Kamila has been busy giving interview, here is one more, that turned out particularly nice:
Kamila Valiyeva - about Tatar cuisine, training with Tutberidze and favourite skaters
We talked with the finalist of the Junior Grand Prix.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valiyeva won the junior Grand Prix stage in Chelyabinsk and for the first time showed a program with two quadruple jumps. Already, this skater is called the favorite of the Olympics-2022 in Beijing. Kamila has gorgeous choreography, mature skating and a very complicated set of jumps.
Tat'yana Tarasova called Valieva “a skater without weaknesses”.
Since May 2018, Valiyeva has been training with Eteri Tutberidze. She began to engage herself in figure skating in her native Kazan with coach Kseniya Ivanova. Then she moved to Moscow, where she first trained at Moskvich, before coming to Sambo-70 in the group of Tutberidze. Here she trains with Alina Zagitova, Aleksandra Trusova and other figure skating stars.
The victory in Chelyabinsk guaranteed Kamila entry into the Grand Prix finals. There she is most likely to meet American Alysa Liu - the only junior not from Russia who is capable of quad jumps.
BUSINESS Online met with Valiyeva in Chelyabinsk and found out why she complicated her already complicated programs, how she copes with excitement, what she thinks about rivalry with Liu and what Tatar dishes she likes best.
GRAND PRIX IN CHELYABINSK, ALYSA LIU
Q: Kamila, what are your impressions of the Russian Grand Prix stage?
A: Performing in Chelyabinsk was very nice. I was calmer because I performed in Russia, it's easier for me than abroad. Everything is clear, familiar, everyone speaks Russian. I did not expect the stands to be filled with so many people.
Q: Performance at the full house - an excellent training before the final in Italy?
A: Maybe. There should be a lot of spectators at the finals, I think.
Q: Do you think already about the finals?
A: No. I haven't thought so far, have not had the time. But now we will think, this is the next step. In Turin, you will definitely need to skate your programs cleanly. Do two quad Toeloops.
Q: Is it important for you to win the final, or is the main task not a victory, but development?
A: I am developing, but I like to win. Victories are important to me, after all, this is a sport.
Q: You've heard about Alysa Liu?
A: Yes, I know about her. Strong girl.
Q: Do you like her skating?
A: I don’t know, it's not for me to judge her. She is strong.
Q: Are you motivated by having to compete with her?
A: It’s interesting to compete with her. When you know there is another girl who jumps both triple Axels and a quadruple Lutz you understand that just skating your routine with one quad is already rather weak. We need to get more complicated, so we decided to try the program with two quads.
Q: When did you decide on two quads?
A: Gathered together with the coaches after the stage in Courchevel and decided that I can try. Eteri Georgiyevna, when I arrived back, immediately offered to complicate the program and inserted two quad Toeloops in it. After France, I ran through the program with two quads. I was told that if I succeeded the first quad, I should go for the second. If it doesn’t work out, I'd be skating the old version. I made the first quad, and so I decided to try jumping the second.
Q: In training, both jumps turned out clean?
A: Those were different run throughs. I could cleanly skate and fall from the second quad as in Chelyabinsk.
Q: The first quadruple in your cascade. In Chelyabinsk, you added a double Toeloop to a quad Toeloop. This was a mistake?
A: No, that wasn't a mistake. Originally planned. Since I jump two quad Toeloops and two triple Lutz'e, I can not do the cascade 4-3 yet. Therefore, I do 4-2.
Q: How important is the first junior season to you?
A: The first season at any level, I think, is very important. You must immediately show yourself. And since this is my first - it is very exciting. One must be able to cope with this excitement.
BALLET, GYMNASTICS, FAVOURITE SKATERS
Q: Fans are amazed at the smoothness of your skating. In your opinion, how did this appear?
A: I don't even know myself. I think it’s just that they staged the choreography so well for me, explained that everything needs to be done carefully, each hand movement should be precise, everything movement must be measured. We try to do everything meticulously, therefore, probably, it turned out so well. We run the programs through several times. Eteri Georgiyevna, Daniil Markovich carefully look at my every move, asking me to repeat if some don't work out.
At the Grand Prix in Chelyabinsk, I was configured more for jumping. Still, my first appearance in this program with two quads was exciting.
Q: You also did rhythmic gymnastics at one time. What did that experience give you?
A: It seems to me that they stretched me well there. I was four years old then, my body was growing. It was good for my body. And then it was easier for me, because there was no need to stretch.
Q: When you decided to engage yourself in figure skating, you weren't drawn back to rhythmic gymnastics?
A: No, it didn’t. When I was still small, my mother told me clearly: either figure skating, or rhythmic gymnastics, or ballet. I liked figure skating best.
Q: Did you do ballet too?
A: Yes, for a very short time, really. There was a time when I was simultaneously engaged in ballet, and figure skating, and rhythmic gymnastics. In Kazan, I did a lot.
Q: Your coach probably used the ballet practices?
A: I had ballet tutus. Leg transfers, like in ballet, were inserted into my programs. They wanted to diversify my skating.
Q: What exactly attracted you to figure skating?
A: It seems to me when you push, glide over the ice, skate your programs in front of the audience, jump ... All this is very exciting, breathtaking.
Q: Which other skaters have you watched?
A: When I was very young, I really liked Adelina Sotnikova and Yuliya Lipnitskaya. Then I followed other girls, both ours and other countries'. When I grew up, I liked Alina Zagitova. Alina has very easy jumps, strong elements. I also like Zhenya Medvyedeva. Especially her program in the gray-pink dress, about the 9/11 tragedy in the United States.
Speaking of boys, Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu, I like them. They ride very smoothly, while doing very difficult jumps, they jump very well.
Q: They are very different in skating, in style, approach to business.
A: I know. Many do not like Chen's skating. They say that he is more configured for jumping than skating. But I really like it.
Q: Chen is Trusova’s favourite skater, she dreams of him jumping six quad in one program. Would you like to try yourself such a difficult program?
A: Yes of course. Why not? I like Trusova’s skating too, she does the quad Lutz, almost all quads. That's cool.
ASSESSMENT AT TUTBERIDZE's, TATAR DISHES
Q: Eteri Tutberidze in your first season in Khrustalniy announced your program as her favourite. You immediately got used to the new rink?
A: When I first came to the younger group, I was amazed at how much the girls work. I went to training, made one element, the rest of the time I just rode in circles, a little tired. At the same time, other girls already had performed two or three elements.
While I skated in circles, they already were on to their second and third. And then another 10 elements were done. At first it was difficult for me to integrate, to get used to this pace. To and fro, to and fro, to do the jumping. But then I got used to it, and it spurred me to develop, to work on myself.
Q: How was the assessment by Tutberidze?
A: When I first arrived, Daniil Markovich was the first to watch my skating runs. First, short, then free. Then came Eteri Georgiyevna. She did not watch the full routine, asked me to show jumping and spinning. Then they told my mother that they were waiting for me to come training.
Q: Did you make this decision about the transition together with your mother?
A: Yes. I used to have problems sometimes with attitude and stability. With the new coach, we seriously worked on this.
Q: You are a Tatar native of Kazan. Is this important for you or do you not think about it?
A: Of course it is important. We honour Tatar customs in the family, my grandmother and mother know the Tatar traditions well and try to teach me. For example, in our family we are very fond of Tatar cuisine.
Q: What exactly is on the menu?
A: My grandmother usually cooks. Different dishes: echpochmak, kystyby, very often Tatar noodles. We cook noodles more often. Sometimes I help my grandmother in the kitchen, I try to learn recipes myself.
Q: What is your goal in life?
A: I don't know. It's too early to talk about this.
Q: You used to talk about the Olympics ...
A: And now I’ll talk about them, but it seems to me that everyone has such a dream. It’s too early to think about anything serious. The Grand Prix finals and many other tournaments are still ahead. First you need to win them, only then think about the Olympics. Not right now.
(c)Рустам Имамов
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From:
https://sport.business-gazeta.ru/article/244830
Kamila is probably this flexible by nature, I laughed over her remark
'they stretched me well in RG'
So happy for this unique girl!
