“She starts swearing at me loudly across the entire rink: ‘Why are you standing here?'” Maxim Trankov about Kostornaia behavior at trainings
Translation of Maxim Trankov’s comments about Alena Kostornaia and her behavior.
original source: Youtube Channel Ice Rink
Olympic champion in pair skating Maxim Trankov revealed how Alena Kostornaia offended him during a training session. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“Maxim Trankov: I want to help this pair, and I’ll try to do it. Maybe they will look at me and listen. They came to our temple of pair skating. Pair skating is a bit of its own world. We have a code of conduct. And if you become one of us, then you’re all set. But if you behave according to your own rules – at the pre-competition practices, in relations with people, with your competitors – then some problems immediately begin. I don’t know if this reflects on the scores or not. I think that behavior at pair skaters’ training does affect it.
I know Alena Kostornaia’s character very well, and I can’t say that I’m a fan of her behavior. I have my own story related to this. When I just came with Vova and Zhenya (Morozov and Tarasova) to Eteri Georgievna’s (Tutberidze) rink, I went out on the ice – we skated together with single skaters. And here comes a training session.
I was an incredible fan of Kostornaia’s skating when she was a single skater. I was admiring this girl, I said “This is next Carolina Kostner, this is a super skater.” I admired this girl so much, I knew her entries to elements by heart. I know how she enters the axel. If you take our rink, she jumps this axel in that corner, and I stand about here by the board: I watch how she jumps, and I keep an eye on my pair. She enters, skips the jump and just swears at me at the top of her voice all across the ice “What are you standing here for?”
My reaction at any other time would have been… very clear. But at that moment I had to swallow it, because I just came, because Eteri Georgievna was sitting there. I even approached her very carefully – these were the first days. To give Eteri Georgievna her due, she reprimanded Alena on this matter, that she has no right to talk like that to a coach and a merited sports master. That was my first encounter with a girl that I worshipped and for whom I rooted.
Unfortunately, such behavior apparently shifted to Gosha Kunitsa. For instance, at the training session of the Russian Nationals, we, the coaches, are observing Alena and Gosha’s pair performing. The coaches are standing, the judges are sitting and watching the training session. We, the pairs, always know the entries at the training, we step aside and give way. Of course, situations occur when someone somehow hinders someone. If it’s constantly annoying, you tell them in the locker room: listen, dude, watch your steps. But this never happens on the ice. Suppose, some situation accidentally arises, we always apologize: oh, sorry, please. This is the accepted practice among us.
At some point, we observe: Alena and Gosha go into a lift, and three meters away from him Shigai/Shamshurov pair fall. They are very young, inexperienced. The girl fell from the jump. She had just fallen, and Gosha lifts. And he didn’t do this lift, turns around and the whole ice hears, “Why are you sitting there?” Again there’s this swearing. It’s an official training session, guys! And we all look at each other: damn, that’s ugly. So, my advice to the guys – listen up, and if you are a pair, behave like a pair,” said the two-time Olympic champion.
Related topics: Alena Kostornaia, Tatiana Volosozhar Maxim Trankov
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