Interview with Ivan Bariev
July 2009, trainings camp Flims/Switzerland
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Q: Please tell us a little bit
about yourself. Why and when did you start skating?
A: I started skating when I was 6
years old. When I was litte, I always got sick and my mother said:
‘let’s go on the ice, it’s very beautiful and it will be
interesting for you’ and I said: ‘okay, let’s go! I try it for
two weeks!’ and I’m still trying for 12 years now (laughing). Now
I‘m not getting sick anymore like I did when I was younger. So I
think 12 years has been a long time.
Q: What do you like about
skating?
A: Now I prefer the steps , I like
the jumps too, I like the triple Axel because I’ve mastered it. I
can do that now. I like of course the toeloop, because I was doing a
quad. I like steps so much, I’m always dancing and mixing my steps
with some cool moves so I prefer the steps . And I like spins but its
really hard to make something new.
Q: What don’t you like about
skating?
A: I think I just don’t like to
have conflicts with my coach. That’s all (laughing)
Q: I hope this doesn’t happen
too often?
A: No, but sometimes it happens
anyway and I don’t like that!
Q: When did you do your first
triple jump? Which one was it?
A: I did my first triple jump when I
was 10 or 9 years old, it was a triple toeloop.
Q: What’s your favorite jump
and why?
A: I love the toeloop because of the
quads of course and I could do that. And now I like the Axel and I
like the triple Lutz.
Q: What’s your favorite
element?
A: I think in my new programs the
steps, the straightline steps.
Q: What are your goals in the
sport?
A: I think my goals are not
popularity, I just like to skate for an audience. When I don’t see
some fans - you know it’s not a good feeling to skate just for
judges. I like skating like in a show, I like to show what I can do.
If I fall on a jump or something else it’s not good, and the people
maybe will not understand that, but in general the people like how
I’m skating. So I like to show myself what I can do.
Q: Do you enjoy it very much?
A. Yeah, I enjoy just skating
everytime
Q: Who are the skaters you looked
up to when you were younger? Do you still have idols, who is it and
why?
A: I liked so much and I still like
Alexei Yagudin, I liked Stephane Lambiel and of course I still like
him and I had the same music in the free program, the Flamenco by
Poeta. Now I’m getting my own style because everyone has something
of his own, maybe. I’m taking something from one, something from
another and I make a new, hopefully a good style, perfect style
Q: How do you rate your past
season?
A: It was not bad and it was not
good. I got again to the Junior Grand Prix Final, but I had there
some problems with my knee, that’s what I didn’t skate well, but
I finished in fourth place. It’s not so bad, better than last
season. I won Russian (Junior) Nationals with a triple Axel with like
20 points difference to second place, which is a lot. I didn’t go
to Junior Worlds, cause I saw that I got sick with chicken pox two
days before leaving and I for one and a half weeks I had a
temperature of forty degrees , it’s like coma and I said “I will
go!”, but I understood that (I can’t).That’s why I didn’t go
there and I didn’t do Russian senior Nationals. I hope to do them
next year and I have a good chance to go to the Olympic Games,
Europeans and senior Worlds. So I will do my best.
Q: You’ve just been in
Stuttgart because of your injury? Is everything okay now?
A: Yes, I was in Stuttgart about
five days ago. My doctor checked me and he said that everything is
going be allright, just keep moving like you are doing now and you’ll
do your best, everything will be okay. I still feel that I’m
getting better, it is not like it was before (the surgery).
Q: What do you expect? What are
your goals for the upcoming season? You are going to the Junior Grand
Prix?
A: Yes, I still will compete in
Juniors because I have one last year and I want to win all the Junior
competitions. I don’t want to be second at the Junior Grand Prix. I
won’t be second again, I want to win the Final, (Junior) Worlds, I
want to be a three-time Russian Junior Champion and to be second or
third, better second (laughing) at Russian Senior Nationals to go to
the Europeans and if I will go - I like to be there, it would be
interesting that’s for sure – (I would like to finish) maybe 6th,
and if so I’ll go to the Olympic Games.
Q: What’s new? What programs,
what music do you have?
A: I changed both programs, for the
short I chose Michael Jackson. I decided to take Michael Jackson, not
because of his death, I just took this music and next day I heard in
the news “Michael Jackson is coming back, he’s making a new
album!” I said “WOW! That’s very nice! So cool!” And then
because of his death I think now I have a good point with this
program. It was made by my own musician, especially for me, you will
like it. The free program was made especially for me, too. It’s
(by) “Lesiem” but mixed with some new parts and it’s called
“Angels and Demons”.
Q: This is not the first time for
you at the training camp here in Flims. How does it help you for your
preparation?
A: I’m here the for the eight
time, I’m here since I was ten years old and it’s like I grew up
here. It helps me of course with my skating. When you’re coming
back maybe for first week in Moscow it’s like you are doing nothing
and after that you feel that you can breathe like you can skate two
times, three times, four times, the free program and you will not be as
exhausted as usual and you’ll become much stronger here because
you’re always working here. I think it’s very nice to come here
and to start off the season and then get into a good shape.
Q: There is a big difference
between Moscow and Flims?!
A. Yes, a big difference
Q: It’s quiet here! And maybe
boring?
A: Yes, it’s quiet here and there
it is so loud. It's not boring. There are always some people coming
here, some of them you know already and you’re just having a good
time between trainings and that’s very nice.
Q: What are you doing besides
skating? What hobbies do you have?
A: I like to do nothing, just lie
on the bed, you have super hard trainings, you know it’s very nice
to have a rest. I like to dance Hip Hop, I learned Breakdance, want
to learn down moves like Speedy on the head or something like that
and to include it in some exhibition, to make a new show. And I like
just going to the cinema to watch movies maybe meeting with my
friends of course and go shopping.
Q: Do you watch other sports?
A: Yes, football, I like English
football. My favorite team is Manchester United.
Q: What do you think how people
see you?How would you describe yourself?
A: I think people see me maybe from
the other side like a kind person which can be helpful, that’s
meaning of friends. I have a good fighting spirit, I can do for
example nothing in practice but I will do it in competition like I
did at Russian Junior Nationals. I had problems with the triple Axel,
I didn’t do it before and I thought, what’s wrong with me. I
decided to go for it and I did it like super nice.
Q: How would you like to see you?
A: I hope to be Olympic Champion of
course and then after that this will help me, because I want to
become an actor in Hollywood. I will go to acting university and I'll
start having lessons there, because of the (economic) crisis I couldn't go there (yet), hopefully soon
they'll have a license and I'll be studying there.
I hope an Olympic success then will
help me. I hope to become a nice actor to help my family and if
something will be wrong, I’ll just keep moving and trying to do my
best.
Q: So the next question just has
been answered, it would have been where do you see yourself in five
years? Olympic Champion?!
A: (laughing) Yeah, I hope to be an
actor and Olympic Champion of course!
Q: What does it mean for you that
you are probably the first Russian gypsy in high-level figure
skating?
A: I think I’m the last one,
maybe not the last one, my brother is skating, too. He’s skating
not just for fun, just for physics. I’m skating because I love
that. Because I’m a gypsy it helps me with artistic moves and
nobody can do that, maybe. I can have a Michael Jackson program,
maybe someone will have one, too. But he will not do a program like I
do. I’ll have something special. So that’s why I have some reason
for saying that.
Q: Thank you for the interesting
interview and all the best
A: You’re welcome.
