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As the new chairperson (once again) of the board of coaches of the Russian team, Elena Tchaikovskaya gave an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda. The audio version doesn't fully overlap with the transcription, so even if you've already read it with Google Translate, there is still something new. https://www.lipetsk.kp.ru/daily/26885/3929549
Elena Anatolyevna, the Olympic games in Korea were the first time in recent history when we couldn't medal either in men's skating, or in pairs', or in dances. The day was saved by students of Eteri Tutberidze - Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, who also managed to pull off the team event.
All these results were expected, except for the pairs - we had to medal there too, maybe even win the gold. But Olympics are always unpredictable. As for the team event, we should thank everyone, because we wouldn't win the silver if not each participant performed at his best.
But it's the girls who won the competition, isn't it?
The girls alone wouldn't do anything, it's a team's work, we shouldn't disregard anyone. Of course, lack of medals in dances was expected, we don't really do well in it. As for our two wonderful boys, no one was expecting them to medal either. Some journalist asked me in December what are the chances for our boys, I said "none", because there is such competition so that you can't challenge it unless you have medaled at the top competitions. Contending at the Olympics is a special skill, you can't just come and win, especially this year, when everything was against us, and even those judges who have always appreciated the roots and the recent developments of the Russian school of figure skating suddenly stopped liking us. We were in a really difficult situation, that's why I consider these Olympics a big success for our skaters.
Two our superstars Medvedeva and Zagitova were coached by the same coach Eteri Tutberidze, but after the end of the season Zhenya went to Toronto to Canadian coach Orser. When she came back to Russia, we saw a bit different Zhenya Medvedeva. Is it true what people say that her ex-coach said that she should retire?
It's always bad when a great athlete changes his coach, trust my long experience. It always happens when you pass a peak and start descending. If you can't see your own mistakes, if you consider yourself a genius, you can only start blaming your coach. Every such change I saw didn't end up well, and I don't like this change. It was a great alliance with a perfect mutual understanding, but now joining another team will be difficult. Of course she isn't at her peak now, and it's not the time for her best skating yet, but I can't see anything new in her skating either. It's a shame that they split, more so in such an ugly way. In any way, the girl should have brought a rose, say "thank you" and only then leave, at least I think so. For some reason it happened otherwise. Anyway, we shouldn't meddle with it - we can't help it now, besides, we don't know all the background. Well, I do, you don't. Anyway, it happened so, but we keep going forth together. It's not my job to interfere with it, neither they tried to discuss it with anyone before leaving.
Do you know her new coach Orser?
Orser is a great coach. He competed with my pupil Vova Kotin, they went a long way together, and I know him very well, I love him much. And he became a very interesting coach. He takes people whom he sees he can make champions. He adds style and a wonderful musicality, what he was famous for too - precise steps to the music, poses. An absolutely brilliant program to Charlie Chaplin was made for Fernandez.
So we can hope to see a new Evgenia Medvedeva in the mid-season with all this Canadian brilliance.
It's quite possible, I would be glad to see this. Let's wait and see.
How do you choose which competitions to attend?
Naturally, I come to the World, European and Russian championships. Also, if two contenders for a spot are on par, I will need to see them together. It always happened so that the first two spots are undoubted, while the third spot is what we always need to consider carefully, we sometimes have to wait for Europeans to choose the participant at the Worlds.
Let's talk about the new rules, the penalty for a fall was increased.
Now that the difficulty of programs increased, you always anticipate falls. You can see a skater approaching a quad Lutz from the opposite side of the ice, you look and wait for it - Wow, he did it! Then he slowly approaches a quad Salchow, and we painfully wait for it, and he painfully waits too - Ouch, a pop! Then another slow approach, because his legs are already tired. This is what figure skating is today, we started anticipating falls every time, because they became too often. People used to add quadruple jumps while accepting inevitable falls, but it's aesthetically terrible when you disrupt the music and break the composition with it.
But the difficulty of programs will reduce.
Those who didn't fall at the quad Lutz won't hold back now.
What do you think about our little supernova Sasha Trusova who jumps three quads at the age of 14?
You can only do it at such age, it will become harder with time. The Japanese jumped quads about 20 years ago, but they have retired, and no one came to replace them. I'm not saying she'll lose it, but it's most easy for her while her legs are still light, which allows high jumps and fast rotation. She needs to learn everything while she can. She's most suited for this.
If I recall correctly, the head of the American federation made a suggestion to raise the age restriction to 18 years.
It didn't pass at the congress. Naturally, no one can compete against quad jumps, and they will only become more numerous with time, we also have Shcherbakova. So they look for other ways to win. Raising the age would equalize everyone, because it would be a long time until the girls turn 18.
I shouldn't probably say such things as the chairwoman of the board, but I would raise the age after all, to 16 years, when the body matures. But once such a generation has already emerged, we can't constrain it. We will fight for them and let them win.
Ladies' figure skating is on a rise, everyone talks about it, while men and pairs are not as successful. Is it true that hockey draws all the boys who skate well?
It's always been a problem in Canada and the US. We didn't use to have such a problem, but we have it now too. I have 250 kids in my school, and on 15 new girls there are only 2 boys, so we have to treasure them.
Elena Anatolyevna, you are the chairwoman of the board of coaches which includes every big name - Tatiana Anatolyevna, Alexander Zhulin, Nina Mozer, Elena Buyanova - all the people who train the best skaters in our country. What's your job there?
I will watch them coaching. It's not a new job for me, I headed the board 15 times in the USSR and Russia, and was the main coach of the national team. The role of the board has always been negligible, we only took part in deciding the line-up, while the ExCom of the federation often overrules our decisions. But it won't be our only task, there is a huge demand, a huge reserve in provinces, we need to travel and help local coaches to plan the training process, and also explain them the new rules and how to win under them.
You know every member of the board of coaches inside out, know both their strengths and weaknesses. You are a wise diplomatic person, but also known for some harsh measures. Can you sometimes put in place a renown respected coach who trains members of the national team, reprimand him?
I have neither obligation nor wish to do so. Basically, the position of the head of the board and the main coach requires great diplomacy. My job is to nicely hint a coach that it would be great to improve certain things, this is probably the reason why I occupy this position - I can be nice when needed. Hard to imagine, but I've been coaching for 60 years, so I know what a coach's work is - it's a terribly hard work. You come home late at night, when everyone is already asleep, but your student keeps skating in your thoughts. You can't see what's missing, where is the mistake. Your mistake. You see him skating all night, and sometimes the most terrible thing happens - you realize that's his limit. This is the most terrible thing that can happen to a coach, to realize you have done everything possible with your wonderful student, and he has too.
How do you deal with your personal sympathies and antipathies?
I don't have them. I've always held a great reverence to my profession, and I always judge people without bias.
Elena Anatolyevna, the Olympic games in Korea were the first time in recent history when we couldn't medal either in men's skating, or in pairs', or in dances. The day was saved by students of Eteri Tutberidze - Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, who also managed to pull off the team event.
All these results were expected, except for the pairs - we had to medal there too, maybe even win the gold. But Olympics are always unpredictable. As for the team event, we should thank everyone, because we wouldn't win the silver if not each participant performed at his best.
But it's the girls who won the competition, isn't it?
The girls alone wouldn't do anything, it's a team's work, we shouldn't disregard anyone. Of course, lack of medals in dances was expected, we don't really do well in it. As for our two wonderful boys, no one was expecting them to medal either. Some journalist asked me in December what are the chances for our boys, I said "none", because there is such competition so that you can't challenge it unless you have medaled at the top competitions. Contending at the Olympics is a special skill, you can't just come and win, especially this year, when everything was against us, and even those judges who have always appreciated the roots and the recent developments of the Russian school of figure skating suddenly stopped liking us. We were in a really difficult situation, that's why I consider these Olympics a big success for our skaters.
Two our superstars Medvedeva and Zagitova were coached by the same coach Eteri Tutberidze, but after the end of the season Zhenya went to Toronto to Canadian coach Orser. When she came back to Russia, we saw a bit different Zhenya Medvedeva. Is it true what people say that her ex-coach said that she should retire?
It's always bad when a great athlete changes his coach, trust my long experience. It always happens when you pass a peak and start descending. If you can't see your own mistakes, if you consider yourself a genius, you can only start blaming your coach. Every such change I saw didn't end up well, and I don't like this change. It was a great alliance with a perfect mutual understanding, but now joining another team will be difficult. Of course she isn't at her peak now, and it's not the time for her best skating yet, but I can't see anything new in her skating either. It's a shame that they split, more so in such an ugly way. In any way, the girl should have brought a rose, say "thank you" and only then leave, at least I think so. For some reason it happened otherwise. Anyway, we shouldn't meddle with it - we can't help it now, besides, we don't know all the background. Well, I do, you don't. Anyway, it happened so, but we keep going forth together. It's not my job to interfere with it, neither they tried to discuss it with anyone before leaving.
Do you know her new coach Orser?
Orser is a great coach. He competed with my pupil Vova Kotin, they went a long way together, and I know him very well, I love him much. And he became a very interesting coach. He takes people whom he sees he can make champions. He adds style and a wonderful musicality, what he was famous for too - precise steps to the music, poses. An absolutely brilliant program to Charlie Chaplin was made for Fernandez.
So we can hope to see a new Evgenia Medvedeva in the mid-season with all this Canadian brilliance.
It's quite possible, I would be glad to see this. Let's wait and see.
How do you choose which competitions to attend?
Naturally, I come to the World, European and Russian championships. Also, if two contenders for a spot are on par, I will need to see them together. It always happened so that the first two spots are undoubted, while the third spot is what we always need to consider carefully, we sometimes have to wait for Europeans to choose the participant at the Worlds.
Let's talk about the new rules, the penalty for a fall was increased.
Now that the difficulty of programs increased, you always anticipate falls. You can see a skater approaching a quad Lutz from the opposite side of the ice, you look and wait for it - Wow, he did it! Then he slowly approaches a quad Salchow, and we painfully wait for it, and he painfully waits too - Ouch, a pop! Then another slow approach, because his legs are already tired. This is what figure skating is today, we started anticipating falls every time, because they became too often. People used to add quadruple jumps while accepting inevitable falls, but it's aesthetically terrible when you disrupt the music and break the composition with it.
But the difficulty of programs will reduce.
Those who didn't fall at the quad Lutz won't hold back now.
What do you think about our little supernova Sasha Trusova who jumps three quads at the age of 14?
You can only do it at such age, it will become harder with time. The Japanese jumped quads about 20 years ago, but they have retired, and no one came to replace them. I'm not saying she'll lose it, but it's most easy for her while her legs are still light, which allows high jumps and fast rotation. She needs to learn everything while she can. She's most suited for this.
If I recall correctly, the head of the American federation made a suggestion to raise the age restriction to 18 years.
It didn't pass at the congress. Naturally, no one can compete against quad jumps, and they will only become more numerous with time, we also have Shcherbakova. So they look for other ways to win. Raising the age would equalize everyone, because it would be a long time until the girls turn 18.
I shouldn't probably say such things as the chairwoman of the board, but I would raise the age after all, to 16 years, when the body matures. But once such a generation has already emerged, we can't constrain it. We will fight for them and let them win.
Ladies' figure skating is on a rise, everyone talks about it, while men and pairs are not as successful. Is it true that hockey draws all the boys who skate well?
It's always been a problem in Canada and the US. We didn't use to have such a problem, but we have it now too. I have 250 kids in my school, and on 15 new girls there are only 2 boys, so we have to treasure them.
Elena Anatolyevna, you are the chairwoman of the board of coaches which includes every big name - Tatiana Anatolyevna, Alexander Zhulin, Nina Mozer, Elena Buyanova - all the people who train the best skaters in our country. What's your job there?
I will watch them coaching. It's not a new job for me, I headed the board 15 times in the USSR and Russia, and was the main coach of the national team. The role of the board has always been negligible, we only took part in deciding the line-up, while the ExCom of the federation often overrules our decisions. But it won't be our only task, there is a huge demand, a huge reserve in provinces, we need to travel and help local coaches to plan the training process, and also explain them the new rules and how to win under them.
You know every member of the board of coaches inside out, know both their strengths and weaknesses. You are a wise diplomatic person, but also known for some harsh measures. Can you sometimes put in place a renown respected coach who trains members of the national team, reprimand him?
I have neither obligation nor wish to do so. Basically, the position of the head of the board and the main coach requires great diplomacy. My job is to nicely hint a coach that it would be great to improve certain things, this is probably the reason why I occupy this position - I can be nice when needed. Hard to imagine, but I've been coaching for 60 years, so I know what a coach's work is - it's a terribly hard work. You come home late at night, when everyone is already asleep, but your student keeps skating in your thoughts. You can't see what's missing, where is the mistake. Your mistake. You see him skating all night, and sometimes the most terrible thing happens - you realize that's his limit. This is the most terrible thing that can happen to a coach, to realize you have done everything possible with your wonderful student, and he has too.
How do you deal with your personal sympathies and antipathies?
I don't have them. I've always held a great reverence to my profession, and I always judge people without bias.
thank you @dante
at representing everything and anything Canadian. Particularly when Russian, Japanese, Korean, American and Canadian train with him. I am wondering why did the interviewer not say “Cricket Club brilliance”. Or would the same reference be made to any Russian teams training at Gadbois as to Canadian brilliance?
Maybe I just needed to see a Russian skate a “NA style” program to truly see it 
