- You have already participated in the Panin Memorial three years ago and placed 3rd. Has anything changed since then? What is your evaluation of the tournament’s level and organization? - Surely, there are changes for the better. First, there are more participants from other Russian cities. Then, the organization standards improved. For example, now you can watch live results on a plasma screen. On the whole, I think that our Academy is quite capable of hostung event of such level.
- There are plans to include the Panin Memorial in the ISU official calendar, so that skaters, first of all Russians, could receive points for the ISU Standings here in St. Petersburg. What is your opinion? - It would be great, because the places skaters hold in the ISU Standings are very important for them. As for me, I certainly won’t miss the opportunity to skate on the home ice. The more events you enter the more confident you become.
- It has always been easier for you to compete abroad than in Russia, let alone in your home town and on your home ice. What it felt like to come out to the ice these days? - I tried to think that both programs were a kind of practice, only before judges and audience. I succeeded in skating a clean short program, but in the free skating I landed first two jumps poorly, became a little confused and couldn’t gather myself to do the next ones well.
- In the short program we once again saw you do the 3T-3T combination. It’s your third difficult combination this season. Have you been working on it for a long time? You had ventured on the 3-3 combination in the short program only once, at Europeans last year, and failed. Why did you decide to try it again? - I started working on the 3T-3T combination on my birthday. That day I skated in high spirits and did everything with eases. So I decided to try the combination and did it almost on the first try. Since that practice I did it every day and now it is the 3-3 combination that I can do most confidently. That’s why we decided to put it in the short program and it worked out. I think that in the time left before the Russian Nationals I and Alla Yakovlevna will think over some changes in the jump elements in the free program.
The Panin Memorial competitions concluded yesterday in St. Petersburg. Alena finished second. 