German article about the fan-meeting (1999)
Translated by Anushka.
© by Anushka R.
Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung:
Even with her success "Pasha" doesn't have any starlet antics.
From Hollywood to the Inner city: The visit of the Russian Olympic Champion Ice Dance shows the popularity in this country (fatherland)/"Home match" at the fan meeting in the Residence.
Sarstedt (Abu Ajamieh). The last images of the Lillehammer program fade away on the television screen. It's the end of the videotape, the screen turns black. Attentive silence. Oksana Grishuk looks around, astonished, she laughs and asks:"So, did you all fall asleep?" Approximately 20 visitors at the Residence Boarding House in Sarstedt laugh relaxed. The ones who didn't enclose the graceful Russian in his/her heart, does it right this moment.
But Oksana already had a "home match". Numerous Russian-Germans are totally enchanted; the popularity of the athlete in her (native) country isn't difficult to notice. This is how it must feel like when you are standing in the same queue as Boris Becker and Steffi Graf when you are doing your groceries.
Oksana Grishuk is the two times Olympic Champion Ice Dance, she has collected many titles and records. On ice rinks all over the world the audience watches her with admiration, often even with worship. But still she is the one who goes up to people and starts talking with them, starts conversations."Pasha" listens and concentrates, she almost hangs upon their lips. And she wants people to understand her: She changes from Russian into English, answers all the questions until everyone totally understands what she feels and thinks.
She tells her fans everything: About her move to Los Angeles after the Nagano Olympics, and about the start of her pro career in California. She has started single skating, which is a new challenge for her after so many years of ice dance. Translator Svilen Mitev almost can't follow her: The in Sarstedt living Bulgarian quickly changes from English to Russian and German. Pasha starts to talk faster, she talks about the possibilities which come with living in Hollywood:
"I was allowed to play myself in the TV series Beverly Hills 90210", she proudly tells. "Every week I take acting classes for when I want to become an actress. But only when I can't skate anymore."
Like a little child she was so excited that she had met Arnold Schwarzenegger during shopping. "Los Angeles is a great city for young people," she tells enthusiastically about the possibilities of the Metropolis.
" You have to go there to find your luck." Of course none of the fans can do that, because they don't have Oksana's abilities and therefore also not her possibilities. But all the fans grant the 27-year-old her happiness.
Peter from FORTIS official cosmonauts' chronograph is also enchanted. This company sponsors Oksana Grishuk's fan meeting. After three hours the fan meeting comes to an end. Oksana stays in Sarstedt for a couple more days- and again she says farewell: "Till next time!"
