Azerbaijan is not a famous country in skating circles, but their skating association has been working hard to improve the quality of the competitors representing this Caucasian republic. The country's top finishers at the 2000 World Championships in Nice, France were pairs skaters Inga Rodionova, 20, and Andrey Kryukov, 29. Although Rodionova is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia and Kryukov from the small city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, they now represent the Army Club of Baku in Azerbaijan.
The new pair looks towards Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov for inspiration. "I didn't have any favorite skaters when I was growing up, but when Gordeeva and Grinkov started to compete at the international events, I liked them very much. I still think they are the best. People can try to copy them, but nobody will skate like them," Kryukov said. Rodionova began her skating career because she "was impressed by Gordeeva and Grinkov's skating. I saw them live the first time."
Although her mother had skated competitively, Inga didn't start skating until she was nine, a late start compared to many skaters. She said she "always wanted to skate pairs because I wanted to do lifts, spirals, death spirals and other elements. I tried dance and I liked it, but I liked pairs more. I like the artistry, beauty, and elegance of the sport." Rodionova started skating pairs when she was 14, working with coach Igor Moskvin. Teamed with Alexsandr Anichenko, Inga won two national championships in Azerbaijan. The pair finished 18th at the 1998 Olympics and 15th at the 1999 World Championships, but the pair split because Anichenko wasn't really serious about skating.
Kryukov started to skate when he was five when his grandmother took him to a rink in his hometown. It was something new for his family to have a sportsman in the family, Kryukov related: "Nobody in my family was involved in any sports. So I was the first and the only one." He skated in men's competition until he was 18, but was only landing four of the triple jumps consistently. Although he won the men's championship in Kazakhstan, he knew that would not be not enough to advance in international competition, but at over six feet in height, he had the build for a pair skater. "My coach, Sergey Korovin, offered me to try pairs. I liked it and that's how I started," Kryukov said. Matched with Marina Khalturina, the pair progressed steadily, winning five national championships. After reaching a high of 11th at the World Championships in 1999 and 14th at the 1998 Olympics, the two decided to split after the 1998-99 season.
That left both skaters at loose ends, but not for long. "I was looking for a big, strong ,handsome partner and I got a phone call from Sergey Korovin. He told me that he was looking for a partner for Andrey Kryukov," Inga stated. The two skaters tried skating together at a tryout after the 1999 Worlds and formed an immediate bond. "Andrey is a good partner because he is a strong, kind person who has the same goals as I do, "Inga stated. Andrey said that "the best thing about my partner is that she is a good listener, and a good friend."
Their first season was a difficult one. "All the elements were difficult because we had new partners. We had absolutely different feelings on our lifts, throws, spins, everything," Kryukov said. It was also his worst season for injuries with an injured shoulder and a pulled groin muscle. "I was in pain at both Europeans and Worlds," he said. "I was concerned about the lifts and the twist as well as my double axel, but we did OK."
Kryukov has an interesting approach to competitions. "On the ice I like to compete with myself. No rivals around, just me, my partner and my program. And I have to do the same job which I did during my everyday training -- my jumps, my lifts, my spins and so on. It makes me happy when I can beat myself. And certainly if my partner beats herself, our placement will be good."
And the placements have been very good. After less than a year together, the couple finished 12th at Europeans and 14th at Worlds, excellent results for a new team. Kryukov stated that "our goals for the next season are, at least, to be in the top ten at the Worlds and bring something new into the skating world." Rodionova was even more optimistic: "We are aiming to be in the top six at Worlds next year, she said. To accomplish this goal, Kryukov said that "for the new season, we will try to prepare a second triple jump and learn another triple throw." They are also trying some new lift variations. "I like lifts and death spirals the best," Inga noted. "The hardest moves are pairs spins, but we are working on improving them," she added.
They train on ice at Skate Nation of Prince William in Dale City, Virginia for about 15 hours a week . Off-ice, they train 6-10 hours at the local Gold's Gym. There off ice training includes ballet, cardiovascular and weight training, and special exercises for jumps and lifts. Inga started ballet when she was five, while Andrey didn't begin until he was nine.
The skaters work with Korovin, who also does their choreography, to select the music for each program. Inga enjoys "skating to classical or slowly romantic music." On the other hand, Andrey stated that "I like to skate any kind of music if it's not boring. Some classic music is boring." This season they will be using "Time to Say Goodbye" for the short program and Ravel's Bolero for the free skate.
Off ice, both of the skaters like to listen to a variety of music. "Maybe not that much country music," Andrey added. Both of them like to read and watch movies. Andrey enjoys Russian detective novels, while Inga prefers the classics and fantasies, although she reads some detective stories. Andrey also noted that he has "started to like working on the computer, now I just have to save enough money to buy one." Both skaters like watching movies with Inga citing Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, and Terminator as some of her favorites. Both listed Friends as their favorite television program. For sports, both skaters play hockey and pool. Andrey also enjoys soccer and golf. They can't keep any pets while training but Inga said that "in Russia , I have a Siamese cat named Shurik, and two dogs names Rona and Flip, like the jump." Inga also keeps all of her gifts from fans at her house in Russia. Her favorite is a giant teddy bear.
Both Andrey and Inga look forward to tropical holidays. Inga said she wanted "to vacation on a beach somewhere" while Andrey wants to take a trip to an island -- somewhere warm with lots of beaches." The skaters have enjoyed the travel that comes with their sport. For their favorites, Inga cited Japan: "At the Olympics, I met so many good people and I liked the scenery." She also liked Austria, the Czech republic, France and Italy. Andrey stated that "my favorite place to visit so far was Nice, France. The city was beautiful, as were the people." Both skaters listed Egypt as a place they would like to visit. Andrey also wanted to see Rome, while Inga wants to visit Australia, Canada, and China.
As for the future, both skaters hope to compete at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, but are unsure whether they will stay for 2006. Kryukov competed at the last Olympics for Kazakhstan and hopes to introduce Inga to the Olympic atmosphere. They would also like to skate professionally and do ice shows. Both plan to remain in the sport after their competitive days are done. Kryukov, who has completed his university education in engineering, currently teaches skating classes at Skate Nation. Inga hopes to do the same when she finishes her university classes.
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