Interview of Vasily Konov with Nina Mozer, published on 16.3.21
Важное из интервью Василию Конову.
www.sports.ru
Watch the whole interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAhS8JLcwS0
Excerpt from sports.ru/
Google translation:
"In our news feed read Moser's comments about his acquaintance with Grigory Rodchenkov, the contract system in figure skating, and the creation of the Volosozhar-Trankov pair.
And below are the memories and reflections of the honored trainer of the Russian Federation about the structure of pair skating: why they lost the Olympics with Tarasova and Morozov, how did the cooperation with the Americans remember, why the fourth elements disappear and how pair skating should develop.
- I remember the face with which you left the ice in Pyeongchang. To meet outside the competition part is a feeling that a tragedy has happened.
- For me, yes, because I am a maximalist in all my aspirations, I always try to do everything with the highest quality, so that I have the opportunity to win. And when, after the short one, we are second with a minimal lead over the first place, I believe that we will succeed, because we are ready, we have great skates - the season gave me an understanding of what we can do.
At least, I did not set myself the goal of gold in the Olympic Games, I understood that Zhenya would debut with Volodya, it is always very difficult. I understood that all the luminaries had gathered, they wanted to stand on this pedestal, but there was faith that we would succeed. Unfortunately, Zhenya after a short read of our wonderful interviews, the journalists shouted, wrote and said that everything, in fact, gold is in our pocket, and she was so overexcited that when she went to the start, I saw ...
You know, we have a tradition: before the free one - ammonia. It's just such a small act. I see - she smells this cotton candy like perfume. I inhaled once, twice - and no effect... And I realized that she was so overexcited ... Only from the third time - and, yes, there is. And so she came out in this state, and the warm-up was a tumble. The last starter, everyone skates, and I myself already understood that something was wrong. Well, unfortunately, it didn't work out.
And my face was still a happy face, because for the next three days I started crying every two hours. For me, crying is generally an unprecedented story! True, there was still another difficult conversation with a person - somehow all this in combination, and for me the world stopped, probably for a long period of time.
- Was it easy to let Tarasova and Morozov go?
- The fact is that I didn’t let them go, but I left.
- In fact, they let me go. They could have stayed.
- I could have stayed, but I'm a person who is trying to intelligibly assess not only my situation, but also the situation with them. After we finished in Japan with a silver medal, the three of us sat down in a restaurant and I said: “Guys, we need to change. You need fresh blood, you need to develop yourself a little in a different direction. We cannot use what we have done before, so changes are needed. I am finishing". They asked me then: "Will you come back?" I say, "I can't tell you yet." That is, my return is not related to them. They are good at it, let them work.
It was difficult when, in the first year of their joint work with Maxim Trankov, not everything worked out and they were terribly upset. I remember the European Championship in Belarus - it so happened that in December Maxim had to leave, he had a contract made before that, he had to leave before the Russian Championship. He came, talked to me, and they returned to our skating rink, we prepared for the national championship as before - Maxim came to the national championship on a short day, he was there. Therefore, I say: "Guys, of course, I will help, this is not a question at all." And they were preparing for the national championship.
Then they had the European Championship, they lost to the French - they were insanely upset. And somehow it happened on the part of Maxim, and they themselves, and Fedya Klimov ... Then I sat with him - I still remember this glass of tea in the Belarusian sports palace - and say: "God, what to do?" That is, I understood that the situation was difficult, and Fedya said: "Nina Mikhailovna, just one more time, come on, please, help." I say, “Okay. Last time".
- Who is in charge - Marina Zueva or Maxim Trankov?
- In general, Marina has always been in charge, and until today, yes. But then Maxim talked to me in Japan and said: "No, I don't want to, I can't, I won't, I'm ready to be a choreographer." Probably, some circumstances have changed in his psychology, after a few months he started working with them again. And at that moment Marina Zueva was in charge.
- I think yes.
- What did it give the guys?
- Stability for my wife. When you take an athlete and start working with him, you don't know him. So I go through this situation a little with the young guys who are with me now, and at the first tournament I just tried to figure out what was needed in order for them to be able to do this.
For example, I am very pleased that I coped with the girl. Our girl had a problem all season, and my girl is fine: I just realized what I had to do with her. She reminded me very much of Zhenya Tarasova in this regard - the communication mechanisms, contacts before the start are very similar.
If with Tanya and Maxim (Volosozhar and Trankov - Sports.ru) I was only with Maxim, and Stas (Morozov - Sports.ru) was with Tatyana - this is one story. Tarasova / Morozov - I was with Zhenya, Volodya stimulated himself, tuned in, then I just studied in this pair, but it turned out that the boy would also need to pay attention, teach everything. Therefore, the arrival of Voronov - I heard from Maxim's lips that Voronov feels Zhenya very well. He says she looks a lot like him. She is very talented in body, she is a very talented athlete, just sometimes the muscle condition is different. Completely different people.
The task of the coach in pair skating is to connect an absolutely tall, large guy with an absolutely fragile, graceful, light, petite girl who must condemn herself to rejection in everything... This is the most important thing. So that these two personalities come out at the right time and do everything at the start.
- By the way, they are now training with you, here?
- They are under the auspices of our school, but we have one more skating rink - they are preparing for the World Championship at that skating rink.
- Did you do it on purpose so as not to overlap?
- Before the Russian championship, we united, I realized that not everything is so simple, so I decided not to have any ... Well, then, Maxim works in the Kazan school, Seryozha Voronov also does not work for us, and now, after the pandemic, there are enough rules tough. Therefore, it’s probably safer so that neither me nor them have the opportunity to say: "Here, they interfered with each other!" That is, psychological compatibility, they already work in a different system, and when I look, I think, seeing some nuances: "I probably would have done a little differently."
They too. I just heard that I somehow went to training, and Zhenya tore something off, and Maxim said: “What are you trying? Nina Mikhailovna came out and you decided to try? " I think, “Oh my God! No you can not". Therefore, I thought for a long time and made a decision: they took one group here, she skates with us, and they are in such a calm mode, as I think, correct, before the World Cup they are preparing on another field.
Yes, yes, I let Tarasova and Morozv go, they are independent, but I know all the nuances. I have not seen them for a year - they have improved a lot in the skate. These are the masters of the highest level.This is a different level of skating for me, skating. It's delicious, it's interesting. I really like their short one! And I really like this short one. It seems to me that every step, every movement corresponds to the greatest claim to the gold medal. I do not quite understand the free one with them, but you still need to make the elements ... In general, it is also very high quality.
What the guys of Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina are doing is gorgeous in terms of the amplitude of the elements, but I don't see any novelty in the programs. I am not interested in such figure skating.
- It is insipid, it does not cling, it is without a soul?
- It does not touch me absolutely, although my mouth opens emotionally 20 times. That is, they have been worked out, cleaned out, everything is fine, but I do not feel the soul in him. There is a skater who comes out - he can perform poorly, but he hooks. And you remember him.
- And you mean both couples so? Or about Mishina and Gallyamov?
- There's a good guy there, Gallyamov. That is, emotionally, yes, he is good, he is so tasty. But the tricks are acrobatic, they are so ancient, that is, they were made in pairs in the 90s. But the strong point ... You know, I very often, when I talk with the federation, with the judges, at seminars when I read - take the screen, remove the top.
- So figure skating is like ballet. You look at your feet.
- Here!
- Of course. Hands are all entourage.
- Look at your feet. And that's it! It seems to me that if someone does this, they will understand what I am talking about: the ability to master a skate, the most difficult transitions, turns, skating interaction - this is not at all here.
- There was no fear that after Pyeongchang you will not be called anywhere?
- Two months after the Olympic Games, I thought that everything, life is over, I lost, there are specialists who were better, there will be no invitations. But two months later, invitations came from almost all corners of the world, where there is serious pair skating.
- Why then the USA?
- There was no need to move - that was my condition. I did not want.
- That is, remote work via Skype is enough?
- Yes. And literally a few visits before some significant starts, the national championship. And then, this is not a contract story. This is such an agreement that I help and advise. This suited me the most.
- Have you worked in two states?
- Not. After I was invited after the Sochi Olympics, and I regularly held ISU camps in May, and these are all countries of the world, probably two or three years later, the American federation asked me to come in June and hold such a camp for a week.
When I arrived there, there were 56 American names that I studied for three days - it was difficult for me: if we divide, 28 or 29 American couples. I was just blown away by the amount! But the level of the athletes was from the first numbers of the national team to the very kids. I just didn't understand what this could be. I was insanely tired at that first training camp, because the Americans know how to shake themselves out.
The next year I made a condition that I make the schedule. In the end, it came to some kind of norm, and it was already a comfortable gathering.
I remember the first moment at the training camp: in one of the groups a skater was skating, unusual in terms of behavior. Independent. Everything is allowed to him, he allows everything to himself. He is European. It's so interesting there - Asians, Europeans, Americans of different nationalities. And at some point - the first training session, I do the physical training, I stand waiting for the group to get to know each other, and suddenly the body of a person performing somersaults flies past me! Flops: "Hello!" And it seems. I say, "Well, hello."
They could be late because they were used to doing what they wanted; they could chew on something when training began. Now nobody chews, nobody is late. There is a system... And when the next year the federation came to the training camp (they control), they did not believe that this was happening, that is, everyone worked like a clock. This had some effect, because the system appeared.
When I first came to the national championship, I was amazed at the organization - at the level of the world championship, and maybe even somewhere better.
- As far as I understand, you have a result, because the three couples that you consulted have taken the first three places now .
- Yes.
- Tell us about the champions (Alex Shimeka and Brand Fraser - Sports.ru). How to join hands 10 months before the start and go number one to the World Championship now?
- I don't want to compare anything, but when I saw the first training session (they immediately sent it to me), I had such a deja vu. That is, two experienced athletes have joined. They joined hands and began to skate, and I saw in them my own story of many years ago, and it became interesting to me.
For me there is a certain reference point - my state when I am interested. In the theater, in sports, in a museum, or when I look at a painting that is interesting for me in a gallery, I feel that my skin begins to move, a feeling of spirituality arises. And when they connected, I felt it.
It's a challenge. That is, I became interested in how quickly this can be done. It's all remote, I don't work with them every day. I will repeat myself - I am not a permanent trainer, they have amazing specialists. I am a consultant twice a week. This is probably enough.
- Well, how can you reach first place in 10 months?
- A wish. Crazy, uncontrollable desire! The union of two people who changed their life, living conditions: the guy broke up with the girl, Alexa's husband became a coach. I say, deja vu (here, obviously, a reference to the story of Volosozhar and Trankov - Sports.ru).
They work, they analyze. There were moments: twist, blowouts - we made adjustments to these things, at first it was really active. They themselves did great support. They have fantastic trainers Jenny and Tod, a famous American couple. Awesome people! It is so pleasant and comfortable to work with them, to communicate, and they listen. There are a lot of specialists who shake their heads and then do things in their own way. And they listen.
When I held seminars with them, it was not only practical coaching work, it was also theoretical. They don't have that. In our country we are taught professionally, that is, people who want to learn can get both theoretical and practical knowledge. The experience that I had ... I suddenly heard and saw how people ask me about professional things. It's so cool!
Later I also held coaching seminars with us - well, this is not the level of the national team. We have all great specialists in the national team, and I just with the youth, with the coaching staff of different cities - and there people also asked me questions. And I share with them, because those things that Petr Petrovich Orlov, coach of Zhukov and Protopopov / Belousova, gave me at one time; my mother, a pupil of SUP - also what I heard from her, it was very important; Mikhail Mikhailovich Drey, Valery Ivanovich Rogov, there are a lot of specialists - they have accumulated.
I remember when I was young when I started to work, Pyotr Petrovich Orlov told me some things, I stood and thought: "My God, at a very old age a person says something, this is generally unacceptable." The paradox is that after 10 years I came to this myself... Well, like herself - he gave me this information, it remained deep in my mind, and suddenly I realized that it was very important. And he studied even before the revolution from the Austrian founders of figure skating, from the Austrian figure skaters, went there. This is important to convey.
I heard a story at one of the seminars in America when I was studying. I heard a person tell how to make an element. Then she came up and said: "Why?" And I hear in response: “This is my business. If I talk about it, everyone will start doing it. " I think: "Oh, how interesting!" And I am happy to share, because I like it when everyone skates well, when the competition becomes a competition, not a competition of mistakes and poor-quality skating.
In general, I have a feeling that figure skating before Pyeongchang, including the post-Olympic world championship, and all that after are generally two different figure skating in our country.
- Yes unfortunately. And not only figure skating, it affected all sports.
We have stopped thinking about young people, no matter how strange it sounds. While we are still living on the remnants and on the enthusiasm of specialists, professionals, because a good coach does not allow himself to work badly. Either he doesn't work and goes to the trolleys, he just makes money, or if he gets up at the side, he will plow - and not for money, but to get a result.This is the luck of our sports management, because the professional works well....
- You are now returning to pair figure skating. What has changed since 2018? Do you see the progress of your species?
- You mean technical?
- Generally. Technical, artistry - all together.
- Not. On a cardinal scale, probably nothing has changed.
- How then does the mind move forward? How to attract an audience?
- Individual athletes, professionalism of specialists, interesting performance, quality of elements.
- Quadruple jumps, quadruple throws.
- Nobody does quadruple surges and quadruple twists with us anymore, because the rules we work by impose very high demands on exits, on elements, on twists. And the risk becomes unjustified.
When everyone got to the challenge, Natasha Zabiyako, a desperate girl, went to this skating rink. We taught Kaufman three and a half turns - the speed was high, she slightly under-turned and fell very hard, in a whip at speed, she hit her head on the roller... I still remember every second of that fall. And not only falls, but what happened next. How long the ambulance took. As when she hit, we drove up to her, her ear was bleeding, and we did not understand where this blood came from and what was happening. And how she was taken to the infirmary, how she lay, and it was clear that she was getting a little worse.
When she was already loaded into the ambulance, we shout to her: "Natasha, we are with you!" And she threw out her fingers and said, "I'll be back." And I was scared.
And the next day they came to the ice, and Ksenia Stolbova went to the quadruple Salchow discharge, and I realized that something incredible was happening to me. Tears were flowing from my eyes, my legs were numb, my hands were shaking, and I stood and said: “No need, no need to go there, no need to go to this element.” That is, I was scared, because seeing what the day before, you understand what we are facing.
Not at that moment, but a day later she fell and severely injured her leg, we also did not skate. At the ISU seminar of the year I was in Sochi, I say:"You can't turn this into a tragedy." When a single skater jumps a quadruple, he controls his body, and when two people go to the element, even the fear of a partner appears there.because he has to throw it out correctly. Will she screw it up, won't it? If the skate hits the turn - and then the person rolls out; and if it does not tighten, then the fall.
It's just that when you see it, you become a person who feels bad from the very thought of what you should do. And then they began to discuss the danger, the need for these elements. And when the cost of these elements turned into nothing, when a well-made three-turn element and a quadruple made with mistakes were equal, then everyone left the quadruple. Nowadays nobody does anything quadruple in pair skating. Singles - yes, but here one person is responsible for himself.
- Turning figure skating into show business. How do you like everything that has been happening lately?
- I do not like. Show business is a separate story, and it must, must exist.
- But this is popularization.
- Maybe, but there is a sports result, right? And sports performance is purely sport, not show business. It is impossible to make a result without working professionally with an athlete. The show won't help. For me, this is a complete inconsistency. First the result, then show business, it cannot be the other way around.
Let's wait what will happen after the Olympic Games - the rules will change and maybe we will legally have one program - a show, and the second - a technical one. Figure skating will go somewhere, it can't stay like this. I often talk about this with the ISU technical committee, with specialists, because we need to develop. But not at the expense of show business.
- But there is nowhere to complicate! Well, where, they jump three quads there.
- Yes. So, it seems to me that it’s not a matter of complication, but a matter of changing the rules.
- Still, you need to introduce an age limit?
- It has nothing to do with what I say. You see,competition formats may be different. That is, you can evaluate in a different way, you can arrange different criteria, you can hold one competition according to one system, the second according to another, in order to develop people... You just have to think, you have to want to change, and when older people, as they say, are in control of the situation, then you can hardly wait for changes.
When I return as a coach, I will meet the requirements that the ISU imposes on athletes who must perform programs with such a number of elements, in such and such a mode, at such a time must meet. I will live by these rules. Another thing is that I will try to diversify the figure skating that I want to do with interesting performances, combinations, transitions, new things.
