Alena Alyokhina, Russian snowboarder: biography, personal life, sporting achievements

June 19 will celebrate his twenty-eighth birthday, the famous snowboarder Alyona Alyokhin, who has not competed in competitions due to spine trauma for the last three years. What became famous for one of the most beautiful female athletes in Russia and how was her destiny after the fateful fall?

Music leads to sports

A fragile, low Muscovite could be approached by gymnastics (height 158 cm, weight 48 kg), but Alyona's parents did not consider sports as a further career for children (there are three of them in the family). The girl studied at a music school, reached out to the languages, enrolled at the philological faculty in the PFUR. As a result, she speaks fluent English and Spanish, understands French well. Parents not only did not press, but on the contrary, absolutely nothing was forbidden, giving complete freedom.

The brother once introduced Alena to punk culture, and this music became her serious hobby. He changed attitudes many times, and Alain Alyokhin continues to fanate on NOFX, Reel Big Fish and Anti-Flag. Along with music, skate entered her life, which corresponded to her passion for movement, flight, risk. In the winter skate was replaced by a snowboard. Working independently on a hill in twenty minutes of walking, she bought herself the first set of equipment for 10 thousand rubles and went to the sports section. She was already 17.

Sports biography: Alena Alyokhina - in the Russian national team

Beautiful slender blonde was lucky, she immediately became the face of the brand Roxy, participating in the most interesting trips with sponsors. Snowboarding is a sport in which inspiration is very important. It's not enough to do the same trick countless times in training, it's important to have a psychological attitude on responsible starts. On sponsor's filming reigned a wonderful atmosphere of play and relaxation, helping to overcome difficulties. The first season in Aliehina did not ask, she immediately got injured. Not on serious competitions, but on local mountains in Novo-Peredelkino. But the obligations to the sponsors did not allow to abandon the sports career that had not yet started.

And then a series of successes. Seven times Alena Alyokhina became the champion of the country, especially successfully speaking in half-pipe and big-air. The most expensive award for her was the victory in the Cup of the continent in the season of 2011/2012. It was difficult to hold in the hands of the prize prize, for at the last stage she performed with a broken arm. The season 2012/2013 again became successful, the sportswoman repeated last year's triumph, becoming the first in the pipe. Excellent performance at the final stage in Izhevsk, ahead of Swiss Verena Roure by 80 points. Ahead loomed the World Cup on snowboard, which was to gain the required number of points to get to the Olympics in Sochi. The Russian national team, of which she was a member for many years, was not a guarantee of participation in the main start of the four-year period.

Trauma on Mount Mammoth

Snowboarding is one of the most traumatic sports, however, in terms of the severity of the consequences, mountain skiing will give one hundred points forward. Alyona Alekhina fell many times, only breaking her collarbone thrice. But recovering from injuries, she again got up on the board. When she was asked about the upcoming Sochi Olympics, she always answered evasively that she was hoping for a World Cup on snowboarding. As if foreseeing that it would not be her fate to speak to them.

In April 2013, the athlete participated in advertising shootings in the United States at the resort of Mammoth. Feeling tired, she almost unleashed her boots, finishing the filming day. But something made her overcome the fatigue and again climb the mountain to perform not the most difficult trick. From the side, the fall seemed normal, the girl seemed to roll down the stairs, and she gasped. But after a few moments the athlete realized that she did not feel her legs. An absurd accident has put an end to her sports career.

Wedding of an athlete and a rock musician

Trauma Alena Alyohina affected the spinal cord, making the necessary urgent surgery. The girl was sent to a large hospital, where the doctors did everything possible, but their prognosis was disappointing - the motor activity of the feet is unlikely to recover. At that time, the girl was engaged, and her first decision was to give her fiancé freedom. Ryan Kee, a thirty-three-year-old vocalist and songwriter for the Yellowcard band, had already rushed to the plane to fly to the clinic. He became the first person who met Alain after the operation.

On May 6, a wedding took place, on which the bride could only sit. But she looked absolutely happy, marrying her idol, whose songs she listened to since she was thirteen. Three months they did not part, Ryan helped her overcome the most difficult period, after which the girl came to a recovery year at the University of Los Angeles, and he plunged into the work.

Acquaintance of future spouses

Their acquaintance, like the way to a great sport, began with music. Visiting a friend living in Spain, Alena went with her to a concert of the American collective Yellowcard, performing in Madrid with a tour. On this day, Ryan had a birthday. Inspired by his incendiary performance, the girl danced at the bar, it seemed to her that the soloist was looking only at her. She even managed to post a post from the phone that he is the best man in the world. The girlfriend thought that Alena had a megalomania. Imagine her surprise when the manager after the concert invited his friends to take part in the celebration of the birthday of the leader of the group.

For three hours everyone was sitting in the bus, surrounded by a crowd of fans, not allowing musicians to get out into some quiet place. All this time, Alena Alyokhina and Ryan Ki talked, feeling so comfortable, as if they had known all their lives. Then came the months of correspondence, communication on the Internet - and finally, the long-awaited meeting in Los Angeles. After getting to know Ryan's parents in Florida, where they had come together for Christmas, the man of her dreams made a proposal to the girl. New 2013 they met in Moscow, where in a warm home atmosphere, Ryan felt himself in the circle of native people, dreaming of learning the language in the future.

Project "Doctor Clown"

Alyona was often called the Snow Queen in the press. But her heart was never cold. The girl was loved in the country not only for sporting achievements, but also for the volunteer activity, which she began to do from the student's bench. From the windows of the PFUR building, the windows of the hospital were visible. And somehow she was told about a seriously ill girl who dreams of meeting a clown in her life. This thought did not give Alena rest until, with friends, they did not come up with simple tricks, did not pick up the appropriate costumes and, painting the face, did not go to realize the childhood dream.

Happiness in the eyes of a bald girl, who was ill with cancer, became a sign that Alena would never part with this activity. But it will be more professional. She had a stage name Yolka and a team of like-minded people from the "Doctor Clown" project, whom she met at the hospital. Being in Moscow, even having problems with movement, Yolka does not cease to visit the hospital, to cooperate with the fund "Give life".

Fighting the disease

Fragile girl today attracts the attention of the press, demonstrating a remarkable will to win over the disease. Most of the time spending in the United States, where she undergoes a course of therapy, she admits that there were 20 people in the group at the beginning of the classes, but only a few. People put up with their lot of disabled people, adapting to life in a new quality. Moreover, all conditions for their comfortable living are created in the country. Coming home to Moscow, she faces real difficulties pushing her again and again to fight for a full recovery. Formally, the parents' house has a ramp, but it is so unsuitable for wheelchairs, which makes it impossible to fully adapt disabled people in society.

But it was in Moscow that she met Dr. Vladimir Kachesov, who gives hope to the positive outcome of the disease. He is the only person who believes in her. She took his simulators to the States, which she pays up to 5-6 hours a day. At the same time he is teaching Russian and Spanish to "Skype" in Russian, which brings her a small income. In her treatment and rehabilitation helped the Russian team, friends, but the main contribution was made by sponsors who continue to support the former sportswoman a few years later.

Achievements

Today Alena Alyokhina moves with a special frame, preferring to use a wheelchair only in exceptional cases, she drives a car with manual control. Every day she turns the pedals of a three-wheeled bike, experiencing such a familiar feeling of flight, and believes that the main thing is to set the right goals. Then be sure to come to them.