Russia Is Ready To Take Risks For The Sake Of The Team

From an interview with Elena Vaitsekhovskaya , we hear of Starkin's impressions on Denis, his Russian Cup performances, and an "update" on Aliya Mustafina (it's pretty much more of what we already knew).

He's asked whether he's had more time to work with Denis as a result of Mustafina's extended break from the gym, and Starkin says not at all; the amount of time he spent with Denis never changed when he took Aliya on. He made sure to coach him for the same number of hours, only the schedule changed (previously, Starkin has explained this method by saying he wants to give each athlete the quality attention they deserve i.e one on one time). He goes on to say the only thing that changed was his own amount of time spent in the gym [since he was back down to one athlete].

Another question asks whether Aliya and he were on the same page once he took her on. The answer is yes. After last year's Worlds they sat down and discussed goals and how they wanted to go about solving the myriad of problems Aliya was facing by the end of 2014.

He's then asked if his phrase, about risking it all for the team, means that Aliya will forgo the all-around. (Editor's note: my Russian is rudimentary and it is likely that what Starkin actually said was something more along the lines of 'our priority/greater interest is qualifying a team to the Olympics', echoing similar sentiments coming out of Round Lake. This could give off the impression that the team would benefit most from Aliya specializing). Starkin says this is erroneous and that they'll continue to build up Aliya's AA program and then work on her specialty events. He sympathizes with Aliya's non stop competitive career and the ailments she's fought through ("she's tired"), crediting that as the reason why he used this year simply as a means to keep her healthy. His last sentence on the subject sounds just as cautious as Mustafina's own words, on the topic of Rio, a few weeks ago: "Who can say for sure what will happen? Aliya does want to compete at the Olympics and is willing to train as long as necessary for it."

Since my thoughts are never quite exhausted on this subject, can I just say that Aliya looked like she was having the time of her life during her break from gym. She was with friends and family, finally making good on those visits she's been promising to people for years. Based on her IG, she's been to Novogorsk, St. Petersburg and a National Park. She also attended her first football game during this time- so, ya know, just relaxing and trying out new things in her life, which is cool. I think she wanted a mental breather to balance her life out a bit. So often, she looks like the weight of the world is on her shoulders during a competition. It would've been nice to see her return to Round Lake with vitality in both mind and body. To feel  mentally stimulated, emotionally happy, and psychologically REFRESHED-ready to start the next step of the journey in the right state of mind and with a renewed fighting spirit. 

All three came to Baku with something to prove, yet they
appeared to meet this responsibility with enthusiasm

I could already tell in Baku that she was feeling better about herself. She talked realistically about what went wrong in the past, and for the first time, presented a strategy for what she would be upgrading and what she wouldn't touch until 2016. This was such a contrast to the mood she was in after 2014 Worlds where she gave interviews saying she sometimes had to fight the feeling of defeat going into a final because she figured the Americans would win everything anyways. At the EuroGames, with health on her side and some fresh upgrades, she seemed to understand that there's nothing superstitious going on with why the Americans dominate: it's good health, meticulous pacing, conditioning, and upgrades. She seemed revitalized.

With that being said, I still don't understand why she's on the reserve list for World's. They wouldn't even send her to Euros because she was only in the gym for a few weeks at the time, yet she goes to Worlds with basically nothing? Madness. My theory is that the Rodionenko's panicked and feared that if they left it up to Aliya to choose when she wanted to return that she wouldn't return at all. I confess, when news first broke that Aliya wasn't training this was my fear as well. But as soon as Aliya said 'don't worry, I'll be back next year' I knew there was nothing to worry about. Aliya has never let Team Russia down so why shouldn't I trust her own judgement? If she says she's coming back then she's coming back. A pity she does not have the trust of the head coaches. I agree with this Vaitsekhovskaya article that says the public announcement of Mustafina's name on the roster was done to pressure her into returning before she was ready. They must know there's nothing Aliya can do for Russia at Worlds on only three weeks of training (if it even comes to that much). No, more likely, they just want to see her back in the gym again and if that means dragging her to Glasgow to induce her to train, so be it.

Aliya with  friends: the RG National team, at Novogirsk

I think we've all witnessed that being a veteran on Team Russia doesn't grant you much power. Thrice in the last year, Afan has asked to be excluded from a competition, on the basis of poor health, and was still sent to compete anyways (2014 Stuttgart, 2015 Russian Nats, 2015 Batumi competition). I don't know why Russia's prized gymnasts are treated this way but it certainly must contribute to some of the demoralized behavior the girls sometimes present in competition, which Valentina has more than once miscalculated as laziness. 

When people ask me what my dream Olympics for Aliya is, I answer 'for her to end the quad with dignity.' That means I want Aliya to be satisfied that she gave it everything she had: had the AA program that she desired, had the health to achieve this program, performed with good execution and artistry- and most of all- that she has no regrets. And I think an instrumental part of making this come true is for Aliya to train on her own terms. If they can't give her that, then Russia is still treating its top athlete poorly, and it may have trickle down affects no one is considering right now. 

Well, those are my thoughts, and while some hold even more pessimistic views of the current situation, my sole complaint in all of this is that it appears Aliya is not trusted to hold the reigns of her career. 

The full interview, with more insights into Denis Ablyazin's ups and down this year, can be found here.

I apologize for any incorrections in my translation. Please point them out to me in the comments.

I hope your day is as bright as Paseka's smile :) :) :)