“Happiness has no limits”: Venevtseva about the bronze of the Universiade, the passion for golf and the cold of Norilsk

- What were your emotions after the victory of the Russian team in the match for the bronze?

- Incredible. I am very glad that we won. Fortunately there is no limit. This is my last Universiade, I will no longer be allowed to participate in such competitions because of my age. And it was also home student games, and besides, I myself am from Krasnoyarsk - and we took a medal here. This is very cool, joy overwhelms.

- To beat the British, who go to the World Cup - a special feeling?

- I would say that all the teams were about the same level, and it is difficult to say that some were stronger and some were weaker. We are very glad that we did it.

- What was the mood in the team after the lost semifinal?

- We thought only about the victory. Of course, that defeat turned out to be annoying, but we tuned in, managed to overcome our excitement after the loss and made a worthy performance.

- Which match of the group stage do you remember?

- With Switzerland, we had an interesting game, when we won with a score of 10: 1, then the rivals reduced to a minimum, but we eventually won. I do not know what happened to us, but the most important thing that brought the meeting to win. However, as this game evolved, they will quickly forget, but the result will remain.

- You were in the reserve team, almost the entire tournament was held on the bench. How did this affect the impressions of the tournament?

- Just in a match with Switzerland, I was on the ice. A substitute is a player who can come out at any time and replace someone. It so happened that the girls all won, so we tried not to change anything. It did not affect my impressions in any way, this is our common victory, and I am very glad that we took the third place.

- You were sitting with Anna Kovaleva, skip the Russian national team, which was announced by the coach. How many new things did she learn about curling?

- Of course, Anya has a tremendous experience, and she tried to show herself in a new role. Her advice was valuable. And as a person, Anya is very interesting, kind and sympathetic, so it was interesting to work in one bundle.

- You grew up in a curling family. How did your parents get involved in this sport?

- My father is the founder of curling in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, developing and promoting this sport throughout the region. Parents were the first to play here, first generally on the street, then on ordinary ice. I began to be invited just like that, to leave the stones in the same team with them at some regional and friendly tournaments. Then, when the sport began to develop, it interested me, and I began to play professionally and train every day.

- Did you decide to study them yourself or did your parents start forcing?

- No, they did not insist, they just invited me periodically, and then it hooked me.

- At the same time you are still doing professional golf. Where did you get interested in this exotic sport for Siberia?

- I have been involved in golf for a long time, about ten years. That is, longer than curling. Honestly, I don’t remember how I got there. I was invited to try my hand, and I was hooked. I had my own successes in golf, but now I’m more of a coach than a player.

- What sport do you spend more time on?

- This is a seasonal sport. In winter, I am all curling, and in summer - in golf.

- How to play golf, is there a field in Krasnoyarsk?

- Yes, there is a very good field in Krasnoyarsk. In addition, the Siberian Federal University has a training base with its small territory. All conditions for training and development are present.

- Can you still resume a career in golf?

- Yes of course. Everything is possible, you only need time to resume active training.

- Is there a chance to see you at the Olympics as a golfer?

- Purely theoretically it is possible. For this you need to make a titanic effort, a lot of training. But it is real.

- What is common between golf and curling?

- First, they are both from Scotland. Secondly, they have their own spirit, certain traditions that have developed since the creation of these sports and are respected to this day. There is also a psychological moment - the athlete must control his emotions. In technical terms, there is a common vision of lines and space.

- Is it possible to make golf so developed in Russia at least as a curling that also originated from scratch?

- I think it is possible. In America, for example, everyone knows about golf, and in many other countries it is very developed. I think in Russia these times will come too. So far, we have a stereotype that golf is an expensive idea exclusively for rich uncles, although this is not so fundamentally. Over time, it will be possible to destroy this stereotype, and golf will become a mass sport.

- Your partners in the Russian national team did not want to give a lesson?

- When you manage to cross and find free time, I will be happy to introduce them to golf.

- Does anyone else in curling play golf?

- Yes, I know some Europeans who love to wave a stick. But Canadians and Americans almost at full strength practice the game of golf, when there is an opportunity.

- You played curling in the Arctic Circle in Dudinka. Would you play golf there?

- It would be very difficult. Only if on special simulators on which you strike a stick into the screen, and he is already building a trajectory and showing where the ball is flying.

- You lived in Norilsk as a child. What are the memories?

- I lived only one year, I studied in the second grade. I remember the northern lights very well, I have not seen it anywhere else. I also remember frosts and aktirii, when you can not go to school because of the cold. In the morning you get up and first turn on the radio in order to find out which classes have been activated.