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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Evgeni Platov for rt.com
EV: Do you only coach the amateurs now?
EP: I coach whoever comes to the rink. Not long ago a UK dance team came. They used to work with Dean in Colorado Springs, then moved to Florida and came to me. But I am not the head coach anymore. I don't want that.
EV: Do you coach because you love it or because you need the money?
EP: Just because I love it. My wife and I have our business for the money. We have several restaurants and cafes. It's quiet popular in Florida since it's hot and everyone craves and icecream. My wife is running the business, I help her. The ice rink... apparently I can't live without it. I tried to stay away for a couple of months and couldn't. Nothing gives me as much pleasure as seeing the result of my coaching work. My mom worked in the school her whole life, guess I inherited her ability to communicate with the kids.
EV: How much do you follow the figure skating now?
EP: I do of course. I enjoyed watching the Europeans, was in awe with Valieva, how much Stepanova/Bukin improved. I haven't recognized them, frankly. The programmes are so good, the softness of their gliding. I think they are a real competition to Sinitsina/Katsalapov this season. I don't know what happened to him though. Heard he was injured and he spent a lot of time off the ice. Guess it influenced their skate in Tallinn - they were shaky. But I think Nikita is a really talented athlete. Think in Beijing they will be a true competition to the French.
EV: 8 years ago before the Olympics in Sochi you were saying the Olympic programme has to be outstanding. I think that's what Stepanova/Bukin's programme is.
EP: Absolutely agree. Sinitsina/Katsalapov's programems are good, just don't seem polished enough for me. But they still have a chance to clean it and make the impression stronger.
EV: What can you say about the French duo?
EP: Papadakis/Cizeron are unique in their gliding. They enchant the viewer like a snake it's victim. Enchant with their soft, flowing absolute magnetism. They sit so low and so soft on their knees it's really hard to compete against them in the gliding. It's a unique technique. When I coach the ice dancers I often use a phrase: let's do it like the French do.
EV: I.e. the ability to glide is something you can coach?
EP: As a professional I can say sitting that low on the knees is almost impossible. I don't even understand how do Papadakis and Cizeron do it: how strong their legs must be and how soft thanks to that the gliding is. If you run on the ice on the straight legs you can never achieve that - it will not work. Speaking of which, Bukin began gliding really softly and I like it. But the French are not comparable to anyone.
EV: Do you reckon anyone else will be competing with the French and the Russians?
EP: I have a feeling the judges will support the US Hubbell/Donohue. The 2nd American team looks a bit weaker. At any rate, I didn't really like their programme, unlike last season when Chock/Bates were doing a Egyptian dance. But think the fight for the first 2 places will be between the French and Sinitsina/Katsalapov. As for the 3rd - there will be many contenders.
EV: Do you think the Montreuil school ruling the ice dance is beginning to hurt the ice dance in general? Does it become boring?
EP: There is that. There are a lot of teams in Montreuil who haven't changed their style in years. All is slow, flowing, beautiful, but all and all everyone's music and programmes are the same. I don't think any of the current Montreuil teams can take a rock-n-roll and skate it. That's why I loved last year's Chock/Bates' programme so much - they were so different and stood out from the rest.
EV: I would say standing out becomes a unique quality in figure skating. More often you hear the wailing the sport is killed by the rules too strict, that they all have to do the same things, that there is no place to be different. But even in these boundaries there are programmes where you miss the elements are even there
EP: It is indeed very hard to create a programme that would look like a masterpiece within the current rules. But it was always the case. If we go back 30 years the pairs skating was the same: speed up, jump, speed up, lift. And then Mishkutenok/Dmitriev came and their programmes were more dancy than sportive. It was the highest art which we are talking about now. Though I can't say much about the current pairs skating - I haven't really followed it this season.
EV: And the singles?
EP: Slightly more. I liked Kondratuk, as said, liked Valieva - she is unique. Especially her presentation of her SP.
EV: I thought you'd mention `Bolero'
EP: I like the SP better. After all you have to mature to skate to `Bolero' and it's a bit early for a 15y.o. girl. Kostner took `Bolero' when she was all grown up. Valieva shows some very mature emotions in her skating, but the `Bolero', I think, should be interpreted more calmly. You can't just run around on the ice, you have to spell magic on the crowd and it's not just by the jumps. But her talent, is, of course, immense. I think Kamila should win these Olympics.
EV: What did you like about Kondratuyk?
EP: I liked that I have never heard that name before. I looked him up - he never won a junior competition, never shown. And then wham! The first time he participates the Europeans and wins it and with a clean skate. Frankly, I was shocked. I'm not used to see a new comer who is not failing his elements. It was very decent.
EV: The usual question which I ask everyone: Hanuy or Chen?
EP: If it was up to me I would present them 2 gold medals, I respect them both and a fan of their talents. Seriously. I think I felt the same only in 2002 when Yagudin and Pluschenko were competing.
EV: You don't think Hanuy's time had passed?
EP: Should he skate his programmes like he could in the past I think it will be a real competition. But then again, we haven't really seen Hanuy this season. I did see Chen at the Nationals, where he was skating unique as far as the blade control goes. I thought then he should have changed the costume: it doesn't look serious when a 3 times world champion skates in some tshirt that he bought almost in a sports department sale. He looked as if he was in the practice. That I didn't like.
EV: If it wasn't for the costume accident for Papadakis in Korea I think Papadakis/Cizeron would have won. 4 years after these games the French have probably lived with the thought they have no right to lose in Beijing. You have been in their shoes before. How does it feel?
EP: You can't describe that feeling. Because you have no chance for a smallest mistake. You understand it clear: if you make a smallest error - you lose. You wait for the Games for 4 years and you work to make sure it doesn't happen. It's not a mountain of responsibility, but a planet or a universe. And you have to deal with all that pressure no matter what. In Nagano Oksana and I made it, but mentally it was really hard. I can't compare these feelings with anything else I went through in my life. A lot fight for the medals, come to the Olympics and settle for the 2-3rd place. But here you are eaten alive by a thought: if you will become 2nd you pretty much lost your whole life.
EV: Oksana and you became the Olympic champions before and you wouldn't have lost that title even if you lost in 1998.
EP: No, no, and again no.
EV: Why?
EP: Because the Olympic champion is am ark that you are marked with the whole time you keep competing. And if you lose a title - you are a loser, the person who was not able to hold to the most important thing in life. After the victory in Lillehammer no one could beat Grischuk and I. And that victorious stream created such a stress you can't explain with just the words
I recall in Nagano not long before our skate there was an earthquake. Everything was shaking: the rink, the Olympic village, the earth. I was absolutely sure it were my nerves. In order to calm down I took a very long walk in the park though I have never done it before in the competitions. If you ask me what was the hardest thing in my career I'll reply: to go to the FD in Nagano and not make a single mistake.
EV: It should be easier for Papadakis/Cizeron though: they lost in Korea, they lost the Europeans 2020, and it frees from the champion stress
EP: Agree. But they will still have to deal with the immense pressure within themselves and outside.
EV: Are you sorry during the Olympics that you are not coaching?
EP: I admire our great coaches - Tarasova, Moskvina, Mishin and those who spent so many years near the border. I only coached on a serious level from 2002 to 2014 but the time came when I decided it was too hard mentally. I was so worried about my teams that my health was not enough. I decided to change my life. My wife and I moved to Florida, we live on an island. And I have gold. I used to play before, but we were living in New Jersey and one winter we had 13 serious snow falls. I realized I won't be able to play before April if not May. And then I told my wife to start packing.
EV: I.e. the reason for your move to Florida was your golfing?
EP: so it seems. Though have I decided to go on working in figure skating on the highest level and aim for the 4cc, world and Olympic medals I wouldn't have left. I had a unique working conditions in New Jersey. I had my own ice time that the rink gave me from the very early morning till 3-4pm, had a good team. There is a good ice rink in West Palm beach, but it's only one ice. Everyone is skating together - the kids, the adults, the grannies, the higher level skaters. There are no special groups. But I mainly work with the kids, so I like it.
< there is a part about him golfing and about golf which am skipping>
EV: Will you be following the Olympics?
EP: You bet! I can't wait to see who will win the dance, the men. It's easier with the ladies - it's already quite obvious. And I have to see the pairs once this season! Perhaps I will even put some money. If only in my thoughts...
EV: Do you only coach the amateurs now?
EP: I coach whoever comes to the rink. Not long ago a UK dance team came. They used to work with Dean in Colorado Springs, then moved to Florida and came to me. But I am not the head coach anymore. I don't want that.
EV: Do you coach because you love it or because you need the money?
EP: Just because I love it. My wife and I have our business for the money. We have several restaurants and cafes. It's quiet popular in Florida since it's hot and everyone craves and icecream. My wife is running the business, I help her. The ice rink... apparently I can't live without it. I tried to stay away for a couple of months and couldn't. Nothing gives me as much pleasure as seeing the result of my coaching work. My mom worked in the school her whole life, guess I inherited her ability to communicate with the kids.
EV: How much do you follow the figure skating now?
EP: I do of course. I enjoyed watching the Europeans, was in awe with Valieva, how much Stepanova/Bukin improved. I haven't recognized them, frankly. The programmes are so good, the softness of their gliding. I think they are a real competition to Sinitsina/Katsalapov this season. I don't know what happened to him though. Heard he was injured and he spent a lot of time off the ice. Guess it influenced their skate in Tallinn - they were shaky. But I think Nikita is a really talented athlete. Think in Beijing they will be a true competition to the French.
EV: 8 years ago before the Olympics in Sochi you were saying the Olympic programme has to be outstanding. I think that's what Stepanova/Bukin's programme is.
EP: Absolutely agree. Sinitsina/Katsalapov's programems are good, just don't seem polished enough for me. But they still have a chance to clean it and make the impression stronger.
EV: What can you say about the French duo?
EP: Papadakis/Cizeron are unique in their gliding. They enchant the viewer like a snake it's victim. Enchant with their soft, flowing absolute magnetism. They sit so low and so soft on their knees it's really hard to compete against them in the gliding. It's a unique technique. When I coach the ice dancers I often use a phrase: let's do it like the French do.
EV: I.e. the ability to glide is something you can coach?
EP: As a professional I can say sitting that low on the knees is almost impossible. I don't even understand how do Papadakis and Cizeron do it: how strong their legs must be and how soft thanks to that the gliding is. If you run on the ice on the straight legs you can never achieve that - it will not work. Speaking of which, Bukin began gliding really softly and I like it. But the French are not comparable to anyone.
EV: Do you reckon anyone else will be competing with the French and the Russians?
EP: I have a feeling the judges will support the US Hubbell/Donohue. The 2nd American team looks a bit weaker. At any rate, I didn't really like their programme, unlike last season when Chock/Bates were doing a Egyptian dance. But think the fight for the first 2 places will be between the French and Sinitsina/Katsalapov. As for the 3rd - there will be many contenders.
EV: Do you think the Montreuil school ruling the ice dance is beginning to hurt the ice dance in general? Does it become boring?
EP: There is that. There are a lot of teams in Montreuil who haven't changed their style in years. All is slow, flowing, beautiful, but all and all everyone's music and programmes are the same. I don't think any of the current Montreuil teams can take a rock-n-roll and skate it. That's why I loved last year's Chock/Bates' programme so much - they were so different and stood out from the rest.
EV: I would say standing out becomes a unique quality in figure skating. More often you hear the wailing the sport is killed by the rules too strict, that they all have to do the same things, that there is no place to be different. But even in these boundaries there are programmes where you miss the elements are even there
EP: It is indeed very hard to create a programme that would look like a masterpiece within the current rules. But it was always the case. If we go back 30 years the pairs skating was the same: speed up, jump, speed up, lift. And then Mishkutenok/Dmitriev came and their programmes were more dancy than sportive. It was the highest art which we are talking about now. Though I can't say much about the current pairs skating - I haven't really followed it this season.
EV: And the singles?
EP: Slightly more. I liked Kondratuk, as said, liked Valieva - she is unique. Especially her presentation of her SP.
EV: I thought you'd mention `Bolero'
EP: I like the SP better. After all you have to mature to skate to `Bolero' and it's a bit early for a 15y.o. girl. Kostner took `Bolero' when she was all grown up. Valieva shows some very mature emotions in her skating, but the `Bolero', I think, should be interpreted more calmly. You can't just run around on the ice, you have to spell magic on the crowd and it's not just by the jumps. But her talent, is, of course, immense. I think Kamila should win these Olympics.
EV: What did you like about Kondratuyk?
EP: I liked that I have never heard that name before. I looked him up - he never won a junior competition, never shown. And then wham! The first time he participates the Europeans and wins it and with a clean skate. Frankly, I was shocked. I'm not used to see a new comer who is not failing his elements. It was very decent.
EV: The usual question which I ask everyone: Hanuy or Chen?
EP: If it was up to me I would present them 2 gold medals, I respect them both and a fan of their talents. Seriously. I think I felt the same only in 2002 when Yagudin and Pluschenko were competing.
EV: You don't think Hanuy's time had passed?
EP: Should he skate his programmes like he could in the past I think it will be a real competition. But then again, we haven't really seen Hanuy this season. I did see Chen at the Nationals, where he was skating unique as far as the blade control goes. I thought then he should have changed the costume: it doesn't look serious when a 3 times world champion skates in some tshirt that he bought almost in a sports department sale. He looked as if he was in the practice. That I didn't like.
EV: If it wasn't for the costume accident for Papadakis in Korea I think Papadakis/Cizeron would have won. 4 years after these games the French have probably lived with the thought they have no right to lose in Beijing. You have been in their shoes before. How does it feel?
EP: You can't describe that feeling. Because you have no chance for a smallest mistake. You understand it clear: if you make a smallest error - you lose. You wait for the Games for 4 years and you work to make sure it doesn't happen. It's not a mountain of responsibility, but a planet or a universe. And you have to deal with all that pressure no matter what. In Nagano Oksana and I made it, but mentally it was really hard. I can't compare these feelings with anything else I went through in my life. A lot fight for the medals, come to the Olympics and settle for the 2-3rd place. But here you are eaten alive by a thought: if you will become 2nd you pretty much lost your whole life.
EV: Oksana and you became the Olympic champions before and you wouldn't have lost that title even if you lost in 1998.
EP: No, no, and again no.
EV: Why?
EP: Because the Olympic champion is am ark that you are marked with the whole time you keep competing. And if you lose a title - you are a loser, the person who was not able to hold to the most important thing in life. After the victory in Lillehammer no one could beat Grischuk and I. And that victorious stream created such a stress you can't explain with just the words
I recall in Nagano not long before our skate there was an earthquake. Everything was shaking: the rink, the Olympic village, the earth. I was absolutely sure it were my nerves. In order to calm down I took a very long walk in the park though I have never done it before in the competitions. If you ask me what was the hardest thing in my career I'll reply: to go to the FD in Nagano and not make a single mistake.
EV: It should be easier for Papadakis/Cizeron though: they lost in Korea, they lost the Europeans 2020, and it frees from the champion stress
EP: Agree. But they will still have to deal with the immense pressure within themselves and outside.
EV: Are you sorry during the Olympics that you are not coaching?
EP: I admire our great coaches - Tarasova, Moskvina, Mishin and those who spent so many years near the border. I only coached on a serious level from 2002 to 2014 but the time came when I decided it was too hard mentally. I was so worried about my teams that my health was not enough. I decided to change my life. My wife and I moved to Florida, we live on an island. And I have gold. I used to play before, but we were living in New Jersey and one winter we had 13 serious snow falls. I realized I won't be able to play before April if not May. And then I told my wife to start packing.
EV: I.e. the reason for your move to Florida was your golfing?
EP: so it seems. Though have I decided to go on working in figure skating on the highest level and aim for the 4cc, world and Olympic medals I wouldn't have left. I had a unique working conditions in New Jersey. I had my own ice time that the rink gave me from the very early morning till 3-4pm, had a good team. There is a good ice rink in West Palm beach, but it's only one ice. Everyone is skating together - the kids, the adults, the grannies, the higher level skaters. There are no special groups. But I mainly work with the kids, so I like it.
< there is a part about him golfing and about golf which am skipping>
EV: Will you be following the Olympics?
EP: You bet! I can't wait to see who will win the dance, the men. It's easier with the ladies - it's already quite obvious. And I have to see the pairs once this season! Perhaps I will even put some money. If only in my thoughts...
. Like you, I didn’t like any of G/P’s programs afterward except for their 1995 OD and their 1997 Libertango FD. Their 1994 Rock n Roll FD was actually excellent at Euros. Not sure why it looked so blah at Lillehammer.
