Yulia, are you afraid that there are more and more new little girls who skate that way so it is not clear how to compete with them?
The most important thing is that I understand what I should do myself and how I should do it…
Yulia, there is a question which worries many of your fans: how are you? (how do you feel?)
Normally. I have already got accustomed to the condition that I constantly have to cure of something. I had different kind of examination in Moscow but doctors didn’t assign me anything particular. Now I’m practicing, skating bit by bit. If you start rushing at practice at once, nothing will come out of it. Something will get injured again. I’ve started to use new blades. I’m skating on “EDEA” boots . These are soft boots and I have to change them often. But now, as we have time, we have decided to switch to the new blades. Some people say they are comfortable, some think otherwise. We will try and see.
After Rostelecom Cup many of our female skaters expressed the words of encouragement to support you in the social networks, but still figure skating is said to be an exceptionally individual sport.
I have received a lot of letters from different people: figure skaters, fans, even from the people who aren’t very interested in our sport. This is very important to me, especially in hard times. To be honest, I was shocked myself because of what happened during the skate. I won’t go into details. This is not called for. Of course, this kind of turn of events was difficult to foresee. My coach and me had absolutely different plans and in any case. To be honest, I don’t envy Alexei Evgenievich. Don’t know how he endures and stands all of this. I feel bitter that everything happened that way.
Do you plan to compete before the Nationals?
No, we won’t have time to rehabilitate and get prepared. Initially, we planned that after GP in Moscow I would be on the rise and we would be able to complicate the programs and continue skating and polishing them. But, as my coach told: fate makes its own allowances which don’t sit well with me. Don’t sit well at all. We have to get back to the start, to start from nothing and to skate and polish this variant.
On the one hand, you are quite an experienced athlete; on the other hand, you missed a lot due to the injuries. How hard is it to start after the break?
I am far from being an experienced athlete and it has always been hard for me to start. After all, here is Mao Asada who seems very experienced but you can see that it is quite hard even for her to start after the long break. After the recent events my goal now is to pull myself together for the free skate, to skate it and to fight everything I haven’t managed to cope with lately. I don’t know whether this is fear or something else, but there is no free skate at the starts. On the practice I manage to skate it. And we planned to show all what had been done at Rostelecom Cup. We’ve planned a lot of competitions this season, but it turns out that after each start I have to get cured and lose quite a lot of time that I have to spend for my practice. But there is no point in talking about it now, I have to go on.
After the short program you were gifted a huge bear. Do you know who gifted this to you?
This is the gift from Polina Makarova. The girl who skated in Sochi in the group of Urmanov. We closely interacted with her and I was upset when she was gone. By nature I don’t easily make friends with girls. I feel easier with guys. Maybe, they are more reliable. From female skaters I closely interact with Liza Tuktamysheva and Lena Radionova. But Liza lives in Saint-Petersburg and I don’t manage to often meet with Lena when I’m in Moscow. She doesn’t have free time: trainings, competitions and also studies.
What is your daily routine?
I get up and go to practice. I don’t always have breakfast in the morning, as sometimes I have no strength to cope with everyday domestic affairs and moreover, I’m not very hungry in the morning. Overall physical training, ice practice, cool down exercises. After it I go home and there is a couple of hours for rest. If I get too tired, I can sleep 1-1,5 hours. Then I have dinner. And again practice. In the evening I have some stuff to cope with.
Washing, cooking, reading fine literature?
As well. I had quite convenient schedule in summer but there was no day that I was sitting at home. I always had some affairs which previously had been done by my mother but at that time I had to do everything myself. I quite often flew to Moscow. It wasn’t my initiative: there was some business which required me to attend. Now I spend all the time in Sochi. I go shopping myself, buy products and other stuff, wash and cook…
Can you cook?
That’s a good question. And what do you think? I live all alone now. Actually I have a lot of signature dishes. But the simplest and day-to-day dish, these are elementary salads. You can eat it all day long. We also have a good canteen here. If I get very tired or don’t know what I want to eat, I can eat there. They cook quite well.
Do you manage to go somewhere at the weekends?
Not every weekends. Sometimes. You can go to the mountains, to the viewing points, you can go to the restaurant, to wander along the quay in Sochi. To be honest I haven’t been there for a long time. Or you can watch a movie. But I have no one to take with me. Only my coach. But he needs to take a rest from me. It has become a custom that at the weekends we break up with Alexei Evgenievich. And each of us takes care of one’s own affairs.
You have always loved reading.
I’m still reading a lot now. This is the only thing which distracts me from figure skating. I receive a lot of books as gifts that is why I don’t go to bookshops. I go there when I have to choose a present for someone.
Everybody read a tale of a goldfish in childhood. If you had this goldfish what three wishes would you make?
I would make only one wish: to give me a million of wishes, because I dream of plenty of things about my life now.
Is there a wish to achieve some greater results in sport?
Of course, there is. But now I want to get rid of all the illnesses and to go to start securely so there is nothing disturbing me, moreover, during my skates.
:
, and that she has more than a few signature dishes (i.e. not just lasagne 
). Life skills are important! It is also a joy and relief to know that Yulia is a bookworm! Sponge up all that knowledge girl! There is no deadlier combination than pairing a brilliant mind with a resilient, charismatic personality. The world is so much bigger than just figure skating, and I would watch eagerly with interest whatever career-path/cause she may pursue in the future! But for the near future, I for one believe that Yulia is NOT going to give-up/quit without bringing one hell of a fight. The girl does NOT run from fights, she damn well tries her hardest, puts it all on the table...the rest is up to fate. Whatever the result, I will NEVER fault her for not trying.
:agree:
