Stanislav Zhuk
Encyclopedia
Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk (January 25, 1935, Ulyanovsk
- November 1, 1998, Moscow
) was a pair skater who represented the Soviet Union
. With partner and wife Nina, he won three silver medals at the European Figure Skating Championships
and finished sixth at the 1960 Winter Olympics
.
He later went on to a long career as a coach. Among the pairs he coached were Olympic gold medalists Irina Rodnina
& Alexander Zaitsev and Ekaterina Gordeeva
& Sergei Grinkov
.
In the late 1940-s there was a revival of figure skating in the after-war Leningrad. Here Stanislav started skating. Many of the most promising students of Pioneers Palace section were in the department of Dinamo physical culture and sports club. There was formed the most powerful Soviet Union figure skaters team at the head of the coach Peter Orlov, the Master of Sports. The coach Orlov met Stanislav when he was studying in the physical training college. He offered him to skate in pair with Nina Bakusheva, a ladies single skater from Leningrad.
In the late 1950-s they started to skate together. Stanislav was a very ambitious person. He always followed his motto: “If it's necessary, it’s a must!”. If he didn’t do what he had planned during the trainings, he would have never left the ice-rink. The coach trusted him with the preparation of performance programs and trainings.
In 10 years the pair won three silver medals at the European Championships and they were four-time Champions of the Soviet Union Championships . This was the start of an era of soviet figure skaters great victories worldwide.
While taking part in the European Championships the pair performed the elements which were accepted illegal by judges as they considered them to be too dangerous.
"I was told that it was acrobatics. Remembering this makes me laugh. Time has passed, but the medals will never be gold." (Stanislav Zhuk)
Nobody had ever performed the move with one-handed hold before Stanislav Zhuk. The element was performed with the direct hands in comparison with the other pairs who performed it with the bent hands. Mass media made a fuss about new elements performed by the Zhuk. However a year later these dangerous elements considered to be highly professional.
They were the first soviet skating pair who took part in Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Calif., in 1960.
Nina and Stanislav Zhuk finished as high as second in later European and World championships.
1961 they claimed to be the world best skating pair as they had a unique program. But due to unforeseen circumstances the 1961 World Championship didn’t take place. US Figure Skating Team died in a plane crash as they were headed for the World Championship in Prague. Nina and Stanislav decided to finish their professional career and join the Moscow State Ballet on Ice.
1962 Stanislav Zhuk attended the World Championship in Prague as the coach of Ludmila Belousova
and Oleg Protopopov
. Due to his highly professional program they won a silver medal. Working in the Moscow State Ballet on Ice Zhuk sacrificed his rehearsals and performances for preparing his sister, Tatyana Zhuk, for the competitions. She skated first with Alexander Gavrilov, than with Alexander Gorelick.
Zhuk became a coach for the Central Army Sports Club. He took Alexander Gorelick in his team and 9 months later the skating pair Tatyana and Alexander was accepted into the Soviet Union national team. They were the 1965 World and European bronze medalists and than the 1966 World and European silver medalists. 1968 they won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics.
It was the start of Stanislav Zhuk great victories. He raised many world famous figure skaters in all kinds of figure skating.
He was a discoverer of stars. For example, Irina Rodnina
, who is one of the most successful figure skaters ever. His student, Elena Vodorezova
, was the first Soviet woman to win a silver medal at the European Championships. Alexander Fadeyev is the first figure skater in the world who landed a quadruple toe-loop.
In 20 years of coaching Stanislav Zhuk trainees won 67 gold, 36 silver and 35 bronze medals at the Olympic Games and World and European Championships.
Another successive pairs trained by Zhuk were Marina Cherkasova
and Sergei Shakhrai
, Marina Pestova
and Stanislav Leonovich
, Ekaterina Gordeeva
and Sergei Grinkov
. Unfortunately they were the last Zhuk pupils who made the Moscow pair skating famous worldwide.
November 1, 1998 Stanislav Zhuk died of a heart attack at the Moscow subway station “Aeroport”, not far from CSKA. Since then every year his trainees and admirers visit his grave at Vagankovskoe cemetery.
19 November 2008 there was the opening of the monument to Stanislav Zhuk, the outstanding professional figure-skating coach, on the CSKA.
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
- November 1, 1998, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a pair skater who represented the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. With partner and wife Nina, he won three silver medals at the European Figure Skating Championships
European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...
and finished sixth at the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
.
He later went on to a long career as a coach. Among the pairs he coached were Olympic gold medalists Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
& Alexander Zaitsev and Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva is a Russian figure skater. Together with her late partner and husband Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion in pair skating...
& Sergei Grinkov
Sergei Grinkov
Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov was a Russian pair skater. Together with partner Ekaterina Gordeeva, he was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Stanslav Zhuk is a native Siberian. Having finished Marine military service his father, Alexey Zhuk, returned to Ulyanovsk together with his friend Pavel Dementyev. As they were neighbors Alexey met his sister Maria. They immediately fell in love and soon got married. Stanislav Zhuk was born on 25 January 1935 into a family of the naval officer in Ulyanovsk. As a result the family had to move a lot.In the late 1940-s there was a revival of figure skating in the after-war Leningrad. Here Stanislav started skating. Many of the most promising students of Pioneers Palace section were in the department of Dinamo physical culture and sports club. There was formed the most powerful Soviet Union figure skaters team at the head of the coach Peter Orlov, the Master of Sports. The coach Orlov met Stanislav when he was studying in the physical training college. He offered him to skate in pair with Nina Bakusheva, a ladies single skater from Leningrad.
In the late 1950-s they started to skate together. Stanislav was a very ambitious person. He always followed his motto: “If it's necessary, it’s a must!”. If he didn’t do what he had planned during the trainings, he would have never left the ice-rink. The coach trusted him with the preparation of performance programs and trainings.
In 10 years the pair won three silver medals at the European Championships and they were four-time Champions of the Soviet Union Championships . This was the start of an era of soviet figure skaters great victories worldwide.
While taking part in the European Championships the pair performed the elements which were accepted illegal by judges as they considered them to be too dangerous.
"I was told that it was acrobatics. Remembering this makes me laugh. Time has passed, but the medals will never be gold." (Stanislav Zhuk)
Nobody had ever performed the move with one-handed hold before Stanislav Zhuk. The element was performed with the direct hands in comparison with the other pairs who performed it with the bent hands. Mass media made a fuss about new elements performed by the Zhuk. However a year later these dangerous elements considered to be highly professional.
They were the first soviet skating pair who took part in Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Calif., in 1960.
Nina and Stanislav Zhuk finished as high as second in later European and World championships.
1961 they claimed to be the world best skating pair as they had a unique program. But due to unforeseen circumstances the 1961 World Championship didn’t take place. US Figure Skating Team died in a plane crash as they were headed for the World Championship in Prague. Nina and Stanislav decided to finish their professional career and join the Moscow State Ballet on Ice.
1962 Stanislav Zhuk attended the World Championship in Prague as the coach of Ludmila Belousova
Ludmila Belousova
Ludmila Yevgenyevna Belousova is a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With her partner Oleg Protopopov, she is a two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion .- Career :Belousova started skating relatively late, at age 16. She met Protopopov in 1954 and they began...
and Oleg Protopopov
Oleg Protopopov
Oleg Alekseyevich Protopopov is a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With his partner Ludmila Belousova, he is a two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion .- Career :Protopopov started skating relatively late, at age 15...
. Due to his highly professional program they won a silver medal. Working in the Moscow State Ballet on Ice Zhuk sacrificed his rehearsals and performances for preparing his sister, Tatyana Zhuk, for the competitions. She skated first with Alexander Gavrilov, than with Alexander Gorelick.
Zhuk became a coach for the Central Army Sports Club. He took Alexander Gorelick in his team and 9 months later the skating pair Tatyana and Alexander was accepted into the Soviet Union national team. They were the 1965 World and European bronze medalists and than the 1966 World and European silver medalists. 1968 they won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics.
It was the start of Stanislav Zhuk great victories. He raised many world famous figure skaters in all kinds of figure skating.
He was a discoverer of stars. For example, Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals . She initially competed with Alexei Ulanov and later teamed up with Alexander Zaitsev...
, who is one of the most successful figure skaters ever. His student, Elena Vodorezova
Elena Vodorezova
Elena Germanovna Vodorezova , is a Russian figure skating coach and retired competitive skater who represented the Soviet Union. She is the 1983 World bronze medalist and three-time European medalist.- Career :...
, was the first Soviet woman to win a silver medal at the European Championships. Alexander Fadeyev is the first figure skater in the world who landed a quadruple toe-loop.
In 20 years of coaching Stanislav Zhuk trainees won 67 gold, 36 silver and 35 bronze medals at the Olympic Games and World and European Championships.
Another successive pairs trained by Zhuk were Marina Cherkasova
Marina Cherkasova
Marina Evgenievna Cherkasova is a Russian retired pair skater. With Sergei Shakhrai, she won the 1979 European title at the age of 14. At 15, she was the 1980 Olympic silver medalist and 1980 World champion.- Career :...
and Sergei Shakhrai
Sergei Shakhrai
Sergei Semenovich Shakhrai is a Russian retired pair skater. With partner Marina Cherkasova, he is the 1980 Olympic silver medalist, 1980 World champion, and 1979 European champion.- Career :...
, Marina Pestova
Marina Pestova
Marina Pestova is a former Soviet pair skater with partner Stanislav Leonovich. They were the 1982 World and European silver medalists, 1980 World and European bronze medalists, and three-time Soviet champions. The pair retired from competition in 1983...
and Stanislav Leonovich
Stanislav Leonovich
Stanislav Viktorovich Leonovich is a former Soviet pair skater with partner Marina Pestova. They were the 1982 World and European silver medalists, 1980 World and European bronze medalists, and three-time Soviet champions. The pair retired from competition in 1983...
, Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva is a Russian figure skater. Together with her late partner and husband Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion in pair skating...
and Sergei Grinkov
Sergei Grinkov
Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov was a Russian pair skater. Together with partner Ekaterina Gordeeva, he was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion.-Biography:...
. Unfortunately they were the last Zhuk pupils who made the Moscow pair skating famous worldwide.
November 1, 1998 Stanislav Zhuk died of a heart attack at the Moscow subway station “Aeroport”, not far from CSKA. Since then every year his trainees and admirers visit his grave at Vagankovskoe cemetery.
19 November 2008 there was the opening of the monument to Stanislav Zhuk, the outstanding professional figure-skating coach, on the CSKA.
Competitive highlights
(with Zhuk)| Event | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
6th | |||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
8th | 5th | ||||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
6th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | ||
| Soviet Championships Soviet Figure Skating Championships The Soviet Figure Skating Championships were a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of the Soviet Union... |
3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |