Alina Zagitova plans to open her own figure skating school in Tatarstan. She even managed to negotiate with the head of the republic, Rustam Minnikhanov. It is expected that talented children will be trained in the center.
Zagitova is not the first to want to open her own school. We have collected five leading figure skating schools of famous athletes for you.
Evgeni Plushenko, Plushenko’s Angels
Yevgeny Plushenko
Photo source: Matthew Stockman/Gettyimages
“Angels Plushenko” is probably the most mentioned school, headed by a famous athlete. The figure skater opened the academy with his wife Yana Rudkovskaya in 2017.
The academy offers high quality education in small groups based on a curriculum designed by Evgeny Plushenko and his team of trainers.
At the school of Plushenko, Alexander Trusova and Alena Kostornaya managed to train, although both academies soon left.
But among Plushenko’s students there are already young, but promising figure skaters: Sofya Muravyova, Veronika Zhilina, Anastasia Zinina.
Adelina Sotnikova, Sotka School
Adeline Sotnikova
Photo source: Quinn Rooney / Gettyimages
In 2020, the figure skater, who had not competed since the 2015/2016 season, announced her retirement, and in October she opened her own school Sotka. The athlete in a recent interview admitted that she always dreamed of her own figure skating school, in which she would train children. Sotnikova decided on this after surgery on the cervical vertebrae.
“I was lying after the operation and I understood, “what if, God forbid, something else happens”, I understood that I have nothing so that I can be sure of something , that it is mine, where I can work quietly, and it will be my airbag, ”the skater said. She admitted that it was then that she decided to implement the idea The school is based in Moscow, it recruits children from the age of three.
Tatyana Navka, “Our Hopes”
Tatyana Navka
Photo source: S. Levin / Gettyimages
The school of the Olympic champion is based in Krasnogorsk. Initially, the children trained in Istra, but lived in Krasnogorsk, so Navka decided to rent ice from the Vladimir Petrov Academy, and in 2020 she opened her own school here.
Navka herself often holds master classes for students, and also attracts young skaters to her ice shows.
“I have thought about starting my own school for a very long time, but I always knew it was an incredibly responsible step. The main credit, of course, belongs to my youngest daughter Nadia. For the first time, she got on the ice at the age of two, and at three she already came out with a prepared number, repeating my Olympic image of Carmen, ”the skater said of the school opening.
Students of the academy participate in tournaments in Moscow and the Moscow region. Children are recruited from the age of three.
School of Ilya Averbukh
Ilya Averbukh
Photo source: Ilya Averbukh’s social networks
Russia’s most famous director of ice shows also has his own school in Moscow. He opened it at the end of 2020. He trains both professional and amateur skaters. This is not Averbukh’s first experience with opening a school: in 2014, his figure skater training center “The Way to Success” appeared. And here they trained not only children, but also adults who dreamed of mastering skating.
Tatiana Volosozhar Figure Skating Center
Tatyana Volosozhar
Photo source: Quinn Rooney / Gettyimages
Another school based in Moscow. For her, the Olympic champion has developed her own training methodology.
“I have a certain dream – to raise small children and teach them to ride in pairs. Since my kind is still pair skating. It is a priority. But there is no escaping the solitary, we’ve all been there. First you have to get on skates, learn to do steps, initial elements, and only then pair up,” Volosozhar said in an interview. She also noted that she wanted a day repeat the success of Eteri Tutberidze.
The school already has three departments that train athletes of different ages.
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