TSL interviews Katia Gordeeva!

[Ic3Rabbit]

I think her daughter should try one more year. If she doesn't make Nationals again next year then I think she should give up figure skating or try ice dance where there are no jumps. I think she's going to be 18 or 19 and unfortunately if your skating career hasn't taken off by that age, especially for female single skaters, then it most likely is not going to.

This kind of thinking makes no sense. Let me cross-reference a post from another thread earlier this week....
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...-Ice-Dancing&p=2282956&viewfull=1#post2282956

Pay attention to the second paragraph there.

 

[Eloise14]

I'm not an expert at figure skating at all. I'm just a fan. I've just heard about a bunch of single skaters that move to ice dance or pairs.

In Katia's book, she even says that her coach moved her to pairs because she wasn't excelling as a single skater. Sergei as well.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I'm not an expert at figure skating at all. I'm just a fan. I've just heard about a bunch of single skaters that move to ice dance or pairs.

In Katia's book, she even says that her coach moved her to pairs because she wasn't excelling as a single skater. Sergei as well.

That's singles to pairs though, that's not ice dance from singles, it's completely different.

 

[skateluvr]

She is tall and that hampers pairs girls even if she can do side by side jumps. Kulik taught her the jumps. I wonder why she left Dad for RAF? Sounds like maybe a not so amivpcable divorce but who knows? I don’t think she will ever write another book unless she needs money. I personally see her as having a mixed reaction to fame like many celebrities and sports stars. One suspects they are still a close family for the girls sake. What actually does Daria do now?

 

[Eloise14]

I'm not 100% sure but from Daria's Instagram, her college degree involves fashion and she has a job. But I dont know what her job title is.

The three of them (Katia, Daria and Liza) are obviously very close. I dont know about Kulik. He's never in any pictures. Maybe he doesn't want to be on social media? I dont want to make assumptions on the status of their relationships with him. He did skate in Katia's From the Heart show in December 2015. I think he filed for divorce in early 2016 so I don't know if they were still together then or separated.

 

[Arriba627]

I had the feeling Liza was now being coached by Raf when I saw her in the Team Raf photo earlier this season. I’m still hopeful about Liza though she bombed Sectionals, doesn’t Raf say it takes 2 yrs?

Yes, he says he needs 2 years, which I would imagine is pretty standard. I was disappointed when I heard she hadn't done well in her last competition--or at least not the skate she was looking for. I'm sure given her "lineage" she would love to turn in some stellar competitions.

 

[ladyjane]

A great interview!

 

[rnois13]

I hope Liza pushes her way up the ranks, having a legacy skater in the mix would be great.

 

[Lester]

I know! I clicked on the interview just to see how bad she looked, and I thought she looked GREAT for 47! Amazing to me, really. I'm one year younger and she's held her looks as well as anyone our age. I was worried she was going to look burnt out or something. She's gorgeous and beautiful.

Why were you worried she was going to look burnt out?
Besides, implying that 47 is somehow old is daft. 60+ is old.

 

[el henry]

Why were you worried she was going to look burnt out?
Besides, implying that 47 is somehow old is daft. 60+ is old.

:angry1: :roll9:

 

[demarinis5]

Is there a link to this interview????

 

[skylark]

Is there a link to this interview????

here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK5cOv0kfBs

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Kulik is currently doing Christmas on Ice in Russia, according to Tatiana Volosozhar's Instagram story.

 

[LiamForeman]

Why were you worried she was going to look burnt out?
Besides, implying that 47 is somehow old is daft. 60+ is old.

I was implying no such thing. Jumping to conclusions is rather daft, Lester.

 

[Wheelz]

I know! I clicked on the interview just to see how bad she looked, and I thought she looked GREAT for 47! Amazing to me, really. I'm one year younger and she's held her looks as well as anyone our age. I was worried she was going to look burnt out or something. She's gorgeous and beautiful.

Katia looks at least 15 years younger than her actual age.

 

[meem]

@skylark: Thank you for providing the link. I loved this interview. Katia looks fantastic - but then she was always beautiful, even as a child. Dave did a very good job keeping away from intrusive questions but we learned what it was like training in the Soviet Union and then performing at the two O's. I had no idea she and Kulik were divorced.

 

[Eloise14]

No one really new knew until early this year around the time of the Olympics. People magazine had special figure skating edition that reported they split in 2015 and then it was confirmed with online court documents.

I love when she posts something about Sergei on her IG or posts a comment on the G&G archive. And I cried when I saw the little segment her and Daria did during the Olympics because it was the 30th anniversary of Calgary. Part of me wonders if she would be doing all of this if she wasn't divorced? He did skate in her 2015 From the Heart show so who knows maybe he would be ok with it.

 

[oatmella]

I watched some of the interview, it seems interesting so far.

I am curious what she thinks of Raf as a coach, but obviously that’s not the point of the interview

 

[skylark]

@skylark: Thank you for providing the link. I loved this interview. Katia looks fantastic - but then she was always beautiful, even as a child. Dave did a very good job keeping away from intrusive questions but we learned what it was like training in the Soviet Union and then performing at the two O's. I had no idea she and Kulik were divorced.

You're welcome. I'm fascinated by the picture she paints of her early training days in the Soviet Union. The training was demanding and strict but well-rounded, and it seems to me that Katia liked being part of a group, all along the way. It also sticks in my mind from reading her book years ago that during most of the summer they didn't train on the ice, but went to athletic camps and participated in various other sports.

I watched some of the interview, it seems interesting so far.

I am curious what she thinks of Raf as a coach, but obviously that’s not the point of the interview

Oh, so would I! It also occurs to me that Raf breaks down many of his students' jumps before building it up again, so Liza's in the middle of that process. I do wonder why Ilia relinquished coaching Liza ... but it could well have been his choice. Parent-child and coach-student are two different things. And I'm sure Katia didn't want to get into it. She did interject, in a positive way, that it was Ilia who taught Liza all her jumps.

 

[lurkz2]

I watched some of the interview, it seems interesting so far.

I am curious what she thinks of Raf as a coach, but obviously that’s not the point of the interview

She must think very highly of Raf to entrust her precious daughter to him, being more knowledgeable than the average parent and very familiar with the industry.

I do agree the shift probably was due to Ilia's many overseas engagements (like Romeo and Juliet in Russia) last year.

What I appreciate most about Liza is the quality of her skating and jumps, the focus of her early training was obviously quality rather than short term gains. Her standing actually seems to have improved each year (she made Nationals for the first time as a Junior). I think she even qualified to Pacific Sectionals 2nd only to Alyssa Liu her 1st year competing as a senior.

Unfortunately, she also seems to have inherited Ilia's lack of stamina, he did have the unfortunate tendency of missing or popping the second jump in a combination. Hopefully some tough love from Raf will address that.