More and more beautiful women-athletes appear in sailing and in the Tenzor International Cup tournament. Their skills and talents are revealed in an amazing way when on the water they are fighting with professional yachtsmen and experienced male teams.
Elizaveta Shestakova, an amateur helmswoman, became one of the heroines of the Tenzor International Cup 2022 series with her team EYED MUSHROOMS for high sporting achievements at different stages of the tournament: a silver podium at the second stage, two wins in the nomination “best helmswoman”, and the team did not concede to the leaders of the series in terms of the number of races won for all stages.
In the 2023 season, the team of EYED MUSHROOMS faces new ambitious goals and objectives, which Elizaveta told about in the interview.
Elizaveta, you and your team have achieved a lot at the Tenzor International Cup 2022 tournament. How do you feel for this year, and what are the goals and objectives of the team?
Elizaveta Shestakova: “The feeling is good, ready for the fighting; we are waiting for the opening of the summer season! Last year was generally very successful for me, but the results were unstable. This year, the goal is to be more confident and fight for the podium. Our winter season is quite active, we are participating in competitions in Turkey, showing good results. I continue to learn sailing, we always do analysis, so preparation for TIC is in full swing. I know that strong teams have been added this year, and young teams have grown a lot that year. It will be very interesting to watch the results this season.”
Tell us about the renewed crew. Who will be in what position?
Elizaveta Shestakova: “The practice of that year showed that it is possible to cope well with three people on boat. So I will use this technique this year as well. In the team, Egor Terpigoryev is a tactician and Slava Martynov is a trimmer. I am sure that in such a composition we will succeed!”
What was the most difficult thing for you as a helmswoman at TIC last season?
Elizaveta Shestakova: “This year is likely to be difficult, when there is already a desire and a goal to win. That year was my first season on the helm, and it was like “learning” for me.
I was even scared to just meet all the teams on the pontoon before going to the first stage. But first stage turned out to be the most memorable for me. Then a huge number of races were held – twenty-nine! in the format of transfers, which also became a discovery for me. At the same time, I set a personal record for the number of first arrivals. And the format of the competition itself, both on the water and on the shore, was very impressive.”
The pace of the regatta is high, the opponents are strong, how do you tune in to each race and what is important for a successful finish?
Elizaveta Shestakova: “The most important thing for me is calmness on the boat in any situation. More positivity, less worries and then everything works out.”
