This is the English version of the Natalia's big Interview, that was published in Russian beforeThat was translated English by alexsl76. The Original translation were publisher early in he's English blog about Russian Volleyball http://blogs.myspace.com/index…istAll&friendId=505111708
gratitude's
We want to thanks Alexsl for excellent translation of the Natalia's big Interview in English.
Also we w
ant to thanks Natalia Once Again just for She's exists with us.
More there, we want to Thanks Vladislav Xodasevich for hi's outstanding administrative and creative works for this Interview become real.
And the Last by the list, but not by importance:
QuoteDisplay More2 december of 2009
Right now, 1:43 AM (GMT+3 Moscow Time)
We are the first in the, who congratulate You:
Happy Birthday Natalia!
Happy birthday Fairytale
Copy of this interview published on Official Dinamo Krasnodar Website: http://dinamokrasnodar.ru/publ…talia-interview-mammadova
In the comment on Official Website U could post your congratulation's with birthdate
Press service of Women Volleball Club "Dinamo", Krasnodar
The Fairytale’s[1] Identity.
Q. Natalia, let’s start from family matters: where you were born; how did you got into volleyball; tell something about you family and etc. It would be kind of you autobiography.
A: I was born in Ukraine, in the city of Donetsk. All my relatives are still there. I started in volleyball accidentally: my older sister played volleyball. When I was in the third grade (about 10 years old) I joined her and stayed. Eventually I started to play professionally.
Q: Is you sister still playing on the professional level?
A: She played for some time. She is not playing now.
Q: What are her volleyball achievements?
A: She played in the Ukraine Superliga. But when it was time to choose between sport or education, she elected education.
Q: Are there any more athletes in you family?
A: Yes, I have a younger sister who plays volleyball. She is playing in Baku now.
Q: Is she a professional athlete?
A: She is not that good (with smiles). But she is trying to get better and get on a team.
Q: How about your parents: are they into any sports?
A: Not really.
Q: What do you parents do for living?
A: My mother already retired. Father passed away. Mom was an engineer on the railroad. Later, when we moved to Moscow, she quit her job and went with us. I was young, only 17 years old, when I came to play for Odintsovo. I played only one season and after than I left for Azerbaijan. That was many years ago.
Q: You started in Odintsovo when you were 17 years old. Did you play for any Ukrainian team before that?
A: No, I never played for any Ukrainian team. I did trained with one of them. Then off-season I went to Odintsovo, from there to Azerbaijan, where I settled down.
Azerbaijan Subscriptum.
Q: How you end up in Azerbaijan?
A: I do not know (laughing). They told me: “Give it a try.” I tried and stayed there. Probably there was an element of chance there (smiling).
Q: How Azerbaijan greeted you? It is a bit exotic country for us. What was it in you imagination? Was it close to the reality?
A: At that time my main goal was to start playing. I wanted to succeed in volleyball, to become a professional player and get people’s recognition. I did not have priority where to play. What mattered was the offer to play. I did not even think about that Azerbaijan was another country, a Muslim country. People there speak Russian, and they are “our people”. It was easy in this aspect: there was ne language barrier, no communication problem, there was no misunderstanding.
Q: BTW, there is a question to you from our web-site. You played in Azerbaijan, you played in Turkey. Both of then are Muslim countries with highly popular women volleyball. At the same time they have certain traditions regarding how women should behave. Is this somehow related? Did you feel any cultural differences?
A: No, there was absolutely no problem in Azerbaijan. It is a secular country, and women volleyball is very popular.
Q: Why women volleyball is so popular in Azerbaijan? It was popular during the Soviet time too. As an athlete who played there, can you explain why it is some popular?
A: It is hard for me to explain it. When I arrived there, there were some top level players, and we played pretty well together. Practically all the players from my team were on the National Team roaster too. So we spent all the time together. Our coach did everything for us to create the best environment to practice. That is why we improved a lot with the years. We had a lot of fans and we were very popular. We were surrounded by care and love from that time till present.
Q: Please tell a bit about the national championship: how many teams, what is the level?
A: You mean now or then?
Q: At that time. I’m assuming the championship had pretty high level and your team played in the final four…
A: Actually the situation was very different (with smiles). We did not participate in the National tournament. I played five years in Azerbaijan, but I never participated in the championship of Azerbaijan.
Q: So you never played in the final four?
A: As the team number one we played in the CEV Champions League. They won the Top Teams Cup before I came there. After that we played in the Champions League every year. We did not play in the national championship. Instead we participated in various invitationals, training camps, and friendly games with Russian a Turkey teams.
Mammadova and Makarova: the Ukraine Roots
Q: As I remember, you played for Ukrainian Junior Team, right?
A: Right.
Q: You played there with Makarova, right?
A: Yeah.
Q: How come all Ukraine players are playing outside of the country and did not stay to play in Ukraine?
A: At that time Ukraine did not offer much chance to play at the top level and grow individually. As a result all young players from that Junior National had to leave. Even experienced players that played abroad, settled there to play in the better leagues.
Q: There was not enough attention to volleyball?
A: Certainly there could be more support for volleyball. There was not enough financing; the National Team got only the minimum amount to have a training camp and to participate in tournaments. There was virtually no serious preparation work to the top competitions.
Makarova about Mammadova
Anna Makarova was on that Ukrainian Junior team with Natalia, and she is playing with her at Dynamo Krasnodar this season. We asked Anna to say few words about Natalia.
Q: Anna, how and when you met Natalia?
A: I met Natalia first time in the Ukrainian Junior Team’s training camp in Zaparozhie. We were 16 then. She was very promising at that time already.
Q: What do you remember about her (Natalia Skazka at that time)? What special quality you saw in her?
A: As I said, she definitely looked like a person with great volleyball future. You can feel that. But I’d like to emphasise more on her personal qualities. She was always happy, open and easy to communicate. Many years passed since then, but Natalia is still the same nice person.
Q: Are you friends?
A: We always had warm relationship. We played on the same team on the junior level, and now we are playing at the same Dynamo Krasnodar.