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Anatoly Samokhvalov's interview with Michael Kolyada `When I need a kick I notify my coach Chebotareva myself' for rsport.ria.ru
AS: About winning the CoC
MK: I'm starting to realize. I had mixed feelings on the podium - understood there are things to work on, it's not the top, but at the same time I was satisfied. But it's hard to explain the feelings.
AS: This season shows no man is consistent. Not the Olympic champion Hanuy, not the winner or CoR Nathan Chen, nor the others. Did the men skating become a lottery?
MK: About 15 years jumps wise it was easier. You landed one quad toe in the SP, two in the LP and it was enough. It's not that hard. Now about 50% of the skaters who participate the worlds could do such a programme. It was a rare before. Now when people start doing the various quads, complicated spins and steps, transitions, choreography and emotions - it's hard to pull it all at once.
So it happens that when you are not clean you can get some minuses in almost any situation. So yes, indeed kind of a lottery, but that what makes it so interestnig. Perviously you were watching and knowing he'll do five tripples, an axel and there was no game. Now you are watching the skater and wonder will he land it? will he not?
AS: Do you notice who is in what shape during the official practices before the competitions?
MK: I do watch a bit. The practices before the competitions are more to feel the ice. Warm up. What you do in that practice doesn't mean a thing. You might do a back flip out of nervers. It does not mean you'll do it at the competition. The main job is done back home.
AS: You said that you'll have to figure what to do in the GPF to which you will almost probably go.
MK: Well, it's quite clear - I will just skate calmly. It's obvious today I can't really aim for a medal there. The only chance for a medal is if I skate clean and the others make mistakes.
AS: So far no one was clean this season.
MK: It is an interesting season and think all the competitions before the New Years are to try out. So yes, while the GP are a serious level of a competition, it's still a try out. Hanuy is trying a lutz, Uno is trying a loop. I would compare it to the shoot out - once they go out with one content, once with another. Later when you get to the main competitions you'll feel differently. It's easy landign the lutz and a loop in one programme in the training. In a competition the feeling is completely different.
AS: Watching the leading skaters do you want to become a collector of the jumps like they
are?
MK: I won't be able to land five different quads in one programme. My loop is not good enough, and my flip is from the wrong edge. That's it. So I do at the competitions all I can.
AS: Can you fix the edge?
MK: Ha ha ha. I tried. Really. But it doesn't work. I guess you can't really `heal' it. The outside edge on the flip is natural for me. When I first started skating no one noted that: there is a flip in the planned content, so he probably landed a flip. A lutz in the planned content - ok, it's a lutz. Then the CoP came and they started paying attention.
When I was competing on the juniors level we had the obligatory jump from the steps in the SP an one year it was a flip. Every time I got an edge on it. In St. Petersburg, Moscow, everywhere. The whole country knew I have a wrong edge on the flip.
Then I went to the junior Worlds and there Alexandr Lakernik notifyed everyone I have that feature. Then the whole world learned about my wrong edge. So I didn't jump the flip. I can do a flip in the practice, but it's well, not quite a flip.
AS: Your quad lutz in CoC was amazing. What is the % of the clean landing in the practices?
MK: Qutie high. At lest 3 out of 5.
AS: Not long ago you said the popped jumps are in your head and you skate the way you work. So before the CoC, it seems, you did not work enough taking the failed jumps?
MK: Well, yes, the 4sal and 3A in the 2nd part of the programme are not worked on enough. I do not deny it.
AS: Not enough because you were concentrating on the lutz?
MK: Perhaps. When you put so much stress on the lutz you forget there is still a Sal and an Axel.
AS: There is no ideal way to spread the work?
MK: Everything is possible. I can name you a whole lot of reasons, but really it's just a lack of work and I admit it.
AS: Will you do more runthroughs?
MK: Runthrough, jumps to the music...
AS: During the CoR you said many viewers can't tell one jump from the other and they don't care, they just want to see a show. Do I understand it right the show is more important than the result for you? The victory?
MK: I made up my mind a while ago. No, I was talking about people coming to see the skating but not knowing whether the athlete just landed a loop or a lutz. They only want it to be beautiful and to the music. It's more important to satisfy yourself, the viewers who really love it and care, the judges, the coaches. But there are those viewers who come, watch and go. I think the athletes know perfectly well where they are going to.
AS: Do you want, like Pluschenko put it, take down everyone? Competitive?
MK: Who?
AS: You!
MK: Quite. Every competition I become more competitive and that's what they call an experience. The experience is being able to set yourself to the competition as if it was the last time in your life. So you can go out there, come back and sit down calmly and wait for the marks. Knowing you did all you could.
AS: And it's not a feeling you had after CoC?
MK: No. I just know what I need to work on. I would be satisfied if I rotated the Sal and the Axel. It would be enough for me at that stage.
AS: When was the last time you felt `I did all I could'? The Worlds 2016 in Boston?
MK: Yes, but then the content there was easier.
AS: Without the 4 lutz.
MK: And a Sal. And two 3A at the first part of the programme.
AS: Your coache Valentina Chebotareva says her sons think Misha Kolyada is her 3rd son and a favourite one.
MK: There was that. Still is.
AS: Many athletes argue with their coaches, while you and Valetnina Mikhailovna - no matter whether things are good or bad, it seems the relationship is always perfect.
MK: Yes, because we don't look for a reason in a person, but understand we won together and lost together. The coach is like a teacher who goes with your through your life and will always support you and know what you should do at the given moment.
AS: Is Chebotareva a strict coach?
MK: I don't think so. Guess no.
AS: What is her strictest?
MK: I don't know. Any coach should be able to punish the skater, but I just can't recall such a case.
AS: Does she ever get mad?
MK: She never did.
AS: You never had a feeling you needed a more strict approach and she should be harder?
MK: If I have that feeling I come to her and tell her so. I have nothing to hide from my coach. If I feel I need a kick I tell her so.
AS: I.e. you rule both yourself and your coach?
MK: No, that's not what I meant. Just that sometimes there are moments when the coach tells you do do something and you understand you can't or don't want to. And you come and tell you have some hardships. Or you're in pain. But sometimes you come to the practice down and the coach pulls you up and turns you and all is good.
AS: Dima Aliev, who trains with you in the Skating Academy in St. Petersburg said you have a common trainings and you push him emotionally.
MK: Am very fond of him.
AS: As a younger fellow?
MK: I guess. But there is also sport. The competition. It's a good thing.
AS: Do you feel you're the leader of the Russian men skating?
MK: Yes.
AS: Who are you closest to - Aliev, Kovtun, Samarin?
MK: Can't really tell. They all are. Keep your friends near and your enemies even nearer.
AS: Did you watch the Junior GP? Erohov, Samoilov?
MK: Saw them. I know them all.
AS: Will it take time for them to get to your level?
MK: You'd better ask them, am not sure. You mean skating or jumping wise?
AS: Jumps
MK: They are near me
AS: And skating?
MK: I don't know. I'm not a judge.
AS: About winning the CoC
MK: I'm starting to realize. I had mixed feelings on the podium - understood there are things to work on, it's not the top, but at the same time I was satisfied. But it's hard to explain the feelings.
AS: This season shows no man is consistent. Not the Olympic champion Hanuy, not the winner or CoR Nathan Chen, nor the others. Did the men skating become a lottery?
MK: About 15 years jumps wise it was easier. You landed one quad toe in the SP, two in the LP and it was enough. It's not that hard. Now about 50% of the skaters who participate the worlds could do such a programme. It was a rare before. Now when people start doing the various quads, complicated spins and steps, transitions, choreography and emotions - it's hard to pull it all at once.
So it happens that when you are not clean you can get some minuses in almost any situation. So yes, indeed kind of a lottery, but that what makes it so interestnig. Perviously you were watching and knowing he'll do five tripples, an axel and there was no game. Now you are watching the skater and wonder will he land it? will he not?
AS: Do you notice who is in what shape during the official practices before the competitions?
MK: I do watch a bit. The practices before the competitions are more to feel the ice. Warm up. What you do in that practice doesn't mean a thing. You might do a back flip out of nervers. It does not mean you'll do it at the competition. The main job is done back home.
AS: You said that you'll have to figure what to do in the GPF to which you will almost probably go.
MK: Well, it's quite clear - I will just skate calmly. It's obvious today I can't really aim for a medal there. The only chance for a medal is if I skate clean and the others make mistakes.
AS: So far no one was clean this season.
MK: It is an interesting season and think all the competitions before the New Years are to try out. So yes, while the GP are a serious level of a competition, it's still a try out. Hanuy is trying a lutz, Uno is trying a loop. I would compare it to the shoot out - once they go out with one content, once with another. Later when you get to the main competitions you'll feel differently. It's easy landign the lutz and a loop in one programme in the training. In a competition the feeling is completely different.
AS: Watching the leading skaters do you want to become a collector of the jumps like they
are?
MK: I won't be able to land five different quads in one programme. My loop is not good enough, and my flip is from the wrong edge. That's it. So I do at the competitions all I can.
AS: Can you fix the edge?
MK: Ha ha ha. I tried. Really. But it doesn't work. I guess you can't really `heal' it. The outside edge on the flip is natural for me. When I first started skating no one noted that: there is a flip in the planned content, so he probably landed a flip. A lutz in the planned content - ok, it's a lutz. Then the CoP came and they started paying attention.
When I was competing on the juniors level we had the obligatory jump from the steps in the SP an one year it was a flip. Every time I got an edge on it. In St. Petersburg, Moscow, everywhere. The whole country knew I have a wrong edge on the flip.
Then I went to the junior Worlds and there Alexandr Lakernik notifyed everyone I have that feature. Then the whole world learned about my wrong edge. So I didn't jump the flip. I can do a flip in the practice, but it's well, not quite a flip.
AS: Your quad lutz in CoC was amazing. What is the % of the clean landing in the practices?
MK: Qutie high. At lest 3 out of 5.
AS: Not long ago you said the popped jumps are in your head and you skate the way you work. So before the CoC, it seems, you did not work enough taking the failed jumps?
MK: Well, yes, the 4sal and 3A in the 2nd part of the programme are not worked on enough. I do not deny it.
AS: Not enough because you were concentrating on the lutz?
MK: Perhaps. When you put so much stress on the lutz you forget there is still a Sal and an Axel.
AS: There is no ideal way to spread the work?
MK: Everything is possible. I can name you a whole lot of reasons, but really it's just a lack of work and I admit it.
AS: Will you do more runthroughs?
MK: Runthrough, jumps to the music...
AS: During the CoR you said many viewers can't tell one jump from the other and they don't care, they just want to see a show. Do I understand it right the show is more important than the result for you? The victory?
MK: I made up my mind a while ago. No, I was talking about people coming to see the skating but not knowing whether the athlete just landed a loop or a lutz. They only want it to be beautiful and to the music. It's more important to satisfy yourself, the viewers who really love it and care, the judges, the coaches. But there are those viewers who come, watch and go. I think the athletes know perfectly well where they are going to.
AS: Do you want, like Pluschenko put it, take down everyone? Competitive?
MK: Who?
AS: You!
MK: Quite. Every competition I become more competitive and that's what they call an experience. The experience is being able to set yourself to the competition as if it was the last time in your life. So you can go out there, come back and sit down calmly and wait for the marks. Knowing you did all you could.
AS: And it's not a feeling you had after CoC?
MK: No. I just know what I need to work on. I would be satisfied if I rotated the Sal and the Axel. It would be enough for me at that stage.
AS: When was the last time you felt `I did all I could'? The Worlds 2016 in Boston?
MK: Yes, but then the content there was easier.
AS: Without the 4 lutz.
MK: And a Sal. And two 3A at the first part of the programme.
AS: Your coache Valentina Chebotareva says her sons think Misha Kolyada is her 3rd son and a favourite one.
MK: There was that. Still is.
AS: Many athletes argue with their coaches, while you and Valetnina Mikhailovna - no matter whether things are good or bad, it seems the relationship is always perfect.
MK: Yes, because we don't look for a reason in a person, but understand we won together and lost together. The coach is like a teacher who goes with your through your life and will always support you and know what you should do at the given moment.
AS: Is Chebotareva a strict coach?
MK: I don't think so. Guess no.
AS: What is her strictest?
MK: I don't know. Any coach should be able to punish the skater, but I just can't recall such a case.
AS: Does she ever get mad?
MK: She never did.
AS: You never had a feeling you needed a more strict approach and she should be harder?
MK: If I have that feeling I come to her and tell her so. I have nothing to hide from my coach. If I feel I need a kick I tell her so.
AS: I.e. you rule both yourself and your coach?
MK: No, that's not what I meant. Just that sometimes there are moments when the coach tells you do do something and you understand you can't or don't want to. And you come and tell you have some hardships. Or you're in pain. But sometimes you come to the practice down and the coach pulls you up and turns you and all is good.
AS: Dima Aliev, who trains with you in the Skating Academy in St. Petersburg said you have a common trainings and you push him emotionally.
MK: Am very fond of him.
AS: As a younger fellow?
MK: I guess. But there is also sport. The competition. It's a good thing.
AS: Do you feel you're the leader of the Russian men skating?
MK: Yes.
AS: Who are you closest to - Aliev, Kovtun, Samarin?
MK: Can't really tell. They all are. Keep your friends near and your enemies even nearer.
AS: Did you watch the Junior GP? Erohov, Samoilov?
MK: Saw them. I know them all.
AS: Will it take time for them to get to your level?
MK: You'd better ask them, am not sure. You mean skating or jumping wise?
AS: Jumps
MK: They are near me
AS: And skating?
MK: I don't know. I'm not a judge.
Aliev and Samarin are probably too young and also quite inconsistent. Mikhail is Federation's only hope
