Evgenia Medvedeva: The more strong competitors - the more interesting”
14 of October 2015
The World Junior Champion 2015, the JGPF winner 2015, the bronze medalist of the Russian Nationals and the Russian Junior champion Evgenia Medvedeva told about her planning for the season and commented her first event in Bratislava
Q: Zhenia, you have a first victory at the international competition of senior level. How can you comment your performance?
A: I'm not very happy with the result, despite of I won this competition. I just know my opportunities and I understand that I didn’t at one hundred percent of what I had planned. We’re working on it.
Actually, this event turned so nervous. On the first day the organizers had a glitch in the computer system, so the board was not working. It is clear that no one is immune from such problems. But can you imagine the state of athletes when after the short program you don’t know whether to rejoice, or upset? What points we scored, which place we took in the table – we learned it only at the draw. But I'm used to extract any positive things of all. Everything can happen at competitions, so it's also an experience.
Q: Even in juniors you were ahead of some adult skaters by technical scores. Does this mean that the transition to a new [senior] level hasn’t caused any special difficulties?
A: Junior and senior competitions, of course, are different. There is a several times higher interest to them, and the number of rivals has increased. But the more powerful rivals, the more interesting. This motivates me and makes move forward.
Mao Asada came back, Carorolina Kostner plans to begin skating after the New Year, there are several strong athletes in Japan, USA, Canada… There ia also a fierce competition in our [Russian] team. Moreover, it has always been so [in Zhenia’s career, probably], even at the junior level. I remember when I first went on the Junior Grand Prix event, then I perceive it as a holiday because there was less real competitors than in our team. Although I am not inclined to underestimate anybody. That competition in the Russian team tempers fine. Last year, I participated at the Nationals in Sochi, so I sufferred it.
Q: Before the first senior season you probably need to relax, to gain strength, to switch?
A: Of course. At first we had a rest in Thailand, then we went to Spain for a few days. In Thailand, I met with our volleyball player Tanya Kosheleva. Despite the age difference, we became good friends. We still maintain the relationship. We planned to meet at Novogorsk where volleyball players were collected. But unfortunately Tanya was restored after an injury. But now I became the most betrayed her fan, I watch her competitions.
In Spain I visited the amusement park "Port Aventura" for the first time. I climbed all, rode everywhere, even on the most horrible atrractive, where you fall from an height of 100 meters.
Q: And how?
A: If it is terrible to ride on a roller coaster, but there is a wish to sweep once again, on this attraction you won't drag me any more. You know, it is the most silent because people don't manage even to scream there. You sit down, you are tied, and then this piece suddenly sharply falls from 100-meter height! When I left, I ran up to my mother and speak: "How I’m glad to see you, mom!" You can imagine what I survived. But I enjoyed it, nevertheless.
Q: You returned to Moscow and ...
A: And two days later I was at the training camp in Novogorsk. We started to set the long program, because my short program was choreographed in the end of the last season. The sort program was directed by Alexander Zhulin, the long one - by Ilya Averbukh, flew to Moscow for a couple of days to make it.
Q: What are the characteristics of working with each of these directors?
A: They are different. We worked with Alexandr Vasilyevich not for a first time. He choreographed already three programs for me. I like that A. Zhulin makes programs "under the feet", so they are very easy to skate. And I didn't face Ilya Averbukh earlier, it was our first experience of cooperation. Ilya is a very creative person, wich has his own approach. For him, each new program - it is like a painting, a mini-play. He just comes up with a lot of himself but also gives you the freedom to be creative. If there is something you offer, then, as a rule, he always agrees. There are a couple of things In the long program wich are my ideas.
Q: What is a "picture" of Averbukh you bring on the ice?
A: This is a program about all people who are living on in our complex world regardless of nationality, religion and other differences, healthy people and people with disabilities, need to communicate on the same clear language - the language of love, love for life. You just have to love people, and they will answer you the same. At the end of the program I gestures say the phrase:"Even though I can’t hear you, I have goosebumps. I do feel you in my heart, I'll open up to you. "
Q: Did you take lessons from a professional to play it?
Yes, I have been studying the sign language. The choreographer of the “Dance” project of the First channel Igor Strelkin came to me and we were engaged with it.
We took Abel Korzhenevski and Rene Aubrey's music for the free skating, and for the short program we chose music of the movie "Melodies of the White Night". Our coach Eteri Georgiyevna Tutberidze loves music of the Soviet composers very much, often plays them on trainings. She also suggested me to make the program under the music from "Melodies". The program turned out very gentle, lyrical and also about love.
In the new programs I try to pass emotions through myself. If earlier they put choreography, gestures, face, hands to me, and I just repeated it, now I become mature, I start feeling, understanding more, I try to put heart and soul in the programs.
Q: On ice you make an impression of the athletes without nerves. Is this a true?
A: The event in Bratislava showed that it is not so, but I try. I train on the same ice with strong figure skaters. We skates every day the short program and the free skating. We model situations that it was like at competitions. It helps to feel confidently in a stressful situation.
Q: Now two skaters - Mao Asada and Liza Tuktamysheva jump triple axels. Whether you plan to complicate programs?
A: We think over complications, but so far I won't comment. When we’ll make it – we’ll say about it, to build castles in the air is not mine.
original:
link
B-version of the pics:
AAA BBB CCC DDD
Zhenia and Anna are in Bratislava at the ONT:
111-A 111-B 222