Rosbalt - 31/05/2007
Oksana Domnina: " we Shall overcome for gold in Vancouver "
Rosbalta's questions were answered, by Russia's ice dancing champion with Maxim Shabalin, and participant of the ice show "Stars on Ice", Oksana Domnina.
Oksana, can you describe the sensations from tour you just ended?
On scale it was a unique action - all the same almost 60 performances in 51 cities of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Baltic, in Singapore, Dubai. About 400 thousand spectators have seen us! It was not possible to participate in something similar before. In addition, I consider, it is the grandiose action which attracts tens of thousand boys and little girls to the sport.
And how began your way to figure skating? Who has placed you on a skating rink?
I was brought to a skating rink in my home town of Kirov by my mum when I was 6 years old. She worked at the stadium and saw an announcement for children's improvement groups in figure skating. It was the open skating rink. I trained there a year. After a while I was seen by my future trainer Fedorova Irina Filippovna. Under her management I began to train on an artificial skating rink in a professional group.
And employment by figure skating did not stir to study?
Certainly, stirred. I well studied actually up to 9 classes. Then I had to leave for competitions, such as the first stage of the Cup of Russia. For me it was very important. I practically spent all my time on a skating rink, trained two times a day and, accordingly, had to pass employment. Teachers knew all, that I am engaged in figure skating, and were not too strict to me.
You and Maxim Shabalin are now leaders of Russia in ice dancing. And do you think whether participation in the project " Stars on an ice " promotes growth of professionalism?
I shall repeat, first of all, this round helps us by way of work on the spectator. We also have participated first time in Ilya Averbukh's projects. In the last season we also acted in show of the company " Ice Symphony ".
In fact when you see full tribunes, there is always an excitement: and whether it will turn out as planned, whether we shall manage this time to surprise all? And the more you act, the less this excitement in the future troubles you. At competitions to us it helps to cope with emotions.
Besides colleagues on show, our well-known figure skaters Tatyana Totmjanina, Maxim Marinin, Alexey Tikhonov, Masha Petrov, Lesha Yagudin, Tanja Navka, Roman Kostomarov give valuable advice on skating technique, a choreography, virtuosity, statement of number. And we are helped too by dialogues with stars of the theatre and the cinema which also act in Ilya Averbukh's tours - Marat Basharov, Katya Gusev, Anna Bolshova. All you will not list!
You would not like to act in a pair with somebody from actors within the limits of ice round " Stars on an ice "? If such offers came from Ilya?
No, such offers yet were not made. In general I'm not against the experiment, would be interesting to try. I consider it interesting.
What are the most memorable moments in your sports career?
The most remembered event for me became participation in Olympic Games in Turin. Though we did not compete for the medals, nevertheless, it made the strongest impression. In fact the Olympiad is a dream of any sportsman. And, I hope, in the Olympiad in Vancouver we shall compete for the maximum awards.
Did you participate in any foreign shows with Maxim?
No we took part only in the Russian projects. But similar offers were made. Basically, except for spring, we do not have opportunity to participate in any shows. We prefer to not distract in a season, and completely to devote our time to trainings.
And we have an opportunity to participate in various ice shows in the spring. But as usually at this time passes the spring tour of the ice show of Ilya Averbukh, we do not leave for anywhere else.
Now everything changes constantly and is improved, like a science, and technics on the verge of a fantasy. How do you imagine the skates of the future, and how does this influence all figure skating?
Very interesting question. Skates of the future … Probably, they move, it is not necessary to make a start, strain - it would be desirable, certainly. That they always went in that direction in which you would like, held you, did not allow you to fall.
It is difficult to speak about the future of figure skating, especially with new system of refereeing. It would be desirable, that dances on ice remained dances on ice, instead of turning into pair figure skating.
And who are your idols in figure skating?
As those idols are not present. But I liked pair Grishuk-Platov: both on sliding, and on emotions.
And how do you estimate your performance in the world championship in Tokyo?
We have shown everything we could. Have given all the best with Maxim on 100 %, it was our best performance. But, unfortunately, the judges have not estimated us, all has developed not in our advantage. Not always it turns out so, that the judges fairly estimate you after a good skate.
What would like to wish the admirers whom every day there is all more and more?
The most important in the life of any person is his health and his relatives. I wish all our admirers, that they would be healthy, loved and have been favourite. Also those who loved us, were a fan of us, supported in all …