“Competing only between them leads to a sad result.” Dive Coach on New Realities and Empty Stands

Head Coach of the Russian National Diving Team Svetlana Moiseeva admitted that the first start at the new facility in Yekaterinburg did not go as planned, and also spoke about injury problems and the psychological mood of athletes who find themselves without international competitions.

— Svetlana Borisovna, how difficult was the first start in the new facility?

– It’s very difficult, there have been a lot of misunderstandings about how it should work. I am grateful to the people who have helped us as much as possible here, but in general I must say that the system is not set up to organize competitions. In the beginning, there were a lot of problems with a pass for the installation, with security measures – as if we had come with the objective of destroying this installation. I wish some basic things fit better even at this point.

But the biggest problem is the empty stands. We wanted to have a big sports party, and it didn’t work out, although we tried our best. Meetings with athletes and various related activities were also planned. We wanted to have a solemn atmosphere, but it turned out that in terms of solemnity in Penza, the event went better, because when the stands are active, it’s a different feeling. Here is the void.

In Saratov, during the Eurasian Countries Cup, we had people queuing to get into the stands … Here they sold tickets through the website, they write that all tickets are sold out, then he Turned out about 70 people didn’t go to the stands – they couldn’t issue that ticket.

The next big event is the International University Sports Festival, and if the job isn’t done right away, it won’t be very good.

– Is the Russian Championship planned in Saint-Petersburg next year?

– This is not the first time this issue has come up, but we have a difficult relationship with the leadership of the St. Petersburg Committee for Physical Culture and Sports. We have tried several times to hold an event there, but it doesn’t add up. There is no mutual understanding on how to organize competitions there.

– What can you say about the quality of the jumps in competition after two years without international competitions?

– The result is lower compared to the previous championship, but I don’t think the guys work less well or understand that there are no rivals, and deliberately give each other slack.

— On a purely intuitive level, the whole situation affects?

– Maybe yes. In most types of programs, results have dropped. I’m glad the reservation was removed. Boys on the trampoline are more stable. Their point totals went up, so they were the ones who shot up from the leaders, not the other way around. And if they continue to progress, the competition will increase significantly. Everyone works, but it must be admitted that competitions exclusively between them always lead to such an unhappy result.

Last year, the atmosphere was “to play, and suddenly they will allow it, we will prepare”. And when some conversations are replaced by others, and no decision is made, it affects.

– Will you take the team to Cuba?

– Yes, but to a greater extent, of course, we want to go to Mexico – the level of the team is higher there. If they gave us the green light, that would be great. The Chinese don’t seem to care, they promise, but nothing follows. They say they will come here for the International University Sports Festival. In fact, Nikita Shleikher agreed to perform here only for this prospect of competition with the Chinese.

“It does not matter the level of the Chinese. SO?

– Yes. Because the average level is still very high for their team.

– Kristina Ilyinykh said that so far she could only train in the new pool in Yekaterinburg three times a week. Is it like that everywhere?

– No, not everywhere, but the object must come into full operation. CSP, the school should be created. In a good way, of course, I would like them to train here, but there are two municipal schools, and the establishment belongs to the region. It’s a bureaucratic thing, and it’s just not possible to fix it right now. Agreements must be established. If the school – they will pay rent, if the representatives of the national team – they must have time. Otherwise, who will be here in a specialized pool for jumping? Will people just swim?

– You have a lot of injuries. Or is it a work story?

– Probably a lot. Lisa (Kuzina) jumps to tears – a back problem. Zhenya Kuznetsov will be operated on July 3. (to Alexander) Cherepakhin also had to undergo surgery. High school girls also have problems – a rehabilitation specialist worked with Yulia Timoshinina, Anya Konanykhina also has problems with her shoulders. And Vitaly Koroleva has problems. These are, so to speak, problems of training activity.

– Alexander Bondar and Ruslan Ternovoy – second in synchro on the tower. How do you explain it?

– The guys were wrong. Last year they jumped well, but this year they are not so ready. Ruslan struggled to jump 3.5 laps back while leaning. Sasha’s age makes it harder to keep constantly in shape, but he tries. The first time they lost quite a bit in Belarus, I thought it would push them one way or another, but this time they lost too. Although all this does not mean that we have changed leaders. The competition is growing, Alexander Belevtsev / Nikita Schleicher also manages to come true.

– Will Schleicher be able to combine two shells?

– As long as there are no international competitions, he can, and if there are, he will have to choose, because it will be difficult to combine. Now that he is at the age where he manages to do it, after a while it will be more and more difficult. Nikita is 25, maybe another year or two, and then he will have to make a choice. The choice will be in favor of where it is easier. And I know it will be a tower.

– Is it psychologically easier after all the adventures with the springboard?

– I think so, but he left the tower. The springboard is another subtlety of sensations. At one point, when Ilya was disqualified, Nikita had to “synchronize” with Kuznetsov. The springboard seemed to work well, but what happened at the Olympics still knocked it down.

– Isn’t there as much magic with a springboard as with a tower?

– Maybe.

– He acts in movies. You too, but we don’t know in what role.

– As a head coach. And even in the part where the Olympic Games take place in Rio! Even though I wasn’t the head coach there, everyone knows that very well. But it’s a feature film!

– Has the famous flower pond entered the plot?

– It has been highlighted, I don’t know what color it will be. In general, cinema is an interesting thing, especially when they try to make an Olympic swimming pool in Rio de Janeiro from a simple swimming pool.

– If they don’t allow you to attend the Games now, aren’t you afraid that the athletes will start leaving – someone to a new stage of life, someone to another team?

“I have already said in the meeting that we will keep the leaders to be a guide for the young people. They should be flagships. Otherwise, they will leave and the young people will think that they are the coolest. We need competition. It’s clear that everyone makes their choice, but at least we want our leaders to stay in 2024.

– Aren’t you afraid that young people will turn to other more profitable sectors of activity?

– So it’s not the athletes that are worth keeping. To evolve in our sport, you have to devote yourself to it.

– Yulia Timoshinina said that everyone is already ready for a negative decision on the Olympics. As a head coach, do you allow yourself to send such thoughts to the Universe?

– I have to generate positive, but I go from bad to worse. I guess I give them fables…

“They understand that these are fables and acquiesce? »

“Subconsciously, we just don’t want to bother each other. This whole situation has a bad effect on the preparation, on the work as a whole. We want to go to the Olympics, we’re fed up, we want to develop our sport, but we know the realities well. This is the second time I’ve been there. I lived in Uzbekistan, after the collapse of the USSR, we could not go anywhere – the currency was not convertible. That’s probably why I left. I wanted to find an outlet for my ambitions. Now the same situation is developing, but due to age and experience I make other decisions. There is no desire to pack a suitcase and go to work in another country. Therefore, we are determined to work under the current conditions.

There will not be these Olympics – we will prepare for the next ones.

– At the same time, you are not saying that alternative competitions will replace the Olympic Games for you.

Of course, they will not replace it. And athletes understand that. They can simply be allowed to speak, given certain privileges in monetary terms – this is their job, and no one has ever refused bonuses for good work, there is nothing wrong with that. But we all understand perfectly. None of the winners of the Goodwill Games will say that it replaced their victory at the Olympics, even though they really could have won there.

Watch live broadcasts of the Russian Diving Championship from June 24 to 29 on Match holding TV channels, as well as on the sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru websites