LED 4, March 2009: Interview with Maxim´s parents / grandma

In Russian IceAge magazine LED 4 (March 2009) there´s an interview with Maxim´s parents and his grandma !

It´s uploaded as pics, therefore I can´t send it through the online translator ...

Please , can someone be so kind to do the hard translation job into English? I want so much to know what they are telling!
Many many thanks in advance !!!

Thanks to Siren from Russian forum for buying the magazine and for scanning the article!

Thank you Petra and Сирень.

I'll try to translate .

THE CHAMPION’S PARENTS


The text under the picture of little Max :

Little Maxim was very promising from the first years of his training.

In the family of Rachel and Evgeni Staviski , the education of their son was always priority. A big role played his grandmother, Galina Markovna , who got retired at age of 58 and devoted completely herself to her grandson. The father went to almost every competition of his son. His mom never watched his performances, because she was afraid that she may transfer her emotions to him.


The father, Evgeni Markovich :

Maxim has been very active kid since his early childhood. In the summer the whole family usualy was going to the cottage/dacha/. Maxim was year and a half old and we always kept the garden door locked. So he crawled under the fence and went on the street. Near our cottage was an unfinished two- storeyed house. One day Maxim went in there and we saw him standing at the window frame. I manage to take a photo and run quickly to get him. Another time neighbors told us that they saw him climbing the construction….In order to keep his enormous energy engaged we decided to bring him in sports. He wasn’t even five years old and the only sport that was accepting children at such an early age was the figure skating.

As we understood later, we underestimated the big sport – with all burdens and the big amount of time for trainings. We also did anything possible so the sport won't interfere with Maxim’s education. He manage to succeed in everything – to do his homework, and to go to sporting camps and competitions.

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The grandmother, Galina Markovna:
He was going to school where the principal was my sister. So the teachers, knowing that he was relative of the principal, were expecting double results from him. Well, we wanted even more from him .Later we got him a permit for flexible attendance/something like home school/, otherwise was impossible to attend both school and trainings. We would get all the themes for the tests and teach him at home. Maxim was always an (A) student. He graduated with silver medal at age of fifteen.

Q - At fifteen?

Yes because I decided, that there is nothing much for him in fifth grade, so during the summer vacation we took the whole program for fifth grade and in September he was admitted directly in six grades. In the institute during his finals, the chairman of the examination committee came out and told us that if there was a score higher than Excellent we would have given it to Maxim. They offered Maxim a postgraduate position. One of the members of the examination committee was the International judge Irina Vasilievna Absolyamova . Maxim told her then : “ Irina Vasilievna, what postgraduate position, the Olympic Games are coming”
BTW , his only C score was in figure skating. It was a curious case. The director was a maximalist , so it was Maxim . And it happened like this.

The Father:
We tried to cultivate his entire abilities .Since first grade he was occupied with children’s dance ensemble and Art school. We all were working and every night was like a “solitaire “-we had to decide who and where can take Maxim the next day.

The Grandmother:
I would take with me a thermos, run with him to his trainings, fed him lunch and drove him to Museum of Pushkin for lessons in Art school. Sometimes my sister would get involved and despise her busy schedule; she would’ve put everything else aside just to go with Maxim.


The Father:
The evenings were mine. After work I was driving Maxim for his trainings. And while he was busy, I was running in the field or at winter time I would bring my ski. If I had to do something for work, I would bring the papers and do my stuff while I was waiting for him. Sometimes while the kids were training I would drive all parents to our house and we would have a cup of tea.

Q- Weren’t there any children’s caprices –“don’t want to” or “won’t go”.


The Father:
Maxim himself wanted this very much. The trainings were starting at 7 or 6 o clock in the morning. Because of this he developed a strong-willed character. He was telling us – if you didn’t want to you shouldn’t started in a first place!

The Grandmother;
At age of 7 he got in the group of Sergey Nikolaevich Gromov. He was very strict coach, even the parents were afraid of him but Maxim was going to the trainings with big desire. He was afraid of him but also had a respect. I remember one case. Maxim loved very much ice cream. And one time ,during the break between the trainings I bought him “Eskimo”. Suddenly I saw the Eskimo flying into the trash can. I am asking him :-“Maxim, what are you doing?” –“Please be quiet, grandma. Gromov is coming.”
He had forbidden the children to eat ice scream.
Gromov took Maxim for his first sporting camp in Kalinin when he was 7 years old. Sometimes around 7 in the morning we’ve got a call from Gromov : “Come right away to take Maxim ! ” I flew immediately there. They were staying at “Volga” hotel on the Seventh store. On the street there was a car with flashing lights and alarm and to see it better Maxim opened the window and jumped on the window’s edge. I was telling him “That’s it Maxim, get your stuff! We are going home” Gromov took me aside and told me “I was saying this for him not for you. I won’t let him go.” After this we were afraid to let him go by himself and I had to retire early.
The second trip was to Sukhumi. Gromov called me and said:”We are going to a camp in Sukhumi.” Maxim was 7 and half years old and all other kids were older than him. I asked “Isn’t it to hard for him?” “He has strength – so he’ll make it” –answered he.

Q- How Maxim got into ice dance?

The Grandmother;
At first Maxim was training as a single, later in pairs, he was also skating in ice ballet at Luzhniki. One time after the training I saw Maxim talking to some man. Maxim was telling him something and he was writing notes. Later I understood that he was the coach Andrey Nikolaevich Filipov, who at the time was coaching kids his /Maxim/ age at the stadium of “Young Pioneers/scouts/ “ It was” the Mecca” of ice dancing . There was coaching Tatiana Tarasova. Filipov had a very strong group, so Maxim went with him. But before he began skating with Albena Denkova, he had to change many partners. And the fact that they started skating together was a big luck for both of them.

Q-Why you decided to look for a partner outside Russia?

The Mother Rachel Moiseevna:
We understood that there were no opportunities in Russia, so we start looking for other alternatives. We’ve heard about Albena. It was a coincidence that I went on a business trip to Bulgaria. I arrived in Sofia and called her right away.Albena came to me at the hotel and took me to her house.

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Sorry for the dealy .



We were watching videotapes with her performances and then with Maxim’s. When she saw Maxim’s level she asked “Is he going to skate with me” .The level even of our junior skaters was much higher than in Bulgaria and Albena was realizing this. Anyway we decided to try. We made an initiation and after a month Albena came in Moscow. She had lived in our house for about a month and they were training with Oleg Epstein at “The Olympian”. Epstein said right away that everything will be fine with them. They had a very little height difference but looked very harmonious on the ice. Albena flew back to Bulgaria after a month and Maxim followed her soon. Albena became this partner that you would search for. She made this by herself, she was listening, she was asking Maxim, and he was giving her hints and teaching her everything.

Q- How often you were seeing Maxim after he left?

The Mother:
We didn’t see each other for about four years. My husband went there after six months for Maxim’s birthday. A year later I also visited him and fixed the place where he lived . Otherwise we were watching him only on TV.

Q-How Albena’s family accepted Maxim?

The Father;
Like a relative. They all love him very much. One time I came in Bulgaria and the choreographer started to complain – that he can’t concentrate and doesn’t stay at one place for a minute. Soon after this I was introduced to Sylvia, Albena’s mother. I was telling her -” Sylvia I fell very uncomfortable, so many complains about Maxim...” and than she answered: - “Just don’t listen to anybody, he is good” .I asked -”Really?”, “Really! And everything is going to be OK “. After this I calmed down.

Q- How was his life in Bulgaria?

The Father:
We rediscovered him .One time we were calling him and his grandmother was asking: “What are you doing? “ He answered –“I am cooking a chicken and washing “. “How are you washing? ““With my hands, Granny, with my hands. “

The Grandmother:
Another time he was calling me: “Granny, how to cook fish soup from a can? Daddy left few cans with fish and I want to make a soup.”

Q- Were you ever offended, that your son is competing for another country?

The Mother:
We ourselves made everything possible for this. We knew that something have to be changed if we want Maxim to make a progress. At that moment, the line of sportsmen, who were waiting to enter the Russian’s team, was very long. And because of this in Russia, Maxim wouldn’t obtain these results, as he did by competing for Bulgaria.

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The sign on the picture of Maxim’s parents

“Reliable family and loving parents – this is the main factor for the success of the champion”

The Father:
We were also lucky, that we convinced them to switch to Natalia Linichuk and Genady Karponosov. Until that time Albena and Maxim were trained by the amazing coach Alexey Gorshkov, their choreographer was Sergey Petukhov. They played a huge role for establishing them. However, beside Albena and Maxim, Gorshkov was also coaching a Russian team / I guess he meant Domnina/Shabalin/ and of course for him was very complicated to threat them equally. The Russian team was a priority. And we tryed to convincin them to go to another coach.

The Grandmother:
They are very loyal and because of this they couldn’t decide for a long time. They were uncertain and worried about it untill the last moment before the switch.

The Father :
They had amazing relationship with Linitchuk and Karponosov.
Their coaches were educators and psychologists. The psychological atmosphere was always very important for Albena. For example she was telling us with delight: ‘‘Can you imagine, Linitchuk called me “little swallow” .One time, during EC in Poland ,everybody went to relax but I and Linitchuk were sitting and talking. She was characterizing them with such a praise that made me wonder if she really meant it. Later, the mother of Genadi Karponosov called us and said; “ We had an evening dedicated to Genadi and the whole time he was talking about Albena and Maxim .”

And, of course we are very grateful, because to walk all this way without receiving the highest prize- it would have been very hard. Yet, Albena and Maxim received it. And not only, but they managed to keep it and became World Champions for second time.


Elena Semikova

Thank you so much! Maxim's Dad, Mom, and Grandmother seem so sweet. It's obvious that Maxim came from a loving family.

viktoria wrote:

Page 3


Sorry for the dealy but i will continue later and post the other 2 pages tonight.

You don´t have to apologize, dear Viki ! We are soooo glad that you are doing the hard translation job into English !!!!!!!

Thank you so much!!!

Viki you are such a sweet heart ...i don't even know what to say besides THANX a lot for this translation. I know it takes time and is not very easy either but you are doing a great job which is very important for members like me who don't speak russian or bulgarian....You rock big time

Many thanks to Siren , to Petra and to Viktoria!!!
This article is interesting and so pleasing...
(The little Maxim was a.... bouncing..baby!! )

Thank you for the support girls. I wasn't ignoring my translation ,just the last few days were very busy for me but i am finally done with the translation and i hope you'll enjoy it.
Piemontensina, you are right he was very hyperactive baby .

Thank you once more again for the translation of the last two pages, dear Viki !