Part 4 – Reflections from a Fractured Empire
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I ran into a spookily quiet college campus, steam puffing from my breath, utterly exhausted. We were on the 5th floor, and Neil’s friends were two floors above on the 7th. I went up there first, but of course, all was silent. The stillness in those dimly lit corridors was almost eerie. Eventually, I made my way back down, opened our door quietly, and there was Neil—fast asleep, not a care in the world.
I crept in, starting to peel off the endless layers of clothing we had to wear to survive that harsh Russian winter. Just then, Neil stirred, cracked open one eye, and with a croaky voice muttered,
“So, did you score with Tatiana then?”
I felt like upending his bed and dumping him straight onto the floor.
“Nothing remotely like that,” I snapped.
“How was the Bolshoi?” I asked instead.
“It was actually pretty good,” he said. “You’ll enjoy it tomorrow night.”
“So, how come you’re so late?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you at breakfast. I’m shattered,” I said, and fell into bed.
The next morning, I was feeling rough—hardly surprising after the night I’d had. The others were due down for breakfast at the usual 7:30, and when I told them what had happened, they were stunned—almost disbelieving.
Our hosts, Yevgeni and Alya, were also at breakfast, and after a long discussion, it was decided that we should keep the whole incident quiet—at least until we were safely back in Scotland. Later, the consensus was to keep it that way permanently; the last thing any of us wanted was for the press to get hold of it. So, we said nothing. Total silence.
Still, one question lingered—what had happened to Tatiana?
We were all concerned, so Neil was sent up to the 7th floor to find out. Her roommate told him that Tatiana was fine—fast asleep in her room. We later learned that after the gunfight, once the big guy and I had left with the police, the other two thugs had lost their nerve. Without their “leader,” they’d made a hasty retreat into the night.
Reflections
That trip to Moscow was full of stories, but this one stands above the rest—it’s got legs, as they say.
We learned so much about coaching, and we had the rare privilege of seeing the inner workings of a system designed to churn out Olympic champions across countless sports. But beyond that, we witnessed history in motion.
The Soviet Union was crumbling before our eyes. The Berlin Wall had fallen, and many of the smaller Soviet republics were declaring independence. During our stay, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine even announced a loose three-way union to replace the old regime.
The atmosphere was tense. Soldiers filled the streets, rumours spread daily about unrest, and it was whispered that the military hadn’t been paid in weeks.
Yet amid the uncertainty, there was still the splendour of St Basil’s Cathedral, the vastness of Red Square, and the haunting beauty of Moscow itself.
Looking back, it was an extraordinary time—a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We were privileged to be there, invited guests in a country standing on the edge of immense change