Anna Shcherbakova | Page 141 | Golden Skate

Anna Shcherbakova

Scott512

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Happy sweet 16 to the two-time Russian National champion herself :love:

I missed it. Happy belated sweet 16th birthday to Anna Ballerina! I'm so sorry she did not get a chance to compete at Worlds. I only hope she has a long and wonderful career.
 

Edwin

СделаноВХрустальном!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Superb interview with Anna Shcherbakova

Anna Shcherbakova: after my skating run, I looked at the scoreboard and thought: " But I still hold on "

Two-time Russian champion Anna Shcherbakova told Anatoly Samokhvalov how to approach the National Championships, having lost confidence but winning it, about a million falls from quadruples, about who has the right to proclaim: “I owe nothing to anyone”, and much more.

Drive, excitement and adrenaline

- European Champion Dima Aliyev told how he knocked down furniture in his childhood, repeating each movement of Aleksey Yagudin's Olympic program “Winter” in the apartment. Did the Firebird in your home often take off during the quarantine period?

" Somehow we arrived at the end of the season, there will be no more competitions, so there is no sense in working through my programs, but I've knocked down furniture at home while training jumps and trying to stretch my legs. You can’t really spin around in my room, but only do one jump at a time. True, when I stick my foot out, I bump into something. "

- I hope the jumps are limited to three turns?

" Two and a half, three, no more. "

- Including a triple Lutz?

" A Lutz is more difficult on the floor, since you can’t push off, but I can jump a triple Axel, with which I’m doing worse on ice than with quadruples. Although I have been performing the Axel on the floor for a very long time, I think from the time when I only learned triple jumps. "

- As I understand from your Instagram, they did not manage to pick up music for new programs. But maybe the direction was discussed?

" We didn’t talk about anything concrete, but I always want to try something new and different. "

- You have created this style of a 'sweet girl on ice'. Even "The Story of a Murderer" was told by you, as Tatyana Tarasova said, with "tenderness and force". Horror and lyrical - do you like such a cocktail?

" The image in a program has always been very important for me, and this season I liked my short program not because I just skated with a smile or with a sad expression on my face, but because I put my soul into it. I enjoyed it, and especially the step sequences, the complexity of movements in it and the emotions that I showed. They were sometimes smooth, then sharp. "

- You combined the incompatible?

" Not like incompatible - just different, which when put together look unusual and cool. And a sure way to reveal myself from new angles. I haven't even shown what I'm capable of, far from it. "

- In what unexpected ways we haven't seen you yet?

" If you recall all my programs from childhood, then there were many different images: I skated as an Indian and did Dreamcatcher ... By the way, I was noticed after this and often remember this program, I also liked it very much. And this year's “Perfumer” is my first experience at a program with such a serious storyline. I have never skated to jazz or blues, I don’t even know if I can do this, and if so, now or later. "

- Jazz or blues is very interesting.

" Yes, in the sense that there are skaters to whom these styles really fit, but I still can’t imagine if they will suit me. "

- To try this same jazz, do you need to work with a new choreographer or director?

" No, Daniil Markovich and Eteri Georgiyevna have created an unimaginable number of images for skaters. If I didn’t have jazz, it doesn’t mean that they can't stage such programs. "

- Completely different specialists - both Inna Goncharenko and Irina Slutskaya - admit that you have grown in quality this season, and significantly even. I also thought so. Do you agree with us?

" Of course, we train daily and work out on a lot of things. I am pleased that I am improving and making progress, but this obviously is a requirement. The main thing that I noticed for myself this season was that I became more confident in competitions. This is what affected my results, and for me this is really the most important achievement of the season. "

- And the consequence of confidence is the symbiosis of clarity and lightness that you achieved in the second half of the season?

" Due to the fact that I was more focused and confident in myself, I was able to concentrate more on the program - not only on jumps, but also on what is in between. "

- It seemed to me that in the period from the Lombardy Trophy tournament to the Russian Championship, there was a final and irrevocable farewell to junior skating.

“ Lombardy Trophy” was my first start of the season, with a lighter set, with more excitement, with a not very 'broken in' program, and the Russian Championship was for me the most successful tournament of the year with the most difficult content, and on this drive - and from good jumps, and from that same confidence - the free program looked good. "

- And harmony between the elements, high-quality connections.

" Yes, I felt that everything was working out at the actual skating runs and that this time I could show what I've trained. Drive, excitement, adrenaline - this is what helped me between jumps. "

- You are always applauded for the quadruple Lutz, but then, in December, the same Tarasova was separately amazed at your spins.

" But for this you can scold me. At the Championships of Russia, the final spins with the final Bielmann before the closing pose, I didn't perform in the best way. Can't say I relaxed. It was because this whole skating run was at its maximum, but if they had given me the opportunity, I would have redone this rotation. "

There was a nagging feeling I was catching up with someone.

- I was told that your first victory at the Russian Championships in Saransk was a joy for the whole of Khrustalniy, as it was you overcoming a serious injury and unsuccessful competitions. Did you feel the Gold won in the company of not only Alyona Kostornaya and Aleksandra Trusova, but also in the line of Alina Zagitova and Yevgeniya Medvyedeva, as a feat?

" That Gold I still can not realise. I went to the Championships without understanding my goal at all. Before that, I had a very unsuccessful start in the Grand Prix Final (Anna took the fifth place out of six participants in the junior segment), and in Saransk the most important thing for me was to overcome myself, to deliver my maximum. And a thought just flashed through my mind: it would be nice to get into the team, but for this you need to be in the top six. I skated the short well - became fifth. I was pleased, thought that I had achieved a good intermediate result and now there is a chance to stay in the top six. Thoughts that I could get into the top three or win, I didn't allow myself. It was not after the free skating run that a medal was within reach, I very gradually realised, sitting there and looking at the performances of others. “I'm still holding on”, I said to myself in surprise. “And I'm still holding on,” I thought, looking at the scoreboard after yet another skating run. When I received the Gold medal, the most important sensation was that of a real overcoming. I overcame myself. "

- You are already acquainted with the winner’s psychology?

" In general, I didn't feel additional pressure from understanding that I could win. Already after the “Lombardy Trophy” and the stages of the Grand Prix, after technical improvements, the feeling came that I could win, not because someone was making mistakes, but because everything was in my hands. I am glad this self-confidence remained with me until the end of the season. And I’m glad, because a year ago and earlier I always had the feeling that I was catching up with someone, trying to keep up, but still lagging behind. At competitions I never had complete confidence in myself, it seemed to me that I was worse than the rest. But the Russian Championships in December 2018 were a turning point. Interestingly, I did not immediately realise this, but analysed my condition not so long ago. I asked myself questions: why did I have breakdowns that shouldn't have been? Why am I less nervous today than yesterday? "

- You were chasing everyone after a serious injury, but before you, you were the clear prima in your age category. Back then the world was delighted not with women jumping quadruples, but with the 3-3-3 cascade performed by Medvyedeva. And in the younger group, this 3-3-3 was picked up by Anna Shcherbakova as the first.

" Right during those setbacks, I recalled the time you mentioned, and told myself that before I went out and showed everything that I can, because it shouldn't be otherwise. And after recovery, I saw the others jumping, but could’t do it myself. And it made me feel like I'm weaker now. I spent a lot of time to get rid of this feeling. "

- Each great athlete has a moment when she says to herself without witnesses the phrase: “Yes, I did it!” Did you pronounce it in your career?

" Specifically pronouncing, no, but there really were moments of joy after overcoming. The first was when, after my injury, I went out on the ice in domestic competitions and finally cleanly skated my program. I was glad then. And since then everything happened gradually, there was no start after which I said: “I did it!”, Because this season there hasn't been a concluding start. All season I performed with the thought that so far this is only the beginning, and the main tournaments will come later. After competition, I immediately switched off and thought about the next training and competition. Therefore, some point is missing this year. "

- This final point could only have been the World Championships?

" In this case, yes. If we were told before the European Championship that it would be our last tournament, probably everything would've been different. Both the preparation would be different, and the mood. But since we knew that there was still a major start to come, I still have no feeling that our season is over. "

- But the most important are the Olympic Games. Are they psychologically present in your head all the time?

" They quietly sit somewhere, but not particularly stick out. It is very strange to picture your work, thinking about what will happen in a year and a half or in two years. But I live in specifics, I go out to train, I perform elements and I can’t argue that this is exactly what I am preparing for in the two years to come. Thoughts about the Olympics are too global, it’s easier for me to set goals and imagine what will happen, for example, in a month. "

- And when the news comes about the next sanctions from WADA, the International Olympic Committee, threatening to prevent our team from getting to the Olympic Games, what feelings do you have?

" Speaking personally about myself, I still have a lot to do to qualify for the team. But, of course, these conversations are very scary, and I always want to believe only in the best and that there will be no sanctions. "

- How did you perceive the Gold of Kamila Valiyeva in the Final of the Junior Grand Prix of this season, which she took after an injury. Having beaten the American Alysa Liu, in whose arsenal there is a quadruple Lutz?

" I noticed the recovering of Kamila, and I understand how difficult it is, and I was very glad of her victory. Frankly, I didn't expect that with good skating Alysa would have such results. But Alysa made mistakes, and Kamila justly won. "

- Please tell me, how can a person recover so quickly?

" In my case, the recovery wasn't quick, at that moment it seemed endless. I didn’t skate at all for three months, finally I went out on the ice - and for a long time I couldn’t jump. At that time I was not yet at international tournaments, I was not selected anywhere, so my recovery was quiet. And Kamila was already qualified for the Grand Prix Final. "

- Your favourite Nathan Chen, too, received a fracture after some jump, and at a demonstration even, for which he was scolded by his coach Rafael Harutyunyan.

" I heard about that. But I didn’t perform any super jump, it just happened after my summer vacation, this period is always especially difficult for me. I need to skate my programs for quite some time, and the trainers know about it. They’re not just pushing me, but they remind me that you need to work as hard as possible to get into the season faster. It is no coincidence that in the Open Test Skates in September I made only one quadruple. "

I thought the cancelling of the World Championships was not true

- Where did you get such a competent and accurate speech? It’s like you took rhetoric courses on central television?

" I even have nothing to answer, I never gave a speech on purpose. My favorite subject at school is Russian. Maybe that's why? "

- You do not have parasitic words or slang. Pure Russian diction.

" They often talk about this to me, but when I watch my interviews, I don’t like a lot of things. For example, in one of them, through each sentence, I could say "really." How could I! If you cut out all my "really's", then you can make a separate video. "

- Never imagined yourself as an announcer?

" Never. "

- To the question of speech. I saw a headline in Cosmopolitan under Alina’s interview: "I owe nothing to anyone else." There is another option for a similarly beautiful answer: "I have proved everything to everyone." Thus say already experienced athletes, often even venerable coaches. What do you think, at what point does a person matures for one of these confessions?

" Probably in the case of Alina, at that moment when you understand that you have won all the tournaments and there hasn't been one where you've proven that you are the best. And if an athlete has some kind of competition which didn't submit to him, then this leaves a feeling of the need to fix something. And if you really won everything, then you can probably say that you owe nothing to anyone else. "

- Do you tally your victories?

" You can’t say that I tally them. I can’t tell you their number. But many of them are very valuable to me, I remember them because they are stored inside me. Victories are reflected in the memory of the efforts they took, and not with a tick in my notebook. "

- The Championships of Russia in the first place?

" Sure. Both last season and this, at the National Championship, I had my most successful skating runs. "

- Do you think the Russian Championships are more difficult than the World Championships, which have not yet happened in your career?

" A very controversial issue. There are many strong skaters in Russia, and there are only three places for selection. When you don't pass - the World Championships you will not be in your agenda. But there are also those strongest athletes at the World Championships with whom I didn't even compete during the season, therefore it is incorrect to make this comparison. I would really like to compete in the World Championships, because for me it will still be the most significant start. And my excitement for them will probably be more than the realisation of their importance. "

- When the news came about the cancellation of the World Championships, I contacted ISU Vice President Aleksandr Lakernik, who was very upset. What was prevalent during the waiting period - a desire to catch a flight to Montreal or fears for your health?

" That day when the World Championships were canceled, we had a day off. It so happened that the season ended on the weekend, which is even more strange. I saw the news that it could be canceledabout an hour before the official announcement. It was proclaimed much earlier, but I only saw it in the evening. I did not have a long moment of anticipation. I thought all this was untrue. Fake news. Then I began to read the various sources and became aware that a decision was really being made. But inside me there was a feeling that it would not be canceled. I was sure that we would travel anyway. At that moment I did not know how serious everything was. In Russia, I have not heard any cases (coronavirus infection), so when it dawned on me that in March there would be no championship, I did not understand what had happened. I could not believe it. I sat in a state the whole evening, then went to bed, but could not sleep. Lay there all night just thinking. I didn’t have sadness, I was lying with one thought: “How, why? I was getting ready. I have to go to workout tomorrow. I’ll have a program. Hone my elements. And soon we will fly to Canada.” In the morning, I still did not understand everything. And in the afternoon I went to training, we weren't tasked to skate our programs, we just jumped on the ice that afternoon. And then frustration washed over me. I wasn't myself for a couple of days. I survived all this, did let go of it, because I realised that the situation is really serious and health comes above all else. "

- What is it like for an athlete to understand that he has lost a practically guaranteed medal?

" Preparation for “Worlds” has been difficult. After “Europeans”, at some point, I experienced a big decline. There was a strong uncoordination, which, in my experience, hasn't happened to me yet. We worked very hard to recover and to reach peak form in Montreal. I felt inside me that I was overcoming again, that I was getting better, there was an improvement, and a few days before the failed departure I really reached the peak of my form. I jumped, everything worked out for me! It's a shame to some extent. But I still have more desire to fight next season. Now I have no disappointment anymore over the fact that I missed something. "

- I remember the atmosphere of the European Championships in Graz, when you and Alyona and Sasha won all the medals, but the conversation was not so much about them, but about uncoordination and other post-New Year problems.

" There, I may not have been at the peak of my form due to the winter rest, but this is not what happened later. And though skating at the European Championships became difficult for me both mentally and physically, it was not bad. There were some cons, but I was mostly happy with myself - after the first cascade, I managed the Flip. Despite the fact that they marked it as under rotated, it was a step forwards for me. After Graz, I think I will approach it more confidently. And then we returned to Moscow, I began to break in new skates. Then, collecting programs, I did not understand what happened ... Jumping began to get very difficult. Or not even go at all. The coaches went crazy with me, I myself was in an incomprehensible state. Every day I wondered what I'd done wrong. But we overcame all the difficulties. No wonder they happened. This is also an experience. But the World Championships didn't happen. “We're not done yet, the main thing is still ahead,” - with this thought we lived the whole season, we reminded ourselves of it after every start. Even now - they've let me off, but there is no feeling that the season is over. "

- In Russia, many say that it is better to cancel the World Championships than to hold them in October?

" I read a lot about it. At first it seemed to me that the best option for the development of events was holding them later. I thought that, you can hold it at any time, I will always agree and always be ready. When I read people’s statements that it’s better to cancel them altogether, the thought arose: “Well, how can you say that when I’m the athlete and I’m ready? I’ll go! But time passed, many began to say that a transfer is a very strange thing, and I too started to wonder, how would it really be? Until I have decided on my opinion on this matter, I just have such a great desire to compete there that it seemed to me that I would be ready to do it anytime, anywhere. But if the World Championships take place at the beginning of the season, it will be really strange. "

- So say functionaries, coaches, former skaters. They don’t take any medals there.

" The fact is that we have all completed our preparations for the March championship, and if it is postponed to another term, it is not known how to organise the training process for it. It is usually quite hard and takes a long time for me to get in shape. All the same, this question does not depend on me. If they tell me that I need to go, I will go with pleasure. If they cancel, then it will not be the end of the world for me. I will prepare for new competitions. "

- Imagine in September the Open Test Skates, in October the Grand Prix series, then these provisional World championships, in December the Grand Prix Finals, the Russian Championship, the staging of new programs, the European Championship and already the next World Championships. Can you stand it?

" New programs for the World Championships, of course, are not an option at all. Because you are preparing them, performing them, and by the end of the season they've become as good as possible can, and if something is whipped up in a hurry, it is not very serious. But wether I can stand such a regime? It is theoretically easy to reason. To understand it, you need to actually check. "

"Nobody made rules for us."

- Now the world of figure skating is divided into those who are in favour the introduction of age requirements, and those who are against. Are you interested in the topic?

"I am interested in all news related to figure skating. I am an active athlete and to argue about what the rules should be, from my part, is incorrect by principle. I compete according to the rules that have been adopted for a long time, and nobody created them for us. They are what they are, and we adapt to them. "

- Can you imagine that with the radical version, you would still have to perform at the junior level?

" It’s difficult because I have already reached the senior level. "

- Rafael Harutyunyan is in favour of the introduction of qualifications, but his position is deep in meaning. He says: "I do not want these girls to retire at 17 because there are younger ones coming." Do you personally want a long career, or are there other interests in life?

" So far I can’t imagine when the end of my career will come. Definitely, I haven’t told everything yet in figure skating. In my opinion, it is necessary to end when there is a feeling that you have done everything you wanted. When doubts comes to me, as to why should I go on training further, then the time will come to retire. Otherwise, why torture yourself if you don't like it and you don't need it anymore? In the meantime, when there is motivation and your health allows, you must continue. There is no distinct age in figure skating when you need to say goodbye. If you can, skate at least til thirty years old. But in our country this is difficult due to the great competition. If you do not show a high level, then you can not go to the main starts. In some other countries it’s easier, there you don’t have to show an exorbitant result, you can still participate in the Europeans, Worlds and Olympic Games. It also decides a lot. "

- You have a fantastic technical content. Quadruple Lutz and Flip - already on this characteristic many can diverge. But, do you think, is it possible today to compete with a sportswoman like you with triples or, say, quadruple Toeloop or Salchow? Is such a balanced program possible?

" To begin with, if you jump the quadruple Toeloop and Salchow, then this means you've already achieved a very high level. If a person can do two quadruples, then he has a very strong program in any case. And if we are talking about those who jump only triples, then under our rules everything turns into mathematics. Quadruples have a high value, but also pose a big risk of failure. I learned the quadruples, but I won’t say that their performance is so easy. If I have them in the program, this doesn't mean that I will always win without any problems. To jump the quadruple in competitions, you need to jump them thousands of times in training and fall as many times. And only then something will start to work out for you. For example, last year I had many starts, on which I lost more points on quadruples than I earned. In the Grand Prix Final, I fell from two quadruple Lutz's, and in the protocols my quadruple turned out rewarded as doubles at best. "

- In Graz, I asked Gleikhengauz if it was possible for Sasha Trusova to embed a triple Axel in her free program, to which he replied that there was no room for this jump with five quadruples.

" In the free program - yes, but in the short, a triple Axel gives you a huge advantage, therefore this element is already necessary, and I understand this. "

- How many quadruples can you squeeze into your free program while maintaining the balance of the program?

" Without loss of balance, it is extremely difficult to do so. But we work a lot on this. When I enter into the quadruple, sometimes the thought arises: "Well, why all these steps, I should just accelerate!" But the trainers follow me and on time do the "clap". And then imagine: near the end of the training, in my free, I go into my third quadruple. There is only one thought: “The main thing is just to do it. Now I’ll accelerate ... I’ll throw a couple of steps.” But a signal from the coaches does not give you the opportunity to simplify the action. Four quadruples, but in training you need to precisely work out the difficult approaches to them, so that in competitions you wouldn’t have any thoughts to leave out any steps. "

- So the whole routine sits in muscle memory?

" Yes. All this needs to be laid down with training. "

"My 16th Anniversary Has Not Given Me Some New Opportunities"

- It was always believed that childhood ended at age 16. Somehow after their 16th birthday a person even cries in a another way. What did you feel on March 28 this year?

" A fun topic for conversation, given that this happened in quarantine. Many thanks to my family for being able to arrange a party for me. In the morning I woke up and saw balloons, gifts. Everyone congratulated me. I felt that I was triumphant, but I can’t say that at 16 I felt something special. "16 years old! You're already an adult!" But any cardinal changes didn't happen. "

- Was there something impossible before the age 16 that now suddenly became possible?

" I also tried to understand this, but it turned out that nothing changed. Everything I did before, I do now. My 16th anniversary did not give me any new opportunities. "

- You must have been independent before. With minimal parental control.

" My parents trust me, and for me this is important. They help me, but in many matters I am becoming more and more independent. “16 years old” sounds more mature, and I myself may have become a little older, but in fact everything has remained unchanged, because at this very time I am sitting at home. "

- A birthday in self-isolation is like?

" This is such a purely family holiday. I opened gifts, then we had breakfast. We are now at the dacha with the whole family, and another aunt with my cousin is with us. In the afternoon we played ball games in the yard, if you can call it what we did. In the evening, too, we gathered for board games. I also joked on Instagram that I was waiting for guests to post photos of all my animals, which I constantly photograph, and I have accumulated a whole bank of pictures. "

- Many say that self-isolation leads to new opportunities and ideas. Have you discovered something in yourself?

" I began to shoot videos of my home workouts and learned how to edit them myself. Cutting and pasting, overlaying music, speeding up. I became interested in this, I plan to develop this area. Maybe I'll edit something funny. There are ideas. "

- Now many post videos with their home workouts. You follow someone?

" I thought for a long time, maybe I am missing something in my exercises and I should add something, I watched a lot of things, but I concluded that there are no magic exercises. You always want to find something special that guarantees you a great shape. But all that is possible has already been invented, and brand new exercises are unlikely to be found. "

- With your success, you start having a life on glossy covers. Are you inspired by such photo shoots?

" This is a new experience that I like. But I understand that this isn't an easy job. You come in, are being photographed all day and not always do everything just like you've wanted to. It also happens that one photograph takes a very long time. You're tired, but you definitely need to make this natural face, as if you accidentally just appeared here. Since this happens quite rarely with me, I like it. But the special pleasure is in the result: when you see very beautiful photographs as a reminder. "

- Another season of excellence of your trio with Alyona and Sasha, and TShchK will already have become a brand. Much like a band, for instance Spice Girls. Have you ever dreamed of performing in a musical or any creative band?

" Not really with singing. We all like to sing for ourselves in funny songs. It seems to me that I have a good ear, but not so good a voice. "

- Maybe you should train your voice?

" Maybe. But a singing voice is a gift of nature. I haven't noticed this in myself. "

- Who in your group sings the best?

" Good question. We don't have any amongst us who would constantly go out and sing. If you turn on a popular tune, everyone will start to sing along a bit. "

- Which song would you like to learn to sing?

" My musical tastes often change. If I hear a song that I really like, I listen to it endlessly, after a while it bothers me, and I find a new one. For example, I really liked the Sia track, which was used by Wakaba Higuchi's free program this season. "

- With singing it is clear, but your dancing performance on the floor in the classroom with Alexey Zheleznyakov was excellent. Ever wanted to dance in a ballet or in some modern performance by a certain French director?

" I didn’t look so far ahead, but I like dancing very much, because when dancing, you can easily change images, move in completely different styles. In my childhood, I had a choreographer, Yuliya Alexandrovna Krasinskaya, who didn’t even dance as much as she taught us so that each part of the body would move individually. We got up and moved only our trunks and so on. This is very important because, as you grow older, you better feel your body and more easily perceive different styles. I think this now helps me. "

- Was this even before coming to Eteri Georgiyevna at the age of 9?

- Yes, back then I also trained at Khrustalniy, but with Oksana Mikhailovna Bulycheva. "

- Which style of dancing is closer to you?

" Lyrical, and something like hip-hop, too, I like it, and a lot likewise. "

- Chen’s hip hop was cool this season.

" Oh yeah! He really impressed me. For figure skating, he came up with something very unexpected and with excellent execution at the same time, it combines with his complex technical content. I did not expect that in an arbitrary program it is possible to do this kind of content so cool. "

- In the group no one held out his hand with the words: "Daniil Markovich, Give me hip-hop, please!"

" I didn’t notice one of the girls was eager to perform hip-hop on ice. It is really hard to make it look really cool. "

- A men's theme?

" Of course, there are women who dance it well, but in figure skating it is difficult to combine. "

"Classmates for a long time believed that I was just a truant."

- By the way, TShchK or Triple A?

" We do not like TShchK at all. And Triple A looks very funny in spelling. When I first saw this, I thought that they were writing about a triple Axel, and didn't understand what they were talking about. I don’t know, but definitely not TShchK. "

- When success comes, new friends come, it happens, and in quotation marks. Have you had such an influx of new acquaintances?

“ Not really. After all, we are always at the rink, in which circles we remain and communicate. From school they started writing and congratulating me, but this happened because my teachers and classmates didn't know what I was doing, and then suddenly it became known. That was nice. "

- You only occasionally came to the Sambo-70 school ...

" ... I’m not studying at Sambo-70, but at a regular school. Pupils for a long time believed that I was just truant and did not come to classes. "

- When you arrived, you were greeted with the words: "Anka, is that you?"

- Something like that occurred to me after the first Championships of Russia. At that moment, many teachers and schoolchildren suddenly learned about me information that was unexpected for them. "

- When I’m in a company far removed from sports, they often ask me: “Oh, do you know Guberniyev?” What is being asked of you?

" In my experience, one girl asked if I really train with Tutberidze. I also vistit school only briefly, pass my assignments to teachers, get new ones - and am off to training. I don’t have much time to sit and chat. "

- Who are your heroes, inspirers? Hanyu - Plushchenko, Zagitova - Alina Kabayeva, Yelena Ilinykh - Frida Kahlo ...?

" Since childhood, I have been reviewing many of Mao Asad’s programs and now I understand that she was a beautiful performer, and for many years she performed the triple Axel at a time when almost no one else did such complex elements. It inspired me. It takes a long time to get the Axel on ice, and I'm upset by the inability to train, also because now is a very good period to be mastering these three and a half turns. I'm in good shape, no starts, end of season. The chances of learning a new jump at those times are much greater. But I understand that now you need to sit at home. "
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From: https://rsport.ria.ru/20200413/1569926147.html

Marvellous interview with the bright and well spoken Anna. Why do so many haters vote it down is unbelievable to me.

PS: https://sun9-19.userapi.com/c858532/v858532727/154a9e/Nk96utsvepo.jpg
 
Last edited:

Edwin

СделаноВХрустальном!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Nike girl Anna Shcherbakova will have a live training session next Saturday 14:00 Moscow time: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7CIRoJUwV, hopefully with the commentary switched off so we don't have to read all the weird and inappropriate comments.
 

Edwin

СделаноВХрустальном!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Anna appeared in a long Radio Mayak interview: https://radiomayak.ru/shows/episode/id/2263101/ , or https://youtu.be/Sa_AVm-vyuI .

Anna sounded very nice, her usual self, freely talking in a very fast pace, intelligent, articulate, well spoken in her natural pleasant voice, not shy at all in dealing with the questions and show hosts. (who were well informed IMO)

At the family dacha, she and the family have already celebrated three birthdays, her dad's, her own and a niece's. Also the pets keep everybody occupied and in good spirits.

Anna is actively training as best as the circumstances allow, doing live streams even, and training together with her friend Kamila Valiyeva by Skype..

The hosts appeared to have been keeping up to date with Anna’s media appearances, and discussed maintaining weight vs eating habits during quarantine and lighter training loads. Anna does not restrict herself any foods, she just tries to eat healthy and moderately, and no snacking at night.

Jokes were made about daily weight checks, but when Anna picks up one of her cats and steps on the scales, she doesn't know who has gained weight ;-)

The process and procedure of staging new programs were discussed, and the own contribution of skaters vs the input of choreographers.

Anna told she was very committed to this year's programs and pleased with the outcome and her powers of interpretation and convincing the judges and spectators. She portrays a hybrid character in “Perfumer”, not necessarily a subject from the story. She has thoroughly thought through this character and prepared herself accordingly, very serious that is.

About liking performing in front of crowds, feeding off the energy of support. Japan is Anna’s most favourite country so far, but she was most amazed by the audience at the China stage of the Grand Prix, where she also received the most interesting collection of gifts, like 20 different kinds of plushy bears ;-)

The cancellation of 2020 World Championships left Anna in a state of shock at first, spending the first night fully awake, worrying. But she repeats she is ready to fight for a medal at any moment when circumstances allow.

Overall, she is happy with her prematurely concluded season, despite her small doubts over this or that detail.

She thinks she is capable of three ultra-si jumps when properly trained, includins a triksel, which she thinks almost compulsory for the advantage it gives in the short program. This hardest content is more dependent on 'state of mind' than on technical difficulties, Anna reasons.

After breaking in a new pair of boots, the preparations for Worlds went according to plan, but like in an earlier interview, Anna found she had lost form, but together with her trainers regained her confidence and coped with expectations.

About the possibility of ISU raising the minimum age, Anna kept herself from bold statements, repeating she thinks of herself as a senior now.

About her photos on the covers of glossy magazines, Anna was pleased, and found the whole dressing up and shooting process interesting. She was most interested in and pleased with the results :)

Since Anna still is enrolled in a normal school, close to home, she used to attend classes. However, after her 3rd and 4th year, she hasn't attended many lessons. Now an upperclassman, she only rushes by to pick up lessons and deliver her homework.

About being sixteen, Anna doesn't think much different of it than before, she was always a serious girl and is respected by her parents as such.

Intermediate future plans are still tied to figure skating, she wants to fully realise herself as a skater first, before making plans for a slightly more distant future life.

Sherlock is her favourite TV serial, which she adores, never skips and often rewatches. Detectives as a whole are a favourite genre of her.
 

JazzUp

#янехомяк!
Medalist
Joined
May 28, 2019
ANNA SHCHERBAKOVA, THE EMOTION PRINCESS
Jean-Christophe Berlot

“At 12 O’clock, last December 31st, the light in our flat was suddenly turned off, and we had no more electricity,” Shcherbakova recalled. “We couldn’t have a carillon ring to carry us through the New Year. So when the time had come, my parents marked the 12 knocks by singing ‘bom bom bom’. It was fun!” The Shcherbakov family holds the tradition of celebrating New Year’s Eve, the most important day of the holiday season, together.

One thing is sure: just like you don’t need electricity to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Shcherbakova doesn’t need any either to rotate the most difficult jumps of the field, quad Lutz and quad flip. She is tiny, she doesn’t jump very high, and yet she rotates faster than anyone else, thus defying both the law of kinetic momentum and the human eye.

Shcherbakova could well have left this season as the new skating queen, had she not missed the second quad Lutz of her free program. She won the free program, but Alena Kostornaia’s triple Axel and superlative GOEs made the difference. Kostornaia won both the ISU Grand-Prix Final and the European Championship. Third was the quad pioneer, Alexandra (Sasha) Trusova.

Trusova has been known as the "quad czar" and Kostornaia, as the "artistic queen". Where does Shcherbakova stand in this winning trio? Is she just “the middle one”? True, Shcherbakova delivered the most technically demanding package at the European Championships in Graz, and she proved to have a powerful artistic feel as well. But is that only what she is? She is far more, for her fans and coaches.

“She is the smartest. She is the most intelligent of the three, and you can see this even when she skates,” a noted Russian journalist offered as the common view in Russia. “She integrates the whole. That’s what makes her unique.”

Sergei Dudakov, who coaches Shcherbakova alongside Eteri Tutberidze, has a similar opinion: “There is a lot of contrast between the three. Anna is the most musical. She has deep feeling inside her and she is very intelligent.”

The feel for music and intelligence do come together, and they create a powerful weapon in skating: emotions. When she skates, Shcherbakova projects her emotions so easily.
When she talks, she doesn’t put light on what she does as Trusova, or on what she is as Kostornaia: she talks of what she feels – precisely of her emotions.

It’s true with her short program, which was set to the soundtrack of the movie “The Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” this season. The movie depicts the incredible story of a boy from the 18th century, who had a unique smell that allowed him to create innovative and successful fragrances. He wanted so badly to capture ladies smell that he killed a number of them to create it. “It gives me lots of emotions,” Shcherbakova offered. “I love the music, the story behind and I love skating to it. My coaches helped me to get into my program and bring it across.” Through her program, you can see Shcherbakova play with her music, but also with silences, especially at the start of her routine. Emotions seem to flow directly from her heart – although she always controls them.

It’s true also with her free program this season. She started to skate to the quietness and intemporality of French composer Eric Satie’s first Gnossienne, and all of a sudden turned to Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird”. “The first part is quiet and calm,” Shcherbakova explained, “and then the choreography changes, just in line with my costume change. Then there are more emotions, more fire into it. That’s the emotions I want to transfer to the audience and judges. I am the Firebird. I like it, because it’s bright, and it makes me feel happy while I skate to it. And I like to be happy, of course!” She added with a big smile.

When you watch her outside the ice, Shcherbakova looks like a quiet and gentle young girl, like “the girl next door” – or, rather, “the princess next door”, as she is a class in herself. “I devote my spare time to study,” she admitted. “I have to study, because we miss a lot at school.” Other than that, she spends her time with her family and with her pets.

Shcherbakova is however learning fast into the world. “Usually skaters are tense during an off-ice photo shoot,” Flavio Valle, a renowned Italian skating photographer, explained. “Anna is not so. On the contrary, she is very much in control. When she saw the spot I was proposing to her, she was quick to suggest another one: ‘Here will be better,’ she told me right away, ‘look at the light, and also the scenery is nicer.’ She felt completely free during the shoot. ‘It’s my fourth one, so I know!’ she said.”

As kind, polite and well-behaved as she looks, Shcherbakova appears as a fierce competitor as soon as she steps on the ice, even in practice. In Graz, she came back crying after falling on the second quad Lutz of her free program. “I was surprised by the upset,” she offered at the end of her program. “The beginning was so good, the first jumps were so good but then the emotions went down because I was not raising the program, so it was not what I was looking for.” Emotions, again.

Already twice a Russian Senior National Champion (in 2018 and 2019), Shcherbakova just celebrated her 16th birthday – although confined with her family and pets. She may have a tough time as she grows up. “I’m quite into it,” she offered in Graz. “I became a bit taller, but it’s coming by stages. I don’t grow suddenly, so there are no coordination problems.” For the time being, she manages to bring her emotions across to the audiences worldwide. That certainly makes for what figure skating fans love most!
 

macy

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2011
most of that interview is nice, but i can't say i like the part about comparing the girls intelligence...
 
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