Alena Kostornaia: “I think it’s a good trend – to maintain the content’s complexity, but not unrealistically huge, because it’s very injury-prone.”
source: Okko Sports
Alena Kostornaia commented on the trend of reducing the number of quadruple jumps for female skaters.
“What we saw in the test skates… Some injured themselves during training, some didn’t even plan to do a free program but they were told, ‘What do you mean? We bought tickets to see you; have you gone crazy?’ Some didn’t have enough time, some are still recovering. Of course, everyone will add a bit.
But I think it’s a good trend – to maintain the content’s complexity, but not unrealistically huge, because it’s very injury-prone. Especially since the age minimum is increasing.
(With complex content), kids won’t survive till seniors; they’ll come to senior skating incapable and will regress compared to their junior skates. But this gives an opportunity to find a balance.
Maintain the balance of the program so that the second mark doesn’t suffer. Skate beautifully, show the steps, show that we can skate. Jump your two, well, three quads, and then go on with triples, showing that we can both jump and skate and engage with the audience.
When the balance is lost, it harms the program. The audience still wants to see a performance, a show. If you want a battle, there’s boxing for that. Or a jumping competition – emotions aren’t needed there; you just need to jump a bunch of times,” Kostornaia said.
Alena Kostornaia shared how she healed her back injury during her training at the Plushenko Academy.
“I had many injuries everywhere, but this was the only place where they told me, ‘No, you won’t compete until you’re fully healed.’ And it was a really great decision because we genuinely treated my back, and it doesn’t hurt to this day.
Half of the coaching staff went with me to the doctor. It was the first time. Usually, when something hurt, my mom and I went to doctors on our own. Naturally, they were private clinics because we needed a faster solution. But this time, Evgeni Viktorovich (Plushenko) and Yana Alexandrovna (Rudkovskaya) arranged it, and we went together.
The doctor explained everything to both the coaches and me, and my mom. He broke it down and showed us what physical therapy we would do and how we would treat it, right there at the same place where we had the examination. They immediately took me for an MRI, so we didn’t have to pass the MRI disks from hand to hand endlessly.
I underwent a long rehabilitation, and they genuinely monitored it.
It was the first and only time that people stood up for me, treated my injury, and didn’t ask for anything in return,” Kostornaia said.
Alena Kostornaia talked about her work at Evgeni Plushenko’s academy.
“I don’t choreograph programs; they gave me the opportunity to work with juniors. I asked if they needed help with choreography for the little kids, but they said they’d give me juniors.
Honestly, I was a little scared because not too long ago, I was a junior myself, and naturally, the kids won’t perceive me as a coach but something between an advisor and a friend, as we communicate with them on an equal level. I was a bit afraid of the responsibility.
I come for 3-4 hours, and they tell me, ‘Today, you take this one, this one, and this one.’ Overall, it’s going well, and it seems they are satisfied with me. My task is to refine the programs, to show how to perform for the judges, how to express emotions, how to act with your face, where to use your hands, where to shed a tear. It’s about little nuances.
Training and working at the same time are very challenging, but we don’t have any other options right now. If you want to live in an apartment rather than at the train station, if you want to go to the store to buy groceries – there are no other options,” Kostornaia said.
About the dress for the short program
“It wasn’t entirely ready; we started altering it, and in the end, it turned out to be too big for me. They told us, ‘We didn’t understand the concept of your dress.’
I replied, ‘Well, it’s like a corset…’ In short, we’ll have to make changes.
They said there were too many nude areas, even though it’s mesh everywhere. In reality, I have a full leotard; it’s just made of mesh. There’s not much to nitpick about.
I recently saw athletes at international competitions wearing a top and everything else made of mesh, and everything was fine.
But these are the preferences of the specialists who will be judging us in the future, so why bother stirring things up,” Kostornaia said.
About wedding preparation
Alena Kostornaia: It was challenging. We decided to do it all within a month, we are smart after all.
Georgi Kunitsa: She sent me all these decorations, cakes, colors, invitations…
Alena Kostornaia: He could’t say anything exactly. He was like, “Well, this is beautiful, and that’s beautiful, and this is beautiful.” But I made the invitations myself.
Georgy Kunitsa: She called me, having a fit: they’re scolding me, what should we do, maybe we shouldn’t do anything at all?
Alena Kostornaia: I din’t want any wedding anymore, everyone leave me alone.
My mom chose the restaurant; we arrived, and it was so beautiful. We walked in, there was a river, a lawn. And I said, “Wow, it’s beautiful here.” My mom said, “Yes, but it’s more expensive.” In short, I told her to go to my dad and convince him. My dad and my grandpa – they are the financial part.
Georgi Kunitsa: I only have my mom and a little sister; my dad is no longer alive. And it’s hard for my mom alone. She, of course, helped…
Alena Kostornaia: We arrived, my dad was like, “Wow, it’s really cool, beautiful.” I understood he wanted a beautiful wedding for his daughter. But doing it all in a month is very challenging because what could have been beautiful and reasonably priced turns into… You can’t see the cost, you can miscalculate with all those zeros.
Dad called Grandpa; I’m sitting where we have to sign the documents, we’re already choosing the decor. And there were just shouts from the street: either here or nowhere! In short, I didn’t expect it, but my dad stood his ground, and everything was great.
And then they showed him photos – and he said, “Maybe we’ll do an outdoor ceremony too?” In short, they dragged him into an outdoor ceremony, decor, and the cake.
Related topics: Alena Kostornaia, Georgri Kunitsa
She was praised by many as the only one that jumps the right way and not following Dudakov’s methods. She came to Plushenko injured, left him also injured. That pictures in the green dress, her back has healed but so many tapes on her knee and butt/back thigh? If she always jumps the right way, the only explanation for the injuries is that she’s prone to it.
All women are not created equal. Usacheva chose to stop, while the tall girl Khromykh continue after a year of healing.
That monster Eteri let Anna heal her knee and Kamila to skip diet, have cheat days during pre season too you know. Second gap year, just saying.
In the picture of Kostornaia skating in the green corset-dress she’s also wearing a red bracelet. Can someone explain: is the red bracelet a new trend? I’ve noticed some other Russian skaters also wear one.
Wearing a thin red string as a type of talisman to ward off misfortune which is brought about by the “evil eye”. Something like that.