STYLE AND GRACE
Figure skating is an exotic sport for Turkmenistan. At the same time, ice performances have become common in this country, even though it accounts for 250 sunny days a year and much of its territory is occupied by a hot desert. Winter sports classes are not a novelty in Ashgabat. Parents willingly send their children to hockey, short track, curling, and interest in figure skating is steadily growing. Much has been done in recent years to develop winter sports in the country, as evidenced by the state policy aimed at getting the population and especially young people into physical education, sports, and offer them extra opportunities for their sports hobbies. Figure skating officially started in Ashgabat with the opening of the first Olympic Ice Palace for 1000 spectators in 2006, and today there are several ice arenas in the country, the largest of which can accommodate 10000 spectators. Another ice palace for winter sports for almost 3000 spectators also operates in the Avaza national tourist zone on the Caspian Sea coast. The Winter Sports Complex in Ashgabat offers all the opportunities for training of young figure skaters or, rather, female figure skaters, since girls are especially active in figure skating in Turkmenistan. About 150 figure skaters aged 6 to 17 are currently trained at a professional level. They have two skating rinks at their disposal, one of which is a training rink, as well as a choreography hall, where future ice programs are developed and practiced. Turkmen figure skaters have experience of participating in international festivals and tournaments. Of course, they are still far from the level of world championships, but it would be wrong to say that they do not aspire to it. “Every child, who goes out on the ice, dreams of standing on the highest pedestal. They are moving towards this cherished goal with small steps. An important achievement on this path was the National Winter Sports Center of Turkmenistan becoming the full member of the International Skating Union (ISU). Since 2019, Turkmenistan has been an associate member of the International Skating Union, and in 2022 it was accepted as a full member of this organization. This decision by the ISU naturally opened up new opportunities for Turkmen figure skaters’ participation in international competitions, becoming an incentive for the further development of national figure skating,” Acting Director of the Sports School of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports Andrey Ovezov said. In the recent years alone, young figure skaters have visited tournaments and festivals in Turkey, South Korea, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. They participated in the Children of Asia Winter International Sports Games in Russia – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in 2019 and Novokuznetsk in 2023. In October 2023, the Turkmen figure skaters performed at the first Global Skating Academy club tournament in Uzbekistan. They won awards for choreography, technique and design of dance numbers. Their performance at the Tashkent ice arena among over one hundred figure skaters from 21 clubs from different countries became a new incentive for them to continue practicing figure skating and achieve results. At one point in time, the development of figure skating in Turkmenistan was promoted by the legend of world figure skating, three-time Olympic champion, eleven-time world champion and ten-time European champion Irina Rodnina. Her master classes remain unforgettable for both coaches and young figure skaters. They got a lot of impressions and emotions, new knowledge and skills and inspiration to be persistent in training. At the invitation of Irina Rodnina, Turkmen coaches and figure skaters went to training sessions in Russia more than once, where they improved their skills at master classes and participated in the International Children’s Ice Dance Festival organized by her. In April 2013, at such a festival in Moscow, young figure skaters from Turkmenistan were awarded a cup and a diploma for the best choreography. They brought a cup for the best performance of ice dancing From the same festival. One of the most famous figure skating coaches, Yelena Anatolyevna Chaikovskaya, also visited the Turkmen figure skaters. As she noted, “young Turkmen figure skaters are very graceful and musical. They finely feel the harmony of melody, movement and gesture. I was very touched and interested in this. I have trained teams from many countries around the world, and I can say that when you see such heartfelt commitment of really capable students, their sincere desire to grow and develop, you realize that this is the beginning of great and effective joint work.” “Guidance, recommendations and instructions from Russian coaches came as valuable professional lessons,” figure skating coach and Honored Coach of Turkmenistan Karina Movsesyan noted. Since 2008, she has been training children who are passionate about figure skating. Children that currently hold great promise include Polina Melikhova, Larisa Vopilova, Aynur Berdiyeva and Aymaral Bayramova. Young figure skaters look up to the school graduates – Larisa Vakhitova, Ayna Ekyaeva, Ylayym Ataeva, who continue their studies at the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports to become professional coaches. They also actively participate in the team demonstration performances. For example, Ayna Ekayeva came to figure skating as a very little girl and managed to achieve significant results in her young age. She became a prize-winner of competitions held at the city and national levels. In 2019 and 2022, she participated in the international figure skating competitions “Bosphorus Cup” in Turkey, as well as in the winter international sports games “Children of Asia”. The figure skater’s programs, prepared together with coach Ilina Karimova, include complex elements – spins and jumps. Turkmenistan’s strongest figure skater, two-time national champion Larisa Vakhitova fell in love with this sport not only for jumps and spins. Larisa was put on skates at the age of five by her mother and coach-mentor Yana Vakhitova, who has been working at the school for 23 years now. Vakhitova Jr.’s ice numbers are distinguished by grace, plasticity, and emotionality. The current head of the professional figure skating group “Maral”, coach Abat Mukhametniyazova, is also a graduate of the school. Applicants to this group are thoroughly selected every year, and only the strongest are admitted. “In training young figure skaters, it is not only the ability to stay on the ice that is important,” coach Zeinab Redzhepova said. “Each sportsman has to go through a painstaking path, mastering the skills of sliding, jumping, spinning and also learning to dance on the ice. This sport is only for truly passionate children.” “The ice harmony of sports, music and dance is achieved through teamwork,” choreographer, Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Lyalya Altiyeva said. It is thanks to her that the idea of sport dance acquires a specific choreographic pattern. Her professional education from the Moscow Academic Choreographic School at the Bolshoi Theater of Russia as well as the Tashkent Academy of Choreography at the State Academic Bolshoi Theater named after Alisher Navoi, as well as her experience of work in large art groups of Turkmenistan help her create dance routines that are original in their figurative embodiment and plasticity. “The program production is a very interesting and rather long process that results in bright numbers that mesmerize and delight the audience, allowing figure skating to be compared with art,” Lyalya Kadyrovna noted. The school staff pays special attention to popularization of figure skating. To this end, figure skaters often perform for children at various venues and not always on the ice. In May of this year, they performed at Ashgabat’s “World of Fairy Tales” park. The students at the sports school of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports presented the young residents of the Turkmen capital with a bright program that included a master class and demonstration performances of figure skaters with dance numbers. The annual festive shows held under the arches of the Ashgabat Winter Sports Complex provide a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with the team of Turkmen figure skaters and popularize this sport. This year, along with the traditional colorful New Year’s Eve performance, the team of skaters participated in the opening of the international hockey tournament. In such shows, sportsmen of all ages go to the ice, and numerous fans of figure skating enthusiastically watch the show of one of the most spectacular and beautiful sports.
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