Medvedev is a product: how America helped Tutberidze – Figure Skating News – Winter

This season, figure skating in Russia has become one of the most popular sports. The confrontation between Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova reminded fans of the battle of Evgeni Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin at the turn of the century.

This time, everything began to revolve around coach Eteri Tutberidze, whose charges won the gold and silver medals at the 2018 Olympic Games. Disappointed by Medvedev's second place, a few months after Pkhenchkhan, she has left the specialist position of Canadian Brian Orcer.

Tutberidze pupils dictate fashion in women's single skating for several years. The coach works particularly well with the juniors: last season in the final of the series Grand prize In this category of age, four neighborhoods at once have made their way: Alexander Trusov, Alena Kostornaya, Anastasia Tarakanova and Daria Panenkova. The first three took the three places on the podium, a remarkable result for a specialist.

The situation is likely to recur this year when, along with Trusova and Kostornaya, Anna Shcherbakova, who recently made a quadruple Lutz in the group of six strongest, also achieved the quadruple Lutz – the most difficult jump not only for women but also in men.

Elements in four turns shows and Trusov. The challenging jumps are the business card of young Tutberidze athletes who can change their story forever in the coming seasons.

Eteri Georgievna was born in Moscow in a simple Soviet family, began to practice simple skating and then to dance. The girl's sporting career did not work, she was forced to leave early professional sport because of injuries, several times before winning the USSR Cup medals. "But all this, of course, does not represent very serious achievements," said the coach about his athletic achievements.

At age 18, Tutberidze went to the United States, where she participated in ice shows – a common practice for athletes in the collapsed state of the time. A few years later, she started training, first in America, then in Russia. Above the ocean, the young specialist was bored in her own words. Affection and homesickness.

In 2008, after several job changes, the specialist joined the capitalized sports school No. 37, which was transformed in 2013 into Khrustalny branch of the Sambo-70 Center for Sport and Education.

The world-clbad coach, Tutberidze, won Yulia Lipnitskaya's victory at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

The 15-year-old girl hit the world with an arbitrary program on the music of the movie "Schindler's List" and became the Games champion in a team tournament.

After the Lipnitskaya Gold, a huge queue has formed in the group for Tutberidze. Among those who wanted to work with a coach, there were future stars.

The athlete who conquered Sochi has failed to maintain his level. In 2015, Yulia left Tutberidze for Alexey Urmanov. Then the supporters, unlike the Medvedeva case, were more on the side of the figure skater. However, the specialist did not have time to pay attention to this – she raised new talented athletes who took gold out of almost every competition.

In 2018, student Tutberidze, aged 15, again won gold at the Olympic Games. Alina Zagitova in the dramatic fight in front of Medvedev in personal competitions. The athlete, who worked with the coach for 11 years, was ashamed to give up at a crucial time. However, the specialist has his own opinion about it. Tutberidze was not used to having pity on his protectors.

I have no choice but to work with the material in question and to try to create my product. I just said precisely two words that readers may not like much – "material" and "product". But that's it. The same Zhenya Medvedeva is a product of our factory.

Eteri Tutberidze

"I only have to work with the material and try to create my product. I said precisely two words that readers might not like very much: "material" and "product". But that's it. The same Zhenya Medvedeva is a product of our factory, "said Tutberidze in an interview with RIA Novosti, a year before the Olympics.

Eteri Georgievna is known in the world of figure skating as a tough but correct coach. His commandments are simple: discipline and justice.

Only in a country where competition in this sport is extreme, can we find for real strong athletes.

"With Eteri Georgievna, it was easy for me to find a common language because it is always right. And he says it clearly: sport is a hard discipline and a self-discipline. When an athlete works carelessly, he pays the price himself, "said Sergey Dudakov, coach of the Tutberidze group.

The American experience has been one of the success factors of a coach.

As noted by Tutberidze, in Russia and North America, athletes participate in training at all levels. differently.

As for Canadians and Americans, they are completely different. An athlete pays for figure skating there, he wins often. And he understands that every minute on the ice costs money. And enjoy this minute.

Eteri Tutberidze

"As for Canadians and Americans, they are completely different. An athlete pays for figure skating there, he wins often. And he understands that every minute on the ice costs money. And enjoy this minute. And how can we ensure that our athletes start enjoying their time, if they only have this ice cream and that's it? They go out, take off the skates for five minutes, wash their noses for ten minutes, then tie the laces. Because time is not money for them. I remember one case that happened during my training in the United States. I was engaged to a girl. Her parents really wanted her to jump and I was afraid she was hurt. She was very tall, with long legs … and I tried to do everything so that the training was done with fewer jumps. She goes on the ice and I begin to ask her: how are you, how are you feeling, how is school going? And she suddenly said to me: "Eteri Georgievna, one minute after the training, we are still talking." A girl of about 13 years old. And I was ashamed of the fact that I was pulling the time. I can not imagine a single athlete here in Russia who would answer me like that! On the contrary, very often, they are stuck on the side. Do not appreciate this moment, "said the coach.

Tutberidze is demanding for her athletes, but at the same time she teaches them to understand the importance of the training process. And problems with this realization appeared even to Zagitova.

"Alina had a childish attitude towards work: today, tomorrow, I will not do it. I fired it. She spoke to another coach for a few months, no one forced her. Then her parents gathered to go back to Izhevsk, then Alina realized that she could not do without ice, "said Tutberidze in an interview with Vogue.

In his few interviews, a specialist has repeatedly referred to the role of parents in the education of athletes. According to Tutberidze, even adult skaters need support.

"The position of the parents is very important. They should explain to the child that whatever the coach does, he does it for good. And they should understand: since they came to such a hard sport, they probably came for a reason and for the result. And if that is the case, we must be able to endure, "notes the coach.

It is clear that not everyone can endure such high demands, because the Tutberidze's commands imply less freedom for a figure skater. With age, it becomes more difficult to manage.

Tutberidze, Medvedev, Tarakanova, Panenkova and Polina Tsurskaya left Tutberidze during the off-season. But Elizabeth Tursynbayeva, who plays for Kazakhstan, came back, but failed to make significant progress with Canada's Brian Orser.

The girl noted that the stranger because of the high cost of coaching training is too soft for athletes. This does not help everyone – if the Japanese champion, Yuzuru Hania, implicitly trusts Orcer, some instructions from the Russian athlete would raise questions. That's the difference in mentality.

"I have enough athletes who perform the task, but inside, they still doubt it. I see him! He received a task, went to perform, but the brain is boiling: "Why?" Someone & # 39; a the face twists, and everything becomes immediately clear – the task will be completed or not. After all, what kind of athlete will give the body an installation just like, "notes Tutberidze.

It turns out that this kind of work is ideal for national figure skaters and Eteri Georgievna was able to find the right keys. This is proved by the results.

Konstantin Lesik