- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
http://ptichkafs.livejournal.com/38666.html
The Alps
Hi all! We got back from Germany, where we came second in the “Nebelhorn Trophy” competition. Our main competitors were the European champions the German team of Alena Savchenko/ Robin Szolkowy, who ultimately won. We want to start by saying that we’re happy with our pre-season performance, but first things first.
Maxim Trankov: The competition took place in Oberstdorf, an endearing small town in an Alps valley. Most of the population works in agriculture, so there are lots of cows. They even grazed next to our hotel. We lived in “superb” conditions – 35 minute walk to the rink, and no buses. So, you just grab your bags and go forth across the cow pastures. At first, we’d arrive at the practices all dripping with sweat.
Maria Mukhortova: The first day, we walked the distance from the hotel to the rink eight times! Two round trips to practices, plus you need to walk to the town center to get anything to eat.
Maxim: By the end of the day, we didn’t just have blistered feet; by evening, I was even feeling my muscles, since we had to walk up the hill a lot. We decided that we won’t survive until the competition if we continue on like that. So we had to splurge on the taxi.
Also, I now know all about bells of the Alps and how far their sound carries. I was going nuts – the cows were grazing just underneath our windows all day long. Each one had a bell of on her neck the size of a head! Starting at seven in the morning, it’s constant “Din-din-din” in every conceivable tone. Nevertheless, none of it prevented us skating well.
Maria: We were the first in the second group to skate the short. We were a little tense before taking the ice. After all, it’s our first competition of the season, and it’s important to present yourself well to the judges and the fans. All the elements in our short program are either brand new or seriously renewed. We needed to concentrate hard. All in all, I managed to do that, and am satisfied with our skate.
Maxim: After the performance, our coach complimented our element execution. It’s not perfect yet, but we had no big mistakes. We did get fairly low components, but we’ll work on it.
Maria: Savchenko/ Szolkowy had an interesting short program – the elements are all of high level, the entry into a triple jump is unusual, and Alyona’s costume is very original.
Maxim: I am of two minds about Alyona and Robin’s short program. On the one hand, it’s bright, with non-standard music. On the other hand, I am a pair skater, and I believe that our discipline must have display parallel and synchronized movements and relationships between partners; the Germans, on the other hand, skated a lot along opposite boards, crossed, and you can count their common footwork on your fingers. May be it’s just my Russian pair skating school speaking; it is after all more traditional. Undoubtedly, they have some great finds in that program, such as some interesting spirals.
Maria: The next day we skated our free. Before the skate, I worried about the boa on my dress – I was afraid it would get in my way in doing the elements. But the second I took the ice, I immediately forgot all about it, and didn’t feel any discomfort. I skated with joy, really from the heart.
Maxim: Our free program combination was planned as a “double-double”, but, strangely enough, I have more problems with doubles than with triples. In a double, you have to open up sooner, whereas my muscle memory has long been trained for the triple, so I made a mistake. We managed the other elements fairly well, and tried hard to present the program artistically the way our choreographer wanted.
We skated emotionally, and our second mark was higher than in the short. Many liked our free. Even other pair skaters noted that our program is cool. In all, we performed well, and only trailed Savchenko/ Szolkowy a little on the technique. As to the high component mark – the Germans deserved it for their great skating since 2005.
Maria: I, too, am happy with the result. We managed to set a goal, stay focused, and skate well. Most fans also liked our performances and our costumes.
We had some free time the next day before the gala, so we took a ride on a cable car. It was my first time on a funicular. It was a bit scary, but also really beautiful to see the mountains, the woods, and the little town all just underneath.
I really like Oberstdorf – it’s quiet, calm, there is no rush, cars, or skyscrapers. It’s like a different world. To remind me of Oberstdorf, I have a medal and a tiny bell with my name.
The Alps
Hi all! We got back from Germany, where we came second in the “Nebelhorn Trophy” competition. Our main competitors were the European champions the German team of Alena Savchenko/ Robin Szolkowy, who ultimately won. We want to start by saying that we’re happy with our pre-season performance, but first things first.
Maxim Trankov: The competition took place in Oberstdorf, an endearing small town in an Alps valley. Most of the population works in agriculture, so there are lots of cows. They even grazed next to our hotel. We lived in “superb” conditions – 35 minute walk to the rink, and no buses. So, you just grab your bags and go forth across the cow pastures. At first, we’d arrive at the practices all dripping with sweat.
Maria Mukhortova: The first day, we walked the distance from the hotel to the rink eight times! Two round trips to practices, plus you need to walk to the town center to get anything to eat.
Maxim: By the end of the day, we didn’t just have blistered feet; by evening, I was even feeling my muscles, since we had to walk up the hill a lot. We decided that we won’t survive until the competition if we continue on like that. So we had to splurge on the taxi.
Also, I now know all about bells of the Alps and how far their sound carries. I was going nuts – the cows were grazing just underneath our windows all day long. Each one had a bell of on her neck the size of a head! Starting at seven in the morning, it’s constant “Din-din-din” in every conceivable tone. Nevertheless, none of it prevented us skating well.
Maria: We were the first in the second group to skate the short. We were a little tense before taking the ice. After all, it’s our first competition of the season, and it’s important to present yourself well to the judges and the fans. All the elements in our short program are either brand new or seriously renewed. We needed to concentrate hard. All in all, I managed to do that, and am satisfied with our skate.
Maxim: After the performance, our coach complimented our element execution. It’s not perfect yet, but we had no big mistakes. We did get fairly low components, but we’ll work on it.
Maria: Savchenko/ Szolkowy had an interesting short program – the elements are all of high level, the entry into a triple jump is unusual, and Alyona’s costume is very original.
Maxim: I am of two minds about Alyona and Robin’s short program. On the one hand, it’s bright, with non-standard music. On the other hand, I am a pair skater, and I believe that our discipline must have display parallel and synchronized movements and relationships between partners; the Germans, on the other hand, skated a lot along opposite boards, crossed, and you can count their common footwork on your fingers. May be it’s just my Russian pair skating school speaking; it is after all more traditional. Undoubtedly, they have some great finds in that program, such as some interesting spirals.
Maria: The next day we skated our free. Before the skate, I worried about the boa on my dress – I was afraid it would get in my way in doing the elements. But the second I took the ice, I immediately forgot all about it, and didn’t feel any discomfort. I skated with joy, really from the heart.
Maxim: Our free program combination was planned as a “double-double”, but, strangely enough, I have more problems with doubles than with triples. In a double, you have to open up sooner, whereas my muscle memory has long been trained for the triple, so I made a mistake. We managed the other elements fairly well, and tried hard to present the program artistically the way our choreographer wanted.
We skated emotionally, and our second mark was higher than in the short. Many liked our free. Even other pair skaters noted that our program is cool. In all, we performed well, and only trailed Savchenko/ Szolkowy a little on the technique. As to the high component mark – the Germans deserved it for their great skating since 2005.
Maria: I, too, am happy with the result. We managed to set a goal, stay focused, and skate well. Most fans also liked our performances and our costumes.
We had some free time the next day before the gala, so we took a ride on a cable car. It was my first time on a funicular. It was a bit scary, but also really beautiful to see the mountains, the woods, and the little town all just underneath.
I really like Oberstdorf – it’s quiet, calm, there is no rush, cars, or skyscrapers. It’s like a different world. To remind me of Oberstdorf, I have a medal and a tiny bell with my name.
