Andrei Griazev: "I hope Tarasova won't dump me."
　　From:Calgary
　　By:Elena ВАЙЦЕХОВСКАЯ
　　Translate By:XxIceCrystalxX

　　With him, you never get bored. That is the first thing that came to mind after the long program performance of 20-year-old Andrei Griazev. And not for the first time. Everytime the figure skater performs at Senior competitions, his coaches, firstly Tatiana Tarasova, then Elena Vodorezova are thrown either into heat or into coldness. That's the character of the Siberian guy: "To love - then Queen. To lose - then a million!" To skate a brilliant short program and to have a meltdown in the free? That happened. Vice versa? That happened as well.

　　This season, a cross was put over Griazev after placing 9th at Russian Nationals although he has had realistic chances to be the 2nd Russian for the Olympic Games. It was like a miracle when he was added to the team for the World Championships, but after his first 2 performances people were asking: "Well, why?" And all of a sudden, a great free program performance with magnificent jumps. What an infarct, by God!

　　After Griazev's performance at Russian Nationals in Kazan, when he himself was black of woe, and hid himself, Tarasova said: "I don't know what to do. Andrei is able to skate incredibly well. But to achieve this, he must be really really provocated so that he's very angry by any means. And you can't imagine how hard it is to insult an innocent person. And Andrei is a very nice, sincere and clean guy. He's emotional but he's accustomed to keep his anguish inside himself. Maybe that's the reason his nerves don't stand consistant pressure."

　　- Now can you explain, what happened with you in Calgary?
　　- Maybe I overcame competing. After Russian Nationals I basically didn't do anything. I went home to Perm. I thought, I'd never step onto the ice again in my life. I was very well prepared for the selection to the team. It never happened in my life that in a week of consistant practice and regular run-throughs of my free program that I did not a single mistake. I did quads and really obscure combinations and everything worked out. I so wanted to show this at Nationals that I simply burned out. I bombed my short program and from that moment on, everything was worthless.

　　- Did you come back to Moscow on your own initiative?
　　- Elena Germanovna (Vodorezova) called me and told me we had to start working. And that after one unsuccessful season the life goes on. At that moment, I started to miss practice myself. That was just after the European Championships. I watched it on TV and I had to stay a little longer at home because of the opening of a new ice rink where I had to be and after that I came back. For two weeks I was again getting used to skating and did only easy jumps, then I went back to my regular regime. Vodorezova told me I had a little chance to make it to the World Championships, but honestly, I didn't really believe that I could actually make it. I just could not let go of the thought that I destroyed everything myself. I watched the Olympic Games on TV and thought that I could be there as well.
　　On the other hand, maybe it was good that I had so much time to rest. My back strenghthened again and I even don't remember about it when I do quads. Even when in autumn I had big problems. But the lack of practice showed: When I came to Calgary I noticed my jumps were somwhat insecure.
　　But in reality it was the Qualifying which heavily hurt me. I knew I would have problems with the quad, either I'd land it on two feet or I'd have other problems with the landing but I never thought I'd fall so hard. That really amazed me.

　　- Did your coach offer you to abandon the quad in the short program?
　　- To what sense? To come out of this group I had to do everything to the maximum. And a quad has to be in a short program anyway. Without the quad it wouldn't even make sense to compete next season.

　　- Does this element take a lot of strengh?
　　- To me, it's even easier than the triple lutz. But psychologically it's hard just like with every first jump in a program. And it has a huge impact on the following mood in the program. That's why it's so much connected with pressure.

　　- What was your mood like going into the free program?
　　- That I had nothing to lose. I was angry with myself and at least I wanted to show that I can do something.

　　- Whom did you want to show? Tarasova? Vodorezova?
　　- Everyone!

　　- How easy was it to change coaches?
　　- Not too easy. When Tarasova slowly stopped to coach and Vodorezova worked more with Elena Gedevanishvili, went with her to competitions, I suddenly noticed that I was all alone. I had no one to talk to. I thought much about Tarasova and that she maybe was unsatisfied with me as a sportsman and that that was the reason she didn't come to the rink anymore. I didn't succeed in many things. For a long time I was very occupied with these thoughts. And only then I noticed how lucky a skater can be when he has a coach which concentrates mainly on himself.

　　- Do you plan to do your programs for next season together?
　　- Most likely we will only do one new program, a new short program. It wouldn't make any sense to do a new long program. The long program I skate now, hardly anyone has seen. And I really hope Tarasova won't dump me.

 

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