“Some are sad, but not those with the right primary goals. There are no hesitations or regrets in our club. Interview with Tamara Moskvina

On Sunday in St. Petersburg, at the Repino-Leninskoye country club, before the new season of the Continental Hockey League, a large-scale presentation of SKA hockey took place. One of the guests of honor was the legendary Tamara Moskvina, a great figure skating coach who raised a huge number of champions for our country.

“” spoke with Tamara Nikolaevna and found out:

– Pride covers when you see such a holiday, – admits Tamara Nikolaevna “”. – It can be said that skaters envy such popularity, fame and importance of such presentation.

– When Dmitry Guberniev came on stage, did it surprise you?

Yes, it was purely impromptu. It’s good that such a well-known journalist knows figure skating and pays tribute to some coaches.

It’s true, he honors everyone, loves everyone, because we do one common thing, we try to please, emotions, sometimes not quite positive for the fans. This is the whole point of sport as a spectacle, an element of struggle, of surpassing oneself. Emotions influence the lives of people of all ages, and for young people these holidays are very important: children see what they want to do. It makes the happiness of the inhabitants of the city and the countryside.

“You looked a little embarrassed when he called you queen.

– Yes, because the queen is usually old, I’m still young! A joke, of course. We just have a lot of good coaches, specialists and skaters. And I love being behind the scenes.

– What do you think about the fact that Alexander Gallyamov plays for the football team Pure Peter? How dangerous is it for a skater to practice other sports than profile?

– In general, it is a risk to practice traumatic sports. But I know that Alexandre has his head on his shoulders, and that there is reason in his head. Therefore, he will certainly engage in his hobby as long as it does not interfere with the main thing in which he is a specialist and an idol of the public.

– You said that many people come to football, but the stadiums are half empty, and in figure skating the arenas are literally bursting.

– In stadiums, the stands are very large, in figure skating it is easier to fill them. This is our task: to prepare such programs in order to attract the viewer.

– Five years ago, an ice rink was installed at the Gazprom Arena and the SKA hockey club played, there was a full house. If you are holding figure skater demonstrations there, is it realistic to expect 60-70,000 people?

– Contact those who organize the match. Offer them this option and we will be happy to participate.

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– Last season, Boikova/Kozlovsky made a quadruple outing. Will ultra-c take root in pair skating and do any of your current students teach these elements?

– Elements of this kind – quadruple throws and quadruple twists – have been practiced for a long time, even during competitions. But due to the rules of the International Skating Union, which do not grant an additional bonus for performing such an element, these elements were no longer performed both in training and competition.

However, life goes on, athletes are looking for ways to win and stand out. Therefore, the performance of this element by Dima and Alexandra and other athletes attempting to perform complex elements is commendable. At the same time, as a coach, I always have to make sure that the complication of the programs is not traumatic.

– Is there a limit in figure skating for the development of elements, because each year the programs become more complicated?

– There is a limit. Because we not only have a technical sport with complex elements, but also a sport with an artistic side. The balance between artistic and sporting elements is mainly in the direction of the technical component, which must be artistically framed.

Many years ago no one thought men would do 5-6 quadruple jumps. Now there are more and more of them. It will be in other types of figure skating: in pairs for example. And in ice dancing, athletes perform several turns-sunflowers, although previously this was considered a difficult element. Everything changes in life, I am for development, for change, to seek and find new techniques, while keeping the public’s interest in our sport.

Are all your students ready for the season?

– People are preparing for the season, for skate tests for justice specialists. New programs, new elements.

– Tell us about the role of Alexander Smirnov in the Moskvina club.

– Alexander Smirnov, like other coaches of our sports club, contributes to the training of figure skaters. In pair skating, we have the strongest pairs in Russia among adults, now we are actively working with junior pairs taking their first steps. We hope that under the guidance of a coach, they will quickly cross the path of becoming.

In the same way, individual skating athletes work and train in our club: Petr Gumennik, Nikolai Ugozhaev, Andrey Kutovoy – guys who are among the strongest individual skating athletes among adults and juniors. We hope they will develop further.

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– How do you motivate athletes and coaches to continue to perform in the context of the situation of world figure skating and sport in general? How to support them so that they don’t give up and put an end to their career?

Why do you think they give up and end their career? Nobody does.

Some are sad. But not those who have the right main goals – adequately represent the country, city, club in competitions, attract and surprise the public. There are no hesitations or regrets in our club. Competitions in any city in Russia are the same as in any city in the world.

Can’t you separate them from each other?

– Guys-skaters are tuned for the perfect execution of their programs in any competition and city. Tournaments are organized for spectators, regardless of the country of origin of these spectators and the language they speak. To perform in front of the public of our country is even more honourable.

– The whole country has been worried about Kamila Valieva since the second year. The hearings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport will begin in a month. How is this all going to end? Will we have team gold?

– Competent people from ISU, IOC and lawyers hired to deal with this issue are dealing with the problem. I am not an expert, I await the decision of these organizations. Let’s get the verdict and move on. These organizations should decide everything fairly, why should we suspect them of any injustice? Although everything happens in life, so we wait for the verdict.