Interview with Alexei Yagudin
Part 2
by Magdalena Osborne
You’ve been a pro skater for about six months now. Do you
still feel the urge to compete?
Sometimes it’s still hard. I never expected the transition to pro
skating to be so hard. But even with doing the same things for so many
years, training and competing even if you’d like to do something
else, it’s hard to change your life! I did want to compete but with
the injury and surgery it all happened so fast and I realized how tired
I was of eligible skating and that I wanted to do something in the professional
world. Right now I still have a little something in my heart pushing me
to go to Europeans and Worlds, but not enough to make me do it. I have
done everything I can in eligible skating and I have a different view
of my life and career now. I want to coach and do this tour and that’s
what I’m doing!
What
kind of future would you like to see for pro skating? |
What
can you tell us about your new programs for next season?
I have an idea to combine circus with skating. It won’t be like
my old circus program, this isn’t circus music. In programs we just
skate so now I want to do something really different. Last season I still
wanted to compete so I didn’t have time to do anything really new,
but next season the programs don’t have to be made for competitions.
But one program will probably be more traditional.
In
Russia, while you were still eligible, media seemed to be for Plushenko
and against you, and they wrote some nasty things about you, calling you
a traitor etc. Has this changed any since you turned pro?
No, and it will never change. The Russian press always has and always
will be mean to me. Russia is one of the greatest nations in the world,
I’m proud to be Russian and I love my country and the people, but
I’m not happy with how the Russian federation has treated me. I
would never have changed countries to skate for and of course not all
Russians are against me, it’s mainly the media. I don’t understand
it since I haven’t done anything wrong; all I’ve done is bring
Russia a bunch of medals! I got a medal from the President but that was
only because they had to give me one since I won the Olympics. I got no
support from the Russian federation. Now I see how other federations support
their skaters, especially the young ones, where Russia doesn’t.
Brian and Frédéric get a lot of support from the French
federation and I was a guest at the Japanese nationals and they really
support their skaters too.
And the federation still owes me money from the bank crash but I might
never get it, my mom is dealing with them from Europe. When some money
came in Piseev told them to pay some other skaters but not me. Not having
that money won’t break me but there are others who need it badly.
What is your greatest motivation for staying in the sport?
My love for the sport. I think we all do what we know the best and are
capable of doing. I’m capable of doing this the best and I’ll
keep skating until I can’t move.
What are your goals as a coach?
I don’t know if I’m any good yet. Good skaters don’t
necessarily make good coaches but I want to try. Look at Tatiana, she
wasn’t much of a skater, she began working at 18. It’s going
to be hard and I’m glad I’m working with Tatiana because she’s
been doing this for so long and she knows every single detail and I will
keep asking her for advice.
Andrei
won gold at Junior Worlds in Holland but you couldn’t be there
with him and neither could Tatiana. |
How
did Andrei end up in the Tarasova camp?
I guess the same way I ended up being with Tatiana... Mishin is putting
all his energy to Evgeny, so if you are anyone but Evgeny in his group,
you’re not really getting any attention. Each person in sports needs
attention from their coaches. Andrei was coached by Mishin’s wife
but when you’re in Mishin’s group you want to work with Mishin
and not anyone else. Andrei wasn’t getting enough attention and
Mishin wasn’t working with him, so Andrei actually wanted to quit
skating altogether. His mom called me for help and I said I’d ask
Tatiana. She thought about it and then agreed. I don’t know all
the details; I just know he wasn’t getting enough attention.
My situation with Mishin was different. He worked better with Evgeny because
he never complained, he never argued with Mishin while I always had my
own thoughts about everything I did. I wasn’t giving him advice;
I just asked why I should do things this way and why I should work on
this when I need that. I left Mishin mainly because he was trying to put
me under Plushenko.
In the (-98) Olympic season there was, in my opinion, no doubt that I
would be on the Russian team for the Worlds. I had beaten Evgeny in the
Russian nationals, I beat him at Europeans and I’d gone to the Olympics
but Mishin still wanted to send Plushenko to the Worlds. People wrote
a petition to the Russian federation saying that I should go because I
was the European champion. Yes, I got sick at the Olympics and didn’t
skate my best but such things happen. Mishin didn’t sign the petition,
he was trying to put me under Plushenko and he brought Evgeny to Minneapolis
in case something would happen. It did, Kulik withdrew so Evgeny got to
compete anyway but I won my first Worlds that year.
Some
have speculated that your main goal in coaching Brian is to beat Evgeny
at the 2006 Olympics.
Whether Evgeny wins or loses, I don’t care! I did my part and I
beat him when it really counted. As far as coaching Brian; the French
federation called and asked if I would help him out and I laughed because
I though it was a joke! But then they called back and I’d thought
about it. I knew Brian a little because we both trained in Calgary for
two weeks before the Olympics and I helped him a little there. I’d
seen him at some shows and I knew he admired me as a skater and in some
ways he even looked like me when I was younger... But they asked me to
help him and I thought “why not?” because I really wanted
to coach but I thought of the pressure too. He was already a good skater
and it was a big responsibility. If he wins the next Olympics I’ll
be more than happy and honestly, I was happy when he won Europeans! He
deserved to win there and I was jumping for joy when I found out. My mom
told me as she called after just about every skater.
You worked with Rudolf Zagaynov during the Olympic season. Could
you consider hiring him to work with Brian and Andrei?
Maybe, why not? A sport psychologist is not for the insane, like some
people said, but for support. It’s someone who really knows you.
Many great athletes work with sports psychologists. Tatiana suggested
we’d try and I’m happy we did. He helped me and he’s
part of the victory. But I mainly won the Olympics because of my own work
and because I wanted it so badly. The loss at the Goodwill Games early
in that season was hard to take. Tatiana advised me not to go and told
me I wasn’t consistent enough yet, but I wanted to go because I
wanted to do something. I thought I was ready but I wasn’t. I wasn’t
eating much and forced myself to train too hard. Zagaynov tried to understand
me and what was bothering me in my life and he helped me to believe I
could do it if I kept working. Nothing is impossible if you believe in
it! I ran through my programs so many times there was no doubt in my head
I could do it. It wasn’t like the year before when I was gambling
with my jumps, maybe I could do them and maybe not.
Your
students increase in popularity because of you. Does this surprise you?
I’m just doing my job! I’m hoping to go with Andrei to Junior
Worlds. He will compete in the senior Grand prix and he needs to do more
competitions. He’ll do the Finlandia Trophy and maybe Nebelhorn
and others. His quad is coming. He has it but it’s not consistent
enough yet and we’ll work on his jumps this summer. Maya Usova is
making new programs for him right now, but I know how it works. They will
make something and then Tatiana comes and changes everything. Andrei already
has good spins and steps. For Brian it’s the opposite. His jumps
are fine and he does a quad sal. But he needs to work on his basic skating.
He has so much energy and stamina and he’s healthy! I was surprised
because a Russian will do a quad, rest, another jump, rest and so on.
But Brian does jumps, spins, steps, and then even more jumps late in the
program, it’s very impressive!
What
are your plans for Brian? |
How
did those Japanese shows come about?
It’s the same kind of deal as last year, three shows in two days.
People are crazy about figure skating in Japan, it’s so funny! And
my book will be published there this fall and also in Russia. The Russian
deal is already closed but I still don’t know about an English version.
I’m a Russian in America, so it’s not so interesting for the
publishers...
What
is your role in training Brian compared to the role of Laurent Depouilly?
We plan and decide things together. We discuss everything and he usually
agrees on everything I say and I agree on pretty much everything he says.
There are differences in training though, the French never warm up and
they’re always late, but we work well together.
Are
you learning French?
Yes, but I’m a little stuck at the moment. I know numbers and the
days of the week and different things but I lost the book so now all I
have is the computer screen and it’s like – I give up! Well,
no, and it’ll be easier once Brian is there. But his coach speaks
perfect English so we have no problems communicating. With Brian it’s
a little harder but I speak slower to him.
Are
you planning on taking on more students?
Brian and Andrei are my priorities but I’ve also been asked to do
some seminars this summer in Colorado and Montreal and I’m going
to help Kimmie Meissner, the US junior champion. But I’m just getting
started in coaching, it’s new to me and interesting but I can’t
do everything at once. Last year I was still getting ready for competitions
myself, but this year I’ll have more time and I want to spend the
whole summer coaching.
You
didn’t make it to the Worlds in Dortmund, what happened?
The producers of the show were afraid that if my plane back was delayed
or cancelled, I might have been late for a show. Stars on Ice is not like
Champions on Ice where I had only one number. I had 6 in this show and
they didn’t want to risk me getting stuck somewhere and missing
shows, and I can understand that. Sure I was disappointed, I wanted to
help Brian and Andrei, but there was nothing I could do and we can’t
always have things our way. I had some days off so I went to Florida to
visit friends.
Were
you disappointed Brian (Joubert) “only”
got silver? |
Most
people expected Michelle or Sasha to win the ladies event, but Shizuka
did, were you surprised?
In the ladies there are always surprises! We were making bets on the tour
and my prediction was Michelle, Japanese, Japanese, since there are so
many great Japanese ladies! Shizuka skated great and won and I’m
so glad for Tatiana. I really admire Sasha too, I think she’s very
talented.
*** Previously published by Europe on Ice