Cyborg- snowboarder
Is it possible to stand up on a snowboard for the first time and win a silver medal in a couple of weeks in the Cup of Russia? Moreover, if you have a prosthesis? Sure, it is possible! This can be the answer from Sergey Novikov from Samara. He lost his leg when he was 15, and he got acquainted with snowboard only in January this year. But there are already two silver medals in his sport box! And now his goal is taking part in the Winter paralympics.
– How long have you been standing on snowboard?
– I stood up on snowboard in January 2nd 2020. Before that, I usually stood in the beginning of the routes on skiing resorts and watched all my family skiing. And then, when the whole town was still sleeping or having breakfast of unfinished new-year salads, I already was on training slope and, accompanied by two instructors, took my first steps in mastering board. Then, when the instructors had to leave for their jobs, I stayed alone on the training slope. And then I had another hard hour trying to stand up on the snowboard – cause we haven’t studied how to lift with it. In the meantime, I think this is the most interesting case in my boarding, because, after an hour of abortive attempts, I thought I would never go on board, because I even can’t rise on the mountain without someone else’s help. But, next morning, first of all, we tried technique of overturn and standing up on board. And only after everything happened, I could believe that I could do everything.
– Who is your coach? And who supports you?
– Dmitry Valaboev invited me (he is a snowboard instructor and a very considerate person). He decided to help people with amputations learn to go snowboarding. Another instructor, Tatiana Shevyreva, joined him. And that’s how our Samara team began. I trained with the instructor who could find time for me. Sometimes there were both of them.
And support comes from all the people around me, absolutely. Beginning from my family and ending with those who see me on the mountain. I also got material aid for purchasing the ammunition from CIFH Eydos (Center of engineering findings and hydrogeology), LLC, and ONV of Samara region and NAO Lyzhi Mechty (Dream ski) helped me in financing my trip to the competition. Facilities and preferences in renting the equipment were provided by @nova_prokat.
– Have you played sports before? If so, which one? What were your achievements?
– When I went to school, I played basketball in school team, and when I lost my leg, I went to the gym to “pump iron.” I didn’t take part in any competitions and didn’t know that there are any competitions for people with disabilities. And then I gave up sport when I started my own family and moved to Samara. I had to earn money to buy a flat and keep my family.
– Do you need a special prosthesis for snowboarding?
– Speaking briefly, yes, I do. There are two special features here.
The first feature is that people with amputations usually have only one prosthesis available, and, moreover, not always in order. And now, imagine that if you fall, this prosthesis will be broken. And that’s all… Cause these prostheses are not designed for repeated overloads when you fall. And in this case, a person who walked and took care for themselves, turns into a person on a wheelchair (if they can find a wheelchair), or, most often, into a crutch walker. I don’t mind against crutches, but for me it is somewhat shameful. I, so to say, got used to walking. I even don’t use a walking stick after I forgot six or seven of them because of my inattentiveness (well, I don’t need them, so I forget them). New people on prostheses team up with us. Well, one guy broke his prosthesis when he fell, so that it was impossible to fix it. His only rescue was that a new prosthesis was being made for him in the factory, and it was almost ready, and the guy had to walk on crutches to work only for a week. As he said it was the most difficult week, because many didn’t even guess that he walked on prosthesis. If the prosthesis is broken, possibility to fix it will be a great luck, because a new prosthesis is issued only once in two years, and it is almost impossible to buy it for your own money, because even usual prostheses may cost 800,000 rubles ($11,000) depending on the packaging. I can also note that when you fall, the prosthesis tears your pants, and when you roll up a trouser leg, snow gets inside, as well as the condensate. If a prosthesis is not water-resistant, it breaks right there. In this respect, I was lucky, for I had an old spare prosthesis which already didn’t let me walk normally, and I could not feel sorry if it is broken. It was also water-resistant. And I used it when I learnt snowboarding.
The second feature is that usual prostheses don’t let me effectively go snowboarding and do different movements. For example, usual prosthesis didn’t let me stand up on the front edge. If only I bent my knee, It bents to the end right away. Special prostheses don’t bent to the end, amortize; they are water-resistant and made of such thick metal that it is almost impossible to break them. But walking on them is a real torture. So that’s why they are special. But boarding on them is just like soaring on wings. We managed to get such prosthesis for a test-drive to Samara region right after my return from the Cup of Russia. And it let me stand up to the front edge, jump from springboard and many times increased my capacity. It is pity I had to give it back. And now we are looking for sponsors who can help us buy one for our team.
– Have you taken part in the competitions?
– One of conditions for creating a para-snowboard team in Samara region was presence of at least one athlete who took 1st – 16th place in the federal competitions. So we decided to take part in one of the stages of the Cup of Russia. And on a usual prosthesis, without my ammunition (at that time, I had neither boots, nor the snowboard – I rented all this every time), we went for the competition to Moscow. The competitions were held on Tyagachev mountain-ski complex (I think it is the only complex where there was snow this year). There we rented the ammunition and set out. We took the second place in each of the two disciplines.
– Paralympics is your ambition, isn’t it? And what other sporting goals do you set?
– Well, before the Paralympics, I have to get to the national team. And to do this, you have to win in the championship. Because of coronavirus, the Championship of Russia and the second stage of the Cup of Russia in 2020 were moved to the end of the year. So now I’m getting ready for these competitions. And we are planning, besides creating the team in Samara region, to organize a festival of para-snowboarders, with workshops and performances – cause it motivates so much when you see with your own eyes that people just like you easily go snowboarding. I was astonished to see people with cerebral palsy taking part in the competitions. They couldn’t walk, but they easily went snowboarding! It gives really great motivation… I also want to get to the podium in the local competitions with usual people “with two legs.”
– How do you usually train?
– Usually I exercise three days on week days after work and two weekends from the morning until I feel very tired. If I used special prosthesis, at first I unscrewed half of a usual prosthesis on which I walked, and then screwed sport prosthesis. Then a necessary warming-up, and only after that I go to the lifter. Coaches go with me, note my mistakes, show how to do this or that exercise correctly. And this way, until I feel tired, or until the closure of the mountain-ski complex, or until rising on ski-pass is finished. Between the training sessions, I watch video lessons on YouTube. And, of course, at home I meditate and do stretches.
– And now, under the quarantine?
– Now only meditation is left. Well, and compulsory morning exercises which already became a habit, and help keep my muscles in tone even without going to the gym. It seems such an insignificant mini-training, but if you do it every day at least for 15 minutes, the effect is great. Besides, it is already spring and summer. We are waiting until the high water on the Volga ends, and we will learn veykboard.
– How can you train if the winter is snowless?
– Unlike Moscow or St.-Petersburg, we had snow this winter. And people specially go to train to the slopes where there is always snow in winter. The Urals are not far from us, and the Caucasus is nearer to us than to the capitals. Speaking about getting ready for the competitions, usual slopes are not enough. Cause routes of the competitions contain springboards, rolls, slopes and counter-slopes. On glksok.ru, we have such special sections only for the competition period. So those days, we always try to get to these routes. Most often, this time is not enough (from safety point of view, the mountain-ski complex tries to remove such difficult elements as fast as possible). So we will take part in the local competitions, to train more and get experience on sport sections. All in all, those who want will find the way!
– Do you have any ideas to improve snowboard for people with disabilities?
– If technical ones, I can’t say so. I don’t have any engineering knowledge. I had some ideas how to adjust usual prosthesis, but after you go on special one, all the attempts of improvement disappear. It turns out that everything has been invented long ago.
If you talk about the system itself and involvement of people with disabilities in sport, everything is the same as in other sports. The same problems and their solutions. One of the main problems in para-snowboarding for people with amputations is absence of special prostheses, their high cost, and high cost of snowboard as a sport in general. Expensive are clothes, boots, snowboards with fastenings, climbs. And many live far from mountain-ski complex. People with disabilities are in lack of money, and this hobby will cost them a lot.
– Do you like travelling? Are there any places where you’d like to come back? Or those you definitely want to visit ?
– I enjoy travelling. If I go somewhere to relax, I don’t stay on the same place and try to use every opportunity. I’ve travelled through many interesting places in Samara region, visited Mangyshlak peninsula (Kazakhstan). I think you can return there several times, because two months are not enough to see all the sights there. That travelling was like you were on another planet. I can’t describe my emotions… And my nearest plans, as soon as the quarantine is finished, is going to the Elton lake in Volgograd region, to see the rosy sunsets.
– What other hobbies do you have?
– I’ve got one more hobby - photo. But I haven’t done very well in it yet. Only a couple of awards in regional photo-contests. But everything is yet to come!..
– Your goals for the nearest year?
– Getting a sport prosthesis. I’m looking forward to it! And then everything depends on my diligence. But it is impossible to save up such amount of money. That’s why I’d like to appeal to our readers. I need help in raising 1.1 million rubles to buy sport prosthesis or help in searching for a sponsor or benefactor. If somebody can help me or knows somebody who can help, please, write to me.
Photos by Sergey Novikov. Translated by Anna Fomina