“I really like myself, such a straight girl-girl”: Samodelkina - about new images, quadruple jumps and big expenses

- In September, at open rentals in Moscow, you said that you were trying to get used to the new body as quickly as possible.

But the most active growth began in 2019.

- It's true, ten centimeters then increased.

It's just that when I was younger, it was all much easier.

And it certainly never happened that I grew up and lost all the jumps.

But this year it turned out to be something completely different.

The same triple axel generally crumbled.

I watched last year's videos, tried to remember some previous sensations in order to return the jump, but nothing worked.

The axel began to jump more or less stably only two weeks before the start of the Grand Prix, and in terms of technique it was not at all the same as before.

I even had to go in a different arc to pick up speed.

- In Russian women's skating, there has been talk for many years that the main happiness of a figure skater is to be born on time in order to have time to go through all the most important starts before puberty.

In this regard, it seems to me that girls should simply experience a panic fear of any changes in the body.

- I didn't have that.

Even when I left the previous coach, I didn’t think about it, although the process of growth had already begun.

After all, when I went to Svetlana Sokolovskaya, I didn’t skate at all for a long time, I treated my ankle.

At some point, the doctors categorically forbade any exercise, I just sat at home and was much more worried about the possible consequences of the injury than about some kind of restructuring of the body.

In addition, everything is quite safe with me in the female line: there are no too high relatives in which I could go.

Everyone says that I am more like a mother, although I have already outgrown her by one centimeter - the other day they just measured and laughed about it.

- In juniors, your main trump cards were quadruple jumps and a triple axel.

There is no feeling that you still understand with your head how to jump, but your body resists with all your might?

- There is a little of that.

A year ago, at the same time of the season, I collected three quads for sure.

At competitions, she jumped sheepskin coat and salchow, and in training we did skates, adding one more salchow to the program.

Or alternated it with a triple axel.

It is clear that I want to return all this as soon as possible, but here I trust the coach more, who says that there is absolutely no need to rush until the ankle is fully strengthened.

Therefore, we work very carefully and calmly.

We are working on the axel, which, fortunately, has begun to return.

I was most worried about this jump at the beginning of the season.

With quads, everything was much easier.

- In what sense?

- In July, at the training camp in Armenia, I tried both salchow and rittberger, and the attempts were very good.

It is clear that the landing turned out to be underrotated, but the skater always feels whether he is able to twist the jump or not.

But the axel over and over again, I jumped a step forward and panicked terribly about this.

Still, the Axel has always been one of my favorite jumps.

- Do you like yourself now?

- Oh yeah!

Highly.

Especially my current image, that I am such a straight girl-girl.

If you look at the clothes, then six months ago I did not get out of jeans and hoodies.

And now I want to wear some kind of dresses, and not only summer, but also winter.

I want to do some light makeup.

In training, I don’t like to paint so that the paint doesn’t float if tears suddenly flow, but outside the rink, such a desire began to arise.

Software images, I think, are also very suitable for me.

For me, this is by far the most comfortable style.

- Big sport is, to a certain extent, constant violence against oneself.

Are you tired of this?

— Actually, yes.

For example, this season I looked at myself during the rentals, I realized that I was not at all in the form in which I would like.

Therefore, immediately after we had a little rest, and quite hard work began.

Plus, I put myself a ban on eating after six in the evening, and, in general, to remove sweets.

I'm generally a sweet tooth.

My sister sometimes refuses something, because she does not like this or that sweetness, but I adore everything.

And sweets and buns.

Now, when I have to severely limit myself, I even began to go to bed early, at eight o'clock.

Otherwise, you want to eat so much that it is impossible not to think about it.

But in the morning I get up on the scales, quickly wash my face, almost in a minute, and immediately run to the refrigerator.

• Sofia Samodelkina

• RIA News

• © Vladimir Astapkovich

- Do you think about how much money the family invests in your training?

And is it psychologically pressing?

- Even last year, I didn’t really think about it, but since this season, such thoughts have begun to appear.

There was a very conscious responsibility.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that I just matured a lot.

In fact, this topic concerns everyone.

While you are small, these are constant tricks, other additional activities - and, accordingly, expenses.

Now, fortunately, I began to receive a salary and at least this contributes to my own training.

Before, it was like: “Pa-ap, hello!

Can you put money on the card?

Recently, they only talked about this with my mother, and I told her that I owe a lot to my dad.

Is it hard to live apart from one of your parents?

- Highly.

Dad constantly lives outside the city, from where it is simply not possible to come to training every day.

Therefore, my mother and sister and I rent an apartment near the ice rink.

And on weekends we come to dad.

It turns out that less than a day, but this is at least some opportunity to be together.

We miss you very much.

Does your sister ride too?

She tried, but it didn't work.

Now he is engaged in fencing in CSKA.

- I know that until this season Sasha Trusova was your idol.

Now you are not only in the same group, but also compete in the Russian Grand Prix at the same stages.

No discomfort?

- In fact, I'm glad that Sasha came to our group.

It just happened so suddenly that at first I didn’t even understand how to behave.

For a while I looked more closely - from the other side of the rink, when we found ourselves on the same ice.

Previously, Sasha seemed to me very closed and even angry, or something: she had no idea how to approach her and talk about something.

And all these reflections did not coincide at all with what she really is.

- And what is it?

- Absolutely great.

Cheerful, open.

It's very interesting with her.

It's generally cool to work on the ice with such a person.

How about competing with him?

- Too.

In general, I never aspired to choose some convenient opponents for myself or to argue whether I got lucky or not.

- A thick layer of foam rubber under training shorts - is it protection from a particular jump or insurance just in case?

- Just in case.

I had a rather unpleasant injury - a rupture of the thigh muscles, which happened just because I hit very hard when I fell in training.

I even missed the tournament.

The most offensive thing is that before that fall, everyone told me: put foam rubber, put foam rubber.

I looked at the very young ones, who ride with foam rubber, and thought: well, will I be like them?

And after the injury, I decided: let me look like a little one, but I will have healthy legs and arms.

Therefore, if in training I jump quads, I always put foam rubber.

- Are the sensations in the air on quadruple jumps always the same?

- If the jump fails, I feel it right away, before I land.

It’s impossible to think about something else in the air, everything happens too quickly.

- You mentioned that you do not paint your eyes before training, because you can cry and the paint will flow.

It turns out that you are easily brought to tears?

“I do it best myself.

This really happens in training: if something that I can do well suddenly stops working, tears well up automatically.

- I know how much you dreamed of getting to the Olympic Games.

But today's realities are such that the next Olympics can even take place without the participation of Russia.

Can you imagine yourself on the ice in eight years?

I don't look that far.

And yet I really, really hope that in four years we will have the Games and I will be able to go there.

And not just to go, but to show something worthy there.

- Give out five quadruples, as Alexandra Trusova did in Beijing?

- At the age of 19, I probably won’t collect so much, but two for sure.

I hope that during this time it will not occur to anyone to ban ultra-si jumps in women's skating.

- Do you have any life plans that are not related to active performances?

- There are no concrete plans yet.

I do not rule out that sport will remain in my life only in the form of a show, and in terms of profession, I will choose a completely different specialty.

Criminalistics, for example.

But in general, I would really like to get a sports education that would allow me to work as a coach in the future.

I also dream of building my own ice rink, as Evgeni Plushenko did.

But first you need to achieve results in sports and become more famous than now, let's say.

• Sofia Samodelkina, coaches Lilia Biktagirova and Svetlana Sokolovskaya, Alexandra Trusova and Mark Kondratyuk

• © Vladimir Astapkovich