Alla Shekhovtsova biography

Tell me, for our experts, these results were expected or are they just like all of us, experienced confusion? Last year, we rather experienced not confusion, but disappointment. Of course, we were counting on third place, because the championship was held in our country, and the main applicants for bronze awards were completely beaten pairs. During the season, the French Burza, the Italians Faella-Scalli, who eventually decided to get out of the championship, were not very stable, so we believed that we generally had good positions and that we could take a place on the pedestal.

But it so happened that Ekaterina Bobrova - Dmitry Soloviev made a number of mistakes that did not go unnoticed by a technical brigade. Elena Ilyin and Nikita Katsalapova, unfortunately, also failed to roll the programs flawlessly. As a result, bronze medals went to the Americans - the brother and sister of Shibutan. And although they say that houses and walls help, I think that the reasons for our disappointment should be sought in the load of responsibility that lay on the shoulders of our young athletes who recently become the leaders of the national team.

It is a pity that such chances were not realized, but the experience was gained from which coaches and athletes made conclusions. Today, both of our first duets are progressing, and this progress has not left unnoticed by specialists. In the protocols of this season, the pairs of Bobrov - Solovs, Ilyin - Katsalapov appeared numerous nine for the components. I think we have something to go to Sochi.

If we analyze the last world championship in Nice, the whole first dozen dancers, with the exception of one pair of Kappellini-Lanotta, approx. That is, we compete with ourselves, with our understanding of figure skating, because Russian coaches, working abroad, naturally use domestic teaching methods. In general, the competition in ice dancing is extremely high, and no rivals can be underestimated.

Today it is almost impossible to compete with Canadians Virchu-Mir and the Americans Davis-White, because in many ways these duets have gone far and think that in the next year we will compete with them, I would not. But I hope that the remaining 2 years before the Olympics, our two duets use the most efficiently as possible, and how they are now rapidly progressing, it gives us the hope that we will still have competition.

Moreover, this is a sport, and anything can happen, because no one is safe from mistakes. This season, even such leaders as Virchu-Mir, made malfunctions and mistakes in responsible competitions. Of course, it is not correct to count on some gifts of fate, but, nevertheless, things such as the health factor, the factor of “slippery” ice, the factor of “getting into the program, which we need to work and work.

In particular, a pair of Bobrov-Solovyov is subjected to an attack, who are accused mainly of the fact that their last programs do not correspond to the modern style of dancing. Do you agree with such an opinion? I will begin to answer with the fact that the Internet, of course, is a very good information resource, but often it turns into a fence on which anyone who is not lazy writes, and writes that he wants, regardless of the level of understanding of the issue.

As for Katya and Dima, all the conversations that exist, they are in the plane: like it - do not like it. If we switch to the language of professionals, I can say that I have not heard a single critical review that the program was made poorly. Moreover, all experts have noted that the program was made very professionally, it was built compositionally competently, just chic music was used, and all this is very worthy.

As far as I know, our famous choreographer Boris Eifman was involved in work, who helped the guys work out this program, and the hand of the master is felt. But there are always trends in the season, and the question is always relevant for coaches and directors: did you get into these trends with the program or not? But if we talk about professionalism, the program is made and executed very competently.

If anything was not enough for this program, it was not enough its maximum implementation by athletes. I am very welcome to Elena and Nikita, who felt like the leaders, because that soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is bad. But I would not in a hurry with conclusions, because the acute struggle between our two pairs-very strong and talented duets-just began.

But since Elena and Nikita declared themselves as leaders, it means that they are ready to fight for leadership in the Russian team. As for the position of the Russian figure skating federation, its leadership has repeatedly voiced the position in the way that we now have two competitive duets, and who is stronger should win. There is neither sympathies nor antipathy: the federation is interested in identifying the strongest.

The closer to the Olympics in Sochi, the more relevant the question becomes: is it time to decide on the leaders?But this question, in my opinion, is somewhat premature. We have almost two years ahead of us, and in our interests, and in the interests of great sports, create and maintain competition in order to give the opportunity to win the strongest. Talking about the first and second duet in the country is constantly being conducted and pass from generation to generation.

When Grischuk-Platov rode, we were told a lot to us that Krylov-Ssyanniki should be the first pair. The first pair became Krylov-Zasyannikov, immediately spoke that Lobachev-Averbukh was better. The same conversations were about Domnin-Shabalin and Khokhlov-Nitsky. But the fact is that at the international level no one is ready to bring the second pair to the leaders, rather, judges are ready to lower the achievements of the first pair to the level of the second.

But if we take our situation today, then these two duets are real competitors, and international judges meet us, determining the strongest. Ryazanova and Tkachenko were very progressed this year, which was also noted by all specialists. But if the leaders have their own competition, then Katya and Ilya have their own tasks. Currently, certain agreements have been reached between Igor Spilband and Alexei Gorshvov on cooperation, because from the part of Igor and Marina there is interest to help Russia in this situation.

I have no doubt that Katya and Ilya will soon be more than competitive, because they will ride in one of the most powerful groups of the world, and even if they go there periodically, this will still give an impetus to progress and promotion in a sports career. Now Katya and Ilya have a very good age, because they have already matured technically and emotionally.

In my opinion, they are now experiencing emotional heyday, I call it the maturation of the soul. So that the athlete can give the public his emotions, they must be with him. Not everything can put a choreographer. If the juniors of the palette of emotional colors are mainly white and red, then not only gamma expands the masters, but shades already appear. Ryazanova-Kotachenko is a very efficient and ambitious couple, which well understands why they are in sports-so that the struggle for leadership in our national team can aggravate.

Previously, they said about dancing that it was necessary to defend the turn to rise. Unfortunately, few people understand that this is not a queue, but an accumulation of skill that has been going on for years. To date, dances have already reached such heights in terms of technology and productions that this is a highly professional sport that requires great technical work, emotional return, competitive experience and health of athletes.

I believe that today we have all the components for success. There are athletes to whom you can set serious tasks, and in conditions of acute competition the one who can withstand everything will win. And we also have very promising youth who ride at a very high level. For example, if our young dancers Victoria Sinitsyna - Ruslan Zhiganshin will go to an adult level, then they will become a “headache” for many, because their potential is very good.

I think that we will all enjoy watching the professional growth of our athletes and their competition. In your opinion, do they adequately continue the work of our legendary coaches? As for our young trainers, the beginning of their work coincided with the difficult period that our figure skating experienced. They simply worked on naked enthusiasm, having neither ice nor financial capabilities.

In addition, during this period the traditions of transferring experience and knowledge to young trainers were lost, since many masters simply went abroad or moved away from the sports of the highest achievements. Natalya Ilyinichna Dubova, who was an ace for technology, quality and ease of sliding, left to work in America, Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova organized her ballet, Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaya was engaged in children's ballets, and there were no one to adopt everything that was accumulated in many years.

But I can say that they coped with this task. To date, the groups of both Kustarova-Alekseeva and Pork-Zhuk have already reached coaching maturity. Alexander Zhulin has now gathered a very interesting group in which Peter Durnev is working - a very strong specialist in the field of knowledge of the rules, Oleg Volkov is a technique specialist, Sergey Petukhov is a well -known choreographer, and Alexander Zhulin himself, who in recent years has received a certain impetus in the development of his talents thanks to various television projects.

Now a very interesting group of young duets has been typed there, which, I think, will flourish very soon under their coaching influence. Yes, this issue was resolved for a long time, because in the Olympic year everyone wants something special. Given the fact that the Olympiad will take place in Russia, the ISU was considering the option with the inclusion of the tango dance element of the tango dance as a “pattern”, which was invented by our famous dancers Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshvov and their wonderful coach Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaya.

However, due to the fact that this tango was an obligatory dance at the Olympics in Vancouver, they decided not to repeat themselves. And then the choice fell on the Finance - dance, invented by the Finnish pair of Suzann Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, who was the last one in the year in the list of mandatory dances. As for Finstep, this is a very bright, sparkling dance, which, according to the technical committee, will be very suitable for the festive and joyful mood of the Olympiad.

For the musical accompaniment of Finstep, it will be possible to use the melodies of Quikstep, Foxtrot, Charleston and Pig. And although this dance is technically quite complicated, everyone will be under equal terms: both athletes and trainers will have the opportunity to demonstrate their talents. Of course, no. Nobody will change the rules before the Olympics, because the design of the programs rolled over for years.

Moreover, they are already mathematically calculated to comply with the balance between the technical assessment and the components, so that there is no advantage in any way. In this year, at the ISU Congress, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from June 6 to 16, the proposal of our technical committee to include choreographic support in the arbitrary dance.

This recommendation is related to slightly moving away from those of the same type of support that everything is performed to get a high level. Choreographic support will be introduced in order to find new ideas, new difficult positions, so that after the games, one of these ideas introduce into the rules to diversify dancing. However, our dance couple at the country's championship was a member of the ten strongest dancers.

When I realized that a dozen is my limit, I decided to seriously engage in education. At the same time, I worked as a senior coach at the Sverdlovsk school of figure skating, where my teacher was just a great, I am not afraid of this word a person in a world of figure skating Igor Borisovich Ksenofontov. He was an outstanding organizer, a coach of a very wide vision, the owner of an amazing and powerful talent.

Work under his leadership was a great success in life. Having moved to Moscow, I worked as a coach in the group of Natalia Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov for several years. At this time, I was lucky to meet with Alexander Trechov, who was an amazing specialist in the field of dance technology. When Linichuk and Karponosov decided to leave for America, the group was on me.

Then I switched to the judges, having traveled the path from the Russian level to the international. I can’t say that the judicial career was so swift and easy, because I had to attach quite a lot of effort to thoroughly study this new profession, which is only considered a hobby. I was lucky in the heyday of our figure skating to judge all the wonderful athletes, starting from Grishchuk and Platov - I have the last 4 Olympics in the judicial asset.

Since the year, I have been heading a children's figure skating school in Odintsovo. For a fairly short time, our school has become the best in the suburbs, because we have repeatedly won school and youth sports day. Now I am a member of the Techcomkom ISU on ice dancing. This work is extremely complex, requiring a lot of time and dedication.