What's Happening Lately?

[colorado]

Just curious as I'm rather new to message boards/fan sites. Even if I don't always sign in, I check this site and Oksana and Maxim's official website a number of times every week. There hasn't been any news on what they're up to lately and on their website they haven't posted on their blog in many months. Is it just because we're moving into skating's "down time"? Or have Maxim and Oksana decided to concentrate on other areas of their lives and keep more private? Either way, I'm a huge fan and wish them both the very best. (I kind of miss knowing what's going on in their lives though! - And I can't help but still hold out hope there will be more competitive skating in their futures!).

[maximaddict]

Oksana and Maxim are currently busy on the Ilya Averbukh's Tour, which is now coming to an end and will close in Tel Aviv on May 8th.
After that, I think they will go on to taking care of their health (Maxim) and of their family life, so I have the feeling we won't hear much about them in the next year or so, until they make a final decision on their career.
As to why they haven't been posting on their blog. If you mean their sports.ru blog, they actually have been posting there a couple of times, but there hasn't been a chance to translate the Russian updates into English, lately. If instead you mean the guest book on their website...well, we know that Maxim has never been too keen on posting there , and Oksana has only recently been reunited with Roman after spending two years away from him, so I'm sure she's kind of busy enjoying her time with him lately Of course I am not speaking on their behalf so all of the above is just me assuming things.
Also, as you mention yourself, this is low season for figure skating, so we are bound to have less news in general from all skaters, at least for a while, and forums and official websites are not going to be as busy as we're used to, especially during an Olympic year.
I'm sure Oksana and Maxim haven't forgotten about their fans and we'll hear from them soon.

I'm like you, and I'm desperately hanging on to the hope that they might come back to compete. Who knows, sometimes dreams do come true!

[colorado]

Thank you for your thoughts. Everything you say certainly makes sense. As for which blog I was looking at - it was the English one on their official site. Although I am teaching myself Russian with the help of the Rosetta Stone software, I am very much a beginner and so have trouble translating on the sports.ru site.

I will look forward to hearing of their future plans whenever they are ready and able to share them with us. And in the meantime, I'm happy that they will both soon be able to take some personal time and enjoy family and friends.

[maximaddict]

May 6, 2010 23:48:12 GMT 1 colorado said:

Thank you for your thoughts. Everything you say certainly makes sense. As for which blog I was looking at - it was the English one on their official site. Although I am teaching myself Russian with the help of the Rosetta Stone software, I am very much a beginner and so have trouble translating on the sports.ru site.

I will look forward to hearing of their future plans whenever they are ready and able to share them with us. And in the meantime, I'm happy that they will both soon be able to take some personal time and enjoy family and friends.

I promise I will do my best to translate them, but unfortunately my Russian is not good enough for now, and I need help from someone else, who is currently super busy with other things!
If worse comes to worst, I'll do my best to come out with a comprehensible translation with the help of an automatic translator.
Thank you for your patience

[elisa]

Hello!
I've just registered here, but I've been reading this board for a while.
I'm russian and I can (no - I'd really like to and I'd be honored) to help with the translations of Maksim&Oksana's blog (or anything else).

And to the theme of this topic - I'm with you - "desperately hanging on to the hope that they might come back to compete" - that describes absolutely accurately how I do feel now...

[maximaddict]

May 8, 2010 1:52:28 GMT 1 elisa said:

Hello!
I've just registered here, but I've been reading this board for a while.
I'm russian and I can (no - I'd really like to and I'd be honored) to help with the translations of Maksim&Oksana's blog (or anything else).

And to the theme of this topic - I'm with you - "desperately hanging on to the hope that they might come back to compete" - that describes absolutely accurately how I do feel now...

Oh, we'd love a translation from you! If you have time we would all appreciate your help over here.

[elisa]

Sure I can find the time for translation!
I've already translated the entry that comes next after "Australian Aborigines” – “Blonde or Brunette” from 08/12/2009
But I’m not a professional, (actually I never did this before for someone) and I really need someone help in editing.
I can guarantee that the content is accurate, but the form of it can be better

[elisa]

The blog entry from Dec. 08, 2009

Blonde or Brunette?
Oksana: “Maksim and I had planned to come to Russia for the fourth event of the Russian Cup in Moscow in late November, but it hasn’t worked out: Maksim had to stay in Moscow, where he was receiving medical treatment, for a longer time. Since we didn’t have enough time to prepare we had to skip the tournament. “

Maksim: “I feel perfectly fine. Right now Oksana and I are training not just in our full capacity but even more than that…”

Oksana:” Recently in mass-media appeared the information that after Olympic Games I plan to continue skating with a new partner. There’s a chance for me to explain that most likely there was a misunderstanding. On the question of the journalist:”Do you plan to continue to skate after Olympics?” I answered:” Maksim not likely and I’ll be able to” And all I meant were exclusively our health conditions. At this moment I don’t have any post-Olympics plans, my main goal right now - Olympic games-2010. What’s going to happened after that – I don’t know, but as they say – never say “never”.
In the comments to our blog many were interested in what color of my hair I’m going to have in this season. I haven’t decided yet. Last year I wanted to change my image and I dyed my hair. And it suited more to the free dance. But in life I feel myself more comfortably in my natural color, the lighter one. But, for example, Maksim likes me more with the darker hair.”

Maksim: ”Yes, that’s really so…Last year Oksana dyed her hair and on our way back home from the salon I was behind the wheel so we almost had a couple of accidents. She was sitting on the back and I was distracting all time. It was so unusual. I liked Oksana more with a darker hair. In general I love brunettes more.”

Oksana: “This year we plan to work with the stylist, the visagiste and the hairdresser. We’ve decided to give ourselves in hands of the professionals. We really wish that they would be able to travel with us to the competitions. I don’t know yet how it’s going to be but everything’s possible.”

Maksim: “Also the readers were interested in where we’re making our costumes. We sew costumes in two places – in Moscow and Petersburg. In Petersburg we work with the studio "REST", and in Moscow – with Natalia Pokrovskaya's studio. We work already for many years with both of them. The process is like this: first we call to the designer, describe the dance’s idea, have him listen the music; share our thoughts on how we’d like the costumes to look. After that the designer draws sketches, and we study those sketches. If we like it right away (that happens very seldom), we order the costumes. But usually, we like something in one sketch, something in the other one… So we get on the phone again and discuss in what direction to work further. It’s a long, complicated process. Sometimes happens that costumes are already ready, on the sketch they look perfect, but on the ice it becomes clear that we’re not going to skate in them. The most important thing in the costumes is taste. We should feel natural in them. They should look on the ice adequately and beautifully, instead of vulgar and tastelessly. It’s necessary for the costumes to be comfortable. We exclude all the details that can disturb us in the dance.
In general the costumes in figure skating play not the last role. All should be up to the standard. If the pair is skating well, but the costumes they have on make you feel like closing your eyes, it spoils all impression. It’s necessary to remember these things.”

Oksana: “My the most favorite – a costume to the « Polovetsian Dances””

Maksim: “And I like to skate in the Exhibition in ripped jeans.”

Oksana: “All the events of the Grand Prix Series have already passed, and the Final have passed too. Of course, Maksim and I watched the performances of our contenders. But we cannot objectively estimate their performances. All are skating well, I cannot allocate someone special: nobody have impressed me with something new. Davis-White are skating with the great speed, Virtue-Moir are doing great lifts, but North American teams always differed in these aspects...”

[elisa]

The blog entry from Feb. 18, 2010

An Olympic Mess

Greetings to everyone! We’re already in Vancouver. Right now the last pre-start practices are taking place here. A little time is left before our performances. Maksim and I are focusing on the successful skating and in the meanwhile I tell the readers of sports.ru and our official site about the conclusions we made after the European championship, about our pre-Olympic mood, I recollect Games in Turin and share my thoughts on the forthcoming tournament.

Maksim and I, of course, are not happy with our performances on the European championship in Tallinn. The good thing is that in comparison to the performance on the Russian Nationals we made a step forward. Now we’re working hard and hoping that we have approached the Olympics in a necessary condition.
Certainly, there’s nothing good in a fact that due to the partner’s injury we missed many competitions. After all, the more starts, the better for us! From start to start you can improve, you can see some nuances, defects and correct them. But there’s nothing we can do about it, so we have to take things the way they are. Of course, it wasn’t easy for us in Tallinn, since we haven’t competed for a while, but, it seems to me, we skated suitably, and got over many difficulties. We’ve got such a low technical score because of the step sequences. They were marked not as the highest level four, but just as the level two. It’s not easy for me to estimate the technical controllers’ opinion. But we made our conclusions. We have to skate in such perfection that nobody can prove us wrong somewhere. We’ve worked really hard. Olympics are the most serious starts and, of course, Linichuk’s approaching our training much more demanding. The pressure during the training is really serious.
It is necessary to tell that Roman Kostomarov (the Olympic champion in dances on ice, Oksana's boyfriend – a comment Sports.ru) always was just Ok with everything I’m doing on the ice, but this year he really liked the uniqueness of our original dance and the way we’re using special belts in a free dance. Roma was happy with both our dances. And he had seen the dances in August, when they weren’t polished at all.
On the Olympic Games all first ten pairs are our contenders. And not only the first. In Vancouver there will be a very rigid competition for gold – not just a fight, the real mess! In Russian, probably, there are no words to describe what’s going to occur on these Games. It will be a very difficult competition. So far I’m calm, well – rather calm. I can say for sure that there’s no craziness and endless thoughts about that Olympics are already under my nose. I hope, there’s not going be anything like this, we don’t need it at all. We have to practice calmly. And nervousness is not for the champions.
For Maksim and me it will be already the second Olympics. We already have an experience. It is very good. I remember that in Turin in the Olympic village there was simply improbable atmosphere of nervousness and intensity. Everyone was walking around serious, loaded; everybody was focusing on their performances.
We felt it with every part of our bodies. And it was considering the fact, that in Turin we were not the medal contenders. We saw that "meteoric shower" in original dance when even the strongest team did not manage to avoid the serious mistakes. The Olympic Games really is a very special competition, very outstanding and anything can happen.
It’s a pity that we couldn’t participate in the opening ceremony of Olympic Games. We have arrived to Vancouver only on February 15th, a few days before the beginning of competitions. For us the Olympic celebrating will start after the ice skating competition will finish. Only after the free dance we’ll be able to enjoy the Games, stroll around and rest. But so far all my thoughts are about the competition. We plan to participate in the closing ceremony, so we’ll have a chance to feel the Olympics. I’d really like to see the hockey games, I’d be happy to cheer for the Russian team.

[colorado]

Elisa, thank you so much for joining the other kind "translators" on this site so that we all can enjoy reading interviews and knowing what's going on and the thoughts of those involved. Your kindness is very much appreciated.

[maximaddict]

Elisa, thank you very much for the translations!
Also, welcome to the forum. It's good to have new people around, it helps keep the dream alive!