“There will be no result without a wild desire”: Kanaeva - about the inner fire, the work of the coach and the choice of the Averins

- At the end of April, the first tournament of your name Eugeniya Cup will be held in Omsk.

How was the idea of ​​its creation born?

“I would never suggest calling it that myself.

I was embarrassed, because I always considered my success in sports as a common achievement of our entire team.

And the idea came from my coaches - Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums and Elena Nikolaevna Arais.

We have a lot of children in Omsk doing rhythmic gymnastics, this is one of the main sports in the city, and they wanted to develop and popularize it in this way.

No wonder I'm a favorite student

.

This proposal was supported by the governor of the Omsk region, and that's how, thanks to the great desire of my beloved people and my hometown, this tournament was born.

I really want him to help little children believe in themselves, in their dreams and that it is possible to achieve great success without being born in the capitals.

- The competitions were to be held under the auspices of the International Gymnastics Federation?

- Yes, we were preparing documents for FIG and planned to submit them after the Grand Prix in Estonia at the end of February, but we didn’t have time to do it.

And it turns out that this is why we can now hold it, because if it were under the auspices of the international federation, it would be canceled, like other tournaments in Russia.

We sent out a lot of invitations, and the strongest gymnasts of the national team of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia will come to us.

In a different situation, of course, girls from Europe would have come, but the political situation and difficulties with flights did their job.

Nevertheless, I hope that soon everything will improve and a friendly sports atmosphere will be restored, in which everyone will be able to go to tournaments and compete with the strongest.

- In the context of the removal of Russians from international competitions, these competitions are of particular importance.

- Yes, we definitely need to hold such tournaments so that the Russian team progresses, so that the girls do not lose their competitive experience, so that they keep fit and stay motivated.

This is very important in the current situation.

- How critical is the lack of competitive practice in rhythmic gymnastics?

- We are lucky that we have a very active and proactive head coach, quite active regions that organize competitions.

Now open international tournaments and stages of the Russian Cup are being planned.

In addition, our country is the world leader in rhythmic gymnastics, so we have always had the highest level of competition in domestic competitions, and the Russian Championship is the most difficult tournament, because there are a lot of gymnasts who deserve to represent the country in the international arena.

And if in the personal program three or four athletes can go to the World Championships, then only two participate in the all-around and fight for tickets to the Olympics.

The competition is on the rise!

This is the whole complexity and, probably, the injustice of our sport.

We would like not to exhibit two participants, but more, as in other sports.

But the FIG takes the position that there should be no dominance of one country, and therefore there is such a framework.

- Recently, Irina Viner announced that this year the competitions in Russia will be held according to their own rules.

What is the main difference from international tournaments?

— These rules have not yet been approved, they are still in development.

When the final version is adopted, then it will be possible to analyze them in detail.

The goal of the head coach of the national team is to move gymnastics forward, to make it more spectacular and interesting.

- Do you think gymnasts will face motivation problems due to isolation?

For example, Dina and Arina Averina wanted to end their careers after the Olympics, but the head coach convinced them to stay.

And suddenly this uncertain situation arose ...

- If they stayed, then they have a desire to show something else new.

And when there is a desire, then work is not a burden, but only a pleasure.

I certainly respect Dina and Arina, but it's not only hard for them.

There are many gymnasts in the national team who could now show good results.

This is Lala Kramarenko, and Maria Pobedushkina, and other interesting and talented girls.

For any athlete, this is a difficult situation, you would not want anyone to go through such a stage.

And you have to really love your sport in order to overcome these difficulties.

It's unfortunate that this is happening and I want it to be over as soon as possible.

So that athletes can do what they love and delight spectators around the world.

I know that they miss our gymnasts very much, many people write to me about this from abroad.

- Do your athletes come to you for advice, support?

- Of course, but how else.

We are a big family, coaches and athletes spend more time with each other than with close people.

And to us they become like our own children, in which you put your soul.

And I am always ready to give advice, to help in any way I can.

That's why I work to help girls realize their dreams.

- In one of the interviews, you said that the current generation of athletes is hard to motivate.

Now that the road to the world stage is closed, will it be even more difficult?

— You know, the youth has changed not only in our country, this trend is widespread.

Children have become more daring, they put themselves on the same level with adults, do not hesitate to answer.

On the one hand, it's great that they know how to express their thoughts and emotions, to speak, but some sometimes do not see this line - due to lack of life experience, I think.

In addition, due to the many distractions in the form of iPads, iPhones, social networks, children lose their attention and motivation, choose the easy way.

It scares me a little, because I am the person who is for real honest work.

- Do you manage to convey your opinion to the wards?

“Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don’t, and they learn from their mistakes.

One way or another, we have unique girls in the team.

Each of them has a chance to become a champion and leader of the national team.

And it depends on them how they will be able to use this chance.

For example, there are gymnasts who are very, very talented, but they can’t stand psychologically at competitions.

Although we work with psychologists, and we try to help ourselves.

But not everything is in our hands, a lot depends on the athlete.

Although I used to always say that 90% of my results are occupied by the work of mentors, but now, being a coach myself, I understand that the attitude, the goal of the athlete plays a very important role.

Does he want to overcome, hear, endure some moments.

There must be a desire, and in big sport - a wild desire.

And strong love.

Without this, there will be no result.

- Can you predict in advance if a particular athlete has this wild desire?

- Usually, coaches first of all pay attention to external data, stretching.

But in fact, the main thing is burning eyes, an open soul that wants to learn everything.

Of course, there must be relevant data, there is no escape from this.

Soft ligaments, supple body, coordination.

But how important is this fire in the eyes, diligence!

In my opinion, a lot depends on parents, upbringing and personal example.

My mother and grandmother were big fans of rhythmic gymnastics.

They collected newspaper clippings about leading athletes, made albums.

It was a huge love for this sport, and I absorbed it too.

It was this light, probably, that Vera Efremovna saw at one time.

- As a coach, who are you more like - her or Irina Aleksandrovna?

- Oh, they are completely different.

But both are unique.

These are legendary coaches who raised good people and great athletes.

They are also united by colossal patience, the wisdom that they have acquired over the years of coaching.

I still have to study, study and study.

I try to help children, understand them, teach them to overcome difficulties.

In my opinion, a coach needs to have a kind, positive energy that gives strength and inspires athletes.

- Does the fact that you are already a mother help you find approaches to children?

- It is hard to say.

I became a mother even before my coaching career, although I loved helping and mentoring others since childhood.

My son is my friend and inspiration.

In fact, we have a lot to learn from children.

They know how to sincerely rejoice at seemingly insignificant things that are actually very important and significant.

Without joy, without a sense of the value of what we have, life is difficult.

Over time, we lose this spark, go into the negative.

And he destroys people.

The son gives me the opportunity to remain a child inside myself, to be able to rejoice, admire, truly live and breathe deeply.

Children come to the national team at a transitional age, in that very period of negativity, protest, and misunderstanding.

They form their own “I”, and on the one hand, this is very cool.

But it can be difficult to prove, to convey something when a wall grows between the mentor and the gymnast.

But I still try and learn.

Each coach grows with his athlete.

- Do you set yourself the goal of raising an Olympic champion by all means?

— It is so unpredictable… I will say this: when I was chasing the result, I did not achieve it.

I liked the process itself.

Daily work on yourself, self-improvement.

I liked to take an example from the girls with whom I worked side by side.

I loved to study.

I was happy when I went to training and overcame myself, worked out some difficult element.

Of course, it's great to win a medal, but the process itself is the most precious thing for me.

And words of gratitude from the audience, who sometimes say them with tears in their eyes.

Of course, I want my girls to perform at the world championships, to show their programs cleanly, so that their dreams come true.

But at the same time, I believe that I should instill in them a love for the process, teach them to get high from overcoming difficulties.

The peak can only be reached when you treat the process of ascent with great love and with great desire.