Stanislava Konstantinova: I want to be able to land difficult jumps, not to kill myself

[Ka3sha]

Anastasia Panina's interview with Stanslava Konstantinova for MatchTV
https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m...lshoje_intervju_so_Stanislavoj_Konstantinovoj

Part 1

We met in a very unusual place today. Why did you choose it?
It is a small and quiet place with delicious food and good coffee. Plus, it isn't far from the rink and my home. In a word, I like it. There is also a fitness center, my sister is doing sports here, so we go here quite often.

You seem like a true Petersburgian young lady. As if you have a volume of one of the Mandelstam's books, but also that in case of danger you will be able to stand up for yourself and for the truth and justice. Is it close to the truth?
Pretty close. From the side, I may seem a little detached, because I never smile without a reason. I will never flatter or dissemble - I will say everything directly. And I can really stand up for myself, even if I look soft and silent. Mum says that I have been like that since childhood.
Probably, it isn't easy to communicate with me closely - I am not letting everyone get close to me.

Do you think it helps or hinders you in life?
On the one hand, it allows me to live in harmony with myself. On the other hand, it depends on a situation: sometimes nothing depends on you and it would be much more helpful to just accept it. I want to learn how to find the balance between these extremes.

You had very bright programs this season - “Malaguana” and “Anna Karenina”. It's difficult to choose music for the next season after such a good hit. How did you solve this problem?
I always listen to my feelings when we are choosing music. One of the main criteria is the first impression. Often by the beginning of the choreographing process I already know the way I want to see myself, and the coaches have their own ideas. So we have to put our ideas all together.
For example, my choreographer offered Anna Karenina to me. We knew from the middle of the season that we would do it. Feminine waltz wasn't something completely alien to me at that time, but was still something new. I did not mind it as I wanted to develop as a skater.
And “Malagenia” was my idea. I have heard this music many times when other skaters were skating to it, and each time there was a fire inside of me.

You are one of the few skaters who has already announced music for the new programs. Tell us about them.
In the short program we wanted to do something different from my usual expressive style with sharp hands - something gentle and smooth, and so the music could help me in this. At first we were thinking about something like Chopin - calm and melodious. I personally can imagine myself skating to any music, but the coaches know better, if it suits me.
Olga Yuryevna (Zotova - the choreographer in Valentina Chebotareva's group. - “Match TV”) brought Levashkevich's “February” - and I just exhaled. Of course, I knew this music: Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, Polina Tsurskaya skated to it... I really liked it. But I have never thought about it in terms of the potential music for my programs. When I realized what the coach was proposing, oh, you have no idea what eyes I had! Music hit right in the heart.
This is an absolute external calm and a strong storm inside. This music reminds me of myself.
We work a lot on the programs - not like in the past, we don't want to use any previous moves and transitions

And you chose Moulin Rouge for your free program..
I always liked El Tango De Roxxane, and I have watched the Olympic program of Tessa and Scott (Virty - Moir. - “Match TV”) for a billion times! The coaches stopped my impulse to skate to it, explaining that emotions would overwhelm me in this music. Moreover, this tango entirely, in our opinion, is hard to perceive as a program for singles skaters. It would have been a questionable choice, and we wanted a sure option.
Then I left this idea and continued to listen to the song on my playlist. Once I decided to listen to other compositions from the movie, then I looked at the Asley Wagner program. Of course, I had seen it before, but this time I was interested in looking closer to the music cuts and choreography. That program was her business card - Ashley won big medals with it and pulled herself out from not the best places after the short programs with this free program. It was clear that she liked that music, that this theme suits her and how it helps her emotionally.
We decided to try to put different parts of the music together, I brought it to the coaches, and at first they did not like it. Of course, I was very upset. Morally I have already refused this idea, but continued to play this music on my playlist. For a whole year I listened to one song after another and was sure that some day I’ll surely skate to it. As a result, the coaches and I came to a compromise. We found a beautiful music for the first part, which, according to coaches, reflects me in the Moulin Rouge. We want to make a complex, rich and feminine program.

Once you said that to achieve success, you need to go out of your comfort zone. So, where is your comfort zone?
Under the comfort zone, I meant a program I can skate in any condition. For me, this is something temperamental, passionate Spanish, something slow and with an expressive ending.

You have just described “Malaguena”.
Yes, probably. But the ending in “Malaguena” was not easy for me - it demanded clarity and restraint, control under emotions. And the slow part 100% was mine. But I understand that it is impossible to skate in the same style for all my life - with sharp hands and a frowning look.
I was told several years ago that I needed to find different images for myself. And then, honestly, I resisted a little. I thought - how so? If a person has found his own style, he has to use it. Now I understand that it is interesting to be different, there are hidden reserves inside of me, it is unwise not to use them. I have to do a lot of work on the presentation in both new programs. So there won't be a feeling as if I am wearing someone else cloths. So that the programs suit me.

In English there is an idiom about other people's shoes. Are you talking about it?
Not just some other people's things, but simply unflattering ones. I won't become worse from it, but I won't look like me anymore.
In general, I feel my emotional connection to these new programs. But, again, there is a lot of work ahead of me.

Do you already have a schedule for the holidays and pre-season preparations?
At the end of May we are going to the training camp in Kislovodsk - to work on our physical conditions - to run, jump, do all of this in the mountains. We have long wanted to go there and are glad that 2 weeks will be devoted to such a hard work. I love it all.
I also want to rest a little bit, but only for a week - in order not to relax too much, and not to gain weight. Sometimes you just need to move away from the city, from the St. Petersburg's spring, if you can call it a spring. I want to lie on the beach. We are going to Turkey with a friend of mine.

From the side it looks like Russian ladies skating will be like a meat grinder - it's hard to pick up another word. How do you feel about it from the inside?
Now I'm focused on getting better myself. This season, most of my places out of podium were not due to the high competition, but because I made mistakes. The season was ok for me, but I understand that I need to work a lot in the future. I spent these two months before the holidays very productively. Next season I want to reach a new level for myself. Of course, I don't want to give up.

You posted a video of landing a triple axel on the lounge on the social media. Usually skaters do not like to talk about jumping plans, so I’ll ask more about your feelings. What is it like - to add one more turn to the jump?
We are approaching this as if we are learning a completely new element - the triple axel, and not just adding one turn to the double. I try to very clearly distinguish them in my head.
There were many cases, when skaters started learning triple axels and in the result their double axel destabilized, but the triple never came. This is unacceptable, because next year there really will be a brutal competition. I should not have weak points.
We are preparing a jump on the floor and on the lounge, I try to get my body in shape, so that there are no serious falls and I could work on all elements , not devoting all my time and strengths only to the axel.

I look at you now and do not quite understand what do you mean by "get my body in shape".
You need to work a lot to learn a new element and to make it a part of the program. To jump it on the floor, on the lounge, a gradual transition to jumping without a lounge on the ice. We are trying now, but doing a large number of repetitions could be very traumatic. You need to prepare your body just to increase the number of repetitions - you have to be even stronger, faster, sharper, easier. I want to be able to land difficult jumps, but not to be killed.

They say that defeats and failures bring up and give impetus for further development even more than victories. How do you see your Milan experience from this point of view a year later? (Stanislava unsuccessfully performed in the free program at the World Championships in Milan, taking the 19th place. - “Match TV”)
I do not want to look for excuses. If you go out on the ice, you must do everything that depends on you. This, of course, was a disastrous performance. Frankly, I couldn’t stand back and let it go. It was like in a fog. And I was still nervous even at the first competitions this season. But I'm glad I overcame it. It was a part of my life and history, and if I had not accepted my past along with all my mistakes, I would not have accepted myself. And without the past there is no future.
My grandma always tells me - do what you must, and come what may. If today something did not work out, you need to humbly go ahead and do your job, maybe tomorrow you will have something beautiful waiting for you.
There were a lot of triggers that affected that performance. The main thing for which I can scold myself - you need to be more careful about your health. At the end of the season all injuries, illnesses and psychological difficulties become even more acute. Your leg hurts, and you think: “Well, okay, I will use some gel, go run, and everything will pass. I will think about it in the off-season.”
I had health problems due to a prolonged cold at that time. For several years, due to poor immunity, I was constantly ill and did not undergo treatment till the end. You just can not do it this way. Sometimes you need to stop and take your time to recover, and not to rush. Then there won't be any snowball problems at the wrong time.
I repeat that I am not looking for any excuses. It all happened with me, but I tried to learn a lesson.

 

[Ka3sha]

Part 2

Tell me about your family.
My parents are former athletes and just good people. They brought up kindness and honesty in me, taught me to think about other people's feelings.
Sometimes I suffer - what's wrong, why things dome work for me? Then I remember the words of mom and dad that you always need to try to look at yourself from the outside, and this helps - you can immediately see what you do in a wrong way.
My parents are very supportive of me, they always give me advices. I like the fact that they use the carrot and stick method (laughs). I will never raise a voice on them, I will not say a word against them.

You are an older sister. What is it like?
To be an older one? Hard to say. We have a big age difference, and sometimes it seems to me that she is not like my younger sister, but more like a child (laughs). I don't know how our parents manage to equally share their love between us. But they not only love, but also educate us equally.

What is your brightest memory from the childhood, not related to skating?
(after a pause) I remember my first day at school - all my family was there. Dad, mom, two grandmothers, two grandfathers. That's all you need to know about my family. We are always together and support each other. In the same lineup, they watch my performances, we celebrate all the holidays, play Monopoly. I hope my future family will be like that.

You said that your parents are former athletes. I also read that your dad has a black belt in karate. Did he teach you some self-defense techniques?
Yes. Dad once worked as a children's coach, he taught karate. Then he changed his field, has not been coaching for a long time now. Of course, he sometimes wants to realize his pedagogical potential (smiles). Teaches me, my sister. Of course, nothing serious - just pampering.
Since childhood, my father instilled in me a love for sport and for work. On any vacation we get up at 6 or 7 in the morning before breakfast and run along the beach. And dad himself does not like to run, his back was hurting at one time. But he wakes me, a professional athlete, up every morning, and we run together. Although it would seem that two weeks in a year we have the right to rest and just lie down.
Dad swims well and he taught me that. The only style that I can't swim is butterfly. I think it's just a matter of time.
We also used to play ping-pong well, though it was a long time ago. Now I’ll probably hardly hold the racket.

You are going to the next vacation with your friend, without family. So, will there be an opportunity to take a break from the morning runs then?
No, rather, I will run with double force. In past years, I had a slightly different approach to the sport. Now my whole life is completely devoted to it. I realized that no link in this chain can be excluded. I can't be an ordinary person at home, eat whatever I want and have fun, and then come to the gym and try to put myself back together.
I have to go to bed on time, eat on time, stretch and exercise in the morning. Sometimes you need to do meditation, learn to tune in for training and competition. I also have to run as an evening hitch and then stretch again. I need to go for a massage, eat right and generally keep the regime.
There won't be any sense, if, for example, one day I go out to eat burgers, then to the cinema with my friends for an evening session, walk around the cold city without a hat and in a thin jacket until late hours, and then in the morning come to the training session as if nothing had happened.
I dress up warmly, am always wrapped in a scarf, because you can't afford yourself to catch a cold and disrupt the training schedule. I try to approach nutrition carefully, because any extra 100 grams can play a role.
I don't want to take a step forward, and then three steps back. In this sense, the words that I heard from one YouTube blogger are close to me - if you have a dream, every day you have to do at least something that will bring you closer to it.
When I have difficult moments, I motivate myself with this. Even if something did not work, I still didn't sit with the folded arms.

This may look like a prison for someone far from sports
Previously, in response to the question of what restrictions the sport imposes on your life, I answered - there are no restrictions, I live just as an ordinary person, just train a lot.
A couple of years ago I tried to do everything. I was still in school at that time, I wanted to hang out with friends. I didn’t have any weight problems - I didn’t have to put in any efforts. I was happy with my life and did not want to change anything. When the difficulties began and the understanding of my responsibilities came, it took me a while to regroup. And not because someone pressed, abused or forced me, but because I decided so. In general, this is how things work with me - only through my own awareness.
They often talked about me in the childhood, and even now I sometimes hear it - inattentive, absent-minded. In one word - Stasya. I always forgot something, I was late for the training sessions, I had to run to the ice, went skating without a decent warm-up.

Now everything is different. I started to plan everything this year. I have one book (Stanislava takes a diary from her backpack. - “Match TV”), a day planner. I used to think: what can an athlete write in a day planner - training schedule? I already know it by heart.

I lacked organization and habits. To develop them, you need strength and systematic work. It was difficult to train myself to start write in a planner, but I did it. I mention every step - training, leisure, mandatory tasks. It helps me to be an adult not in age, but in deed.
We also work a lot with a psychologist on this aspect.

Another good habit that has now become a part of my life is that I will not fall asleep unless I have my things for tomorrow ready or if my room is a mess. Only after the socks, skates and clothes are folded in a row, and the room is clean, I can go to bed.

The next thing I have to work on - is to finally change my sleeping regime. My regime has been knocked out since school, when I had to stay awake till late hours to do my homework. Then it was not so noticeable, because from fatigue I fell asleep without any problems. Now I try to go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
In addition, I am very emotional and hot-tempered - I can easily start worrying because of nothing. I want to add more self-control in my life.

We have talked about you as a figure skater and a worthy daughter of your parents, but you are also just a young beautiful girl. What are your interests in the field of style, fashion, makeup?
Makeup is my second passion after figure skating. I also take a great interest in fashion, I try to follow all current trends. I watch videos about style and fashion - not to learn how to dress, but simply out of interest and for inspiration.
At some point I had a feeling that I dress, communicate and behave as if it's not me, but just my shadow. I did not like that feeling, and I became bolder - in terms of image and communication. Now it’s not a problem for me to talk to any person, to make a joke, to say something that I would have considered stupid earlier. There is no problem in dressing interesting, with a twist.

If you have an hour of shopping in a large shopping mall, which department will you choose?
Everyone knows that if you go shopping with Stasya Konstantinova and get lost there - look for her in “Sephora” (laughs). Maybe I don’t need anything there, but I’ll just go in to see, smell, make swatches.
There was a funny case this summer. When we were in America with Misha Kolyada (training with Rafael Arutyunyan. - “Match TV”), we went to the shopping centers several times. We usually went to different stores, and I was still worried whether he would find me or not. There were some problems with network so we could call each other. And every time Misha found me in “Sephora”.

I know that you prefer sneakers to heels. And I saw in your Instagram that you have a whole collection of sneakers of different shapes and colors. So, which are the sneakers in the world?
- Wow, this is a hard question (laughs). The most favorite ones, probably, are the ones from Kanye West and Adidas "Yeezy" collaboration. They are unreal! I would like to have all of them. Maybe I'll buy one or two more models. I won’t get carried away, dad will not approve it - he says that I already have too many shoes. You noticed correctly that the sneakers are my quiet passion after makeup. (Later in the course of the conversation, Stanislava will also remember and name her favorite pair - Dr. Martens. - “Match TV”)
I love what they call old-school. I adore the fashion of the 70s, 80s. I used to prefer shoes of bright color, something trendy, and now I am crazy about the classics.
At some point, my leg grew a lot, and I had to buy all my shoes once again. I approached it with feeling, sensibly, with an arrangement - now I have classic models and basic colors in my collection.

I understand that a normal person usually doesn't need more than two pairs of sneakers. The rest is just for fun.
I rarely wear heels - try to protect my feet.
In general, I also like clothes and bags, but this is already a non-budget segment of shopping, so I don't allow myself to buy them often. I have a couple of bags, and it's enough.

How long does it take you to prepare for the banquets after competitions?
Usually I already have an image of the look in my head. I can easily leave the store without buying anything if I can't find what I am looking for. Why spend money on the unnecessary things? You can buy or sew better.
At the European Championships, I was concentrating on my performances, not on a banquet outfit, so I went to the store just the day before we were leaving to Minsk, bought a dress — I already had shoes — and voila. I just had to come up with a simple make-up and hairstyle.

Who comes up with the ideas for your costumes?
My choreographer Olga Yuryevna has a lot of ideas, something I offer myself. I can draw - I have a whole folder of sketches. The idea of the last dress to “Anna Karenina” is mostly mine. Last season it seemed to me that I grew up in this program, but the dress remained too girlish. Our designer Maria Evstigneeva helped to embody all the ideas.

I was so delighted at the fitting - I did not expect that the dress would look so good. Maria is a real professional who not only follows the sketch, but also breathes life into it, and I am very grateful for it. It is important for me to understand that I share responsibility for the dress with someone who really understands the subject and has a taste.

Are there any foreign figure skaters whose dresses you like a lot?
I really like the dresses of Lisa McKinon, who does costumes for Ashley Wagner, Ensoo Lim and other girls. They are stylish, bright, but not burdened with details.. I also adore the dresses of Japanese skaters - Marin Honda, Wakaba Higuchi. Their dresses are always thought out to the smallest detail.

You spend an hour on the treadmill every day. Do you spend this time by watching movies, listening to music?
Yes. That's why I love the treadmill so much - you can put on the phone and watch the series. I run from 45 minutes to an hour. Longer - very rarely, as during the season I try not to get carried away too much. Together with the stretch after a run, I have time for two episodes. You can't even imagine how much I have already watched this way: movies, TV shows, animated series.

Which one of them would you recommend to a friend?
I would recommend everyone to watch "Desperate Housewives"! If I don’t know what to watch or just don’t have time to choose, I’ll turn it on. There are 8 seasons, and I have rematched it 3 times in the last 2 years. I used to watched “The Simpsons” that way - in Russian or in English with subtitles.

How are the things going with English?
I studied English in school, and, generally speaking, I have been studying it since I was a child - my mother speaks well. I understand English very well by ear. But I notice that I begin to forget the words. I understand everything, but can’t say anything in response without errors. I didn’t have time to study English additionally with a tutor after entering a university.
There were a few embarrassing cases when I wrote a post on Instagram in both Russian and in English, did some mistakes and was rightly corrected in the comments.
I had a great opportunity to practice and speak with native speakers during our trip to California, and I felt pretty comfortable there.

I saw on your Instagram that you really liked Marie Kondo's 'Magic cleaning' book. Why did it impress you so much?
At first I saw a picture of a suitcase with folded things with a reference to KonMari, but did not pay a lot of attention. Then I stumbled upon this name again and also forgot about it.

And then came the moment, when I realized that I did not have enough order in my life. I wanted not just to put in order things in my head, but also things around me. It was right after the Russian Cup Final, although I started to read that book earlier.
I had that disgusting feeling in my soul, and not because someone else hurt me, but because I made mistakes. I was in a very good shape, but couldn't show my best. I took it as a personal defeat from myself. It was necessary for me to start making changes without delay.

I read that book quickly - if I am interested in something, I can read a book in one night, literally with a flashlight under the blanket.
When I closed the book, I threw all my things out of the closet. It was so difficult to sort them - gifts, things I bought myself, even if I never once wore them. I took it slow and started sorting out the unnecessary things, and then I realized - what am I afraid of? I want change! I want to be an adult and a responsible one.

Those things are still in the pantry, I didn't throw them away. Some things I gave to my friends, I also sold some of them (only what I bought myself), I gave some stuff to people in need. Here we must not act impulsively, but to good use. My family members also got carried away with this.

The most difficult part was cosmetics. You know, I like to arrange everything beautifully and just to admire it. But in the end I kept only what I use and what I love the most.

Let's imagine the situation that your friend has problems - in school, at work or in personal life. And your friend asks for help. What would you do?
This year I have only few friends from the past - not because we ha d a fight, but simply because we currently have different interests in life.

First we would go to a cozy quiet place and have a heart to heart conversation. I was told that I am a good listener. It is believed that giving advice is bad, but I always try to think how I would have solved problems if I were on my friend's place.
It is useful to speak out, to mourn, to cry. It is necessary not just to say that “everything will be fine”, but to share other person's misfortune and speak his thoughts with him. The evening won't be fun, but such honesty can really help.
And then you can watch a comedy. And tasty food also helps (laughs).

What would you like to achieve in the near future?
High results in sport, of course. If we are talking about the path towards these results, then I want to become strong and organized. For example, like my teammates - Zhenya Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova. After all, they are not only the stars, but also great professionals. I want to burn for a long time, and not to flare up and disappear. I want to be remembered. I want to develop a winner.

 

[Eislauffan]

Interesting interview, thanks for the link. Stanislava comes across as very mature and smart. I like her a lot, as a skater and as a person and I hope she will be successful and find her way. I like her determination and fighting attitude. She went to the Russian Cup Final to try to fight for that spot at Worlds, although her chances were slim. But it was her wish to go there and try. Her short program was great, even Mishin said she should have been in first place. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold it together, again, in the long.

 

[Tinami Amori]

From the side, I may seem a little detached, because I never smile without a reason. I will never flatter or dissemble - I will say everything directly.

Good girl!..

 

[Enchanted]

It seems a lot of the skaters are fans of Marie Kondo. If I remember it correctly, Rippon even posted a pic with her.

Thank you for the translation @Ka3sha!