The popularity of figure skating in Azerbaijan is steadily growing. Although the sport cannot yet be called widely developed, the number of its fans increases every year. Long queues to get onto ice rinks during the winter season only confirm this trend.
But who is interested in figure skating not just seasonally, and chooses it as a serious hobby or even a future profession? Idman.Biz visited a training session of young athletes and spoke with some of them.
The youngest figure skater
Young skaters of different ages confidently glide across the ice, but one athlete receives special attention from the coach. That is because she is the youngest member of the group – five-year-old Safiyya Kocharli.
According to the girl’s mother, Lala Kocharli, Safiyya herself wanted to take up figure skating. She first visited an ice rink when the family was living in Moscow and since then asked to go there every day. After moving to Azerbaijan, Safiyya was initially enrolled in gymnastics, but once she learned that figure skating existed in the country, she began going to the ice rink.
Lala Kocharli notes that many people around them are surprised by this choice of sport. “For Azerbaijanis it is still something exotic, but I hope it will be developed more actively,” she says.
She also admitted that she was not afraid to put such a young child on the ice. “When a child is with a coach, you feel calmer. And the cold actually strengthens the immune system – children get sick less often. Although grandmothers, of course, worry,” Kocharli explained.
At the same time, Lala Kocharli says she would not want Safiyya to pursue figure skating professionally. “High-level sport affects both education and health. At some point you have to make a choice. My husband, however, wants her to become a professional figure skater.”
Safiyya herself says she loves figure skating very much and dreams of becoming a skater. Asked what she can already do, the girl answered: “Jump. But I want to learn to jump even better.”
Other young stars of the rink
Nine-year-old Emilia Aliyeva also shared her story with Idman.Biz. “I have been skating for four years already. My parents brought me to the classes, but later I really liked it myself,” she said.
Emilia wants to pursue figure skating professionally and dreams of opening a large ice rink in the future and becoming a coach. She can already perform spins as well as jumps such as the loop, salchow and flip. At the moment, she is working on the double axel, one of the most difficult jumps in figure skating, and dreams of landing any triple jump.
According to the young athlete, her parents are actively involved in her sporting journey. Her mother trains with her additionally, even though she is not a coach. “She understands figure skating very well,” Emilia noted.
“My parents support me. My mom also works with me – sometimes she can scold me, but the results keep getting better. My school teacher also supports me, although classmates rarely come to watch my performances,” she added.
Emilia enjoys a creative approach to her programs. “We specially designed this Scandinavian-style costume with my dad for my performance, and my mom helped too. Before, I had a slow program, and now I have another one that is more rhythmic.”
Another talented young skater, Varvara Aleksandrova, said she has been practicing the sport since the age of four. “When I first stepped onto the ice, it was scary and exciting. But after a week I got used to it. Now I am not even afraid of falling,” she said.
Varvara is inspired by figure skaters Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova. Her favorite element is the loop, but she also dreams of mastering the double axel. In the future, the girl wants to become a master of sport and then a coach.
To achieve her goals, Varvara trains intensively. “I train six days a week and come to practice after school. I also do well in my studies,” she said.
Both Emilia Aliyeva and Varvara Aleksandrova admit that they love figure skating for its creative aspect.
“It is a beautiful sport: music, jumps, spins,” Varvara said.
“Figure skaters are like stunt performers. To be honest, just doing gymnastics is boring for me. But when you are on the ice, you get enormous pleasure,” Emilia Aliyeva added.
