"Sky Grace expanded the geography of our tournament!" Judge Marina Andrienko talks about competitions in Barnaul

During the international competitions as part of the "Dynamo for Russia’s Children" festival, we spoke with the judge and president  of the Altai Regional public organization athletic center Elans Marina Andrienko.

She shared her impressions of the tournament in Barnaul, in which Academy students participated.

"Our tournament has been taking place for 22 years.  In fact, many famous gymnasts performed at this tournament. Many of the coaches who are now sitting, judging or have brought their teams, went out to our floor when they were very young. We have such a long history and our first tournament was also international. And this year I really wanted there to be a strong lineup of participants, so that as many people as possible would come. Sky Grace came to us this year. I’m just very happy, because these are the strongest gymnasts from every city in our big country. They expanded the geography of our tournament, simply expanding it unprecedentedly," Maria said.

The judge told how the work of the Sky Grace International Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs Association influences the development of our sport.

"In general, I think that this is a right decision by Alina Kabaeva, to make her own rules, to set up her own tournaments, that is, this is such a very wonderful alternative for gymnasts, this is a development for us, coaches, for judges. The Sky Grace rules are, you know, a symbiosis, very competent, very precise between the Russian rules, the FIG rules. That is, this way of taking out the core, it seems to me, that this is the right direction for gymnastics. Here we can combine skill, artistry and some superelements, they are evaluated," she said.

Marina also appreciated the work of the Academy and the Association.

"This is absolutely fantastic! Just in the spring, the Academy opened and recruited its first gymnasts. Only a year has passed and already this year there are new rules, the team already has a composition, each district has already been held, the Sky Grace Cup, an international tournament in Beijing already took place.  In one year - an unprecedented leap! I’ll tell you, as a professional, it’s almost unreal," she added.