For the second time over two consecutive years Alena became one of the winners of the Russian FSO Awards, Russia’s first independent prize in the field of figure skating. This time Alena won in the Best Ladies Program nomination. Her short program Barynya choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova, was voted last season’s best one.


Alena was given her prize at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia a few weeks ago. The organizers of the Russian FSO Awards once again showed their amazing imagination. The prize is a handmade valenok (Russian traditional felt boot); a postcard depicting the award winner in an old engraving style is sewn to one of its sides and on the other there is the award’s logo and the nomination’s title. The valenok is also decorated with a favor and a silvery skate-shaped charm.

  

Alena Leonova: The recognition of my creative advancement is very important and invigorating for me. Figure skating has several aspects, and creative work is one of the most important ones. That’s why I’m interested in working on vivid and rememberable images, and I always keep it in mind when choosing my programs.

A. L.: I just wanted to do something new, unseen and unskated before by anyone. Of course, I was very fortunate in having music and choreographers like that, because it was my choreographers who tried to find new images in me. So, I’m eager to skate both my programs in full force, with all the elements done clean. I immediately forgot the unsuccessful competition and started thinking about returning home to work on my mistakes. Everybody has bad days sometimes, and you have to accept it and not to lose heart. At my next event I’m going to prove that the failure in Moscow was accidental.

 

A. L.: I’ve had no idea, I couldn’t even imagine it. But I like the valenok very much. The prize is very original and so very Russian. I’d like to amass a collection of your awards in different nominations.

 

Photo by Artem Cherepanov