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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Irina Slutskaya for ria.ru (please click the orignal link....)
For most of the athletes their age is a relative number. No point hiding it – it’s all online. They don’t have time thinking of the past: the sports past decides upon their future life. It was the same case here. When asking about her age Irina shrugs:
IS: A round number? Oh well..
EV: any round number is a reason to recall. Do you often think of figure skating, I mean the part when you were competing?
IS: Not really. Sometimes the funs make me when they remind me: you were the first to do this and that, the others followed you. Often am asked about the Olympics so yeah, I have to recall that as well.
EV: Which one out of 3?
IS: The SLC of course. I can’t think of a more scandalous competition in our sports. Even the 2018 when the team were competing under a neutral flag. Because the judges were doing whatever they felt like. Take the gold medals in pairs – it’s insane re-considering the results and give the gold to two pairs.
EV: Had the two medals been awarded in the ladies - to Sarah Hughes and you, would you think differently?
IS: A tough question. But I think Elena and Anton were so much better, even despite Anton’s slight mistake. Am talking as a professional who spend 30 years in the sport. Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze were better than anyone else. They can’t even be compared to Sale/Pelletier.
EV: What as a professional you think was better?
IS: I think highly of Sale/Pelletier – they got to the top so fast – they beat everyone. But the Olympics are a competition where everything has to go right. Yes, there are moments when an athlete takes an ice and there is no one for him to compete with.
EV: Like Pluschenko in 2006?
IS: Well, you can’t argue that Olympics he had no competition? He was 10 points above everyone and it was obvious no one would get near. The same was in Sochi with Hanyu where he won even despite the falls. Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze were such a pair in 2002. Not just a pair, but a brand. Sale/Pelletier were more of a decent hard workers. Yes, they were skating great, just not great enough for that Olympic gold medal. Lena and Anton were spot on in every element, the programme integrated them so well, it was a whole that even Anton’s mistake didn’t ruin. When you inhale and after 4 minutes recall to exhale.
Besides, many times we forget that there are athletes, people who win despite the hardships. Lena and that terrible injury. No one even believed she would walk again after. Not only she came back on the ice but every competition she improved. So elegant, light as a feather who was flying above that ice…
EV: Following that logic the gold medal in Turino should had been yours – you came back from a terrible injury when no one believed you would come back.
IS: I failed an element in Turino, it was my fault. Though even before that it was obvious no one would let Russia win all 4 gold medals. It was easy to calculate. My SP was one of the most complicated, yet the judges made sure to hold back. We were already using the CoP and while the Japanese Arakawa got +2/+3 for every element I got a 0. Had I not fallen in the LP I wouldn’t get enough GOE to win the gold. Frankly, I let it go in Turino myself. I knew it was useless. That the medal was sold even before the competition began.
EV: One of my biggest impressions from these Olympics was you saying after the victory ceremony `yet another piece of Olympic metal. Nothing more’. How long did you need to come to realize it was an Olympic medal. That you must be proud of, because not many can have it.
IS: Those were the emotions of that moment. After all the Olympics are a competition you aim for during your whole life. That defeat is a tragedy.
Frankly, I don’t even remember how did I find the energy to work so hard further. Before the Olympics there were so many other things: the Worlds where I was on the podium not understanding why with two 3/3 combos I would end up 2nd or 3rd. Under a different circumstances I could had been a 5 times World champion, but I only won twice, because someone decided a Russian skater should not win in the USA. Why? Well, it’s rather obvious: USA is where all our business was – we were skating the shows a couple of months a year, the Olympic season they lasted April till August. That’s were we earned the money and the USA needed their own champions, their own stars so the public would come to these shows.
EV: Did you realize it only later or you knew it when you were still competing?
IS: Understood, but didn’t accept it. There were things going on in the sport that were hard to accept. For now I recall how I was heading to the airport and a phone rang. It was a girl from the rink, who was in the same group with me. She said `I wish you to f@#$ up royally at the Olympics’.
EV: What do you think when you see the rivals hug on the podium and then tell how much they wish the other one did great?
IS: Frankly, I can hardly believe it. Only very strong people can keep it friendly after all that sports life. I was never friends with the girls who were in the team, yet I could always communicate with them – that was never a problem. With Elena Sokolova we still see each other in the training camps, wish each other happy birthday. Elena used to coach in my school. Not long ago I started speaking to Maria Butyrskaya. A couple of months ago we sat down and figured our relationship. It was a long and a complicated one: each would bite a piece of gold from the other. And then there were so many people who were among us who always set us against each other. She was told one thing about me, I was the other, according to them we were not far from ruining each other’s blades. Now, at our age it looks funny. However, at that moment it was a true rivalry, boarding with hate. Fortunately there were no social networks back then.
EV: Yet there was the situation with Harding/Kerrigan before the 1994 Olympics when one organized an attack on the other.
IS: There were enough situations in my career that I never spoke about. I was given doping – they were trying to kick me out from the team. In 1999 I didn’t make it to the team and more or less missed the season. After winning the Nationals I got a phone call from our doc Victor Anikanov, who said `Ira, please recall, did you take any medicine?’
EV: I.e. the sample wasn’t clean?
IS: Yes. Viktor Ivanovich knew I was a very `right’ person and before taking a pill I would call and recheck a 100 times. I am so afraid of the needles that I faint just seeing them. Hence the sample seemed odd to the doctor – there were traces of something that can only be injected. I immediately redid all the tests and they all came back clean.
Remember that story when at the end of 1999 someone burnt Maria Butyrskaya’s car? I was called to the police. I was sitting in the office with that huge dude, who not only explained how and when I did it, but that I will be jailed starting tomorrow. I was so afraid, you can’t imagine. I was recalling the day minute by minute, what I was doing, who I was with and was explaining why it couldn’t possibly be me…
In general the sports taught me no matter what happens you must always remain human. And deal with the defeats. It’s, let’s say, a valuable lesson to be able taking the hardships. Hence am not going to blame someone in my defeat in Turino – I landed on my butt, nothing to talk about.
EV: Had you won the Olympics in SLC would you retire?
IS: Absolutely. Perhaps I would had skated the Worlds, but that would be it. But guess it is decided above us. I was destined to win two Worlds and three Europeans and to try making it at the Olympics again and win another medal there.
EV: The short life of a skater is discussed all the time now. Do you reckon it’s ok Sotnikova and Lipnitskaya retired so early and now everyone predicts the same destiny to Zagitova and Medvedeva?
IS: I guess the right thing to say is that each has a different path. A different destiny and different decision. Every athlete has that moment when she has to decide: why keep skating when the little girls are stepping on your feet and they have nothing but the junior competitions behind them. They are fearless. But I was the same.
Do you think at the age of 16 I cared much beating the great and unbeatable Surya Bonaly at the Europeans? Not at all! I just went there and did what I could. It’s the thing to do at the age of 15-16. You go out there and you are free. Then the avalanche starts rolling over you when you owe so much. And you need time to understand that there is nothing to lose and you can just go on. But after the Olympics it was indeed hard to find the inner force.
EV: I.e. the skater with the highest chance if not repeat your longliveness but at least get anywhere near is Medvedeva, who lost the Olympics in Korea?
IS: I think she must stay. But the real question is this: next season Kostornaya, Scherbakova and Trusova will switch to the seniors. I am not sure how can they be beaten should they keep the elements they do now. Neither Medvedeva nor Zagitova will be given marks for their previous achievements. And their mistakes will not be overlooked. Now the judges support them a bit – many might not like it, but it’s the figure skating. As long as you are a World or an Olympic champion you will be supported. And it’s a right thing – it’s kind of a chance that the great athletes are given to overcome the hard period which always comes after a great victory. But it might not work for the next year. And then after Trusova/Kostornaya/Scherbakova there is a queue of at least five more athlete. I was lucky in that, of course. Even missing the season 1999 I came back to the same level of the technical complexity where all my main rivals stopped. What we see now is not the same level. And I don’t quite understand how will figure skating develop. I would hate to be in their shoes now, frankly. Though I more or less was. A couple of days ago I opened Tara Lipinski’s Instagram, where she published her skate from the 1997 Worlds. Such a energizer bunny who goes with no stops with a beaming smile and does all those combos and jumps. We looked almost handicapped next to her. Even though we were doing the 3/3 combos and all that. Hence on one hand you have to overcome when all goes wrong, but on the other hand understand that in order to remain competitive you have to progress. If you stop and remain on the same level things will not change.
EV: You were the first female skater to land a 3lz3loop - the combo that Zagitova won in Korea with.
IS: I was also the first to land a 3s3loop. Not because I was trying for some incredible difficulty. The system was different and did not demand the high complexity. You needed your five triples. The 3/3 was an advantage, but not necessarily. Hence the coach and I were not pushing things.
I started learning the 3A, but was injured – I fell back on the ice and am still afraid even the 2A. In 1998 Olympics I was doing a 3T3T combo, but it was always a tough jump for me. I would speed up through the whole ice, would jump the 3T from ¼ of the rink, because the second 3T was only possible if I had enough speed. Landing the combos with a loop was easier. Hence I started doing 3S3Loop and later a 3Lz3Loop. I was also doing a step sequence on one foot. I was also the only one who did two bielmann spins – all the rings and helicopters that give points now, were supposed to give points back then as well, but no one gave them. But still I kept doing them. I liked it.
EV: Surely there were things that you hated working on?
IS: That’s something to thank my mom. After every competition we would sit down and go through Michelle Kwan’s programmes in details. Mom would tell me stuff like: see, you beat her on a lutz, but she beat you on a spiral. Here while you are doing one jump it’s enough time for Michelle to land two.
Every day I was working on those spirals – I asked mom to help me with the flexibility. I was shouting as if I were butchered alive – it was so painful. When I realized am losing with the 2nd mark I started working with an amazing choreographer Elena Matveeva. The coach Zhanna Gromova kept saying: if you want to win you have to be two steps higher than everyone else. So I was working very hard. With the gym coach Viktor Kozlov we used to spend 2-3 weeks in the height every summer. A 1800m above the sea level – what used to be a ski resort where they would open two rooms and a dining room for us. The only thing around was a shop that opened once in five days and more or less the same with the post office. There are no people, no dogs, nothing, but two weeks of hard work. 5 hours every morning and 3 hours every event. I don’t remember how would I fall asleep – just drop dead on my bed. Every morning I would wake up with one thought: I’m done. Enough. Viktor Vasilievich would repeat `think what is your goal’
EV: Judging by the height you are talking about Courchevel?
IS: Are you kidding? Of course not. We didn’t even remotely had the money for that. There were no sponsors. For the JW that I won in 1995 the ice rink manager gave Zhanna Gromova and I 500$. That’s it! All the choreography, costumes, flights, coaches, food, expenses – I was paying myself with what I was earning. There was only once I was given money for the preparations – before Turino. But I didn’t get to use them. After the games I asked to use that money to pay for the costumes and the choreography and was told the money is gone – it was distributed among other athletes. Those were the times.
EV: Many don’t even remember it now.
IS: Those who want to find out will. Those who don’t – won’t even hear. More importantly – I don’t consider myself poor or pity worthy. Some things worked out, some didn’t, but am not sorry about a single day in my career.
EV: At what age have you realized you are the one who needs the figure skating and not your parents?
IS: I don’t even remember. Probably after the age of 20.
EV: And prior to that you were forced?
IS: Well, how should I put it. No one made me skate. Mom always repeated – if you don’t want to – don’t. Retire and don’t go to the rink. But if you do want to – work. Work hard. I was always scorned when I wasn’t working hard. I was going to the morning practice alone, but the evening practice my mom always watched how I was working. Someone will read the interview and think I had a crazy skating mom. No, I my parents are sane. And am forever grateful for teaching me working hard. And be accountable for my actions.
It’s easy really: every victory is a result of overcoming yourself. I don’t think there is an athlete who works day and night and says `I love doing this only. I love not having a live. I love homeschooling. I love being hungry when you can’t think of anything but the food’. Every kid is first of all a kid. The understanding why you do the things you do comes eventually.
EV: There is another side of the medal: the parents who beat their kids and make them work hard. Who live off their child and quit their jobs waiting when their child will provide.
IS: Unfortunately it happens quite often now. It’s obvious why – if you win the Olympics you get a flat, a car and a life long scholarship. Is it bad? Many come to Moscow from the regions and are willing to get all they can from their kid to get some contracts and earn money. On one hand nothing wrong with that if the kid is really talented. If the parents can see that talent and let the kid develop it’s one thing. When the parents are killing their kids for the result – well, god should be their judge. You can’t make your life based on your child. I take my kid. I understand my daughter is talented. She is small and thin. At the age of 4 she said `I want to be like mommy’. She absolutely loves skating. Well, if she loves it she can skate.
EV: Should her skating go really well will you be able to give up what you do and become a skating mom?
IS: What does it mean becoming a skating mom? Giving up my job? No, I will not. My projects? No, I will not. I will give everything up should, god forbid, my child be ill and my help will be needed. But to go such an extreme so a quite a big girl would attend the competition?
EV: I.e. sitting on the balcony and shouting `work, you lazy cow!’ is not your thing?
IS: That’s what the coaches are for. No, I’m kidding, but if I send my daughter to work with a specialist it means I trust that specialist. Though it’s harder for me – I can see from half a second when things are wrong.
EV: Poor coaches.
IS: Indeed some couldn’t take it. You know what my kids are lucky with? They have a grandmother who can explain anything and be very strict.
EV: What is your life right now?
IS: A lot of things. I still skate. Not so often. For ten years I have been participating Arakawa’s show in Japan. Am very well accepted and they always look forward for my coming.
EV: Does Arakawa herself skate as well?
IS: Yes, amazingly so. She is a mom of two kids. She is in a great shape, kudos to her! I work in the New Year shows like all the skaters. If previously I was joining other people’s projects this year am slowly coming up with my own in Dobrograde – a city in Vladimir region, we are skating on a frozen lake. Together with the local sports union I produce sports festivals in walking for the elderly people. It’s interesting, that the younger people start joining the project. I hold the kids competitions. In March we’ll hold a competition in Vladimir for the 4th time and for now 400 participants are expected. In the summer I hold training camps there. And now am starting working on a TV project, which I can’t yet reveal. And the politics. A lot of stuff.
EV: I can’t stop thinking of you saying you are still afraid of the 3A.
IS: Well, fortunately now it’s a historical jump. But I was landing the triple jumps easily last year.
EV: It’s not what I meant. Why do you need a 2A at the age of 40? To prove you are not yet an old woman?
IS: Ah, a good question. I like feeling in shape. Like a spring. I still land the loop and the flip and understand should I start practicing I’ll get all five triples back in three months. What for? I don’t know. Just that sometimes I really want to…
For most of the athletes their age is a relative number. No point hiding it – it’s all online. They don’t have time thinking of the past: the sports past decides upon their future life. It was the same case here. When asking about her age Irina shrugs:
IS: A round number? Oh well..
EV: any round number is a reason to recall. Do you often think of figure skating, I mean the part when you were competing?
IS: Not really. Sometimes the funs make me when they remind me: you were the first to do this and that, the others followed you. Often am asked about the Olympics so yeah, I have to recall that as well.
EV: Which one out of 3?
IS: The SLC of course. I can’t think of a more scandalous competition in our sports. Even the 2018 when the team were competing under a neutral flag. Because the judges were doing whatever they felt like. Take the gold medals in pairs – it’s insane re-considering the results and give the gold to two pairs.
EV: Had the two medals been awarded in the ladies - to Sarah Hughes and you, would you think differently?
IS: A tough question. But I think Elena and Anton were so much better, even despite Anton’s slight mistake. Am talking as a professional who spend 30 years in the sport. Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze were better than anyone else. They can’t even be compared to Sale/Pelletier.
EV: What as a professional you think was better?
IS: I think highly of Sale/Pelletier – they got to the top so fast – they beat everyone. But the Olympics are a competition where everything has to go right. Yes, there are moments when an athlete takes an ice and there is no one for him to compete with.
EV: Like Pluschenko in 2006?
IS: Well, you can’t argue that Olympics he had no competition? He was 10 points above everyone and it was obvious no one would get near. The same was in Sochi with Hanyu where he won even despite the falls. Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze were such a pair in 2002. Not just a pair, but a brand. Sale/Pelletier were more of a decent hard workers. Yes, they were skating great, just not great enough for that Olympic gold medal. Lena and Anton were spot on in every element, the programme integrated them so well, it was a whole that even Anton’s mistake didn’t ruin. When you inhale and after 4 minutes recall to exhale.
Besides, many times we forget that there are athletes, people who win despite the hardships. Lena and that terrible injury. No one even believed she would walk again after. Not only she came back on the ice but every competition she improved. So elegant, light as a feather who was flying above that ice…
EV: Following that logic the gold medal in Turino should had been yours – you came back from a terrible injury when no one believed you would come back.
IS: I failed an element in Turino, it was my fault. Though even before that it was obvious no one would let Russia win all 4 gold medals. It was easy to calculate. My SP was one of the most complicated, yet the judges made sure to hold back. We were already using the CoP and while the Japanese Arakawa got +2/+3 for every element I got a 0. Had I not fallen in the LP I wouldn’t get enough GOE to win the gold. Frankly, I let it go in Turino myself. I knew it was useless. That the medal was sold even before the competition began.
EV: One of my biggest impressions from these Olympics was you saying after the victory ceremony `yet another piece of Olympic metal. Nothing more’. How long did you need to come to realize it was an Olympic medal. That you must be proud of, because not many can have it.
IS: Those were the emotions of that moment. After all the Olympics are a competition you aim for during your whole life. That defeat is a tragedy.
Frankly, I don’t even remember how did I find the energy to work so hard further. Before the Olympics there were so many other things: the Worlds where I was on the podium not understanding why with two 3/3 combos I would end up 2nd or 3rd. Under a different circumstances I could had been a 5 times World champion, but I only won twice, because someone decided a Russian skater should not win in the USA. Why? Well, it’s rather obvious: USA is where all our business was – we were skating the shows a couple of months a year, the Olympic season they lasted April till August. That’s were we earned the money and the USA needed their own champions, their own stars so the public would come to these shows.
EV: Did you realize it only later or you knew it when you were still competing?
IS: Understood, but didn’t accept it. There were things going on in the sport that were hard to accept. For now I recall how I was heading to the airport and a phone rang. It was a girl from the rink, who was in the same group with me. She said `I wish you to f@#$ up royally at the Olympics’.
EV: What do you think when you see the rivals hug on the podium and then tell how much they wish the other one did great?
IS: Frankly, I can hardly believe it. Only very strong people can keep it friendly after all that sports life. I was never friends with the girls who were in the team, yet I could always communicate with them – that was never a problem. With Elena Sokolova we still see each other in the training camps, wish each other happy birthday. Elena used to coach in my school. Not long ago I started speaking to Maria Butyrskaya. A couple of months ago we sat down and figured our relationship. It was a long and a complicated one: each would bite a piece of gold from the other. And then there were so many people who were among us who always set us against each other. She was told one thing about me, I was the other, according to them we were not far from ruining each other’s blades. Now, at our age it looks funny. However, at that moment it was a true rivalry, boarding with hate. Fortunately there were no social networks back then.
EV: Yet there was the situation with Harding/Kerrigan before the 1994 Olympics when one organized an attack on the other.
IS: There were enough situations in my career that I never spoke about. I was given doping – they were trying to kick me out from the team. In 1999 I didn’t make it to the team and more or less missed the season. After winning the Nationals I got a phone call from our doc Victor Anikanov, who said `Ira, please recall, did you take any medicine?’
EV: I.e. the sample wasn’t clean?
IS: Yes. Viktor Ivanovich knew I was a very `right’ person and before taking a pill I would call and recheck a 100 times. I am so afraid of the needles that I faint just seeing them. Hence the sample seemed odd to the doctor – there were traces of something that can only be injected. I immediately redid all the tests and they all came back clean.
Remember that story when at the end of 1999 someone burnt Maria Butyrskaya’s car? I was called to the police. I was sitting in the office with that huge dude, who not only explained how and when I did it, but that I will be jailed starting tomorrow. I was so afraid, you can’t imagine. I was recalling the day minute by minute, what I was doing, who I was with and was explaining why it couldn’t possibly be me…
In general the sports taught me no matter what happens you must always remain human. And deal with the defeats. It’s, let’s say, a valuable lesson to be able taking the hardships. Hence am not going to blame someone in my defeat in Turino – I landed on my butt, nothing to talk about.
EV: Had you won the Olympics in SLC would you retire?
IS: Absolutely. Perhaps I would had skated the Worlds, but that would be it. But guess it is decided above us. I was destined to win two Worlds and three Europeans and to try making it at the Olympics again and win another medal there.
EV: The short life of a skater is discussed all the time now. Do you reckon it’s ok Sotnikova and Lipnitskaya retired so early and now everyone predicts the same destiny to Zagitova and Medvedeva?
IS: I guess the right thing to say is that each has a different path. A different destiny and different decision. Every athlete has that moment when she has to decide: why keep skating when the little girls are stepping on your feet and they have nothing but the junior competitions behind them. They are fearless. But I was the same.
Do you think at the age of 16 I cared much beating the great and unbeatable Surya Bonaly at the Europeans? Not at all! I just went there and did what I could. It’s the thing to do at the age of 15-16. You go out there and you are free. Then the avalanche starts rolling over you when you owe so much. And you need time to understand that there is nothing to lose and you can just go on. But after the Olympics it was indeed hard to find the inner force.
EV: I.e. the skater with the highest chance if not repeat your longliveness but at least get anywhere near is Medvedeva, who lost the Olympics in Korea?
IS: I think she must stay. But the real question is this: next season Kostornaya, Scherbakova and Trusova will switch to the seniors. I am not sure how can they be beaten should they keep the elements they do now. Neither Medvedeva nor Zagitova will be given marks for their previous achievements. And their mistakes will not be overlooked. Now the judges support them a bit – many might not like it, but it’s the figure skating. As long as you are a World or an Olympic champion you will be supported. And it’s a right thing – it’s kind of a chance that the great athletes are given to overcome the hard period which always comes after a great victory. But it might not work for the next year. And then after Trusova/Kostornaya/Scherbakova there is a queue of at least five more athlete. I was lucky in that, of course. Even missing the season 1999 I came back to the same level of the technical complexity where all my main rivals stopped. What we see now is not the same level. And I don’t quite understand how will figure skating develop. I would hate to be in their shoes now, frankly. Though I more or less was. A couple of days ago I opened Tara Lipinski’s Instagram, where she published her skate from the 1997 Worlds. Such a energizer bunny who goes with no stops with a beaming smile and does all those combos and jumps. We looked almost handicapped next to her. Even though we were doing the 3/3 combos and all that. Hence on one hand you have to overcome when all goes wrong, but on the other hand understand that in order to remain competitive you have to progress. If you stop and remain on the same level things will not change.
EV: You were the first female skater to land a 3lz3loop - the combo that Zagitova won in Korea with.
IS: I was also the first to land a 3s3loop. Not because I was trying for some incredible difficulty. The system was different and did not demand the high complexity. You needed your five triples. The 3/3 was an advantage, but not necessarily. Hence the coach and I were not pushing things.
I started learning the 3A, but was injured – I fell back on the ice and am still afraid even the 2A. In 1998 Olympics I was doing a 3T3T combo, but it was always a tough jump for me. I would speed up through the whole ice, would jump the 3T from ¼ of the rink, because the second 3T was only possible if I had enough speed. Landing the combos with a loop was easier. Hence I started doing 3S3Loop and later a 3Lz3Loop. I was also doing a step sequence on one foot. I was also the only one who did two bielmann spins – all the rings and helicopters that give points now, were supposed to give points back then as well, but no one gave them. But still I kept doing them. I liked it.
EV: Surely there were things that you hated working on?
IS: That’s something to thank my mom. After every competition we would sit down and go through Michelle Kwan’s programmes in details. Mom would tell me stuff like: see, you beat her on a lutz, but she beat you on a spiral. Here while you are doing one jump it’s enough time for Michelle to land two.
Every day I was working on those spirals – I asked mom to help me with the flexibility. I was shouting as if I were butchered alive – it was so painful. When I realized am losing with the 2nd mark I started working with an amazing choreographer Elena Matveeva. The coach Zhanna Gromova kept saying: if you want to win you have to be two steps higher than everyone else. So I was working very hard. With the gym coach Viktor Kozlov we used to spend 2-3 weeks in the height every summer. A 1800m above the sea level – what used to be a ski resort where they would open two rooms and a dining room for us. The only thing around was a shop that opened once in five days and more or less the same with the post office. There are no people, no dogs, nothing, but two weeks of hard work. 5 hours every morning and 3 hours every event. I don’t remember how would I fall asleep – just drop dead on my bed. Every morning I would wake up with one thought: I’m done. Enough. Viktor Vasilievich would repeat `think what is your goal’
EV: Judging by the height you are talking about Courchevel?
IS: Are you kidding? Of course not. We didn’t even remotely had the money for that. There were no sponsors. For the JW that I won in 1995 the ice rink manager gave Zhanna Gromova and I 500$. That’s it! All the choreography, costumes, flights, coaches, food, expenses – I was paying myself with what I was earning. There was only once I was given money for the preparations – before Turino. But I didn’t get to use them. After the games I asked to use that money to pay for the costumes and the choreography and was told the money is gone – it was distributed among other athletes. Those were the times.
EV: Many don’t even remember it now.
IS: Those who want to find out will. Those who don’t – won’t even hear. More importantly – I don’t consider myself poor or pity worthy. Some things worked out, some didn’t, but am not sorry about a single day in my career.
EV: At what age have you realized you are the one who needs the figure skating and not your parents?
IS: I don’t even remember. Probably after the age of 20.
EV: And prior to that you were forced?
IS: Well, how should I put it. No one made me skate. Mom always repeated – if you don’t want to – don’t. Retire and don’t go to the rink. But if you do want to – work. Work hard. I was always scorned when I wasn’t working hard. I was going to the morning practice alone, but the evening practice my mom always watched how I was working. Someone will read the interview and think I had a crazy skating mom. No, I my parents are sane. And am forever grateful for teaching me working hard. And be accountable for my actions.
It’s easy really: every victory is a result of overcoming yourself. I don’t think there is an athlete who works day and night and says `I love doing this only. I love not having a live. I love homeschooling. I love being hungry when you can’t think of anything but the food’. Every kid is first of all a kid. The understanding why you do the things you do comes eventually.
EV: There is another side of the medal: the parents who beat their kids and make them work hard. Who live off their child and quit their jobs waiting when their child will provide.
IS: Unfortunately it happens quite often now. It’s obvious why – if you win the Olympics you get a flat, a car and a life long scholarship. Is it bad? Many come to Moscow from the regions and are willing to get all they can from their kid to get some contracts and earn money. On one hand nothing wrong with that if the kid is really talented. If the parents can see that talent and let the kid develop it’s one thing. When the parents are killing their kids for the result – well, god should be their judge. You can’t make your life based on your child. I take my kid. I understand my daughter is talented. She is small and thin. At the age of 4 she said `I want to be like mommy’. She absolutely loves skating. Well, if she loves it she can skate.
EV: Should her skating go really well will you be able to give up what you do and become a skating mom?
IS: What does it mean becoming a skating mom? Giving up my job? No, I will not. My projects? No, I will not. I will give everything up should, god forbid, my child be ill and my help will be needed. But to go such an extreme so a quite a big girl would attend the competition?
EV: I.e. sitting on the balcony and shouting `work, you lazy cow!’ is not your thing?
IS: That’s what the coaches are for. No, I’m kidding, but if I send my daughter to work with a specialist it means I trust that specialist. Though it’s harder for me – I can see from half a second when things are wrong.
EV: Poor coaches.
IS: Indeed some couldn’t take it. You know what my kids are lucky with? They have a grandmother who can explain anything and be very strict.
EV: What is your life right now?
IS: A lot of things. I still skate. Not so often. For ten years I have been participating Arakawa’s show in Japan. Am very well accepted and they always look forward for my coming.
EV: Does Arakawa herself skate as well?
IS: Yes, amazingly so. She is a mom of two kids. She is in a great shape, kudos to her! I work in the New Year shows like all the skaters. If previously I was joining other people’s projects this year am slowly coming up with my own in Dobrograde – a city in Vladimir region, we are skating on a frozen lake. Together with the local sports union I produce sports festivals in walking for the elderly people. It’s interesting, that the younger people start joining the project. I hold the kids competitions. In March we’ll hold a competition in Vladimir for the 4th time and for now 400 participants are expected. In the summer I hold training camps there. And now am starting working on a TV project, which I can’t yet reveal. And the politics. A lot of stuff.
EV: I can’t stop thinking of you saying you are still afraid of the 3A.
IS: Well, fortunately now it’s a historical jump. But I was landing the triple jumps easily last year.
EV: It’s not what I meant. Why do you need a 2A at the age of 40? To prove you are not yet an old woman?
IS: Ah, a good question. I like feeling in shape. Like a spring. I still land the loop and the flip and understand should I start practicing I’ll get all five triples back in three months. What for? I don’t know. Just that sometimes I really want to…