“I lay on the couch for two and a half weeks”: Morozov on self-isolation, training in the USA, defeats and gambling

The pandemic broke the plans to the vice-champions of the world in pair skating Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov more than anyone: the skaters were urgently forced to return from the United States to Moscow, parting with their coach Marina Zueva. And having no idea how soon they will be able to go back. Morozov himself, who drove this week with his partner to the first training camp in Novogorsk, was philosophical about the situation.

- Problems of this nature are now one way or another everyone is experiencing. Our plans so far are simple: to skate and generally remember how to ride. If the borders are opened in late June or early July and there is an opportunity to return to America, it would be nice.

- And if the borders do not open?

- Then just before the autumn hire we will train with Maxim Trankov in Russia - there will no longer be any sense to fly somewhere.

- Initially, it was assumed that Zueva would be involved in your new productions?

- We really planned to deliver programs in America immediately after the World Cup, since we still had ice in Florida. But the fact is that the specialists Marina was going to involve in the staging process live in other states. In particular, in California, where, in connection with the pandemic, emergency measures were already being introduced and it became clear that people simply could not come to us. Therefore, as soon as it became known that the World Cup would be canceled, the departure from the USA to Canada, we changed to the departure from the USA to Moscow. On the same day, but in a different direction. So it’s really difficult with programs.

“You talk so calmly about this ...”

- For the two months that we are sitting at home, we could discuss everything, think about everything, make some decisions about the season and calm down. In fact, we still do not understand what to prepare for: all the junior Grand Prix have already been canceled, I think that adults can also cancel.

- If there is no Grand Prix series, can you leave the previous programs for the rest of the season?

- This is also permissible. Naturally, we will redo the productions for the next season, taking into account new requirements. The short program should have different support, different approaches, that is, leaving everything as before will fail. Arbitrary, I think, changes will also affect. At least in terms of the arrangement of elements.

“When you started working with Maxim Trankov two and a half years ago, you said:“ For me and Zhenya, the main thing is to understand that we are on the right track. ” In the course of the past and very controversial season, there was no doubt that the path you chose was the right one?

- It didn’t. The first half of the season was really difficult for us, because the three of us started working in the USA, with Marina, and only then, in the course of work, we began to select the specialists that we needed. Only around November-December did we have our own coaching team, let’s say so.

- Why didn’t you be puzzled by the selection of specialists before?

- It was difficult, because we organized all this ourselves. Artyom Torgashev, who lived close by and had the opportunity to come to us for training by car, began to engage in jumping with us, and then they found a physical training coach. Maxim Trankov, again, began to come to the USA more often.

- Where is it easier to organize the training process, in Russia or in America?

- In terms of organization, everything is exactly the same both there and there, only in terms of payment the difference is big. In America, you pay the hourly rate at the rate of the specialist with whom you work, and in part you have to do it at your own expense.

In other words, if the initiative to involve one or another person in the training comes from you, you yourself pay for it. It is clear that the regions helped us a lot, some of the costs were paid by the Russian Figure Skating Federation, but this was still not enough.

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Publication by Vladimir Morozov (@ morozov_v92) Mar 2, 2020 at 7:55 PST

- When you started to pay for everything yourself, did this at least somehow change your attitude towards classes?

- In fact, I am very sensitive to training, regardless of the basis on which they are held, because I know what I want from sports and my life. And I always knew. If I do something, I do it as well as possible. It has always been that way.

- From the side, a feeling often arises that you are training and performing not because you live it, but because it is necessary. Everything is very smooth, calm, without any vivid emotional manifestations. But the viewer is arranged in such a way that he always wants to see more sincere feelings, as long as they are able to provoke a response, empathy. Ever thought that, while suppressing your own emotions, you repel the viewer to some extent?

“There are enough around us who always support us, speak warm words, rejoice in success, and empathize with failures.” You will not please everyone.

“But are you making efforts to keep your own emotions to yourself when you lose, or is restraint just a character trait?”

“Of course I am. You should never show that you are upset.

- Why?

“Why make someone else's victory sweeter?” Although in reality we always lose through our own fault, and not through the fault of our rivals, therefore all claims should be made only to ourselves.

- Which of the defeats of this season was the most offensive for you and Zhenya?

- Probably at the European Championship. We were very well prepared for that start.

- Tried to understand why it was not possible to realize the readiness?

- Yes of course. We always try to conduct flight debriefs, just this season it was difficult to do because of the constant “swing”: now it’s good, then it’s bad, constantly some unexpected failures ...

- Brian Orser and Rafael Harutyunyan have repeatedly stated that it is impossible to take someone else’s athlete and immediately achieve some positive changes with him. That adaptation takes at least two and a half years. In your relationship with Marina Zueva, is the situation similar?

- We found a common language very quickly when we began to work together: Marina always asks what we are missing, listens to our words always knows what needs to be done. We just tried a lot of things that year, and in terms of new programs, and some new entries, and all kinds of chips. We did not succeed in putting all this together - our attention was constantly scattered on a bunch of all kinds of details. Dealing with this was the most difficult.

- Two years ago you lost the European Championship to the French Vanessa James and Morgan Sipre, and last season lost to Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky. Which lesion became more painful? And is there even a psychological difference to whom to lose?

- If according to the emotions that roll right after the competition, losing to the French was more offensive. They had a good season, but we had good rentals. But two absolutely identical and absolutely unforeseen errors happened. Jammed. Well, in the last championship, we simply tore off the most expensive element in the short program. The whole struggle after this ended.

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Publication by Vladimir Morozov (@ morozov_v92) Jun 14, 2019 at 10:43 PDT

- Many noted that Boykova and Kozlovsky somehow unexpectedly quickly grew from juniors to quite dangerous rivals. How do you perceive this couple?

- For us, in fact, it doesn’t matter with whom exactly to compete. Opponents will always be: they leave alone, others immediately come to their place. I think it makes no sense to pay attention to someone specifically. It is important what you do yourself.

- How quickly do you usually restore your skate condition when you return to training after a vacation?

- After the usual two-week vacation, I hardly notice that I had a break. We roll out for several days, and already we begin to make many elements on ice. We spent three weeks without skates when we went to a training camp in Kislovodsk, but there we did a lot of physical training, and the skill in ice skating quickly returns if you are in physical condition. Neither I nor Zhenya had a two-month break before.

“But you didn’t lie on the couch these two months?”

- First lay. When we arrived in Moscow in March, we did not do anything at all for two and a half weeks. Then they began to do easy pumping so as not to overload and injure themselves abruptly, then I went to my country house, where I already started working at full load: cross-country, strength training. I have a ping-pong table, so my brother and I chopped table tennis every day. This was probably one of the most gambling activities. Plus, Zhenya and I were sent a work plan by our trainer for general physical fitness.

“Can you say that in two months you learned something that you didn’t know before?”

- No. In general, I never take on something new just to try. Somehow they brought me up like that. Rather, I rethought a lot - and last season, and sports career, and worldview in general. It seems to me that in this regard, the forced break went exclusively for the benefit.

- What exactly has changed in your attitude to figure skating and your own career?

- I would say that it has become simpler and easier to relate to many things that used to constantly press me with a rather heavy load.

- The brightest positive emotion experienced during isolation, remember?

- Perhaps it will sound unexpectedly, but I would call the CS: GO tournament, in which I participated with Dima Aliyev, Nikita Katsalapov and Sasha Enbert. Everyone once played this computer game, some more, some less, but the essence of this particular tournament was not so much the result, but the fact that it was to show that all people are engaged in self-isolation, and athletes also no exception.

Plus - the tournament was a great opportunity for the fans to look at their favorite athletes in a slightly different light, let’s say so. In fact, there was even a certain fraction of the adrenaline that you experience in competitions. A little, but still ...

- In general, are you a player by nature?

- I think so, I'm gambling. I like to play cards, billiards, and generally all games.

- In this case, it is especially unfortunate that you and Zhenya were not at the Grand Prix stage in Las Vegas last fall.

- Yes, although I really wanted to. I think that somehow I will definitely get there. If it’s not for the tournament, then I’ll just go myself as a tourist. It is interesting to watch Las Vegas and play at the same time.

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Publication by Vladimir Morozov (@ morozov_v92) Aug 4, 2019 at 3:25 am PDT

- Now you are not afraid of the prospect of gathering in Novogorsk, which is to be held in conditions of severe isolation, not having the opportunity to go beyond the base?

- I think that in the situation that we now have, all this does not matter at all. What if there is no ice anywhere else? On the lack of fish, as they say, and cancer - pike.

“But you have already been warned that the first three days after passing the tests you will even be brought food and left under the door of the hotel room, as in a prison?”

- For the sake of an idea, you can spend three days in jail.