushchenko made a huge contribution to my development. While many people say that he does not train personally, this is not true. Yes, he was sometimes absent due to being busy with shows and other projects. But every other day he took part in training.
" For three months I trained with an injury, went out on the ice, skated for 15 minutes and was done "
- Tell us about the Frida program last season.
-- The music was not originally mine: I did not know how to present the image. But I had only two options to choose from, and this one turned out to be the best. Back then people admired the program, said that I perform it with emotion and pleasure. It's like a balm to my soul. I realised that I could express and convey even an image to which my soul did not initially align.
- What then is your favourite program from your own repertoire?
-- The second free program of the last season Lacrimosa, which we took this year as well. The music was chosen at my suggestion, and they played it at an accelerated pace. I also love my new short program "Girl and the Sea" and both programs staged by Daniil Gleikhengauz.
- Why did you withdraw from the all Russian competitions last season?
-- I had an injury - a fracture that could not be diagnosed for a long time. Although I passed X-ray and MRI. For three months I trained with an injury: I went out on the ice, skated for about 15 minutes, and that's it. I could only take off my boots with difficulty, and it was painful to walk too. Only before the Russian Cup Finals I had a CT scan done, and the doctor revealed a fracture. The coaches and I decided to compete, although my chance to get into the national team was small. I skated the short program, and we realised that we shouldn't torture ourselves anymore.
- You have delighted the audience by returning gloriously to the competition. What was it like, performing in the Russian Cup after all the attempts?
-- I started my season when everyone was already competing with might and force. And I just recently went out on the ice, having healed my injury. I was recovering technique and sliding in accelerated mode, my team did a great job. I was happy to show this!
I know a lot of people wrote me off, they thought I had quit the sport. It was a shame to read such comments in the offseason. I myself understood that there was little chance of getting somewhere. Therefore, the debut in Kazan is a great personal victory for me, for my own self-esteem. I declared myself, I am still ready to fight and move forward. We have already identified new follow up steps with the coaches.
- In the summer you took part in a figure skating camp on roller skates. How did this idea come about?
-- My favourite mentor Irina Mikhailovna Klimova coaches the Russian national team in this sport. At that time I did not skate, and she invited me to her training camp as a second coach, assistant. The first two weeks I just got used to the roller skates, to feel them, and then I started helping the athletes. I even delivered programs to some of the guys.
- How, according to your personal feelings, ice skating and roller skating differ from each other?
-- It seems to me that when skaters come to roller-sport, the most difficult thing is spins. They are much more difficult to perform on wheels: I barely mastered how to wrap my leg. Inline skates are heavier and more difficult to handle. If on ice it is enough to simply sharpen the blades, but with rollers it is important to often wipe the wheels with a napkin. They also have a fork-shaped toe pick prong that must be twisted and tightened regularly, otherwise you will fly out. Likewise with the wheels. Plus there are no edges.
- Have you thought about switching to figure skating on roller skates - as an alternative to ice sports? Because there is no fierce competition there yet?
-- I'd rather stay in an atmosphere that is closer to me. I tried to perform my programs on roller skates - it was different, not what I thought. Still, I love the feeling of flying over ice.
- What are your dreams in sports and in life in general?
-- I set all tasks in stages, but the global goal is to get into the Olympic Games and compete for the highest title. I understand this is quite difficult, given the position I am in. I am perfectly aware of everything, but there is this desire. I strive, I apply myself, and then see how it goes. This is my main life vector at the moment.
(c) Марина Чернышова-Мельник
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