一篇关于小熊的文章，谈到他退役、做教练和盖房子的事情
转自http://www.thetelegram.com/news.aspx?storyID=21782
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Just an average working star
By ROSIE GILLINGHAM, The Telegram
Olympic gold medallist and world champion Alexei Yagudin is skating with the Ice Galaxie II Tour, which will be at Mile One Stadium in St. John’s Oct. 2. (Photo: By The Canadian Press)
His career record is as long and as impressive as that of any athlete in any sport in the world.
An Olympic gold medal, four world championships, three European titles and a world professional crown.
At 24, it seems Alexei Yagudin has done it all.
But there is one thing the figure skater wouldn’t mind trying.
“Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a cab driver,’’ he said via cellphone from his home in Simsbury, Conn.
The Russian star then admitted doesn’t really have ambitions of driving a taxi, but says he has often wondered about what it would be like to have another career.
“I think whatever you do (for a living), you sometimes get tired of it,’’ said Yagudin, who laced up his first pair of skates in his hometown of St. Petersburg at age four and begin competing internationally in 1994.
Yagudin turned professional last year and these days is skating with the Ice Galaxie II Tour, which will be at Mile One Stadium in St. John’s Oct. 2.
While he loves what he’s doing, some days he’s more enthiastic than others
“It’s hard going to the rink to skate on frozen water every single day,’’ said Yagudin, who in 2002, performed over 100 times in Canada and the United States. “But you have to do what you do best in life. And I skate. That’s what I do best.’’
There’s no denying that.
Yagudin, who, at the Olympics in 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake, was the first man to receive more than one perfect mark —earning four 6.0s, — is the first man in the history of the sport to claim the triple crown of figure skating by winning the European, Grand Prix and world titles all in one season. He is also the only skater to win all the major competitions in one season: European, Grand Prix, worlds and Olympics.
The 1996 world junior champion and only male amateur skater to win the world professional title (in 1999), Yagudin changed the history of sport again at the 2002 world championship in Nagano, when he became the first skater to receive six perfect 6.0s for the short program, including first ever perfect mark for required elements.
In November, 2003, at an emotional ceremony at Skate Canada in Vancouver, Yagudin announced his retirement from eligible skating and officially turned pro.
“For the first few months, it was tough.’’ said Yagudin, at the age of 18, became the first Russian man to win a world championship and second youngest world champion in history. “But I’ve done all I could do and I don’t have any regrets.’’
However, it was a difficult adjustment for someone used to following a vigorous training and competition schedule.
“I suddenly had all this free time on my hands,’’ said Yagudin, who will perform in 16 shows in the U.S. and 12 in Canada this season. “I went from having nothing but skating on my mind to having all this down time.’’
As a result, Yagudin has been able to undertake other activities he hadn’t otherwise been able to over the years.
“I cook and I work around the house a lot. You know, your human average life,’’ he said. “I love my life now. It’s much less stressful and I’ve grown as a person and matured a lot.’’
Something else he’s venturing into is coaching.
Having competed under the guidance of Tatiana Tarasova since 1998, Yagudin is now working beside the Russian world-renowned coach, helping promising stars like Brian Joubert, France’s two-time national champion.
“It’s a difficult job,’’ said Yagudin, who describes himself as a tough, yet understanding coach. “When you skate for yourself, you’re in complete control, but watching a student perform is stressful.’’
His professional touring sc |
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