Elena Davydova gave an interview to Oksana Tonkacheeva for the magazine of the Russian artistic gymnastics federation. She talked about her career as a gymnast and learning innovative elements, such as Tkachev release on bars and also about her career as a coach in Canada and a Brevet judge. Davydova is one of the few people in the artistic gymnastics world who attended the Olympic Games in three roles – a gymnast (for USSR in 1980), a coach (for Canada in 2012) and a judge (also for Canada, in 2016). She started the interview talking about Nadia Comaneci whom she admired and what it meant for her to win gold in the all-around at the 1980 Olympics while Comaneci took silver.
Q: Elena, what does an athlete feel after defeating their idol?
A: Nadia has always been an ideal of a gymnast for me. But we didn’t talk to each other. She barely talked to anyone, she seemed unapproachable. I don’t know, perhaps it was her mental attitude. We didn’t really think about it then. We came, competed and that was it. When I won in Moscow, I had a feeling of satisfaction that I haven’t let anyone down. And a feeling of joy because everything was over. And now Nadia and I are friends. She always invites me and my gymnasts to her competition in the US. I was at the ceremony of inducting into the Hall of Fame that is curated by Nadia and her husband, Bart Conner. By the way, I’ve always thought that you can be friends no matter what. Competition floor is one thing but life is different.
Q: You could’ve fought for the medals with her in Montreal in 1976, right?
A: The Olympic Games was my biggest dream then. But it didn’t happen: I couldn’t do everything that I needed to at the main verification. An injury prevented me.
Q: It’s not hard to guess what you felt at the time.
A: I was so upset, you can’t imagine. But my dream only grew bigger after that. There are people who give up, who think that they won’t be able to do anything. I, on the other hand, felt that I would compete at the Olympic Games in the future. For sure.
Q: Did you not think that in four years you might not be able to compete [for a place on the team] with younger gymnasts?
A: I definitely wasn’t thinking about that. Even though at that time gymnastics was younger. Because you could compete as a senior starting at 14 years old. And trying to make the team at 19 or 20 years old was considered late, especially for the Olympic Games. Although it’s actually a good age. However, I thought that the injuries could prevent me from doing it, there were a lot of them. But this is a different story…
Q: You had very difficult elements in your routines on the national team. Did anyone try to talk you out of competing them?
A: The 1970s were the era of discovering new elements. We were practically attacking them even though there was no method of learning them. Nowadays everyone knows how to start this or that element, which progression drills you need for it, how to hold arms-legs-back correctly. There are all sorts of mats, the apparatuses are completely different. Now the springboards and the floor have springs, the bars are flexible and thin. We worked on thick, wide and oval bars. And I peeled off the bars often – my hands were very small – and I was flying not knowing where. Back then the bars were also placed very close to each other, so often we had to fall between the bars. Or to land on the low bar. But nothing stopped us. For example, it was very hard to learn the Comaneci salto between those narrow bars. But I already did it in 1975, at the national championships in Tbilisi. And Nadia showed this salto, but done in another direction, from the bar, only at the Olympic Games in 1976. Or I watched Aleksandr Tkachev training his releases (we both lived in Voronezh at the time and sometimes trained in the same gym), so I ran to my coach Gennadi Korshunov and told him: why don’t I try this? And the next day I started learning those releases. Then we went to the national team camps and everyone was looking at us in confusion: you invented some sort flying over the bar, like the guys do on the high bar, why?!
Later we moved the low bar further away so that there would be more space for swinging. I invented progression drills in order to understand how to do this element. And, of course, there were a lot of falls before I did the Tkachev on bars.
Or take the beam. We were the first ones in the world to do the forward salto onto the beam. Now it’s done from a springboard but our boards were just two pieces of wood. And the beam itself wasn’t covered in anything, it was just wood and that’s it. The landings on it were very hard. We put foam on our heels. It still hurt but a bit less.
Q: You’re saying you attacked the elements. Was it because you didn’t feel any internal barriers?
A: Yes, it was just interesting. This element isn’t done by anyone yet? I’m doing it! I got excited.
Q: This persistence was characteristic of your generation…
A: Yes, we were different. That’s how we were raised: you have to do it and that’s it. We were brought up patriotic. I remember my hand hurt during the Olympics in Moscow. I couldn’t put weight on it but I had to compete. I had to discover some sort of internal resources in myself in order to overcome the unbearable pain. It will sound dramatic but that’s exactly what I was thinking at the time: “My grandfather died in the war. And I’m competing for my Homeland. Compared to what people endured during the war, the competition is a feast. So what if my hand is hurting?!” That’s what I was thinking but at some point, I just saw stars in my eyes because of the pain. And I still did everything. And no one even knew about my issue.
Q: When you were leaving gymnastics, did you already know what you were going to do in the future?
A: I switched to studying at the Lesgaft Physical Culture Institute in Leningrad. I tried not to neglect my studies even before. We had a very good class, my friends gave me their notes, helped to prepare for exams. And the professors met me halfway, some even tutored me one-on-one. It helped me. That’s why after basically missing a year because of the preparation for the Olympics, I asked to give me a chance to finish with my class. I finished two years of coursework in one year and got my diploma together with my classmates. Meanwhile, I also competed at Worlds. And then I went to graduate school. I guess it’s my character.
Q: “Non-traditional preparation of best gymnasts for competitions” – that’s the name of your PhD dissertation. Why did you choose this topic?
A: I wanted my work to be actually useful to gymnastics and not just a formality. Many of the things I was going to write about I actually experience myself. For example, after one injury, I was advised to try a method of strengthening the joints that was successfully used by astronauts after spending time in space. And this method of physical therapy made it possible for me to recover faster. Of course, I wrote about it in my dissertation. I was helped by internationally famous professors of medicine Kim Ivanov, Leonid Korolyov, and Viktor Plakhtiyenko. It doesn’t mean that someone did some work instead of me. I’ve always been confident: you have to do your work yourself. And I spent a whole year in the medical libraries of Moscow and Leningrad. And another four years of hard work.
Q: And then?
A: After defending the dissertation, I tried teaching at the institute. I liked it. But gymnastics is splashes, always some emotions, adrenaline… I missed all that. Of course, I couldn’t imagine what is it to work as a coach. It’s very hard work. You see a talented girl, you understand what she’ll be able to achieve, work with her patiently for a long time and then – boom, she doesn’t want anything anymore. And what can you do? Sometimes you need to develop a talent by pushing them to something. And sometimes, it’s the opposite, you have to leave the person alone for a while. That is, you always have to be in charge of the process. My coach, Gennady Fyodorovich Korshunov did exactly that. He didn’t pressure me, didn’t interfere. We had an agreement: if I can, I’ll give my 100%. And if I can’t (I’m tired or not feeling well) – don’t bother me. Of course, sometimes there were misunderstandings. But in general, we had a good relationship with my coach.
Now that I’m working with gymnasts, I understood another thing: girls have to be trained by a female coach. Women pay attention to small things. When I saw my routines, I got upset – here the knees weren’t straight, here the toes weren’t pointed… How could I do it this way? There was a choreographer on the team and, of course, I had help. But I think that if originally a female coach worked with me, there would be less of these errors. That’s what I’m trying to get from my gymnasts now.
Q: How did you end up in Canada?
A: It’s a personal story. Or rather, a problem. The complications of a difficult birth seriously affected the health of my oldest son. The treatment that our doctors offered wasn’t helping. Dima needed to get proper treatment and medicine adjustments twice a day but my husband and I didn’t know what to do and where to go. And then the interruptions in the supply of food and medicine in the country. If someone told me then that I would have a second child… Now Dima is fine, he has his own family, a daughter. And Pavel and I have Anton [our second son]. But back then I would say: never! That period was too hard for us.
The coaching work [in Russia] was barely paid at the time, the gyms were closing down. And in that sense, I had it good. I had a gym, an opportunity for career growth. But my mother responsibilities prevailed – what wouldn’t you do for your baby? When I was invited to work at a club, we all moved [to Canada]. We thought: let’s have a check-up, let’s see how Dima will be feeling. Perhaps, we’ll stay there for a year. That is, we didn’t plan to stay there forever. Even now, when I come to Russia, it’s like I never left. My soul never left!
Q: Lena, did you find your place in Canadian gymnastics right away?
A: Not at all. I didn’t like some things in the beginning. There was no discipline. The kids did whatever they wanted, they didn’t listen to coaches. The judging system was in complete disarray. There was not a single one judge-coach, can you imagine? Either housewives or amateurs judged competitions. How can that be? I come to them, ask them: why did my gymnast get such scores? They’re saying to me: you’re a coach, you don’t understand anything, move aside! I was beyond outraged. The coaches were on their own, the judges – on their own, there was no contact between them. But coaches and judges have to work together.
Q: How did you manage to change this situation?
A: I guess it’s my character again. I just didn’t want to go to work [because of that]. And I decided: I’ll be looking for an opportunity for the judges and coaches to understand each other. And so that the judges would respect the coaches. After all, it would only benefit gymnastics. I started judging more, I passed all the necessary exams. The coaching work became better, some decent gymnasts appeared… And somehow everything went on from there. Right now this is exactly the kind of work going on in Canada, judges and coaches work with full respect towards each other.
Q: What’s the work process in your club?
A: There’s no such thing that a kid comes and we steer them in some direction. At first, there’s a recreational class: they learn to do rolls, cartwheels, bridges. There are kids that immediately stand out among their peers due to their natural talent. We propose to the parents to spend more time on training, to prepare for competitions. But many don’t hide that they plan to leave gymnastics after getting a good physical preparation and got into other sports. And there are quite a few talented girls but out of them perhaps two continue. Ok, we’ll try with those two. In the US, the situation is better in that aspect. There are a lot of gyms there, the kids come in crowds. The parents realize that gymnastics can give their child a better future. That’s why it’s not so hard to assemble a good group there.
Q: Honestly, when I saw packed stands during the last Worlds in Montreal, I thought that Canada isn’t that different from the US in that aspect. And, honestly, I was jealous…
A: The Worlds were very well advertised. People in Canada like artistic gymnastics but don’t forget: the number one sport here is hockey. And if you come to the national championships in artistic gymnastics, you won’t see full stands, same as in Russia.
Q: Can it be said that nowadays Canadian gymnastics has its own school, its own flavor?
A: The coaches who came here from Russia and the other FSU countries, of course, played a big role in the Canadian gymnastics development. But our own school… No. One coach has one style, another has a different one. And no one tries to lead it all to one ideal. There are no centralized camps in Canada, the coaches work in their own clubs, each puts something of their own to each gymnast. And we’re trying to preserve each gymnast. It’s not America where if one gymnast can’t keep up, there’s another one and that’s why only the strongest survive there. By the way, I want to say special thanks to Andrey Fyodorovich Rodionenko. During his years of working in Canada, the authority of a coach grew a lot. Even the medals are awarded to both a gymnast and a coach. You’d think it’s a small thing, but it’s very important that your work is being noticed.
Q: Is Elena Davydova a strict coach?
A: Depends on the situation. There’s no sense in being strict just because, without a reason. Kids are kids, especially when they’re growing up. You have to trust them more. But of course, if they can’t force themselves to work, you have to change the tune. After all, our sport is very difficult. Then, we talk about life. I explain to them that it’s their life and life can’t always be easy.
Q: What are you most proud of [as a coach]?
A: It’s hard to say. No, honestly. I’ve never thought that something good would come out of it. Because you keep working and never know which result you’ll get. If the result is good – you’re happy. Of course, then you’re proud of yourself. But being proud doesn’t mean it’s getting in your head. You just know that you endured it, you made it.
Q: You could just be a coach but you also have a successful judging career and became a member of the FIG technical committee…
A: Gymnastics is my life. If I see a good girl, if she wants to train, I can’t not teach her what she is potentially able to do. I can’t not give her the chance to realize: she’s better than she thinks. And the opposite: if I see that a girl is not keeping up, I need to soften that blow, to try not to allow any negativity. Having done one step forward, you always want to do another step. It’s not a goal in itself – to be someone. We always have a process: when such kids come to gymnastics, they want to be better, better and even better. Even at school, they need to get the best grades. Because they’re competitive. They want to be the first. And they want to be the best.
It’s the same with me. After all, judging is a serious test. You have to learn all the rules to the last dot. And of course, I needed to prove that a coach knows gymnastics no worse than a judge that doesn’t work in the sport. Gradually, the recognition and respect came. And now, to the next step forward.
Q: And do you have coaching ambitions? For example, to prepare an Olympic champion?
A: The best you can do is to try. Some lack tumbling ability, some lack coordination. There’s no such bag from which an Olympic champion appears. I’ve always had gymnasts on the national team and I have two now. You train them till they’re 18 and then they go to America because they’re offered scholarships there. Well, [Elsabeth] Black stayed, she’s studying here. But many left. And there’s nothing you can do, you have to start from scratch.
Q: How do you separate your emotions when both Canadians and Russians compete?
A: Oh, I’m nervous for everyone equally. For the first time, a Canadian girl became a World medalist in the all-around. Of course, it’s a huge success and joy for me. The Canadian gymnasts are growing, upgrading their difficulty. But how nervous I was for Lena Eremina! There are really good girls on the Russian national team right now, talented, beautiful! Perhaps, they lack the confidence that we had on the USSR team. We went out on the competition floor and knew: we will win! Because you’re a member of the team that was called the flagship of international gymnastics. That’s how the Americans carry themselves now. Our girls need to do the same: even before the competition, they need to feel that they’re the best!
Q: The rules for the current Olympic quad have already been formulated. Does the FIG technical committee have any thoughts regarding in which direction gymnastics will develop further?
A: We need to see, to survey the specialists. We’ll be asking the coaches’ opinions around the world: what they want to see, what they want to do so that gymnastics would get better. I consider this approach to be right. A few people can’t decide for the whole world. On the other hand, when there are too many opinions, when they’re tugging in different directions, it’s not right either. That’s why you need to collect all the proposals and see which of them are similar. For example, currently, many think that there should be less difficulty and more bonuses for artistry and clean execution.
Q: After Comaneci, have you admired any other gymnast as an ideal for a balanced approach to creating routines? Or just someone that you get goosebumps when watching them?
A: I liked a lot of gymnastics. Biles is a phenomenal gymnast, she’s unique. It’s like you’re watching someone not human tumbling and twisting in front of you. I like Aliya Mustafina. She’s stepping on the floor and – wow! – you see right away that she’s a queen. Or Lena Eremina, for example. She’s so beautiful. She lacks experience for now: she comes out and is afraid to show herself because she’s afraid to make a mistake. But the experience will come. And our ballet, our choreography, they’re the best! I talked to Vera Iosifovna Kiryashova – perhaps, Lena is so beautiful because they pay so much attention to choreography. Soon, there will be no one equal to her.
Q: I want to ask – do you have some personal space not related to gymnastics in any way? Or perhaps a dream?
A: Yeah, to go fishing somewhere. To sit at the lake in order to distract myself from gymnastics for a bit. After all, my head is always full, I come home and think: here something didn’t work, why? What else can I do, which drills should I create? Why did we forget this thing? And then, by the time I reply to all the emails… Parents are parents, there will always be some complaints or misunderstandings. By the time I sort everything out, it’s late night already. And at night, the thoughts about gymnastics fill my head again.
You’re asking me why did gymnastics drew me in so hard, and I don’t know what to tell you. Honestly. I wasn’t even selected in the beginning. My mom tried to find something else for me to do but I ran away from the exam for the music school. Kids like to roll over, to do cartwheels, to overcome themselves and do the next element and the next. I think the love for the sport is in my blood. I watched artistic gymnastics on TV and learned how to do to splits and handstands at home. The coach promised – whoever will master a handstand will be allowed to jump on the trampoline. And I remember how we went to the trampoline for the first time. And there was Luba Burda, beautiful, slender. While I was small and stocky. Perhaps, I wasn’t selected at first because the coaches had a different idea of a gymnast. And my coach and I started moving in a different direction. That’s how it was supposed to me. It would happen this way in any case.
Photo: Durhamregion.com
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