Eight Long Years
10/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Oct. 13, 2008
Anya Chayka was anxious to get off the plane, to finally feel at home. Anya, a senior on the University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team was born in Rostov, Russia. While most kids return home for the summer to catch up with old friends and recharge after a grueling school year, Anya longed to return to her true home. It had been eight years since she had been back and the time catch up with family and old friends was now closer than ever.
One of the first things you notice while driving through the streets of Rostov is the lack of towering buildings and homes, as compared to Pittsburgh. Rostov, like much of Russia, consists of mainly apartment buildings. There are no Giant Eagle grocery stores, just small corner shops stocked with the necessities. People opt for public transportation over the fuel guzzling SUV’s that crowd the streets across America. They buy produce and fruit on the streets and walk through parks because they enjoy it, not because it is a short cut to the other side.
Many kids in the United States become involved in sports at a young age. In Russia, signing up for a sport is a bit different then showing up to the first practice. At just 5 years-old, Anya was chosen by a sport. One day a gymnastics coach showed up to her kindergarten class. Each girl was put through a series of stretches and tests - an audition for the coach. After the evaluation, Anya’s parents received a visit from this coach and were urged to allow Anya to participate at her gym. Not exactly the same recruiting process as in the States, but Anya’s parents agreed and just like that she was a gymnast.
For two years Anya would travel back and forth to practices and classes at the sports academy. When she was seven, the decision to move to the academy was made. She remembers her parents coming to get her Saturday mornings after practice and dropping her off Sunday nights, riding the 45 minutes each way with her. Then one day Mom and Dad didn’t ride back.
“I remember standing at the bus stop with my mom,” recalls Chayka. “The bus stopped and I climbed on, and when I turned around, my mother was standing there in the same spot, waving to me. That’s how you were taught to travel alone. I was 12 years old at the time.”
Practices at the academy were demanding. As many as 15 girls lived, trained and went to classes there. Imagine practicing gymnastics during a Russian winter – with no heat. “It used to be cold in the gym,” explains Anya when asked about the winter season. “We would have to work out in sweats and hooded sweatshirts and not stop moving around because then we would get really cold.”
Although gymnastics was not the driving force for Anya moving to the U.S. – her father Pavel’s job is the primary reason – the sport certainly eased the transition into a new culture. It took Anya just over a year to become comfortable with a new language, thanks in large part to her time spent in the gym with her fellow teammates. “I was able to learn a lot by just paying attention and listening,” explained Anya.
With her mom by her side on the nearly 3,200 mile journey, the first order of business was to visit family. Eight years is a long time to go without seeing or talking to some of your relatives. Anya caught up with family and friends, went to the beach and also traveled to nearby Sochi, host city of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. “It was great to see how everything was changing in Sochi, changing for the better,” said Chayka.
When asked what her favorite dish from home was, she replied, “there are too many to name, everything is good at home!” There were plenty of blintzes, a pancake-like pastry that can be filled with anything from chocolate to chicken to strawberries, and borshch, a hearty beet-based soup that is a staple in the country shared over the course of her trip.
Asked if she had kept in contact with her friends after she had moved, Chayka said, “It was hard because back then everyone did not have email and computers like we do now. Sometimes I was able to call, but at first, it was hard.”
Some of her friends did not recognize her and vice-versa, but after hugs were shared it was if the last time she saw her friends was merely an eye blink ago. E-mails and instant messages now allow her to remain close with the friends she once left.
Now, back in Pittsburgh with her senior season drawing near, the defending EAGL beam champion will be looked upon to lead the Panthers to a successful 2009 campaign. But for three weeks this past summer, Anya Chayka was just like most students, spending time at home, enjoying the company of family and friends.