She's really proud to have been born in Rostov-on-Don, since Grozdova, Shaposhnikova and Yurchenko were all from there. She's met Svetlana and Yurchenko, but never saw them compete because "either I wasn't born yet or I was really young." She and her coach once went to watch Moscow News, and she was thrilled to see her idols compete: Shushunova, Boginskaya and Shevchenko. Then she comments on the fact that the 2 Yelenas are now judges in Russia: "You can't imagine how it feels to know that people you've respected so much since childhood are giving you your score!"

She says she started out in *rhythmic* gym (!) at about age 5, but hated it. Then an artistic gym coach, Yelena Pechendzhiyeva, spotted her and switched her to artistic gym, which she fell in love with immediately. Yakubova and Lavrov were her next coaches, and when they moved to Germany, Arkayev took over.

She was pleased with her performance in Lausanne, but thought she would win floor. "But the judges either found some sort of mistakes or simply decided that I hadn't yet 'paid my dues' to win the title. Of course, I understand them; after all, I wasn't a big name in the gymnastics world..." She and her floor choreographer Natalya Sergeyeva are currently trying to find new floor music for her. "I really want to come up with a routine that really reveals my character and my soul. I want people to recognize me right away and not be able to confuse me with anyone else!"

When asked about her character, she says, "People say that I'm nice, cheerful and bubbling with life. I'm often asked, 'Why are you smiling all the time?' And I say, 'I'm in a good mood.'"

She says it doesn't take her long to get over being upset about a mistake. "A half hour at most. I walk around, think and tell myself, 'You can't change the past.' So I think about what to do to fix the mistake."

She's a big believer in astrology and listens to her horoscope on the radio every morning. She's an Aquarian and thinks that everything that's written about Aquarians applies to her quite well. She sort of laughs at herself for listening to her horoscope, since she knows perfectly well what her day's routine is: 3 workouts, lunch, dinner and bedtime at 11. But even so, every morning she tries to figure out if her horoscope will bring her something new.

Her roommate at Krugloye is Kovalyova. There's a photo of them together with a stuffed animal (it might be the bunny - see below).

She and her mother, Raisa Ivanovna, have the same birthday (Feb. 15), which she thinks is really cool. About her mom: "I miss my mom a lot. I grew up without a father, so my mom is the most precious person in the world to me! For the last four years we haven't been able to celebrate our birthdays together: She's in Rostov, and I'm here at Krugloye, with my friends. These birthdays are always a lot of fun. The girls and guys get together for a party, but in my heart I'm in Rostov."

On her dreams: "I dream that everything will turn out well in gymnastics. I want to make the Olympics. And not have injuries. I want everything to be like a fairy tale. That someday my prince will come on a white horse and carry me away. I'm kidding, of course. But someday I would like to meet a nice guy who will love me." And he HAS to be handsome! But right now she has no boyfriend.

She's a Cossack: "I really liked it when I was a little girl and my grandmother told me about her life in a Cossack village and about Cossack traditions and rites."

She likes listening to music, mainly contemporary groups. But she prefers to PLAY classical music herself. She graduated from a music school and specializes in piano. "But I didn't like studying music. I had to sit at the piano for two or three hours a day, and for me sitting in one place is torture! Now, of course, I'm glad that I can play music. It helps me in both gymnastics and life - to lift my spirits."

When asked if she's superstitious, she says: "I have a good-luck charm - a stuffed animal, a rabbit. A boy I know from Rostov gave it to me. I try to take this little bunny with me to every competition. Also, my mom wrote down a prayer that I always read before going up on the podium. When I go to Rostov, we go to church and light candles 'for good health.'"

Thank to Beth Squires for the contribution