Believe it or not, only four months have passed since RRG published its interview with the former WAG national coach of Russia, less than a year since Alexander Alexandrov left Lake Krugloye (for good?), and not even 18 months since Russia took the silver in that Olympic team final. So much has changed in Russian gymnastics since 2010 ... there has been a toning down of expectations, a growing hush around goings-on at Lake Krugloye, an almost deliberate talking down of the prospects of the next generation (who are, admittedly, very thin on the ground). I am speaking here exclusively of WAG - the situation in MAG seems different and will not be addressed in this post.
Checking the statistics of my blog readership is an almost daily activity for me. Finding links to my blog posts is always a surprise, and I am delighted that anyone finds time to read my blog at all, let alone comment on it! When I published the Alexandrov interview I knew there would be plenty of attention. It has been a joy for me to discover that my fascination for the intricacies of Russian gymnastics, and how they reflect the broader picture of Russian culture and society, is shared all over the place. The first part of Alexander's interview with me is the single most read post on this blog, which has to date received in total over 2.3 million page views and is followed on Facebook by more than 2,700 readers. My Alexandrov interview has also been translated into Russian, French and Chinese, so its readership has been far wider than if it had remained on RRG alone.
I have followed Alexander's career right from the early days of Bilozerchev's emergence as Junior European Champion in 1982. During the Soviet era and beyond, the coaches provided a link of continuity from one generation of short-lived competitors to the next. They also gave a depth of verbal commentary and analysis that was usually inaccessible from the competitors themselves. Young girls do not often have much of great interest to say, and hyper-talented gymnasts (who have mostly known not much more than the inside of a gymnasium) still less. So a mature coach's politically aware, often very eloquent, commentary provided some depth to the developing gymnastics narrative.
The story of Alexandrov is doubly engrossing in that it also involves closely another leading coach of the Soviet era - Andrei Rodionenko. Of course, it is only natural that these highly driven, leader types will occasionally clash. (Read Zaglada's (2010) From East to West for more examples (the author is another highly engrossing character)). Much of what a coach will say is dictated by his or her professional responsibility to promote the best psychological environment for the gymnast, and in a subjective sport like gymnastics to 'set the scene' and establish the assumptions upon which the judging decisions will be formed. The Soviet coaches were supreme in this respect. Read closely any interview with Rostorotsky, Arkayev, Alexandrov, Aksenov - almost any of this ilk and era - and you will find in the vocabulary themes of artistry, innovation, work ethic, sacrifice, the victory of the human spirit. All of these set the tone for the way the sport was perceived and judged, providing the Soviet gymnasts with the moral upper hand. (There was, incidentally, never any problem rewarding artistry in those days ...) How sad, though, that twenty years later a Russian 'coach' used the power of the coaching narrative in a battle against her own gymnasts and coaches ...
In his interview, Alexandrov reveals some little-known history of Rodionenko's time as Soviet WAG head coach in the mid-1980s, including the shocking defeat of the Soviet women in 1987 and Rodionenko's subsequent sacking after the 1988 Olympics. While Alexandrov goes easy on Andrei R at this point, it is clear that the smaller man would have sufficient hurt pride to want to deny the other credit for his victories. I am not sure that everything can come down to simple jealousy, but in this one story Alexandrov opens a can of worms that Rodionenko has yet to answer at all. Rodionenko, unlike his larger than life wife, is a quiet man, and uses this to his advantage.
I confess I sometimes feel sorry for Valentina, who comes across to me as a woman out of her depth, desperately trying to do the right thing by her family, and set the world into some kind of moral order. Valentina has not always been so audibly protective of her clan, and one wonders if her husband's illness (c 2010) has had anything to do with the outspoken verbal attacks that ultimately led to Alexandrov's untimely departure. In person, Valentina is probably the kind of Russian grandmother who stops strangers in the street to scold them for not dressing up warmly against the harsh Russian winter. Given the scale and broadcast capabilities of the internet, her nature has become a PR disaster for the Russians.
Alexandrov's career has spanned two very different historical eras - pre- and post-Soviet - oh, and there was that very uncomfortable bit in the middle where no Russian knew where they were going or how they would survive (the time that left an enormous scar on the face of gymnastics that we are beginning to see only now). When I first interviewed Alexandrov, back in 1989, Gorbachov's post-chill era of Glasnost (openness) was in full swing, but it still seemed unusual to be talking with a Russian. The facial expressions of Russian men are much more stoical and seem to lack animation compared to Western norms, so I expected a difficult time. I was mistaken. In fact, gymnastics had long since celebrated the spirit of Glasnost. We had been told that the Soviet politicians wanted to use sport to convince their Cold War enemies of the superiority of their system. Perhaps they achieved this, but they also made us love their gymnastics. Once gymnastics fell into the hands of the sports practitioners, the politics became less important, people made friends and discovered they were the same in many ways. Listening to Alexandrov speak in 1989 was no different to reading his words in 2013 - they are the same person. Alexandrov's candour is his strength, chilly political weather or not.
When his daughter, Isa, approached me in July to invite me to interview her father - I almost shot through the ceiling in surprise. Later, I understood that this blog was the right place for an English language interview because the context had already been set by means of the many translations of Russian language newspaper articles by Lupita, readers' comments on them (largely supportive of Alexandrov and usually damning in their response to Valentina) and my analyses and stories of how Russian gymnastics was developing. My 'small' personal blog, my almost obsessive focus on Russian gymnastics and what makes it tick, and the social networking connections of the internet opened up a new angle on Russian gymnastics - it isn't 'all my fault' that Valentina was unleashed on the world at large, but I do have to take a little responsibility for it. It was also true to say that Alexandrov had been asked by the Russian Minister for Sport to maintain air silence in the Russian press. I am not sure why.
I understand from a source close to the Russian team that people were quite surprised to hear that what they had said in the Russian press had reached the ears of English language speakers outside of Russia. Valentina has been more careful recently, and there have been some interesting pieces of journalism emerging in the Russian press, some even with English language translations, like the recent article on the migration of coaches that you will find linked on this blog. It is not without precedent for the Russian press to write something interesting, and I am not trying to say that gymnastics has single-handedly changed the nature of Russian journalism. But perhaps Russia's world view is shifting, barely perceptibly, to embrace a less parochial standpoint on sport than one that believes that only Russians are interested. Other internet-related phenomena have occurred, forcing an outward shift in focus in some of the Russian press, and the recent release of many high profile political prisoners, in the run up to the Sochi Olympics, shows that Russia is becoming more conscious of its public image in the rest of the world, even if only for a short while to avoid embarrassing protest at the Games. But speaking more locally, the gymternet and its response to the furore caused not only by Alexandrov (who actually spoke out very little until his interview with me) but more by Valentina Rodionenko has, to an extent, made Russia aware of the international interest in its gymnasts - I hope they use it to their benefit, and that we can read more and more out of Russia.
The interview and its implications have still been nothing like comprehensively discussed or analysed in the English language media. Some people have maintained a frosty silence on the subject. I can't completely understand why, for example, IG has not even linked to the interview - it surely would not compromise their impartiality or relationship with the Russian team, and it is hard to imagine an equivalent situation where the leading football magazine did not cover the falling out of Sir Alex Ferguson with Wayne Rooney, or any one of the many controversies surrounding this mercurial individual. I would add, there is a great deal more depth to Alexandrov's story than has been realised, and the tabloid treatment it has been accorded in certain corners does it no justice at all. It was a very difficult article to publish, not just because of its volume but also to edit and contextualise sufficiently for the specialist audience who read this blog. I can envisage it will give me a lot of work for a very long time. There is already a book chapter in press, to which the interview has contributed.
There was a time when I thought that the interview would never really happen, that what had to be said was too complex to express simply, and risked too many reputations. In the end the mere fact that Alexandrov was prepared to say so much speaks volumes for the desperate situation both he and Russian women's gymnastics has faced.
I still do not believe that the full story has been revealed, nor have the full consequences yet been felt. There will always be more questions, but Alexandrov must get sick of the subject. The Rodionenkos must have their own story to tell and I feel sad that they have not so far comprehensively and openly responded, but I suppose perhaps the right time or opportunity has yet to present itself.
The interview, at close to 15,000 words, is very long and for quite a few this is also a barrier to full understanding. Many people have read only the plagiarised Tumblr extracts, and those themselves were often based on only a partial reading of the text or even simply a secondary, incomplete source. The majority of those who bothered to follow the links read only the first part of the five part interview, when much of the really interesting stuff lay well beyond the capture of any headline in parts two, three, four and five. Now everyone thinks they are an expert on Valentina and Russian gymnastics because they have read a few quotes on Tumblr, and all Russian gymnastics' problems are blamed on Valentina. Which I think is rather unfair to be honest, and accords too much power to a woman who has never spotted a tumble in her life.
If you are one of the people who ploughed through all five parts - and read some of the earlier pieces - and have stayed with me to this point - you get a gold star! No, five! Everyone else (said in my best stentorian university lecturer tone) - find your spectacles, and get reading!! I will give the links at the end of this post (there surely can't be much more for me to say?).
Could Alexandrov make a difference to Russian gymnastics?
At the end of my interview I asked Alexander if he would ever return to Moscow and Lake Krugloye. He replied - basically - 'wait and see'. Shortly after the interview was published I had a discussion with someone who has worked close to the Soviet and Russian teams for many years. He said something that I found incredible - that he believed that any good coach could deliver results, and that those results were dependent on the availability of talent, not on the identity of the coach. Nothing really made any difference if there were no talent available, but a talented team would win with any well trained, able coach. In other words, Alexandrov wouldn't have made much difference, anyway.
Perhaps he was trying to take the emotion out of a difficult situation; and the point is not that much different to one made by Alexandrov himself, that is to say that you cannot train a gymnast beyond the limit of his or her natural ability. Champions are born, not made. Then again, without the right motivation, structure and discipline to her training, even the most talented gymnast won't reach her full potential. And with the right spirit, forged by great team leadership, a team can transcend itself, find confidence and fight for medals when all hope is lost. This work does not only take place on the competition floor, but in the gym every day. The coach does make a difference. But what my friend said is worthy of more thought if we want to decide whether Alexandrov could change things.
He said that the availability of talent was critical - well, Russia had the core of the most talented team on the planet in 2012, and as far as I know all of those gymnasts still have a wish to continue. But a wish is far from a promise in gymnastics, and any gymnastics team is reliant on its reserves. Former Soviet supremo Leonid Arkayev believed that the reason for the Soviet team's success during the 1980s was the degree of competition involved in securing a competitive spot at the major competitions. 1981 and 1985 World Champion Yuri Korolev once said that the fiercest competition he ever waged was the Soviet Championships. 1956 and 1960 Olympic Champion Larissa Latynina pointed out recently that in its heyday, the Soviet Cup attracted more than 150 competitors, while today the Russian Cup numbers a measly 24.
Beyond the top four gymnasts in Russia, there are few, if any, gymnasts who could rival for medals at World Championships. This year the team has been forced to recall veterans like Kramarenko to the fold to reinforce the reserve. First year senior, Shelgunova, has not been good enough to call for duty at the big competitions. In the current crop of juniors, there is not even one strong all around competitor. Bondareva is the only girl who carries the Russian tradition of classical excellence, but in common with her generation she has too little difficulty. The others - Kharenkova, for example - are mostly specialists, or at least have distinct weaknesses. Besides, the transition to senior level is always precarious for these very young girls.
Russian gymnastics has historically harboured a great many very talented juniors, so this depletion of its ranks is unprecedented. Its eternal weakness has been the ability to bring through its talented juniors to full senior contribution. Yet in 2010, under Alexander Alexandrov, a team of five gymnasts that included three first year seniors - Mustafina, Nabiyeva, Dementyeva - won the world team gold medal for Russia for the first time in its history. First year senior Aliya Mustafina, coached by Alexandrov, won the gold all around and qualified to all four event finals. The team were pushing the boundaries and showing work of a high level of difficulty.
Alexandrov's account makes it clear that as soon as his team began to experience success, the Rodionenkos' jealous actions began, and he was undermined. With hindsight the symptoms of his alienation could be seen in his own actions - for example, an uncharacteristic decision to expose his athlete Aliya Mustafina to the unnecessary pressure of competing in the American Cup. It was a risk that did not pay off when she lost, then went on to suffer a serious knee injury in that spring's European Championships. Alexandrov's alienation was also clear at the 2011 World Championships, when he barely showed his face with his team on the competition floor, the affable Evgeny Grebyonkin, uneven bars coach, taking the front seat.
All had not been well in the Russian camp for some time and Lake Krugloye was a difficult environment for any coach to thrive in, particularly one who had enjoyed some autonomy and success, and expected respect from his superiors. Oleg Ostapenko became national junior coach, but resigned somewhat hastily after little more than a year in position, claiming in a letter to Rodionenko that his decisions were overlooked, that he was not kept informed. He had the option of leaving, and took it, moving back to Brazil. He was one of five senior coaches in five years who left the national team under Rodionenko's leadership. Alexandrov's departure was the most public of the five, but was not without precedent.
If there was a common factor in the departure of those five distinguished coaches, it was not only the possibility that they had each been squeezed too hard by Rodionenko's management. An international market for their skills exists, and with visa restrictions less tight than during the Soviet era, the coaches have a choice of where to work, and do not have to tolerate poor working conditions just to earn a living. Most would rather stay at home, but many have had to leave Russia to be able to work at all. Here lies yet another fundamental problem for Russian gymnastics - the depletion of its coaching ranks has been unsustainable. Overseas migration by many, if not most, of the top coaches has mirrored the economic woes of Russian sport since Yeltsin, and has in turn weakened Russia's gymnastics system. There was a time when the concentration of coaching talent resulted in a real hothouse effect for the development of the sport. For decades, though, coaches have been relocating all over the world and are now happily settled in new homes, generally not in Russia. This isn't the fault of the Rodionenkos.
Neither is the fact that to date, the majority of its up and coming coaches have not enjoyed the same quality of education and training as available during the Soviet era. At one point Rodionenko said that while there was a good selection of general sports coaching degrees available in the whole of Russia, there was only one gymnastics-specific coaching qualification remaining. I don't know if there are any more today but, presumably, this indicates that the number of individuals wishing to train as gymnastics coaches has made such courses unviable. More on measures to counter this, later.
Back to the original question : could Alexandrov make a difference now? My opinion - had Alexandrov been autonomous in his operations throughout his stay at Lake Krugloye, had he been allowed to continue his work post 2010 - perhaps. Even taking into consideration the problems of resourcing highlighted above, his fighting spirit would make all the difference to the behaviour and discipline of both the gymnasts and coaches. But now, after two years of being undermined, of his strong psychological influence being diluted, one year after his final defeat and distancing from the team - probably not.
Would Russia be better off without the Rodionenkos?
Andrei Rodionenko has largely escaped criticism, thanks to the front line position adopted by his outrageous wife. But he must bear some responsibility. Rodionenko's negative charge has been too strong even for Alexandrov. His influence is pervasive and conservative - the man fears disappointing his funders with poor competitive outcomes relative to the medal predictions they demand, and the unrealistic expectations held by poorly informed government ministers and bankers who, looking to the past, expect Soviet domination to transform itself into Russian gold overnight.
Sometimes, Rodionenko has taken blame where none should be ascribed - for example in relation to Grishina's scratching from the selection to Worlds this year. To an extent, though, this was brought on him by the harsh words against Grishina by Valentina Rodionenko that, in the light of other earlier cases, made it appear she was being pushed out of the team unfairly. Russian gymnastics has hardly disgraced itself in recent competition - the team put up a good fight in Antwerp despite some unlucky circumstances. But there is a muted battle cry, and this is largely the coach's responsibility. Perhaps the team's unlucky record of injury explains this, but it is also true that Rodionenko doesn't really seem to like to make too much noise these days. He seems to be a nervous man, shy of competition. He would even, according to Alexandrov's account, have seen the Russians avoid the 2011 World Championships altogether if he could.
These are my own words, my own conclusion - he seems to have lost his enjoyment of sports competition. Or perhaps he knows something about the precarious nature of sports funding in his country - and the likelihood of the results collapsing once the current champions are exhausted. In other words, he is trying to preserve the physical and moral resources of the remaining few champions - apart from Mustafina, who I suspect is a law unto herself.
Most of the gymternet seems to blame the Rodionenkos for everything bad about Russian gymnastics, but this can't possibly be true, can it. There are deeper reasons for the WAG team's poor strength in depth, for example, that relate to demographic shifts and funding inadequacies during the Yeltsin era. I have already discussed the mass migration of top gymnastics coaches. This is a long established matter of fact, but what has the Head Coach done to attract more people into the sport? In his interview, Alexandrov describes his own efforts to change the requirements for Master of Sport recognition, resisted by Rodionenko but ultimately passed by the sport's Presidium, that make a gymnast eligible to stay in the sport and train as a coach. It was a key strategy of Alexandrov's, designed to encourage gymnast and coach retention and increase the numbers in the sport. This seemed like a step forward until a recent open letter from a coach on VK.com highlighted that Rodionenko had now passed regulations effectively to reverse Alexandrov's efforts, making it more difficult to achieve the award, and hence more difficult to remain in the sport. It is difficult to understand what Rodionenko's reasoning for this change could be, and as far as I know he has not commented in it.
But I'll persist with the line that the Rodionenkos must have some merit. Russia needs stability, and money, if it is to refresh its flagging fortunes, and the highly connected Rodionenkos seem to bring both. Alexandrov speaks of their connection by marriage to Minister for Social Policy Viacheslav Fetisov (he has a place on the organising committee of the Sochi Games). Sports Minister Mutko, who has given the Rodionenkos some problems in the past, supported the renewal of Alexandrov's contract, but could do nothing to stop Valentina in the sensational attacks on her own athletes, the attacks that eventually saw Alexandrov leave Russia. There is evidently something in the political dynamic between Rodionenko, Mutko and Fetisov - also perhaps Kostin, who as head of Russian Gymnastics sponsors, bank VTB, is also head of the RGF - that makes the Rodionenkos immovable for the time being.
I do not think Andrei is a bad coach. The gymnasts seem happy and relaxed around him and I think he is a very gentle coach. He seems to get on well with the new WAG head coach, the quiet and smiling Evgeny Grebyonkin. The team has achieved some good results this year. Perhaps Rodionenko is haunted by the very real possibility of his stars burning out before the 2016 Olympics? But it seems evident that he does not want to surround himself with the giants, the legendary coaches who are needed if Russia is to inspire its greats and galvanise the good gymnasts, to re-establish itself in the ranks of the gymnastics greats. And some of the things he has done seem counter productive.
Still, I do not think that creating a power vacuum by removing the Rodionenkos would be a good thing. Who on earth would take over from him, anyway? The position is as political as sporting. Elvira Saadi?
It is a moot point, anyway, as no one seems likely to sack them.
My new year's wish is for an interview with Andrei Rodionenko so that he can put me straight on all that I have got wrong here.
Please get your specs out, and start reading. And I would love to read more comments on this rambling post.
Alexander Alexandrov in his own words
Part One http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alexander-alexandrov-in-his-own-words-1.html
Part Two http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alexander-alexandrov-in-his-own-words-2.html
Part Three http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alexander-alexandrov-in-his-own-words-3.html
Part Four http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alexander-alexandrov-in-his-own-words-4_30.html
Part Five http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alexander-alexandrov-in-his-own-words-5.html
