Aired March7, 2003

"Dnevnoy Express" Show was rather Mishin talking about the figure skating, than Zhenya's interview. At the beginning they congratulated women on the Women's Day (March 8th) and Mishin said what is usually said in such cases. Then they talk about Zhenya's LP. Why did they choose that music? Mishin said that on the start they had several variations of music, they tried one music but Zhenya said "I don't feel it". And they turned on Korneliuk's music and Zhenya said "That music leads me". Then Zhenya added that he watched some series of 'Criminal St.Petersburg', and then he's been in America, while he skated in CoI, he went to the shop and bough CD with that music. And he with another guys listened it in busses and airplanes. "We had such a nostalgia for Russia". And when he came back, he offered that music to Mishin, still he likes it and wanted to make his LP with it.

Then Mishin talked about the figure skating, what it's not only sport, but art too, what just several skaters do it as the art, they skate so emotionally etc. And it helps technically. "The high level of emotions is a friend of a technique component." He said for Zhenya "I feel the music" - "I don't feel" is a basic. If he doesn't - it's a stop.

Then Zhenya was asked if the support of the audience important for him. "Yes, sure. Very important just for me, I don't know how it's for other ones┘ Because I asked another guys, they said: "Applauding or not┘ I concentrated on myself and that's all┘" But I see everything, hear everything. And it's pleasing when the fans, the audience applaud and help me. I begin to skate, to dance with them then."

Then Mishin talked about choreographers, Mikhailovsky, Simonov, Avdysh etc, how much they help, how much he's thankful to them. Then he talked about Russian figure skating, about what our skater always create an image on ice, they try to be artists, it's our traditions etc. We're leaders in that aspect of the figure skating. Though recently it's harder because of Chinese and Japanese jumpers. Mishin: "We should be aware". Zhenya: "Not to sleep". Mishin: "Not to sleep, right words."

Then they talked about the life of an athlete. That sport is his life, it's wrong to say that while he training the life passes by. No, his training, his competitions, lucks, misfortunes, tears, joy, that's his life.

Zhenya was asked for whom he does all that. "First of all for the audience. Then for my parents, I win medals. They helped me when I was little, they made me skating. And for my coach, which has been training me for the present." But what about ambitions? Mishin said that Zhenya's ambitions not to win some a medal or some a number of them, but to stay in the figure skating as a bright name, to move the figure skating ahead. To bring something new. Zhenya added that this season he did 4-3-3, it's new in the figure skating.

Then they began to discuss building the Figure Skating Academy in St.Petersburg. Zhenya said that in Yubileiny Palace and in other skating rinks there is a lot of skating kids, but they train in cold, the ice is awful, not enough of space, that we need places to skate, people really want to skate, to play hockey┘ Mishin added that the Academy should be an Ice Palace, to gather the best of the Russian figure skating, to keep our traditions, but also it should be a place where people can go with all family, the figure skating should become even more popular. Then they talked about financial question for skating kids and Mishin said he never saw a high-class skater from a prosperous family, their hard childhood seems to be a stimulus for them. But actually it's not too expensive and when a kid began skating well, the money will return, he will earn them.

Then Zhenya said that at GPF in Ledovy Palace it was about 15.000 people and people want to watch, to enjoy the figure skating, ice shows, they asked why we have them so less in Russia. Then Mishin said they have a dream to make Evgeni Plushenko Show with Zhenya and another skaters, but they can't find a sponsor. It's not a huge sum, but alas┘ They would like to do it even as a tour for Russian towns and cities.

And finally they talked about the patriotism. Zhenya said that he had a lot of offers to skate abroad, to have land, a house, good ice and pretty money, "but I answered that I had Alexey Nikolaevich, I lived in Russia and needed no more." Mishin added that patriotism isn't not words, it's what we do for our country┘ And when we walked in our native town, we see all it's beauty, it feeds us┘

Translated by Yulya (Pyatatchiok)