Posted on 2021-08-02 • 2 comments
Anna Shcherbakova for Hello magazine. About sports and life outside the ice.
source: Team Shchernakova Instagram fan page
Sport
Anna Shcherbakova: Since the age of nine I have been training with Eteri Tutberidze. With her I realized that figure skating is my profession, my life. Her approach is that the coach fully invests in the athlete and expects to see the same dedication.
I have never had a desire to quit sports. But there were difficult moments – for example, after a broken leg. Then I had to go to the international competitions for the first time and, of course, I was very worried that I was knocked out of the fight for a whole season. It was difficult to recover both physically and mentally. I had to regain my self-confidence. But having overcome this, I became stronger.
The main achievements at the moment are victories at the Russian Nationals and, of course, at the World Championships. Due to the pandemic, the competitions were very difficult for everyone. Unfortunately, I couldn’t approach it in my pest shape, but everyone fought to the last.
There is huge competition in Russian figure skating, especially in women’s single skating. To show results, you need to be psychologically resistant, to everything so that emotions do not affect your performances. Such confidence came to me last season. Despite the competition at the rink, skaters support each other outside the rink. Each one understands the price of victories.
Support Group
Anna Shcherbakova: I came to figure skating thanks to my older sister Inna. Parents brought me to the sports section together with her. After some time, she focused on her studies, and I stayed in sports.
It is not easy for those close to the athlete: everything revolves around the performances, you have to adjust to the schedule. But my family support me in everything. Mom attends almost all training sessions, goes to competitions. Dad helps with finances. We decided to keep the prize money, but now I am trying to invest some of it in stock, it’s interesting to get such an experience.
In my cheerleading group, there are not only family members, but also fans. They are present at the performances, come up during breaks, congratulate on the holidays. This attitude is very motivating. I can recall many pleasant moments, for example, the Grand Prix in China or the recent show at Megasport, when, after my performance, a huge number of identical teddy bears suddenly flew onto the ice.
Beauty
Anna Shcherbakova: When I come home after a trainings, I want only one thing – go to bed right away. But I always try to take time for beauty procedures: I put on face masks, moisturizers. I don’t forget about my hair: since childhood, I dreamed about growing a certain length, now I regularly trim the ends, use various means to keep my hair strong. I don’t do coloring – the natural color suits me completely.
At competitions we are our own makeup artists. Through trial and error, I learned how to do the makeup that I like. Most often it is standard, but I can add a couple of color accents depending on the program. I also do the hair myself. For girls, collecting for competitions is more difficult than for boys. It is necessary to allocate time to prepare the image, in my case – two hours. I got used to getting ready calmly, not in a hurry.
In ordinary life, I can put on makeup, but not bright. It all depends on the mood. The same is with the choice of perfumes: I am often presented with various scents, especially I love perfumes from Japan.
I don’t go on diets, I just try to eat healthy and balanced. It is important for me to maintain a certain weight in order to be in shape, to perform jumps. In training, I spend a lot of calories, my appetite wakes up. Some athletes refuse to eat before a performance, but I on the contrary, I feel better If I have lunch.
Personal time
Anna Shcherbakova: Next year I graduate from school. The first education that I want to get after is coaching. I really want not only to try myself as an athlete, but also to learn how to transfer experience to others. I also think about the second higher education, but I want to decide on the sphere a little later, there is time.
I don’t have a lot of days off, and I spend them calmly, recovering before training. If we talk about the vacation that falls in the spring, it, on the contrary, is as active as possible. I love to travel, relax at the sea and try something new. This year I was in Dubai, I jumped with a parachute for the first time.
Circus trapeze, tennis, basketball, badminton – I like different activities, but it’s too late to do professionally something other than figure skating. I love to follow the rhythmic gymnastics competitions, I cheer for our athletes. We see each other from time to time – at the base in Novogorsk, where they train all year round.
Due to the huge amount of workouts, most often I can be seen in sportswear. But on special occasions – for example, a banquet, drawing – I like to wear something more feminine. I can put on a dress, high-heeled shoes, a pendant – I have a favorite necklace, a birthday present from my parents.
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