Eugenia Medvedeva Mikhail Sharov English translation

Eugenia Medvedeva interview by Mikhail Sharov for russland.ru, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGj20KbCAws
Text version and translation by vk.com/vasiliymelnik

Mikhail Sharov (MSh): Zhenya (short version of “Eugenia/Eugeniy” name), congratulation on your victory in the Junior Gran-Prix Final. How confident were you in yourself, were you counting on victory?

Eugeniya Medvedeva (EM): I went to Barcelona very confident in myself and only for the victory. For this event I’ve been preparing since the start of the season, and I had clear goals when I went to the two events of the Gran-Prix series. I think that I’ve accomplished everything.

MSh: But not long before the Final you lost to Seraphima Sakhanovich in Kazan, didn’t that put any doubts in you?

EM: No, not at all, because I’m confident in myself, in my shape, in my moral and physical training. I think that’s the way it should be.

MSh: Barcelona, by the way, is a very interesting city with many sights, did you manage to see something between training and competition, travel somewhere?

EM: Yeah, I didn’t see a lot of places, because I didn’t have much strength. I went to the cathedral Sagrada Família, it is very pretty, neat and finely built. I’ve never seen something like that, it impressed me very much, but I didn’t get inside because there were huge lines of people outside waiting (laughs). I just went all around it and it stayed in my memory.

MSh: Actually, you’ve already been to many international competitions in many different countries. What place did you like the most, what was the most memorable?

EM: I liked Barcelona best of course, it’s a very popular city, people talk about it a lot and it’s very pretty and well-attended, even those places that I’ve visited: near hotel, skating-rink, shops. Everything is very well-attended. And last year I’ve visited Japan, of course this Fukuoko island really impressed me, because there was a lot of people with peculiar appearance to me, everyone was dressed very differently and there is much bigger number of people than here.

MSh: Let’s talk about when it all started. Do you remember your first moment on ice?

EM: Unfortunately no, I don’t remember this because I was very little. I know that many skaters remember their first time on ice, and of course they thought “I’ll go and will skate good”. Now this moment I remember, I was sitting in front of the TV watching figure skating and thinking “Ha, they skate and I’d be able to skate too, everything will be okay, I’ll be able to jump”. Then I entered the rink and was like “aaaa, why does it skate so badly!” (laughs). But this is what parents told me, I don’t remember any of it, I was like three years old.

MSh: Mmm-hmm. Do you remember the first meeting with Eteri Georgievna?

EM: Of course I remember. I went on the ice, I was very little, very-very little, especially by height, with two pony-tails, skated up to Eteri Georgievna, said “Eteri Georgievna, my name is Zhenya” (laughs). Eteri Georgievna later told me that she was standing and seeing only big eyes. Blink-blink! (laughs and blinks).

MSh: By the way, tell about Eteri Georgievna. What kind of person is she, what kind of a coach?

EM: She is a very good person, will always help if you’ll ask for it, will support. And without a doubt a wonderful coach, beautiful women, very feminine. And I think that this person deserves respect.

MSh: There are more coaches in your team, how do they share responsibilities, who answers for what?

EM: Well, choreographers work with choreography, arm movement, part of the staging of the program. Eteri Georgievna is responsible for everything (laughs), because she’s the main person in our group. Sergey Viktorovich (Dudakov) is mainly working with jumps. There’s a dedicated person responsible for sliding, but since Daniil was also a skater and now participates in shows, he knows jumps too, and sometimes he really helps me.

MSh: What is figure skating for you? A job, a hobby, something else?

EM: About five years ago this was a hobby for me, but now I absolutely consciously do my job, I think that it’s a profession for me.

MSh: Do you like to watch figure skating from the seats or on TV?

EV: Of course, especially from the seats, when there are a lot of people. I feel myself not only a skater but also a viewer, and gather a lot of experience watching those of higher status than me.

MSh: Are there any favorite skaters?

EM: There are no favorite skaters, because I think that everyone is individual and beautiful in his or her own sphere.

MSh: Do you have favorite or unfavorite elements in figure skating?

EM: Actually, there are not a lot of unfavorite elements. Probably I don’t like duple, just like many skaters of my age. And of course, my favorite elements are salchow and flip.

MSh: Do you get scared before performances?

EM: You get scared only when you are in a bad shape. That’s when you get scared, and not only for yourself (laughs).

MSh: When do you like to perform, at the beginning or the end of a warm-up?

EM: I like more to perform at the end of a warm-up, because when you leave the ice you realize that you have time to rest and ready yourself. Also, very rarely my muscles suffer from lactic acid after I leave the ice, so it’s better to skate at the end of a warm-up. But actually, it’s not up to me to decide, and you have to be able to skate anytime.

MSh: How do you get in the mood before the performance, what do you think about?

EM: I try to think less about my ability or inability to accomplish performance, it really get’s in the way and I think about jump techniques, spin techniques and that you have to count every spin and watch every movement.

MSh: Does it sometimes happen during a performance when a strange thought intrudes the mind, or the brain always concentrated?

EM: (laughs) No, it’s a rare situation during skating when you think ONLY about skating. So usually yes, especially right before the jump when you think “this arm goes here, this one there” and then suddenly a strange word intrudes your head and that’s it.

MSh: I’ve always wondered if skaters see the faces of people when they skate, or if those blur into one giant spot?

EM: Actually, at the beginning of the program you don’t even see the judges. I try not to think during skating just act, do it automatically, because muscle memory is also very important. And at the end of the program you realize that it’s everything has ended, and that you have to open up for public. Of course you raise your eyes and see those even somewhat delighted eyes and it is very pleasant.

Second part of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2OMn-K5Y8Q

MSh: Zhenya, tell about your programs of this season. Who was choosing the music, who staged it?

EM: We were choosing the music as a team, and Alexander Zhulin played a big role in this. I would like to thank him for staging such beautiful programs. I think that the programs are actually very original and suit my personality. And I think that this person deserves respect.

MSh: So you do have a say in choosing the program. Can you say “I will not perform this”, for example?

EM: Well, if I don’t like it completely, then yes, of course. I think that a person must perform what he likes. However, usually coaches propose me music which they see in my image, which suits me.

MSh: You had very different programs in the previous seasons, and now you become different during one program. What do you like most, being a lady in a pretty dress with gentle movements or someone like a merry imp?

EM: I’m a very all-round person, because I’m a person of mood, everything depends only on me and my mood, and I think that both of these images suit me, I can be both. If you’ll make me angry I’ll become, like you said, an imp. If you compliment me then I’ll be gentle, mellow (laughs). Especially when someone calms me down.

MSh: Tell about the stories in your programs. What do you express in them?

EM: In the short program I play Genevieve, a gentle girl. It’s like a love story, she skates for her object of desire, and in the end she turns to him and begs “Where are you going, don’t go, come to me!” (laughs). And in free skating program I play a spirit of different worlds. As they say, there’s an angel on our right shoulder, and a demon on the left. And in the first half I play a very gentle girl, very pretty girl. It’s the side of the angel. But then she falls asleep, and since every human has two sides, I play the second side. Not the darkest, but the most daring, bold.  And fast music is playing, which is called “Tango Tschak”, and I think that tango is a daring music, actually. And in the end, just like in every fairytale, the Good wins. In the end I begin to wake up and everything becomes normal.

MSh: You have impressively complex programs, like the five jump elements in the second half of the program. What it’s like to perform such complexity?

EM: Well of course at the beginning it can get very hard, functionally and even morally, but I skate this set for two years, and it’s not very hard now.

MSh: Who was the initiator of such complication? Was it your proposal to move all jumps to the second half or Eteri’s?

EM: Actually, it was a collective decision, because I can’t tell who exactly proposed it. I can perform the program, so why not move the jumps to the second half? (smiles)

MSh: Do you think this is your maximum, or it is possible to make even more complex program in the future?

EM: I think that maximum is rarely reached, you have to move forward, and I feel that I can.

MSh: How about a quad or triple axel? And are they necessary?

EM: Well, as for the quad axel I think it’s a bit over the top (laughs), because female skating represents fragility and femininity. Well I think that soon our figure skating will advance even further and you are going to have to perform more complex elements.

MSh: Now in our Russian figure skating there’s huge competition, obviously, this is good for its development. But tell, have you had a thought like “It would be cool to be the only one so great in whole Russia?”, without any competition?

EM: Well I think that such situation is not good, because it becomes dull. What’s the point of being like “I’m a queen, look at me”, when it’s like to skate in Thailand, for Thailand. I think it’s something not right.

MSh: With such tight competition on the ice, how do you manage to keep friendly relations and even friendship with rivals?

EV: Well, actually people on the ice and outside of it are very different. On the ice we are fighters who fight for their Motherland and for themselves, for their close people. And it’s a very rare situation when such situations on ice occur outside of it. Outside the ice we are typical girls who like to talk, even to share gossip. We are very different on ice and outside of it.

MSh: Many fans worry that junior skaters can’t visit school and this hurts their education. What’s your situation?

EV: Well, I try to pay it a lot of attention, because I think that figure skating is not the end of everything. You’re going to have to join the university and apply for work later. And without some knowledge you can’t go anywhere. Well of course there’s not enough time for everything school-related, because of the trainings from dusk till down. For example, today I went to school and realized that I don’t get some of it (laughs).

MSh: Did they congratulate you with the victory in school?

EM: Yes, of course, the principal met me when I entered the school, she kissed and hugged me.

MSh: Do you have favorite or unfavorite subjects in school?

EM: There are no favorite-unfavorite subjects, but I don’t get along with geometry and like algebra.

MSh: What about Russian language and history?

EM: I’m neutral towards Russian language, I understand, that it plays big role in my education. I have no problems with history and other humanitarian disciplines.

MSh: How well do you know English, can you talk with a foreign skater during a competition?

EM: I’m trying, but I understand that sometimes they understand me very badly (laughs). But I pay it a lot of attention, because I want to make friends in different countries, have different acquaintances.

MSh: How do you like to spend your free time, if you have it of course? Do you have a hobby?

EM: In my free time I like more to lie, rest, take care of myself, my hair, lie in a bathtub, take care of my skin (laughs). I like, as I already said, I like tv-serials, very like tv-serials, British, American. I’ve seen very many seasons and very many serials, and for me it’s some kind of pleasure.

MSh: What music you like to listen to?

EM: You can say I’m a music lover and listen to very different music, from classic to rock.

MSh: Do you already have your own fans? How do they express themselves?

EM: Yeah, there are quite a lot of them on the net actually. It’s always nice when they write to me, congratulate, support.

MSh: I’ve heard that you even had a meeting with them?

EM: Well yeah, it was dedicated to my Birthday. I would like to send my regards to all the girls (waves hand and smiles) if they see me now. I was gifted a very good present, which I, honestly, always wanted. A one and a half meter tall toy bear, about my height. His name is Diana (laughs). I also received a bag of Kinder Surprises. It was cool, girls knew what to gift, thanks!

MSh: Did you eat everything?

EM: Well I also shared with mother and friends (laughs).

MSh: Well, let’s talk about you plans on near and far future. What goals you want to accomplish on the Russian Nationals?

EM: I want to join Russian national team, because last year I was only seventh, only one step away from the team.

MSh: What championship is more important to you, Russian or Junior?

EM: I think they are equal, because in the next season I will be entering the adult skating, but I’m not entirely sure about this. I have to qualify for the Junior championship.

MSh: That’s what I wanted to ask about, do you want to enter adult skating or maybe skate one more year as a junior?

EM: I think that when you have a possibility you must definitely use it.

MSh: And the last question, how will you celebrate the New Year?

EM: The New Year I’ll celebrate with my family, like always. We have a family tradition to prepare for it from morning. I rarely travel somewhere, because I think that people must celebrate with their relatives.

MSh: Well, thank you very much, wish you success!