Translation of Sasha's interview at VK Fest. Translation of Sasha's interview at VK Fest. The interviewer was Maxim Trankov. In addition, questions were asked from the audience, and at the end the host of the event asked questions.
Sasha, the first question. This is probably the most favorite question for skaters, because it is asked most often. Tell us about how it all began, how your story began, how did you become that great “Russian Rocket”?
-I started skating in Ryazan when I was 4 years old. My parents brought me to this sport because I was very good at roller skating and they thought I should try real skates. I liked it very much, and so I continued my studies.
- Do you remember your first competitions? How it was?
-Yes, I remember a little. Besides, my parents told me a lot about it. They say that in my very first six-minute warm-up, I only practiced the greeting bow - for some reason I thought that this was the most important thing.
-The greeting bow is my favorite element in figure skating, because it is done after the end of the performance, when everything is over, all the worries have already ended. Which of your competitions was the most nerve-wracking?
-The World Championships in Stockholm, because [before it in that season] all starts were inside Russia. For the first time I was in such a “bubble”, everything was unusual. In addition, it was my first competition where my mother was not present. I used to go everywhere with her before it. Therefore, I was very worried.
-Yes, it was really a special tournament, I remember it very well too. I think that everyone there was worried because this competition was held during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was, of course, unusual. Therefore, I agree with you - for me, as a coach, this was also one of the most nervous and special competitions.
Many people are afraid to skate because they are afraid of falling. Give some advice on how to overcome this fear and how to make sure that you do not get too hurt when you fall on the ice. Because without falls, friends, you still can’t do it.
- I was never afraid to fall on the ice, I was not afraid of it. But already at the first training session, when I was 4 years old, we were taught to fall correctly - so that we would use our hands - and then it would not hurt so much.
- Yes, indeed, I, as a coach (and I am an honored coach of Russia) can say that the first thing skaters are taught is the ability to fall correctly. Therefore, if you come to a figure skating school or take private lessons, and the coach does not teach you how to fall, then such a coach deserves only the lowest rating.
- The ability to fall is the most important thing.
-Sasha, I know that many people often ask this question... True, they think that for us, men in pair skating, this is not so important, but for girls or men in single figure skating: a fall sometimes it looks very scary, very painful, but nevertheless the skaters get up from the ice and continue their performance, finish their program. What it is? Is it the result of an adrenaline rush, or is it some kind of special skill. How do you get up after a particularly hard fall and keep skating?
-First of all, what looks scary is not always so painful in reality. It happens and vice versa - the fall looks normal, but it hurts me a lot, but at the competitions I don’t feel anything - I always get up and continue. No matter how hard I fell, I still continue the program. And only later, after about two hours, when the tension recedes, pain comes - if the fall was really strong. And so I don't feel anything.
-Here is a question to which I know the answer. So I'll rephrase this question a bit. Have you had moments, that is, serious moments, and not some momentary manifestations of weakness, when you really wanted to give up everything and leave the sport and never go out on this smooth ice again?
-Everyone knows the answer to this question! (laughs)
-Well, there was, I think, a moment of weakness. But was there such a situation when you thought for a very long time, maybe for a whole week and did not want to go to training at all?
-No, of course it didn't. I love skating very much, I like it very much. But at the Olympics - yes, at the Olympics it was and everyone saw it.
-Is it enough for a professional athlete to have perseverance and self-confidence? Or do you need some other qualities? What would you add to all this?
- Purposefulness and patience.
-Patience! Patience is my favorite word in figure skating, because really this is probably the kind of sport where you have to endure a lot, wait a very long time and constantly overcome yourself. Therefore, it is very cool that you agree with me on this issue.
What is the most difficult element for you in figure skating?
- For me, it's a triple axel.
- Triple axel ... And what is the difficulty here? You jump quad lutz in the dark, in a small arena, on bad ice - I saw it many times with my own eyes when I was an ice show host. And then the triple axel ... Why? Tell us - what's the problem?
-I don't know, but for some reason this particular jump is the most difficult for me. Lutz, on the contrary, is the easiest element for me, but for some reason there are problems with the axel. I can assume that the reason is the execution of the Axel from the front, unlike all other jumps. And for some reason this is exactly what I can't do.
-Of course, I once tried to perform a triple axel, and it's really scary. All other jumps were easier.
- I'm not afraid, I just somehow don't feel this jump, I'm doing something wrong. This is some other jump. All others are the same, but this one is different.
- Well, the most difficult element is really the most difficult, what else can be added ...
-Yes!
-Many of us athletes perform rituals before the start of their performance. Someone carries a talisman with them, someone holds the coach's hands, someone else does something else. What ritual do you have?
-I never do everything the same, I do what I feel and what I think should be done. I do not have any talismans and rituals, I always act differently. And I like to take a dog with me to competitions, but this is not a mascot. I just really like this dog. Thanks to her, the room in which I live is filled with warmth, a pleasant atmosphere is created for me.
- I hope your dogs are not watching this broadcast right now. I always thought that dogs are your main talisman, that they calm you down. By the way - advise how to cope with feelings, what do you do for this?
-I just try to calm down, not to think about the fact that I am in a competition, I try to do everything the way I do in a daily workout. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't.
- Do you follow any special diet during the season, or during the preparation for the competition, trying to get yourself in the best shape?
-No, I don't have any special diet. I just try to keep the same weight throughout the season, because if the weight changes - it's always bad and it doesn't matter, plus or minus - both are unacceptable. It is necessary to keep the same weight so that you can use the same technique when performing jumps.
-How do you see yourself and your career in two years? What are your plans?
- I am not making any plans now, I live here and now. I don't know what will happen in a few years. Now I am training, I will perform ...
-What are your nearest future plans? Maybe some ice shows, or are you already entering the season, getting ready for the starts?
- Yes, we have finished the training camp, I was at the training camp in Novogorsk and performed in the show at the same time. There will be more performances at the show, there will be various master classes, training. All this will be both during the summer and later.
- That is, everything is as usual. The usual season, that is, almost normal, except for the fact that we will not take part in the Grand Prix for the time being. But tell me - do you watch your rivals in competitions or in other tournaments in which you do not participate?
- For athletes in tournaments in which I do not take part, I sometimes watch (but not always). If I myself take part in this competition, then I never look at how my opponents perform.
-And during the ice shows, do you watch one of the girls, or maybe you watch me, that is, how I play the role of a host?
-Yes, of course, I come to see if there are interesting performances, if something new appears. Well, I also always come to see the performances of Mark (Kondratyuk) now.
-Hi Mark! Such a question: which of the athletes (not necessarily skaters) is an example for you? Who would you like to imitate, or perhaps imitated once before, before you became such a radiant red-haired super figure skater?
- I considered many athletes as an example for me, and even now they remain an example for me. These are Nathan Chen, and Alena Savchenko, and Zhenya Medvedeva, and Yuzuru Hanyu - all of them, each in their own way, were examples for me, and I tried to take something from each of them for myself.
-What about athletes from other sports?
(Sasha thinks)
- Well, you recently tried yourself in athletics. Maybe there are some examples in this sport for you? Why athletics?
- I was just interested in trying the long jump. Then I tried pole vaulting. I love jumping and so I decided to try this. And I was even given the opportunity to immediately take part in long jump competitions. Pole vaulting - of course, everything is more difficult for me there, and I studied it, but already at the second training session, as it seemed to me, I already succeeded in something.
- Sasha, I personally support you in all this, because I also think that everything needs to be tried and shown to the whole world that skaters can do anything. We can play any kind of sports, we can play volleyball and basketball, long jump, swim and so on, and not just skate on an ice floe. So - let's continue, back to your career. Sasha, you are the first who made five quadruple jumps in a free program, you wrote your name in history.
(Applause)
Tell us what preceded this achievement, how did you decide on this record?
- It is difficult for me to perform the same program. In those moments when I succeeded in clean skates with one quadruple, then with two, I always wanted to insert more [such elements]. It is very interesting for me, I like to set a goal and achieve it. So after doing four quads, I decided I should try five quads.
Well, with five quadruples it was more difficult, I achieved this for three years, and I am very glad that it turned out at the Olympics.
-I think that the whole army of your fans, which includes me, ran after you, hoping to see these five quads, for every competition. Did you have any doubts, maybe at some point you thought: “No, I probably won’t be able to do five jumps”? Or have you always gone to this goal and knew that someday you will do it?
- Of course, I knew, and I am always confident in my abilities. And I believe that everything I want is possible. And I never doubted that I was capable of jumping five quads.
-Do you have any plans to break your own record?
-I don't have any plans yet. Once again I repeat - I live here and now. I really like living like this.
- Do you really like five quads?
- I did five quads, I achieved the goal that I set for myself. Now... I don't know yet.
- Well, in fact, on my own behalf, I want to thank you very much, because I am the person who saw it live. And when you did this, I said to myself: “Damn, Maxaim Trankov, you saw it live!”. So thank you for these emotions, it's very, very cool.
-Thanks!
- Do you know any prohibited elements of figure skating?
-somersault.
-What else?
-I don't know anymore.
- Me too... Yes, any gymnastic, I think, some acrobatic elements that are associated with a high probability of injury, which are much easier to perform than quads, but for some reason they are prohibited in our conservative sport.
Sasha, it's no secret to anyone, and I often repeat this - in figure skating you have additional name - this is “Russian Rocket”. In this regard, the question is - what is your name at home?
- "Sasha" (laughs). They don't name me any different names. Well, sometimes the brothers joke and start “announcing” me, as they announce me at some events and say with such solemn voices: “Russian Rocket” and so on. But these are just jokes, but in general they are simply called Sasha.
-Your brothers must have seen me announce you. So, do you know that you are not the first “Russian Rocket” in Russian sports?
-Yes.
-And who was before you, do you know about it?
-Hockey player.
- Pavel Bure, right. It’s not the worst continuity here, actually, because there are really two great athletes. When you read... Wait, do you even read any articles about figure skating, some notes - now there is a lot of information?
-After the Olympics, I sometimes read it.
- When you read this, sometimes you come across information about crises in the career of skaters. This is mainly due to growing up, with the natural maturation of people. Have you had any similar crises, and how did you deal with it?
-Probably the only thing I can say here is that it was very difficult for me to recover from the injury received at the beginning of the Olympic season. I was preparing for the skates, starting from the end of May 2021, and immediately tried to do quadruple jumps, include five such jumps in the program. It was difficult, but I did it at the test skates, and then I got injured.
And it was pretty hard. I tried to recover as soon as possible, to return to the ice as soon as possible. I was not allowed to jump, but I still jumped - well, as always ...
-Yes, we remember...
-Probably, that's just what I remember well, and I'm glad that I managed to recover before the start of the Olympics.
-Here we return to the question of patience, to the fact that for us “patience” is a very important word. You have to be patient and overcome. You have always competed in single skating, that is, skating solo. But recently on social networks we saw that you tried to perform in pairs. Have you had any serious thoughts about trying to switch to pair skating?
- No, there were no serious intentions, I'm afraid of that.
-Something I did not notice that you were afraid when Vova twisted you.
- (laughs) It's very interesting. Yes, now, as everyone sees, I try various new things, and I really like it. I tried various supports, but everyone is afraid that I will get injured and dissuade me from doing this.
-Of course, pair skating is such a traumatic sport! What is some quad lutz compared to this? If seriously, it's not scary, and if anything - you know where you can go.
-Good.
-I will always be glad... Tell us a little about your daily routine. Well, of course, not now, when the off-season continues, but about your daily routine at the height of the sports season, while preparing for the competition.
- Well, six days a week, two ice sessions a day...
- That is, the day begins ... begins with a walk with the dog!
- Well, in general, like everyone else - yes, I wake up, get up, walk the dog, wash my face, have breakfast, pack my things and go to training. There, at first, choreography, then training on ice, then stretching, a lunch break, warm-up or dancing, again ice training, “hitch”, then I return home, walk the dog and go to bed.
- You forgot to add that you also learn lessons.
- Well, during the Olympic year, I did not study lessons. I finished school before the start of the Olympic season, and entered the university now.
- That is, you had such a mindset for the Olympics - to give up everything and go towards your goal. Tell us a little about it - what was your mood before the Olympics, before the performances?
- It's amazing, but at the Olympics I was the least worried. All my life I went to competitions and told myself to calm down: “This is not the Olympics, these competitions take place every year, there is no need to be nervous.” But when I got to the Olympics, I realized that I didn’t worry at all. It was very surprising for me, completely different emotions. And I really enjoyed my skate...
(Something is happening in the hall, Sasha looks with fear)
Here ... I didn’t worry at all, I just set myself up and did what I could.
-Let's talk a little on a hot topic for you. The problem of choreography - how important is this side of figure skating, how do you feel about it, who is the director and choreographer of your programs? Has it ever happened that you yourself made some adjustments, you yourself came up with some images or movements for yourself?
-Program directors are always Daniil Markovich and Eteri Georgievna. They choose music for my competitive programs, let me listen and ask me if I like it or not, and I answer. I insisted that I have a Cruella, and the gala program “I won't quit halfway” was staged on at my request.
- I think if it wasn't for the music for Cruella, you wouldn't be able to do five quads. Nothing would work.
-Well, maybe the music helped me too.
- "Cruella" - was it your idea?
-Not. Daniil Markovich showed me the film, and this was even before the start of the official film distribution. I really liked this movie. Daniil Markovich showed me this because I had a show program where I dyed black and white, and Cruella De Vil also had black and white hair. Well, so I looked at it, I really liked it, and I asked to do a free program for me to this music.
-Cruella was a fashion designer, right? Would you like to try fashion design someday? Maybe you have already seen yourself in this role? Maybe you could design your performance dress?
- No, I completely trust Eteri Georgievna and Olga Ryabenko to design my dresses. They choose. At competitions, the most important thing for me is that it is comfortable. Everything else is secondary.
-It seems to me that sometimes it is difficult for Eteri Georgievna, because too many people rely on her, including even me ... Why do you think figure skating is so popular?
- This is a very beautiful sport, and it seems to me that it is very interesting to watch the competitions. And then we have short speeches, it all lasts a maximum of four minutes. Both interesting and...
-And the girls are beautiful.
- Yes, and everything is beautiful.
-Let's go back and talk a little more about costumes. Maybe we will tell our guests about what features there are in the design of costumes for figure skaters, what rules must be observed. What can't be done, what can be done. Well, you know the rules that exist for choosing costumes.
- Well, of course, nothing should fall off the suit. If something still fell off - this is immediately a remark. For me, again, convenience is important. I always ask for the dress to be as light as possible...
-But nevertheless, even a light dress should cover 25% of the body. Oh, sorry - no more than 25% of the body can be open. I think so.
-Maybe I just don't know...
-Too revealing attire is not allowed. It's a pity.
(Sasha laughs)
-Can you wear pants?
-Yes.
-It is not recommended for boys to perform in skirts, as far as I know
- And girls can wear suits with pants, and ...
-Overalls...
-Yes, overalls. And, of course, dresses are allowed.
- What element of figure skating do you dream to perform or plan to perform in the future?
- At the moment, everything that I dreamed of, I have already done. So far, I haven't set any new goals.
-I believe that Sasha Trusova will make a quintuple jump. Because I see Sasha Trusova in training, and I believe that she will be able to do this if she sets herself such a goal and goes towards it.
- We will talk about it when I do it.
-Yes, and I'll be happy to report it. With this, dear friends, I want to give the floor to you so that you also ask Alexandra questions. We have moderator girls who will pass the microphone to you, so raise your hands, and... Here we have someone in the front row.