“During the Olympic season, we appeared decent and in some ways, more confident than other teams in the fight for the third spot.” and “I never wanted to skate for America.” Interview with Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin
Big interview with Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin Part 2.
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
In a big interview with Maya Bargiantseva, Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin told about past three seasons in their careers. This is second part of the translation about the Olympic season, switching citizenship and famous parents.
You can find the first part here: “Our initial conversations with the I.AM started two years ago, at the end of the Olympic season. But at that time because of difficulties with the documents it didn’t work out.” Davis and Smolkin about trainings in Montreal
“Q: Gleb, how much does it affect you when the press pursues comments from your dad?
Gleb Smolkin: Of course, I would prefer if they would stop calling him for any reason. My dad is a classic St. Petersburg intellectual. He can’t respond sharply to anyone — he’s afraid of offending. No matter how much we discuss the phrase ‘no comment,’ he can’t just say that to someone on the end of the phone. He’s not used to rudeness. You see, these calls are quite brazen: no one greets you, doesn’t ask, ‘can I ask a couple of questions?’ But immediately, straight to the point: ‘What do you say about your son getting married?’ And there he is, at a loss, not knowing what he can say and what he can’t, what would be best so as not to harm us.
Q: He must have known that you and Diana got married.
Gleb Smolkin: Of course, he knew. Just so you understand: news agencies might call at 6 or 7 in the morning. But he had a performance the night before, he’s still asleep, and they start pestering him right away. So he answers, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know anything.’ And in the end, a loud headline comes out: ‘Smolkin’s father doesn’t know about his son’s wedding!’
Q: Was the famous phrase ‘we are from well-connected families’ after the Russian Nationals in 2021 also taken out of context?
Gleb Smolkin: Back then, I tried to explain what I meant, but nobody printed that. If by ‘well-connected’ you mean famous parents, then yes, we are children of well-known parents. Diana’s mother is successful in figure skating, my dad is a famous actor. Of course, eventually, only the last phrase that we are from well-connected families was published. What can I do about it? Nothing. How does my dad’s fame help in my career? It doesn’t.
Q: Regarding your move to Montreal, there were rumors that the fame of Diana’s mom only interferes…
Diana Davis: Judging by public opinion, it definitely interferes. But everyone thinks that if you have such a mom, everything should be perfect for you.
Gleb Smolkin: We can’t convince these people — it’s a waste of time and energy. They have their own position, and we are unlikely to change it with words. Most people don’t know how things are really going for us. Is it hurtful that we’re perceived this way? Yes, perhaps sometimes there’s a feeling that it isn’t entirely fair. Of course, we have an undeniable advantage: our parents give us the opportunity to train where we would like. We are terribly grateful to them for that. Is that well-connectedness? I don’t think so.
Q: The talks about being well-connected were loudest during the Olympic season.
Gleb Smolkin: Yes, we understand where they come from. But we think that during the Olympic season, we appeared decent and in some ways, more confident than other teams in the fight for the third spot on the national team. Nobody disputes that if Tiffany and John had been healthy enough to perform it would not have been contested by anyone, obviously. We couldn’t even have imagined that we would be at the Olympics. It’s funny that the first time we heard about this possibility was from Charlie White. He was working at our rink then and explained that such illness can’t be cured quickly. That means, sadly, other pairs might have a chance to qualify for the Olympic team. ‘It would be silly if you didn’t fight for it — you are definitely competitive.’
Diana Davis: Honestly, that sounded pretty wild — we hadn’t even considered ourselves as candidates for that spot. But we tried to progress throughout the season and worked on our programs like crazy.
Gleb Smolkin: We were then given the opportunity to compete in a Grand Prix stage in Canada, and we finished fifth — quite a success given the level of competition. But to repeat: if Tiffany and John hadn’t been sidelined by health issues, we wouldn’t have gone to the Olympics.
Q: But you weren’t the only ones fighting for the third spot.
Gleb Smolkin: Of course. But we believe that our programs were strong, they were well-prepared, and we looked decent throughout the season. At the same time, we understand that our season best from that year — 200 points, which they gave us at a ‘B event’ in Poland — can’t be seriously discussed.
Q: Did you agree that wasn’t your score?
Gleb Smolkin: Of course, we understood that perfectly.
Diana Davis: We don’t harbor illusions about the scores at ‘B events,’ where sometimes scores can fluctuate by plus or minus 10 points and that happens with all teams, not just us.
Gleb Smolkin: We assess ourselves soberly. We often are much more critical of our scores than the judges. Of course, we understood that those were not our real scores. Then everyone started comparing them to the scores of Sasha and Vanya (Stepanova/Bukin – Sport), who that same week at a Grand Prix stage scored less. Naturally, it never occurred to us to seriously compare that.
We see our level clearly and understand that at this competition it’s like this, and in two weeks it will be quite different. A lot depends on the level of the participants, the judging panel, and some national interests. Yes, we understand that there’s always more scrutiny on us and everything will be noticed that might be overlooked in others —although this has always been the case in ice dance.
Diana Davis: We can’t do anything about it; we just have to do our job.
Gleb Smolkin: Believe me, we critique ourselves much harsher than others might. Maybe that’s why such comments don’t really affect us much. We know precisely what we need to work on, what’s wrong and we’re unlikely to read something on the internet that we don’t already know about ourselves.
Q: Let’s go back to the beginning of 2022. When did you realize that your life was changing?
Gleb Smolkin: At first, it seemed surreal, as if it couldn’t be happening, and that everything would somehow resolve itself. But then it became clear that it was not going to end and would only get worse.
Q: You had a very successful year. It was your first senior season, you went straight to the European Championships, then the Olympics — you had a certain status on the team. Maybe it would have been easier to stay and not change anything?
Gleb Smolkin: Life changed for everyone: for some more tragically, for others less so, but everything suddenly became different, including for athletes. We indeed had everything planned, and our training schedule was clear. It would probably have been more easier to leave everything as it was. We worked a lot on our programs and began talking about cooperation with Benoit Richaud — we knew where we wanted to move and how to develop. Our coach Igor Shpilband supported us in this. Additionally, at that moment, there was complete chaos with my documents; from the beginning of our move to America, we had perpetual problems with them.
Q: What kind of problems with documents? Can you explain?
Gleb Smolkin: With American visas. We lived and trained in the USA, so we constantly had to enter and exit to renew them. My passport always drew heightened attention from the American border agents; I would get stuck at the airport for several hours each time. Diana would be sitting at the exit with the suitcases while I was stuck in the special interview room.
Diana Davis: Gleb was also of conscription age, so the attention was always special.
Gleb Smolkin: Then it became harder to get the visa itself. You travel from one country to another hoping to snag an embassy appointment, but then you’re either not allowed to cross a border, or you end up flying in vain because the visa wasn’t issued. So logistics became a very significant part of our lives. At some point, it became clear that we needed to apply for a green card to live and train peacefully.
Q: When did you submit the documents for the green card?
Gleb Smolkin: In May 2021. Initially, they told us that the processing would take just a couple of months, and during that time, temporary papers could be issued so I could travel peacefully. We applied for them and then it turned out that it was all untrue, and I couldn’t travel anywhere until the green card decision was made. But I had no choice: I couldn’t have applied for the green card earlier because I hadn’t spent the required number of days in the USA at that moment. Eventually, all these paperwork issues took much more time than we anticipated.
Therefore, when we said that we were planning to come to Russia for test skates, we were not deceiving anyone: we were ready to show our programs. Moreover, it was important for us to perform the free dance specifically for the Russian audience: at that moment, it had a special significance for us. The composition used poems, the text of which very accurately described our sense of what was happening around us. But in the end, we couldn’t fly, and I say this openly: the reason was that my documents got stuck in processing.
Q: Couldn’t you fly without them? Could they issue temporary papers?
Gleb Smolkin: Yes, we tried to get them. Initially, all my inquiries were simply ignored, and then they said I could travel, but then I might not be able to return.
Q: Why?
Gleb Smolkin: Because if you apply for a green card but leave the country before receiving it, it’s considered that you’ve abandoned it. This was in the summer of 2022, let’s be honest: at that time, Russian documents did not evoke any enthusiasm from immigration officials.
Q: Okay, the domestic Russian season starts. Do you still hope that you might overcome the bureaucracy and come to Russia?
Gleb Smolkin: Yes, we were counting on being able to come and compete — at least at some competitions. I repeat, it was very important for us to show the programs, and simply, we didn’t want to work “for the shelf” — we were ready to perform.
And then, firstly the skates happen, then the Grand Prix series begins, we miss the first stage, they ask us to enroll for the last one. And still, at some point, it becomes clear that it’s all in vain. We try to track the progress of my case online but see that the review period increases in the system. We ask the lawyer, and he shrugs and says that it’s like this for everyone now, you just got unlucky, it could drag on for a year, or even longer. And there’s nothing that can be done about it.
Q: At what point did you start thinking about changing flags?
Gleb Smolkin: By the end of autumn, it became clear that the global situation was not improving and that we would not be granted permission any time soon. We began to contemplate what to do next, while continuing to live in America and train at our own expense. More specifically, at the expense of our parents — they were paying for our training.
Diana Davis: That’s when we decided that we wanted to continue our sports career and do so on the international stage.
Q: Who first thought of transferring?
Gleb Smolkin: Di and I think very synchronously. We discuss everything, always together — there’s never a moment when one of us comes up and shocks the other with an idea.
Q: By that time, did Gleb only have a Russian passport?
Gleb Smolkin: No, I had just received Israeli citizenship. Until February 2022, I didn’t have it.
Q: Why didn’t you consider transferring to Israel?
Gleb Smolkin: It’s quite simple. Seeing how the Georgian national team is growing and how much the federation president is doing for the skaters — it’s impressive. It’s clear that the team is ambitious and very friendly. A few years ago, there wasn’t a single rink in the country, but at the 2022 Olympics, the team almost made it into the top five in the team event.
Q: Diana, did you have a Georgian passport at the time?
Diana Davis: No. I just recently got it. Gleb still doesn’t have a passport.
Gleb Smolkin: I have no intention of obtaining Georgian citizenship just for the sake of it. Times are challenging in Georgia now, with elections coming up, so our job is to perform and skate. Perhaps then, my case might be more convincing to the authorities. Honestly, we try not to think about it; we have our tasks. Our federation handles the paperwork. Of course, we want to show that we are athletes of the Georgian team and that we can bring benefits to this team. And Mariam Giorgobiani’s team has really put together a great crew. We communicate and support each other. Yes, the team is small — not comparable to the Russian or American teams. But maybe that’s why we want to feel like a whole at competitions.
Diana Davis: For me, it was also about personal relationships. I have long been friends with many guys from the Georgian team, who are great and very kind.
Gleb Smolkin: Honestly, we were not sure until the very end that everything would turn out positively. The transition was difficult; after all, we were part of the Russian Olympic team, but the Georgian federation handled all these matters, and athletes are not overly involved in such details.
Q: Let’s clarify another topic: how true are the rumors that you wanted to skate for the USA?
Diana Davis: I never wanted to skate for America.
Q: Well, it would have been an understandable decision: you have a US passport, and Gleb has a green card.
Gleb Smolkin: Yes, there would have been some logic to that. And that option was discussed at home. But it’s not just choosing a flag, but also a team — the people who we will go through the next Olympic cycles with. We wanted to compete, and we wanted to do it under the guidance of Maka Giorgobiani because it’s clear how much she has done for the team in recent years. Thanks to her, the team is now perceived as a serious player globally. Yes, perhaps it’s not the US team in terms of influence, size, and titles, but it’s a strong team, and we are proud to be a part of it.
Q: How much did you consider that the competition would have been higher in the US team?
Gleb Smolkin: Objectively: the level of competition would have been very different. But that wasn’t what stopped us — we are not afraid of competition, there was no lack of it in the Russian team either. But in the US team, there are many restrictions — for example, you can only be sent to one ‘challenger’, and you cannot participate in more, even if you pay for the competitions yourself.
Diana Davis: They have a quite closed decision-making system, and if you want to perform a lot and in different competitions, it depends not on you.
Gleb Smolkin: Of course, larger teams usually have completely different judging support, we understand that. And yes, when you change flags, the ratings roll back severely, it’s well-known. But honestly we don’t regret our decision at all. And we are grateful that Georgia welcomed us to the team.
Q: Your career consists of two very different parts: is there a feeling that you don’t want to remember that first Russian part?
Gleb Smolkin: No, of course not. If we can talk about starting the first season under the Georgian flag with a clean slate —it’s only from a psychological standpoint. Of course, performances for the Russian team are part of our sporting history, our career. It’s a huge experience, including working with the legendary Igor Shpilband. It’s a crucial part of our understanding of ice dancing. We learned a lot from him, but he also significantly influenced us in terms of human relationships.
Q: Do you think it would have been easier if there had been less attention on you?
Gleb Smolkin: Honestly, we don’t know what it’s like to have less attention. We haven’t had many seasons in our career, so our experience isn’t that extensive. Of course, it’s not pleasant when your words are taken out of context and turned into headline news, but it has been like this from the beginning for us, so we have nothing to compare it to.
Q: Do you read articles or comments? Do you keep track of what is being said about you?
Diana Davis: Lately, I try not to read anything at all. I tell myself that it shouldn’t worry me. Often, it’s people who don’t understand figure skating very well; they just use a topic that will read well.
Gleb Smolkin: We understand how clickbait works. But it’s hard not to come across some headlines when you just go to a sports site to check the news. Of course, it’s unpleasant to read mean things, especially when they are unfair. We just need to focus on our work; we love figure skating.
Q: Sometimes skaters say that because they don’t understand what else they could do.
Gleb Smolkin: I never thought about quitting ice dance. Yes, at the end of my singles career I did think about it. That’s when I decided that was enough – and I switched to football. But switching to ice dance was a conscious and mature decision.
Diana Davis: In childhood, I probably didn’t have much choice —I was put into figure skating when I was very young. There were times when I cried, argued, and wanted to quit — even considered switching to synchronized swimming. As time went on, I started to enjoy skating more and more even though I wasn’t really succeeding in singles skating. I truly love figure skating and ice dance especially.
Q: So, on a day off, you might turn on some competitions on TV?
Gleb Smolkin: Yes, we’re crazy fans. We watch everything — boys, girls, pairs, juniors. We find it all interesting. When I arrive at competitions, even during my own warm-ups in the hall, I watch the broadcasts of other groups.”
Related topics: Diana Davis Gleb Smolkin
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