WHERE ARE THEY KNOW: ALEXEI TIKHONOV

Alexey Tikhonov is praising the talent of his partner in the “Ice Period” show.

Translation of the interview by a correspondent of the Russian speaking publication “Dni.ru,” Sonya Ray (SR), printed on October 19, 2007.

World and European Champion Alexey Tikhonov (AT) was awarded a “Crystal Ice” prize in the category of “National Love,” together with his partner Maria Petrova.

SR – Did you know that you were nominated for a prize?

AT – No, we did not. We just came for a performance and it was a real surprise.

SR – Was it a nice one?

AT – Wonderfully nice. Fantastic! Winning anything is always nice, but winning the nomination of “National Love” was really something. It is always nice to know that someone loves you.

SR – Do you think that this award will become popular? Is it really needed?

AT – Figure skating is not just a sport, it is also an art. In the art world there are a lot of awards for actors and directors. We will have similar ones and it is perfect. This way they recognize not just our sports achievements. Lately I can see a lot of changes in figure skating. All of the many ice shows, programs and awards are affecting the development of this sport. You can not imagine how many parents are bringing their kids these days to the rinks. And it is wonderful because it will help us to overcome our decline. It is like a dive down before takeoff.

SR – Yes, this is how we comfort ourselves.

AT – Correct. Why did we crash? Because in the 90s no one was thinking about the takeoff. There were just kids like Evgeny Pluschenko and Alex Yagudin, there were Berezhnaya and Sikhuralidze, Totmjanina and Marininn and Maria and myself. We practiced, we wanted to win and we were going forward. But behind us there were nobody. Now it became very clear. But these days, especially thanks to Ilja Averbuch, children are coming to the skating schools in droves.

SR – Will there be enough coaches for these kids?

AT – There are a lot of our famous coaches who are still working.

SR – Many of them are of advanced age and will not stay on forever.

AT – Some of the former sportspeople became children’s coaches – Irina Lobacheva, for example. Maria also wants to do it and I am very interested in doing it in the future. Not now, but in the future, I will definitely become a coach. Although to be honest, I like it more to work with the adults.

SR – So you will continue what Maria is starting.

AT – It is very possible, we will think about it.

SR – Now you are trying yourself as a coach of adults at the “Ice Period” project. You are training the actres Alisa Grebenschikova to skate. What do you think about her progress?

AT – It is something unbelievable. She never skated before in her life, but these days she is performing complex lifts and turns. She amazes me.

SR – How would you judge her professionally?

AT – You know, if she practices a little bit more, it will be ideal. It will be on the highest level.

SR - Alisa is really performing difficult lifts. Apparently she trusts you completely. Are you afraid for her?

AT – No, I have that professional feeling that everything will be all right. It is hard to explain, but I have it. That is why I am caught up with her fearlessness, I admire her and when we are performing the overhead lifts or even without holding hands, I feel that it is all right.

SR – This year at the “Ice Period” you changed your specialty.

AT – Yes, and I am very happy about it. Last year, when I skated with Anna Bolshova, we were just a quiet dancing pair. With Alisa we are skating closer to sports pairs and I enjoy it very much. I am so interested in watching her progress and she is doing really well and that helped us to find our own style.

SR – At the awards show you skated with Alisa, a not experienced skater at the stadium for the first time. Were you nervous before the show?

AT – I was a little nervous, but I am used to these shows, while she used to a theatre scene and people in front of her, but here there were people all around. She was very nervous, shaken, but we skated very well. She performed excellently and I am happy that I could support her.

SR – And then, when you skated with your regular partner Marina Petrova, you fell down twice. It was funny. The stadium did not see that for a long time.

AT – Yes, it was very funny. I hope that spectators there were amused. It was just like a damned element, that we fell two times by trying to perform it. Probably it happened because everything was going so fast and we did not have time to sharpen our skates.