“In 2018, it was my first senior Grand Prix event. And I messed up everything that could be messed up.” Stanislava Konstantinova about issues with a costume, taking a wrong passport and arriving at the wrong arena
Translation of Stanislava Konstantinova’s story about her first senior Grand Prix.
original source: Sport24
Figure skater Stanislava Konstantinova made a loud statement about herself in the fall of 2018 when she unexpectedly won silver at the 2018 Grand Prix stage in Helsinki. She experienced a full range of emotions on her way to the medal, and here is her story in the show “There is a story.” Here’s a translation.
“In 2018, it was my first senior Grand Prix event in Finland. And I messed up everything that could be messed up. (Laughs.) Let’s start with the fact that they brought me a dress right to the train because Stanislava threw a tantrum, as they glued rhinestones in the shape of a Christmas tree. I was screaming: ‘I asked for no Christmas tree!’ I peeled them off myself and said: ‘Reglue them!’ They reglued everything before the train. And because I worked on this dress myself – I drew it myself, did everything – and they didn’t glue them on properly. Thank God, I have a good seamstress, she told me: ‘Glue these rhinestones yourself before the free skate, it’s anti-stress.’ By the way, I glued them, sewed rhinestones to the gloves.
I take this dress, I needed to do some stuff at the university, I run to the train. I arrive 10 minutes before the train and realize that I took the old passport. My poor coach Valentina Mikhaylovna Chebotareva was already half-fainted: ‘Well, okay, you’ll come tomorrow, miss the official practice.’ I stand there with this passport, call my mom, cry. Mom: ‘That’s it, we’re going to Finland by car!’ We’re getting ready, my mom gathers all her children, puts them in the car, and we go. We arrive in Finland at night, they barely accommodate me, I overslept the bus, the draw – I overslept everything. I rush, take a taxi, and say: ‘Please, to Hartwall Arena, where the 2017 World Championships were held.’ We arrive, I walk, knock on the windows, and realize that I came to the wrong place. To give you an idea: this arena is not in the city, but in the middle of the highway, there are only roads and forest. 25 minutes before the practice, Valentina Mikhaylovna calls me, I say I can’t find the entrance. I run along this highway, grab some old lady, shake her: ‘Phone, urgently!’ She: ‘No Russian, no English.’ I: ‘Phone, urgently!’ She, probably trying to say that she doesn’t want to give the phone, I say: ‘Order me a taxi!’ She ordered a taxi for me, I don’t know how I even arrived, show the taxi driver my badge, he googles where the competition is.
I arrive 5 minutes before practice, I have this new dress, I put it on and realize that I can’t move my arms in it because they stuck cups in there. I stand there, rip off the cups, everyone is shocked, my lace breaks, everyone in the locker room is laughing. Nothing works in practice because I have a long skirt on the dress, I go to the bathroom and cut off the excess. It was such stress, I was off during the entire practice, they even told me I was fat.
I walk around Helsinki with this dress in my hands, eating candies, crying, saying: ‘Mom, come pick me up urgently!’ I call the psychologist: ‘I’m in horror, it’s just trash, a failure.’ And I realize that I’m walking, eating candies, and they’re all doing the draw. Galina Petrovna Golubkova calls me and says: ‘Konstantinova, why aren’t you here?! You’ll get a penalty now, you’ll be disqualified from the competition!’ I realize that’s it, end of life.
It was a turning point in my career. I skated the free skate perfectly, even though I wasn’t well-prepared. I took second place, it’s like my life before and after, I understood that I could handle absolutely everything.
Now Stanislava works as a coach and choreographer.”
Related topics: Stanislava Konstantinova
This story is just great