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Oksana Domnina: No wedding this summer…
| Source: http://www.vk-smi.ru/2009/2009_05/vk_09_05_15_04.htm Oksana Domnina: No wedding this summer… The name of 24-year-old skater - Oksana Domnina - is on everybody's mouth these days, and there are a few reasons for it: her recent victory with partner Maxim Shabalin at the Worlds in Los Angeles, followed by the skaters being awarded the status of Ambassadors for the forthcoming Olympic and Paraolympic Games in Sochi-2014. Oksana’s private life also makes journalists restless, especially her love story with well-known skater and Ice Age Show contender Roman Kostomarov, who confessed on one of the websites: “Oksana is easy-going, tender, always ready to help me, and in turn I always try to support her. It’s difficult to describe love with words. It's about vibes!” This past week-end Oksana was in her native town, Kirov, and she agreed to share her plans for sports and private life with VK. - Oksana, everybody knows that you spend most of your time in America now. Did you come to Kirov from there? - No, I arrived from Moscow, and then I’m going back to Moscow, where I will train alone while waiting for my partner Maxim Shabalin to be able to “come back to life”. The problems with his knee are still there. I hope that he’ll have it healed and everything will be alright so that we can start to work seriously for Vancouver. - Do you miss your native town or do you already feel more comfortable in America? - I feel more comfortable in Odintsovo where I've lived for eight years now. As for America, we have to stay there because our current coaches, Natalia Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov, live in the States. I am also fond of Kirov, but mostly because my beloved ones, my mother, sister, nephews, live here. - Do they support you in your desire to keep your sport career going? - Sure (laughs), do they have any choice? Though it’s true that my mum watches my performances only once they have been taped: her nerves are too frayed to watch them live. She is always very nervous about how my performance will be judged. - Do you have a chance to socialise with you school-mates from Kirov? - No. To tell you the truth, I didn't go to school much, I travelled a lot. I had different interests than my classmates: they hung out in the yard while I had to train and then go to sleep. As a rule, I attended three lessons at school and it was difficult to make friends there. Moreover I’m not very open by nature. My circle of contacts was rather limited before, and even more so now : there are many people who call me and want many different things from me. That is why sometimes I’m forced to be a little harsh. - Is it hard to feel a celebrity? - Yes, in a way. Though amateur figure skating is not as popular as ice shows, and people know better those who are regularly on TV. As for me, I can easily go out, no one asks for my autographs in the streets of Kirov, or Moscow. - Do you plan to take part in ice shows? - If this Russian TV project is still on after Maxim and I have retired, it’s possible that I will take part in one. But I have the feeling people are already fed up with these shows. As for live ice shows and tours, we are regularly invited to take part to them, but usually we have to decline these offers because my partner might be under treatment while they tale place. - Athletes are often employed in advertising. Were you ever invited to shoot any commercial? - Only once, it was for the Prelest’ hair spray commercial. - Your relation ship with Roman Kostomarov gets much press coverage… - All I can say is that there will be no wedding this summer. It’s an mysterious newspaper hoax (actually I’m learning many interesting facts about myself from the newspapers). I can only add that we’ve been together for four years and we are planning to get married in the future, but not this summer. - Is it difficult for two skaters to get along as a married couple? - No, I don't think so. The main thing is to have common interests, acquaintances, friends. - Athletes are very superstitious, some believe in different signs, some bring mascot toys with them. What about you? - At first I carried a toy dog with me to all the competitions. But I don’t believe in superstitions and mascots any more. Of course I have a ritual before going out to the ice. But that's a secret. - Oksana, there are rumours that you are very respected and honoured in Samara, the native city of Maxim Shabalin, and that among your numerous awards there is a silver plate with an engraving that says “For the contributions to sports development in the Samara region”. Whereas in Kirov, only your achievement are valued and your partner is not particularly favored… - Some years ago my coach from Kirov, Irina Filippovna Fedorovykh, was asked if she knew that I had been granted with the title of Honoury citizen of Samara region. I wonder who started this rumour. And the silver plate was really presented to me five years ago, after our exhibition performances in Samara. I assure you that I’m not particularly favoured in Maxim’s native city. And to tell you the truth, this is the first year that I'm getting so much attention in Kirov too. - Figure skating fans saw you with two completely different looks: a cold blond and a raven-head brunette. Do you like to change? - Dark hair is very uncommon for me. It was a new image for the ice. It was interesting to try. Now I’m a blond again. I don't know how I will be in the future. I think that in a way the colour of my hair will depend on the character of our programs. - What else do you like? - I like dogs, especially Chinese Shar-Pei, their skin is so wrinkled and they are so kind… But I don’t get the chance to keep a dog right now. Why would I torture an animal taking it everywhere with me… I also like the sun, the sea… - But your current life consists of trainings, competitions. Once your sports career is over, what will you do? - When I retire, then we’ll talk about it. Sure I won’t become an accountant, and my professional life will be connected to sports somehow. Or maybe I will sit at home and have children. It is not out of the question. But now there is only one thing that I want, that our sports career lasts as long as possible. And if we stay, we must keep up and be the best. And it’s very important that my partner is healthy. Is it important to be diligent students? - There were from 8 to 10 other skaters in the same group with Oksana, five of them became masters of the sport - Oksana Domnina's first coach , Irina Filippovna Fedorovykh confides with a smile – I suppose Oksana always stood out for her patience. She never complained. Once she hurt her leg really badly while training, and had to go to the trauma unit. Imagine my astonishment when later on the same day she came to the second practice and trained without favours. She also never displayed her private feelings. It happened that during the same year she was forced to change school (her family moved to a new apartment) and to change a partner. I paired her with Vanya Lobanov. Their relation-ship wasn't smooth, but she didn’t complain. The moment I turned away they would have a brawl, I turned back – and there they were training, and everything was ok. - Can a coach define straight off that one particular child will become a champion and the other will never succeed? - You can always define the child’s inclinations, but it’s impossible to say who will become a champion. Because there are many different factors that come into play, including the child’s desire, help from parents and school. You need a good choreographer and a good partner. As for Oksana she went to trainings willingly. As a rule girls are more disciplined than boys. Believe my experience. - So Oksana was a diligent student? - She was a good student. It’s not good to be too diligent in sports as well as in studies. If nothing comes out from within and a student does only what he is told to, without personality, it's not good. - So, Oksana grew up and became a sports star, and as a result you, her first coach, were remembered. But I know that you've been working with children since 1976, and it’s thanks to your student that the figure skating school of Kirov is famous… Do you currently have any young skater who will be able to become a champion, to become a star? - There are many outstanding children, but we don’t have essential training conditions. That is why they don’t grow to become champions. We can’t hand our pupils over to Moscow now, because they are not able to do what they should at their age. At the time I was trying to send Oksana to Moscow, persuading coaches Gorshkov and Chemodanov to look at the girl. Oksana didn’t even guess. They listened to me , because the authority of our figure skating school was very high… - What would you like to wish your former student? - Success! Sports life is very short, so Oksana will live it through and move on. But then, it will be quite a different story. | |
| Category: 2008-09 | Date: 15 May 2009 | Author: "Вятский край", И. БОБРОВСКАЯ |
