Evgeni Plushenko

Rada said:

I wonder where`re Johnny`s photo with Plushy? He was always posting something evry time they meet on shows

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Well, it's not just with Plushy, but Johnny posted this group shot: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUpqynXgv76/

Shoma cracks me up in this, it's like he just walked in and found them there and was all "Oh, OK, better pose."

Also this video is amazeballs: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUo98GyB2DI/

OMG, love the addition to the gold speedo!

the proud papa! https://www.instagram.com/p/BUue0QphkPn/ this is really unbelieveable! look at the other older boys!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUpAoSwjF1b/? awesome!


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p.66

To ruin someone’s skates and in this way to ruin their owner, is very easy. You can blunt the blade on a grinder; you can rub them on the floor or radiator till they become rough or jagged; you can put small nails or tacks in the boots. Sometimes the skates are even stolen and thrown on the street.
Once, in the Palace of Sport “Yubilejny” a pair of skates was even thrown on the roof. Someone had made a bad joke. But the skater needed them just for the training, there was no competition. Luckily, there was a repair of the roof going on at that time and the skates were found after several days.

When I fly on an airplane over the border, the thing I like less is to be separated from my skates. Every time I give them to be taken to the luggage department my heart sinks – what if they are lost?
Till the tragedy at 11th of September in New York we were allowed to take the skates with us in the airplane as hand luggage. But after the terror attack the situation changed. According to the new cruel rules the skates are taken to be a cold steel and cannot be brought to the passenger cabin. All are equal in the eye of the law – it is not important who you are – an Olympic champion or a beginner.
For the figure skaters all around the world this law turned to be a disaster. Without your skates there is no sense to participate. If they are lost, all is lost, you go out of the competition at that moment. You cannot put new skates on, because you have to become used to them and they have to become soft. This process may take even months.

The skates of the professional are alive and very fastidious creatures. They are affected by every thing – hotness, cold, humidity. And to America they fly for ten hours!

p.67

Of course, everyone, who continuously travels around the world and performs on the ice all the time, has a special hit proof suitcase. But however hard it is, it is influenced by the outside conditions. For example it is very often thrown up and down. There is no difference what it is inside the suitcase for the people, who emplane the freight in the luggage department of the airplane. So there is no guarantee, that when you open the suitcase you will be not surprised unpleasantly: the blade can be damaged, the boots can be folded, the hooks for the laces can fly away.

The prohibition for the skates to be taken as a hand luggage was extended from the international to the domestic flights too. We asked the airlines many times to make an exception for us, we even made scandals. Sometimes they understood and helped us. Then the skates were taken to the cockpit and locked there. But we could not always convince the airlines, domestic or international, to make even such a compromise.
I was flying to America for a show once. At the Russian airport we agreed with the administration of the airlines and my suitcase stayed undisturbed in the cockpit.
In Frankfurt we had to transfer to another plane. With my suitcases I went to the checkpoint.
- What is this?
- Skates.
- You cannot take this with you in the airplane.
- But I have just transferred from another airplane and there my skates were with me.
- We are not interested in that.

p.68

We argued for a long time. I tried to convince them that nothing frightening would happen, if my skates flew in the cockpit.
We called the leaders of the guarding service, but the administration of the airlines insisted on having their way. At the end I gave up. Embittered and upset, I went to the counter and gave my suitcases to be taken to the luggage department.
The girl there smiled and said:
- But you have to take the next plane.
- Why?
- Yours has just taken off.
While we had been arguing I had forgotten to look at my watch. I had to fight for my skates, for the most precious thing I had. With foam on my mouth I had been proving, that they had not to be taken away from me. But the result was that my skates were taken and I have missed the plane. Fortunately, this time the skates arrived safely in America .

I am very nervous when my skates fly separately from me. When we land, the first thing I do is to go and take them. I look at the computer base if my luggage is already there. And then I start watching the bags of the new arrivals coming foreword. In these minutes my nerves are strained to the utmost. And if your suitcase comes with the last ones, you start looking at the stranger’s luggage as if it were the armour of your personal enemy. And when at the end you see your suitcase with the skates, you draw a sigh of relief. It means you had luck again.
Fortunately, at important competitions, my skates were never lost and they arrived with me.
At training camps they were delayed some times. They were lost, traveled for two or three days nobody knows where, and then they arrived. In such cases I was excessively nervous, like a pea on a drum, I could not think of anything else.

p.69

Once a very sad story happened with one of the figure skaters – an Olympic champion.
He was flying for a show and his skates and costumes were given to the luggage and lost without a trace. Desperate, he went to the administration of the airport and they told him:
- Wait for three days. If the luggage doesn’t come back, write down an application and value your lost belongings.

Three days passed by. Neither the skates, no the costumes were found. And the costumes of a figure skater are very expensive – sometimes the price goes to ten thousand dollars. He wrote a claim – the compensation appeared to be around ten thousand dollars. But only he thought so. The airline thought differently. They decided to pay the sportsman four hundred dollars and told him “Goodbye”. Nobody was found responsible for the lost belongings and competition.

There are cases when the skates are lost or delayed and the sportsman misses the competition. You always sympathize with those, who had such an experience, even if they are your enemies. Because all of those, who had happily met their luggage at the end of the flight, are subconsciously afraid, that something like that can happen with them too. You run like a mad one to look for your suitcases. And you never know if happiness will smile to you this time or not. It is a lottery every time.

It is true, I always fly in the business class and our luggage is looked after carefully. But mistakes happen here too. There are several airlines, which I don’t like. But when there are no tickets I have to buy from them. And then every time something goes wrong! Perhaps my negative thoughts are materialized. Perhaps I just have to change my attitude!

p.70

The skates and the ice are the most important things in every competition.
The ice in the different countries is different. It can be hard or soft, it can even crush under your feet. All depends on the quality and temperature of the water used to flood the ice rink. The quality of the ice on the rink is very important. It should be hard for the hockey players and soft for the figure skaters, so that they skate easily.
When I was falling down much and got injuries, especially in childhood, the ice was for me very cold, merciless and repulsive. You become bitter at it, start fighting with it, but at the end you win – the falls happen not so often, you make complicated elements.
Then, when you become a champion, when you start winning competitions, your attitude to the ice changes, you begin to like it.
Now, when I go out on any ice rink, I easily define and see what for an ice it is. But I never become bitter at it! Just the opposite – I negotiate with it, ask for help, sometimes we even make discussions! You have to talk to the ice like to a close friend and better in private.
I talk with it before important competitions – I ask for help, so that I skate the program faultlessly, I ask him not to put something under my skates. We talk at trainings too, especially when I try to make difficult elements and I can’t. Most often I talk with the ice at home, on the ice rink of the Palace of Sport “Yubilejny” in Petersburg.
But in the other countries I ask help from the ice too. No matter what the language is of the country, where the Olympics take place, I always speak in Russian to the ice. And he always understands.

It is true, sometimes the skates and the ice put the sportsman to a real trial.
Once I almost lost the toe of my right foot.

p.71

We were in a training camp in Spain. I jumped, landed, but the leg sprang aside and with the heel I made a hole in my right skate and in my leg.

I felt as if I had cut my toe. In the first several minutes there was even no pain, I felt only as if I had no toe. And then through the boot, through the laces there spurted blood. When I put off this boot, the blood started streaming stronger. A puddle appeared, the ice turned red.
The ambulance came after half an hour. The pain was wild, I was feverish, spasms began.
It appeared I had cut a tendon. The Spanish surgeons made seventeen stitches.
While all the others were training I was lying in the hospital. Then I had to learn how to walk with crutches. With them I went out of the airplane back home. Mom saw me and started crying. I had not told her anything before, not to worry her.
Straight from the airport we with mom and Alexey Nikolaevich went to the hospital, where I had to undergo another operation.
This injury is sometimes felt even till today – my toe doesn’t work properly. By the way, the right leg plays the essential part in several difficult jumps; you land on it.
After the operation I could not do anything for a whole month, the toe could not move at all. Then, gradually, it started to restore.
My first performance after this injury was in England. I nearly failed, because there appeared in me a fear – I was afraid to jump, I was afraid not to injure the toe again. Eventually I overcame the fear.
Now this injury doesn’t trouble me, but from time to time I feel it. Especially while I am doing a certain element – the arabesque spiral with a spin on the right leg. Once I had a cramp in this leg in a competition.

plushyfan said:

the proud papa! https://www.instagram.com/p/BUue0QphkPn/ this is really unbelieveable! look at the other older boys!

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It iiiisss! I've been trying to do that at my ice rink - let's just say my leg is not getting up there, but I'm proud of Sasha!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUpAoSwjF1b/? awesome!

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Well looking at that just killed my groin...although I think maybe I was able to do that when I was so young...but any flexibility I had is long gone, I can't even touch my toes!

The skates and the ice are the most important things in every competition.
The ice in the different countries is different. It can be hard or soft, it can even crush under your feet. All depends on the quality and temperature of the water used to flood the ice rink. The quality of the ice on the rink is very important. It should be hard for the hockey players and soft for the figure skaters, so that they skate easily.
When I was falling down much and got injuries, especially in childhood, the ice was for me very cold, merciless and repulsive. You become bitter at it, start fighting with it, but at the end you win – the falls happen not so often, you make complicated elements.
Then, when you become a champion, when you start winning competitions, your attitude to the ice changes, you begin to like it.
Now, when I go out on any ice rink, I easily define and see what for an ice it is. But I never become bitter at it! Just the opposite – I negotiate with it, ask for help, sometimes we even make discussions! You have to talk to the ice like to a close friend and better in private.
I talk with it before important competitions – I ask for help, so that I skate the program faultlessly, I ask him not to put something under my skates. We talk at trainings too, especially when I try to make difficult elements and I can’t. Most often I talk with the ice at home, on the ice rink of the Palace of Sport “Yubilejny” in Petersburg.
But in the other countries I ask help from the ice too. No matter what the language is of the country, where the Olympics take place, I always speak in Russian to the ice. And he always understands.

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I like this part of Plushy's biography! Plushy the Ice Whisperer I do remember when I watched the NBC commentary of the Torino SP (it was the only one I could find at the time) that when Plushy touched the ice as he was skating off Scott Hamilton was like "I think he's thanking the ice!"

Oh and I was just on Tumblr and saw this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUyZBoiBiZB/

OMG! Who's the lucky person who took this photo I wonder!

p.72

I had three more minutes to finish the program and make six difficult elements. The pain was so strong, that I wanted to yell. I clenched my teeth and continued. And I carried it through – I made all the planned elements and went to make the spin. The pain was still there. In the last minute I started doing some extra insignificant elements. I wanted to distract the judges with hands and facial expression while I was stretching my leg trying to relax it. Nevertheless I won the competition.

p.73

XI – The Figures of Plushenko

The training is over. I am doing my trademark – the Biellmann spin – for a consecutive time. Alexey Nikolaevich is standing behind the barrier.
- That’s all, Zhenya, enough for today. Go home and rest. – And he goes away.
- So, you are doing ten more Biellmanns and only then we will go! – This is my mom’s voice.
It seemed to her I had not worked enough.
The Biellmann spin is a child of my mom.
The first one to make it in the history of figure skating was the famous Swiss figure skater Denise Biellmann. You rise one leg over the head and hold the skate, so that a ring is formed. And this ring spins. Then all the girls, who seriously trained figure skating started making the Biellmann.
Boys are not so flexible as the girls – this is genetically defined. One cannot do anything against that.

p.74


I was very little when I saw this spin for the first time. I was watching a tv and there was a program for figure skating. This figure seemed magic and untouchable to me and even then I was dreaming to be able to do it. I wanted to spin in such a beautiful way too.
Then my mom saw one girl, who was spinning Biellmann easily and beautifully. After only a week, thanks to my mom’s strenuousness and devotion, this element submit to me too. It appeared it was not very difficult for me to do it, because I was very flexible and stretched – again thanks to my mom’s hard work.
I was very proud that I could do it!
To celebrate the subjection of the Biellmann, my parents organized a picnic. We went out of the town, baked potatoes, boiled borsch^ in a copper. It was so great and incredibly tasty.

Thus I became the first man in the world to do this element. For long years it had been only for the ladies.
All the way mom walked next to me – from my first steps on the ice till my Olympic gold. We were learning figure skating together. She was taking something from the coaches and adding something of her own. Of course she did not know the details of the technique. But the main things she always knew – where should I bend my body on the landing and on the start of the jump. She knew what I should do.
When I was a child she always helped me. Especially in stretching and general physical training. In some enchanting way she could persuade the sportsman, that he is the best of all. This is very precious.

When I started training with Mishin, I reached a certain level and started competing with big sportsmen on the world’s ice, mom stopped interfering in the training process.

p.75

But she continued persuading me, that I am the best of all, that there is nobody stronger than me. Mom went on supporting me, but especially on a psychological level. In my hardest moments I always ring her up, and I know that she will find the most important words for me to hold me up, to persuade me in my own strength and in my future victory. Because she believes in me like nobody else. And I trust her immensely.

I think she has the talent to be a coach, she is a very strong woman. She can feel with the child, with the sportsman, she sees his weak and strong sides and can put him on the right way – the way of the champion. I can give her the opportunity to be a coach, I can provide for everything that is necessary. But now she has no will and strength, because all she had she gave it to me, to her son. She has already brought up one champion. His name is Plushenko.

My trademark cascades appeared later, when I showed myself on the international arena like a champion. But they were made up just by chance. I was already easily doing quadruple and triple toe loops and a cascade from two jumps.
Once at the training we decided with the coach to try and combine these three jumps. I jump quadruple, land and standing on a place, push myself again and fly again in the air. Then I make three rotations and land. At the end, without ungrouping, I make a double jump.
And it happened! This cascade is very demanding, it takes all your energy. After it, especially at the beginning, you feel devastated, as if you have been training for several hours.
p. 76

But in the same time a special kind of adrenalin works during these jumps. When you go to do the element you feel how hard it is, how important it is for you, how much you crave to do it. And then you do it successfully and you cannot breathe any more. You are squeezed like a lemon.

For the first time I did the cascade 4-3-2 at the international series of Grand Prix in 1999 and I took the first place. Till then this cascade is known as “The Plushenko’s Cascade”

Two years later I started to do even a more difficult cascade. It was successful too: quadruple toe loop- triple toe loop- triple Rittberger. For the first time I showed it in 2002 at the Grand Prix series and it was named after me too.

Not only my strenuousness, the many hours spent in the training, my flexibility and my other abilities help me to reach heights in sport. Sometimes unexplainable things happen.
It is 2004. I am on the World Championships in the German town of Dortmund. After the short program I became the first. I go to the lot and draw the last number. After the warm-up I am standing in the backstage. I don’t see my competitors, but I can hear the reaction of the audience. The first competitor goes out – applause, the second one – a lauder applause, the third – applause again!
I am asking my coach what is happening on the ice. Everybody skates perfectly. No jump is missed. This means I am obliged to do the maximum – two quadruples and two triple Axels.


the reaction of the girls https://twitter.com/yokotanpeshenko/status/870264978678226946

and the Faun's poses https://twitter.com/Lily_shenka/status/869861636042964993

https://twitter.com/Lily_shenka/status/869860186302763008

https://twitter.com/Lily_shenka/status/869858213931343873 my favorite pic of Plushenko ever

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p.77

I should not miss any element. Any tiny inaccuracy would be scored by the judges. And I go out for the long program. At the fourth jump I realize that in the next instant I am down on the ice. I had to fall down! At this moment something unexplainable happened – as if someone helped me, he took me and ordered me “Stay!”
Perhaps at this moment my guardian angel came. This is not a single case. The same story happened later, at the Olympiad in Turin, where I became an Olympic champion.

I believe in God. My parents baptized me when I was five or six. It was me, who asked them to do it. I saw other children with little crosses on their neck and once I asked mom:
- Why do the others have little crosses and I don’t?
- Because the others are baptized and you are not.
- I want to be baptized too.
Mom told me later, that she had been very surprised – I had assumed such a serious air.
Then mom told me about God, about the ritual of Baptism and I was baptized.
I cared much for the little cross on my neck. While training I checked all the time if it was there, I was afraid not to lose it.
Faith is for me a serious matter. I go to church, but always alone, when my soul needs this.

I know that my talent is given from God and without it I would have been nothing. I know also that this talent is a big responsibility. I have to show all it is capable of.

p.78

And for this I have to work much and properly. It means to think over every detail in the program.
A new program starts with me and Alexey Nikolaevich studying the subject. It is similar to the work of the director and the actor on a new role.
For example, some years ago we worked on the program “A tribute to Nijinsky” and we started with a visit to the museum. I read Nijinsky’s biography. I was extremely impressed by the fate of this great dancer. The story begins when his mom brought him in a private ballet school, he was taken in and he started to study. That looked like my life and I felt it very close. And then tragic notes appeared, I had to understand and feel them.
There is not even one videotape with Nijinsky today. With Mishin we tried to reconstruct his appearance and plastics from the photographs. We added something from ourselves too.
At this time I already knew the talented Hungarian violin player Edwin Marton and he composed an original melody for this program. I performed it in 2003 at the Grand Prix.

The music – it is always something divine. The people, who have the talent to compose nice melodies are gifted by God. We have to value and protect them.
I chose the music for my programs in different ways. Sometimes even by chance.
I heard on the radio the song of Igor Kornelyuk, which he had written for the tv series “Gangster’s Petersburg”/Banditskiy Peterburg/^ and I understood immediately that I had to skate this. We with Alexey Nikolaevich asked Igor to adapt it for my long program. Kornelyuk made more than forty versions, because the accents in the music had to coincide with the jumps, rotations and step sequence.

Most often I listen to the music while driving. And I imagine myself on the ice. Then we discuss the melody with the coach, the choreographer, I ask my mom what she thinks. And if everything works right, there appears a program, and it sounds, it is remembered, it remains in your soul and in the souls of the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpy1-2GTjzM - Plushenko, Portrait of A Star - The Music of Plushenko's Programs (9)


p.80

XII – The American Dream

- Zhenya, lets turn you into a body-builder, - suggested my friend and choreographer David Avdish.
- What for a body-builder? Where shall we take biceps and triceps from? I am a sportsman, who is always on a special diet.
A figure skater has a special body. The legs are strong and the arms are thin. The centre of gravity should be down, otherwise he would not be able to make triples, quadruples and cascades.
- We will make biceps and triceps for you out of a foam rubber.
- Out of a foam rubber, I am not sure…….
I was skeptic towards such an idea, but I asked just in case:
- And what will be the music like?
- We will try with Tom Jones’ “Sex bomb”.
And we started trying, at first without a costume. David thought out the movements. And we made up something.
Then we draw a sketch of the costume, the designers sewed a muscle corset – a big one. Above it we put underpants and a vest.

p.81

When I tried it and looked at myself in the mirror I nearly died of laughter – in the reflection I saw the big Rambo from the comic strips. And he started to do the movements David had thought out.
This turn is one of my most bright, funny and memorable ones. And it appeared just by chance.

After the World Championships in Vancouver we had to surprise the audience with something at the exhibition. The turn had to be made in such a way, so that everybody should find in it something interesting – from the kids to the grown-ups. Moreover, it was a very successful year for me. 2001 was the year before the Olympics. I became the first at the Russian championships, I had huge success at the Europeans. And at the Worlds in Canada I went out to take the gold and became a champion.
Such an year had to be crowned with something and the choreographer David Avdish hit the bull’s eye.
It is true, dancing with a foam rubber was uncomfortable at first, but then I got used to it. I was able to make three and a half turns, Axel and all the necessary elements and movements. Thanks to the humped muscles it was very funny.
For the first time I showed this costume to the audience at a training. In many countries the trainings are done in full stadiums, they even sell tickets for it.
The instance I stepped on the ice, the stands roared – how could I become two times bigger in such a short time? And when I started dancing the applause was thunderous, I realized it would be a riot.
And it was so, everybody was cheering at the performance.
“Sex bomb” became an absolute hit.
It is true, every time I take off the pile of muscles, I feel as if I have just gone out of the sauna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2Xwdh_Uyk - Plushenko, Portrait of A Star - Sex Bomb (12)



p.82

The foam rubber doesn’t let air through, the body doesn’t breathe, I was wet all over. But it was such an effect! Such a diet!
When I performed in America I frightened the staff in the Palace of Sport. Before the show I had to do a little warm-up. So I put on the foam rubber, the vest and over it the training jacket and trousers. I went out of the changing room, opened the door and run into an American. The man drew back as if from a ghost – he saw a thin face and under it such a big body! Respectfully he let me pass and then watched me for a long time.
In America and Canada this turn was a big success, the people giggled, the stands roared with applause. The foam rubber was what the Americans needed. “Sex bomb” made me more popular across the Ocean.
In Russia this turn was accepted very well too.
In Japan, the modest and well-brought-up Japanese bashfully bent down their glances. If they giggled, they did it lowly and with a palm over their mouth.

When the “Sex bomb” was seen all over the world, other figure skaters started to experiment with foam rubber too. They took advantage of the idea and tried to do something similar. But these turns did not become well-known, neither of them became a world hit. Because the copies are always worse than the original!

I have to tell you, as strange as it can sound, that even till today there are sportsmen who cannot put up with the fact that there exists a figure skate named Evgeni Plushenko. Very often, when I go over the Ocean for a competition or a show they try to offend and exasperate me.
Once I performed in a commercial show, in which six of the best figure skaters in the world took part. There was a training on the ice.




https://twitter.com/Lily_shenka/status/871220956273836033

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU5IeNlBmA5/?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU2qdRyBLeW/?

p.83

I was standing at the barrier discussing my turn with Alexey Nikovaevich. Suddenly one of the participants flew into me and hit my boot. I thought it was just by chance. After a while I went to the barrier again, the sportsman again came to me and touched me. And the rink was big, by the way, there was place for everybody. I realized he wanted to exasperate me, but I made the appearance as if nothing had happened.
- Zhenya, never mind him! – said Alexey Nikolaevich, having noticed this dare-devil too.
I continued skating, but this sportsman could not settle down. He hit me with his shoulder. I went to Mishin:
- Alexey Nikolaevich, I will hit him.
- By no means! You are a champion, you stay higher than that. Have patience!

Such bites are usual. As a rule, they are rarely made by the talented sportsmen, who have already achieved something and are concentrated on their future tasks. The youth bites. These sportsmen are actually my age, but I have the right to call them young, because I started showing results at 13-14.
Not long ago, at the European championships, during the warm-up, one such talented youngster showed up to me. He was moving his hands as if he was boxing with someone. His eyebrows were frowned, his nostrils blown up. He was showing how strong and invincible he was. Actually he was so funny, with Mishin we watched him and laughed.

I know this is childishness. The young cocks coming to a serious competition want to strengthen their positions and start offending the others.

p.84

Such attacks only make me smile. You have to prove your heroism and power with your skating, not with your waving hands at the warm-up.

I have already confessed, that once I had a dream to buy a house in America and go to live and train there. Now this dream has passed. But there appeared another one – to make a movie.
Some years ago a producer and a director from Hollywood came to me and suggested that we should make a movie. The offer was very tempting. They gave me the script and I read it with pleasure.
It was a melodrama, the typical Hollywood movie, very good, with a happy end. I had to play the main part – a figure skater. He is very young and talented. One of his girl classmates falls in love with him, but she is an invalid and cannot walk. All their free time they spend together. He is training on an open ice rink and she comes to watch him. Eventually the doctors and her love towards the figure skater make her walk again, she is cured. And then he takes her on the ice for the first time in her life. He helps her lace her boots and they start skating together. They become so good that they go to competitions and further on win at the World Championships. Such a lyrical story, which would hardly be possible in real life. Or may be not?

This script reminds me the story of the Olympic champions Anton Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya. It is true, they started competing being already almost grown-ups. Lena, after a very heavy injury, thanks to the efforts of her relatives and Anton’s attention, stepped on the ice again. Then they became Olympic champions. According to me this pair is the most stylish, technical and sexy one.

My partner in the film had to be a Hollywood actress, who was still a beginner without much experience. But her candidature was not even discussed, because we just did not come to that.

p.85

Actually, I had already agreed to shoot the movie. The director and the producer had to come to Russia. But it appeared that the shooting would take much time, so much, that I could not afford. I had competitions. It appeared that the movie is a serious thing, which demands hard work and all of your time. And I had my figure skating going on. I could not afford to leave the skates for few months. I had no opportunity.
But the dream remained. And I think, that one day I will realize it. Moreover, offers come all the time. The parts are different – a hero, a strong machismo man, but also comedy parts, very funny ones. If I have to say what kind of films I like best, I would say comedy and historical films.
After I retire from figure skating, I will take the risk to shoot a movie by all means. I want to try many things in life. And I think, that if I devote all of myself to the actor’s art, I would be able to play any part. Because I know – if I like doing something, I make it to the end, the maximum of it. And it is always successful.

p.86

XIII – My Silver Olympics

It was two years till my first Olympics.
I am in France on the World Championships.
It is the year 2000 and I am 18. I go there only to win. The season is successful, I am the first at the Russian and European championships. I already have bronze and silver from previous Worlds. So now I want only the gold.
I skate the short program in France and I am currently on second place. I realize I have all the chances to rise on the first step of the podium! The adrenalin rises excessively.
I cannot sleep at night, I keep turning in bed. In front of my eyes I see one and the same picture – I finish the program, rise on the podium and there it is – the gold! I fall asleep early in the morning.
Next day. Long program. It is my turn. I go to make the quadruple – and I fail. I go to make a second quadruple – I fail again. There remains only one thought in my head – “I have already the bronze and the silver, I need the first place”.

p.87

And I decide to make a third quadruple. I fail again!
At this point I realized I have ruined all. I will not be even among the first three. With such thoughts I skate the rest of the program without any wish at all.

There, at the Worlds in France I became the fourth. At the first step of the podium, where I had imagined only myself, stays my main rival Alexey Yagudin.

I started to make analysis of the failure. There were enough reasons. My lot was bad. I had to start the training at six in the morning. For me to have enough sleep is one of the main factors for victory. I went on the ice to train, but my body was still sleeping. The qualification I skated at ten and I am not used to compete at that time at all. To give my best at serious competitions I have to skate later. Otherwise I feel uncomfortable. And why did I not have enough sleep? Because I was overexcited.
I went to the championships only for a victory. For me the second and the third places were a failure. And it was a psychological barrier, which I could not jump over, the adrenalin was excessive. I could not carry it through, I over burnt. It was a flagrant error, childishness. Perhaps at that time I could not yet skate as a champion. Now I know, when I couldn’t make the jump, I had to stop thinking about it. If you cannot be a champion now, you can be a prize-winner, which is very good too.

continue...



https://www.instagram.com/p/BU9QR31FoTV/? - Yana Rudkovskaya @rudkovskayaofficial and Evgeni Plushenko @plushenkoofficial are happy in marriage for seven years already. Many colleagues of the couple admire how harmoniously they look together. The other day it became known that the producer and the Olympic champion in figure skating decided to marry. Many people prefer to live together for a few years before going to church and going through the rite. -google translate

So they want to marry in church, too..:luv17:


really cute https://www.instagram.com/p/BU7Cem9hjo0/? https://www.instagram.com/p/BU6qZjIFeLY/?

plushyfan said:

https://twitter.com/Lily_shenka/status/871220956273836033

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OMG, that's so amaaaaazing! Sasha's learning so quickly! Like father, like son indeed!

BTW I love your new avatar Plushyfan!

plushyfan said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU9QR31FoTV/? - Yana Rudkovskaya @rudkovskayaofficial and Evgeni Plushenko @plushenkoofficial are happy in marriage for seven years already. Many colleagues of the couple admire how harmoniously they look together. The other day it became known that the producer and the Olympic champion in figure skating decided to marry. Many people prefer to live together for a few years before going to church and going through the rite. -google translate

So they want to marry in church, too..:luv17:

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Oh that's nice! I wonder what dress Yana will wear! (And would Sasha be involved? Because that'll be adorable.)

really cute https://www.instagram.com/p/BU7Cem9hjo0/? https://www.instagram.com/p/BU6qZjIFeLY/?

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OMG, let's give it up for Duckshenko!

p.88

How many times did it happen that I lead after the short program ! I went to bed with the idea, that I have already won the champion title. And how many sleepless nights did I spend before the last day of the competition! “Tomorrow I perform and win!” This obtrusive thought about the victory worried me and did not let me close my eyes. In front of me I had a vision of the podium and the golden medal. And overnight I burnt. I had no strength any more. In the morning I was tired of not having had enough sleep. I went to the training and there it became obvious.

It was necessary simply to distract. Simply to will yourself to fall asleep on time and to wake up on time, not to think about the podium, to calm down the wild imagination. This is very hard. You have to gain experience with time.
My hardest rival is myself. I am in a continuous struggle with myself alone. And I win, because I gain experience. Of course, I think about the medals till today. But now I know what to do – I can will myself to switch off. I ring up friends, listen to the music, watch a film. This is my advice to the young sportsmen.
I know that many sportsmen, even experienced ones, have sleepless nights before competitions. I have learnt to sleep well before any competition!

The Olympics – this is the main start in the life of a person, who has devoted himself to sport. If the sportsman is aware, that he can take part only in one Olympics, because of his age, he will make the most of it. He will make everything possible to win.
The Olympics are not like any other competition.

p.89

It is not like the European or World Championships. The training is completely different. The thrill is different, the emotions, the adrenalin, the atmosphere.
You have to prepare in another way. You have to save your strength till the end. And if something doesn’t happen on the training, it has to happen in the Olympics.
Our figure skating federation did all the necessary work to provide my successful training and it seemed to me, that I was really ready to win.
The Olympics are also a big feast. It takes you in its grip. You have to be prepared psychologically to resist that, or it will run you off the rails. In the town of the Olympics come many of your friends and acquaintances. There are competitions for many kinds of sport, apart of figure skating. I am fond of hockey. When I have free time I very often go to watch hockey matches. But at the Olympics I will myself not to watch even this, not to get distracted.
There are many feasts at the Olympics. Everywhere music and fireworks. But this is for the spectators, not for the competitors. At least till they finish their work. The ones, who struggle for the leadership, for the champion title, don’t feel like having a feast, they have to keep their strength till the decisive performance.

With the coach and the choreographer we came to the Olympic village two weeks before the beginning, so that we could feel the ice, get used to the climate and the atmosphere.
America looked forward eagerly to the opening of the Olympics. They welcomed the competitors, got acquainted with them and were very glad to have all of us.
In the place where we lived there appeared to be many Mormons. Many of them worked as volunteers at the Olympics. They spoke good Russian, having worked in Russia before.

p.90

It is true, they preferred not to answer the questions where and what they had worked. For me the Mormons and their way of life became a real revelation. I could not imagine that nowadays a man can have several wives and innumerable children! Some had ten or fifteen kids – all shouting, screaming, running around.
We even went to guests in one such family. The houses are simple, only very huge. And so many children – they were everywhere, as if you have spilt peas and the peas roll all around. You just stand on one place and you are afraid to walk not to step on somebody. It was fun.
But I was under pressure all the time, I had a super competition in front of me.

Then the opening took place.
And the lot. It is very important, a ritual, obligatory for every competition. Sometimes I had to skate first, sometimes last. I don’t know which is better. To go on the ice first is not easy, to go last is very hard. What can one do? With the experience you start realizing that whatever lot you draw you have to get into the mood and love it. You have to adjust your preparation to the lot. If you are the first one, you must start the training early enough so that you have time to concentrate and relax.
Before the beginning of the competition you know who your main competitors are. And you start measuring your program with theirs. Sometimes you even have to perform immediately before or after your main competitors for the first place.
I don’t like to skate after my competitors. They have already got a good score and you have to skate as good as them or better than them.

p.91

This situation is psychologically very hard. I prefer to skate before them, to lift the bar and “frighten” the masters. Then your competitors become worse.

At the Olympics in America my lot was to skate in the middle. My main competitor Alexey Yagudin had to skate last.
In the Olympic village I communicated with many sportsmen. But with Yagudin we did not run into each other. We had different kind of friends. I preferred to socialize with Russians, and he – with foreigners.
The 2002 Olympics were my first one. I was expecting it anxiously, I prepared myself and went there to win, of course.
And I lost. I got the second place and became silver prize-winner. For me it was not so important whom exactly I had lost against, the main thing was that I had lost against myself and had lost the first place. Yes, I lost ! Is it so important who exactly stays at the highest step of the Olympic podium, when you stay at your, suffered and won, but – second step.

I have always liked our famous tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Before big matches he never gave interviews.
- The meetings with the journalists always confuse me and it becomes difficult to concentrate, - said he.
Before traveling to Salt Lake City we with Alexey Nikolaevich chose the same tactics, I did not give interviews at all.
My main competitor Alexey Yagudin made just the opposite choice – he gave one interview after another and appeared to be candid to everybody.

p.92

If the journalists don’t get the necessary information, they concoct it - it is so all over the world. They cooked up everything – rumours, speculations, stories. May be it was our oversight, now it is difficult to judge.
The newspapers - American and Russian – together they all wrote how marvelously Yagudin and his coach Tatiana Tarasova were preparing for the Olympics. In what magnificent form Yagudin was. We with Alexey Nikolaevich Mishin were set against them – as if we were preparing awfully and our programs, of course, were horrible.
The explanation is simple. In the world of figure skating, like in every professional world, by the way, there are mercenary journalists. For money they are ready to write what is ordered to them. I cannot say names, of course, of trainers, who order, and journalists, who fulfill, because I cannot prove anything. But there were such people and there still are.
We with Alexey Nikolaevich were absolutely honest – we did not bribe anybody and if we gave an interview we were frank.
Mishin and my relatives took care not to show these newspapers to me, to save my nerves. But information flew out of everywhere. It was manipulation and it was unpleasant, it could run you off the rails.
By the way, after Yagudin stopped competing, the journalists, who wrote vileness for me, turned to my side and started acting as if they were my friends. But I did not start working with them.
How is it possible to write, that my programs “Carmen” and “Michael Jackson” were weak?! With them I had won all the competitions in the season!

p.93

I had taken only gold, I had won against all my competitors.

There came a time, when Yagudin started losing against me at the main competitions and the pressure between us reached its highest. He started making mistakes, his nerves couldn’t stand the strain of rivalry.
In Vancouver, at the pre-Olympic championships I was much ahead of all. At this point Yagudin felt the ground slipping under his feet completely. Then he and his coach went to Zagaynov – a famous sport psychologist. He said : “When Yagudin sees Zhenya on the ice he starts thinking about a failure.” And this was true, my competitor needed a psychological help.

Who is Rudolph Zagaynov? In the world of sports there are legends about him. He is even called the black magician of the sport arena.

Rudolph Zagaynov is undoubtedly a talented psychologist. He worked with many sportsmen and made them feel like winners. I have never met him personally, but I have met many of those, whom he has “helped”. Many of them still feel an unpleasant twang of having communicated with him. Zagaynov makes you hate your rival. Hatred – this is a disgusting feeling. Yes, there is sport gambling, there is a striving to win. But to hate someone – this is awful! I think, that first of all you have to learn to respect your rival. If you learn how to win over your rival feeling respect towards him – this is high sport.
But there are people, who can do frightening things. As soon as Zagaynov started working with Yagudin, there spread strange rumours. I received letters, mom had calls warning her :




continue....

plushyfan said:

Yes, Lilyshenka's work

this is great, too https://twitter.com/Norah_min/status/871334464080625664

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Awww, that is cute! The V shaped mouth of Plushy! (Reminds me of a guide to drawing Plushy someone made
)

I also wonder.. I just hope she won't wear this dress https://www.instagram.com/p/BU95gJtAFzJ/?taken-by=rudkovskayaofficial

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Really? I guess it's not suitable for a church wedding - especially a Russian Orthodox one I imagine - but as testament to my taste or lack thereof I think it's really pretty though! A real Disney Princess dress!

In other news, Plushy is back in Japan for more Fantasy on Ice and I'm kind of dying because it's in Kobe and if only I had money and courage I could go there! I wonder if he'll bust out the Sex Bomb again!

anonymoose_au said:

Awww, that is cute! The V shaped mouth of Plushy! (Reminds me of a guide to drawing Plushy someone made
)



Really? I guess it's not suitable for a church wedding - especially a Russian Orthodox one I imagine - but as testament to my taste or lack thereof I think it's really pretty though! A real Disney Princess dress!

In other news, Plushy is back in Japan for more Fantasy on Ice and I'm kind of dying because it's in Kobe and if only I had money and courage I could go there! I wonder if he'll bust out the Sex Bomb again!

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https://twitter.com/M_MAKOTO_O/status/873075319330160640 he played footbal with children

https://twitter.com/yokotanpeshenko/status/873144985629085696

https://twitter.com/yokotanpeshenko/status/873152547124420610 I don't know what he is doing

https://twitter.com/yokotanpeshenko/status/873146488007778304

from Kobe https://www.instagram.com/p/BVHfSbLhhL7/ - interesting this is Plushy's team on Kings on Ice shows...

According to Johnny's tweet, this happened again:

https://twitter.com/JohnnyGWeir/status/873123894076428288 - My necklace broke mid performance and I am so embarrassed and apologize profusely for interrupting the show for the fans! Gomenasai!

in 2010 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wo1zq6VXY - "Fantasy On Ice in Fukui" - Global searching - Plushy was so great and funny...saved the show...



and from Mukahari
https://twitter.com/vJxuYe4H2Ak2doY/status/873078243464683522 Fantasy on Ice Makuhari Tank you from the bottom of my heart . I ❤ Plushenko

p.94


“Make a good protection to Zhenya! At the Olympics he will be hypnotized, bewitched, coded. Something irretrievable will happen, if you don’t take measures.” We did not believe in all this nonsense and tried to stay higher than speculations and intrigues. Later, I met professional psychologists and I was told that there exist forces and special technique, which helps the sportsman, or make his rival lose. There is a chance that in Salt Lake City Rudolph Zagaynov helped Yagudin become an Olympic champion.

I fell down at the short program. This quadruple I know by heart like the Lord’s Prayer. Wake me up in my sleep I will jump it as clean as a whistle. At the training everything went on marvelously. And suddenly……going on to make this quadruple I saw Zagaynov’s silhouette in front of me. He was there. I saw his oppressive glance.
I pushed myself very well and flew smoothly. And then something unexplainable happened. As if someone ordered : “Ungroup! Start landing!” and I obeyed, although it was early. I cannot understand even till today where did this signal came from and how did it reach my brain.
I was fourth after the short program. And I gave up.
Then mom rang me up:
“Zhenya, don’t be upset in any case. You have one more program – the long one. Go and do your work!
And this inspired me with a self-confidence. My spirit rose again. In the long program I did all the quadruples and triples clean and right, without any fault.
The intrigue – who would be the champion among the men at the 2002 Olympics – was going on till Yagudin went on the ice.

p.95
When he finished his program I realized that I have lost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj4j1UDnZQY
Later, after the Olympics I watched many times the recording of my program and my falling down at the quadruple. After all, I was in a perfect form. I have never fallen down in such a way. At any case I had to turn this way. Till now I have the feeling that some strange force dragged me down. What was that?
Perhaps at the Olympics in 2002 there appeared some of Zagaynov’s influence. If it is so, I do not envy this man. It is known for long ago, that the ones who use their powers and energy to harm somebody suffer many times more than their victims. After a while the negative energy goes back to them like a boomerang.

I was standing at the second step of the podium feeling a loser. After the end of the ceremony I went to my room and had a sound sleep. But in the middle of the night I woke up and I could hardly breathe. I grasped. I tried to stand up, but I could not feel my legs. I do not remember how I reached Mishin’s room. He called a doctor. I had a high temperature – about forty oC / 104oF/.
No one could tell the reason for my condition. They made every possible analysis and they were all normal. Many doctors examined me and did not find anything. All shrugged their shoulders and could not understand why I had such a high temperature. All of them said that perhaps it was emotional overpressure. After four days I woke up and I was healthy again. Perhaps these were nerves, emotions, which ruin the system, or perhaps it was something completely different…..
I lost five kilos. This is impossible. Before the Olympics I tried hard to lose at least a kilo, but no diets helped.

p.96

And now all of a sudden I lost so many. I got ill at once and I was cured at once…

Back in Russia mom met me. I was thin and pale, with dark circles under my eyes and she started crying:
- Zhenya, this is not fair.
- Mom, don’t cry!, - I took her in my arms,- I will win at the next Olympics, you will see!
And I kept my word.

Back from Salt Lake City we with Alexey Nikolaevich analyzed our failure. We did not try to accuse each other. This would have been wrong. Before the Olympics we got into the mood together of being winners. And together we lost.
Perhaps we made a big mistake going to the Games very early. It seems to me I have burnt, at the training everything went on perfectly. But I did not have an Olympic experience. For Yagudin it was a second Olympics. Four years before he became only fifth. Yagudin was elder than me and more experienced – and this matters.

I was very upset, it is true. But with time you start realizing what a tremendous experience the failure is. It helps you win in the future.
After I have lost in Salt Lake City, mom told me:
- Zhenya, you have lost. But it was yesterday. Now you have forgotten everything and you start anew. There are many victories for you in the future.

p.97

Do you remember? She told me the same thing when I started winning and felt myself nearly a star. But then I had to realize that I was a champion the day before. Now, she convinced me that my failure was also yesterday and in front are the victories.
Now, everything went to its places. Now I have Olympic gold and Olympic silver. And I am proud of it.

in his Ex program there is the most funny moment in his career... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORUPuKhjTp8 even the Japanese commentators couldn't stop their laugh

Ah the voodoo thing...I remember thinking that was so weird when I read it! (I wonder what happened to that Zagaynov guy, is he still around being creepy?) Although Plushy's fall was certainly unexpected! Props to him for nailing the rest of the program,

I tell you, that's missing in a lot Russian skaters today...they make a mistake and can't get over it. Brings the whole program down.

And of course, Carmen was fabulous.

plushyfan said:

in his Ex program there is the most funny moment in his career... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORUPuKhjTp8 even the Japanese commentators couldn't stop their laugh

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Well if you gonna fall you might as well own it.

That Ex intrigues me, that's the only time I've ever seen Plushy perform with his hair pushed back like that. I wonder why he never did it again...

anonymoose_au said:

That Ex intrigues me, that's the only time I've ever seen Plushy perform with his hair pushed back like that. I wonder why he never did it again...

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And do you like it? I still can`t decide...

anonymoose_au said:

Ah the voodoo thing...I remember thinking that was so weird when I read it! (I wonder what happened to that Zagaynov guy, is he still around being creepy?) Although Plushy's fall was certainly unexpected! Props to him for nailing the rest of the program,

I tell you, that's missing in a lot Russian skaters today...they make a mistake and can't get over it. Brings the whole program down.

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He had (and still has, I suppose) the nerves of steel. It was his first OG, and the main battle of his life, and he fell in the very beginning! But he skated till the end of SP withot showing how awful he felt and kept smiling in the final! It`s almost impossible, I think!

Rada said:

And do you like it? I still can`t decide...

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I like it. He is cute and soooooo young.

Rada said:

And do you like it? I still can`t decide...

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I can't decide either...it looks kind of wet? Wet hair while figure skating sounds like the worst idea ever, so I can't quite get on board with it for that reason!

Rada said:

He had (and still has, I suppose) the nerves of steel. It was his first OG, and the main battle of his life, and he fell in the very beginning! But he skated till the end of SP withot showing how awful he felt and kept smiling in the final! It`s almost impossible, I think!

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It is indeed an art, which I hope Plushy can teach some of his students at the Academy! It would be well worth the price of training to be so unshakable! But perhaps it's a skill that can't be taught, looks like Sasha has it though!

plushyfan said:

This voodoo thing was Mishin's thought. Some years ago in an interview I read Mishin's opinion is not changed he believes it even today!!! For me it's also weird! He is an engineer, a technical man!! Plushy was 19 almost child. I have never heard him to talk this in this aspect. He said they made mistakes.

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Wow...I do remember reading that older Russians are a superstitious lot, but it is weird to think Mishin of all people would believe in voodoo!

Zagaynov had several cluttered cases, there was a police investigation because his wife a young athlete had committed suicide.

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That's terrible...I know he said a whole lot of personal stuff about Yags (which Yags was none to pleased about), but an actual police investigation...Hope he's not in the sports psychology business anymore.

Wow...I do remember reading that older Russians are a superstitious lot, but it is weird to think Mishin of all people would believe in voodoo!

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I don`t think that russians are more supersticious than other nations, neither old, nor young. But that was a really great battle, and may be even more for Mishin and TAT, than for boys. And I think... If we compare the situation from both sides, it was Mishin who needs the victory more. It was a revenge for him - she, the "beginner" in men`s coaching, stole his student! His student left him! How dared he! So, there were very much nerves, end every little thing was significant. So...He was nervous, and made Plushy nervous too.

That's terrible...I know he said a whole lot of personal stuff about Yags (which Yags was none to pleased about), but an actual police investigation...Hope he's not in the sports psychology business anymore.

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He wrote a book about his work with Yags and with many other athelets too. It`s really terrible.

But... He helped Yags to win.
And there was such a thing in that times. Russian coaches didn`t think that their athlets need a psychologist (in most cases). TAT and Yags were the ones of very less people in russian sport who did this.