Number 7 of German Pirouette Magazine from September 2014 -
http://www.pirouette-online.de/product_info.php?info=p149_Nr--7-September-2014.html
I found a Russian translation of the article which I translated into English…Russian translator mentioned that interview was done 13th of July, but published in German magazine in September.
Why did you split with Lena Ilinykh?
Nikita: This decision is due to personal motives and interests. It is necessary to invest in the business with whole soul to become successful, and in last time it has been impossible. Because of it I wanted to split with Elena. When I asked Victoria if she wanted to skate with me, and she agreed - I was happy. But I know that we still need to work hard to achieve success. Changing partner - it certainly is a serious risk, but I believe it was 100% the right decision.
Victoria, why didn’t you want to skate with Ruslan any more?
Victoria: I also have not seen a successful future with him.
In the beginning there was a talk that you will train with Nikolai Morozov. How did it happen that you finished with Zueva?
Nikita: We did not want to train with Nicholai for personal reasons. Because I didn’t want to waste time, I called Marina myself in the beginning of April and asked her if she wants to train us. She said that if we want it, she is not against.
Marina, what did you think while Nikita phoned you?
Zueva: I didn’t put them in a pair, so I was surprised that they want to train with me. Nikita said that he can’t skate with his previous partner any more. That she was unstable and often made mistakes. Now I want my duo to have a quick and good start. Question of harmony is not necessary, since they go well with each other and they have a good basic technique. Until this time Nikita looked somewhat junior. Now I'm trying to teach him to skate as an adult man. Victoria – is a pretty promising skater.
You lived in US sooner. How do you like it here?
Nikita: After not long period of living in a hotel we now live near the rink and not in Ann Arbor, where most of the other skaters live. It is very practical, because in between workouts we can quickly go home and rest. And this is important because we train a lot. We train with Massimo Scali even on Sundays. I live in an apartment alone, and Victoria lives with Cathy Reed. When we are alone with Vika, we watch the video from competitions, which gives us Marina. You can learn a lot on it. I am proud of Victoria, who is for the first time in US with no friends or family and she even has to learn English. But she trusts me, and in general everybody is helping us. Life brings many new things. We live in the 21st century, and I talk on Skype every day, for example, with me mother in Russia. She teaches me to cook - I didn’t do it sooner. And I can chat with my friends from Russia for hours.
How do you evaluate the methodology of training here in Canton?
Nikita: Sooner I used to work with one coach only - Nikolai. Here I like very much to work with the team. Maurizio (Margalit) – is a beautiful and excellent technical specialist and he greatly explains and shows the Key Points in the Paso Doble. Oleg Epstein learns us other elements. Johnny Jones – is a lift specialist. Massimo is doing our programs and Marina is a very creative in terms of music and composition as a whole. In addition, she sees all the nuances and can teach us to do things prettier without that they get too complicated. Together, they teach us speed on ice. I like the daily training rhythm. Teamwork is something new for me, but we love it. Marina takes care about many other things, not only on the ice. She's here for us as a second mother.
What do you say about music of this season?
Nikita: In SD we have a classic Paso Doble and classic flamenco. For FD we do not have music yet, but we do not experience (like don’t make problems with it)... for a new pair like we are, the most important things in the first stage (or in the first Grand Prix) - is the acquirement of elements.
I hope that the same obtains for their former partners.
