Alena Kostornaia Interview | Golden Skate

Alena Kostornaia Interview

LadyScarlatta

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 3, 2021

About trainings in the Group of Tutberidze. Kostornaia noted that in the group of Eteri Tutberidze, the presence of parents in training is welcomed.

Alena Kostornaia:
Does my mother understand figure skating? This is a person who has been shouting to me overboard for the last three years: “This is the fifth flip-toe loop, and you need ten!” Here they are, Katya Samsonova (Daniil Samsonov’s mother) and my mother, together. Danya and I skate along the board, and there is always some kind of screaming: “Not that, not like that!” But in principle, Eteri Georgievna welcomes when a parent watches the training of his child, because the coach will say one thing, the child will say another, and you won’t understand who is right and who is wrong. And so the parent himself sees that his child does nothing in training, and stands overboard with a stick, shouts something to you.

Is it possible for parents to watch training at Eteri Georgievna’s group? This is not only possible, but necessary. At some point there was a funny situation, one of the parents … No, I remember who, but I won’t say. A person was skating the program, something didn’t work out there and a mother had the imprudence to watch something on the phone. Daniil Markovich [Gleikhengauz] comes out: “Did you see what she did?” She replies: “Honestly, no, I was using my phone.” And he: “Why are you using your phone during training?” It was so funny.

About not being the first number in the group of Eteri Tutberidze

Alena Kostornaia:
I have never been number one in the group. At first there were some girls, then there were other girls who were younger, but I have never been the leader of the group. They always removed small children from me, they simply pushed them away. I don’t know why, but it was believed that I had a bad influence on the group, that I was allegendly corrupting the entire group by some of my actions, and I was told about this repeatedly. Maybe. But it’s not that I’m so-and-so, it’s just that people didn’t have the character to think for themselve. She does it, so I also want it that way. Not like I said, “Let’s do it.” They were just going in the wrong direction themselve. But for me… I can do it here a little bit, I can do it back. I don’t have a hard frameworks. This is like with going to bed at 11 o’clock. I can go to bed at 1 a.m. It won’t be bad for me. And for some it’s bad. In such situations, it was believed that I was corrupting the entire group. Each person should think with his own head. If you’re a submissive person, it’s not my problem.

source: championat.com

About leaving the Tutberidze’s group for the first time

Alena Kostornaia:
There was a very big scandal inside. There are links: I, as a character, Eteri Georgievna, mother and federation. And I go on the ice, Sasha has left, and we had such a thing that they often praised Sasha and set her as an example for many of us. We thought: “Well, Sasha is gone, maybe at least this time they will appreciate us.” But no. And we’re like, “Damn, why?” And again: “She did it well, and you …” I think, damn it, well, I’m tired of it. And I understand that if I now go to the “Angels” to Sergei Alexandrovich (Rozanov), it seems to be one school, but different directions. I thought that no one would tell me anything here, no one would be set as an example for me. And I said that I was leaving, that they nagged me all the time, I’m tired of this, I want a normal attitude towards myself as an athlete. At least not a total humiliation in front of the whole group.

Then it was – “either you, or we.” There was no other dialogue. Maybe the only time when Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich were there, we were all talking together. They went somewhere for a short time, and Eteri Georgievna began to ask: “Why? What can be done to avoid this?” But then five minutes passed, Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich returned, and again the dialogue went along the lines of “We made you, and you are doing like this with us.” I thought that I, too, made some efforts for this. I was so offended that it was being depreciated so much. Plus, there were moments when, in order to motivate you to work, it started like: “And you …” – and some kind of laughter, sometimes not very pleasant. It happens in different ways. Naturally, when it’s not about you, it’s funny. When it’s about you, you consider it as some kind of humiliation, it becomes unpleasant, even though they don’t even take it seriously.

Alena also added that her mother was against switching to Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
At one point I was so tired of it that I decided that it was necessary, that’s it. I left Novogorsk, my mother kept me at home without training, without a skating rink, without anything related to figure skating at all, so that I would change my mind. But I realized that I do not want it to repeat again. We went to the federation, talked to the federation, it was “no-no-no” from all sides. At one point, I couldn’t stand it myself, I called Eteri Georgievna: “Eteri Georgievna, you know, I decided to try a new direction, to work differently.” She said, “If that’s what it’s called, then fine.” And that’s it. This is where our dialogue ended. But my mother was strongly against it, and the phrase was: “Do whatever you want, I tried to dissuade you.” And when there were failed competitions, injuries, something else, the phrase “I tried to dissuade you, but you didn’t listen to me” constantly sounded.

source: championat.com

About leaving from Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
How did the transition back to Tutberidze happen? An interesting situation. Who was my coach? Marina Evgenievna is a woman, Elena Vyacheslavovna is a woman, Eteri Georgievna is a woman. I do not perceive a man-authority. For me it is not an authority. I rely more on life experience, on some knowledge, something else, and not on patriarchy.

“And what’s the difference: a man or a woman? A coach is a coach,” the journalist objected to Kostornaia.

Alena Kostornaia: No. No, that’s it. I don’t know how it works. For me, this is a non-authoritative opinion. I do not know why. I am trained by strong and independent women who have made themselves. And I was always taught not to depend on anyone. The “strong and independent” pattern somehow settled well. It’s not that I didn’t respect the coaches, no. And I somehow understood this well at one moment. I thought, well, maybe suddenly it will work out. Maybe it will suddenly turn out to return me in this mix, from which I flew out partly of my own, partly not of my own free will. Well, let’s try, if it works out, igreat. Well, somehow they took me back.

source: championat.com

About working with Elena Buyanova

Alena Kostornaia:
How do I feel at CSKA now? Fine. Trainings every day, twice a day. There are half-days, but this is a planned. How is the atmosphere? Training, working atmosphere. Everything as usual.

Do I feel comfortable with Elena Germanovna? I think we are learning from each other. The first couple of days I was shaking, I was very afraid. And now I go to training and understand Elena Germanovna. I feel very comfortable, very comfortable. I hope we get to know each other better.

source: championat.com

About Anna Shcherbakova’s victory at the Olympics

Alena Kostornaia:
I was on a quest. When I left after the first quest, all the photos were already there, there were no videos yet. I thought: “Well, Kamila won one hundred percent. I root for Anya, I love Anya, but it’s unlikely … ” And then I went to the social networks, I saw Sasha’s emotions, Kamila. And I thought: really all those years of all this … She, probably, got it the worst. That is, if something was permissible for me because I did not let someone to force me, then Anya endured to the last. This is the moment when a person has overcome himself.

Is that why I wrote a touching post? Yes, because we got along so well. We were always in the same boat.


 

patee

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 2, 2016
Country
Hungary
:love:
278738329-492934589208865-8133462494802146281-n.jpg
 

Lamente Ariane

Skating Skills -5, Fashion +3, Camp +4
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2017

About trainings in the Group of Tutberidze. Kostornaia noted that in the group of Eteri Tutberidze, the presence of parents in training is welcomed.

Alena Kostornaia:
Does my mother understand figure skating? This is a person who has been shouting to me overboard for the last three years: “This is the fifth flip-toe loop, and you need ten!” Here they are, Katya Samsonova (Daniil Samsonov’s mother) and my mother, together. Danya and I skate along the board, and there is always some kind of screaming: “Not that, not like that!” But in principle, Eteri Georgievna welcomes when a parent watches the training of his child, because the coach will say one thing, the child will say another, and you won’t understand who is right and who is wrong. And so the parent himself sees that his child does nothing in training, and stands overboard with a stick, shouts something to you.

Is it possible for parents to watch training at Eteri Georgievna’s group? This is not only possible, but necessary. At some point there was a funny situation, one of the parents … No, I remember who, but I won’t say. A person was skating the program, something didn’t work out there and a mother had the imprudence to watch something on the phone. Daniil Markovich [Gleikhengauz] comes out: “Did you see what she did?” She replies: “Honestly, no, I was using my phone.” And he: “Why are you using your phone during training?” It was so funny.

About not being the first number in the group of Eteri Tutberidze

Alena Kostornaia:
I have never been number one in the group. At first there were some girls, then there were other girls who were younger, but I have never been the leader of the group. They always removed small children from me, they simply pushed them away. I don’t know why, but it was believed that I had a bad influence on the group, that I was allegendly corrupting the entire group by some of my actions, and I was told about this repeatedly. Maybe. But it’s not that I’m so-and-so, it’s just that people didn’t have the character to think for themselve. She does it, so I also want it that way. Not like I said, “Let’s do it.” They were just going in the wrong direction themselve. But for me… I can do it here a little bit, I can do it back. I don’t have a hard frameworks. This is like with going to bed at 11 o’clock. I can go to bed at 1 a.m. It won’t be bad for me. And for some it’s bad. In such situations, it was believed that I was corrupting the entire group. Each person should think with his own head. If you’re a submissive person, it’s not my problem.

source: championat.com

About leaving the Tutberidze’s group for the first time

Alena Kostornaia:
There was a very big scandal inside. There are links: I, as a character, Eteri Georgievna, mother and federation. And I go on the ice, Sasha has left, and we had such a thing that they often praised Sasha and set her as an example for many of us. We thought: “Well, Sasha is gone, maybe at least this time they will appreciate us.” But no. And we’re like, “Damn, why?” And again: “She did it well, and you …” I think, damn it, well, I’m tired of it. And I understand that if I now go to the “Angels” to Sergei Alexandrovich (Rozanov), it seems to be one school, but different directions. I thought that no one would tell me anything here, no one would be set as an example for me. And I said that I was leaving, that they nagged me all the time, I’m tired of this, I want a normal attitude towards myself as an athlete. At least not a total humiliation in front of the whole group.

Then it was – “either you, or we.” There was no other dialogue. Maybe the only time when Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich were there, we were all talking together. They went somewhere for a short time, and Eteri Georgievna began to ask: “Why? What can be done to avoid this?” But then five minutes passed, Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich returned, and again the dialogue went along the lines of “We made you, and you are doing like this with us.” I thought that I, too, made some efforts for this. I was so offended that it was being depreciated so much. Plus, there were moments when, in order to motivate you to work, it started like: “And you …” – and some kind of laughter, sometimes not very pleasant. It happens in different ways. Naturally, when it’s not about you, it’s funny. When it’s about you, you consider it as some kind of humiliation, it becomes unpleasant, even though they don’t even take it seriously.

Alena also added that her mother was against switching to Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
At one point I was so tired of it that I decided that it was necessary, that’s it. I left Novogorsk, my mother kept me at home without training, without a skating rink, without anything related to figure skating at all, so that I would change my mind. But I realized that I do not want it to repeat again. We went to the federation, talked to the federation, it was “no-no-no” from all sides. At one point, I couldn’t stand it myself, I called Eteri Georgievna: “Eteri Georgievna, you know, I decided to try a new direction, to work differently.” She said, “If that’s what it’s called, then fine.” And that’s it. This is where our dialogue ended. But my mother was strongly against it, and the phrase was: “Do whatever you want, I tried to dissuade you.” And when there were failed competitions, injuries, something else, the phrase “I tried to dissuade you, but you didn’t listen to me” constantly sounded.

source: championat.com

About leaving from Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
How did the transition back to Tutberidze happen? An interesting situation. Who was my coach? Marina Evgenievna is a woman, Elena Vyacheslavovna is a woman, Eteri Georgievna is a woman. I do not perceive a man-authority. For me it is not an authority. I rely more on life experience, on some knowledge, something else, and not on patriarchy.

“And what’s the difference: a man or a woman? A coach is a coach,” the journalist objected to Kostornaia.

Alena Kostornaia: No. No, that’s it. I don’t know how it works. For me, this is a non-authoritative opinion. I do not know why. I am trained by strong and independent women who have made themselves. And I was always taught not to depend on anyone. The “strong and independent” pattern somehow settled well. It’s not that I didn’t respect the coaches, no. And I somehow understood this well at one moment. I thought, well, maybe suddenly it will work out. Maybe it will suddenly turn out to return me in this mix, from which I flew out partly of my own, partly not of my own free will. Well, let’s try, if it works out, igreat. Well, somehow they took me back.

source: championat.com

About working with Elena Buyanova

Alena Kostornaia:
How do I feel at CSKA now? Fine. Trainings every day, twice a day. There are half-days, but this is a planned. How is the atmosphere? Training, working atmosphere. Everything as usual.

Do I feel comfortable with Elena Germanovna? I think we are learning from each other. The first couple of days I was shaking, I was very afraid. And now I go to training and understand Elena Germanovna. I feel very comfortable, very comfortable. I hope we get to know each other better.

source: championat.com

About Anna Shcherbakova’s victory at the Olympics

Alena Kostornaia:
I was on a quest. When I left after the first quest, all the photos were already there, there were no videos yet. I thought: “Well, Kamila won one hundred percent. I root for Anya, I love Anya, but it’s unlikely … ” And then I went to the social networks, I saw Sasha’s emotions, Kamila. And I thought: really all those years of all this … She, probably, got it the worst. That is, if something was permissible for me because I did not let someone to force me, then Anya endured to the last. This is the moment when a person has overcome himself.

Is that why I wrote a touching post? Yes, because we got along so well. We were always in the same boat.



I hate that it doesn’t surprise me that they told her to her face she didn’t earn any of her own success and that she owed them everything (but thank goodness she was able to realize this wasn’t true) or that she was always made to feel that she wasn’t good enough. And yet there’s still things I couldn’t imagine, like her being considered a “corrupting” influence on the other girls and the kids being told to avoid her. Having to jump the axel again and again on messed up ice with puddles?! Just incredibly disturbing all around. I’m glad it sounds like she’s talking to a psychologist, especially since it sounds like her mom was totally unsupportive when she left Eteri the first time.

I could go on but I won’t, it’s just… Aliona deserves better. Literally all these girls deserve better. It’s despicable.
 

Azikin

Medalist
Joined
Jan 12, 2018
Despite everything what she's saying, I still think it would have been better if she stayed. Sometimes you have to go through hell to be a winner and Eteri obviously understands that. I love them all and I wish there was no bad blood. Though we could have seen in Evgenia example that time can heal everything...
 

Vemvane

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 11, 2019

About trainings in the Group of Tutberidze. Kostornaia noted that in the group of Eteri Tutberidze, the presence of parents in training is welcomed.

Alena Kostornaia:
Does my mother understand figure skating? This is a person who has been shouting to me overboard for the last three years: “This is the fifth flip-toe loop, and you need ten!” Here they are, Katya Samsonova (Daniil Samsonov’s mother) and my mother, together. Danya and I skate along the board, and there is always some kind of screaming: “Not that, not like that!” But in principle, Eteri Georgievna welcomes when a parent watches the training of his child, because the coach will say one thing, the child will say another, and you won’t understand who is right and who is wrong. And so the parent himself sees that his child does nothing in training, and stands overboard with a stick, shouts something to you.

Is it possible for parents to watch training at Eteri Georgievna’s group? This is not only possible, but necessary. At some point there was a funny situation, one of the parents … No, I remember who, but I won’t say. A person was skating the program, something didn’t work out there and a mother had the imprudence to watch something on the phone. Daniil Markovich [Gleikhengauz] comes out: “Did you see what she did?” She replies: “Honestly, no, I was using my phone.” And he: “Why are you using your phone during training?” It was so funny.

About not being the first number in the group of Eteri Tutberidze

Alena Kostornaia:
I have never been number one in the group. At first there were some girls, then there were other girls who were younger, but I have never been the leader of the group. They always removed small children from me, they simply pushed them away. I don’t know why, but it was believed that I had a bad influence on the group, that I was allegendly corrupting the entire group by some of my actions, and I was told about this repeatedly. Maybe. But it’s not that I’m so-and-so, it’s just that people didn’t have the character to think for themselve. She does it, so I also want it that way. Not like I said, “Let’s do it.” They were just going in the wrong direction themselve. But for me… I can do it here a little bit, I can do it back. I don’t have a hard frameworks. This is like with going to bed at 11 o’clock. I can go to bed at 1 a.m. It won’t be bad for me. And for some it’s bad. In such situations, it was believed that I was corrupting the entire group. Each person should think with his own head. If you’re a submissive person, it’s not my problem.

source: championat.com

About leaving the Tutberidze’s group for the first time

Alena Kostornaia:
There was a very big scandal inside. There are links: I, as a character, Eteri Georgievna, mother and federation. And I go on the ice, Sasha has left, and we had such a thing that they often praised Sasha and set her as an example for many of us. We thought: “Well, Sasha is gone, maybe at least this time they will appreciate us.” But no. And we’re like, “Damn, why?” And again: “She did it well, and you …” I think, damn it, well, I’m tired of it. And I understand that if I now go to the “Angels” to Sergei Alexandrovich (Rozanov), it seems to be one school, but different directions. I thought that no one would tell me anything here, no one would be set as an example for me. And I said that I was leaving, that they nagged me all the time, I’m tired of this, I want a normal attitude towards myself as an athlete. At least not a total humiliation in front of the whole group.

Then it was – “either you, or we.” There was no other dialogue. Maybe the only time when Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich were there, we were all talking together. They went somewhere for a short time, and Eteri Georgievna began to ask: “Why? What can be done to avoid this?” But then five minutes passed, Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich returned, and again the dialogue went along the lines of “We made you, and you are doing like this with us.” I thought that I, too, made some efforts for this. I was so offended that it was being depreciated so much. Plus, there were moments when, in order to motivate you to work, it started like: “And you …” – and some kind of laughter, sometimes not very pleasant. It happens in different ways. Naturally, when it’s not about you, it’s funny. When it’s about you, you consider it as some kind of humiliation, it becomes unpleasant, even though they don’t even take it seriously.

Alena also added that her mother was against switching to Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
At one point I was so tired of it that I decided that it was necessary, that’s it. I left Novogorsk, my mother kept me at home without training, without a skating rink, without anything related to figure skating at all, so that I would change my mind. But I realized that I do not want it to repeat again. We went to the federation, talked to the federation, it was “no-no-no” from all sides. At one point, I couldn’t stand it myself, I called Eteri Georgievna: “Eteri Georgievna, you know, I decided to try a new direction, to work differently.” She said, “If that’s what it’s called, then fine.” And that’s it. This is where our dialogue ended. But my mother was strongly against it, and the phrase was: “Do whatever you want, I tried to dissuade you.” And when there were failed competitions, injuries, something else, the phrase “I tried to dissuade you, but you didn’t listen to me” constantly sounded.

source: championat.com

About leaving from Angels of Plushenko

Alena Kostornaia:
How did the transition back to Tutberidze happen? An interesting situation. Who was my coach? Marina Evgenievna is a woman, Elena Vyacheslavovna is a woman, Eteri Georgievna is a woman. I do not perceive a man-authority. For me it is not an authority. I rely more on life experience, on some knowledge, something else, and not on patriarchy.

“And what’s the difference: a man or a woman? A coach is a coach,” the journalist objected to Kostornaia.

Alena Kostornaia: No. No, that’s it. I don’t know how it works. For me, this is a non-authoritative opinion. I do not know why. I am trained by strong and independent women who have made themselves. And I was always taught not to depend on anyone. The “strong and independent” pattern somehow settled well. It’s not that I didn’t respect the coaches, no. And I somehow understood this well at one moment. I thought, well, maybe suddenly it will work out. Maybe it will suddenly turn out to return me in this mix, from which I flew out partly of my own, partly not of my own free will. Well, let’s try, if it works out, igreat. Well, somehow they took me back.

source: championat.com

About working with Elena Buyanova

Alena Kostornaia:
How do I feel at CSKA now? Fine. Trainings every day, twice a day. There are half-days, but this is a planned. How is the atmosphere? Training, working atmosphere. Everything as usual.

Do I feel comfortable with Elena Germanovna? I think we are learning from each other. The first couple of days I was shaking, I was very afraid. And now I go to training and understand Elena Germanovna. I feel very comfortable, very comfortable. I hope we get to know each other better.

source: championat.com

About Anna Shcherbakova’s victory at the Olympics

Alena Kostornaia:
I was on a quest. When I left after the first quest, all the photos were already there, there were no videos yet. I thought: “Well, Kamila won one hundred percent. I root for Anya, I love Anya, but it’s unlikely … ” And then I went to the social networks, I saw Sasha’s emotions, Kamila. And I thought: really all those years of all this … She, probably, got it the worst. That is, if something was permissible for me because I did not let someone to force me, then Anya endured to the last. This is the moment when a person has overcome himself.

Is that why I wrote a touching post? Yes, because we got along so well. We were always in the same boat.




Thank you for sharing this. Went to the twitter thread for the summary there as well, and it sounds like she herniated a disk in her back before Europeans.

before ECh her back began to bother her, she couldn't train for a week. she was doing a spin and at some moment she realized that she couldn't bend, sit, walk or do anything. she felt like she was a vegetable, that could only lie down, that the only position it didn't hurt

My father spent five days in hospital like this, just recently, with a herniated disk that had trapped a nerve. The pain is extreme.

she knows her body better than the other person and you should be able to voice an opinion and be heard and taken in and not fall on deaf ears.

I'm glad that she had this realisation - it took me much longer, but it's such an important thing to understand. I'm sure she will be physically healthier for it, as she knows her limits and when the pain is a bad pain.

She thinks that a psychologist is a necessity. sorting out the athletes' mental state isn't the coaches' job. She has been working with a psychologist for a while now, not only that she also studies psych in the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis

Honestly, Aliona sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. She is sensible and self-aware, and while, as fans, we may want to see her win international competitions left, right and centre, she has every right to prioritise her health and happiness and work towards her goals in a way that is sustainable for her.
 

McBibus

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 7, 2019
I love the paradox in the trainer/trainee she talked about.

"My trainer are strond indipendent women, so I learned from them to become one myself, but if I'm strong and indipendent it's a problem for them."
It's because those are childrens coaches not adult coaches.
An adult coach expects to be challenged and does not fear it because confrontation is where you build the trust .

Same for "if they are submissive is not my problem"
Of course not, but it becomes the choach problem with kids that look at you as "the coolest girl in the room" ending up imitating your behaviour instead of finding their own.
Child's coaches remember?

I absolutely love her position but it shows the incompatibility with those "school" envinronment the moment she grew up.

As for the influence I think she had a very positive one on Anya, because Anna is supersmart and she leaned on Aliona to learn to let herself go from time to time without trying to be Aliona. That did benefit Anna's happiness, image on the public and (most important) her ability to express emotions on the ice.

May be a little different for Sasha. On '19 Aliona did cast a sort protective shadow on the youngest girl of the trio cause Sasha was very shy out f the ice. It was sweet but possibly not the best for Sasha that probably did realize that the moment she got away.
 

Alex Fedorov

Medalist
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Country
Russia
And the whole interview. I really hope we'll get a full translation soon. :)


Large portions of this podcast have already been translated, which of course makes things easier. But the volume is still impressive. In addition, here is the case when I regret that not everyone understands Russian - translation and even subtitles are not able to convey intonation. All those things that Alyona talks about (and which some colleagues on the forum have already managed to resent) look like some kind of situation comedy in her version.

For example, she said that when her mother controlled her workouts, one of the methods of influence was the threat to take away her phone for a week. She is asked about how old she was then (implying that she was 10-11 years old), and she laughingly replies "well, that's how it continued this season."

I think that Plushenko, Rozanov, Dudakov and Gleikhengauz clutched their heads when they learned that for Alena no man in the world can be an authority.
 

macy

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2011


About not being the first number in the group of Eteri Tutberidze

Alena Kostornaia:
I have never been number one in the group. At first there were some girls, then there were other girls who were younger, but I have never been the leader of the group. They always removed small children from me, they simply pushed them away. I don’t know why, but it was believed that I had a bad influence on the group, that I was allegendly corrupting the entire group by some of my actions, and I was told about this repeatedly. Maybe. But it’s not that I’m so-and-so, it’s just that people didn’t have the character to think for themselve. She does it, so I also want it that way. Not like I said, “Let’s do it.” They were just going in the wrong direction themselve. But for me… I can do it here a little bit, I can do it back. I don’t have a hard frameworks. This is like with going to bed at 11 o’clock. I can go to bed at 1 a.m. It won’t be bad for me. And for some it’s bad. In such situations, it was believed that I was corrupting the entire group. Each person should think with his own head. If you’re a submissive person, it’s not my problem.

source: championat.com

About leaving the Tutberidze’s group for the first time

Alena Kostornaia:
There was a very big scandal inside. There are links: I, as a character, Eteri Georgievna, mother and federation. And I go on the ice, Sasha has left, and we had such a thing that they often praised Sasha and set her as an example for many of us. We thought: “Well, Sasha is gone, maybe at least this time they will appreciate us.” But no. And we’re like, “Damn, why?” And again: “She did it well, and you …” I think, damn it, well, I’m tired of it. And I understand that if I now go to the “Angels” to Sergei Alexandrovich (Rozanov), it seems to be one school, but different directions. I thought that no one would tell me anything here, no one would be set as an example for me. And I said that I was leaving, that they nagged me all the time, I’m tired of this, I want a normal attitude towards myself as an athlete. At least not a total humiliation in front of the whole group.

Then it was – “either you, or we.” There was no other dialogue. Maybe the only time when Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich were there, we were all talking together. They went somewhere for a short time, and Eteri Georgievna began to ask: “Why? What can be done to avoid this?” But then five minutes passed, Daniil Markovich and Sergei Viktorovich returned, and again the dialogue went along the lines of “We made you, and you are doing like this with us.” I thought that I, too, made some efforts for this. I was so offended that it was being depreciated so much. Plus, there were moments when, in order to motivate you to work, it started like: “And you …” – and some kind of laughter, sometimes not very pleasant. It happens in different ways. Naturally, when it’s not about you, it’s funny. When it’s about you, you consider it as some kind of humiliation, it becomes unpleasant, even though they don’t even take it seriously.



this is very eye opening. i appreciate her honesty and never beating around the bush. it's not her fault if she was doing what worked for herself and others followed without any persuasion. this sounds like the real story of the "non grata" list.

edit: reading the rest of the twitter thread and wow...she really spilled the tea. that's unfortunate she's had such a rough relationship with her mom and i am very surprised TT let her get away with side coaching Aliona so much. she could never get away from skating anywhere, no wonder it started suffering.

the way they treat those girls is just disgusting. the humiliation, the mentality they owe their coaches everything, how they are taught they are only as good as their coaches think they are, their self worth completely comes from that and they are nothing unless they are number one. it's crazy despite how they are pitted against each other they are still friends.

i hope now with Aliona's transparency, what happened after the ladies FS at the olympics and the Valieva doping scandal nobody turns a blind eye to this group anymore. there are simply no more excuses to give them the benefit of the doubt. the truth is all out for everyone to see now.
 
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MiraiFan

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Grateful for the wonderful summary of the interview. Aliona sounds like she's grown up a lot and definitely deserved better. A huge talent totally mismanaged. Training shouldn't be about comparing athletes, but about bringing out the best in each skater. Any coach incapable of doing this is failing in their job, no matter how many medals. TT is an unhealthy environment and I hope her current situation is better.
 

Azikin

Medalist
Joined
Jan 12, 2018
Training shouldn't be about comparing athletes, but about bringing out the best in each skater.
If you think Eteri's not capable of doing that then you probably didn't watch figure skating in the past 10 years...

C'mon guys, lots of strong words here, I get it, you love Aliona, me too, but it's just one side of the story and she's not exactly known to be as the easier person to work with... ;)
 

flanker

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Country
Czech-Republic
If you think Eteri's not capable of doing that then you probably didn't watch figure skating in the past 10 years...

C'mon guys, lots of strong words here, I get it, you love Aliona, me too, but it's just one side of the story and she's not exactly known to be as the easier person to work with... ;)
I would add that Aliona's words about the team and her mother are not very different. It's what Alex mentioned above, one has to consider the way something is said and context. Like two years ago Aliona complained that she was put into a group with little kids, now she says they did not allow little kids to be in her close distance. it has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I would also like to remind that two girls who always trusted TT's methods the most are the olympic champions. Some people may have different opinion, but I would trust the ability of such coaches when it comes to getting the best of the athlete.
 

Fluture

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
at what cost?

Apparently, the worth of a child's (and future adult's) mental and physical health is one Olympic Gold Medal. Good to know… :(

As for Aliona: The skating world owes her one big apology and I hope she realises how brave she is for laying it out there like that, without sugarcoating anything. Nothing she said came as a surprise, everything has been confirmed by the coaches themselves or other athletes. If anyone still continues to support the coaches, despite the overwhelming evidence and testaments to their abusive methods, they should take a long, hard look at themselves, their values and, how much a young girl is worth it to them.

For Aliona, as well as Anna, Kamila, Sasha and all the other girls harmed by TeamTutberidze'd abuse, I hope for only good things to come their way. Aliona is working with a psychologist, at least, so that should be helpful in unlearning some of the harmful mindsets ingrained in her by the adults in her life. She's a fantastic skater and a gift to this sport, but more importantly than that she's her own person and deserves to feel happy and valued. I hope she finds people (that includes coaches, ball's in Buyanova's court now…) that, finally, do just that.
 
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