Hi. I found what you are looking for in the Guestbook and desided to post it for you:
08.05.2006 17:16 - ljussi88 ïèøåò:
ljussi88@abv.bg
This is the promised interview with Max's father, sorry for the delay, but I found enough time to translate it just today Anyway, I hope it will be from an interest to you.
Evgeniy Staviyski: Maxim’s luck is in Bulgaria
The Family
Everybody in my family is a doctor – my grandfather, my father, my brother. But I was interested in physics, in the universe and I became an engineer. I graduated from the Institute of energetic in Moscow. I’m there for the last 30 years. I met my wife Rita on a university party. She was studying at the Institute of communications. Her parents have also graduated from the same school and have worked in the same field. We got married and I left in Moscow. Now she is a boss of more that 1000 people.
Everybody at home is a techie. But only I have been doing sport – I played sporting gymnastics for 8 years.
Why was Maxim born in Rostov na Don
I brought Rita to give birth to Maxim in my birthtown Rostov na Don, because I could guarantee that the doctors will take care of her and the baby. Maxim is from Moscow, but in his passport stays Rostov na Don which makes my fellow-townsman very proud of it. When Albena and Maxim won the world cup, I was called by relatives and friends from my childhood. My brother has become the most popular person in the town then. Everybody was asking him if Maxim isn’t his relative. And he was proudly answering: “He’s my nephew.”. Moreover, all the Russian sport commentators never miss to say that Maxim is born in Rostov na Don. Although he was always living in Moscow
Jealousy in Russia
My colleagues in the Institute, even the retired ones, called to congratulate me also right after Albena and Maxum were world vice champions in 2003. But after their gold medals even people I haven’t heard anything of since many years called me. I was speaking about my son’s activities also many years ago. Some were telling me: “You are torturing the child.” Some jealousy exists because Maxim isn’t competing for Russia. But it doesn’t come from our relatives. We are so used to the fact that Max is representing Bulgaria. You might not believe me, but we are proud of that fact. What is more, Bulgaria is close to us by soul. Our first travel abroad with my wife was here. We visited Veliko Turnovo, Plovdiv, Shipka, Pleven, Varna, Burgas, the Rila monastery. We bought presents for Maxim. By that time he was only six. We didn’t even imagine that his luck was in Bulgaria. In Russia you cannot surprise anybody by being a world champion. But here Albena and Maxim have a huge popularity – they were welcomed by the president, the deputies and they were called to welcome the US state secretary Condoleezza Rice on her visit in Sofia.
Max was our genius
The practices are practices, but in our family the school was always on first place. On the evenings we were making family meetings like in Smolni: one of us accompanies Maxim, another one takes him, third one brings him to the skating rink, and fourth one takes him back home. We have never forced Maxim. But he was bright. He loved reading. Our library is made out by four generations. We had a problem with the books’ storage. We held a part of them in our villa and Max’s favourite books – by Jack London, Hemingway, Bulgakov, Ilf and Petrov - are in his apartment.
We gave him in an English school, because it was too boring for him in the ordinary one. His grandmother was working a lot with him. She was responsible for mathematics. She was a maximalist – if there was a test, they were solving all the problems from the whole chapter. Maxim graduated from the English high school ahead of schedule – at the age of 15 and with a medal. The school was under the bossing of The Institute for chemical mechanical engineering. They were making tests and we were informed that he is admitted with the third best grades from 30 people.
He was also admitted in the Academy of Economy, Politics and Law without applying for it. But he chose to study at the Sports Academy. He didn’t event have a passport – only 15. From the sport exams in the Academy he had a problem only with the10m hop-step-and-jump. And the essay he wrote was hanged up on the board in the main room. He has a literature talent for sure. He finished his university education, subject - figure skating, at the age of 20.
Skills and problems
Phisycally Max has an inborn litheness. It wasn’t a problem for him to make a side-split or to stick his leg on his head. He might have derived it from me – I have practised gymnastics for a long time. Maxim was a good runner, he was swimming well. His problem is that he lacks aggression. We tried him playing tennis, but they said: “Your kid is happy, radiant, benevolent. And in tennis you need hatred too – to accept the competitor as an enemy and to beat him.” That’s why figure skating worked out as the most suitable sport.”
Maxim is artistic – he was listening with pleasure to music, he knew tens of poems by heart, he was drawing wonderful. All of his notebooks were drawn over. If you would’ve woken him at night, he would’ve drawn you the cell construction till the slightest detail. But the teachers were complaining of him, because he couldn’t keep quiet. He was hyperactive and always turning around at the desk. But he was practicing with pleasure and there wasn’t even a sign of tiredness.
Maxim is fearless and calm when he’s out on the ice. He bears up against pain. When he was 10 he became a champion of Russia in the individual skating with a very severe injury on the feet. He denied that it hurts, but at the end they put his leg in plaster. And now the same at the world champs – he played with and even Albena didn’t find out about that injure. The relationship with Albena
According to our calculations the romantic relationship between Albena and Maxim is for at least 7 years. Their forthcoming wedding is not even being discussed at home. Once we tried to ask them when and where. And our son answered: “If there’s a wedding, you’ll be invited.” Hopefully there will be God’s plenty of luck henceforth. They are on practices all the day, they argue about some elements, but these arguments don’t continue at home, whereas most of the figure skating couples can’t even stand each other outside the ice, even Olympic champions.
When Max was skating with his former partner Nastya Belova, they had friendly relationships. But her parents were inculcating her the thought that she is the star. That’s why they broke up. Then he had an offer from a 12 years old Australian girl, but Albena was his landing stage. They liked each other. They discuss the things together, decide. Maxim became a Bulgarian in the best meaning of the word. He feels comfortably here. He learnt the language and communicates freely. He has the feeling as if he were at home. He had also luck with Albena’s family. They love him like a son.
We aren’t afraid because he will stay to live in Sofia. The world is already small. And my sister lives in the USA, for example. Still, we miss our son, of course. His grandmother is the saddest, although she’s also the strictest with him. For her birthday at the 10th of May there is no bigger present than Maxim, coming to Moscow.
P.S.: By "surprising things" I meant that I didn't knew he's got a medal in school for example, sorry for the missunderstanding
All the best, cya
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Mon 20 Aug - 21:55
Sorry for the very delayed reply. I was on vacation.
