“We’re a tight-knit team, but usually it’s all Lisa’s fault. » A fun interview with figure skaters Osokina and Gritsaenko

In the 2023/24 season, the students of Pavel Slyusarenko – Osokina And Gritsaenko — won two medals at the Grand Prix stages, won the Russian Show Jumping Championship and finished sixth at the Spartakiad of the Strongest. But at the main start of the season – the national championship – the duo could not rise above eighth place. The reason for the failure was the breaking of a partner’s lace during the free skate.

In an interview with , Elizaveta and Artem told how they coped with force majeure in Chelyabinsk, shared their vacation plans and assessed the prospects for leadership in the national team.

— Guys, how was the 2023/24 season for you?

— Artem: The season went well. In the first two stages of the Grand Prix, we were able to compete and win prizes. At the Russian Championship there was an unpleasant incident with a shoelace. Then the show jumping tournament was a success and by the Spartakiad we were already tired.

– What are you doing now?

– Now we stay in shape and learn a few things. Director Sergei Plishkin should arrive soon, we will make programs. Then we will go on vacation, then we will start working in training camps and at home.

-Where are you going on vacation?

— In Egypt, then in their hometown to visit their parents and relatives.

—Have you ever been to Egypt?

– No. We will fly to Hurghada for a beach hotel vacation.

— In general, do you prefer a beach vacation, or do you have the energy to walk around town and visit the sights on vacation?

-Lise: Towards the end of the vacation we will decide whether we will go somewhere or not. Maybe we’ll go to the pyramids. But first the beach.

— On vacation, do you control your diet or do you rest completely?

— Artem: Personally, I am absolutely not afraid of gaining weight.

-Lise: In the first days of vacation I will obviously not pay attention to my diet. I will start observing at the end.

— Is there any physical activity during the holidays?

— Artem: Yes of course. From the beach to the bedroom, from the bedroom to the beach. Even before the restaurant, go for a swim. That’s a lot of physical activity! There will be even worse fees.

— Let’s move on from pleasant thoughts about the sea to unpleasant memories of the Russian Championship. Recreate the moment with broken lace.

— Of course, we were worried before setting off. We got to the start, we calmed down, we pulled ourselves together. We reached the first element, then the lace suddenly broke. No one could have predicted this; such situations never happened, even during training.

We found ourselves without a stunt and tried to earn as many points as possible on other elements, but that didn’t really help us. The stunt had a cost. We received many discounts for discontinuing the program.

— From the outside, you seemed pretty confident.

– Surprisingly. In fact, I had a terrible panic. Of course, I understood what to do in such a situation. I contacted the judges, they gave me time. Then he turned to the technical staff to resolve the problem. Everything went smoothly. From the outside it looked like we were training him.

— If such an incident happened not at Russian competitions, but at international competitions, would you be able to navigate it and explain the problem to the judges in English?

“I would just put my foot up and show the switchback.” The judges would understand everything.

— What did the coaches tell you after the performance?

— Lisa and I were very upset after the rental. They weren’t very talkative. But after a while we called the coaches and talked. Nobody scolded anyone, they supported us. Everyone understood perfectly well that this did not happen on purpose and that this would not be our last Russian championship.

— Did the incident leave an imprint? Were you afraid that something would happen again the next time you left?

— The next time I left, I thought something might happen again. But as soon as we started skating, I let go of the situation and realized that at the Russian Championship it was an accident. I no longer dwell on this situation.

— Remember, maybe in childhood there were cases when elements of the costume came out on the ice covered or fell off?

-Lise: I just saw rhinestones flying off my dress.

— When we talk about funny incidents, a viral video immediately appears before my eyes, in which Semyon Rogozhnikov flies from the side.

“But we also hit the side once.”

— Artem: There were even two moments. We participated in the junior stage of the Kazan Grand Prix and trained in skating. There were holes on the side for the camera. We were gaining momentum on the feature, and I fell and flew into this hole, demolishing the camera. Everyone laughed, it was funny. But then we skated well and took our rightful place on the podium.

The second situation happened in the same season, it was the Junior Grand Prix final. Lisa did not calculate the trajectory and went down sideways on the ice after being kicked out. The area was razed.

-Lise: Then I tripped on my shoe. I turned around and saw that the board was very close. I couldn’t find my bearings and I tripped. Then we made a quick visit to the great snipe. We arrived in a panic, but we did it well. It was funny too.

— Are you a cohesive team or can conflicts and misunderstandings arise?

— Artem: We are a close-knit team, but generally Lisa is responsible for everything.

-Lise: Not true. I’m just an emotional person and sometimes I can make an elephant out of a molehill. If conflicts arise, Artem usually resolves them.

— So the diplomat is paired with Artem?

— Artem: Who else if not me? If problems arise, it’s during training. In life, we don’t argue. Minor conflicts are quickly forgotten immediately after ice cream. Coaches do not intervene in our relationships. They understand: it’s better that we figure it out ourselves. If we fight against each other, we can only help ourselves.

— Yegor Zakroev said that Artem’s injury brought you closer together.

“I had a fracture, as well as housing circumstances. It turned out that I moved to Lisa’s house, she took care of me like I was disabled.

– Lisa, what were you doing? Did you give him soup?

-Lise: Yes, I fed him. She took care of me. No one leaves their partner, I don’t know a single person like that. You skate every day, perform…

— How do you explain the phenomenon of pair skating in Perm? No region can boast of having athletes who compete for leadership with figure skaters from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

— Artem: Probably a coincidence. Strong athletes came to the group and decided to skate not in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in Perm. Now I’m talking about Lisa and me, as well as Yulia Artemyeva and Lesha Bryukhanov.

We have a quality coaching staff. We are doing full-fledged work that brings three key pairs to a decent level. Coaches and athletes work conscientiously, and that is why the results appear. Any other region can become the same as Perm if good coaches and athletes are invited there.

— Why did you choose Perm?

— Personally, after St. Petersburg, I would not have been able to cope with Moscow from a financial point of view. I was thinking of going to Sochi. But it all came down to conditions. They immediately took me to Perm.

-Lise: I went to pick up my partner. They called me and I decided to stay here.

— Does the Perm Federation sponsor you? Is this money enough to live on?

— Artem: Lisa is not paid by the Perm federation because she belongs to Kazan. And they sponsor me and help me in every way possible. By Perm standards, this is enough; in the capital it would be more difficult. The money allocated by the Perm Federation is more than enough.

— Do you feel a certain team spirit and duty towards the coaching group? For example, if your fellow staff members perform poorly, do you feel an additional responsibility?

-Lise: There is no. Everyone speaks for themselves.

— Artem: In competitions, each couple competes for their own name and coaches. We are not a team sport. Our coaches are in the dark anyway. If it’s not us, then another couple will take the place. Not the second, but the third. We try not to disappoint the coaches and show the best results.

– And as for the fight against Mishina/Gallyamov and Boykova/Kozlovsky, what elements should you add?

– It’s hard to fight. But we try. We are getting closer little by little, but the note speaks for itself. They have a different level of professionalism, different experience. We are doing our best to catch up with them.

— What goals do you set for yourself now?

— Our goal is to climb as high as possible on the podium of the Russian Championship. You can skip last season’s tournament. If we are not among the best in Russian tournaments, it will be more difficult to perform in international tournaments. That’s the plan for now.

We have had enough of everything. We are always moving towards our goals. The Russian Federation is doing its best to support athletes.

— What do you do besides figure skating: studies, hobbies?

-Lise: I am in 11th grade. I will take the Unified State Exam, Biology and Social Sciences. I hope everything is okay. If I go to university, it will probably be in Moscow.

— Artem: I studied at the Ural State University of Physical Culture, but my relationship with the university management did not work out. I gave everything to this institute, but they decided that they did not need such an athlete. I took three full courses. They asked me to be present at the institute and I was in Perm.

— Are you planning to finish your studies?

– I’ll still decide. There’s no rush now. I float freely.

—So, how do you spend your free time?

-Lise: I like watching shows on the Internet, developing myself and reading books. I also like stand-up. My favorite comedian is Sergei Orlov.

– Artem, what are you looking at?

— He looks at the shorts.

— Artem: I don’t watch a lot of videos. It turns out I’m inactive. I have a guitar, but I can’t start practicing on it.

-Lise: At the end of the season, everyone is idle with fatigue. And in the season – training – home, home – training. I just got back from practice and it’s time to sleep.