Master of Sports Stanislav Zhuk: biography, sporting achievements and personal life

The ice emperor, the recalcitrant Stanislav Zhuk, brought 139 international awards to his country, but his name was never included in the "Sports Stars" directory. Skater, and then a successful coach, he brought up a whole generation of champions. Triple sheepskin coat, synchronicity of partners, a four-turn jump is only a part of the figurative elements invented and embodied on the ice, the famous Soviet coach Stanislav Alekseyevich Zhuk. He had his own system, which allowed outsiders to bring up technically trained skaters.

Childhood and the work of life

Zhuk Stanislav Alekseevich, the future guarantor of the quality of Soviet athletes, was born in Ulyanovsk in 1935. His aunt Claudia Andreeva described the child as a full-fledged toddler with crooked legs. The character of the child was kind, but from childhood temperament and energy were manifested. Appearance served as an excuse for ridicule among peers, so there was no precondition for a great sporting future.

When the family moved from their native city to Leningrad, Stanislav enrolled in a sports school and began to run on the ice to improve his health. At some point, there were supposed to be figure skating competitions, and one of the pairs that were planned to be sent to the contest could not go because of the partner who fell sick in it. They asked Comrade Stanislav to be replaced. He was brilliant with an unfamiliar partner, and the couple took the prize. After that, figure skating was the favorite thing of Stanislav Alekseevich.

The history of figure skating

Winter sports in the Russian Empire appeared under Peter the Great, when he brought samples of skates to his state. The Emperor became the first Russian figure skater.

In 1886, an international tournament was organized in St. Petersburg among men - the first world championship in speed skating. As a result of the competition, the Russians were not among the winners, but this was a kind of pause before the beginning of the achievements.

1903 - in St. Petersburg, again organized the World Cup. For the first time, a division into male, female and pair skating was proposed. Women in the competitions of 1903 were not, but among the men a participant from Russia was nominated. They became Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin, who won the second place. And in 1908, Nikolai won the Olympic Games.

This achievement was the beginning of the countdown to the next award, which was received in 50 years.

The world's first complex figured element

In 1957, Nina and Stanislav Zhuk won silver at the European Championships. Later, their coach Peter Petrovich Orlov introduced a very complicated element in the performance. Stanislav should have raised Nina on his elbows. For the first time the pair demonstrated a difficult, technically prepared reception at the European Championship in 1958, but the referees regarded it as dangerous to life and did not count - the skaters again got silver.

Later, the ability to raise a partner on extended arms became aerobatics among athletes, and each pair intended to repeat this support.

Championships and unfair judging

Nina and Stanislav were the first star couple in Orlov. Their competitors in sports, but friends in life, were emotional, harmonious Oleg Protopopov and Lyudmila Belousova. From 1958 to 1960, the Beetles won silver medals in European championships. Why not gold? After all, the couple always performed the most athletically complex numbers.

"Figurative elements are tigers that need to be tamed, forced to work for a trainer. In sports, the victory for those who work on the brink of the impossible "- wrote Zhuk Stanislav Alekseevich. European Championship in 1958: a couple of Nina and Stanislav jury criticized and accused of excessive occupancy numbers acrobatic sketches. The following year, the Beetles simplified the performance, and the couple, which repeated last year's elements of Nina and Stanislav, took first place. 1960 - Soviet athletes again did not allow judges to climb to the highest step of the pedestal, this time they said that skaters are not artistic enough.

Beginning of coaching career

Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk, whose biography is permeated with the reluctance of someone to obey, in the early 60's decided to independently educate future champions. The first whom he taught athletic numbers were his competitors - Protopopov and Belousov, whose main trainer was I. Moskvin. The pair, which had not previously won prizes, became the second in the European Championship for the first time.

Simultaneously, Stanislav Zhuk coached his sister Tatyana. With her first partner, Alexander Gavrilov, they won the title of champions of the USSR. When the duo broke up, Stanislav quickly found a replacement for Gavrilov. They became unpromising, according to other coaches, Alexander Gorelik. Athletes in such a good tandem began to take prizes in the championships. But they did not take gold, but silver. It's time for the glory of Protopopov and Belousova. The first places were given by judges to this pair.

"Kalinka" as the anthem of victory

Master of Sports Stanislav Zhuk was able to educate winners from students, in which other coaches did not see the prospect. He thus tested himself for professionalism. Irina Rodnina - one of those pupils, in which Stanislav saw the future champion.

By the way, the idea to put in one pair of a high figure skater and a small fragile partner belongs to Zhuk. The athlete, whom he saw next to Irina Stanislav, was Alexei Ulanov.

In 1969, the figure skaters performed at the USSR Championship, but they took only bronze. Victory again went to Protopopov and Belousova. In the same year, a miracle occurred: Rodnina and Ulanov took the first place in Germany in European competitions. Sports officials, coaches were unpleasantly surprised by this outcome of the championship, because no one believed in the pair, except Stanislav Alekseevich. The number of athletes was performed under the folk song "Kalinka". After this championship, she became the anthem of victory.

Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk: sports achievements and personal life

When the famous pair Rodnina - Ulanov was already on the verge of collapse (Alex decided to speak with another partner), Stanislav Alekseevich asked his partner to speak once again at the World Championships in Canada. So, in 1972 the skaters rolled back the program, and Irina came out on the ice with a concussion after the injury she had received in training, and became winners. Rodnina after that was going to quit the sport, but Zhuk immediately found her a new partner (A. Zaitseva) and once again made a stellar duo.

In 1973, in Bratislava, the skaters performed excellently, and when, for technical reasons, the music stopped, the athletes dabbed the program in complete silence. This performance was the apogee of the World Cup.

Stanislav Zhuk made figure skating a business card in the country and got 67 gold, 34 silver and 35 bronze medals.

Nina Bakshuyeva, once a partner of Stanislav, became his wife. The marriage lasted 20 years. They had a girl named Marina. Her Stanislav also dreamed of making a champion, but the girl gravitated to the ballet and went to work in the theater.

Fishing was the second favorite thing of Stanislav Alekseevich. When it was allowed to go to training in the sports camp, Zhuk went fishing and then cooked for his students a delicious ear.

The legendary coach died on November 1, 1998. The cause of death was heart failure.