0:26 Hello everyone. We continue our series of interviews with the coaches and athletes of Eteri Georgievna Tuberidze's team. And today our guest is the head of the staff, Eteria Georgievna. Thank you for coming. Oh, thank you. I'm very, very glad to see you. It's summer now. Tell us how your summer is going. We're at the rink. Of course, she spends it at the rink, among other things, but still, vacations are over. That is, we always have three weeks and a half. I think that's quite a long time for a vacation . Everyone gets to rest. But still, we went somewhere for a change of scenery, or I changed the scenery several times.
1:12 Well, well, I worked somewhere, and I worked in China , and I worked in Astrakhan, and then I went on business. Yep. On business. So, your vacation was spent busy with business. Well, it's just the opposite, I think, during this period you can go away without feeling guilty and do some of your own things that you've been putting off for later. And for you, vacation is a time when you can take a break from figure skating and not think about it at all, or it's a time when you can, on the contrary, calmly think about your plan for the year, about new programs, about something else, without being distracted by training and routine. I enjoy working. And as for music, yes, you start listening to a lot of music,
1:59 searching for something, looking through it, trying to come up with some ideas. Well, that is, roughly speaking, figure skating doesn't disappear from your life for these three weeks. Yes, I can't say that I'm so tired of this part of my life with figure skating that I directly need a break from it. I don't have that. Well, I do recharge occasionally, to look at things with fresh eyes, to be inspired by something. Well, actually, even when you leave for 3-4 days, like you go to a competition, you come back and you see things with fresh eyes. I immediately tell the guys , I say: "You've got it all washed out, but I see this and that." You haven't gone to any training camps for several years? Well, probably 2 years, probably, yes. Yes, 2 years. Well, I mean, let's say, the most famous training camp in
2:45 Novogorsk, it's an Olympic base. A lot of different teams come there. There's some kind of, I don't know, communication with the judges, something else, work, a change of scenery. That is, well, communication with the judges happens later. No, that's not true. There is no communication with the judges here. Communication with the judges will happen during test skates. And there it happens that, yes, 3-4 days in advance they put the athletes and coaches there , and communication with the judges. They come to practice. So no, nothing's going on there, other than it being a new environment. It's probably cool for the athletes because it's all about hanging out, often at night. Yes, unfortunately, for us, it's all about nighttime hangouts, they recharge, but it usually leads to injuries because these late-night get-togethers later
3:33 impact their training. Well, how can I put it more gently? So, look. And the Novogorsk Olympic base, where we spent many, many years, every summer. Our training camps there lasted 44 days. They were always the longest of all. It was probably because we had previously worked at the Kristallnaya rink. We didn't have any gyms. We had a limited amount of ice because it was one rink for everyone. So, it's hard to set up, there's no ice, no gyms. There's nothing. Yes, we have two ice rinks now , we have excellent arenas, we have a wonderful environment here, and we organize training camps for them. They
4:18 have three meals a day here, we have an excellent recovery center here. I'd even say it's better than in Novogorsk. What's Novogorsk? So, the Ministry of Sport can only afford to pay for training camps for the main team. That's five or four people, and everyone else travels at their own expense. That's a huge amount of money. Previously, it was possible to organize them to come to training and leave, although Novogorsk stipulated that they had to leave the base between training sessions. Well, to keep them from hanging around there, that's also very difficult, because they rented apartments, and right next to Novogorsk
5:04 , right next to the base. I just don't understand why this is happening now? Why? Well, first of all, as many people think, yes, they give athletes three weeks to change their environment. Even if someone usually does, yes, they ask to leave a little earlier and they have four weeks of vacation there, so let them change the environment. Well, it's true, we have more ice here, we have better conditions here. We don't need to ask for additional ice, because the schedule is made a week in advance in Novogorsk, and then you can't move anywhere. If you suddenly need to take someone on a set-up, you can't. Here, we make the schedule ourselves. We have ice, please, one rink, another rink, move from one to the other. Well, that
5:50 means we have better conditions. Why do we need Novogorsk? Well, for many athletes, it can relieve some of the daily routine. So, when you don't have to do that in Novogorsk, you can, roughly speaking, train more when you live next to the rink, you don't have to cook or do anything. They don't need to cook now, they have three meals a day here. That's what you've described. That's it, you don't need to cook. That's it. And they have a swimming pool here, they have rehabilitation procedures, they have doctors. So, basically, everything good about training camps is at this rink. And that's why training camps are unnecessary now. For us, well, the quality is probably just better. And it's not always good when we take them away from their parents. Maybe it's great for them, for
6:36 kids to get away from the home routine, but they don't have much of that routine. And about the night parties at the Olympic base, are there any night parties? Of course. And haven't you been there? I was in Novogorsk. Look, let's say they give us the second floor, the third floor, and on this floor, all night long, these doors are slamming, slamming, and they're rushing around in the morning, they come out for morning practice completely broken. Well, you could say you can walk around them endlessly, yes, you can't walk around them endlessly there, but it's impossible. Well, I don't want to do that. I see that it exists. And not just in the rooms. They go to the track and field rooms too. So, they're all friends there. Socialization happens, right? Socialization is great, but you
7:22 just have a sense of responsibility. I can't say it was good for all athletes. Not always. And tell me about your interaction with parents. Well, it's true, when you're training an athlete for high-performance sport, you could say your attention is always focused on that person, both at home and during training. And you need to manage them very carefully, knowing a lot of nuances, like how they rested and so on . That's what you just described, how you interact with parents. And even so, many will still be watching, both parents and coaches. How can a parent help a specialist, like you in this case or anyone else? Look, I had a joke, it's basically still there, it's not very popular. The best parent I know. So, I haven't had
8:09 any issues that I had to resolve with a parent. I only go to a parent when something isn't working on the ice during training. So, I go to the parent , try to engage them or explain things, or maybe this parent came to me dissatisfied with the training process or something else. Well, just because I don't know the parents and don't communicate with them, that doesn't mean I don't see them. Yes, I see everything, I see everything. Just don't come to me, because if every parent starts coming to me, it's just stressful for us. But the parent, for their part, should explain, talk about why, what for, and why. It should still be some kind of
8:56 family matter. That is, the child should understand that they're not abandoned here, not that no one needs anything, they came here and are hanging out there alone all day. Even if the parent is working, they can be on the phone. And even any small progress, like a jump or something else , we'll always film it, and the child can send it to their parent or show it, or we'll post it somewhere. Well, I mean, I'm saying it needs to be supported. The child needs to understand why they're here and what it's all about, like being supported by their family and grandparents. Actually , up until now, grandparents have been the best parents. I mean, when someone comes to Moscow, say, with their grandmother, and... No, well, let's say Zhenya Medvedeva had a grandmother, Alina Zagitova had a
9:42 grandmother, those kind of proper grandmothers who guided them, and I didn't need anything, if something wasn't working out for the girls, the grandmothers would step in. I never needed to be involved. Up to what age does this last? Because if there were any problems with Alina, it was during training camps. It was difficult because we had to talk to her , like a little bit about psychologists, but they brought the child in and they were already prepared and understanding . So, that's all there is to it. Well, basically, the job of parents, if you generalize it, is to set the tone and motivate the child before training, to get him to training. Why should they need that? They see their peers hanging
10:28 out, having these nighttime, evening get-togethers, gathering somewhere, going somewhere, but here you can't do that. Well, in reality, I also, well, I spent a lot of time on figure skating, but I remember my time with fondness because I had a lot of friends at the rink, we also played at the rink, and that's it. Well, I was there too, and I never felt like I was missing out on anything. I thought the opposite. I thought, on the contrary, that we had a very interesting life. But now, for some reason, I hear top-level athletes say, "But I'm missing out on life there, I don't go to parties, as if I'm deprived of something." Well, I think everyone has a different path and everyone has different interests and different things. Well, here, I think, the parent should explain, should talk. It should still be a family thing, whether they need it
11:14 or not. Because if we take those athletes who have achieved success, well, even Sergei Voronov skated with us, well, his mother went to training with him, even though he was, what, 32. Well, you see, like his mother, while he was skating, his mother would warm up his lunch. Well, you see, maternal care, it's in everyone. Yes, he would come off the ice with his mother, and his lunch would already be ready. So, you and I remembered some of those, as I understand it, the best examples of interaction. This is exactly what happened to Zhenya Medvedev's grandmother, right? It was only very calm there, if Alina Zagitova needed it. It wasn't calm. There, the grandmother was dancing the lizginka behind the boards. I really did see her running around like that. And Zhenya was also
11:59 triggered. She reacted that way. She growled and did everything herself. If something didn't work out, she'd reroll it because she knew that when she went home, her grandmother would just drive her crazy, and it was easier to reroll, do it, execute it, so that everything would work out, because, well, really, no one wanted to offend her grandmother , but, well, grandmother, I'm saying, that's just how she moved around with her. Well, for you it was calm, that is, for you, for us it was calm, yes. This is the ideal situation for you, for the coach, when he is worried about his grandson or son or daughter. This is precisely why I allow parents, grandmothers, to watch, I don't care who drives. But so that they get involved, not us. But I don't want to raise my voice, really. I don't want to force it, because it won't work. That
12:47 won't work. If I raise my voice today, tomorrow I'll have to do a little more and the day after tomorrow even more for it to work. It's impossible. Because the voice simply has a limit. No, no one needs that. Okay. But there I yelled and forced it. Okay, the child went, but should I do the same thing tomorrow? That shouldn't be the case. Parents are sitting there, and parents should react. Why are they driving? They're sitting there, spending their lives here. They spend their lives here . I even went up to one mother there and asked, "I just have one question: how much magnesium do you need to take to react so calmly to the fact that the child is doing nothing?" The mother smiles and says, "She probably can't today." And I don't understand that. I
13:35 don't understand that. Okay. She's having this day when she can't do anything, and she'll end up on competition day. So what? That's it. Well, yes, that's in the interests of the sport, that you never know how everything will turn out on competition day. If you've prepared well, then you know everything; you build reliability into the training process. Well, it's not always possible for everyone, but it's clear that high-performance sport is, of course, a matter of subtlety, of who will survive , who will be able to reach the peak. No, here it's clear, high-performance sport, when it's ultra-sports, everything else is just... And you mean, like, regular sport, not yet high-performance sport, but just preparing for the ranks, or something like that. Well, even so, yes. Well, a girl is 12 years old, and today she just can't do
14:20 it, I guess. And there have been cases where the athlete is great, as they say , you know, 10 out of 10, but there's a parent with whom you feel you won't get along, and because of that, what decision do you make? No, as long as everything works out, the parent is always happy. Rather, when some health or age-related problems arise, that's when these parental squabbles begin. Well, I mean, for example, you're a specialist and you see that an athlete, let's say, is having some kind of problem, but there's potential for you and this athlete to reach, at this moment, the Russian championship, and in the future , I hope, the world championship, the European championship, the Olympics, and so on. But you sense that there's,
15:06 let's say, a person, a parent, who will hinder you in this. So what do you decide then? What will you endure in order to reach this goal or not? I've often had to part ways with athletes because I realize this parent is draining too much energy, too much attention. And what will happen next? Well, simply, no. That is, it's already starting. I think it's better to break up somewhere at the beginning. You know, when you're with a parent, well, if a parent starts teaching you what kind of workload to give, what exercises are best, what kind of regimen to work in, then why did you come here? I have a question. Did you come here to take over? That is
15:52 , this is some kind of system that has been in place for many years. Why are you trying to change us? Because you have your own vision, you have a right to it, but just don't come to us. I always tell the kids, "Look, the boards are open, no one is forcing you here, don't cry and suffer here if you don't like it." We just go out and honestly tell our parents, "I don't want to do figure skating." Or maybe I should, well, I don't know, well, whatever, but it's better to quit now than to continue suffering like this. It won't get better, it won't get any easier. Why should it get any easier? With age, it only gets harder and harder, harder and harder. It's all harder to get yourself up and running in the morning for the training process. You step out on the ice and you feel like a piece of
16:38 meat, but you have to start and you're waiting for someone to do it first. Yeah, honestly, I remember how it seemed to me when I moved up to pairs, it seemed to me that it wasn't hard at 15-17 years old. My older teammates told me, "Well, no, wait, when you're 25, you'll understand what hard is." I didn't understand that. When I turned 25, they told me, "It's not hard yet." At 30, you'll understand what hard is. And the truth is, it won't. If you see a 12-year-old kid who's already having no fun in class, he's struggling and doesn't really want to work. Well, what's the point of forcing him to do that? Who's easier for you to work with? With young girls who just show up and just do everything they can. No, not anymore.
17:27 So, it's not even worth continuing. Even if it's a young generation, the generation has changed a lot. A lot. Well, I generally think it's not the children, but the parents who raise them. It's just different parents. Everyone's born the same, yes, anyway. That's true. It's probably the parents, I'm counting, probably from the 1990s, early 1990s. So, maybe, well, apparently, and, well, these are the kind of people who don't pay attention to their children, and not the kind of parents who can't even get along with their own children, and that's why the children are so willful. But we'll see, maybe that's a good thing. So, at what age, let's say, your youngest group—what age is that when you come? Well, we sometimes take younger
18:13 children. So, if a 9-year-old suddenly comes in, and we see some interesting, good data, we'll take her. And you'll work with this girl, let's say, who is 9 years old. Well, the oldest is about 171. The oldest. Why? Why? We don't limit them. We don't have a system where they go to school, finish everything, and then leave. No, I understand. I mean, just so I can somehow compare the ages, let's say we take the youngest ones, about 9-10 years old, and now there's, well, I don't know, the older group—that's 17-18, on average. Well, Sasha Trusova is 22. Well, on average, yes, it's clear that there are probably some there who are 16, Sasha is 22. Well, let's say 18 years old, yeah, somewhere around. Who's easier, the younger ones or the older ones? Right now, I've
18:59 worked with children as young as 3 years old, so basically, I'm not afraid of anything at all. No, you just know how you work with them. Some of the younger children, they tend to work on assignments more easily. You give them assignments, they need to be given assignments. You just go out on the ice freely and know what you need to work on. They don't have that. It's a task. But when the older kids go out, they usually know everything themselves. I mean, well, of course, they have a warm-up, but then it's not like, "Come on, give me five, uh, triple loops." Now do this, now do this. There's no such thing, it's not a task, it's more free-flowing. That is, it's how they feel themselves. Well, in general, it's just that when you know the methodology, it's not so
19:46 difficult, because, well, obviously, with little kids, there's more attention, of course. Older kids, they have to process certain things themselves. And basically, what age would you leave it for? If someone told you, Georgievna, that you need to somehow decide with one group. For example, with you there, I don't know, you need to work with one group. Well, at one time I had one group, they were just all of different ages. Let's talk a little more about these girls. You recently said that there's no exceptional athlete right now. That's a point, of course, but I'd like to explore it a little more, what " exceptional" means, because Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova agreed with that point. Some might think, well, what is
20:32 exceptional? There, sport is work. Let's expand on that a little. What does exceptional mean to you? It's an exception to the rule. I have a question for people, too, because when I saw how my words were interpreted, I reread them several times and even called a friend. I said, "How do you hear that? How does it sound to you?" I mean, "Where is that in our country?" Timtud Beridz, I understand, Timtuberidz. They started asking, "But what about this athlete? What about this athlete who has nothing to do with us?" I'm not in the habit of evaluating athletes who don't skate for us. Seriously, why should I evaluate athletes who don't skate for us? The
21:18 federation coach will do that, not me. We don't have any exceptional girls with extraordinary abilities right now, exceptions to the exceptional rule. But that doesn't mean they can't, roughly speaking, win every competition for three years, like Zhenya Medvedeva. What are you hearing here? And we'll figure it out now, because... Yes, how do you hear it? But that doesn't mean that, like Zhenya Medvedeva, what does that mean? That Zhenya Medvedeva didn't have exceptional abilities. She had a talent for work. She was very
22:04 hard-working. And without possessing extraordinary abilities, she managed to beat everyone over the course of three years. Would you think that's how you played? You wouldn't think so. No way. You just have to read. No need to look between the lines. You have to read as it's written, as it's said. Good. So, Zhenya Medvedeva isn't exceptional. Not an exception to the rule. No, she's not an exception to the rule. She didn't have some miracle jump, she didn't have some miracle of stretching or flexibility. She didn't have a spin like Lipnitskaya's, where you can't tell where the front is and where the back is. It's speed. Look at this: after Yulia Lepnitskaya, no one else has spun like that. We're not talking
22:50 about positions, we're talking about speed. Has anyone else spun like that? Well, no, no. You know, I'm up against Stéphane Lambiel in the men's singles, but it's just a different position. I'm talking about speed, right? Speed, I guess, was an exception to the rule. I mean, she was exceptional at that. Yes, she didn't have any jumps, but that's the exception. Is Sasha Trusova's jumps not an exception to the rule? And Zhenya's work ethic—is that an exception to the rule or the norm? She had the talent to work hard, but that's not the exception. It's not something God gave you: you jump, you have a certain jump, you have certain coordination, you're very coordinated. No, she's just that, for me, she was a very good athlete; she perceived things
23:37 very correctly. This isn't criticism, not a remark. She knew all her weaknesses. If an athlete knows their weaknesses, not just an athlete, you will work on them, you won't argue. You don't support me. I need you to support me. You criticize me a lot now; every athlete needs support. To be honest, I also liked it when I was praised more than criticized. I'm probably already part of that generation, yes, maybe. But maybe if you had trained a little harder, you would have been cleaner, more honest. They trained me differently, honestly. I'm just saying that I liked it more, that's why they trained me differently. No, well, you understand that supporting is one thing, but how should I make a remark? Zhenya perceived
24:24 everything correctly. She knew her weaknesses. Well, let's put it this way. If that's it, well, she worked really hard on herself. So, that could be exceptional, that this could be psychologically different . Well, what am I talking about here, the exception, the extraordinary. I'm talking about extraordinary. Okay, let's get to it. Who is exceptional? Let's at least define it. Well, obviously, all these girls who came through this generation, they all had some kind of extraordinary abilities, but now there are none. But that doesn't mean they can't go out on the ice, work on themselves, make the whole world fall in love with them, and win. Well, they just need to work harder, because, as a rule, talented athletes, talented in one thing, need
25:10 to work less in many ways. That's true, though. Some things come easier to some people, but they sometimes don't reach the end because, mm, when things get difficult ... Well, no, I'll say that it often happens that they reach the very top and then don't want to push themselves because, well, it's like they have to work all over again. Well, if we're talking, say, about women's singles skating, is Alisa Liu exceptional or not? Listen, Alisa Liu used to jump almost all quads. Is that exceptional or not? I'm interested in your opinion. Yes, but she simply acquired form and triple jumps became completely effortless for her, so she kind of skated and enjoyed it. For her, it's,
25:57 well, it's easy for her. Well, at the Olympics, it was like a transition. Well, of course, well, yes, she said that she tried a triple Axel there, she even jumped it in training, but it's not like she's consistent there. We're not going to say that if she'd lost 10 kg, she'd be flying into the quadruple Lutz. But she's already won everyone, so why did she need it? Look, I want to find the balance between the fact that you're not the only one who can win. No, well, they just started: "But what about this girl? What about this girl? What about her?" No, no, they don't have that kind of data, but that doesn't mean they can't just work, work a lot, like Zhenya Medvedeva worked on herself. Well, in the end, to sum it up , you don't have to be exceptional to win. You just have to work. You have to be able to work, you have to be
26:44 able to take criticism. And yes, whether this criticism is painful or not. And how are you going to improve yourself? Well, when they tell you that you skated a program, they tell you: " Well done, well done, well done. That's it, go home." You know how it is. But how do you improve? And I see, let's say, this, this, this, this. We lost points here. We didn't make up for it here. That is, we could have earned more points if they had skated me better there, or something else there, if they had improved the speed. You have to be able to perceive this. This isn't criticism, it's a comment, this is what makes you better. And if the coach doesn't tell you this, it means they don't care about your result. But if the coach really does tell you all this, it means they were attentive,
27:30 wrote it all down, I write it down, and they care. So, every little detail matters to me. Well, of course, no one is saying that a coach shouldn't make comments. It's a question of perception , so, of course, there are definitely no questions here. And regarding what you mentioned, the generation that passed, when there were a lot of talented girls, only to some extent, each in their own way. How did you realize this back then, or did you think that figure skating had simply grown so much that it had become the norm? Well, did you see the moment as exceptional or not? Well, of course, by that point I'd
28:15 already been working for many years. I wasn't just starting out. I'd already been working a lot by that point, and I had a lot of athletes. And, well, I mean, it wasn't the norm for you that one skates really well, does everything, wins, then comes second, third, fourth, fifth, and it was like it was the norm to do ultras and skate incredibly. And as if that had become the norm. It wasn't. It was the norm for the average person, for the spectator, but not for us, of course. That is, we always felt that this was some special time, when it just happened, it just happened, it just happened that there was a cluster of such girls, well, and the right, the right parents, who were able to hold them, bring them to this
29:02 point, and continue to motivate them, support them. They should support them. And were there no worries, like, well, you know, after growth comes a decline, and so what are we supposed to do? No. I'm asking, would there have been such worries? That's exactly what I'm interested in. How did you feel at the moment? Well, we'll work hard, we'll work. The wind blows, we have to work. But there was a period when there was no one. Well, then, we'll keep working. God willing, there will be children. Well, indeed, sport is a part of talent , and a huge part of it is 80-90%work. Well, that's what many experts say. And yes. Well, no, talent just helps you in many ways. Maybe you don't need to work so hard on something then, right? That
29:48 is, if your legs lift up as easily as someone else's arms. Well, yes, you just spend less time stretching, spinning. You don't waste time. You don't have the same effort to achieve beautiful lines. In fact, beautiful lines were really hard to achieve. We worked on every single position. We worked on every position in the program. Well, it was noticeable. It was very beautiful. Well, no, it was just that with Zhenya, it was always obvious; from the beginning of the season to the World Championships, her program looked completely different. She worked on it, she maintained it, and that was also important for her. Returning a little to exceptional athletes, or rather not returning, but continuing the theme, Alexandra Trusova
30:34 is returning to the sport, returning to you. Why do you think Sasha is doing this? Well, that means she hasn't fully realized herself, that means she has it , it burns within her. And thank God, and we need to maintain this fire that burns within her. Well, from the outside, do you think these are some kind of unfulfilled ambitions? Either it's a love for the sport that you simply can't live without, or maybe it's, I don't know, you tried one, two, three, and realized that this is the best. I don't think Sasha went so far as to say that she tried one, two, three. She was always somewhere nearby. Well, nearby, but one way or another, let's say, well, well, well, she just gave birth
31:20 to a child during this time. No, ice shows, let's say, she could have stayed . She continued training when she worked in ice shows even before the birth of her child. She even worked in ice shows while she was pregnant. Well, the media, that is, and she doesn't have much media. She was an OK ambassador, and she produced a lot of content for her channel. She had several channels. One closed, one open. That is, well, it's just the work of, well, a blogger, the work of a blogger. That's just the way she is. I mean, well, she's far away for me, she hasn't gone far from the sport. She's always been around, somehow. How is she different? How is Sasha Trusova different from Alexandra Ignatova? How is Sasha Trusova different from Alexandra Ignatova? Her last name, yes, she hasn't changed at all. She has that
32:11 hunger to perform some ultra-skills, when she really needs it, she still has it, she needs it, that adrenaline she gets, and she continues to feel extraordinary, but that's how it is. And she remains her. She remains her. Well, again, I never tire of admiring the fact that Alexandra actually learned quads, her development period passed, and now she's restored them. It's not that common for girls to restore quads as adults, again, they did. And, uh, I think this is a good example for the younger generation, that it's possible to skate after growing up.
32:56 You just have to really want it. You have to really want it. So for the younger generation, this is an example that it's not that it's impossible. And so they grow up, they don't jump anymore, but maybe they just need it less later, but she does, and anything is possible. And other skaters have the desire, so anything is possible. And Alexander, well, by the way, just before our interview, I saw Alexandra; she was with her child. Does this somehow motivate her during training? Does it distract her, perhaps , or don't you notice the difference? That's because children appeared at the rink. Well, children are just a child. A child alone. Well, he sleeps in a stroller, we don't notice him. That is, it's also like
33:42 Misha sleeps during training, so for us, nothing has changed. The stroller is behind the side. You said you have star-studded locker rooms at your rink. Alexandra has her own separate locker room. Well, they have their own locker room, yes, because they're with a stroller, with a child. Some are, and some are just small, with just a few athletes. Well, those are the star-studded locker rooms. They have them there, five or six people at a time. We just gave Sasha hers. Oh, well, it's not even a locker room, it's a room in the hallway. They just find it more convenient. And what's your general view on relationships on the ice? It's not like they were wondering if Arseniy and Alisa Two-Eyes were in a relationship, or if Arseniy Fedotov was in a relationship—that somehow got in the way. I don't know whether there was a
34:28 relationship or not. How can I say that ? Well, they assumed it was. No, I mean ...No I'm not asking whether there was one or not . It somehow got in the way of training . As a coach, did you notice any distractions, any exchanging glances? Well, they get distracted and exchange glances, all our athletes do that. They get distracted and exchange glances regardless of their relationship, so they weren't any different from the other athletes. Well, it turns out it didn't matter, even if it did or didn't. No, it didn't matter. No, they didn't skate hand in hand on the ice. Alexander Trusov's return was, well, very big, very important, again, because of the quads, because of everything, and, uh, probably as big as
35:13 Zhenya Medvedeva's return. Now tell me, would you like to add any more athletes to your group who have returned? And are there any who, even if they asked, would you say, "Well, no, it's all over , you can't step into the same river twice." There are definitely athletes I wouldn't take back. Well, the question is how people leave and what kind of relationships they leave behind. I can't say yet that Sasha Trus's return can be called a big deal. Let's say she's done competing, then we'll call it a comeback. Well, Etariya Georgievna, it's clear that it might not be a big medal haul because there haven't been any
35:59 tournaments yet, but that's your strength, Alexandra's strength. And when it all comes together, Sasha has a wonderful relationship; she's one of the few athletes who, when leaving, didn't ruin our relationship. I feel both love and respect. So, all of that has been preserved. The last story was Arseniy and Artem leaving for Mishin, becoming Plushenko's angels. How difficult was that for you? Well, probably any departure. Especially since Arseniy skated with us for about 10 years. We just happened to take on a little boy and saw some interesting potential in him, despite the fact that he wasn't quite the right age for the rest of the group. We still skated him like that. And we managed to
36:48 develop an athlete who is strong in all areas. This is very important, because when they come, they are already adults , well, he jumps, he doesn’t skate, he doesn’t spin. And you can’t spin like that. You can’t skate like that either. You can try to hide it with some programs, images, but hide it. Arteniy skates great. Arseniy skates, but he feels the music, he is well-done , he moves correctly, he has good spin, centering, and he has jumps. Of course, it takes a lot to develop such an athlete, we did develop him. For us, this is a loss, for us, this is a
37:35 painful story. But what can we do? The athlete comes and says, well, unfortunately, he didn’t come there himself, Mishin called me. Mishin? Yes. Yes. So, I came to practice, Alexey Nikolaevich called. I actually thought he was there for one thing, but it turns out he told me they've been asking him for weeks, well, Arseniy's been talking to him, and he's taking him. But I called Arseniy over. I said, "Arseniy, maybe it was right when you were on the line. " I mean, yes, during training. I said, "Arseniy, maybe you really needed to hear this from him? Really?" He said, "Well, I wanted to come to an agreement first. Well, that's everyone's story." So, first, get a
38:22 guarantee, and then gently leave. No one wants to leave with such a risk. Although, it seems like any coach would take such a risk with such an athlete. Well, actually, for me, this athlete, and probably our number one in the juniors right now, despite the fact that Lev was beating him. Yeah. Well, I had questions about both the components and the judging. Well, it's pointless asking our judges these questions here, just like it is with international judges. It's just that we've always been used to proving our strength through international competitions. Now it's become more difficult for us. It's become more
39:08 difficult for us because skating, programs, and gliding skills aren't judged, but they've never been judged at domestic competitions. That makes it more difficult, of course. I mean, I skate there. And before that, Danil Samsonov was complaining about why I was second to last in components. And I also called the federation and asked, " Why does he skate well, spin well? Why? What will the federation do? To the judges." Nuno, we actually had a public discussion here at the beginning of this season, I think, or at the end of last, about how our components are being awarded very high scores, practically tens there, nines, tens there, and that we won't get those kinds of components on the world stage,
39:54 and it seems like they've started awarding lower scores. Well, that's not the point at all. I don't care at all what components they use, because you can't compare different competitions. They always use different levels of components. They use them, and they hold them high or low. I'm talking about the athlete. So, for me, let's say, if Arseniy goes out last year and skates cleanly, he skated a short program cleanly, then the components should be high. That should be first place. That's how it is for me , because there was no one stronger than him in terms of program and components. Well, we're talking juniors , he competed in juniors. And that's it . And don't try to convince me otherwise, I won't agree. No questions. And what do you think happened? You finally talked about it. Well, they, I also sometimes explain
40:40 things there, I explain things to the federation. Look, I say, you seem to be showing some kind of permissiveness regarding the judging. What does this lead to? It leads to the athlete seeing his components here and there, he puts them in, doesn't put them there, and they don't support me. Well, it's his life, after all. So, one single sportswoman starts to have some thoughts floating around. Someone might be discussing something somewhere, naturally, or talking. This is bad, because ultimately, athletes decide to leave us. I tell the federation this, that it seems like nonsense, but ultimately, the athlete decides to change something in their life because they see the wrong attitude. As an
41:26 athlete, I can call the federation and say, "I don't agree." I never tell an athlete that I don't agree. I always say, "So, skate consistently from competition to competition. You'll still, well, you'll sort of push the story forward, we'll prove it." I simply say, "And now, because there are no international runners, this has become more difficult for us on our team." We always qualified for the Russian Championships from the Grand Prix Final, meaning with a high internal ranking. Well, we were getting out of there, yes , because Alina Zagitova lost to Konstantinova at a national competition , while she had already won the entire junior season there. Well, this has
42:14 always been the case with us, no matter how pointless it is to argue with her and all that, well, that's how it has to be accepted. It's just that athletes just can't accept it. Maybe they can't wait. We had to wait anyway. But he didn't just say that, he simply said. Just now we read about Nina Panzorone, her coach, as I understand it, trained her there since she was four. And so she simply said, yes, thank you very much, I need a change of scenery, because I had no desire to go to training at all and find myself in the same atmosphere, in the same conditions every day. I experienced some kind of burnout and depression. And so she decided to go to America to train with a new coach. And we heard more or less
42:59 about burnout from Arseniy, that he needed it. He has no complaints about us, the coaches, or about his work, he just needed a change of scenery. But I once heard from Sasha Trusova that she needed a change of scenery. Do you make a difference how someone leaves and who they leave for? You said that Alexandra just left. She was completely honest, yes, she came and said: "I need a change of scenery." But I will say that I had a slightly different opinion back then. It was the year of the coronavirus, when we, uh, were shut down. We skated there for three months. It was terrifying, that in that time you could forget how to skate. But Sasha couldn't. She couldn't live without the ice. She had to jump those jumps every day. She felt like if
43:44 she lost it, it would be everything, maybe even an hour. She doesn't have that anymore, because she realized she'd restored the same thing there, better than before, right? And so she needed to continue training. And with Plushenko, she could afford to continue training because it was a private rink, while ours was state-owned. We were closed, but the private rinks weren't. So, I had the impression back then, maybe it's just my perception, that she absolutely had to keep training. The main thing is that you keep working now , and I hope you won't have to wait long for new results. Well, it's not always typical, perhaps, to justify an athlete or try to take their side. And how would I feel, and what would I think, but now with Arseniy, well, yes, of course, and he's been with us for 10 years, of course, the system is the same, that's it, he
44:30 knows everything, how and what. We're tired of him, we're tired of him. Well, how can you not break what works? But for that, you need to be older. For that, you need to have an adult mind. He's still a teenager, after all. It's a period when you want a change. He wanted to leave his parents, he was tired of living at home. So, a bit of rebellion. Well, I wouldn't call him a rebel. He just wanted a change of scenery. Can you imagine, we led and led and led. He should be with us now, if they let us go to internationals, then, naturally, we would go to the juniors with him. I think that would be good. Or go to the seniors, that is, he's right for age.
45:16 But there's no athlete. And it's not like he's serving 10 years. By the way, about athletes. In an interview with Aliko, you said that you hate it when athletes are poached. I can't stand it. Yes. You can't stand it, right? You can't stand it when athletes are poached. Tell me, how do athletes appear in your group? They come on their own. So, it never happens, what are you asking? I'm always afraid. I'll say it again, I'm afraid. Even if I like someone, first of all, I'll say it again: I like someone, but I don't know how they work with that kid. Or maybe it's a really tough process, maybe they're forcing him, or something else. And so, imagine , you have to promise something. You have to promise to come to me, because
46:04 what, why would anyone transfer? Well, look, this is how I see it. There you go. Do you have a figure skating center? It's a school that's supposed to show results, bring medals to Moscow , Russia, and so on, right? So, you're an expert in figure skating, who can select children who are all experts. Well, you're the best, unrivaled. Okay, okay, okay. Stop. Fine. One of the best experts in figure skating. So, your goal is to earn medals for your school. And you, as an expert, well, it seems to me, you can look at it this way: for us to win in junior singles, we need this, this, this. Okay. Two, let's say, this, this.
46:49 It's not working at all. You're thinking completely wrong. The analogy is like, well, it doesn't work that way. But it's not like that for us. So, I'm asking, how do you do it? No, we develop athletes ourselves. For example, right now we have a pretty, well, as if all this could change. And there's a strong junior pairs group. Well, these are our girls, whom I've been supporting, training, preparing for many years. Polina Seshelya has been with us since she was 5 years old. And I supported her, and I kept her there for three years. And I asked Lyosha Tikhonova: "Please find a partner, because in singles we're already marking time, it's time to develop further." These are our children, and they come out onto the ice with us. We support their jumping. It's not just like that. We didn't just
47:34 take them from anywhere, we raised them ourselves. Just like Arseniy Fedotov. He's our child, whom we raised ourselves. Yes, they come. I can't say it's easier to work with them, because it's as if these missed areas can't be filled just like that. They were missed for some reason. Well, understandable. But my point is that waiting 10 years for the next athlete to develop is probably also wrong, when the conditions are right, when you can take on someone more or less ready. No, no. The same children come to us, tired of their coaches. They also need a change. Yes, they also need a change of scenery . Take Liza Andreeva, when she came to us, what? Three years ago, she was such a little girl, her forehead was so big
48:20 she could barely reach her, and she said, "It's time for me to change the scenery." To sum it up, mm, this thesis is that you never, never through someone, never tell them yourself, “Come tryout with me, it would be great to work with you. ” No, I mean, it’s always just incoming ones, roughly speaking, well, they’re always there. I used to laugh, once I started, well, not exactly starting, but I already had a group of pretty strong athletes at the Serebryany rink. It’s not far from CSKA. I always laughed when I expected that at the end of the season they were cleaning up the groups and good kids, basically good kids, because they had a lot of ice, they glided and spun there, they came to the rinks that were closer . So, a lot of good athletes came to us
49:08 . I was the only one working for me at the time. Well, I just always laughed, like, let’s say it’s the end of the season, you’ll clean up the groups now and these athletes who were kicked out will come to us. By the way, Zhenya was once kicked out of CSKA for being unfit for the job. That was fate, of course, yes, he was very small, really. Life is the best playwright, as they say. You never know where you'll find something or where you'll lose it. Well, we were small, but no matter. I have a lot of good athletes there, well , they came from there. Well, they're small, good, but they have a foundation . I laid that foundation with CSKA. Thank you very much. Regarding the transfer, everything is clear, because it's also an interesting question. More precisely, it's becoming more and more interesting lately,
49:53 because the transfer window has opened, everyone is transferring, and it's interesting that transfers are happening outside the transfer window as well. It's absolute nonsense when they say they're waiting. Those who want to transfer, they transfer, and I just don't have time for the transfer window; until the transfer window, they continue to represent their previous school. That's it, if you need an athlete, you won't wait. So, an athlete approaches you and wants to transfer now, and you'll say, "No, wait, let's wait until April." So, roughly speaking, it's just a legal transfer in the spring, but a de facto transfer. They're not coming, so let's talk about international sport a little bit. You already mentioned that
50:38 it would be nice with Arseniy. Not bad. Finally, as if we've been waiting for a release. It would be nice to show how we've been working for the last 10 years, how men's singles skating in Russia is rising from the ground up. But now, not with Arseniy, but with whom would you like to enter the international arena? And what do you think, do you feel any warming up right now, that this could happen, or is there just some talk for now, maybe there isn't, and it's as if nothing is actually happening. I'm so tired of waiting for some kind of, as you say, warming up, and I've gone lukewarm, so I'm not expecting anything at all. It will be as it is. Well, the only thing I'm saying is that it's really tough for us, but when internal
51:25 problems arise, it's much tougher. And we realized this right away, as soon as we were banned, because we always avoided, as much as possible, internal competitions. Honestly, I wonder why? Because there's always this judging, this home-based judging, that is, for example, there are competitions that are easier for Muscovites, and there are competitions that are impossible, they're St. Petersburg competitions. So, for example, the Kazan stage has always been considered a St. Petersburg competition. And Muscovites try to avoid going there. Well, all that happens. Well, when it's inevitable, you still go and understand that the regions won't support you, they're all so united there.
52:12 So, there's this internal war going on, yes. It's as if we really like to be friends with each other. That's the strongest friendship we have. The federations, for their part, are trying to show that there are all kinds of schools, not just there, not just for those who take them on. We don't claim to be the only ones, but there have always been questions about the judging . It's not just that they've arisen now ; there have always been some strange decisions, some sudden punishments based on some element. The judging at home reminds me of, you know , how they put a child on a chair on New Year's, and he recites a poem, and he says, "I remember him from when he was five, and he skated at our school there from when he was three." And so they, well, how they remember this
52:57 child, this region raised him. Well, it's something like that. Or this coach takes me out, and he's a friend of mine , while this one isn't a friend and barely even says hello. But is it possible to completely avoid this in figure skating, to prevent it from happening at all? I don't know how to get away from it. It's still a subjective sport. It's just that internal competitions seem very subjective. International choreographers are appearing in your arena. Binuarisho choreographed a program for your athletes. Igadzy's Panties. How did that go in general? What are your impressions of this work? Well, everyone probably wants to try something. If everyone is trying, then it means they should try too. But it was probably also interesting for Sasha to work with him. Nika has been working
53:44 for several years now. For him, it's just another change of scenery. Well, and for you as a specialist, what did we perhaps notice? That it was like this? Yeah. This was interesting, this is the usual, or this...Well, no, I can't say that I saw something like this program and said, "Ah, so that's how it works." No, no, it's just, well, everyone wants that kind of boom, everyone needs it. Well, you see, you can choreograph it with him; it's like he's not a coach, just a choreographer. So you went there to skate with him, and it's not like you're cheating on your coach, you're just with a different choreographer.
54:30 Well, Nika's been around for a while now; he left right after the World Championships, and skated for a long time in Tbilisi. So, what do you think of Benoit's program in general? Again, there are different opinions. I'm not going to say anything "ah." I know that we choreographed much stronger programs there. The ones that were memorable, the ones that were iconic. I don't want to disparage iconic programs, and good programs, too . He selects everything, but I can't really spot any iconic ones. It's more a question of creativity here, because there are signature programs, yes, like some kind of image there, I don't know, like a pirate of the Caribbean, well, you know, yes, with Benoit, they're more abstract, that kind of content. So why did he choreograph Levitt's Pirate of the Caribbean now? We'll see. Well, that's more like it for him, well , he's probably also searching for
55:17 something new, searching for some new facets of figure skating. But, in general, Ben's choreography, well, they're different to some extent. And when you look, no, he has a lot of choreography that, I think, were very unsuccessful for the athletes. Well, some, yes, that's true. Well, that's probably the case with everyone. You have pair skating now. There are two very strong pairs skating on the rink. Probably two of the strongest in the world, Boikova Kozlovskii and Metyolkina Berulava. How do you think this sparring will go? Will it be useful or will there be some, perhaps, some moments? It's hard for me to say how it will go. It
56:03 should be fine, and how it goes, we'll all see together. Have you discussed this with the athletes? There's the transfer of other strong athletes to the team. Well, we discussed it, yes, and it seems there are no problems there. But we don't know how it will be in practice. The main thing is that the coach has time to focus on both pairs. In recent years, you've become a more public figure. You were the presenters, the big girls. And now there's a documentary series about your team, about you. You were featured in, uh, a glossy magazine. A glossy magazine, right? A fashion photo shoot. Do you think this somehow
56:51 reveals you? Is this something new for you or is it just part of it? Well, I was featured in the magazine over a year ago. Well, and the big girls, too, nothing has changed, except for the big girls. I usually gave one big interview a year , and I still do. As for the series, well, there's nothing more to Soko, except the big girls and everyone else is involved. I can't say that I've started appearing more often or giving more interviews. Not at all. Was it your idea to participate in a photo shoot, or did you just want to, or was it offered, and did you kind of agree? I knew it would take up two hours of my
57:37 life, but it was interesting to see how I was seen. Did you like it? There were a lot of interesting shots, yes. And regarding the clothes, did you participate in choosing the style? No, I didn't participate in choosing the style. I came and said, "You tell me what to wear." It's interesting, after they dress you, and not after you dress yourself, so I'll dress the same way I always do. You often criticize the work of journalists, because there was, for example, the whole thing...A. I often criticize? No, when was the last time? The last time was completely during an interview. He himself decided to include these shots. I simply told him that I don't like interviews in which I essentially
58:24 have to defend every answer. That is, you come and you have to justify yourself. And yet, I didn't refuse this interview. The fact that he took the last shots means he wanted people to see it. It was already off the record, but he took it. How would you like figure skating to be covered? What questions were asked? And how would you like figure skating to be seen in media? The way it is. Let it be the way it is. Just why all this speculation, uh, reading between the lines, you say one thing, but they read it differently, how does it work, why? It's the way it is, so that people can see it. That's why, back in the day, I gave Channel One the opportunity to be present at
59:11 training sessions and film, and now I have OKO, so that they can film it the way it is, so that they can see it. Do you think you, well, I don't know, have you had more interviews or fewer? It's the viewers there, I don't know, I think they would only be happy if there were more. But perhaps you really are trying to stay within a certain framework. And I have become more visible precisely because there is OKO. It's wonderful. I think the rest is all about the viewers. I'm left with the same as always. I also want to say a huge thank you, because it's interesting to hear your thoughts on each question. Well, I won't talk to all the journalists, because they often twist things around. You say one thing, really, and then you read something completely different. You don't run after this journalist, so
59:57 you try to be careful and not give away your interview. But in principle, I've always said: "Ask questions, if you're interested in something, ask them." I said I wouldn't answer a question, so ask them. They don't ask. And what do you think, after, well, your interviews, you get more haters? Or more people who, on the contrary, share your point of view and, well, are more like: "Okay, well, now I understand, now everything falls into place. This is Georgievna, everything is clear to us now." Well, no, it seems to me that those who are twisted, for them, everything is somehow the other way around, they remain that way. No matter how much you explain, they still manage to twist everything around. This is apparently their way of life. Do you feel like
1:00:43 you're becoming, well, your opinion is becoming more influential in the world of figure skating? My opinion has been influential in the world of figure skating for a long time. That's why nothing changes with any interviews. But do you try to, well, choose your words more carefully, knowing that they're about to fly apart? You choose your words and without thinking, somehow they still manage to read them wrong, hear them wrong, say them wrong. She meant something completely different. Many athletes, uh, say that you're like a role model for them. Do you feel like the different athletes who come and go with you change you somehow? That you,
1:01:30 well, some kind of, maybe, changes in your methodology, some internal changes , or are you trying to stay on the chosen course and not stray? Well, probably the only thing that changed in me there was that I realized that forcing is useless. It's useless to force, they have to do it themselves . That's true, I guess, you kind of get there over time, because at some point you're already achieving a certain result, and then it doesn't work. And what's more, there's always this internal conflict between the coach and the athlete. When you force something, yes, it brings the athlete to a certain level, but this conflict remains. With Yulia Lepnetskaya, you had to force them, you had to guide them. And so
1:02:17 there was always this conflict: naturally, you force them, and the athlete gets upset with you, but they keep doing it, and you bring them to the level of champion, or junior world champion, higher and higher, but you kind of push them with your own effort, and this internal conflict remains. It never goes away. Well, over time, it happens that somehow, how many years have to pass? Well, it varies from person to person. That is, sometimes it goes away, and sometimes it never goes away. How do you spend your evenings after training? Maybe you like a certain TV series, or books? Lazy. Lazy, just lazy. If after training, the evenings pass lazily. Well, with some activity,
1:03:03 yes. And I pick up my phone, check everything there, again, everything that was there: mail, something else. Something, if I missed a message from someone, or because during the day I hardly answer messages, and if someone needs to call—all this in the evening . Do you do things? Well, I don’t know, things are not things, things. So, Georgievna, today we will find out, uh, at least for one second, when you are relaxing on the plane, a book, a TV series, something happens when there is no network reception and not even a message arrived. First, I check which airline I am flying with and there is a connection. That’s it. And since I am afraid of flying, it is stressful for me, so it’s not a TV series, not a book, because I don’t work when I am
1:03:50 stressed. That is, I don’t turn on screens, I don’t look at them, because, well, you get nervous. Those who are afraid of flying, they will understand. Everything is clear. Do your dogs provide you with relaxation or, well, some kind of pleasant routine? They're my stress reliever. Stress reliever. Uh, do they take up a lot of time or not? They give me time. They can take it up. They're so wonderful. They give me time. You feel love. So we found this answer, where you can unwind. And they really do give you time that isn't taken up with figure skating and chores. So, I achieved what I wanted with the
1:04:35 dogs. Well, why? That's why we have it here, practically a zoo here. You go into the hall and there will be 10 dogs running around. In fact, everyone has dogs now. And you know, they say, uh, in big corporations , when the CEO loves football, everyone plays football. Maybe because you have dogs? No, I just thought that for children it's such a stress reliever to sit between workouts, pet their favorite dog, play with it, feed it. It's stress-relieving. And it's important for a child. If a child has a dog— everyone here has dogs now, and everyone comes here with their dogs. My only request is that they not be some kind of shepherd. Well, roughly speaking, small in size, yes, they should be small dogs and not
1:05:22 aggressive, so that, well, there's no need to be afraid of them. Regarding children, the most important person in your life is Diana. Well, it would be strange if not. She's my only daughter. Tell me, how do you communicate now and how do you manage to separate daughter Diana from athlete Diana? I took her to another country. Now it generally takes a day and a half to get there at the age of 16, that is, 7 years ago. And here's a question about the athlete. Well, how is it more like parents who go to training every day, taking their children. For them, the two are inseparable, right? I can literally
1:06:07 count on my fingers the number of times I've seen her train. Well, after the performances, maybe, Dian, well, look, you could have gone there this way and that way. I don't participate in that. No, I don't participate in the music selection, or in the commentary, or anything. Did you set any specific boundaries or did it just happen that way? Look, the parents who sit and travel with the athlete, sit in the stands, let's be honest, they've given up their lives. They're living their child's life. At what point? I never gave up my
…
