“If we talk about figure skating, of course, first of all, this is Eteri Tutberidze” Anna Shcherbakova about who inspires and influences her
World champion in women’s single skating Anna Shcherbakova in an interview for the German skating magazine Pirouette talked about changing her short program for the Olympic season just before Grand Prix in Grenoble. Anna also shared who inspires her.
Anna Shcherbakova: I had only 5 days for the short program in Moscow, and we did everything we could to show it at competitions, but of course, there was too little time to combine every movement with the music. When I performed the program at the competition, I was very nervous: not because of the jumps, but because of every movement and detail. Usually I think about how to do my jumps clean, but here I thought how not to forget the movements.
It was risky before the competitions, as the program was not well-prepared. But if we look in perspective, the new program will have more advantages, and we will work very hard to make it better for the main competitions. I think it was the right decision.
The program is completely different. I can honestly say that I have never had such a program, because from the very beginning to the end this program has a “nerve” that needs to be kept. There are no slow parts, as usually happens, here from beginning to end you need to keep the pace and it’s not only about speed, but also about expressiveness. I try to do it, but I noticed that this time at the beginning I didn’t have enough strength and it was hard. But this is a normal workflow. When I prepare the program better, I will feel confident with the choreography. We see the potential.
source: championat.com dd. 8th December 2021
About who inspires and influences her
Anna Shcherbakova: If we talk about figure skating, of course, first of all, this is Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze. In sports, it is always important to listen to the authority of the coach. My parents support me in the training process, but they cannot give a professional assessment of what I do.
There are other athletes, people outside of sports who can inspire me in a given situation, but I cannot name anyone specific. Yuzuru is one of them, there are skaters who are just great, like Nathan Chen. I am not comparing them to each other. They are so unique that no one loses in this comparison. I also like Boyang Jin and Yuma Kagiyama, very interesting skaters. In ice dance, I especially like Gabriella and Guillaume. At the Grand Prix in Italy, I took a picture with them for the first time and I’m very happy about that. As for women, I always liked Mao Asada, when I was little, I liked how she skated, jumped and put it all together. I looked at Julia Lipnitskaya. I believe that her program “Schindler’s List” is one of the best programs in the world of figure skating. I can list many more skaters I followed or follow, they all somehow inspired me.
source: championat.com dd. 8th December 2021
Related topics: Anna Shcherbakova
It seems that skaters feel defensive when they are asked questions by the media. I understand. I suspect many in the media are trying to find or stir up controversy.
Her beauty, without and within, Anna shares with the world makes her worth listening to. Let her be herself.
Let these athletes feel free to express what’s on their minds and in their hearts without any presuure. The fact that these champions have achieved so much necessarily means they have some important things to say and that we need to hear. Let them.