Sofia Fedorova: I want to be first all the time

Already today, February 11 in Pyeongchang will be held qualifying performances of snowboarders among women. Among our athletes in slopestyle and big air is Sofya Fedorova, a young representative of the Krasnodar Region, a rider from the Roxy team. We met with Sonya to find out more about her rapid development, her plans for the upcoming Olympics and her favorite slopes.

– Sonya, tell us, how did it happen that snowboarding became a significant part of your life? Where did it all start?
– It all started when my dad was the first in my family to start snowboarding. Before that we sometimes went to the Moscow region and skied. When I saw my dad on a snowboard, I wanted to do it too. I took his board, his big boots, and started to learn to ride on the slope myself, without an instructor or anyone else’s help. Later I consciously started going to Snezhkom, an indoor ski center in Krasnogorsk, with my dad’s snowboard. There I learned to edge and ride on my own, and then I gradually mastered skiing in the park. On my 14th birthday I was given my first snowboard of my own. In the same year at Snezhkom I started to socialize with the guys, and they introduced me to the coach. That’s how I ended up at the sports school.

– Why did you want to compete at all? You can just skate for your own pleasure.
– To be honest, it just happened to me somehow. Already a month after I got to the sports school, my first children’s competitions were held. And it started. I started to perform and show good results. And I liked it. I realized that I wanted to be first all the time, I wanted to show others what I could do. I can say that from the moment I started to skate, I started to take part in competitions, I like it and enjoy it.

– Can you say that some competitions were turning points for you? Did they affect you in any way?
– Probably yes. It was the European Cup and the World Championship. I won the World Championship in big air in my first year of international competitions. After that I was put on the national team and I earned my personal quota, that is, a place at the World Cups. I started to be driven around the World Cups, which is why I’m here at the Olympics now. So, most likely, it was the World Cup that was the decisive competition in my career

– How much time does training take up?
– You could say that I have adapted my life to training and I try to train 100 percent of my time.

– Do you have enough time to go for a fun ride, for example with friends?
– Yes, at the end of the season, when the competition season is over and there is free time, I can afford to ride with friends, have fun. For example, New Star Camp is coming up soon (Quiksilver New Star Camp is the biggest sports and music festival in Russia. It will be held from March 30 to April 8 at the year-round mountain resort Rosa Khutor.– Editor’s note). It will be a lot of fun there. It will be just the right time to go skiing with friends, for yourself.

– Where do you usually train? Are there any tracks in Russia that you like? Can you recommend some of them?
– To be honest, I usually train in Europe. My season starts in August. I go either to the glaciers or where it is winter, i.e. New Zealand. I love Austria, Switzerland, I like New Zealand too. These are my favorite places. I don’t come to Russia very often, as I am constantly training and competing at World Cups. Probably Sochi is my favorite place in Russia. During the New Star Camp they build a good park there for training. Sometimes they also build a good park at the Sun Valley resort in Miass.

– How do you keep fit in the off-season?
– The off-season usually doesn’t last long for me. The season ends around late spring and starts again in summer. Usually I skateboard, I also go to the indoor “Snezhkom” to snowboard, or work out in the gym. But in the summer I mostly skateboard. It’s my favorite activity.

– What do your workouts basically consist of? Is it not only skating on the slope, but also physical training in the gym?
– Yes. I go to the gym throughout the year. For me it’s part of my daily routine, so I go to the gym 365 days a year.

– Do you have any snowboarding idols? People you look up to or are just interesting to watch from the sidelines?
– There are no people I look up to. There are just snowboarders whose riding style and lifestyle I like. Of course I follow them on Instagram(smiles). I try to adopt some details of tricks, watch videos, try to understand their skating technique. For example, Anna Gasser or Jamie Anderson.

– This Olympics will be the first for you. Do you have any expectations? Maybe you are making plans?
– The track is quite difficult, very big figures and the level is very different even from the World Cup. My expectations are just to make my program without mistakes. So far this is my main goal. I hope everything will work out. I like it here, and that’s the main thing!