Staff 
Segue intervista tratta da Azerivolley alla regista della Dinamo Mosca e dell’Azerbaijan, Oksana Parkhomenko.
With more than 200 caps for the national team, 26-year-old Oksana Parkhomenko is a seasoned veteran of Azerbaijani volleyball. Playing for Russian giants Dinamo Moscow she is one of the brightest stars in the Azerbaijani sport.
Oksana, let’s start from the very beginning. What brought you to volleyball?
To be honest, volleyball wasn’t my first choice. In the beginning my sister and I we were into athletics. Then one day we received a call from a distant relative asking our mom if we would be interested in trying out volleyball. Since my mom was a volleyball player before, she literally begged us to give it a try and see if we like it or not.
Why did you choose to be a setter?
I didn’t really choose to be a setter. One day my first coach pulled me aside and asked me to show him my hands. When I did, he said that I had long fingers and from now on I was going to be a setter. Of course I wasn’t very happy about it because I found spiking and hitting much more exciting.
What are the qualities you value the most in a volleyball player?
I think a volleyball player should be aggressive, yet calculating enough to keep a cold mind. Because once you let your aggressiveness prevail you can easily lose control of the situation and mistakes will follow immediately.
Do you remember your first appearance for the Azerbaijan national team?
Yes I do. I was a rookie player back then, and I was only 14-years-old. We were participating at some tournament and we lost our main setter. Our head coach Faig Garayev put his faith in me and put me in the starting six. We fought valiantly and took the second place at that tournament. I desperately wanted to win, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
Wasn’t it difficult for you, still a teenager, to play alongside such great players like Shabovta, Hasanova and others?
Yeah, it was very difficult and very intimidating and I felt a great deal of responsibility, but my teammates were always there to help me.
In a very short time you have managed to cement your place in the starting lineup and you have been a starter for a very long time now. How did you managed to do that?
Well, first of all, I worked very hard and very long to become who I am today. And to be completely honest, back then we never had too much competition in the team anyway, but as time goes by I see the level of competitiveness is rising.
Of all the players in the team you were always known for your patriotism. What does Azerbaijan mean to you?
First and foremost, Azerbaijan is my homeland and I love my country. I don’t think I would have become who I am today was I born someplace else. I am very grateful to my country and my coaches for making me the player that I am today.
As a country we were known for producing world class players like Hall of Famer Inna Ryskal, Olympic champion Vera Lantratova and others, but it seems that recently we have lost our position in world volleyball. How and why did it happen?
I think it is an inevitable process and it has to do with the generational transition. It is a very long and very painful process when experienced players leave and the incoming generation is too young and lacks experience. I think it is only a matter of time before we regain our positions. We are all working hard to make it happen.
Back in the day, Azerbaijan lost many great players who chose to represent other countries – Victoria Ravva moved to France, Nisa Guliyeva became a member of the Turkish national team. What do you think could have happened had they chose to stay in Azerbaijan?
To be honest, I don’t like to talk about “what if” scenarios. Whatever happened, happened. Volleyball in Azerbaijan didn’t die when they had left and in my opinion, whatever happens is all for the best.
It is a known fact that you had a very serious injury and it still bothers you, yet you are still as active as always. Aren’t you taking too much risk here?
Injuries are an inseparable part of an athlete’s life. We do get injuries sometimes but eventually we return to the court. It is quite a normal situation for us.
But because of your injury you stopped using jump serves…
I wish I could do that again… but because of my injury I cannot do it as effectively as before.
There are quite a few players out there who have successfully changed their positions during their careers – Cuban-Italian Taismary Aguero, Polish Katarzyna Skowronska. Have you ever thought about taking a similar step?
I do like playing offense, but frankly speaking I never thought about it. But who knows, one day I might consider it.
You are right handed but at the same time you have a very strong left hand technique. Have you had some special training for that?
When I was beginning playing volleyball I was very fond, for no particular reason, of left handed attacks. Then I got injured and for a while I had to use only my right hand. Few years later, my coach Aleksandr Chervyakov told me that I had to learn using my left hand again and he actually forbade me from using my right hand in practice and in my everyday life! And believe me it was very inconvenient. I had to stay after practices and keep on training, but eventually it yielded the results that we were looking for.
Position of a setter requires a lot of concentration. Each spiker has her own style. Which players do you like the most to play with?
I never really thought about it, but I guess it doesn’t really matter who your partner is as long as we know each other well but obviously it takes time to get used to each other.
Who is your volleyball role model?
I have always admired Irina Kirillova. She is a magnificent setter and she has been playing this game for many years and when this year she returned after a very long break she won the best setter award in the Champions League final!
It is no secret that following Shabovta’s and Hasanova’s retirement we now have a very serious problem in the back-court receiving balls. How does that affect your game?
Certainly it affects the quality of our game, but after all volleyball is a team sport and we try to help each other out as much as possible.
Is there any particular game combination that you like to run?
I don’t think I have any particular favorite combination; I just love to play the game fast and interestingly.
What are the most memorable moments in your career so far?
There are many unforgettable moments, but the most important moment I think is still ahead of me.
Do you miss Baku?
I do miss Baku a lot. It is my hometown. It is the city where all my family and friends are.
How long do you intend to play volleyball?
I’m going to play volleyball as long as I live! Just kidding! If my health permits I intend to play at least till I am 35 years old and then we’ll go from there.
Are there any people in particular who contributed the most to your development?
First of all it is my mom, because she first brought me into volleyball. And my first coach who taught me a lot. I would like to thank our head coach Faig Garayev for believing in me, Aleksandr Chervyakov who shaped me as a setter, Vyacheslav Cherneykin and Vugar Aliyev for all their hard work and all the girls with whom I played. And last but not least I’m grateful to all volleyball fans for their undying and continuing support.
