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Anatoly Samokhvalov's interview with Jonathan Guerreiro for ria.ru
AS: John, it was expected your team would progress and medal, but right now it seems you are kind of stagnating. In December 2017 you became the national bronze medalists...
JG: The nationals in St. Petersburg were the beginning that put us on the map, after which we started competing successfully and people talked about us. It was that competition that let us into the Olympic team. Last year we took medals at both GP events and made it to the GPF, which is hardly stagnation. This year, yes, as far as the results go we would like it to be higher. But people do mention how much we progressed as a pair, that we improved and became better. People like our new programmes. As for the placements in the competitions - it changes all the time. If we were in a better shape perhaps we would place differently.
AS: The ice dance is a subjective sport, where you can't raise in one minute but you have to keep it on the top all the time. The nationals in Saransk you were expected to become third, but there was that shoe lace that came undone.
JG: No one took that 3rd place from us.
AS: You sure if it wasn't for the circumstances you would still be Russia n.3 now?
JG: We want to skate well and should we do that - we'll be able to hold that position. Again, the placement does change from time to time. Katsalapov became a national champion, was the leader for 3 years and was competing with the top teams of the world. And then at the Olympic season he was out of the team. It's a sport, things change all the time.
AS: Yet right now it seems that Sinitisna/Katsalapov are number 1, Stepanova/Bukin are number two. Well, assuming all skate clean.
JG: That's true for the last season, but the Olympic cycle had just began. I don't know what will happen next.
AS: What is the strong point of the Russian top teams?
JG: The pair
AS: What do you mean?
JG: Their gliding, their emotions. What is called chemistry. I think Tiffany and I have it as well. The speed really helps. But for a top team we have not been skating for long enough. We've been only skating together for the 5th season now. If you recall Bobrova/Soloviev when retired were together for, I think, 12 years.
AS: Is 5th season not a lot? You are so different- Tiffany is so colourful and crazy in a good sense. John is an Australian-St.Petersburg intelligent kid.
JG: That's what our inner chemistry is about. In real life and on the ice that combination works really well for us. But the pair skating, the gliding, the pushing at the same time on the same speed is something people work on for ages. When you are not yet a pair the programmes do not look as well as, say, for Stepanova/Bukin. But then Stepanova/Bukin were skating together while Svinin and Zhuk were still competing. It's something you can work on by repeating movements a lot during the practices. Unfortunately this season we didn't have that chance.
AS: Do you want to experiment with the choreography?
JG: A year ago we made a huge step going to Dean. Averbukh when commenting our SA skate said Dean is a god of choreography. I think as far as the choreography goes we are not yet done and we had just started experimenting. It's one thing when your coaches do your programme for the same music with the same moves - it's an approach and each will decide whether they like it. But first - we are still not done with our coaches because we've been only working together for the 3rd season together, second - Dean changed us completely, we had a really complicated and full programmes thanks to him. We stood out and it helped us making it to the GPF last season.
AS: Tatiana Tarasova once said that Dean choreographs for himself the way he is comfortable. Am not quite sure what does it mean.
JG: Tatiana Anatolievna is a genius. I think the only person who can fully understand Tatiana Anatolievna is Tatiana Anatolievna. However, what I can understand from her words, is, I guess, that Dead was skating to the opposite direction and all his turns are to the opposite direction. Indeed it happened several times that Dean would put things to the uncomfortable direction. People are used for the skaters going counter clock wise. We did everything clock wise. It was an interesting experience. However, this year we have completely different programmes and characters. We were offered a piece of music we had no chance finding ourselves. We ourselves were surprised picking it. We still have a lot to learn from Dean in creating the characters. We might not be able to work with him again next season, perhaps we'll find a super piece of music and Kustarova herself will want to choreograph a genius programme for us.
AS: Is there anyone close to the 4 times world champions Papadakis/Cizeron?
JG: I try not to comment. What do you mean no one close? Well, we competed with them in GP in France. One would think who are we and who are they, yet all our levels in the programmes were higher than theirs. If there should be a team who would get equally high components they can beat the French in technique. I think this season it will be interesting watching the competition.
AS: And Tiffany will have time to recover.
JG: It's the main thing. It's a shame we let a reason to doubt us last season. Of course we were not quite on the level of the other two teams. right after the nationals people started talking about how the 3rd spot is within the reach, that there are just two top teams in Russia and the bronze is open for grabbing.
AS: That was the case. Yet no one doubts your standing out. Your previous coach Zhulin was praising you and saying how `not Russian' you are while skating for Russia.
JG: Zhulin did so much for us and we never forget him. We have special relationship with some of the people in his team, but we are nothing but so grateful to Zhulin. He created our pair. The very standing out one, as he himself said.
AS: John, it was expected your team would progress and medal, but right now it seems you are kind of stagnating. In December 2017 you became the national bronze medalists...
JG: The nationals in St. Petersburg were the beginning that put us on the map, after which we started competing successfully and people talked about us. It was that competition that let us into the Olympic team. Last year we took medals at both GP events and made it to the GPF, which is hardly stagnation. This year, yes, as far as the results go we would like it to be higher. But people do mention how much we progressed as a pair, that we improved and became better. People like our new programmes. As for the placements in the competitions - it changes all the time. If we were in a better shape perhaps we would place differently.
AS: The ice dance is a subjective sport, where you can't raise in one minute but you have to keep it on the top all the time. The nationals in Saransk you were expected to become third, but there was that shoe lace that came undone.
JG: No one took that 3rd place from us.
AS: You sure if it wasn't for the circumstances you would still be Russia n.3 now?
JG: We want to skate well and should we do that - we'll be able to hold that position. Again, the placement does change from time to time. Katsalapov became a national champion, was the leader for 3 years and was competing with the top teams of the world. And then at the Olympic season he was out of the team. It's a sport, things change all the time.
AS: Yet right now it seems that Sinitisna/Katsalapov are number 1, Stepanova/Bukin are number two. Well, assuming all skate clean.
JG: That's true for the last season, but the Olympic cycle had just began. I don't know what will happen next.
AS: What is the strong point of the Russian top teams?
JG: The pair
AS: What do you mean?
JG: Their gliding, their emotions. What is called chemistry. I think Tiffany and I have it as well. The speed really helps. But for a top team we have not been skating for long enough. We've been only skating together for the 5th season now. If you recall Bobrova/Soloviev when retired were together for, I think, 12 years.
AS: Is 5th season not a lot? You are so different- Tiffany is so colourful and crazy in a good sense. John is an Australian-St.Petersburg intelligent kid.
JG: That's what our inner chemistry is about. In real life and on the ice that combination works really well for us. But the pair skating, the gliding, the pushing at the same time on the same speed is something people work on for ages. When you are not yet a pair the programmes do not look as well as, say, for Stepanova/Bukin. But then Stepanova/Bukin were skating together while Svinin and Zhuk were still competing. It's something you can work on by repeating movements a lot during the practices. Unfortunately this season we didn't have that chance.
AS: Do you want to experiment with the choreography?
JG: A year ago we made a huge step going to Dean. Averbukh when commenting our SA skate said Dean is a god of choreography. I think as far as the choreography goes we are not yet done and we had just started experimenting. It's one thing when your coaches do your programme for the same music with the same moves - it's an approach and each will decide whether they like it. But first - we are still not done with our coaches because we've been only working together for the 3rd season together, second - Dean changed us completely, we had a really complicated and full programmes thanks to him. We stood out and it helped us making it to the GPF last season.
AS: Tatiana Tarasova once said that Dean choreographs for himself the way he is comfortable. Am not quite sure what does it mean.
JG: Tatiana Anatolievna is a genius. I think the only person who can fully understand Tatiana Anatolievna is Tatiana Anatolievna. However, what I can understand from her words, is, I guess, that Dead was skating to the opposite direction and all his turns are to the opposite direction. Indeed it happened several times that Dean would put things to the uncomfortable direction. People are used for the skaters going counter clock wise. We did everything clock wise. It was an interesting experience. However, this year we have completely different programmes and characters. We were offered a piece of music we had no chance finding ourselves. We ourselves were surprised picking it. We still have a lot to learn from Dean in creating the characters. We might not be able to work with him again next season, perhaps we'll find a super piece of music and Kustarova herself will want to choreograph a genius programme for us.
AS: Is there anyone close to the 4 times world champions Papadakis/Cizeron?
JG: I try not to comment. What do you mean no one close? Well, we competed with them in GP in France. One would think who are we and who are they, yet all our levels in the programmes were higher than theirs. If there should be a team who would get equally high components they can beat the French in technique. I think this season it will be interesting watching the competition.
AS: And Tiffany will have time to recover.
JG: It's the main thing. It's a shame we let a reason to doubt us last season. Of course we were not quite on the level of the other two teams. right after the nationals people started talking about how the 3rd spot is within the reach, that there are just two top teams in Russia and the bronze is open for grabbing.
AS: That was the case. Yet no one doubts your standing out. Your previous coach Zhulin was praising you and saying how `not Russian' you are while skating for Russia.
JG: Zhulin did so much for us and we never forget him. We have special relationship with some of the people in his team, but we are nothing but so grateful to Zhulin. He created our pair. The very standing out one, as he himself said.
