Post by Admin on Jan 7, 2014 8:28:39 GMT -6
From a German newspaper:
February 18, 1988
THE 'ABSOLUTE CHILD' HAS BECOME BIG AND STRONG
by Frank Quednau
translated by Stefanie Ludwig
"I can't take my eyes of this face", says Jil Cosgrove, coach of the American pairs skaters.
Thus, it is the face of Ekaterina Gordeeva which brought the 19 000 spectators in the huge Saddledome in Calgary at the end of her long program to its feet and let them applaud. An applause without screaming which is otherwise quite typical for a North-American audience, a demonstration of honour, amazement and respect for the remarkable achievement of a 16 year old girl.
Not quite five years ago, when this face appeared during the World Championships in Geneva, it was even more narrow in those days, like an imp with ears that were a bit too large compared with her mouth, nose and eyes, the dethroned Elena Valova who was together with her partner Oleg Vassiliev Olympic champion in 1984 said: "We hope she will become big and strong." She smiled but the serious deeper meaning concerning athleticism became clear. Only tiny mites like the 1, 48 metres tall and 35 kilograms heavy "Katyusha" can be thrown during a twist so that they turn four times in the air.
Thus, it must be the delicate build of the today 16 years old and probably youngest Olympic champion in Calgary which brought the audience to its feet when the Muscovite blows a kiss under the roof of the Saddledome after her 4 1/2 minutes lasting long program which she skated at the side of her five years older partner Sergei Grinkov? She grew six centimetres and weighs now 42 kilograms, this makes no distinction for the people in the audience when she jumps and dances at the side of her partner who is still 27 centimetres taller.
One year ago, Igor Moskvin, coach of the European champions Larissa Selezneva/Oleg Makarov who placed two places better in the long program yesterday and they were after all in fourth place behind Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard from the USA would only talk about the 'absolute child' if he spoke about Ekaterina.
Thus, it is the lively, saucy girl who tempted the audience to a standing ovation because she also stirs up motherly and fatherly feelings. In fact, Katyusha wearing her red-white woolly hat while she is leaving the rink looks like someone has to come now, hug her and give her a lolly because she had been that good/well-behaved. And she had also always smiled although it was very strenuous. Lower lip always two centimetres away from the upper lip which uncovers her teeth.
This is all true - and, nevertheless, at the same time not. Ekaterina Gordeeva sits at the table at the side of her quiet partner at the press conference and draws/paints imaginary squiggles with her right hand, it is the hand of a child who still doesn't paint her nails, on the blue ground, sucks absent-mindedly at the straw which belongs to a can with orange juice and plays with her left hand with the golden earring under seriously back combed hair which is tied together in a pony tail. However, the eyes become suddenly very narrow, they search the questioner in the audience who - without a doubt - tries to set a trap for her. Due to the fact that she's five years younger than her partner, isn't she forced to look for a new one soon? Katyusha becomes Ekaterina, she knows what this is aimed at.
After all, people in front of TV sets in all countries believe that a pair who trains everyday the perfect and sometimes yearning smiling unison must fall in love and skate with it, like it happened with silver medallists, Valova/Vassiliev from Leningrad who are 25 and 28 years old, married and "wish to have a child" (coach Tamara Moskvina, wife of colleague Igor). "I don't answer this kind of questions, that's all", says Ekaterina pointed and tries to stifle everything concerning this issue by two English words. [She said "that's all" in English and not - like the other words - in Russian.] This is no longer a girl but a young woman whose emotional life is her own business.
Afterwards, Ekaterina paints/draws again some squiggles on the blue table-cloth on which Elena Valova, who is a mature woman, taps with the fingers of her left hand because she is bored. Here you can feel something of the jealously of the charms of the rival who half child, half woman naturally appeals to emotions of fathers and sons.
Without doubt, Ekaterina Gordeeva was the star of the evening.
[passage about Valova/Vassiliev]
Tamara Moskvina can't resist saying - almost with the same words as Elena Valova not quite three years ago: "Ekaterina will become bigger and heavier. She and Sergei Grinkov won't mark an era, they won't dominate pairs skating for years."
[passage about bad long programs of other pairs in Calgary]
Stanislav Leonovich, coach of the Olympic champions, says: "We have acrobatic elements up our sleeve. If we show them, everybody will be amazed." Hopefully, he won't show them and will, instead of this, give the artistry special emphasis. [...]
February 18, 1988
THE 'ABSOLUTE CHILD' HAS BECOME BIG AND STRONG
by Frank Quednau
translated by Stefanie Ludwig
"I can't take my eyes of this face", says Jil Cosgrove, coach of the American pairs skaters.
Thus, it is the face of Ekaterina Gordeeva which brought the 19 000 spectators in the huge Saddledome in Calgary at the end of her long program to its feet and let them applaud. An applause without screaming which is otherwise quite typical for a North-American audience, a demonstration of honour, amazement and respect for the remarkable achievement of a 16 year old girl.
Not quite five years ago, when this face appeared during the World Championships in Geneva, it was even more narrow in those days, like an imp with ears that were a bit too large compared with her mouth, nose and eyes, the dethroned Elena Valova who was together with her partner Oleg Vassiliev Olympic champion in 1984 said: "We hope she will become big and strong." She smiled but the serious deeper meaning concerning athleticism became clear. Only tiny mites like the 1, 48 metres tall and 35 kilograms heavy "Katyusha" can be thrown during a twist so that they turn four times in the air.
Thus, it must be the delicate build of the today 16 years old and probably youngest Olympic champion in Calgary which brought the audience to its feet when the Muscovite blows a kiss under the roof of the Saddledome after her 4 1/2 minutes lasting long program which she skated at the side of her five years older partner Sergei Grinkov? She grew six centimetres and weighs now 42 kilograms, this makes no distinction for the people in the audience when she jumps and dances at the side of her partner who is still 27 centimetres taller.
One year ago, Igor Moskvin, coach of the European champions Larissa Selezneva/Oleg Makarov who placed two places better in the long program yesterday and they were after all in fourth place behind Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard from the USA would only talk about the 'absolute child' if he spoke about Ekaterina.
Thus, it is the lively, saucy girl who tempted the audience to a standing ovation because she also stirs up motherly and fatherly feelings. In fact, Katyusha wearing her red-white woolly hat while she is leaving the rink looks like someone has to come now, hug her and give her a lolly because she had been that good/well-behaved. And she had also always smiled although it was very strenuous. Lower lip always two centimetres away from the upper lip which uncovers her teeth.
This is all true - and, nevertheless, at the same time not. Ekaterina Gordeeva sits at the table at the side of her quiet partner at the press conference and draws/paints imaginary squiggles with her right hand, it is the hand of a child who still doesn't paint her nails, on the blue ground, sucks absent-mindedly at the straw which belongs to a can with orange juice and plays with her left hand with the golden earring under seriously back combed hair which is tied together in a pony tail. However, the eyes become suddenly very narrow, they search the questioner in the audience who - without a doubt - tries to set a trap for her. Due to the fact that she's five years younger than her partner, isn't she forced to look for a new one soon? Katyusha becomes Ekaterina, she knows what this is aimed at.
After all, people in front of TV sets in all countries believe that a pair who trains everyday the perfect and sometimes yearning smiling unison must fall in love and skate with it, like it happened with silver medallists, Valova/Vassiliev from Leningrad who are 25 and 28 years old, married and "wish to have a child" (coach Tamara Moskvina, wife of colleague Igor). "I don't answer this kind of questions, that's all", says Ekaterina pointed and tries to stifle everything concerning this issue by two English words. [She said "that's all" in English and not - like the other words - in Russian.] This is no longer a girl but a young woman whose emotional life is her own business.
Afterwards, Ekaterina paints/draws again some squiggles on the blue table-cloth on which Elena Valova, who is a mature woman, taps with the fingers of her left hand because she is bored. Here you can feel something of the jealously of the charms of the rival who half child, half woman naturally appeals to emotions of fathers and sons.
Without doubt, Ekaterina Gordeeva was the star of the evening.
[passage about Valova/Vassiliev]
Tamara Moskvina can't resist saying - almost with the same words as Elena Valova not quite three years ago: "Ekaterina will become bigger and heavier. She and Sergei Grinkov won't mark an era, they won't dominate pairs skating for years."
[passage about bad long programs of other pairs in Calgary]
Stanislav Leonovich, coach of the Olympic champions, says: "We have acrobatic elements up our sleeve. If we show them, everybody will be amazed." Hopefully, he won't show them and will, instead of this, give the artistry special emphasis. [...]