Oksana Baiul: "Tutberidze is trying to build her show “Champions on Ice” where she will be the main star, and not her athletes.”

[alchemy void]

Interview translated via FSGossips:

Oksana Baiul: “Tutberidze is trying to build her show “Champions on Ice” where she will be the main star, and not her athletes.”

Interview with Oksana Baiul. About Eteri Tutberidze's system, Alina Zagitova, Evgenia Medvedeva Alexandra Trusova and figure skating in Russia.

fs-gossips.com

Interesting interview. If you follow Oksana on social media, you know she doesn't hold back at all. I think she needs to post here as I find myself nodding in agreement with several of her assessments. A few interesting excerpts:

Such words give rise to situations like those of Emma Hajiyeva (ex-figure skater and journalist. – ed). Hajiyeva said that I came to the Olympics as number two, forgetting about my victory at the World Championship. And then she apologized and explained that she relied on information from Tatiana Tarasova.

I find absolutely iconic Oksana calls out this journalist being misinformed about her 93 Worlds win, but just a few sentences before, Oksana claims she was the leader after the SP at 93 Worlds.

(94 Olympics) But you must admit that the showdown in the American team between Kerrigan and Harding helped you to win.

Oksana Baiul: I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t watch TV, and I realized that something was wrong only when we arrived to Lillehammer. It was also funny there – for sexample, my warm pants disappeared from the uniform set. Therefore, I did not go to the opening ceremony – so as not to get sick, the coaches held me back. Where these pants have gone, why they were not given – I have no idea.

Honey, those pants are totally in a cardboard box in some random Portland storage locker...

In many ways, Tutberidze personifies the transformation of figure skating into mathematics, the emphasis is on jumping. Does this bother you?

Oksana Baiul: Yes, artistry is already gone. There is no time to be an artist. It is necessary to jump, have time to make transitions, steps. There is no time even to open your arm beautifully. Now Alina and Zhenya will skate in the show, the artistry will came. But when you’re preparing for the Olympics, you don’t have time for shows. Only training from morning to night. And even at the age of 14-16, a person does not really feel the depth, it is difficult for him to show the artistic image that the choreographer came up with.

Preach it! And honestly I lay just as much blame with Gleikhengauz, as his choreography gets more godawful, cluttered, and repetitive with each passing season. Averbukh's programs for Lipnitskaya and Medvedeva, while not flawless, had some personality and actually breathed a little bit.

Did it surprise you that the girls who left Tutberidze returned to her a year later?

Oksana Baiul: Sasha Trusova will just motivate the rest now. When she left Plushenko, I did not recognize her. She matured, they did a lot of work on pushing during the take off. Her lutz became without pre-rotation, earlier she jumped it from a full blade. Apparently, Evgeni got her with injuries, and they spent a huge amount of time in the gym to pump up her injuries. How it’s done? The muscles that hold the sore spot are built up. So that it stops hurting. She did well, she was strong.

Because if you compare Shcherbakova and Trusova at the World Championships, these are two different physical preparation. Anna is much weaker physically than Sasha, I mean how she looked on the ice. Before the Olympics, everything depends on the coaching staff. If they work smartly, they will keep the best. They will work stupidly – all her sores will come out again.

I somewhat agree, although Trusova was still plenty recognizable last season. I was disappointed to see her go back to Eteri, because I did see some measurable improvement in technique and skating, even if most of it was gone by Worlds.

 

[tony]

I’m here for the ‘sexample’ and for the fact that Hagieva was coached by Butyrskaya, who is (was?) one of Baiul’s best friends.

 

[mjb52]

Why do so many people feel it necessary to put Anna down to pull others up? It's so weird to me.

 

[karmena]

It might be rather your interpretation, I think no one does this.

 

[VGThuy]

Oksana is on board with noticing egregious full prerotations.

 

[mjb52]

It might be rather your interpretation, I think no one does this.

Duhamel definitely did do it, and Baiul is doing it here. And Anna has a slightly obsessive group of haters on twitter as well. Everyone has the right to their opinion but it feels motivated by something weird to me.

 

[rfisher]

I was totally on board with her Olympic win, but by two years later, her "artistry" consisted of rolling around on the ice and trying to look sultry. I'm not certain she's the best critic here.

 

[Wyliefan]

I love Anna and would be very happy to see her win the Olympics, and I think she looks frail too. There's no hatred in pointing that out. It's simply an observation. Obviously she has a lot of strength or she wouldn't have accomplished what she did this season, but she has some frailties and weaknesses too. Most people do, when you get right down to it.

 

[screech]

In all honesty, Anna's 'frail' body reminds me of mine when I was her age and still skating competitively. I was just over 5 feet and weighed 90-95 lbs, and was in peak physical condition.
While I didn't restrict my eating like an elite athlete, to many I looked frail. I didn't overdo it on the exercise, but I was definitely strong. The school guidance counsellor was calling my friends to her office to ask them if I had an eating disorder, because of course there was no way someone as slender as me could be healthy.

I don't think people realize how much comments like those made about Anna can hurt, even if they come from the best of places.

 

[Coco]

Oh goody, it's too long until the season starts in earnest. This should give us something to chew on.

 

[sundayspirals]

Is this a wrong translation from Russian or are they really trying to bring it back?

"Now I’m training, negotiations are underway for the return of the American show “Champions on Ice"."

 

[Coco]

Someone might be, as this is an Olympic season.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I loved this article. It started off fine, but suddenly went into the "catty" phase! Hehe. I was just picturing Oksana sitting there, drinking a martini, and reminiscing about her winning the 1993 Worlds SP. That's our Droksana!

 

[alchemy void]

and for the fact that Hagieva was coached by Butyrskaya, who is (was?) one of Baiul’s best friends.

Good memory! The name was vaguely familiar but couldn't place it.

Is this a wrong translation from Russian or are they really trying to bring it back?

"Now I’m training, negotiations are underway for the return of the American show “Champions on Ice"."

Yes. Oksana and her husband are trying to bring it back, based in Las Vegas. More exclusive details here: https://vegas-revealed.com/article/5f3061e0ad1fe17067738844

I'm SO here for a Vegas-based, Oksana-led, low-budget Champions on Ice. I just hope this venture gets off the ground more than their other project, a Sonia Henie biopic, which has been "coming soon" for five years now.

 

[Vagabond]

Is this a wrong translation from Russian or are they really trying to bring it back?

"Now I’m training, negotiations are underway for the return of the American show “Champions on Ice"."

In the same interview, Baiul recounts traveling to compete in Lillehammer by horse and buggy, so let's take this whole thing with a grain of salt.

 

[layman]

In the same interview, Baiul recounts traveling to compete in Lillehammer by horse and buggy, so let's take this whole thing with a grain of salt.

That was obviously a metaphor. Oksana was saying that before her win, she travelled in the cheap(est) seats.

 

[Vagabond]

That was obviously a metaphor. Oksana was saying that before her win, she travelled in the cheap(est) seats.

And saying that negotiations were underway for the return of Champions on Ice was obviously a metaphor too. Oksana was saying that she isn't just a skating mom with a better understanding of technique than most.

 

[layman]

Oksana is telling the truth (about a lot of things) in this interview and I am glad I was not the only one who saw the tremendous improvement in Trusova's technique while she was with Evgeny Plushenko. Technique is not so important however in her new (old) training camp.

 

[Japanfan]

I was totally on board with her Olympic win, but by two years later, her "artistry" consisted of rolling around on the ice and trying to look sultry. I'm not certain she's the best critic here.

To be fair, she was quite tormented, at least as a young woman.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I was totally on board with her Olympic win, but by two years later, her "artistry" consisted of rolling around on the ice and trying to look sultry. I'm not certain she's the best critic here.

She was clearly dealing with mental health issues - and had no support. Just a group of enablers / users around her. Reminds me of Brittney Spears, to be honest. I am amazed she came out on the other side. For a while it seemed like she wouldn't.

 

[Lemonade20]

She was clearly dealing with mental health issues - and had no support. Just a group of enablers / users around her. Reminds me of Brittney Spears, to be honest. I am amazed she came out on the other side. For a while it seemed like she wouldn't.

I agree, it was a lot for a 16 year old kid to take in. No one has that kind of mental strength.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I would significantly prefer to read measured insights from Miss Kerrigan on the state of figure skating today instead of these flighty pontifications from Miss Baiul.

-BB

 

[AxelAnnie]

I would significantly prefer to read measured insights from Miss Kerrigan on the state of figure skating today instead of these flighty pontifications from Miss Baiul.

-BB

Yep. I am certainly giving advice or insight into anything.

 

[alchemy void]

I wholeheartedly endorse TSL's take on what Oksana's version of Champions on Ice should be:

This and That: It's Called Chess (2021 Skate Milwaukee, LA Open & Dreams on Ice)

This week, Eric Radford looked longingly at Vanessa James the way we stared at the summer competitions and shows on our computer screens. There was much to a...

youtu.be

The stale COI format of the 90s won't do anything today. She definitely needs to think outside the box--the messier the better. It's Vegas, after all! Think of the possibilities. We could have a "dueling Marilyns" number with Ksenia Makarova vs. Tonia Kwiatkowski. Johnny vs. Evan. Bring back Denise Biellmann, she's still in insane shape. Close every night with Caryn Kadavy doing her Celine Dion program. Instant success.

Oksana, I'm available for consultations...