Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov / Katia Gordeeva's Mail

Katia Gordeeva's Mail

To: Moscow, CSKA. Or even shorter just - "to: Moscow." Here are many colored envelops with exotic post stamps, by which you can learn geography. All this correspondence is for Ekaterina Gordeeva. According to this mail, the student of the famous school of figure skating at CSKA with Garry Kasparov, Sergei Bubka, Vyacheslav Fetisov and Vladimir Krutov is very popular among international sports fans.

"Sergei Grinkov and I" - says Gordeeva- "don't have time to read all these letters. We read them before and after training, knowledge of English helps, but people write in many other languages also. Usually people ask for photographs and autographs. Those who skate ask for advise and recommendations. We try to respond to as many letters as possible. But sometimes there are unexpected requests. For example, Eric Haas from USA found out somewhere that I like to cook and bake, he sent me salad and apple pie recipes and in exchange asks to send him a Russian cook book...

Katia, as people call this pretty girl, in pair with Sergei Grinkov won all the possible titles in the sport. The more titles they won the more letters they got. In two years, Katia and Sergei received a few thousands letters. For many international fans, Katia represents all the best qualities characteristic of Soviet athletes: patriotism, will, respect for other competitors, ability to do your best just to hear your motherland's anthem in the arena. "I am a mother of two children," - writes Anna Filler from Vienna, - "I always think of this charming Russian girl whose smile shines with joy as a role model for my children."