“During training, I forget that I’m pregnant and I don’t feel heavy.” Interview with Anna Pogorilaya

Anna Pogorilaya, after completing her professional career (last time on ice in the 2018/19 season), remained in sports and works as a children’s coach. On January 20, Anna announced her pregnancy on social networks. This will be their second child in the family of figure skater Andrei Nevsky. The daughter Eva is already three years old and she is already skating with all her might.

talked to Anna about pregnancy, raising a child, the problems of parents of athletes and promising young Russian figure skaters.

“Eva has already asked for a sibling. A child must have company”

— How did your loved ones react to the news of the pregnancy?

– We were planning a child, it wasn’t a surprise, we were getting ready, it was just nice to know. All the relatives are very happy, they have already asked: when will the second one take place? So I think we guessed it.

— You have no desire to become a mother of many children?

– No, but they definitely wanted two. Eva has already asked for a sibling, the child must have company. But it is difficult to make plans. There is no goal of becoming a mother of many children.

— Before the birth of your first child or now, has anyone in the figure world given you advice on the subject?

– No, we didn’t ask one way or another. Maybe somewhere in the show they talked about education, but very briefly. There was no need to ask anything. In general, if you ignore the world of numbers, there are a lot of advisors, you don’t even ask, but they still say something. We try to only listen to certain points so as not to offend anyone. We read more scientific articles.

— On social networks, you declared that you had hidden your second pregnancy. For what?

– So that there is less attention. I continue to work with the group, I feel calmer when my attention is not focused on such things. Then I was invited to the filming and realized that it was already the fifth month – and there was no point in hiding it.

The first pregnancy was also not exposed to the public.

— Many parents do not initially post photos of their child and hide their faces.

– I also have a certain fear. The baby needs to get stronger. I try not to follow superstitions, but I don’t want to share my child left and right. Just a little baby, I want it to stay personal, family. Sharing a photo of a hand and notifying that all is well with the child is possible.

“With the birth of my first child, there were probably a lot of fears and worries. Is everything easier for you now?

— I don’t know, each child is individual. Experience helps, but the second child is a different person, everything can be different. At the stage of pregnancy, for the first time, I also felt very calm. It is impossible to be one hundred percent prepared for birth.

— You are five months pregnant. Doesn’t work bother you? When are you planning to take a vacation?

— The birth is planned for May, I plan to train until the end of the season, and I will leave with peace of mind. My coach left straight from training to give birth, I have a good example of my love for coaching (laughs). At Anna Vladimirovna’s [Царевой] – two healthy children, everything is fine.

When you are a fan of your business and passionate about it, stories like this are normal. It is clear that if there are difficulties or deviations, it is better not to joke. While continuing to coach, I even set up programs for some children. I try to go on the ice less. And while I work, I forget that I’m pregnant, I don’t feel heavy.

“Eva wanted to get into figure skating. I don’t really know how to educate my child.

— Would you like your children to learn figure skating?

– Only if the child himself asks for it. Eva wanted it, we decided to put her on skates, we brought them back from Canada. We work with her slowly, under our supervision, she goes out with young children, begins to walk on the ice and gets used to it.

I don’t really know how to educate my child. I want my children to go to gymnastics first, to strengthen their bodies – it develops them overall. And then get into whatever sport they want. If they tell me, “I want to be a figure skater,” I won’t be against it. When I was a child, my parents also gave me a choice. Eva is a very conscious child; if she doesn’t want to do something, she won’t do it.

— How objective can you be about your child as a coach?

– I thought about it. It’s difficult to be objective, I will be even stricter towards my family. She’s my child, I want her to achieve something. If she wants to try another sport or another direction, I will only be happy. When children of famous parents start studying, there is automatically a certain stigma and high expectations. I don’t understand how this is related.

It’s hard for me to guess, especially since Eva is only three years old.

— However, Eva begins to take up figure skating. Do you have any dreams in terms of the girl’s achievements?

– No, I dream that she evolves romantically. I don’t want to break a child’s psyche with my dream. There are many examples when parents really wanted their child to become a figure skater, but the children themselves did not need this. This just makes things worse for everyone.

— In addition to working as a coach, you participate in shows. With the birth of your second child, are you considering giving up anything?

– I will think. The priority is family, children, coaching. For me, the most important thing is that my child is healthy. And for the baby, the main thing is that the mother is nearby.

“I would like to see the children in the show jumping tournament as adults. I hope we enjoy it again.”

“Many parents pressure their children with demands and expectations. Is this problem common?

– It’s already arrived. Sometimes the coach sets a certain load regime, but the parents think that this is not enough. They begin to go against their plans individually and take extra classes. And then the athlete arrives as exhausted and tired as possible. The coach in such situations does not understand what to do. Some parents think they know better, but experts aren’t fools either.

— How often in your practice have you encountered parents interfering with the training process?

“There have certainly been several examples, but, unfortunately, these children did not reach a high level or suffered serious injuries: physical, psychological.

— Margarita Bazylyuk, 12 years old, was the first in the world among girls to perform a stunt of two quadruple Salchows during the show jumping tournament. Did this impact you?

– Yes, I was very surprised. She has a very good spin, good technique, in principle, all this is assumed. Maybe they even practice a cascade of two quadruple toe loops. It’s even more serious. The boys were also very satisfied: the older and younger generations. The show jumping tournament is very spectacular, even a little scary. I would like to see these children as adults, I hope we still enjoy them.

— I heard two opinions about the girls’ performances. First: how bones will function in the future is scary. Second: Children recover quickly, and if we don’t try now, when? How do you think?

— I agree with each of these theses. A child’s body recovers quickly, but at an older age it is more difficult. During these two days, we witnessed an incredible number of quadruple jumps from young athletes. The load is colossal. Arseny Fedotov’s jumps, for example, are neither violent nor traumatic, but gentle. Kostyleva had a terrible jump, she couldn’t get out at the end, she was tired.

I love watching not only the elements, but also the beautiful skating. Progress cannot be stopped. We can only wish the children to prove themselves at the adult level.