Original written in Russian, published on ETO Sport No.8 Jul-Aug 2007
English text is translated and edited by Alyona. BIG BIG THANKS TO HER！！！
http://etosport.ru/8.html

When a person reaches the top the eyes of everyone are fixed upon him. Some people admire him, some are proud of him, some are ready to give any support and some people just envy. And only the one who has reached the top and maybe some of his close friends and relatives know which efforts it cost him to get there, which difficulties he had to overcome, what he had to sacrifice and what he could not refuse from.

Zhenya Kanaeva is only seventeen. But she has already stepped on the highest podium several times. She started with junior and then moved on to senior competitions. A repeated champion of Russian Nationals, a winner of several international events in France, Italy, Israel, Slovenia and Japan, a European Champion, a member of National Team of Russia, Honored Master of Sports of International Level… At seventeen the career doesn’t finish. I just want to understand and at least try to feel the moral value of the big victories of this little girl. No one could help better in this case than her mom – Svetlana Kanaeva, herself – Evgenia Kanaeva and her coach – Vera Shtelbaums.

The mother, who understands everything

– Svetlana, is it true that you also made your first steps in Rhythmic Gymnastics here in this Sports Palace?
–  Yes, but that time it could hardly be called a “palace”. It was a building belonging to Spartak Sports Club and there were different sport groups training there such as boxers, volleyball players and some health groups. We used to fight for the gym with volleyball players. Now the Sports Palace is a regional center of preparing the Olympic reserves. In our time we didn’t have any facilities like that.

– But anyway you managed to get the title of Master of Sports…
– You know, gymnastics absorbs you so much and never lets you go. I continued to practice till high school, and then I entered the Physical Training College and began to train young gymnasts. But I realized that these are two different things – to practice and to train someone. To become a trainer you need a special talent. It was hard time for sport then, the salaries were very low. That is why I had to switch to another field of activity.

– But gymnastics still doesn’t let you go.
– Seems like that. When Zhenya was five years old, my mother took her to the gym.

– Your mom Irina Alexandrovna is an ever-active mom and grandma.
– Yes. She is attracted to sports. She has never done any sport herself, but she is truly attracted to it. At first Zhenya was trained by the student of Vera Shtelbaums and she offered us to show Zhenya to Vera Efremovna, who was taking a new group of young gymnasts that time.

– You were lucky…
– Exactly. But some time later Vera Shtelbaums moved to Moscow with her student Irina Tchashina and Zhenya stayed with Elena Arais. To tell the truth gymnastics didn’t come easy to me and Zhenya is more gifted, she is more flexible. Maybe it is because of her genes. At the age of seven she took part and won her first competition. She came back home with a big Teddy Bear. At the age of twelve she won the Russian Nationals among the juniors. Vera Shtelbaums took her to the Center of Olympic reserves in Moscow.

– Weren’t you afraid to let her go?
– It hurt me. I was not afraid because she has always been a very self-reliant and communicative person. She could easily make friends with shop assistants who would open themselves to her. She would get acquainted with conductors in public transport while going to the trainings. She easily becomes friends with people. And of course, I and my mom miss her so much.

– Many parents don’t let their children leave home at more mature age.
– But I saw that Zhenya could not do without gymnastics. It was her destiny. How could I interfere? I call her every day on phone.

– Now you work to pay your telephone bills, right?
– Well, we have Megafon now, it is cheaper. And Zhenya also calls me. She needs to give way to her emotions. When she won the ribbon final at the European Championship, she was crying from happiness on the phone. I am afraid of watching live transmissions on television, I get very nervous.

– So, anyway, you remain close to each other.
– Yes. Sometimes people who share one apartment may be strange to each other. We are close – it is true. I divide my holiday into two parts to visit her.

– Is she financially secure at the age of seventeen?
– Yes, but we save up some money for her future education. Besides physical training she dreams of studying foreign languages and computers. She has big plans for the future. Zhenya became more mature and restrained.

– But anyway she is mama’s girl, isn’t she?
– Although she is very independent.

Mama’s girl

– Zhenya, it seems that you have already outstripped your mom.
– What do you mean?

– I mean, in gymnastics.
– But she can skate and I can’t.

– Zhenya, do you think you are a successful girl?
– I am usual. I don’t think about this. Some people adore themselves but I don’t. I don’t think that I am special. All people are the same.

– How come the same? Everyone reaches different level of success.
– Success doesn’t last forever. Today you may be successful and tomorrow you may be a failure.

– So what does success depend on?
– It depends on your work, desire to work and your aspiration to reach something. One person can develop his/her talent, the other one can’t – it is common for every field of activity. The main thing is to understand what the coach needs from you. You have to switch on your brain. With no brain it would be tough.

– Does it mean that you have brain?
– Not always. When emotions prevail, the brain works harder. Sometimes I fly off the handle. When I cannot cope with a task, first of all I get angry at the others, as if it is somebody else’s fault. Then I realize that everything depends on me and I start to work from the very beginning.

– Do you feel comfortable in Novogorsk?
– At first everything was wonderful, and then it became a bit more difficult.

– When “then”?
– After I won the Russian Nationals.

– Among juniors? You were twelve then, right?
– Yeah. The girls started to treat me somehow with more caution; they were on the look-out… And then again everything went ok.

– It means that you didn’t put on airs.
– Why should I put on airs? This is so foolish.

– Do you think that the girls who do sports get mature sooner than the others?
– Yes, I think they do what concerns their intellect.

– But it is known that sportsmen usually lack intellect.
– Not that I know of. All the girls in our team are very intelligent: Vera Sessina, Olga Kapranova, not mentioning Irina Tchashina. She is super! All of them read very much, they know many things and they all are very broad-minded.

– In the army there is violence against younger conscripts. Is there anything like this in gymnastics?
– Oh, no! Senior gymnasts always help the younger ones.

– Do you tremble before a competition?
– Before – I do. If there is no nervousness it is bad. But during the performance there is no nervousness left. Only at first you tremble a little and then it goes away.

– While performing what do you think about?
–  When I perform I never think about the places. I think about executing the program the best way I can. But sometimes my thoughts are quite crowded.

– Do you really have time to think during the performance? Isn’t it all automatic?
– When it’s automatic, it’s the best… When it’s not, it comes out worse. When it’s automatic, it means that you have worked out every single part of your program.

– Which apparatus is your favorite one?
– All of them.

– Which is the most difficult then?
– I don’t have any. Every apparatus is specific and you need to work it out a lot again and again.

– Does it ever happen that you start to hate an element?
– Sometimes I get bored of an element but never have I hated them.

– Has sport taught you anything?
– Yes, I opened my eyes to many things and I started to realize a lot. I always try to see only the good, but with the lapse of time I realize that the world is not that perfect and smooth. I keep observing and learning.

– So what are your conclusions?
– Think before telling something.

– Or maybe don’t tell everything you think?
– Well, I have problems with it.

– Your mom says that she misses you very much.
– Me too.

– Do you have any time for missing anyone?
– In the day time we practice or perform and there is no time for missing, but in the evenings I miss her a lot. I call her or she calls me. Every single day. Some girls visit their homes only once a year. I am luckier in this case, with my coach we visit home oftener.

– Is that why you are lucky with your coach?
– Not at all! I am very lucky to have her. Vera Efremovna always helps and supports me, tells me how to do better. I am absolutely happy to be trained by Vera Efremovna since my childhood. Without her I wouldn’t manage it here in Moscow.

– You have traveled to many places. Which countries did you like most of all?
– Japan. It is so unusual, beautiful and the people are very interesting there.

– Zhenya, you know, when Irina Tchashina visited us last time we wanted to make her photo session with her leotards and ask her to tell us any story connected with them. But she said that you had almost all of her leotards.
– Yes, it is true. I am her heiress so to say. But I have grown out of many of them already. I use just the red and white one now and I love it very much. Our leotards are created in Volgograd and Nizhniy Novgorod. I believe that all Ira’s leotards are very lucky.

– What means happiness to you?
– It is when I manage not to let down my coach who has invested not only her knowledge, but also health and soul in you. I always try to live up to the expectations of people who work with us. No one becomes a champion all by herself. National anthem of Russia and national flag are for us. And it is the most important thing.

Not only a trainer

– Vera Efremovna, your students are so different and you need to find an individual approach to each of them.
– How else can it be? But now you mean Irina Tchashina and Zhenya Kanaeva?

– In this case, yes.
– They are very different. Irina has always been very serious, since her childhood. She was very reserved. She used to keep everything inside. Even if she got injured or felt not well, she would never complain about that. Can you imagine, her foot hurts and I make her repeat the same thing again and again, but she would keep silent and continue to practice. And then when I learn which pain she had to suffer, how should I feel myself? Zhenya is very open, she is overwhelmed with emotions.

– Is it bad?
– It is bad for gymnastics. When she cannot cope with a task, I reprove it – and you can see everything on her face. “Are you offended”, – I would ask. – “There is nothing to be offended about. If something goes bad, how can I tell you that it is good?”

– Because later it will be even worse.
– Exactly! But the girls are so impatient, they want to have everything and right now. It never happens like this in life. You can go up very high and find yourself on the top, but the higher you fly the harder it will be to fall down.

– It is more secure to go step by step.
– Of course, and safely, but one needs patience for that. Frankly speaking, I can’t upbraid Ira and Zhenya for lack of patience. But it is unbearable work. There is no single day without practice. Usually the girls of their age play dolls and enjoy their lives with nothing to care about. But our girls take such a huge responsibility upon their shoulders.

– Not mentioning your responsibility. Is it difficult for you in Moscow?
– Not easy, of course. But what can I do? Otherwise we wouldn’t see our girls on the podium. In Moscow people don’t pay much attention to people from province. One day there was a television talk show about Irina Tchashina on Ren-TV, and the moderator said: “She comes from a little town in Siberia.” Imagine, Omsk is a little town!

– Especially having these traditions in rhythmic gymnastic.
– Who cares for that? But our girls are of high class, not provincial. Zhenya is a very clever girl and very self-reliant. She knows Moscow not worse that the residents themselves. When Ira was seventeen she never went downtown without me, and Zhenya adapted to Moscow long time ago. So what province they are talking about? And my heart aches for them so much. At each competition I worry about them with all my heart. There are many competitions; we are always on the way – planes, trains, different time zones… You know sometimes in my dreams I see this gym in Omsk. We have a magnificent gymnastic centre here! I dream of training little girls here.

– Are the facilities in Moscow also good?
– They are good. But this gym is my home. These people are my people. We are one family.

– Yes, you can feel it by the way they welcome you.
– My heart rests here. But as long as I have power, I must bring our girls to the world’s arena.

If you visit the training, you will get evidence that Vera Efremovna’s power, energy and creativity are inexhaustible. The congratulations which she got this year at her anniversary were not a tribute to her age but a tribute to the sacred work she does. One thing is when the mother of brothers Bure or the father of Maria Sharapova devote their lives to their children and follow them wherever they go. And the other thing is when a person gives all her power, talent, love and heart to somebody else’s children who become her children and step by step go from provincial to international level. Can anyone evaluate the price of this ascension? I wonder if there is any price like that.
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向上提升-ETO Sport No.8 2007年7/8月號
Chinese translated by Zoe Wan
http://etosport.ru/8.html

當 一個人站上頂端時，每個人的眼睛看著他。有的人欣賞他，有的人以他為榮，有的人準備開始支持他，有的人則心存嫉妒。只有那些曾達到頂端的人，或者他親密的 朋友或親人才能瞭解他是花費了多少努力才能走到這裡，他必須克服哪些困難，他犧牲了什麼換來的，及為何他無法拒絕這樣做。

Zhenya今年才17歲，但是她已經多次站上頒獎台上的最高榮耀。她從少年組開始然後進入成年組的比賽。多次的俄羅斯國家錦標賽冠軍，分別在法國、義大利、以色列、斯洛維尼亞跟日本等好幾個國際比賽中獲得優勝。歐錦賽冠軍，俄羅斯國家隊成員，已經達到Honored Master of Sports 的國際水準…17歲，她的運動生涯尚未結束。我想了解或者至少去感受那些重大勝利對這個小女孩的精神上的意義。這方面，沒有人比她的媽媽-Svetlana、她自己-Evgenia Kanaeva及她的教練Vera Shtelbaums了解的更透徹了。

了解每件事情的母親

– Svetlana, 你也是在這個豪華的體育館開始你的RG生涯的嗎?
– 是的，但那個時候你很難說這個地方是豪華的體育館。當時這裡是隸屬於Spartak Sports Club的一棟建築。有很多不同的運動團體在這裡訓練，例如拳擊、排球還有一些健康運動的團體。我們通常得跟排球隊選手爭奪練習場地。現在這個體育館是奧運預備中心。在我們那個時候沒有任何現在這樣的設備。

– 但是無論如何你獲得了Master of Sports的頭銜…
-你知道，體操讓你非常地專注，而且不讓你離開。我持續訓練直到高中，然後我進入體育訓練學院，並開始訓練年輕的體操選手。但我了解到自己練RG跟訓練別人是兩件完全不同的事。成為教練必須要有特別的才能。當時正處於運動的艱難時期，薪水很低。因此後來我改行了。

– 但是體操還是沒有離開你。
– 似乎是如此。Zhenya五歲的時候，我媽媽帶她去體操館。

– 你的媽媽 Irina Alexandrovna 是個很積極的媽媽跟外婆。
– 是的。她是運動迷。她自己沒有從事任何運動，但她真的很迷運動。剛開始Zhenya是讓Vera Shtelbaums的學生帶的。是她建議我們帶Zhenya去找Vera Shtelbaums，她當時正在帶一個新的年輕體操選手的團體。

– 你們很幸運…
– 的確。但一段時間之後，Shtelbaums就跟她的學生Irina Tchashina一起到莫斯科去了，而Zhenya則留在這讓Shtelbaums的女兒Elena Arais.帶。 說實話，對我而言，體操不是很容易。而Zhenya更有天賦，她的柔韌更好。也許是基因的關係吧。七歲的時候她參加了一個比賽並且贏了第一次冠軍。還帶了一隻大的泰迪熊回家。12歲的時候，她贏得了俄羅斯國家錦標賽少年組的冠軍。Vera Shtelbaums在那時帶她到莫斯科的奧運預備中心。

– 讓她離開你不害怕嗎?
– 這件事讓我很傷心。我並不害怕，因為一直以來她都很獨立自主且很善於跟人溝通。她可以很容易的跟對她敞開心扉的店員做朋友。她會跟訓練途中搭乘的交通工具的售票員熟識。她很容易跟人成為朋友。當然，我跟我媽都非常想念她。

– 很多父母在小孩子更大的時候都還不放心他們離開家。
– 但我看到Zhenya不能沒有RG。這是她的命運。我怎麼能阻擾她? 我每天都打電話給她。

– 你工作以便能付你的電話費對吧?
– 嗯，我們用MegaFon，這比較便宜。而且Zhenya也會打給我。她需要抒發她的情緒。當她贏得歐錦賽彩帶冠軍時，她在電話中喜極而泣。我非常緊張地不敢看電視實況轉播。

– 所以，無論如何，你們之間還是很親密。
– 確實，有些人即使同住一個屋簷下，但彼此之間的關係卻很陌生。我們很親密，我每年把休假拆開成兩個部份方便去看她。

– 在她17歲這年紀，經濟上是否已經安穩無虞?
– 是的。但我們幫她儲蓄了一些未來的教育基金。除了體育訓練，以後她還想學外文跟電腦。她對於未來有很大的計畫。Zhenya已經變得更成熟內斂了。

– 但無論如何，她還是媽媽的女孩，對吧?
– 嗯，儘管她很獨立。

媽媽的女孩

– Zhenya，似乎你已經超越你媽了?
– 你是什麼意思呢?

– 我指體操上的成就。
– 但是媽媽會溜冰而我不會。

– Zhenya，你認為你自己是個成功的女孩嗎?
– 我很一般。我不認為自己成功。有些人會自我欣賞，但我不會。我不覺得自己特別，所有人都是一樣的。

– 怎麼會一樣? 每個人的成功程度都不一樣。
– 成功不是永遠的。今天也許你成功了，但明天你可能就會失敗。

– 所以成功取決於什麼呢?
– 取決於你的努力，你對工作的渴望及對於想達成某些事的抱負。有的人可以發揮他/她的天賦，有的人不能-這在任何領域都是很普遍的現象。最重要的是了解教練要的是什麼。要用腦筋，不用腦子一切就會變得困難。

– 這是否表示你有用腦筋?
– 我並不總是如此。當情感勝過理智，冷靜思考就變得困難。有時候我會失去控制。當我無法做好一件事時，首先我會對其他人發脾氣，好像那是別人的錯，但之後我會知道一切都是因為我自己，我會重頭再來過。

– 在Novogorsk你覺得舒適嗎?
– 剛開始我覺得一切都很棒，之後就變得有點困難。

– 從什麼時候開始?
– 在我贏了俄羅斯錦標賽之後。

– 在少年組的比賽，當時你12歲對吧?
– 對。女孩們開始更注意我，她們會盯著我看…之後一切又回復正常了。

– 這表示你並不趾高氣昂 (意指Zhenya沒有驕傲自大)。
– 為什麼我要趾高氣昂，這太愚蠢了。

– 你是否覺得從事運動的女孩比其他人更早熟?
– 是的，我認為她們在智力的發展上比其他人更好。(指運動員比較有經驗且更聰明)

– 但是一般認為運動員都缺乏智慧。
– 我認識的不是這樣。所有我們隊上的女孩都非常聰明。Vera Sessina, Olga Kapranova, Irina Tchachina就更不用說了，她非常優秀。她們都讀很多書，懂很多事情且她們的心胸都很寬廣。

– 在軍隊中會有年長者欺負新入伍的新兵，體操裡會有這樣的狀況嗎?
– 喔，不! 年紀大的選手總是會幫助年紀小的。

– 比賽前你會發抖嗎?
– 比賽前我會。如果不會緊張是不好的。但是在表演中時就不會緊張了。只有剛剛開始時會有點小發抖之後就不會了。

– 表演的時候你在想什麼?
– 當我表演的時候我不會去想名次。我想的是盡我所能將整套動作做最好的詮釋。但是有時候我的思緒是很雜亂的。

– 表演的時候，你真的有時間去想這些嗎? 一切不都應該是很自動自發嗎?
– 一切都自動自發時是最好的…如果不是，呈現出來的效果就不好。如果一切都自動自發時，表示你將整套動作的每個部份都做得很好。

– 你最喜歡哪一個器械?
– 全部都喜歡。

– 那麼哪一項最困難呢?
– 對我而言沒有哪一項最難。每一個器械都很獨特，你必須努力的一遍又遍的練。

– 你曾經有過憎恨一種動作嗎?
– 有時候我會對某些動作感到厭倦，但我從未恨它們。

– 運動是否教你任何事?
– 是的，我對很多事情開了眼界且我了解了很多事。我總是試圖只看好的一面，但隨著時間，我了解到這世界不是那麼完美跟順利的。我持續觀察跟學習。

– 所以你的結論是什麼?
– 說話之前要先思考。

– 或者不要透露任何你心裡想的?
– 嗯，這方面我總是有問題。(指她不擅長表達自己)

– 你媽媽說她非常想你。
– 我也很想她。

– 你有空閒時間去思念別人嗎?
– 白天當我練習或者比賽的時候，沒有時間去想。但每到傍晚的時候，我就很想念她。我們每天都互通電話，我打給她或者她打給我。有些女孩一年才回家一次。我比較幸運，我跟我的教練比較常回家。

– 就只是這件事讓你覺得跟你的教練很幸運?
– 不是這樣的! 我很幸運有她這樣的教練。Vera Efremovna 總是幫助我跟支持我，告訴我怎麼做比較好。從我小時候開始我就非常高興能被Vera Efremovna訓練。沒有她，我無法應付莫斯科的生活。

– 你已經去過很多地方。你最喜歡哪個國家?
– 日本。那裡非常特別，美麗。而且那邊的人很有趣。

– Zhenya，你知道嗎，上一次Irina Tchachina來拜訪我們時，我們希望她能穿上體操服拍一組照片，並告訴我們任何關於那些衣服的故事。結果她說她的體操服都傳給你了。
-這是真的。我是她的”繼承人”你可以這樣說。但我已經長大許多。現在我只穿紅白相間那件，我很喜歡那件衣服。我們的體操服是在Volgograd and Nizhniy Novgorod製作的。我相信所有Ira的衣服都帶著幸運。

– 對你而言什麼是快樂?
-當我沒有讓教練失望時。那個不只付出所有她的知識，還有她的健康跟精神在我身上的人。我總是試著達成在我們身上花費精神的人的期望。沒有人能靠他自己就成為冠軍。當俄羅斯國歌響起跟國旗升起時。這是最重要的事情。

不只是教練

– Vera Efremovna, 你的學生都很不一樣，針對每個人你必須找到個別的方法去訓練她們。
– 不然還能怎麼辦? 不過你現在是指Irina Tchashina 跟 Zhenya Kanaeva吧?

– 是的
– 她們兩個非常不同。Ira從小就非常嚴肅。她非常保留。她總是把每件事都藏在心裡。即使她受傷了或者覺得不舒服，她都不會抱怨。你能想像嗎? 她的腳受傷了，而我叫她重複練習一樣的動作一遍又一遍，但她會一直保持沈默然後持續練習。然後當我知道她忍受著多大的痛苦時，我心裡是什麼感受。Zhenya則非常的開放，她的情感很氾濫。

– 這樣不好嗎?
– 對韻律體操而言不好。當她無法做好一件事時，我責備她- 你可以看到她的情緒都寫在臉上。我會問”你在生氣嗎? ” – ”沒什麼好生氣的。如果有些事情沒做好，我怎麼能告訴你那是好的?”

– 因為以後將會更糟。
– 沒錯! 但女孩們總是很沒耐心，她們想要馬上就擁有每件事。生活從來不會發生這種事。你可以爬的很高發現你自己站在頂端。但你飛的越高你摔的越重。

– 一步一步來比較保險。
– 當然，而且這樣比較安全。但這需要耐心。說實話，我不能抱怨Ira跟Zhenya缺乏耐心。這是個不堪忍受的工作。沒有一天是沒有練習的，通常，在她們這個年紀的女孩，是在玩洋娃娃且享受她們的生活而不需擔心任何事。但我們的女孩們，她們的肩上卻得承擔這麼重大的責任。

– 更別說你的責任了。在莫斯科對你而言很困難嗎?
– 當然不容易。但我能怎麼辦，不這樣我就無法看到我們的女孩站上頒獎台。莫斯科的人不會對其他地區來的人多加注意。有一天 Ren-TV的一個談話節目談到Ira，然後那主持人說: “她來自西伯利亞的一個小鎮.” 你能想像嗎? 說OMSK是小鎮!

– 特別是我們這裡有這些優良的RG傳統。
– 誰會在乎這個。但我們女孩的水準都很高的，她們不是鄉下人。Zhenya是非常聰明而且非常獨立自主的女孩。她對莫斯科的了解不輸給當地人。當Ira十七歲時，她不會在沒有我陪伴的情況下單獨上街，而Zhenya很早就適應莫斯科的生活了。所以他們是在說什麼鄉下地方? 我為她們感到心疼。每次比賽我都非常擔心她們。有非常多的比賽，我們總是在趕場-飛機、火車、時差…你知道嗎，我有時會夢到我們這裡的體操館。我們有個雄偉的體操館，我夢想著在那裡訓練小女孩。

– 莫斯科的設備也很好?
– 莫斯科的設備是好的。但這個體操館是我的家，這裡的人是我的同鄉，我們是一個大家庭。

-是的，可以從他們歡迎你的方式感受到。
– 我的心是留在這裡。但只要我還有力量，我必須帶我們的女孩去世界的舞台。

如果你去參觀訓練，你就能得到印證Vera Efremovna的力量、精力跟創造力是很豐富的。她今年生日接受的祝賀不只是祝賀她的年紀，也是感謝她所做的這些神聖的貢獻。有一種人是像Bure兄弟 (有名的冰上曲棍球選手) 的母親或者Maria Sharapova (著名的職業女網選手) 的父親，奉獻他們的人生給自己的小孩，不管到哪裡都跟隨在他們身邊。另一種人是奉獻了她所有的力量、才能、愛跟她的心給別人的小孩，而這小孩成為她的孩子。且一步步地從地方走向國際的水準。有任何人能評估這種幫助他人成長的價值嗎? 我懷疑是否有任何有價的東西是這樣的。