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Andrey Simonenko's interview with Alexey Rogonov `Pairs skating is more dangerous than riding a bike' for ria.ru
AS: Alexey, for the 4th season in a row you and Krsitina become 4th at the Russian nationals. Here in St. Petersburg you were so close to make it to the team and missed a bit.
AR: Our team needs not just a little bit more to win, but a lot more. We must skate clean and, unfortunately, we made mistakes. When we make mistakes it’s hard to be competitive with the team. We were indeed ready, but, unfortunately, didn’t make it.
AS: Yet your season developed quite good – two bronze medals in the GP events.
AR: We only skated the SP clean once this season. We finally got to a point when we receive the 4lvl for our elements. The steps in the Nationals were the 3rd, guess we missed something. Anyway, we have to figure the jumps and the throws so there would be nothing to downgrade us.
AS: Did you analyze what was the reason? The nerves or something you haven’t done right?
AR: It’s rather hard to say what is the reason for the mistakes on the competition. Everyone makes mistakes - even the champions fall.
AS: Yes, I know about the champions, but it’s you we are talking about.
AR: There are some technical issues, lack of work. For instance with the throws. We did it our first season together. We always do them at the practices. But we need to land them at one particular moment. It’s true for the sport in general – you must be able to translate all you know and capable to do in the practices into the competition. Guess we have to work harder, make more run-throughs, create a competition like schedule, stress ourselves more with the short warm ups. We’ll discuss it all with the coach, how to learn dealing with the conditions. Though we were ready to show what we can do here.
AS: Do you talk to each other before going to the ice?
AR: The coach does. Kristina and I have different approaches.
AS: You paired up 3.5 years ago, at the beginning of the Olympic cycle. Was your goal to make it to the Olympics?
AR: Of course. Everyone sets the highest goals. We are no exception.
AS: Perhaps something happened on the way?
AR: Fortunately there were no major injuries. This year, unfortunately, 2 days before the vacation Krsitina sprang her leg. She was injured and couldn’t jump or do throws for a long time. Only in the middle of July we were allowed to fully train. But every team goes through such problems. Any working process consists not only of the `all goes well’. There are nerves and troubles.
AS: Are you more upset about not making it to the team?
AR: It’s too late now, you can’t reskate your programmes. We had a chance and we didn’t grab it. We’ll have to take being the substitutes. We can’t sit back and relax- things happen and we have to be there to take over from the leaders. Besides it happened before. We were the substitutes going to the Worlds and the Eureans in the past. But we hope to do more in the future.
AS: Speaking of the positive things – your programmes were the most unusual and liked by the fans. What are your future plans?
AR: Heh, the ideas are the most precious and no one shares them. Our choreograph Sergey Komolov, the author of all our, so to say, masterpieces has plenty ideas. He always has something planned for us.
AS: Do you get to offer things yourself?
AR: Of course, I have plenty of ideas as well. For example the `Master and Margarita’ of our first season was my idea. I wanted to skate it with the previous partner, but the coach didn’t like Korneluk’s music. Arthur Dmitriev, who is coaching us now loved the music and he agreed. Kristina liked it as well. I think it was a good programme. Perhaps we’ll recycle it as an exhibition. Let’s just say the suit is still in the wardrobe.
AS: And your favourite is the `doll’?
AR: all the programmes are different and all are interesting. Indeed everyone liked the `doll’, but I liked `Master and Margarita’ better. The music, in my books, is a masterpiece.
AS: I still can’t let go of `Evgeni Onegin’ programme, which only existed for a couple of months.
AR: It didn’t really work for us. The idea was great, we went to St. Petersburg, worked with Vera Sveshnikova, who plays in `Evgeni Onegin’ the musical, and we were using the cuts with her voice. We went to see the musical and spent a week here. Indeed a shame we had to give up that programme.
AS: For good?
AR: We’ll see. Another trouble there was Kristina’s dress. I.e. there was no dress at all. My suit is still in the wardrobe. But frankly, we are more worried about the competition programmes now. The exhibition ones are fun.
AS: You don’t think about participating a show?
AR: We do when we are invited, which does not happen often. Everyone understands we are the competing athletes. But in the off season or during the winter during the holidays we do skate in the shows
AS: A serious question: after some life events, the Russian nationals of the Olympic season being one of them do the thoughts you must change something cross your mind? The coaches, yourselves…
AR: I personally always want to change something and have a point of view. Arthur is a very flexible person and he knows how to listen. We can always share our thoughts with him and we will be heard. At any rate, dealing with the hardships is better with a team and not alone. I think we’ll make it together as a team. All will be good.
AS: Are you going to continue after this season?
AR: I have no plans retiring.
AS: Let me ask something I always wanted to when I see your photos with a motorbike. You really ride it in Moscow?
AR: Of course. I come with a bike to the practice. 15 minutes, no traffic jams and am on the rink. Of course am being careful – don’t speed up to 200km/h, don’t break the rules. I fell in love with the bikes when I was young and still ride it. Can’t get off those 2 wheels.
AS: Which bike do you ride?
AR: Kawasaki Eliminator 750. An old one, but I like it and not rushing to change it.
AS: Have you ever participated a road speed competition?
AR: No, what for? For me it’s not about the speed, but about the riding itself. I don’t take risks. By the way, I also don’t do ski downhill because when I speed up it’s scary.
AS: Did you have a chance to give Kristina a ride on the bike to the practice?
AR: Of course I did and not only to the practice. We once were running late to the costumes try, had to get to the opposite side of Moscow and the bike saved us.
AS: Kristina, is it scary riding a bike with Alexey?
KA: Not at all. I used to ride with my dad, so am quite calm about both the car and the bikes.
AR: Besides, we are a pair team. We take risks on the ice every day. It’s much more dangerous than riding a bike
AS: Do you go to the bikers meet ups?
AR: I have a lot of bikers friends. Exactly those you imagine – a harsh men with beards. But they are really nice guys. Once my bike broke down and a guy who I never met before wasted more than an hour on it. The car drivers don’t stand for each other like that.
AS: Have you met `the surgeon’? (the head of the Russian bikers, a Putin pet)
AR: I quite often see him, but we were not introduced.
AS: Guess it’s still to come.
AR: May be. Mean while we keep skating.
AS: Alexey, for the 4th season in a row you and Krsitina become 4th at the Russian nationals. Here in St. Petersburg you were so close to make it to the team and missed a bit.
AR: Our team needs not just a little bit more to win, but a lot more. We must skate clean and, unfortunately, we made mistakes. When we make mistakes it’s hard to be competitive with the team. We were indeed ready, but, unfortunately, didn’t make it.
AS: Yet your season developed quite good – two bronze medals in the GP events.
AR: We only skated the SP clean once this season. We finally got to a point when we receive the 4lvl for our elements. The steps in the Nationals were the 3rd, guess we missed something. Anyway, we have to figure the jumps and the throws so there would be nothing to downgrade us.
AS: Did you analyze what was the reason? The nerves or something you haven’t done right?
AR: It’s rather hard to say what is the reason for the mistakes on the competition. Everyone makes mistakes - even the champions fall.
AS: Yes, I know about the champions, but it’s you we are talking about.
AR: There are some technical issues, lack of work. For instance with the throws. We did it our first season together. We always do them at the practices. But we need to land them at one particular moment. It’s true for the sport in general – you must be able to translate all you know and capable to do in the practices into the competition. Guess we have to work harder, make more run-throughs, create a competition like schedule, stress ourselves more with the short warm ups. We’ll discuss it all with the coach, how to learn dealing with the conditions. Though we were ready to show what we can do here.
AS: Do you talk to each other before going to the ice?
AR: The coach does. Kristina and I have different approaches.
AS: You paired up 3.5 years ago, at the beginning of the Olympic cycle. Was your goal to make it to the Olympics?
AR: Of course. Everyone sets the highest goals. We are no exception.
AS: Perhaps something happened on the way?
AR: Fortunately there were no major injuries. This year, unfortunately, 2 days before the vacation Krsitina sprang her leg. She was injured and couldn’t jump or do throws for a long time. Only in the middle of July we were allowed to fully train. But every team goes through such problems. Any working process consists not only of the `all goes well’. There are nerves and troubles.
AS: Are you more upset about not making it to the team?
AR: It’s too late now, you can’t reskate your programmes. We had a chance and we didn’t grab it. We’ll have to take being the substitutes. We can’t sit back and relax- things happen and we have to be there to take over from the leaders. Besides it happened before. We were the substitutes going to the Worlds and the Eureans in the past. But we hope to do more in the future.
AS: Speaking of the positive things – your programmes were the most unusual and liked by the fans. What are your future plans?
AR: Heh, the ideas are the most precious and no one shares them. Our choreograph Sergey Komolov, the author of all our, so to say, masterpieces has plenty ideas. He always has something planned for us.
AS: Do you get to offer things yourself?
AR: Of course, I have plenty of ideas as well. For example the `Master and Margarita’ of our first season was my idea. I wanted to skate it with the previous partner, but the coach didn’t like Korneluk’s music. Arthur Dmitriev, who is coaching us now loved the music and he agreed. Kristina liked it as well. I think it was a good programme. Perhaps we’ll recycle it as an exhibition. Let’s just say the suit is still in the wardrobe.
AS: And your favourite is the `doll’?
AR: all the programmes are different and all are interesting. Indeed everyone liked the `doll’, but I liked `Master and Margarita’ better. The music, in my books, is a masterpiece.
AS: I still can’t let go of `Evgeni Onegin’ programme, which only existed for a couple of months.
AR: It didn’t really work for us. The idea was great, we went to St. Petersburg, worked with Vera Sveshnikova, who plays in `Evgeni Onegin’ the musical, and we were using the cuts with her voice. We went to see the musical and spent a week here. Indeed a shame we had to give up that programme.
AS: For good?
AR: We’ll see. Another trouble there was Kristina’s dress. I.e. there was no dress at all. My suit is still in the wardrobe. But frankly, we are more worried about the competition programmes now. The exhibition ones are fun.
AS: You don’t think about participating a show?
AR: We do when we are invited, which does not happen often. Everyone understands we are the competing athletes. But in the off season or during the winter during the holidays we do skate in the shows
AS: A serious question: after some life events, the Russian nationals of the Olympic season being one of them do the thoughts you must change something cross your mind? The coaches, yourselves…
AR: I personally always want to change something and have a point of view. Arthur is a very flexible person and he knows how to listen. We can always share our thoughts with him and we will be heard. At any rate, dealing with the hardships is better with a team and not alone. I think we’ll make it together as a team. All will be good.
AS: Are you going to continue after this season?
AR: I have no plans retiring.
AS: Let me ask something I always wanted to when I see your photos with a motorbike. You really ride it in Moscow?
AR: Of course. I come with a bike to the practice. 15 minutes, no traffic jams and am on the rink. Of course am being careful – don’t speed up to 200km/h, don’t break the rules. I fell in love with the bikes when I was young and still ride it. Can’t get off those 2 wheels.
AS: Which bike do you ride?
AR: Kawasaki Eliminator 750. An old one, but I like it and not rushing to change it.
AS: Have you ever participated a road speed competition?
AR: No, what for? For me it’s not about the speed, but about the riding itself. I don’t take risks. By the way, I also don’t do ski downhill because when I speed up it’s scary.
AS: Did you have a chance to give Kristina a ride on the bike to the practice?
AR: Of course I did and not only to the practice. We once were running late to the costumes try, had to get to the opposite side of Moscow and the bike saved us.
AS: Kristina, is it scary riding a bike with Alexey?
KA: Not at all. I used to ride with my dad, so am quite calm about both the car and the bikes.
AR: Besides, we are a pair team. We take risks on the ice every day. It’s much more dangerous than riding a bike
AS: Do you go to the bikers meet ups?
AR: I have a lot of bikers friends. Exactly those you imagine – a harsh men with beards. But they are really nice guys. Once my bike broke down and a guy who I never met before wasted more than an hour on it. The car drivers don’t stand for each other like that.
AS: Have you met `the surgeon’? (the head of the Russian bikers, a Putin pet)
AR: I quite often see him, but we were not introduced.
AS: Guess it’s still to come.
AR: May be. Mean while we keep skating.
