This is a very good interview so I wanted to translate for the fans who don't know German and won't type it into google.
This is from Russian translation. Thank you to translators.
If there are any mistakes, German speakers, please correct.
Pirouette Interview April 2009
I'm trying to find myself
Stephane Lambiel, twice world champion and the winner of silver Olympic medal in Turin, announced his retirement from competitive sport in October 2008 because of bad injury. Piroutte talked with Lambiel about his last appearances in shows, his impressions of the world championships, and the possibility of come back to competitive sport.
I: Let’s look back a little bit, what has been going on with you since you left competitive sport?S: Last summer was very long for me because of the injury, I had to travel a lot to Geneva and Munich, while my training base was in NJ. Travel and treatment took a lot of time. Later in October when I decided to leave competitions, I told myself I should stop training for 6 weeks to let my body rest. After 6 weeks I wanted to try if I would be able to skate again. It was hard to come back to training after such a long break, and the injury hasen’t healed yet. The doctor told me such an injury can take a long time to heal and might never heal completely because it is a functional problem. In December I started to train again and tried to spend an hour on the ice every day to get ready for shows. I performed in SOI in Japan and Art on Ice in Switzerland, and in March I had an opportunity to go to the world championships in LA to watch the competitions. In the spring I had more shows. I was very happy, that I could participate in all these shows because they gave me a lot of positive energy. I have feeling the more I perform in shows the more positive energy I get from there and the more I enjoy skating. In competition you are fully focused on your elements, and here you can feel connection with the audience and I love it.
I: And it shows. The program you performed in gala, - the tango – was meant to be your competitive program?S: Yes, the tango. The concept, elements and steps were done in NY, I worked on choreography with Antonio (Najarro). I also skated Tainted Love in shows in Davos, St Maurice, Turin and elsewhere. In places where I skated the first time I performed Romeo and Juliet because it is my favorite program. This program is totally me.
I: Your favorite program of all you performed?S: I think so. As soon as the music starts I already enjoy it. I wanted to show my favorite program in places where I never skated before.
I: How is your injury now?S: I feel pain every day I’m on the ice, and I think it will be always so. I’m starting to get used to pain but it’s unpleasant because you never know if it will get worse or not. I’m planning to do everyday exercises to make my upper body stronger, and if I succeed maybe my condition will become more stable and the injured muscle won’t be so strained. It is big work, you have to do exercises everyday and necessary with an instructor who assesses the results and gives instructions.
I: Where do you train currently? In Geneva?S: Sometimes in Geneva but I don’t have one training base. Most willingly I train where I happen to participate in shows. There you are surrounded with people and you feel that you skate for the audience so you can be really committed to training. Before training for shows wasn’t full training, being tired after competition I did less, now before shows I train very seriously to be ready to perform. When I’m in Switzerland I train in Geneva and Villars, sometimes in Lausanne so I don’t have one base. I enjoy traveling to new places. Now I have time to discover things for myself, I try something new and different, and I can’t say anything definite what my life would look like in the future. I would like to see many things and my numerous travels help me to achieve it. I think if I was sitting home and spent time thinking what should I do, it would be much harder. And travels, shows, meeting new people, help to keep my inner balance. I know that for all athletes time when they leave the sport is very, very complicated.
I: Yes, you have to find a new goal.S: Exactly. It doesn’t matter what it is: figure skating, tannins, football, ski. As soon as you leave sport your day becomes radically different. Before you had a goal and you worked for it, made sacrifices to achieve it. Now I’m in the stage when I don’t know – although everything around me is still new and interesting – if anything in my life will mean so much for me as skating. It scares me. I think many athletes feel something like this after retirement, but I’m lucky because shows and travels give me chance to realize myself in a new way.
I: You planned to start studies?S: Yes, but it is difficult for me to combine studies with shows and I don’t want to find myself in a situation when I can’t participate in shows because of university schedule. At 24 everything is still ahead, you can study at every age. Now I really like skating in shows. I plan to work on new programs; in this respect I still have a future in skating.
I: With whom you are training? Mr Grutter or someone else?S: When I train in Geneva Mr Grutter is on the ice and he watches with one eye what I’m doing. More often I train alone but I need other people on the ice. It is really hard for me to train alone. In the ice rink in Geneva conditions are good, Noemie Silberer who is competing at European championships is training there and some good junior skaters. There are no top skaters but it’s enough for me that somebody is on the ice, it gives me energy. And Mr Grutter’s look also helps, it gives me confidence. In Villars and Lausanne I train alone. In Villars there is a roof but the walls are open, you can see a beautiful view of the mountains. When the weather is good it is delightful.
I: What are you training? All jumps?S: I train all the elements I am able to do physically. And I fulfill my so called daily plan of training.
I: You were a guest in world championships in LA? What are your impressions?S: I didn’t feel the need to be on the ice. I had thoughts: “OMG, What am I doing on tribunes?” It was a new experience to not compete but it was great to meet people I have known many years, and watch competitions. From technical point of view I saw some interesting elements. In the final group of men I missed some energy. Last years when the final group was on the ice there was something electric in the air. This time I was sitting on tribunes and waiting for such a moment. Competition was on high level but I missed some athletic elements.
I: You missed quads?S: I don’t know exactly what was missing but last years it was necessary to do quad to become a world champion. Plushenko did them, Joubert and I. I respect highly all skaters; the best should become a champion. This is my rule. Evan Lysacek was the best one. I believe it’s very hard to skate a complete program, with very complex technical elements, including difficult positions in spins. You have to work on many different things and it is really hard. It doesn’t mean figure skating won’t develop in the future and I believe for the better. I was impressed by ladies competition. I liked ice dance the most, this is my favorite discipline. Minimum 6-7 teams showed excellent performances.
I: You participated in shows with Plushenko who plans to come back to amateur sport. Did you talk with him about it?S: We didn’t talk about it exactly. Many say he will come back. I wish him a successful come back in good shape. In shows he was in much better shape than last year. I think if he trains it would be good for skating in general if he wins the third Olympic medal. He’s strong, very strong skater with energy and charisma, you can’t deny him that.
I: And what about you? You didn’t rule out a comeback if you are healthy again?S: It is not 100% excluded, but it is not my plan. I don’t want to disappoint fans giving them hope for come back. For me it is important that my skating career is finished, and I’m happy with my achievements, I couldn’t even dream about it. If I feel better physically and can train, then situation would be different, and I will think about come back. This is not an easy situation, I will see. I don’t know if I should talk about it, I don’t want to delude people. Next months I will work a lot on physical conditioning to see if I can still train on the ice. If I can, I will compete.
I: You can make your decision quietly, without any pressure?S: I would have to skate at Nebelhorn Trophy in the end of September. I think in the middle of July I should know if I can or not.
I: Your fans like you very much. What present from your fans was the most unusual?S: I have many unbelievable presents. Very unexpected gift was “The Little Prince”. The Korean fans made a book using the original text. Every character form a book was presented as a person I know: Salome Brunner, Mr Grutter, my sister, Plushenko, my friends. Their heads were replacing the heads of the characters of the story. The book was very well done, the idea to think who resembles whom. This present really moved me. Now in shows I skate only for the audience, not for the judges, they are not there. This is one of the great things about skating, to have an audience that you can enchant. I hope all skaters realize they skate for the audience, that we want share with them the moment of tension. To give joy is the essence of figure skating. Figure skating is a show. We want to make happy people who would like to be with us on the ice, and skaters can realize themselves through the audience.
I: Where do you think figure skating is in the best condition, despite economic problems?S: I think despite financial problems, skating will find its audience. During team competition in Japan the tribunes were completely full even if everybody talks about crisis in Japan. Many people are interested in skating. I was enchanted with the sport when I was 7. The sport with aesthetic qualities draws wide range of audience, from grannies to little girls but also many men are interested in skating. Now in the US they don’t have stars like Kerrigan, Yamaguchi, Kwan, Hughes. These ladies wrote a history of the American skating. I hope there will be place for Evan among them (not sure what he meant here
).
I: The American skaters are strong, first of all ice dancers.S: I hope the audience will understand that skating is not sport for little girls, it is very complex sport, it takes a lot of work, coordination, athleticism and something special – highlight personality – that makes the athletes different than the others.