Bobrova / Soloviev: life difficulties make us stronger

New interview with Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev. About life turns, difficult decisions and a marriage proposal.

It’s hard to imagine what you have experienced during this suspension.

Katya: What I felt, when I learned about doping for the first time, can be described in one word: shock! Terrible condition! Tears, crying, panic. I didn’t know what to do next, and when this story will end. First coach and I decided not to tell Dima anything, not to affect his mindset, as we’re preparing for the World Championships. But as time went on. Silence was pointless. It was necessary to tell him the truth.

Dima took my explanation as a man, like he was mentally prepared. And what was going on inside of me – a complete disaster. Thank you Sasha (Zhulin) and Dima, that as a human, they understood and supported me, this difficult situation united us even more. We talked a lot with Sasha. In such difficult times usual words sound quite different. You start to get into their meaning deeper, and at some point I realized that no matter what bad things happens with you, life doesn’t end here.

I decided to change everything. And it’ll be easier for me if I forget everything and switch to something completely new. After all, at first I was told that the period of disqualification can be from two to four years. And I realized that in such a case I would have to finish the career. I began to study,  to attend acting classes, do things that previously I hadn’t time for. A loved one proposed to me. New life was different, but no less filled. This doesn’t mean that figure skating for me stopped to exist. But I started to treat calmly the idea of ​​the impossibility to continue the career. Usually, for the athletes it’s the biggest problem, what to do next, when you leave sport. And I realized that without sport I could find and realize myself.

All this time you wasn’t practicing ans skating?

Katya: I skated. We continued to prepare for the World Championships, because we had to be ready – you never know what could happened! And then we began to create an exhibition program, started to think about possible performances in show. But the thoughts of the sport wasn’t tormenting me. I have already decided everything for myself. And when, after some time, I was informed that we can continue,  the moment, when you had to turn back again, it was no less difficult for me.

It’s like learning to skate after surgery.  Again look for the strength, to gather yourself, to work on program, to prepare for the next season, to train…..For a month I couldn’t even get together. We were talking with Dima and Sasha, were thinking, deciding whether to continue. To live like on a volcano for two seasons, it’s very difficult.  First Dima’s injury. Uncertainty, expectations. But we came back. And then again a new problem.

Finally, Sasha said “Let’s do the programs”.  And it was the right move, because the best way to understand what I want, it’s to start the work. Because, when you start to like the work, then everything falls into place. I don’t say “we” because I read in Dima’s eyes that he wants to continue. But it was hard. And yet, we didn’t want to finish our carreer in sport like this. And I thought that if there is an opportunity to continue, it’s necessary to take advantage of it. In order not to regret, realizing that I could still do something in sports. So we all got together and continued. I hope that we won’t regret in the future. 

Dima, how did you feel in this situation?

Dima: Firstly, Katya and Sasha told me that there is a small problem with passport. But I knew that something was wrong, everything is much more serious. When I realized what had happened then, I won’t hide it, I was very upset. Prior to this season, we hadn’t been skating for eight months because of the injury, and then began to recover, to do programs, came on the ice. Season turned out pretty well. Clean starts, no breakdowns. Everything was going perfectly. Third place at the European Championships and then again….When they told me everything, then, to be honest, even though I was mentally prepared for anything, I really went to pieces. For a couple of days couldn’t recover. Started to think what to do next. There were some projects not related to figure skating. But I couldn’t decide whether it’s necessary to start them. Katya once said that she will understand if I find a new partner. The same conversation we had when I was sick. Then I offered to Katya to look for a new partner.

The most difficult was to go through the uncertainty. You get very tired from this. It’s very difficult to live when you don’t know what lies ahead, because you can’t do anything. But for some reason I believed that everything will be fine. I don’t know why, but in my heart I had such confidence. And when all cleared, Sasha said: “We’re going back, we will skate.” How else? We have struggled so much, made such a way and when we have a chance, not to take an advantage? It’s not in our nature. Even if something goes wrong, we can say that we tried, that we did everything we could. I was sure we should continue, because we haven’t showed everything.

We started to work, to do new programs. And now we see that they will be different. They will be not like those we skated in the first season training with Sasha. They will be not like “Anna Karenina“. They will be in different style. We will try to do something new in plastic, in skating …

Like French?

Katya: No. Now everyone is talking about it. They say that the French caught a wave and you need to do everything exactly the same. Indeed, what Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron do – it’s beautiful. But why to repeat? We must find something else for ourselves. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re looking for something new, different, with what we can be on the level of leaders. There is not only French duo in ice dance now. Yes, they made a breakthrough. But there are many other good pairs. Canadians Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir are coming back. After this season, the other Canadian pair – Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje will want revenge. They have to fight for the leading place in their team. So, they need to “explode” to be appreciated. Americans Shibutani do not intend to stop there. This season, they made a very big step ahead. They were very consistant at all competitions. So everyone will work hard to break into the leaders.

Dima: It’s non-winning to do a similar program to “Anna Karenina”, about which all the experts say that it’s beautiful, or something similar to the “Mad men”. Because we already did it. It’s always interesting to look at actor who changes. When a person changes – the style changes, motions change, and it’s interesting to observe.

Katya: When the French skated the programs in the first season, everyone exclaimed, “Whoa!” In the second, they also made great programs. And there is a danger that in the third year – the programs made in the same style will no longer be so cool. I personally don’t know what they should do to win over themselves, to make something special. Perhaps – to change the style. But there is always a risk: not to hit. Will see. It will be interesting.

Personally for me it’ll be interesting to look at Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte. Two years ago, the Italians said they found their own style. And now every year they skate programs in the same style. Yes, this season everyone liked their programs. They took high places. They started to skate clean. But if they will stick to this style, they need to make even better programs, and it’s very difficult. It’s difficult to improve only in the same style. For example, the French duo, their style suits them. I don’t think they will look good in what the Italians are doing, I don’t think they can skate “Anna Karenina”. Everyone has different style. And we need to find such, so everyone will say,”Wow!”

You said that you have already started to do new programs.

Katya: Yes, began to work. We found the perfect music for the free program, but it only lasts three minutes, so the rest will be finished by the composers. Dima said that we will try to do something new in plastic, in composition … It is clear that the elements are elements, but we want the entire program to look as a whole, everything should be nice and organically. We work on this.

Katya, how important for you was the support of a loved one? In that difficult period, of which we spoke, you got  a marriage proposal.

Katya: Very important. I was waiting for this, and wanted this so much, because I realized that I want to connect my life with this man.

Probably everyone knows the name of your fiance Andrei Deputat, who is doing pairs with Vera Bazarova. If it’s not a secret, how did he propose?

Katya: It was very romantic. We were walking in the park. It was deserted, and so good! And the main thing it was unexpected! I couldn’t assume that it will be like this. Andrei brought me to the place where we confessed to each other in love for the first time. And it turned out as in romantic movies. It was important to me that it wasn’t infront of everyone, without a million red roses, because such things are not to be done in public. And Andrei guessed everything! It turned out that he has carried the ring with him for two months looking for the right moment.

Wedding in July?

Katya: Yes, on the 16th of July. Prior to that, we’re going to rest, and it will be our honeymoon. First to Paris, then to Cyprus. We’re going to celebrate near Moscow. Will relax for a day or two. And othen work and trainings.

The marriage will motivate for new achievements?

Katya: I think that such event above all should motivate a man, because he becomes responsible for the family. Men – are men. And we can’t change the thing that they are – a strong half. It doesn’t matter, we live now or in the 16th century, a man in the family should be paramount.

Now you have a pleasant chores?

Katya: Choose the dress. Lots of things to do, to buy. Not without reason we go to Paris!

Dima, are you preparing a wedding gift?

Dima: Yes. Cross stitch. Just kidding! There is still time, we’ll think of something together.

It seems that all these troubles united you a lot, made you to look differently on many things in life.

Katya: All this is true. Just a little hurt when you got the desired speed, and at this point has to slow down. On the other hand, when all smooth, it’s not so well appreciated. In the life of any human being it’s very important to overcome the critical moment, then results and medals become more valuable. When this year we were on the podium of the European Championship, this bronze seemed to me the most valuable, because it was through suffering. We did so much for this. Now we have started again, and God grant, everything will turn out.

Dima: Life difficulties make us stronger. And sometimes the path is more important that the goal. In any case, it will be something to tell our children.

the source: fsrussia.ru

photos: by Julia Komarova and from Ekaterina Bobrova’s instagram

And another thing we know about their new program – Tatiana Tarasova helped with it creation.

Related topics: Ekaterina Bobrova Dmitri Soloviev, ice dance, interview, Team Russia