SynchroNice / Third Edition / 2018

SYNCHRO NICE 17 One of the teams we know very little about, but were breathtaking in their programs last season and even became World Champion 2017 is Junior Team “Junost” from Yekaterinburg, Russia. Of course, we want to know all about this team so we asked their very talented Coach Natalia Sannikova and their leading skater, team captain Liza Medvedeva to answer some questions for SynchroNice Magazine. Hello Natalia, what is your role with Team Junost? Well I am a Figure Skating Coach and also director of Sports Complex “Junost” in Yekaterinburg. You must really love Synchronized Skating to create such beautiful programs, how did you ever start skating or coaching yourself? When I was a little child I started Singles Figure Skating. I always loved ice-skating even frommy very first steps on the Ice as a little child and I always dreamed about becoming a Skating Coach one day or even an Ice Director. After I went to the University of Chelyabinsk and graduated in Physics my dream finally came true and I started working as a coach with Single Figure skaters. But you are still so very young? Yes, I was born 8 August in 1971… I already had the opportu- nity to create some really nice Ice Shows like the…. Famous Fairy tales “Peer Gynt” by Edvard Grieg and “Sleeping Beauty” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, I really love to make those Ice shows. But how did this switch to Synchronized skating? I first learned about Synchronized skating in 1997 when my son was born and that’s the same year my other child, my own Synchro Team was born. Our first encounter and learning experiences were with Synchronized Skating teams from some of the neighbouring towns like Pervouralsk and Perm. I still remember every step and every movement they made being so interesting and surprising to us. Much later we went to compete in our first National Champion- ship in St. Petersburg. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was to watch Senior teams from Samara, Kazan and St. Petersburg, all just beautiful. So, I put everything I learned and saw into my own team and slowly I shaped this team that became better year after year. Then we saw the International Idols for the first time. Teams like the Rockettes and Marigold IceUnity from Finland but also the Swed- ish teams were stunning. So, you are a fan of these teams? Yes of course, but I also like the American and Canadian Synchro style, because they always skate so very smooth and in unison. How about the progression Synchronized Skating is making in the world? Well, it’s incredible, the huge steps that have been made in our sport over the past decade. Synchro is rapidly developing in Russia as well and that is just great. At this point, NATALIA SANNIKOVA LIZA MEDVEDEVA & Coach & captain