Russian gymnasts returned from their training camps in Cyprus (MAG) and Spain (WAG). The Russian gymnastics federation posted quotes from gymnasts about the camps on their Facebook page.
Here’s the English translation of the quotes.
Elena Eremina
“Recovery camps are different from the regular training camps because there’s a lesser training load. Of course, we tried to rest more – we played beach volleyball, rode bikes a lot, swam, sunbathed. But, at the same time, we still had one full training session each day. I had a vacation after the Euros, I had school exams and trained fewer hours with a lesser load but I still went to the gym every day. So, you can call this camp in Spain sort of a vacation for me.”
Nikita Nagornyy
“I never had a vacation without training. Even when I was a child, Olga Ivanovna – my first coach – was taking us to Mihailovka, that’s near Rostov, and we were training there. Now we have recovery camps once a year in the summer, after the Euros. Of course, I’d like to go to such camps more often, especially after serious competitions, like Worlds or Euros. In my opinion, we don’t even have to go to the sea, it’s enough just to have a change of scenery.
At the recovery camps we, of course, rest more, but still stay active. First thing on the beach the guys and I are looking for a court with a net and play volleyball. Generally, I always travel to the sea resorts with the team. When there are a few vacation days between the camps, I try to spend them at home with my family in Rostov.”
Daria Spiridonova
“At the recovery camp in Spain, we combined training and active vacation. We worked on new elements and paid special attention to conditioning. I can say that vacations, in a general sense, are not for us because after a proper vacation it would be too hard to get back in shape. Of course, we can allow ourselves some ice cream but everything is best in moderation.”
Nikolai Kuksenkov
“At the Round Lake, we’re training two times a day and there’s also a morning conditioning session which starts at 7:30. The recovery training camps happen once a year, usually, at some sea resorts. Of course, I’d want them to happen more frequently.
They choose a place for the camps with a gym nearby so that we wouldn’t get out of shape. After the morning training, we have the whole day free so we try to rest. Usually, we spend time on the beach with the guys, playing cards or backgammon. This time the whole team rode a banana boat, this was cool!”
Photo: Getty Images
