Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Alina Kabaeva is both a famous and an exuberant personality. A State Duma Deputy with her own show on a national TV channel. In short, she’s a star. As of recently, she became a founder of the School for Young Journalists together with the Russian Youth Affairs Committee; Alina was in St.Petersburg the other day at a seminar for young wordsmiths and broadcasters, thanks to which we had the following interview:
You Only Find Stars in the Sky
The outgoing year was a special one: our favourite sport, rhythmic gymnastics, celebrated its 75th anniversary. Has it been very emotional for you?
I never forget that rhythmic gymnastics originated in Russia, right here in St.Petersburg. I’m happy to have studied in the Department of Gymnastics Theory of the LesgaftUniversity and I’m sure that our sport would never have taken off without that department. After all, in the past rhythmic gymnastics was just beautiful dancing. But now it’s beautiful dancing and ballet, combined with a sporting spirit. Human capabilities still have scope for development, and rhythmic gymnastics expands our knowledge in this area.
It’s often said that rhythmic gymnastics is the most suitable type of sport for a girl. Why is this?
First of all, it really is very beautiful. The gymnast is in control of her body; she has wonderful posture and can dance beautifully at a moment’s notice for anybody who asks. She also knows how to present herself – and this also an aspect of culture. Secondly, there aren’t many injuries in our sport, unlike artistic gymnastics. True, there are some strange ideas going around within the International Gymnastics Federation about removing rhythmic gymnastics from the Olympic programme. One high-ranking official in the International Federation thinks our flexibility and stretching are “madness”…But we won’t allow it.
The chief trainer of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team, Irina Viner, who was also your personal mentor, stressed that though she regards her students as her “beloved children”, they are actually stars. So they should they have the best of everything for training. In her view, Alina Kabaeva is the brightest star of all…What does being a star mean to you?
You only find stars in the sky. And actually, Irina Aleksandrovna always taught us that the higher you climb the more modest you should be. As soon as I had won first place she said to me: “Right, now get off the pedestal and start from the beginning again.” She brought me straight back down to earth.
I never felt I was a star. And you know why? Because as a child I never sought to be famous or successful – I just dreamt about becoming the world champion, without understanding the meaning of that title. And when popularity came to me I wasn’t shocked by it.
Does it upset you that since your departure from professional sport rhythmic gymnastics has lost some of its attraction?
I’d like to know what you think. You probably watch the rhythmic gymnastics competitions, don’t you? So would you say that’s really true?
I’m nostalgic for the times when Alina Kabaeva, Irina Chaschina and Yulia Barsukova were performing on the mats – all very different gymnasts with very individual styles. Barsukova danced the “dying swan”, you were a real “sunshine girl” and Chaschina, as Viner put, “won the audience over by her coolness”. The rivalry in those days looked keener and more beautiful...
There probably was keener rivalry. The gymnasts were all different. And this is actually the problem: there’s something lacking in today’s gymnasts, though believe me, they’re good. Colourful individual qualities either develop, or they’re not there at all. Irina Chaschina, for example, was not always the gymnast that we remember today. She only began to develop around the age of 17-18. But whereas Chaschina became interesting, other little girls never will. I think the trainers are devoting too much attention to the technical aspects, but technical complexity is by no means everything in gymnastics; a good gymnast also needs to have a soul! Everything has to come from the heart!
You Petersburgers are Lucky
Several years ago you said in an interview that you dreamed of coming to St.Petersburg during the white nights. This year your dream came true: in June, during that romantic season, you took part in the opening ceremony for the Rhythmic Gymnastics Centre on Petrovskiy Prospekt. Did you get a chance to wander around the streets and along the banks of the Neva?
I really love looking at St.Petersburg from the water. But I only managed to enjoy your city to its fullest after I’d finished with sport, because I simply wasn’t in control of my life before. Nowadays I don’t have to get up early every day. I plan my own work schedule, and sometimes, in the evening, I get the chance to walk around the city. So, St.Petersburg looks wonderful from the water and is just a great city.
In the winter too? The figure skating trainer Oleg Vasilyev said something about St.Petersburg in December being dark and dirty, with salt that sticks to your shoes…
I like every season in St.Petersburg. Too gloomy? Well, there’s something nice about that as well. I like the people. Petersburgers are so lucky to have been born into all this culture and enjoy this palatial beauty every day. And that’s what makes them different to Muscovites. You have culture, a pleasant atmosphere to live in, peacefulness and satisfaction, while Moscow unfortunately lacks those things. The capital city is just one mad rush, nobody pays any attention to anybody else, let alone the architecture. St.Petersburg in that sense is a totally different city.
During New Year’s I can rest
The Year of the Bull is receding into the past as the Year of the Tiger begins. How will you be celebrating?
For me New Year is a family celebration. I just love it, because I can get together with my family and loved ones – something that I rarely manage to do. We’ll sit around talking about the previous year, what each of us achieved in lour lives, and share our plans for the future. If there are objectives for tomorrow, that means our family is alive.
Many people, including some Petersburgers, have made it a rule to celebrate the New Year in hot countries, at the seaside or on some mountain peak, or even to see it insome remote monastery on a pilgrimage. Are extreme holidays not your thing?
I respect every point of view, every national or family tradition. We have no right to discuss people’s personal lives…what somebody did right or wrong. What does it matter? Everyone has the right to live the way they see fit.
In Russia New Year traditionally means lots of food and booze. Do you, as a sportswoman, allow yourself, say, a glass of champagne to celebrate?
If someone wants to relax and have a glass of champagne what’s wrong with that? The main thing is to know when enough is enough, to be able to stop yourself.
Do you find the long holidays depressing?
You know, I never liked Sundays. Fridays are great, when the work week is over. By Saturday you’ve more or less had a rest and on Sunday you want to get back to work. So for me, ten day of holidays seems too much but I’ll try to occupy myself with something useful.
