Sovetsky Sport. October 7, 1984. Recently, the successes of the students of the young coach Nadezhda Maslennikova, from the gymnastics sports school of the Oktyabrsky district of Moscow have been noticeable. As part of the Moscow team, her students won the national championship among specialized sports schools in gymnastics and the traditional competition of athletes of socialist countries, which took place this year in Bulgaria.
I think that these high results are not accidental. Nadezhda Viktorovna Maslennikova has been working enthusiastically and conscientiously for eight years, and children learn the same from her.
The gym where she trains the girls is somehow especially cozy, with a homey warmth. The gymnasts work hard on their own, each doing her part. Little Anyutka, Nadezhda Viktorovna's three-year-old daughter, runs around the scarlet mat as if it were a lawn and tries to imitate her elders in everything. When she gets tired of this, she runs to the bars, climbs onto a chair, jumps from it and grabs the poles.
"Once upon a time I was such a fearless girl," recalls Nadezhda Viktorovna. "I loved to move, to dance, which led me to a ballet studio, and then to gymnastics. Not everything worked out right away, but I never gave up. I learned to be patient and overcome difficulties..."
I asked Maslennikova to tell me about her work.
"Frankly speaking, I simply cannot imagine my life without sports, but I don't even know how to explain why I chose the profession of a coach. I love children very much and have always felt that I can teach them everything that I know myself. This confidence was instilled in me by my coach Galina Ivanovna Pestova. I used to help her with spotting during training and composing routines. When I tried to explain something to the kids, they listened to me. So I decided to go to study at the Institute of Physical Culture."
What difficulties did you encounter when you starting working?
"I think that the subject 'pedagogy' is not taught as thoroughly as I would like at the Institute. At first, I lacked precisely pedagogical knowledge. After all, it's not easy to work with children. They reacted to my comments in different ways. Sometimes I didn't know how to respond to their grievances. I was overcome by doubts: will I cope? But gradually the anxiety disappeared. I realized that the main thing is to be fair in everything, to pay equal attention to each girl."
Does it happen that children quit gymnastics?
"It happens... The main reason is that girls lose interest in gymnastics. Maybe because the training is monotonous, you have to repeat everything countless times. I try to make gymnastics for children 'soft,' accessible, so that they understand their exercises themselves and understand why and what they are doing."
"My students learn to sew and knit. They love to create beautiful costumes for their performances. I try to engage them in reading. We often prepare lessons together. I support their dreams. Ira Sorokina wants to become a biologist, Katya Zakharova a choreographer, Oksana Averkova a fashion designer."
How do they cope with training loads?
"I adhere to this method. At an early age, at 6 or 7 years old, I play with them more, dance, strengthen them physically. At this stage, I am only 'making them fall in love' with gymnastics. From the age of 8, I transfer the girls to specialization and ask more strict questions. And yet, children will always remain children to me. They love laughter and games, and you shoudn't deny them that."
"I am in no hurry to teach them difficult elements. When a gymnast does not know how to correctly perform this or that element, fear appears. First, we try to understand everything theoretically, and then practically."
"I never stop learning from experienced colleagues - it's always interesting. We, young coaches, need to grow together with our students."
Here are comments from Olympic champion and senior coach of the Moscow gymnastics team, Larisa Latynina:
"We have high hopes for the revival of the Moscow school of gymnastics with the students of Nadezhda Maslennikova. Oksana Averkova and Katya Sapsaeva are already part of the national youth team, and other girls are part of our Moscow team."
"I am glad that Maslennikova is the one who produces good gymnasts, and I would like to see every new coach as honest, hardworking, searching, and at the same time a sensitive and kind person as Nadezhda Viktorovna."
E. SCHAVELEVA, master of sports