Skip to main content

The Russian Heart: Days of Crisis and Hope

Image
By
I came across this 1992 book about a year ago, thanks to a link on Facebook; I can't remember whose.  I was lucky enough to be able to buy a copy on Amazon (it is now long out of print).  In the middle of sorting out my sports books, I remembered that I wanted to share this treasure with you.

A spread from the lavish hardback book : Yulia Kut, Tatiana Toropova and Svetlana Boguinskaia at Lake Krugloye, prior to the Barcelona Olympics.

The author and photographer, David Turnley, made a journey through Russia shortly after the break up of the Soviet Union, and this photo journal documents his experience.  It is a story of a society in transition, an art book and not a sports book, but it is still one of the best books in my collection.

David speaks of the gymnasts' daily lives, and talks to Soviet team captain, 1989 World Champion, Svetlana Boguinskaia.

He comments that the training is professional, but the facilities 'rudimentary', the living conditions 'sparse'.  The food is basic by Western standards.

An American girls' team was training there during his visit; a money-making enterprise for the cash strapped Soviet State Sports Committee.  'What the Soviet team is doing in the first hour of training is what we try to work up to by the end of the day' comments one American coach (how things have changed).

David explains that the idea of the Soviet sports star as privileged was misplaced: Boguinskaia was earning 250 Roubles a month - the equivalent of less than $10 at that time.  After winning multiple Olympic medals she had qualified to buy a 20 square meter apartment and a Volga car, without having to endure the years-long wait most ordinary Soviets would experience.

Even so, Svetlana emphasises, the conveniences accorded by her top sporting status -  while meagre by international standards - were significant enough to encourage her continued commitment to sport. 'I realized this concretely two years ago when I dropped out of gymnastics, and went back to Minsk to live.  One day I was standing in line waiting to buy chocolate, and the line was so long I was going to have to wait all day.  I realized what the life of normal Soviet citizens is like.  I came back to Moscow to resume gymnastics.'



Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous4 August 2014 at 02:00

    That's definitely Roza Galieva on the left.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simone and the others - results and reflections

By
In the end, it was as predicted : Simone and the others, with Simone's teammate, Alexandra Raisman, providing the back up.  I do not need to point out that, by definition, the Americans are scoring significantly higher marks than the rest of the field.  Congratulations to them! Aliya Mustafina finished in third place.  The 2012 bronze medalist led the competition after vault and uneven bars, but had a very nervous outing on beam that might have taken a less experienced gymnast out of the medals.  A bravura performance on floor brought Aliya back though to confirm her third place all around.  From her senior debut in 2010 to today, Mustafina has continuously set high standards of grace.    It is the first time since 2000 that a gymnast (Amanar) has medalled in the all around at two consecutive Olympics, and  if Aliya can medal on Saturday's uneven bars final, she will once again be Russia's biggest medal winner of the women's gymnastics.  Russ...
56 comments
Read more

Paseka back in time for Rio; Komova confirmed out

By
A few sources in the Russian press have reported Russia's team news.  There is a little bit more information about Viktoria Komova's retirement, or rest break, and some good news about Maria Paseka. The news came clearly from Viktoria's own mouth - I cannot link to the video - and has now been repeated and clarified by her father.  Viktoria has stopped training because of the pain in her back.  There is no chance of her making it to Rio now but if she recovers she may come back later.   Valentina Rodionenko says unequivocally that Vika has retired, but this doesn't have to be taken as a contradiction, just a simpler version of the picture.  (I personally think that retirement is probably right - but why say never?  However, I would feel sorry for Viktoria if she were not being allowed to make her own decisions.) The good news is that Maria Paseka will be competing at Russia Cup - she has recovered from her back pain and is making her way towards qualificat...
29 comments
Read more

Who really won the WAG All Around?

By
You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  My, how I wish we could have seen a similar document for the Tokyo World Championships. I wonder if anyone can explain how, if the FIG's Code of Points is so objective and fair, it is possible to come up with two different results using two differ...
70 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more