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Interview with Nina Mozer by Felix Zagrebnoi for rsport.ru
Q: How was the season? What worked and what didn't?
NM: Ambigious season. There are a lot of questions I ask, myself mainly. Figure skating changed a lot after the Olympics in Sochi. It changed towards more complicated elements, which are the main thing now.
We used to be taught not only professional, but human things as well - the ability to understand and weight the situation. I know there are coordination sports such as diving, gymnastics, figure skating. The asians are taking over these now. They are fast by nature. Their muscles responsible for speed are twice bigger than Europeans'. Everything related to rotation, fast coordination is very important in such sports.
As for the results, the ones who won are a Chinese Canadian, Kazakh, Chinese, Japanese. They do unique things. There are things we can't do by definition. The only European on the podium is Javier Fernandez, but he is a latino - they are slightly different as well. Of course we have our traditions, but what is the usual for the white people is on a different level. Guess what we are good at is not competitive anymore.
Q: Then why do our girls winning everything?
NM: As you know the Russian woman will stop a horse on a full speed and walk into a burning house (Russian proverb)... We see the ladies champion changing every year because the young girls are very talented. Besides, the mentality of eastern men and women is different. If the man is a fighter the woman is a house keeper.
And there is a problem as well - once the girls are growing up and go through puberty they change and so do the results. Fortunately our figure skating schools work well and there is a long line of girls who are growing up here, hence the hope we'll remain on top. Though the Americans are right behind us.
Q: Adelina Sotnikova was unable to hold on the top after Sochi
NM: It's something everyone went through. Masha Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya. They were super talented girls and then there was a period when it was all gone, they came back women - well formed and knowing how to deal with themselves, their weight, their energy, their emotions. It all needs to fall into places.
One becomes a champion if all falls into places. Just like in fashion - there is Udashkin, Versace, Dior, and those who just sew. One needs the natural talent, specialists who work, and the will of the athlete.
Q: How hard is it coaching 2 top level teams?
NM: Ambigious situation. When the guys are skating together and see each other it stimulates. But they are not sparring partners, because the sparring partners mean one is the lead and the other is pushing. Everyone wants to win here. Hence the guys see each other but never skate with each other. It's impossible due to various reasons which should not bother. When you put two equal pairs on the ice at the same time unwillingly you pay more attention to one of them. When the situation of having several top teams in the group happened I made a decision they will not be skating together. I'll just spend more time on the ice.
Q: I.e. you don't have a first, second and third pair?
NM: It's complicated. You could say that depending on their placement. But it's a competition and all changes. I like them all. Tanya and Maks have been in my group for 6 years. They began skating together on my rink, we started the journey together.
Stolbova/Klimov are also skating for 6 years. They came a ready team - being 6th in the Europeans but never participated the worlds before. They came to a team with a certain system which allowed them to get on the top quite fast. They had a will and all worked. They came being Russia n.4, they had a reason to prove they would decently represent the country in the Olympics. The inner competition in the country was a huge boost for them.
Q: What can you say about Tarasova/Morozov?
NM: There is a school on Vorobioevy mountains (an area in Moscow) where am the head coach. These guys grew up on that rink. I'm quite surprised when people say I only work with the already good athletes. Volodya had been with me for more than 8 years. He came to a try out as a boy. His growing up and developing was on the rink in front of my eyes. We are always near. Zhenya came as a promising single skater, but without much success. She switched to pairs in our school. I had to convince the coach Zhenya is decent enough to skate and it worked! It's our home team. This year they performed a quad split twist in the nationals. We tried with the secure rope a throw quad. It's hard, but we are aiming there.
Q: What do they lack to become leaders?
NM: I guess experience. It's just their 2nd season in the seniors skating. They made it to the team their first year because of the others' injuries. I came with them to their first worlds where they showed a fantastic result (6th). It's one of the youngest teams in the world. This year they knew they were the substitutes. Again they made it to the worlds and were 5th. We spoke about that when we didn't know yet which teams would participate the worlds -there were injuries. I told them they have to be prepared to go to the worlds as the team leaders. It's hard. When I told them more or less the same thing 2 years ago Zhenya as if turned off. She took it from the single skating - being unable to mobilize all her abilities at the needed moment. She learned it now. I know exactly the words that need to be said to Zhenya Tarasova before the skate. I don't stand near the border but I know exactly what to tell her after the warm up. It's very important.
Q: You were not planning the worlds for Tanya and Maksim. Why was it decided they would participate?
NM: The main competition was the Europeans. When the world team was decided it happened that Kawaguti was injured and Astakhova/Rogonov who competed at the Europeans finished 7the there. There would be 5-6 strong teams more at the worlds. Besides, Fedor Klimov was injured. So Tanya, Maks and I sat down after the Europeans and realized a simple thing: we could end up with not enough spots at the worlds in the pre-Olympic year. So we simply started preparing. Not for ourselves, but for the country.
Q: Was Klimov's injury serious?
NM: You have no idea. He almost became crippled. Our favourite Jorje Fernandez saved us. He was able to bring back Fedor into life. His shoulder was hanging and he was unable to lift his arm above his shoulder for more than 2 months. When he came to Jorje he called and said Fedor's chest and triceps muscles atrophied. We were not even talking about continuing the career, but Jorje said he'll do his best. It happened because Fedor is very patient. In November he did something, was not able to skate and our masseur somehow brought him back. Fedor was better, but there was something that bothered. In January, when the doctor placed back his spinal bones it turned out the nerve was almost dead.
Q: Why so many injuries?
NM: The guys are fanatics, they all want to win, want medals, they are willing to go and risk. The pairs skating now is a life threating risk. The injuries are horrible. Look: in the pairs skating almost all the top teams this year are injured. Especially those who went for a quad throw. The American girl is a cripple, the Chinese girl was skating with -8 sight on one eyes, the Canadian world champion wanted to perform 2 quads but gave it up after she injured her chin, Kawaguti tore her achilles off ice, which I think is a result of the quad. Her partner Smirnov and her started landing two quads. But the body is not immune.
Q: Lets go back to the Worlds championship. What do you think about our pairs results?
NM: Some would say the 4th 5th and 6th places are a failure. Fear of god. Yes, there were no medals, but our teams made it to the top 6. Of course we wanted to do better and fight for the medals, we are used to be on the top, but there were a lot of reasons, including mental. Let me tell you a small detail: 5 days before leaving to the Worlds we had to switch Maksim's skates - his left boot was bad, 3 days before the competition Tanya's blade broke. So we ran to buy the new skates, started skating with the new blade. I don't know what to call it - destiny, bad luck. But the guys found the inner power to go out there and fight.
Q: Do Tanya and Maks have enough motivation?
NM: It's always a hard question. We try to find it every time. I can't give a certain answer.
Q: Is there a certainty they will keep skating till the Olympics?
NM: Only god knows. The thoughts are changing. We assume and god decides. There is a will, but there are things that do not depend on us. After this season when I faced various problems I can't be certain.
Q: What are the goals of your 3 teams for the next season?
NM: We will be discussing it. Their main goal is to win, be competitive and land top elements. This year I let them decide themselves what do they want to do. Different choreographers. Only Ksenia and Fedor are working with Nikolai Morozov, the rest is a secret.
Q: Do you follow the juniors?
NM: I did not this year, but I will next. I have 2 interesting teams: Albina Sokur/Roman Pleshkov and another new interesting team - Daria Lobova/Daniil Parkman. They might become an ideal team. They have 3 different tripple jumps. It's a serious thing in pairs skating.
Q: Do you have a competition?
NM: There is always a competition in sports. There are people who work decently, the result is on the final table. Either it's there or it does not exist. Still, I would never do stuff my competitive are sometimes doing, I will not judge their work. I only talk about myself.. I wish people were kinder. God did not give me the ability to be jealous. I can forgive. I can put the other person's shows - the one who done me wrong and understand why he did it. It makes me feel better.
then goes some crap about football, which I will not translate mainly because I have no idea who are these people in Russian football and why would the FSU care about them.
Q: How was the season? What worked and what didn't?
NM: Ambigious season. There are a lot of questions I ask, myself mainly. Figure skating changed a lot after the Olympics in Sochi. It changed towards more complicated elements, which are the main thing now.
We used to be taught not only professional, but human things as well - the ability to understand and weight the situation. I know there are coordination sports such as diving, gymnastics, figure skating. The asians are taking over these now. They are fast by nature. Their muscles responsible for speed are twice bigger than Europeans'. Everything related to rotation, fast coordination is very important in such sports.
As for the results, the ones who won are a Chinese Canadian, Kazakh, Chinese, Japanese. They do unique things. There are things we can't do by definition. The only European on the podium is Javier Fernandez, but he is a latino - they are slightly different as well. Of course we have our traditions, but what is the usual for the white people is on a different level. Guess what we are good at is not competitive anymore.
Q: Then why do our girls winning everything?
NM: As you know the Russian woman will stop a horse on a full speed and walk into a burning house (Russian proverb)... We see the ladies champion changing every year because the young girls are very talented. Besides, the mentality of eastern men and women is different. If the man is a fighter the woman is a house keeper.
And there is a problem as well - once the girls are growing up and go through puberty they change and so do the results. Fortunately our figure skating schools work well and there is a long line of girls who are growing up here, hence the hope we'll remain on top. Though the Americans are right behind us.
Q: Adelina Sotnikova was unable to hold on the top after Sochi
NM: It's something everyone went through. Masha Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya. They were super talented girls and then there was a period when it was all gone, they came back women - well formed and knowing how to deal with themselves, their weight, their energy, their emotions. It all needs to fall into places.
One becomes a champion if all falls into places. Just like in fashion - there is Udashkin, Versace, Dior, and those who just sew. One needs the natural talent, specialists who work, and the will of the athlete.
Q: How hard is it coaching 2 top level teams?
NM: Ambigious situation. When the guys are skating together and see each other it stimulates. But they are not sparring partners, because the sparring partners mean one is the lead and the other is pushing. Everyone wants to win here. Hence the guys see each other but never skate with each other. It's impossible due to various reasons which should not bother. When you put two equal pairs on the ice at the same time unwillingly you pay more attention to one of them. When the situation of having several top teams in the group happened I made a decision they will not be skating together. I'll just spend more time on the ice.
Q: I.e. you don't have a first, second and third pair?
NM: It's complicated. You could say that depending on their placement. But it's a competition and all changes. I like them all. Tanya and Maks have been in my group for 6 years. They began skating together on my rink, we started the journey together.
Stolbova/Klimov are also skating for 6 years. They came a ready team - being 6th in the Europeans but never participated the worlds before. They came to a team with a certain system which allowed them to get on the top quite fast. They had a will and all worked. They came being Russia n.4, they had a reason to prove they would decently represent the country in the Olympics. The inner competition in the country was a huge boost for them.
Q: What can you say about Tarasova/Morozov?
NM: There is a school on Vorobioevy mountains (an area in Moscow) where am the head coach. These guys grew up on that rink. I'm quite surprised when people say I only work with the already good athletes. Volodya had been with me for more than 8 years. He came to a try out as a boy. His growing up and developing was on the rink in front of my eyes. We are always near. Zhenya came as a promising single skater, but without much success. She switched to pairs in our school. I had to convince the coach Zhenya is decent enough to skate and it worked! It's our home team. This year they performed a quad split twist in the nationals. We tried with the secure rope a throw quad. It's hard, but we are aiming there.
Q: What do they lack to become leaders?
NM: I guess experience. It's just their 2nd season in the seniors skating. They made it to the team their first year because of the others' injuries. I came with them to their first worlds where they showed a fantastic result (6th). It's one of the youngest teams in the world. This year they knew they were the substitutes. Again they made it to the worlds and were 5th. We spoke about that when we didn't know yet which teams would participate the worlds -there were injuries. I told them they have to be prepared to go to the worlds as the team leaders. It's hard. When I told them more or less the same thing 2 years ago Zhenya as if turned off. She took it from the single skating - being unable to mobilize all her abilities at the needed moment. She learned it now. I know exactly the words that need to be said to Zhenya Tarasova before the skate. I don't stand near the border but I know exactly what to tell her after the warm up. It's very important.
Q: You were not planning the worlds for Tanya and Maksim. Why was it decided they would participate?
NM: The main competition was the Europeans. When the world team was decided it happened that Kawaguti was injured and Astakhova/Rogonov who competed at the Europeans finished 7the there. There would be 5-6 strong teams more at the worlds. Besides, Fedor Klimov was injured. So Tanya, Maks and I sat down after the Europeans and realized a simple thing: we could end up with not enough spots at the worlds in the pre-Olympic year. So we simply started preparing. Not for ourselves, but for the country.
Q: Was Klimov's injury serious?
NM: You have no idea. He almost became crippled. Our favourite Jorje Fernandez saved us. He was able to bring back Fedor into life. His shoulder was hanging and he was unable to lift his arm above his shoulder for more than 2 months. When he came to Jorje he called and said Fedor's chest and triceps muscles atrophied. We were not even talking about continuing the career, but Jorje said he'll do his best. It happened because Fedor is very patient. In November he did something, was not able to skate and our masseur somehow brought him back. Fedor was better, but there was something that bothered. In January, when the doctor placed back his spinal bones it turned out the nerve was almost dead.
Q: Why so many injuries?
NM: The guys are fanatics, they all want to win, want medals, they are willing to go and risk. The pairs skating now is a life threating risk. The injuries are horrible. Look: in the pairs skating almost all the top teams this year are injured. Especially those who went for a quad throw. The American girl is a cripple, the Chinese girl was skating with -8 sight on one eyes, the Canadian world champion wanted to perform 2 quads but gave it up after she injured her chin, Kawaguti tore her achilles off ice, which I think is a result of the quad. Her partner Smirnov and her started landing two quads. But the body is not immune.
Q: Lets go back to the Worlds championship. What do you think about our pairs results?
NM: Some would say the 4th 5th and 6th places are a failure. Fear of god. Yes, there were no medals, but our teams made it to the top 6. Of course we wanted to do better and fight for the medals, we are used to be on the top, but there were a lot of reasons, including mental. Let me tell you a small detail: 5 days before leaving to the Worlds we had to switch Maksim's skates - his left boot was bad, 3 days before the competition Tanya's blade broke. So we ran to buy the new skates, started skating with the new blade. I don't know what to call it - destiny, bad luck. But the guys found the inner power to go out there and fight.
Q: Do Tanya and Maks have enough motivation?
NM: It's always a hard question. We try to find it every time. I can't give a certain answer.
Q: Is there a certainty they will keep skating till the Olympics?
NM: Only god knows. The thoughts are changing. We assume and god decides. There is a will, but there are things that do not depend on us. After this season when I faced various problems I can't be certain.
Q: What are the goals of your 3 teams for the next season?
NM: We will be discussing it. Their main goal is to win, be competitive and land top elements. This year I let them decide themselves what do they want to do. Different choreographers. Only Ksenia and Fedor are working with Nikolai Morozov, the rest is a secret.
Q: Do you follow the juniors?
NM: I did not this year, but I will next. I have 2 interesting teams: Albina Sokur/Roman Pleshkov and another new interesting team - Daria Lobova/Daniil Parkman. They might become an ideal team. They have 3 different tripple jumps. It's a serious thing in pairs skating.
Q: Do you have a competition?
NM: There is always a competition in sports. There are people who work decently, the result is on the final table. Either it's there or it does not exist. Still, I would never do stuff my competitive are sometimes doing, I will not judge their work. I only talk about myself.. I wish people were kinder. God did not give me the ability to be jealous. I can forgive. I can put the other person's shows - the one who done me wrong and understand why he did it. It makes me feel better.
then goes some crap about football, which I will not translate mainly because I have no idea who are these people in Russian football and why would the FSU care about them.
I hope they continue.
I hope it's not something that's going to continue to affect him/them, I have a gloomy outlook after seeing her tone about it. 
I assume Mozer is remembering his medals from 2015? (World bronze, 4CC gold)
(she won 2 silvers in senior and bronze at YOG)
