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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Elizabeta Tuktamysheva for ria.ru (please click the link for the counter/photos)
EV: During the test skates you made history by landing three 3A in two programmes, which no other female skater had ever done. It seems that jump became if not your favourite - one of the easiest and the most consistent for you.
ET: I wouldn't say that. Axel is certainly not the easiest jump, but then it's not the hardest.
EV: A year ago you told me you don't really see how would you integrate a second 3A into the LP and only had one. What had changed?
ET: The coach Mishin and I understood we'll have to integrate the second jump. Hence we started working on it before the season was over. Once I was in a good enough shape we started working on a 3A/T jump. That was our goal that we reached.
EV: Before the end of the season meaning February, when you didn't make it to the Worlds team or April after the WTT?
ET: April. In Japan I started trying the 3A2A combos and land two 3As one after the other and understood it was possible. In the summer when we resumed the training the jumps came back quite easily.
EV: In February and March your coach was working a lot with Sofia Samodurova preparing her for the Worlds. How were you training? Did you felt left out?
ET: Once I healed from the pneumonia and came back to the ice I had a goal and a motivation. When I learned I would not be participating the Worlds there wasn't much time left till the shows I would be participating. So I spent just a week without a coach in St. Petersburg during which I had a chance to work with Ilya Averbukh - we created the new exhibition `Shallow'. Frankly, I never had problems finding the motivation - I love skating. If it wasn't for that I would probably had retired by now. I'm always curious: what else am I capable of?
EV: I will never believe the Russian figure skating federation's decision not to send you to the worlds was not a blow.
ET: It was a tough period. But am not a person who would let be down by some misfortunes.
EV: When I was talking to your coach during the winter I had an impression he was given some guarantees you would be participating the Worlds. And till the last moment he was sure it would be you. Did you feel that as well?
ET: There was that. I know one thing: Alexey Nikolaevich had done all he could so I would be at the Worlds.
EV: Was your schedule changed due to not going to the worlds?
ET: No. I knew in advance where I would be skating. The only difference was whether I'll go to the show straight from the Worlds or from St. Petersburg.
EV: Was it hard to get back into the shape after almost six weeks of the shows?
ET: No. Once the show is over it's not the tiredness, but an emotional emptiness. It's not the feeling of the end of a competitive season, but a sadness: there was a really cool party and now it's over.
EV: What have changed in your summer preparations?
ET: I can't say it became easier or harder. Guess I could have made it easier for myself had I left exactly the same technical content I had before, but why would I stop if I can progress? Hence Alexey Nikolaevich and I decided to make the programmes as complicated as possible. In the SP we'll try the 3F3T instead of 3T3T that I used to do and the 3Lz will be at the 2nd part of the programme, and those two 3A in the LP. I don't really have a choice if I want to remain competitive. I have to progress, learn new elements, skate differently. My SP to `Oblivion' is a bit different from what I usually do. I want to see how the judges will take it. The LP is less nerve wrecking - am fun and funny there, the usual me - I love the programme and the music and in that case, from my experience, the programme is always well accepted.
EV: Where did the idea to keep the SP programme done by Shae-Lynn Bourne but change the music come from?
ET: It was the idea of our all team, who I completely trust.
EV: Did Shae-Lynn participate the decision?
ET: All the talks were done by Alexey Nikolaevich and I think they have reached an agreement. Am so grateful for Shae-Lynn for the collaboration. We did a hard and a good job developing me as a skater.
EV: Was it a hard step?
ET: It wasn't easy. Moving from your comfortable steps into something completely new and unusual is always hard. Especially when you have to combine the tough new choreography with the technical elements and not even flinch. Though all and all it wasn't that bad. I just needed time.
EV: Every person has the parasite words in their speech. Is it the same with the figure skaters with the parasite moves? That you learn subconsciously for years and can't always get away from?
ET: I think so. I can't really tell my moving habits bothered me much while working with Shae-Lynn, but from the very beginning I decided to work exactly the way the choreographer would tell me and not allow any personal input in my moves. That constant control was one of the hardest things for me. I did the steps, the jumps entries the way Shae-Lynn sees them, not allowing to put a leg or let of of the arms. Bourne is very explicit on what she wants to see, every point is well planned and the work goes on till the result is not exactly as she pictured. I traveled to Charlestown for 5 days to work with Shae-Lynn on the programme. Now we keep polishing it and try not to get away from the original idea.
EV: Do you need to be in contact with the choreographer through the season so they can correct their work?
ET: Am constantly near a choreographer, there is also Tatiana Nikolaevna Prokofieva - our choreographer who constantly cleans the programme and keeps it fresh. Shae-Lynn her self was all for keeping in touch with Facetime - I show her how I skate.
EV: Is re-learning the moves comparable to re-learning the technique?
ET: It've been a very long time since I had to re-learn the technique, so I can't really answer that.
EV: All and all are you and the coach satisfied with how the test skates went?
ET: Yes. We left Moscow in a good mood.
EV: And now your competitive schedule is as packed as it was a year ago?
ET: Yes. We start with two challenges, then two GPs and we'll see what next. If I make it to the GPF then the Russian nationals will be my 6th competition of the season.
EV: It's considered the ice in `Luzhniki' where the test skates took place is quite heavy - the palace is warm and the ice melts all the time. Did you feel it?
ET: I thought the ice was quite good. Though yes, skating in `Luzhniki' was quite hot. Because of that completing the LP was hard. But it's much worse when the rink is too cold - the muscles cool down and that is a problem. As for me - if am in a good physical shape the quality of the ice is not important enough to even notice. I can't even recall a single competition where the ice was a problem.
EV: What about the blades sharpening?
ET: I used to skate on the `Matrix' for a very long time, which you didn't need to sharpen during the season at all - it was enough just to fix the blade a bit with the stone. Now we switched to the `Gold Seal', which we never sharpened after the initial work. So I haven't dealt with the blades sharpening for quite a while.
EV: It's rather unusual to hear. I know some athletes who sharpen the blades before every competition.
ET: We don't do it in our team. When the sharpening is fresh it's not so comfortable skating as on the blades which you are used to. Jumping becomes dangerous.
EV: Can you compare the expectations of the first competition to the mood of last year?
ET: Everything was much calmer a year ago. Now there are more nerves. In my first competition I will be skating outside of my comfort zone. It's like changing all your closet at once just before the big event. Of course am worried how will it go
EV: During the test skates you made history by landing three 3A in two programmes, which no other female skater had ever done. It seems that jump became if not your favourite - one of the easiest and the most consistent for you.
ET: I wouldn't say that. Axel is certainly not the easiest jump, but then it's not the hardest.
EV: A year ago you told me you don't really see how would you integrate a second 3A into the LP and only had one. What had changed?
ET: The coach Mishin and I understood we'll have to integrate the second jump. Hence we started working on it before the season was over. Once I was in a good enough shape we started working on a 3A/T jump. That was our goal that we reached.
EV: Before the end of the season meaning February, when you didn't make it to the Worlds team or April after the WTT?
ET: April. In Japan I started trying the 3A2A combos and land two 3As one after the other and understood it was possible. In the summer when we resumed the training the jumps came back quite easily.
EV: In February and March your coach was working a lot with Sofia Samodurova preparing her for the Worlds. How were you training? Did you felt left out?
ET: Once I healed from the pneumonia and came back to the ice I had a goal and a motivation. When I learned I would not be participating the Worlds there wasn't much time left till the shows I would be participating. So I spent just a week without a coach in St. Petersburg during which I had a chance to work with Ilya Averbukh - we created the new exhibition `Shallow'. Frankly, I never had problems finding the motivation - I love skating. If it wasn't for that I would probably had retired by now. I'm always curious: what else am I capable of?
EV: I will never believe the Russian figure skating federation's decision not to send you to the worlds was not a blow.
ET: It was a tough period. But am not a person who would let be down by some misfortunes.
EV: When I was talking to your coach during the winter I had an impression he was given some guarantees you would be participating the Worlds. And till the last moment he was sure it would be you. Did you feel that as well?
ET: There was that. I know one thing: Alexey Nikolaevich had done all he could so I would be at the Worlds.
EV: Was your schedule changed due to not going to the worlds?
ET: No. I knew in advance where I would be skating. The only difference was whether I'll go to the show straight from the Worlds or from St. Petersburg.
EV: Was it hard to get back into the shape after almost six weeks of the shows?
ET: No. Once the show is over it's not the tiredness, but an emotional emptiness. It's not the feeling of the end of a competitive season, but a sadness: there was a really cool party and now it's over.
EV: What have changed in your summer preparations?
ET: I can't say it became easier or harder. Guess I could have made it easier for myself had I left exactly the same technical content I had before, but why would I stop if I can progress? Hence Alexey Nikolaevich and I decided to make the programmes as complicated as possible. In the SP we'll try the 3F3T instead of 3T3T that I used to do and the 3Lz will be at the 2nd part of the programme, and those two 3A in the LP. I don't really have a choice if I want to remain competitive. I have to progress, learn new elements, skate differently. My SP to `Oblivion' is a bit different from what I usually do. I want to see how the judges will take it. The LP is less nerve wrecking - am fun and funny there, the usual me - I love the programme and the music and in that case, from my experience, the programme is always well accepted.
EV: Where did the idea to keep the SP programme done by Shae-Lynn Bourne but change the music come from?
ET: It was the idea of our all team, who I completely trust.
EV: Did Shae-Lynn participate the decision?
ET: All the talks were done by Alexey Nikolaevich and I think they have reached an agreement. Am so grateful for Shae-Lynn for the collaboration. We did a hard and a good job developing me as a skater.
EV: Was it a hard step?
ET: It wasn't easy. Moving from your comfortable steps into something completely new and unusual is always hard. Especially when you have to combine the tough new choreography with the technical elements and not even flinch. Though all and all it wasn't that bad. I just needed time.
EV: Every person has the parasite words in their speech. Is it the same with the figure skaters with the parasite moves? That you learn subconsciously for years and can't always get away from?
ET: I think so. I can't really tell my moving habits bothered me much while working with Shae-Lynn, but from the very beginning I decided to work exactly the way the choreographer would tell me and not allow any personal input in my moves. That constant control was one of the hardest things for me. I did the steps, the jumps entries the way Shae-Lynn sees them, not allowing to put a leg or let of of the arms. Bourne is very explicit on what she wants to see, every point is well planned and the work goes on till the result is not exactly as she pictured. I traveled to Charlestown for 5 days to work with Shae-Lynn on the programme. Now we keep polishing it and try not to get away from the original idea.
EV: Do you need to be in contact with the choreographer through the season so they can correct their work?
ET: Am constantly near a choreographer, there is also Tatiana Nikolaevna Prokofieva - our choreographer who constantly cleans the programme and keeps it fresh. Shae-Lynn her self was all for keeping in touch with Facetime - I show her how I skate.
EV: Is re-learning the moves comparable to re-learning the technique?
ET: It've been a very long time since I had to re-learn the technique, so I can't really answer that.
EV: All and all are you and the coach satisfied with how the test skates went?
ET: Yes. We left Moscow in a good mood.
EV: And now your competitive schedule is as packed as it was a year ago?
ET: Yes. We start with two challenges, then two GPs and we'll see what next. If I make it to the GPF then the Russian nationals will be my 6th competition of the season.
EV: It's considered the ice in `Luzhniki' where the test skates took place is quite heavy - the palace is warm and the ice melts all the time. Did you feel it?
ET: I thought the ice was quite good. Though yes, skating in `Luzhniki' was quite hot. Because of that completing the LP was hard. But it's much worse when the rink is too cold - the muscles cool down and that is a problem. As for me - if am in a good physical shape the quality of the ice is not important enough to even notice. I can't even recall a single competition where the ice was a problem.
EV: What about the blades sharpening?
ET: I used to skate on the `Matrix' for a very long time, which you didn't need to sharpen during the season at all - it was enough just to fix the blade a bit with the stone. Now we switched to the `Gold Seal', which we never sharpened after the initial work. So I haven't dealt with the blades sharpening for quite a while.
EV: It's rather unusual to hear. I know some athletes who sharpen the blades before every competition.
ET: We don't do it in our team. When the sharpening is fresh it's not so comfortable skating as on the blades which you are used to. Jumping becomes dangerous.
EV: Can you compare the expectations of the first competition to the mood of last year?
ET: Everything was much calmer a year ago. Now there are more nerves. In my first competition I will be skating outside of my comfort zone. It's like changing all your closet at once just before the big event. Of course am worried how will it go
