- Joined
- Mar 29, 2014
Here is a very long yet really fun “SovSport” interview with Sima revealing her emotional side.
http://spb.sovsport.ru/gazeta/article-item/888093
Note: bolded parts in text refer to bolded quotes.
Disclaimer: One might find the thread title to be "out of context" but I simply ran out of room.
Serafima Sahanovich: I heard the “Kukushka” and broke into tears before entering the ice.
Just a year ago, for the second time in her career, Serafima Sahanovich became the world vice-champion among juniors. Since then, the 16-year old had a series of dramatic events.
The summer return from Moscow, due to family issues, to ST. Petersburg, after a year-long stay with Eteri Tutberidze’s group. Growth, change of figure, technique issues, an unlucky start to the season. Then, another coaching change – from Alina Pisarenko to Evgeniy Rukavitsin in early November. An attempt to change the situation, before the jr. and sr. Russian Nationals, for which she had no time. As a result – 10th and 17th places respectively.
Now, while Elena Radionova and Evgenia Medvedeva, figure skaters to whom Sahanovich lost gold on the jr. level, prepare to conquer medals at the sr. worlds, Serafima attempts to return to the level, from which she so swiftly fell. The first step on this path was a respectable performance at the Cup of Russia final held in Saransk where, with a clean LP, she was surpassed only by Alena Leonova and Yulia Lipnitskaia. Uncontrollable tears on the ice is an affirmation of how difficult such a step can be.
When Serafima was preparing for our dialogue in St. Petersburg’s Academy of figure skating, the tears came through once again: behind the locker room wall, the athlete was weeping after an unsuccessful training session.
Do you cry often when something doesn’t work?
Yes… I understand that this is bad, that it isn’t right, but I am very emotional person. If I feel happy then I laugh in full voice, and if I’m sad I weep. I throw myself from one extreme to another and cannot be calm.
Does this get in the way?
It did before. I fall on a jump, I start crying while skating along the boards. Now I am changed. If I do an element and fail – I keep my anger inside and try to use it to force concentration for a better attempt.
Before the long-awaited successful skate in Saransk, you had failed in the jr. championship in Chelyabinsk. How were you able to get it together in 3 weeks?
It was so bad in the first week after Nats. That everyone grabbed their heads and couldn’t understand what to do. We called up my mom because I couldn’t execute anything. I mean absolutely anything. My arms just dropped. When mom arrived, I understood that I’m not failing myself, but her instead. I started to work. So, I no longer had “butterflies”[tn: Russian FS slang for “popped jumps”] but real jumps. Then I gained form. Evgeniy Vladimirovich (Rukavitsin) was helping, mom too.
Did you have a feeling that at the CRF everything will work?
Yes I did. The mistake in the SP was surprising because I was clean during practice. I was also clean at the St. Petersburg championship, which happened between Chelyabinsk and Saransk. I reviewed the vided from CRF and saw that I had a jump entry that is different from how I usually do. It was a wrong trajectory and that is very important to note. Henceforth the mistake. Then… If something didn’t work in the LP, I would’ve been very upset.
”Mama, I jumped the ‘Kozliks’”!
Once upon a time, your mom brought you to the rink, yes?
Yes. She has skated herself but not for long. She broke her collar bone and quit. She brought me to the rink when I was 7.
That is so late!
Well, no one wanted to take me in (laughs). Only Alina Yurievna (Pisarenko) did. She was potentian in me, probably. Saw that something could be made of me.
Do you remember your 1st lesson?
I remember! When I finished it I said: “Mom, I jumped!”. She asks: “Jumped what?”. And I say: “Kozliks” [tn: literal translation is ‘goats’ but it’s a slang for some easy jump; someone help w/ term plz.] Oh and how I looked for the first time… Imagine – a soft, furry, dark red dress, Jackson skates, Gold Seal blades. Alina Yurievna probably lost her jaw from astonishment (laughs).
We should explain to an unprepared reader that all of this is very awesome.
Yeaaah! I mean, a person goes out for the first time on skates with which people win the Olympics. The coach didn’t understand what happened, why a child came in so well-equipped. My mother, if you will, was giving away her last pennies for my training.
So she bought those expensive skates?
Yes, and the costume was bought by my grandma. She’s now 95!
Does grandma keep track of your career?
Oh yes she does! Always calls me. She is so lively (smiles). Back when we lived together she would always walk ne to school. Now she walks our dog constantly.
”Before, all was done without thought, but now I’m nervous”
At what point did you realize that FS is a serious part of your life?
It doesn’t happen instantly. You smoothly flow into the process. Perhaps, I only now an starting to understand that FS is serious business. Before, it was just going along.
But it does have to be enjoyable for it to go along, right?
I always liked it. Especially when things were working (laughs). When I won things. At the age of 10 I started jumping all of the triples, people started talking: wow, she’s so little. This I liked very much. It gave me drive, I wanted to do better and better.
I remember the 2011 Panin Memorial where everyone came, and some even drove, to see the new star Serafima Sahanovich.
I also did a 3-3-3 combo there, S-T-T! Yet I got 2nd place. I was topped by Natasha Ogoreltseva - my main rival in those days.
Everybody likes to win, but not the process.
Right now, I might even like training more than competing. Yes, standing on the podium is pleasant, but victories are things that happen along the path; and I like the path itself. Skating every day. Working, working, working.
Falling and falling during training, falling painfully – also enjoyable?
Yes… I like to overcome myself. If it doesn’t work, you fall once, twice, thrice. But then, it works, I’ve done it! The next time I do it with even more confidence; and that is a small victory for me! With such small victories, you march forward and I love it.
But, when its really painful…
Yes its painful… You know, for some reason everyone thinks that I never had any serious injuries. Well, I just never disclosed them. During my 1st jr, worlds, it was hellishly painful to do flip and lutz. When we returned home and went through a med. check, it turned out that I skated with 2 broken bones in my foot. During the JGPF, I had a blistered foot. To such an extent, that it wasn’t blisters, but just straight-up meat. At the start of this season, I withdrew from a GP; I fell so hard that I received 3 hematomas on my hip. All of this hardens me. It hurts and you start to think – well, if it didn’t hurt, everything would work wonderfully! Then, when the pain recedes, and again something doesn’t work, you think – ok, things did work when it hurt, you did land those jumps. So why can’t you jump now? After these thoughts, you start jumping even better!
Many think that kids have it easy. Apparently, this is not your case.
Everyone sees the results, but nobody sees the training. They think: look, she’s so small, jumps so well, its so easy for her, bla-bla-bla, good job. However, there were 5 training sessions that day! Barely got off the ice. Yet, either way, elements came easier then, than now of course. First of all it was easier psychologically. You go out and do, with no thoughts of what the coach tells you. Now everything is perceived differently. You start to think, doubt, worry…
This is called growing up.
During Rus. Nats., while I was warming up, a girl skated to the song “Kukushka” [tn: a somewhat depressing yet emotional song back from the perestroika days]. When I heard it, I broke into tears. As result, both the warmup and the performance were just terrible.
Why did you listen to it?
I don’t know! I should’ve bup on headphones. That’s what I usually do, but here I stood and listened to the song for some reason.
“Thought only actors cry on ice”
Anything else about growing up? Food limitations, for example?
Oh yes! And it ain’t about sweets, I don’t like them, nor fast food, I hate it. However, good mean, macaroni, sweet taters, all that fatty stuff, I loved so much! My dad cooks really well; made so many delicious things! Now, I can’t have any of that. I eat fruits, vegetables. Boiled fish; thankfully my dad can fix it nicely. I don’t eat anything else.
Yulia Lipnitskaia once confessed that if she had been told to restrain her eating, she wouldn’t have believed it.
I didn’t believe it either. My mom sits on all these internet forums and read a bunch of stories how I would gain weight. But I was thin and “dry”. I said: what, are you crazy, you mean I’ll have to start skipping dinners? In the end, for about 2 months, I had to not only skip dinner but lunch and breakfast as well. The transitional period is hard. Yet, not so much regarding food, as much as what goes on in your head. You start thinking about everything.
But it’s a lot more interesting when you start thinking yourself.
Yes. You just have to get used to it. Right now I’m trying. Anyway, I started changing back during last season, but that was reflected only in my appearance. The head was the same: said – done, said – done.
Now you have a greater conscience.
I’ve also had these situations with Alina Yurievna when I was little: she orders – skate a program. Yet, I’m not ready; I start to fall. She starts yelling and I keep falling. Result – no clean elements. I didn’t even put up a fight. Now I know that this is unacceptable because I’m not doing worse for the coach but for myself.
Of course. The coach will just turn away.
Well yeah, she has other athletes. I only harm myself and, as I matured, I was able to understand this. I also gained the understanding of what to do and how to do it. Let’s say that earlier, as I went on the ice, I was told: good job, you skated cleanly. And I don’t even have any emotions: well, clean – that’s good. Now in Saransk, I cried so hard after skating… Never would have thought that such could happen to me. Before I thought that those who cry on ice are actors. But here I am, crying in the middle of my step sequence, while the program was still going. And I saw my P.E. trainer, Andrei Borisovich Lushikov crying as well…
”The understanding of music was always there”
Does growing up help understand music better?
I’ve always had it. However, I don’t feel all music. For example, I don’t feel my SP this season (“16 tons”). All these movements…
Are they overplayed
Oh yes! But the LP, the 1st (Shostakovich and Mozart), which we changed, and the 2nd, (Apollo 440 and Ennio Morricone) – these I feel. Before them I’ve had programs to “17 Moments of Spring”, “You don’t give up on love” – I felt them too. I love to skate to music that I like, that I could listen to.
Many consider Carolina Kostner’s musical interpretation to be exemplary.
Well I watched the last Euro. Championships and I remembered the girl skating to “Red violin”…
Italy’s Giada Russo.
It was godlike, incredibly beautiful! Here, I saw her for the first time while wating for our girls and it was so cool!
Every female figure skater has two paths. The first – set forth toward learning a 3A or even a quad. The second – to become an actress on ice. What would you like better?
It is possible to combine both.
Are you sure? Not a lot of examples for now.
Of course I’m sure. You can land a 4S and skate beautifully. Why not?... To me, a figure must strive to be universal. To jump, and to glide with beauty and artistry. The combination of clean skating, difficult elements, quality gliding (SS), and acting performance – this is where, In my opinion, figure skating is going.
"I learned how to wink and understood what connection with the crowd means”
Do you have roles that you would like to play on ice?
I’ve never had programs where I would play someone. I think portraying one particular character is not my thing.
You like being yourself?
Yes. And if we’re talking about music I’d like to skate to, I like Tariverdiev. I already mentioned “17 Moments of Spring”, also, I adore “Snow under Leningrad”.
Always wanted to ask the following: many skaters look down on the ice during a program, but you always look up, at the tribunes. Does it happen automatically?
No, I was taught this! Choreographer Irina Vyacheslavovna Sushenko always said: shoot with your eyes, wink to the judges, smile, be charming – and you will receive good marks (laughs). Of course, in truth, it wasn’t so, but these advices helped me understand how to connect with the crowd. Some skate like this: ice rink separate, crowd separate. I try to comprehend it as one whole.
When you glance at the stands do you recognize anyone?
Nope, everything blends in for me. I see the coach, I see the judges, everything else – a big blotch.
My last question is such. Two world vice-champion titles (junior) – do you harken back on the memories when something doesn’t work out, or have you forgotten?
Sometimes I feel that I’ve been forgotten… Although everyone says: nonsense, everyone remembers that you won the silver twice at the jr. worlds and at the JGPF. I think that one can’t look back into the past. Yes, all of this happened to me, but you have to live in the present.
And the future?
You have to set goals, but you also can’t look into the future. It might no end well. Thoughts like “I’m gonna become a world champion” are not for me; I consider them to be wrong. I want to skate cleanly – that’s what’s right for me. Also I want to be memorable to audiences. So they remember: well, there once was this figure skater – Serafima Sahanovich. To not be simply forgotten.
http://spb.sovsport.ru/gazeta/article-item/888093
Note: bolded parts in text refer to bolded quotes.
Disclaimer: One might find the thread title to be "out of context" but I simply ran out of room.
Serafima Sahanovich: I heard the “Kukushka” and broke into tears before entering the ice.
Just a year ago, for the second time in her career, Serafima Sahanovich became the world vice-champion among juniors. Since then, the 16-year old had a series of dramatic events.
The summer return from Moscow, due to family issues, to ST. Petersburg, after a year-long stay with Eteri Tutberidze’s group. Growth, change of figure, technique issues, an unlucky start to the season. Then, another coaching change – from Alina Pisarenko to Evgeniy Rukavitsin in early November. An attempt to change the situation, before the jr. and sr. Russian Nationals, for which she had no time. As a result – 10th and 17th places respectively.
Now, while Elena Radionova and Evgenia Medvedeva, figure skaters to whom Sahanovich lost gold on the jr. level, prepare to conquer medals at the sr. worlds, Serafima attempts to return to the level, from which she so swiftly fell. The first step on this path was a respectable performance at the Cup of Russia final held in Saransk where, with a clean LP, she was surpassed only by Alena Leonova and Yulia Lipnitskaia. Uncontrollable tears on the ice is an affirmation of how difficult such a step can be.
When Serafima was preparing for our dialogue in St. Petersburg’s Academy of figure skating, the tears came through once again: behind the locker room wall, the athlete was weeping after an unsuccessful training session.
Do you cry often when something doesn’t work?
Yes… I understand that this is bad, that it isn’t right, but I am very emotional person. If I feel happy then I laugh in full voice, and if I’m sad I weep. I throw myself from one extreme to another and cannot be calm.
Does this get in the way?
It did before. I fall on a jump, I start crying while skating along the boards. Now I am changed. If I do an element and fail – I keep my anger inside and try to use it to force concentration for a better attempt.
Before the long-awaited successful skate in Saransk, you had failed in the jr. championship in Chelyabinsk. How were you able to get it together in 3 weeks?
It was so bad in the first week after Nats. That everyone grabbed their heads and couldn’t understand what to do. We called up my mom because I couldn’t execute anything. I mean absolutely anything. My arms just dropped. When mom arrived, I understood that I’m not failing myself, but her instead. I started to work. So, I no longer had “butterflies”[tn: Russian FS slang for “popped jumps”] but real jumps. Then I gained form. Evgeniy Vladimirovich (Rukavitsin) was helping, mom too.
Did you have a feeling that at the CRF everything will work?
Yes I did. The mistake in the SP was surprising because I was clean during practice. I was also clean at the St. Petersburg championship, which happened between Chelyabinsk and Saransk. I reviewed the vided from CRF and saw that I had a jump entry that is different from how I usually do. It was a wrong trajectory and that is very important to note. Henceforth the mistake. Then… If something didn’t work in the LP, I would’ve been very upset.
”Mama, I jumped the ‘Kozliks’”!
Once upon a time, your mom brought you to the rink, yes?
Yes. She has skated herself but not for long. She broke her collar bone and quit. She brought me to the rink when I was 7.
That is so late!
Well, no one wanted to take me in (laughs). Only Alina Yurievna (Pisarenko) did. She was potentian in me, probably. Saw that something could be made of me.
Do you remember your 1st lesson?
I remember! When I finished it I said: “Mom, I jumped!”. She asks: “Jumped what?”. And I say: “Kozliks” [tn: literal translation is ‘goats’ but it’s a slang for some easy jump; someone help w/ term plz.] Oh and how I looked for the first time… Imagine – a soft, furry, dark red dress, Jackson skates, Gold Seal blades. Alina Yurievna probably lost her jaw from astonishment (laughs).
We should explain to an unprepared reader that all of this is very awesome.
Yeaaah! I mean, a person goes out for the first time on skates with which people win the Olympics. The coach didn’t understand what happened, why a child came in so well-equipped. My mother, if you will, was giving away her last pennies for my training.
So she bought those expensive skates?
Yes, and the costume was bought by my grandma. She’s now 95!
Does grandma keep track of your career?
Oh yes she does! Always calls me. She is so lively (smiles). Back when we lived together she would always walk ne to school. Now she walks our dog constantly.
”Before, all was done without thought, but now I’m nervous”
At what point did you realize that FS is a serious part of your life?
It doesn’t happen instantly. You smoothly flow into the process. Perhaps, I only now an starting to understand that FS is serious business. Before, it was just going along.
But it does have to be enjoyable for it to go along, right?
I always liked it. Especially when things were working (laughs). When I won things. At the age of 10 I started jumping all of the triples, people started talking: wow, she’s so little. This I liked very much. It gave me drive, I wanted to do better and better.
I remember the 2011 Panin Memorial where everyone came, and some even drove, to see the new star Serafima Sahanovich.
I also did a 3-3-3 combo there, S-T-T! Yet I got 2nd place. I was topped by Natasha Ogoreltseva - my main rival in those days.
Everybody likes to win, but not the process.
Right now, I might even like training more than competing. Yes, standing on the podium is pleasant, but victories are things that happen along the path; and I like the path itself. Skating every day. Working, working, working.
Falling and falling during training, falling painfully – also enjoyable?
Yes… I like to overcome myself. If it doesn’t work, you fall once, twice, thrice. But then, it works, I’ve done it! The next time I do it with even more confidence; and that is a small victory for me! With such small victories, you march forward and I love it.
But, when its really painful…
Yes its painful… You know, for some reason everyone thinks that I never had any serious injuries. Well, I just never disclosed them. During my 1st jr, worlds, it was hellishly painful to do flip and lutz. When we returned home and went through a med. check, it turned out that I skated with 2 broken bones in my foot. During the JGPF, I had a blistered foot. To such an extent, that it wasn’t blisters, but just straight-up meat. At the start of this season, I withdrew from a GP; I fell so hard that I received 3 hematomas on my hip. All of this hardens me. It hurts and you start to think – well, if it didn’t hurt, everything would work wonderfully! Then, when the pain recedes, and again something doesn’t work, you think – ok, things did work when it hurt, you did land those jumps. So why can’t you jump now? After these thoughts, you start jumping even better!
Many think that kids have it easy. Apparently, this is not your case.
Everyone sees the results, but nobody sees the training. They think: look, she’s so small, jumps so well, its so easy for her, bla-bla-bla, good job. However, there were 5 training sessions that day! Barely got off the ice. Yet, either way, elements came easier then, than now of course. First of all it was easier psychologically. You go out and do, with no thoughts of what the coach tells you. Now everything is perceived differently. You start to think, doubt, worry…
This is called growing up.
During Rus. Nats., while I was warming up, a girl skated to the song “Kukushka” [tn: a somewhat depressing yet emotional song back from the perestroika days]. When I heard it, I broke into tears. As result, both the warmup and the performance were just terrible.
Why did you listen to it?
I don’t know! I should’ve bup on headphones. That’s what I usually do, but here I stood and listened to the song for some reason.
“Thought only actors cry on ice”
Anything else about growing up? Food limitations, for example?
Oh yes! And it ain’t about sweets, I don’t like them, nor fast food, I hate it. However, good mean, macaroni, sweet taters, all that fatty stuff, I loved so much! My dad cooks really well; made so many delicious things! Now, I can’t have any of that. I eat fruits, vegetables. Boiled fish; thankfully my dad can fix it nicely. I don’t eat anything else.
Yulia Lipnitskaia once confessed that if she had been told to restrain her eating, she wouldn’t have believed it.
I didn’t believe it either. My mom sits on all these internet forums and read a bunch of stories how I would gain weight. But I was thin and “dry”. I said: what, are you crazy, you mean I’ll have to start skipping dinners? In the end, for about 2 months, I had to not only skip dinner but lunch and breakfast as well. The transitional period is hard. Yet, not so much regarding food, as much as what goes on in your head. You start thinking about everything.
But it’s a lot more interesting when you start thinking yourself.
Yes. You just have to get used to it. Right now I’m trying. Anyway, I started changing back during last season, but that was reflected only in my appearance. The head was the same: said – done, said – done.
Now you have a greater conscience.
I’ve also had these situations with Alina Yurievna when I was little: she orders – skate a program. Yet, I’m not ready; I start to fall. She starts yelling and I keep falling. Result – no clean elements. I didn’t even put up a fight. Now I know that this is unacceptable because I’m not doing worse for the coach but for myself.
Of course. The coach will just turn away.
Well yeah, she has other athletes. I only harm myself and, as I matured, I was able to understand this. I also gained the understanding of what to do and how to do it. Let’s say that earlier, as I went on the ice, I was told: good job, you skated cleanly. And I don’t even have any emotions: well, clean – that’s good. Now in Saransk, I cried so hard after skating… Never would have thought that such could happen to me. Before I thought that those who cry on ice are actors. But here I am, crying in the middle of my step sequence, while the program was still going. And I saw my P.E. trainer, Andrei Borisovich Lushikov crying as well…
”The understanding of music was always there”
Does growing up help understand music better?
I’ve always had it. However, I don’t feel all music. For example, I don’t feel my SP this season (“16 tons”). All these movements…
Are they overplayed
Oh yes! But the LP, the 1st (Shostakovich and Mozart), which we changed, and the 2nd, (Apollo 440 and Ennio Morricone) – these I feel. Before them I’ve had programs to “17 Moments of Spring”, “You don’t give up on love” – I felt them too. I love to skate to music that I like, that I could listen to.
Many consider Carolina Kostner’s musical interpretation to be exemplary.
Well I watched the last Euro. Championships and I remembered the girl skating to “Red violin”…
Italy’s Giada Russo.
It was godlike, incredibly beautiful! Here, I saw her for the first time while wating for our girls and it was so cool!
Every female figure skater has two paths. The first – set forth toward learning a 3A or even a quad. The second – to become an actress on ice. What would you like better?
It is possible to combine both.
Are you sure? Not a lot of examples for now.
Of course I’m sure. You can land a 4S and skate beautifully. Why not?... To me, a figure must strive to be universal. To jump, and to glide with beauty and artistry. The combination of clean skating, difficult elements, quality gliding (SS), and acting performance – this is where, In my opinion, figure skating is going.
"I learned how to wink and understood what connection with the crowd means”
Do you have roles that you would like to play on ice?
I’ve never had programs where I would play someone. I think portraying one particular character is not my thing.
You like being yourself?
Yes. And if we’re talking about music I’d like to skate to, I like Tariverdiev. I already mentioned “17 Moments of Spring”, also, I adore “Snow under Leningrad”.
Always wanted to ask the following: many skaters look down on the ice during a program, but you always look up, at the tribunes. Does it happen automatically?
No, I was taught this! Choreographer Irina Vyacheslavovna Sushenko always said: shoot with your eyes, wink to the judges, smile, be charming – and you will receive good marks (laughs). Of course, in truth, it wasn’t so, but these advices helped me understand how to connect with the crowd. Some skate like this: ice rink separate, crowd separate. I try to comprehend it as one whole.
When you glance at the stands do you recognize anyone?
Nope, everything blends in for me. I see the coach, I see the judges, everything else – a big blotch.
My last question is such. Two world vice-champion titles (junior) – do you harken back on the memories when something doesn’t work out, or have you forgotten?
Sometimes I feel that I’ve been forgotten… Although everyone says: nonsense, everyone remembers that you won the silver twice at the jr. worlds and at the JGPF. I think that one can’t look back into the past. Yes, all of this happened to me, but you have to live in the present.
And the future?
You have to set goals, but you also can’t look into the future. It might no end well. Thoughts like “I’m gonna become a world champion” are not for me; I consider them to be wrong. I want to skate cleanly – that’s what’s right for me. Also I want to be memorable to audiences. So they remember: well, there once was this figure skater – Serafima Sahanovich. To not be simply forgotten.
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