Mikhail Kolyada: The free program is “Chaplin”

Interview with Mikhail Kolyada about new programs and plans for the future.

by Olga Ermolina for fsrussia.ru dd. 1st May, 2019

Misha, in your opinion, what needs to be changed in the preparation to avoid mistakes? You have certainly analyzed it with the coach after the season.

– In Japan, it was my fourth World Championships, and indeed the mistakes repeat, although we changed the content in comparison with the European Championships. In the free program, I did almost everything, but in the short program something affected me and I couldn’t skate it cleanly. It’s clear that I was criticized, they say that I can’t manage to skate two programs clean. But it’s only because of psychological reasons, physically I was well prepared for Worlds. Now I try to solve this problem – I work with a psychologist. I think it is necessary to develop yourself, to learn the right attitude to competitions.

Do you believe that a psychologist will help you with this?

– You see, I’m at such a level that the coaches, choreographer, specialists who work with me, have already given me a lot of knowledge and skills, and I just need to use it properly. I need to cope and overcome psychological difficulties myself, because the nervous system cannot be changed, which means that it is necessary to work with what you have. The only one who gives me something new now and helps is the psychologist Gennady Gorbunov. He gives practical tasks and I feel that there are changes, even if not very significant, but there is movement. I see no reason to change something dramatically. There are many factors and reasons that I don’t want to voice, I will say one thing: we will continue to work with Valentina Chebotareva.

Have you already started to work on new programs, have you decided on music?

– Our choreographer Olga Klyushnichenko choreographs my programs. Music and artistic image for the free program are chosen. It will be Chaplin. I say it now to avoid last season’s situation when everyone was silent until the last moment and then it turned out that both I and Max Kovtun had Carmen.

We’re still choosing music for the short program. I want it to be on contrast, something fun.

But isn’t Chaplin fun?

– In “Chaplin” the first two parts are more lyrical and the third one is quick. We have already decided on the music cuts, but there are ideas about the performers. I will not speak in advance, because so far these are only ideas. At the Alexei Mishin’s show I met with musicians, so it is possible that there will be an original arragement.

Do you plan to include quad lutz?

– Yes. This season, because of the new rules we wanted to rely on clean skating, perhaps without much difficulty, but this did not work out, so it’s necessary to do a lutz.

It’s not so long till the vacation what are you working on now?

– I break in to new boots, I train a little, but I don’t force it, because both new boots and doctors don’t advise me to get actively involved in work. I don’t have to pass exams because my studies are over. In principle, with my diploma I can teach at the University of Lesgaft after completing a sports career, but I hope that it won’t happen soon.