Johnny Weir:

I talked with him right after his arrival in Saint-Petersburg. But unfortunately he had to withdraw on the second day of the competitions.

V: Hello Johnny and welcome to the competitions!! How was your trip?

J: Hello, thanks! My trip was sooo long, but it was ok.

V: Could you tell me about your plans for this season?

J: I want to be World Champion , get with my skating results that I want and try quad triple here. Actually this season began to work with Marina Anisina. She is difficult in a good way and she has strong opinion about the way something should be. She makes you work. It’s funny to work with someone, who is your friend.

V: I heard you are interested in fashion, is it true?

J: Oh, I’m very interested in fashion!!! If to talk more about my interests: I like traveling. I love Russia. And I like pop music, Christina Agilera for sure, T.A.T.U, Eminem… I can say that I like any interesting music.

V: Can you sing?

J: Haha, just in my car or in the shower!

V: What are you afraid of most in your life?

J: I’m afraid of sharks, spiders and being alone. I like to be alone. But for my whole life I want somebody to share life with. I haven’t found such person yet. I’m looking…

V: Tell me some words about your family?

J: My father played American football and did many other kinds of sport. My mother always was cheering him. They always went to school together and they have been together since they were young. My family has 5 dogs. I have only 2 dogs. ( Bon-Bon and Vanja). Before I had cat, fishes, horse, guinea-pig.

V: I try to ask every skater this question: do you like the new system of judgment?

J: I don’t like it. I liked previous one more. Not everything is previous system was better. But with new system we don’t know which judges are voting for which skater and so on.

V: Who is the serious rival for you in men’s skating?

J: For sure it’s Joubert… There are a lot of people- Japanese, Russians as well.

V: As I understood you spend all your time skating?

J: No, I like to be with my friends, to go out and have fun with them or just to relax.

I don’t study now. But in the future I want to study at Fashion Institute of technology In New-York.

V: What do you like to eat? Maybe some national cousin?

J: I like caviar, pane-cakes… I like a lot of Russian food. I like sushi, French food.

V: You said, that you like traveling. What place you would like to visit in the future?

J: I want to go to Norway again. I was there only one time. I want to go to Hong-Kong. And actually I want to see more Russia. I visited only Saint-Petersburg and Moscow. It’s not a lot.

V: Could you tell some words to your Swedish fans?

J: I want to thank them. I wish I could speak Swedish. J

Sarah Meier:

V: Sarah could you tell me how did you start to skate?

S: I started when I was about 4 years old, because my parents did sport. My father was hockey player, my mother was figure skater. And now she is a judge. So I just started and obviously I like it. As for now I train about 4 hours per day. 2 hours on ice and 2 hours off ice. At the moment I decided only to skate, I quit my studies. It was really hard to combine. When I was studying I was thinking about training. And when I was skating I was thinking about studying. When I will finish with skating probably I will continue with studying. I like biology and chemistry. I want to skate until 2010 next Olympics and maybe more, who knows? My coach is my aunt. So she knows me since I was born. We have very close relationship. But she is not my coach all the time. I have other coaches sometimes.

V: What coaches?

S: In the summer I go to Flims and I train with Victor Kudriavcev.

V: Btw, wanted to ask you, why Stephane Lambiel did not come here?

S: He could not compete at NHK Trophy in Japan, he was sick. So he only had one grand-prix competition and he could not get enough points to compete here.

V: Have you seen any skaters in Switherland, who in your opinion can become great skater in future?

S: I see some good skaters in my club, but they are very small yet.

V: I see. Sarah, to be always in the shape, do you keep the diet?

S: No, I don’t keep the diet. I like to eat. But I have to watch that I eat not only pizza , chocolate, food in McDonalds. No one tells me: “You must not eat this and this”. Of course I try to eat a lot of vegetables and not a lot of cakes.

V: Do you have any special interests?

S: I like to go out and dance. I like to go shopping in different countries, because sometimes you can find things, which people don’t have in Switzerland. I like rock music and R‘n’B.

V: Is it your first time in Saint-Petersburg?

S: No, it’s my second. I was here 3 years ago. I did not skate here, we did sightseeing tours. And I want to see more, but it’s getting dark so early now. I like more light than darkness.

V: What is your purpose in figure skating?

S: The most important thing that I can keep my love for sport and to bring joy to the audience. When I skate, I want to give good feeling to everyone, who watches it. And at ECH this year I want to be on the podium. Last year I was so close to it.

Brian Joubert:

V: Brian, you changed pretty many coaches :) So could you tell me some words about work with your current one?

B: We started to work together in September. We do very good job, because technically he is very good, and we work a lot, I like it. He makes me confident, that’s very important for the competitions.

V: You still skate in your club in Poitiers?

B: Yeah, I did not change it. Because I have everything there. My friends, my family ( and I guess family is the most important thing).

V: Do you have time for study now?

B: No, you know figure skating is my job. But I also do some other sports. But in the future I want to be a coach, so I have to study.

V: Almost every skater I try to ask opinion of new system of judgment.

B: I like the old one. Now with the new judging system, when you try something like a quad jump and you fall, it’s very bad. So it’s better to do simple jumps, you can get more points. I don’t think it’s good for the future of figure skating, because the future is quad jumps. And nobody tries it now. You know it’s Final Grand-Prix I tried 2 quads and Daisuke Takahashi tried one and that’s all. In 2002 for example it was completely different. But maybe it will change, I don’t know…

V: Your mother often follows you… Is she your manager or just supporter?

B: No, she is just my mother. When she can come to the competition, she comes. She stays with me all the days for the practices and I need her. She is very important.

V: In one your interview I read that you hate computers. Is it still so?

B: Yeah, I don’t like computer. I have to use it, because it’s very important.

V: How is your dog doing btw? I saw pics, really cute dog :)

B: Oh, he is fine. He is going to be a father!

V: I guess, girls won’t forgive you if I don’t ask you one question: Do you have a girlfriend?

B: I don’t have a girlfriend :)

V: And my last question: what can you say for your Swedish fans?

B: I would like to thank Swedish fans! When I came in Malmo in 2003 for the ECH, it was very great. And I hope to come back soon in Sweden.