2000
From Volume 5 Issue 4 (Summer/Fall 2000) of Grace and Gold, the official newsletter of the Gordeeva & Grinkov International Fan Club (1995-2001). Copyright © G&G IFC and reprinted with permission at the G&G corner. Please do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
INTERVIEW WITH ARTUR DMITRIEV
[Editor's Note: This interview by Carol Radel took place in the fall of 1999 at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey. G&G photos from 1993 Skate Canada on page 15 are courtesy of Marg Burwell.]
Interviewer's Preface: When Marci Hardy asked me to ask Artur Dmitriev if he would be willing to talk a little about his relationship with Sergei and Katia, he could not have been more generous with his time. I would like to thank him for openly sharing his feelings. Our interview was conducted entirely in English. -- Carol Radel, President of the Official Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze Fan Club.
Q. To start, when did you first meet Sergei, and what are some of your earliest memories of him?
A. I don't remember exactly when I met him the first time, but it was during
some competitions... Oh! I remember! It was 1987, during the (USSR)
National Championship in Vilnius. Vilnius is now in a different republic, a
separate country from Russia [Note: it's the capital of Lithuania].
It was a great championship and they were first in this competition, and I
am just start(ing). I was something like 10th or maybe 9th. I just start
in pairs in 1986, so just after one year, it was my first time in this
competition.
They were first, and I saw them and I like their skating. It was not
really (that I) liked him as a person yet, because I met him like a friend
later. So this first time I like their skating, and of course, I tried to
take the best parts from all the couples. Old couples, new couples - it
doesn't matter because I just try to take the best and put this in my
skating. I don't mean elements. I mean the style and some ideas and
preparation for skating. This was very interesting for me, because they
(G&G) skate very clean, very soft. I saw them and they gave me new
motivation to work more on corrections on my program.
Q. When did you become better friends?
A. Later we spent a lot of time in Moscow. Near Moscow is a sports place, Novogorsk [training center for elite Russian athletes], and we spent a lot of time together. We compete and practice together, and he was a very tough skater. Very serious and tough. He was tough man with himself and with everybody who is around because he doesn't like to lose! This is very important for athletes of course, but (smiling) he really doesn't like to lose! And it made him seem strong, but also a little bit like an untouchable person. But later we spend more time together, good times, and he's a good guy!
Q. Do you have any funny memories of him that his fans might find interesting?
A. Usually I spent time with him during the serious season, you know... practice... of course we had parties sometimes, but I was living in St. Petersburg, a different city.
Q. Was it ever hard to separate competing and being friends?
A. You know, before (in the past) there was very big competition between the
Moscow and St. Petersburg school, and the skaters hate each other! When I
started skating, and a few other guys I knew then, we just talked about
friendship and everything, and we made connections and think we don't need
the fighting off the ice, you know? If you want to fight, fight on the ice
but not during normal life. And we had a great time. We helped each other.
We start to be kind and appreciated the skating, not like the young people
who try to fight and forget about life. It was work, and I remember it was
hard time to make the connection. And then we are not very close friends
yet because we live in different cities, but when we spent time together,
(it) was warm and we never had problems.
Of course, competition is competition. Of course, they compete with us
and we compete with them for sure! But in life we must try to make balance
between this, and this works perfectly. And later when we compete, I
appreciate how hard they work and they know how difficult what we do is...
and we just appreciate the professionalism and the love of this sport,
figure skating. And later we had a good time, a special, special time when
we were growing, when we were a little bit older, when we think more about
life, and when the babies were coming. Maybe because we have the same age,
and the babies (Artur's son Artur, Jr. and Daria) came the same month -
September (1992). It's interesting - maybe a difference of five or seven
days.
Q. Was it any harder, or any different to compete against them when you [and Natalia Mishkuteniok and G&G] both reinstated in 1994?
A. No. Well, it's different because before we were not so close. But in 94 we were at the same level of sport, and we live in the same house during the Olympic competition! Same house, just next door! We had breakfast together, came to practice together, everything! And this is so difficult, but we made this friendly. It's difficult because Olympic Games is very tough competition, and some people just must concentrate and they have misunderstandings because this is nerves, big nerves. You don't understand how big - you can't make this in normal life. No! In normal life it's not possible, it's different. The same nerves during Olympic Games can change a person, so it's very important that a person is strong and smart and just tries to be correct and makes their life the smart way. But we don't have any problems (with Katia and Sergei). And very special, after the competition, we spent time together. We went to the sauna together, make the parties together, everything. And this is great! It's fantastic! I hope everyone after us can do the same.
Q. Are you still friendly with Katia?
A. Yes. For me it was very difficult to see her first time, after Sergei... you know. Also, everybody asked me to skate with her. I don't know... she never asked me, but everybody asked me about this. Maybe it's not bad idea, but I can't do this because... I just had the different thinking about this couple! I want to keep this couple like something magic, something in history. Because, of course, we can[not] skate [in Olympic-eligible competitions] because she is professional and I try to do my best, but it's just different. Maybe it would have been good for shows, but in my life five or six years ago... I can't do this. And now I think I (was) right, and I made the choice to skate with another partner [Oksana Kazakova, with whom he won the 1998 Olympic gold medal in pairs].
Q. Do you ever get to watch Katia as a singles skater?
A. Of course, and for me, it looks great! Because it's very difficult for a pairs skater skating singles. Not technically, but in the mind because it's just so different. But Katia, she is great. She is talented. I don't really like singles skating a lot. I like great skaters, but I think pairs skating is the nicest sport. But they were great skaters, and now Katia skates great singles! No question!
Q. Where were you and how did you find out that Sergei had died?
A. Good question, but this is an interesting and a little bit of a sad story
The same day was our choreographer Alexander Matveev's birthday, and
everybody was (together) for this in Russia. And Elena Bechke called us
from the States about this accident, that this happened, and we don't
believe it! We don't think it's joke or course, but we don't believe it
because it must be a mistake or something like that. It made me a little
bit crazy and I just felt very, very bad.
After this, nobody came to Moscow from St. Petersburg, just myself and my
friend. Nobody from skating.
Q. For the funeral?
A. Yes. I have a jeep, and I just take it and I put all the flowers in.
The jeep is full, no seats, because so many flowers. It's just completely
full with flowers. And just me together with my friend, we drive all night
to the funeral.
It's strange story, because our wheel (tire) broke, so we changed the
wheel, and about 100 miles from Moscow another wheel broke, and we
don't have another wheel to change. We stopped the police, and they
stopped another car and asked them to help us drive to someplace to
repair my wheels, because we don't have a lot of service like in the United
States, like you can call and they come help. Especially at two in the
morning!
(As he tells the story, Artur is visibly touched.) The other car, these
two guys, they say OK and drive me to Moscow. It's like 100 miles, but they
drive me to repair the wheels, and they wait and then they drive me back
again. And they won't take any money. I asked them many times and they
said no. It was strange. These guys, one of them knew Sergei's father very
well. He worked with him and knew him very well so they wanted to do this.
It was amazing, like something from a story. But thanks to them, we got
there.
Q. Is there anything you would like to say about Sergei, or anything you'd want his fans to know?
A. (Thinks for some time). No, really because when I think of this I still sometimes get a little bit crazy and upset. He was a very good man.
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