Tatiana Tarasova: I don't even consider working with the foreign skaters this season

TAHbKA

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Elena Sobol's interview with Tatiana Tarasova: `I don't even consider working with the foreign skaters this season' for sport-express.ru

ES: Tatiana Anatolievna, what had you been up to this off season?
TAT: Till the middle of July am on a vacation, then I'll be dealing with my commentator work. I will be learning new things to be able to comment in the future - the rules will be slightly changed. I will also attend some judging seminars so I'll have the right information which I'll later process and project to the viewers. The viewers are different. And thank them for loving me as a commentator. They sent me so many messages, I feel supported and loved.

ES: Rightly so
TAT: I have to reciprocate, hence am planning gathering new information before the olympics. I plan going to the rink starting July, see the test skates. August - the juniors test skates and the seniors test skates in September in Sochi. Think the time before the season begins will fly very fast.

ES: Had any skater ask for your help before the Olympic season?
TAT: No. Our skaters are all set and am not even considering the offers from the foreign skaters, even though there were some.

ES: Because it's an Olympic season?
TAT: Because I decided so.

ES: Who will you be supporting?
TAT: I already supported all who I had to.

ES: What made you happy and what upset you last season?
TAT: The season is over and there is no point dwelling. Everyone are resting. There will be a new season and a new buzz. My late father used to say `don't look back. Go ahead'

ES: What's ahead?
TAT: The Olympics. I expect a fight to make it to the team. The 30x60m will decide. The new season will begin and the skaters will be reaching new goals.

ES: Do you think Medvedeva will make it? She will have to prove her being a lead.
TAT: We'll have to wait and be grateful for what she and Eteri Tutberidze have done every year. Am not going to discuss it.

ES: Do you like Medvedeva?
TAT: How can I not? She is a 2 times world champion.

ES: Do you believe the Sochi 2014 champion Adelina Sotnikova will go back to the previous level?
TAT: No.

ES: Do you believe in Pluschenko as a coach?
TAT: Once he proves himself - I will.

ES: Alina Zagitova is about to start the senior career. She and the coach will decide whether to become senior this season.
TAT: I spoke about that ever since I saw Alina. I said that girl, should she skate and progress the way she does, can win the Olympics. She is very interesting and have a huge potential.

ES: Should she rush the things?
TAT: She has a good coach. Who should answer that question. Staying back, like it was done with Stolbova/Klimov should never be done.

ES: Elena Radionova switched to Elena Buyanova. Will it be an interesting working relationship?
TAT: Yes. Buyanova knows how to work with the girls, it works for her. They already have interesting programmes, one was done by Tchernyshev. As for the technical side- that's the coach's responsibility.

ES: Will we see Yulia Lipnitskaya again?
TAT: I think not. She is a star who shone at her time and thank her for that. Yulia was a jewel of the Sochi Olympics. She will never be forgotten - the girl in the red dress. The great Spilberg sent her a letter. Have you ever received such a letter? No. Me neither. She did. She was fully recognized. It's her journey. A new one will begin for her.

ES: The state of the male skating is far from cheerful. What can you say about Kovtun? He medalled at the Europeans and the WTT this year. Had he progressed?
TAT: The progress is sometimes not about the placements, which is not related. Back at the time he was the first to integrate 2 quads in the his SP. Now he does not. He used to risk attempting 3 quads in the LP and he is not anymore. What progress should I be talking about? He used to be 4th at the Worlds and became 10th. It's a regress. I like Maksim, but he thought he had all the time in the world. The time has it's limits. He should work really hard. What should I be saying about Kovtun or even Kolyada? They have to go out there and skate. Being `a huge potential'....
Perhaps I am too demanding. But I can't do it differently - my father used to say you'd be fired for the silver. For me the only place existing is the 1st. The guys have what it takes to become first or at least medal, yet they hardly made it to the top 10... No one forbids them a thing. They should reconsider their preparation system together with their coaches. Something doesnt' work there. And saying `we are learning...'. You do what you do. There are skaters who were integrating the new quads during the season. So for now I can't answer a thing about Kovtun's or Kolyada's progress. I can confidently say there is no progress.

ES: Speaking of the quads - the ladies started landing them in the practices. Is it an interesting direction?
TAT: I like it.

ES: Do you think Volosozhar/Trankov should keep competing?
TAT: Everyone needs to find the motivation and the power. It's their question. An important one for them.

ES: What about Kawaguti/Smirnov?
TAT: I can't talk for them, but if I were in their shoes I wouldn't. Their injuries are too much. Besides, it seems Sasha wants to coach. For now he has a teacher to learn from - Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina. It's not often the great athletes want to coach and it's appreciated.

ES: Do you see Trankov coaching?
TAT: I know he wanted to in the past. I haven't spoken to him recently. The coach's journey is a long one. It's a whole life that passes. For instance Nina Mozer was coaching since she was a girl, while her mom was still coaching. Yet her first Olympics were in Sochi, when the public learned about her.

ES: What can you say about Tarasova/Morozov?
TAT: They did great this year. Tarasova is a hero girl.

ES: Have they been in Stolbova/Klimov's shadow?
TAT: That's not true. Leave Stolbova/Klimov alone, leave that talent alone. Should they recover it will be our great happiness. Last year they were shot in the take off...

ES: The ice dancers Bobrova/Soloviev became 5th, Stepanova/Bukin - 10th.
TAT: It's the best result they could have expected.

ES: I.e. it's the objective result?
TAT: You think they were undermarked?

ES: There were such opinions after the championship in Helsinki.
TAT: Those who claim so should really open their eyes and see who skates which way. Katia and Dima, who missed 2 seasons did great for their level. What can we attempt in the ice dance? The guys are 5th. They should be 5th at the Olympics should they work hard, prepare new interesting programmes. It would be a great result.

ES: How many medals should we aim for at the Olympics?
TAT: It would be great if the girls would take 2 medals. There is a chance for a medal in the pairs, but depends which. For some - bronze is a great thing, for some - a miss. We'll do our best. After all we had no idea we'd do so great in Sochi. But it just went well. I wish everyone to be healthy and not in pain. For Stolbova/Klimov to recover from their injuries which prevent them from being the best. For Zhenya Medvedeva to find her style. Everyone will improve. We'll see the results soon. We should just be patient
 

caseyedwards

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How did she get to the point where she thinks fifth in ice dance would be great?? russians not medaling in ice dance at the Olympics for The first Time ever would be great?!? What's her solution for this horrible collapse?
 

Meoima

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How did she get to the point where she thinks fifth in ice dance would be great?? russians not medaling in ice dance at the Olympics for The first Time ever would be great?!? What's her solution for this horrible collapse?
It's the most realistic reply she could think of. What do you expect her to say? Yes Russian ice dance can medal at the Olympic? At their current state? Tat might be senile but she is not nuts.
 

alexikeguchi

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Thanks for the translation! I love Tarasova's responses. She is honest about the skaters' prospects for the upcoming season without falling into trash-talking or wuzrobbing, as others who shall remain nameless have done. I especially appreciated her comments about the placement of B/S at Worlds and Medvedeva finding her style.
 

adelia

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Interesting choice of title by the interviewer.
Thanks for the translation. It's a good interview.
 

MAXSwagg

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It's the federations own fault for the dance being in the state it's in. They should've forced I/K to stay together and made Soloviev get a better partner (he's being held back by Bobrova, imo).

Zagitova will medal. Judges will pump her scores up rapidly. It's only a question if the same treatment will be given to Honda primarily.
 

watchthis!!

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I thought the Russian Figure Skating Federation outlawed coaches (and choreographers?) from working with any non-Russian skater(s) in the year leading up to the Olympics?
 

caseyedwards

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It's the most realistic reply she could think of. What do you expect her to say? Yes Russian ice dance can medal at the Olympic? At their current state? Tat might be senile but she is not nuts.

Of course I don't expect some insane ridiculous response that Russia has a chance to medal at the Olympics next year! I just Wanted to hear some sadness over the fact that Russia has no chance to medal in ice dance at the Olympics for the first time in history! She's like "so what who cares fifth is great! " no sadness over end of Russian ice dance.
 
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MAXSwagg

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Of course I don't expect some insane ridiculous response that Russia has a chance to medal at the Olympics next year! I just Wanted to hear some sadness over the fact that Russia has no chance to medal in ice dance at the Olympics for the first time in history! She's like "so what who cares fifth is great! " no sadness over end of Russian ice dance.

She never really cared about dance. Even Tracy said in the TSL interview that Tarasova and other Russians were like "It's ice dance. Who cares? You know what's going to happen..." when she would ask about it in the late 1990s. Which is pretty much true today. Ever since Skate Canada, it was 99% that V/M were going to win Worlds, and 99% chance that V/M and P/C were going to be the top two no matter what in any competition.
 

Dobre

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How much Tarasova cares about dance . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCE1TwOjv3k
(At the 4:27 mark)

Tarasova not caring would be . . . not Tarasova.

I very much enjoyed the interview. Very balanced for Tat-speak. Neither overly effusive, nor overly abrasive. Just calling it like she sees it at the moment.

And the next time we see a great performance, she will be a dramatic, effusive mess. Love her.
 
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Karpenko

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:TT1: was just keepin' it real about the ice dance prospects. Maybe she's a fan of the teams above Bobrova/Soloviev, (and likes their skating more) even if they aren't Russian? How dare she. :p She's seen it all in this sport, so she's not blind to huge talent from other countries.

Maybe if the Russian program currently had a team that could hold a candle to Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Cizeron (or even the Americans, Weaver/Poje..) she'd be a lot different about it. There's some great talent coming up for next quad, but come on already. :lol: How can you expect a miracle?

I also loved her saying this in print - "Tarasova is a hero girl." :rofl: absolutely!
 

caseyedwards

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:TT1: was just keepin' it real about the ice dance prospects. Maybe she's a fan of the teams above Bobrova/Soloviev, (and likes their skating more) even if they aren't Russian? How dare she. :p She's seen it all in this sport, so she's not blind to huge talent from other countries.

Maybe if the Russian program currently had a team that could hold a candle to Virtue/Moir and Papadakis/Cizeron (or even the Americans, Weaver/Poje..) she'd be a lot different about it. There's some great talent coming up for next quad, but come on already. :lol: How can you expect a miracle?

I also loved her saying this in print - "Tarasova is a hero girl." :rofl: absolutely!

So does she have a plan to make a Russian team like an American team or weaver and poje or try to copy v/m or p/c or send Russian team to be coached by dubreil?

She never really cared about dance. Even Tracy said in the TSL interview that Tarasova and other Russians were like "It's ice dance. Who cares? You know what's going to happen..." when she would ask about it in the late 1990s. Which is pretty much true today. Ever since Skate Canada, it was 99% that V/M were going to win Worlds, and 99% chance that V/M and P/C were going to be the top two no matter what in any competition.

It seemed like in the past she did care
 

Karpenko

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She just said in the interview that she's commentating, not coaching foreigners, etc.. so I would guess that she's a very busy woman who has dedicated many years of her life to Russian skating, does indeed have a plan to improve the future (but isn't expecting a miracle to happen in one year), and good grief - it's TARASOVA. She can say whatever the hell she wants!! :glamor: Does everything have to rest on her shoulders all of the time? (Or her fantastic coats!)

She's not playing the victim card either that they don't have the depth to win gold or compete for gold everywhere, she's just giving her honest thoughts on all of the disciplines heading into the next season.
 

olympic

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Good interview but what makes her say Kolyada can't even crack top 10? AFAIK he always did.

It may be true about Kovtun but Kolyada? I think Kolyada has a lot of potential. There are also a few junior Russian men who can make it. So, I was puzzled by her pessimism. Maybe as coach for Yagudin, she just has a super high standard for the men?
 

TAHbKA

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I thought the Russian Figure Skating Federation outlawed coaches (and choreographers?) from working with any non-Russian skater(s) in the year leading up to the Olympics?
Am not sure about the previous Olympics (Morozov and Zhulin had to give up their foreign teams, I think), but think it's not so strict this year. Zhulin is coaching Hurtado/Haliavin, right? Or am I out of the loop and they moved? And Mozer has the Australian team. So they are not outlawed, but guess not encouraged. However, I can't really see anyone TELLING Tarasova who to coach and whom not should she choose to.

Of course I don't expect some insane ridiculous response that Russia has a chance to medal at the Olympics next year! I just Wanted to hear some sadness over the fact that Russia has no chance to medal in ice dance at the Olympics for the first time in history! She's like "so what who cares fifth is great! " no sadness over end of Russian ice dance.
I just love it how every time I translate an interview you waltz in with what the interviewer should had asked or the intereviewed should had answered or said. Tarasova is talking about the current level of the Russian ice dancers. In her books a 5th place for Bobrova/Soloviev, who missed 2 seasons would be a great result. What the hell is your problem with that?
Actually never mind. Ignore list.

It may be true about Kovtun but Kolyada? I think Kolyada has a lot of potential. There are also a few junior Russian men who can make it. So, I was puzzled by her pessimism. Maybe as coach for Yagudin, she just has a super high standard for the men?
I think her standards are not so much for the men skating, but for their investment. She said several times in several interviews (not only her, Tutberidze said the same) - the guys are sparing themselves and are not completely invested in their skating.
 

Dobre

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She didn't say the men can't crack the top 10. She said they have what it takes to be first or at least medal, but they hardly made the top ten. (Meaning they just made it into the top ten).

In reality, Kovtun didn't make the top ten and Kolyada was 8th.

Do they have what it takes to be first or at least medal in the current state of men's figure skating? If anything, she's being generous. Their PBs are over 20 & 30 points out of the medals at this year's Worlds. But . . . the men. Kolyada could earn more points if he starts landing the lutz. They could certainly do better than they did at this year's Worlds. (And, as we saw in more than one competition this season, they could do worse).
 

clairecloutier

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I was interested in TAT's comment about Stolbova/Klimov:

ES: Should she rush the things?
TAT: She has a good coach. Who should answer that question. Staying back, like it was done with Stolbova/Klimov should never be done.

I wonder if she means that Stolbova/Klimov were encouraged to "stay back" too long as juniors?? Or if she is referring to the Sochi year, and them being held back because Volosozhar/Trankov were the leading Russian pair at that point.
 

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