“You can train great, but there is a danger of relaxation”

- How is the last training for the skaters before the crucial start?

- I would say that this is a correction of some small things. It is clear that you can impress the judges, but for athletes the final training session does not solve much. Neither the first, nor the one that takes place on the eve of the competition day, nor the last - on the morning of the start day.

“And which one is more significant?”

- Everyone is significant, just the tasks are different. Immediately after arrival, it is important to test the ice, understand its size, quality, feel the features of the ice rink lighting, how the music and other nuances sound. If we talk about skating, it is so different among athletes that you can never guess which is better. You can train perfectly, do everything, but in this case there is a danger to calm down and relax beyond measure. You can make mistakes and fall, and this, too, by and large, will not say anything.

- In other words, the fact that Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky fell several times during the training after performing jumps and surges, can be ignored?

- Exactly. This is a hassle for trainers and nothing more.

- That is, the athletes do not have the task to show themselves with the most advantageous side?

- If you are a beginner, then naturally you try to impress your opponents and judges. If you have been performing for a long time and gained experience, there is no need for this, since everyone has repeatedly seen you in both good and disassembled condition. Your workouts are definitely not affected by the final grade. But for a mentor, official training is always nerves, I know for myself.

- Where is the logic? A trainer, like no one else, must understand that nothing can be changed for a couple or three lessons remaining before the start.

- This is so, but everyone is still worried. The mentor simply takes the athlete to the start for too long, lays some things in him. And when he sees that the training, to put it mildly, does not meet expectations, begins to subconsciously panic, tries to find the answer that he did wrong. In this regard, the athlete is much simpler: this or that element did not work out - it’s not scary, it will turn out the next time. On the eve of important competitions, skaters generally feel much better than the coach of their inner state. They feel it. And the coach focuses on what he sees.

“Tarasova and Morozov began to look much more professional”

- Singles who will start competing on Friday will actually be able to test ice on the main arena only on Saturday, before the free program. Is this practice normal for skaters?

- In general, this is abnormal, wrong, and this, of course, should not be, but everyone has the right to choose a training regimen. If you want to try the ice in advance, then you really need to come earlier and ride the main ice rink on Monday or Tuesday. The fact that the training and competition ice in Graz is very different is a fact. They are different in size and quality. Both athletes and coaches told me about this.

- Do you have your own favorites in pair skating in Graz?

- I like Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov.

- During the Russian Championship, there was a certain skepticism regarding this couple, since Marina Zueva, who they are training with, is not a “techie”.

- Marina is definitely not a “techie”, since she did not collaborate with couples too much, but she is an excellent psychologist at this level - that is, at the highest level. What I really like the guys - they began to look much more professional. Their bodies have changed - they have become drier and springier, their attitude towards work has changed. I see how collected and concentrated they are in each movement.

- Tarasova and Morozov arrived in Graz without regard to acclimatization?

- Right. I asked them about this and heard that in an earlier arrival, for example, to Moscow, in order to be able to acclimatize there, there was no point. Firstly, the time difference between Florida and Austria is not so great - only six hours. Secondly, all competitions are evening couples. In my opinion, this is a completely reasonable approach to solving the upcoming problem. In training, Tarasova and Morozov look very good.

- Unlike its main competitors ...

- As I said - there is no reason to panic. These are not skates lost during the flight or something like that. Well, yes, Boykova and Kozlovsky did not work out very well. Well, so they, like everyone else, will have at least one more ...