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Elizaveta Osokina and Artem Gritsaenko have been performing fully at the adult level for the first year, but have already become one of opening of the season in pair skating. In an interview with Sport, they talked about whether it is now possible to fight with the leading couples of the country, why they would not join the group with Eteri Tutberidze, how not to drive themselves to anorexia and why they lack international competitions.
– There is an opinion that it is almost impossible to fight Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov, Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky. Isn’t it offensive to hear this?
Artem Gritsaenko: It’s really impossible to fight with them yet. Either catch them in a mistake, which is unlikely, or do those elements that will be appreciated higher.
– Almost all couples have same content. Then what do they charge?
Elizaveta Osokina: GOE (judge allowances – ed.).
AG: Yes, the name also influences. But they earned it. Of course, the status of an athlete plays a certain role, but it does not affect everything. Look, Kamila Valieva became fourth, no status helped her. Or last year, Natalya Khabibullina and Ilya Knyazhuk beat Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. I assume that the name helps smooth out the jambs, there is room for error. But champions still cannot make mistakes.
EO: With a clean box office, the name will help. And if you skated completely dirty, nothing will save you.
– You have the same music in your short program with Boykova and Kozlovsky. How did you react when you found out about this?
AG: We didn’t go to the training camp, that is, we didn’t have contact with Boykova and Kozlovsky. We didn't know about their choice. The guys had already arrived and said that the music was the same. And we have set the program, everything is ready. At first, we were thinking emotionally about how this could happen. But what can you do? Don't change the program. Now we laugh among ourselves that we all have good taste.
– Were you not afraid of looking worse in comparison with famous athletes?
AG : We decided that we would prove that we would show it better.
– Sasha and Dima tried to perform a quadruple throw. Did you see their attempts?
AG: We followed it. Lisa turned away, didn’t want to look.
– So you don’t teach quadruple throws and twists?
AG: Not yet. We wanted to try them at the end of last season, but plans changed and there were certain health problems. We decided to work on our elements more thoroughly so that everything would be at a good level.
– Many people note that there is no point in taking risks, since ultra-C elements in pair skating are given small points. Does this stop you?
EO: There is no point in taking risks if the estimates are almost the same. Especially when you can get even more for a good triple twist than for a quadruple twist.
AG: There is truth in this. I think that plays a role for us. Of course, clean quads will only add to the wow factor. But if you perform an element with disadvantages, with poor fishing, and there cannot be good fishing in principle, I think this is unreasonable.
– What is modern figure skating after all: technical complexity or revealing of images, as required by the ISU?
EO : It's a balance. If there were equipment without components, the program would not look good. A good presentation with falls is also not very good to look at.
AG: Both technology and components must complement each other. But now all couples have such content that the technique does not stand out from the general table. Components often hide heaviness and shortcomings, so I think figure skating is moving more towards components. It is thanks to them that you can win.
“I was going to see a pig in a poke”
– Lisa, you studied with Elena Buyanova for a long time, with her you won the Russian Championship. Why did you decide to switch to a doubles room?
EO: I had to do ultra-c jumps, I tried to train them at the beginning of the season, but it didn’t go very well. I tried a triple axel, a quadruple toe loop, and a lutz on the rod. But just after the championship I realized that I no longer see myself in singles. I just stopped seeing the motivation and decided to try it in pairs.
– Why pairs?
EO: Elena Germanovna phoned someone, and my parents told me that such an opportunity had arisen. I don't know in depth how it all happened. But at that moment it even made me happy, it was interesting.
AG: All singles skaters, before joining pairs, first think that this is a kind of relegation. But then they realize that this is also very difficult.
– Isn’t it a pity when such talented skaters like you, like Alena Kostornaya, leave the singles?
EO: No, why? You ride with a partner, you complement each other. In my opinion, this is even more interesting.
– By the way, how would you rate Alena’s debut in pairs?
AG: Gosha (Georgy Kunitsa, Kostornaya’s partner – ed.) and I skated in the same group with Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina, and now we are friends. After their debut, we called each other and asked how things were going, how Alena was in her mood. He says: “Let’s forget all this, calm down, everything is fine.” Gosha said that Alena is, in principle, an emotional girl. Alena and Gosha look good. I think that in a year they will be a worthy competitive couple.
– If you remember your first meeting. How did it go?
EO: I didn’t even know who I was going to. I asked who. But they didn’t tell me. Such a pig in a poke.
AG: Yes, we didn’t even write off. I came from St. Petersburg to Perm. Already there, Pavel Sergeevich and Yegor Mikhailovich (Slyusarenko and Zakroev – ed.) began searching for a partner. We tried several, but nothing was right. Then Pavel Sergeevich says: “I found it, Liza Osokina will come.” I don’t even know who she is, I think I saw her in couples, but I don’t remember her. Someone else told me that Lisa is not a very good guy. But there was hope. She comes into the gym, we locked eyes with her, a joint warm-up begins, paired elements, we slowly started talking – and that’s it, our mouths didn’t close either on the ice or during the warm-up.
– Were there any difficulties with paired elements?
EO: I just taught them, that’s all. There was no fear. But the most difficult thing is support. It was hard with them.
AG: It was terrible, my coaches and I still laugh. All summer, all three months, we taught support. It was a great time. I had never freaked out before, but now I was simply frozen out. We are in the sun, in the heat of plus 30, trying to make some positions, and all to no avail.
EO: I saw a dissatisfied look, but Artem didn’t freak out, didn’t tell me anything.
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AG: He freaked out into space. Only before the performances did we find the levers to set everything up and did three supports. At that moment, the coaches also exhaled, everything finally worked out.
– What are the strengths of your couple?
AG: Many people told us that we are stately, we look beautiful each other with a friend. We are not bony, not fat, we have good elements, we have our own style.
– What about each other’s strengths?
AG: Lisa, tell the whole truth.
EO: I feel safe next to this person. I feel comfortable with him, this is the main thing for me.
AG: That's all? Here is Lisa, beautiful, stately, young, obedient. Everything about her is good, I like everything. Her character is very interesting: like a puzzle, a Rubik's cube. You need to unravel it in order to establish contact with it. She does not trust everyone.
“We are trying to fatten her up, but we are not succeeding”
– You have already mentioned weight factor. Lisa, is it difficult for you to support him?
AG: This is a very funny story. We are trying to fatten her up, but we are not succeeding.
EO: Last season I gained weight over the summer. It has become more difficult to make some elements. Now I have lost weight and feel comfortable. And so, I try to eat right, sometimes I can allow myself something harmful.
AG: After the competition we go eat khachapuri.
– There is a lot in figure skating cases when girls lead themselves to anorexia and bulimia. Don't you think that weight control sometimes reaches the point of absurdity?
EO: Some people get too fixated on weight and cross some kind of boundary. Something clicks and the person stops eating. Someone could have been insulted and the person began to engage in…
AG: Nonsense. Where to get strength from if you don’t have it? In our group, everyone shares this opinion.
EO: We monitor our weight, we weigh ourselves every day. They may say that there are extra grams and you need to come back the next day with less. But with such training, the weight comes off on its own. Or you can not eat in the evening, limit your portion.
– Should a coach monitor the weight of athletes?
AG: Absolutely must. Without fanaticism, but there must be control. Many underage skaters do not fully understand why they should do this. But you lose weight first of all for yourself. It will be easier for you. The main thing here is not to overdo it. And our coaches are trying to explain this to everyone. Thanks to them for this, thanks to them I don’t suffer from lifts and twists, it’s easy for me. And the girls understand this very well.
EO: This makes it easier for me. If you gain more than 200-300 grams, you feel that it is becoming heavy, the element goes differently, stability is lost.
– Maybe it is worth involving nutritionists to maintain balance?
EO: I think if a person can hold the weight himself, no help is needed. But if you need to lose weight and not lose muscle, a nutritionist could help with this.
AG: That would be cool. Perhaps not even on an ongoing basis, but during certain periods.
– How do you feel about sports psychologists?
EO: Elena Germanovna had such a specialist in her team. I went a couple of times and even sat with my parents. But, to be honest, I didn’t see much point in it. It all depends on the person anyway. No one will help you if you don’t want it.
AG: I was there too, but it seems to me that a psychologist is needed when there are problems. There is no point in going there for prevention. Let's say I wouldn't go now. For what? Everything is fine with us, we have good relationships, there is no fear of the elements or starts.
“I don’t even want to do an internship with Tutberidze.”
– Why did you choose Pavel Slyusarenko for yourself?
EO: I watched Pavel Sergeevich’s classes, I liked how they ride, but at that time I didn’t see any adults with him. I wondered why this was so. But when I arrived, I really liked the coaching staff, the team, the homely atmosphere during training, you can talk, discuss something. No one will judge you.
– Some coaches don’t really take into account the opinions of athletes.
AG: They listen to us. Sometimes we need to stop talking and go to work. This is a very big plus when a coach and an athlete have a close relationship and can calmly talk about any topic. There are also always a lot of jokes. Pavel Sergeevich and Egor Mikhailovich are such humorists.
– Pavel Sergeevich collaborates with Eteri Tutberidze. Would you like to consult with her on some issues?
AG: No, no, no, I don’t want to. We feel good at home. I probably wouldn’t even agree to an internship. If they tell us something in between, then yes. I just don’t want to change my training plan because it’s paying off. It cannot be violated, especially during such a period. As long as we don’t have any problems, it’s better for us to work with our coaches.
– For Tutberidze, the experience of working with sports couples was new. Do you think she was able to reveal a different side to Morozov and Tarasova?
AG: Of course. We really liked them at that time. Cool programs, great elements, they have something to take into their arsenal. It seems to me that Eteri Georgievna’s work cannot pass without a trace.
– Do you have enough competitions? Don’t you want to enter the world stage?
AG: Of course, I do. I want to go abroad and compete with other guys. Here you already know everyone, it’s like we’re in a cage.
– Do you agree that without the Russians the level of world figure skating began to fall?
AG: In terms of scores, probably yes. This is true for juniors. If you compare our guys and juniors abroad, then ours are many times stronger and prettier. There are quite a lot of good pairs in the masters who can make good competition.
– What is your main goal?
AG: Speaking globally , I want to qualify for the Olympics. We will work all this time to get there.
– Do you believe that there is a chance?
AG: Hope dies last.< br>
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