`Am not too fond of the USA' - Vaitsekhovskaya's interview with Leonova

[escaflowne9282]

Yes, you did. Irina's comments were about skating with COI and how the audience sat in the front row eating cheeseburgers instead of watching the performance with rapt attention as if they were at the ballet or opera (though I think that last part was just implied). It had nothing to do with Sarah Hughes.

Actually, there was a translated "interview" (meaning it may or may not have actually taken place) from around 2004(?), where "Irina" apparently said that she had heard Sarah Hughes had been gaining weight with her hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Maybe this is what she was thinking of? The problem is it was from a magazine that was known to simply invent things.

[dots]

Virtually every Russian skater interview has the obligatory anti-USA digs, so it's par for the course. No problem.
But I can't imagine the hate if a US skater were to publicly say he/she was "not too fond" of another country. They'd be completely roasted!!

This is probably true. Imagine if an American skater said "I'm not too fond of Russia" ... uh uh


See you at Skate America next year Elena!

[AndyWarhol]

Actually, there was a translated "interview" (meaning it may or may not have actually taken place) from around 2004(?), where "Irina" apparently said that she had heard Sarah Hughes had been gaining weight with her hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Maybe this is what she was thinking of? The problem is it was from a magazine that was known to simply invent things.

Not a nice thing to say, but probably true.

[Prancer]

Not a nice thing to say, but probably true.

Is Sarah a big fan of burgers?

[Southpaw]

White Manna is likely behind that OGM of Sarah's.

[Prancer]

White Manna is likely behind that OGM of Sarah's.

Linda Fratianne once attributed her silver medal (for good and bad) to eating cheesecake every day at the Olympics, so why not?

If I am ever in NJ, I will make it a point to check out White Manna.

[Southpaw]

Don't listen to those people who think Jersey City White Mana is better.

[bmcg]

MacDonald´s is an Olympic sponsor, it will always be in the athletes cafeteria but the athletes don't have to eat it. I find it hard to believe there are not other healthier options for those competing. But yes, there will be lots of fast food, soft drinks and whatever other contradictory (to health and athletics) products in exchange for the money the Olympics gets from these companies.

I also find it hard to believe it's that difficult to find healthier alternatives to rink food (and rink food in North America is atrocious). It seems the problem is poor organization by Morozov. I've been involved with groups going to summer camps abroad and we always researched and organized food ahead of time to avoid the situation where you find yourself unprepared with hungry athletes and make the fast option for fast food. It isn't that hard, you just need to be organized and plan ahead of time.

[IceAlisa]

I am a huge fan of burgers but they have to be done right (and have a ton of jalapenos on top!). There is a burger lounge here that makes amazing burgers. However, I only eat them 5-6 times a year. It's really a treat, not an everyday food. Same goes for steak, love it, barely ever eat it. Keeps it more special that way.

My mom's side of the family has a super strong history of heart disease and even though I am still young enough, I've been trying not to overdo red meat.

As to Sarah's weight gain, I blame fries, that's the real

[dinakt]

Alena probably does not have an access to a car, no choice of where to live and no time to adjust as her locations change. Her English is likely very limited. She just does not have means of figuring out the healthiest way to live in the US. The fact that she generalizes, to me, stems from the fact that she is blunt and maybe not too sophisticated, and that it is somewhat in vogue in Russia right now not to like the US. I have to say I resented her Kostner comment more .
I just spent a month in Naples- I flew in and started working non- stop the same day. My Italian is limited ( I can get around, but am not fluent). It was very hard- I would go to one little store for the first two weeks, and it took me a long time to find a supermarket that would sell toilet paper. I worked every day till late and nobody was holding my hand through things, and it took much longer to adjust than I would normally, when I have free time to explore. If Alena is stuck without a way to get around, it is not easy.
Agree that Morozov should hire somebody to take care of his athletes' nutrition; it is a part of elite coaching ( remember Tarasova making fresh - squeezed juice blends for Yagudin?)

[IceAlisa]

Oh? What did she say about Kostner? That her skating skills suck compared to Alena's?

the fact that she generalizes, to me, stems from the fact that she is blunt and maybe not too sophisticated, and that it is somewhat in vogue in Russia right now not to like the US.

That's what I was talking about here:

A lot of Russians are rather preoccupied with disliking the US. This was striking to my parents when they visited Moscow about 6 months ago. Being able to communicate in Russian, they'd asked why the resentment and the stunning answer was: "They don't help us." Not sure what that meant and why/how the US is supposed to help Russia but there it is. Not representative of the majority opinion by any means. However, the general sense of resentment is there.

The fact that the worst things about the US culture are relentlessly copied in Russia makes this fad of hating on Amerika that much more obnoxious.

[dinakt]

IceAlisa, I agree. It is more complicated , I think, that "they don't help us", but it's a supported government policy, and it's certainly "cooler" to dislike the US.
As for Carolina-
Очень понравилась новая произвольная Каролины Костнер. Даже странно: ее программы никогда не производили на меня впечатления. Казались странными и ни о чем. А тут я была в полном восторге.
(I loved new Free Program from Kostner. I never was impressed with her programs- they seemed to me strange and about nothing. But here I completely loved it).
Nothing criminal- tells me more about Alena though. And I still like her mostly. Sort of. Go back to being a Witch, Alena, or something of the sort, it was interesting.

[euterpe]

Actually, there was a translated "interview" (meaning it may or may not have actually taken place) from around 2004(?), where "Irina" apparently said that she had heard Sarah Hughes had been gaining weight with her hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Maybe this is what she was thinking of? The problem is it was from a magazine that was known to simply invent things.

Irina despised Sarah Hughes because Sarah had deprived Irina of "my Olympic gold medal".

[IceAlisa]

Thanks for the Russian quote, dinakt. As has been said before--she is unsophisticated and provincial.

It's called "abstract", Alena, meaning "art that does not attempt to represent external, recognizable reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, etc." So yes, you are right about that, her programs are about nothing. Yours, OTOH, are too much about one subject, beaten into a pulp.

[MacMadame]

This is probably true. Imagine if an American skater said "I'm not too fond of Russia" ... uh uh

I don't know. Johnny Weir gets lots of flack for saying nice things about Russia.

[pinky166]

Isn't the norm for Leonova only eating breakfast anyways? Surprised people are so interested by her comments about the food. Maybe the breakfast food in Russia is better...

[MacMadame]

She hardly said anything about the food. It was more about the training arrangements and how much time and attention she got from her coach.

[Vagabond]

I thought the whole big deal is because she said in the interview translated in the beginning of the thread that she is uncomfortable with the american food among other things.

Yes, she does say that she is "uncomfortable with the food." It's not clear whether she's uncomfortable with the food she actually gets or just lives in constant dread of being subjected to the sight of clumsily made sushi, as she was in Canada.

[quiqie]

kwanfan1818, fyi: there are lots of McDonalds in Russia & they are PACKED.

All the McDonaldses in Russia have free wi-fi, so of course they would be.

[antmanb]

Heresy? Are hamburgers a religion in the US?

Speaking of horse meat, it's kind of a taboo here for similar reasons as the UK. There's a stall at a farmer's market in the city centre that sells horse meat steak baguettes.

Imagine the when it ends up just being normal beef