Gymnast of the classical style

Anna Bessonova. This name appeared a lot on the pages of the newspaper "Komanda" last 2 years, but all that was in different reports. And Anya deserves her own interview. First, she is a Ukrainian Cup 1999 holder, Champion of I Ukrainian Games in final apparatus, at last, the bronze medallist in Team competition from World Championships 1999 in Osaka. Second, Bessonova is a gymnast of interesting and rarely now used style. Third, she is a daughter of legendary football player of Dynamo Kyiv (Vladimir Bessonov) and of famous gymnast Victoria Serikh (now Victoria Anatolievna is one of the first coaches of Ukrainian Sports Committee). Sure, the fact of famous parents doesn't mean anything. The cases when children of Champions step on the path of the parents is very rare. But the aphorism "On the children of genius nature is resting" doesn't suit here. Perharps, most of the sportsmen tried all "wonderful" things of the modern sports don't want their children to do sports. Victoria Bessonova also didn't want her daughter to go in for sports. She imagined her daughter on the ballet stage. When Anya was three years old, she started to train in choreography school , then danced in "Kiyanochka". She performed in Opera Palace and Ukraine Palace. But in five years, young girl said : "I want to be a gymnast, I will be a gymnast!". So the mother had to bring her daughter to Albina Deruigina, with who and she trained earlier. Albina said to her old pupil: "Make a group and train". So Anna Bessonova first trained with her mom. But dances she didn't leave at first. That's why. like her mom thinks, Anna has special, clasical style of performing

V.B - I would like to thank to all, who helped Anya to become a gymnast - takes the word Victoria Bessonova, - those are not the only coaches. Anya worked with lots of choreographers - and in school, and in "Kiyanochka" and in sport...Specially we would like to thank Anya's first dance teacher - Ester Vladimirovna (her surname I don't remember, unfortunately). She made Anna to love choreography, culture of movements. When I started to work as a coach, my pupil were also going to Ester Vladimirovna. In "Kiyanochka" Anya got lots of attention from the head of the ensemble and Lidia Antonicheva. Well, for some time I hoped that my daughter will be a dancer, but, it's not her destiny, like life shows

- Why didn't you like that your daughter will do gymnastics? Because of hard trainings?

V.B - Not only because of that. Dancing is also not very easy hobby. The main reason was that I knew on my own expression how unfair can be this sport

- Do you think that your RSG carrier was successful?

V.B- Not a lot...Certainly, in sport I got lots of titles : i was a world AA group champion, not once won the medals of USSR Championships in finals, in AA wasn't lower than six place....But I always felt that I can do more. Unfortunately, in rhythmic gymnastics gymnast solves not a lot.

- When you started to train Anna, did you tell her about "the other side of the medal"?

V.B - Coaches usually don't tell gymnasts in the judging problems. But girls understand all. Sense of fairness is much more developed in their souls. But Anya always liked gymnastics.

- Anya seems to be a patient and quiet person. Is that true?

V.B - Yes. She is like that. But till 6 years, Anya was very difficult kid. I mean that you always had to look at her, she always tried to climb somewhere for interesting things. But not because of naughtiness, only because she had lots of energy and curiosity. Sometimes I had to just kick her out of the hall. When I was getting home, my son asked me : "Don't punish Anya, she worries so much". But all that stayed in the past. Now there are no problems with Anya. Albina and Irina Deruigina, who train her last 4 years, either. Anya has very good characteristic, she always listens to somebody's opinion.

A little from the author. Gymnasts are people very strong, they have to go through hard trainings. Naughtiness and tears are not rare in rhythmic gymnastics. But we never saw Anya crying or being naughty. On all notices of the coach, Anya always answers: "I willl do that".

A.B - You won't help the deal with tears - Anya thinks - And to be naughty isn't in my rules. Now Gymnastics is all in my life, so I have to do it professionally.

- Tell a few words about your new routines...

A.B - We made 3 new compositions - with hoop, ball and rope. Music is classical in common. Irina Deruigina (she creates all my routines) think that it suit me more and I agree. Modern now cheerful style isn't for me

Another lyric digression. 14 years old, Anna Bessonova competed on Youth Games 1998 in Moscow. . And then to reproduce moves and elements so perfect, as Anya did, no one could do. There, in Moscow, correspondent of "Komanda" remembered such episode. When Bessonova ended her composition with ball under the romance "Gori, gori moya zvezda" , the woman which sit next said : "Oh my God, how beautiful!". But when the judges put for Anna the score lower than for Olga Belova, audience started to shout : "Judges out!" and those shouting were said by Moscow-livers...

- Anya, is it offensive to get lower scores than you deserve?

A.B - It's normal thing in gymnastics. Who gets low scores very painful, won't be in our sport very long. I always try to search a reason in myself, in my mistakes. There is can't be ideal performance at all

- Do you talk about your compositions at home with your mom?

A.B - We talk a lot about Rhythmic Gymnastics. Well, I talk with my mom and about my private life.

- Does your father look at your successes?

A.B. . Sure. He is always on Deruigina Cup, carefully watches, sometimes gives good advices.

V.B - When in august there was a Rhythmic Gymnastics competition as I Ukrainian Games in the Kyiv's Palace of Sports, Vladimir spent the whole day in the hall. Lots of people were surprised. At Home, when we had dinner, he said all his impressions not about only Anya's routines, but and about the routines' of other gymnasts and even in group apparatus. Some of those comments were very good/ There are some things, on which the coach doesn't look and sometimes they can play their rolls.

- And are wife and daughter interested in husband's/father's success?

A.B - We always worry about father's team. When he played himself, we often were going on the stadium. Well, but then I was little. Now I have no time for that. Well, and I'm not interested in football, if CSKA doesn't play

- What sports do you like, except Rhythmic Gymnastics?

- Figure skating and sports dancing. Earlier me and my mom were going on dancing competition, which were in Kyiv. And sure thanks to my brother, Sasha I started to like tennis (Alexander Bessonov studies tennis in Barcelona, in tennis school, which head is Lewis Brugeyra, father of the famous Spanish tennis player - Serzhi Brugeyra. It is interesting that in the same school studies and one of the sons of Sergei Bubka)

V.B - Me and my husband tried to give daughter and son fully different physical training.. Both perfectly can skate. We rested in Slovakia and children learned to ski very fast. Now, to be honest, skiing is closed for Sasha and Anya, they can get a serious injury

- I think that you go on holidays with the whole family not very often?

V.B - I don't even remember when it was for the last time. But this season me and Anya could go for some days to Barcelona to visit Sasha. He misses us very much there and we miss him, for sure. Anya - specially. She has ideal relations with brother. In fact, I think we were lucky with children.

- What are the hobbies of Anna Besonova?

A.B. - I love to read books and sit in the Internet. Sometimes I can spend some hours near computer

- It is known that you study not in sports internat, but in normal school..

A.B - No, in 11th form I had to enter the internat. There the program is lower

V.B - I would like to underline that till 11th class, Anya studied not in normal, but in British school. In last few years, the education wasn't so deep for her. Practically on all school subjects, Anya studied separately. Lessons were after trainings. Sometimes the teacher was going from us at 10 pm and later. Anya had good knowledge on all school subjects, especially English. I worry that she lost a lot last few years...But you have to sacrifice something for sport

- And the last, your plans on this season. This season is special - Olympic...

- I have to get Sydney first. But I won't think only about Sydney. Coaches will solve who goes and who stays. My deal is to train and compete. Both I do very well and I want my routines to make other people happy.

Newspaper "Komanda". Svetlana Nakonechnaya
Alexey Goncharuk