Hungarian Skating News

[Cocomo]

- apparently the tabloids were wastly exaggarating when it came to the sum the federation payed for Maxim Zavozin to get him released (like anyone is going to believe it now, ha ). Nora & Max made a deal with the federation that they'll pay the money back, which they'll earn at shows.

What is it they say about smoke and fire?
USFS accepting a payoff for a skaters release never, that just wouldn't be fair would it?
Oh, but this makes it easier to believe, USFS is accepting a promise to pay because we all know the guaranteed future a dance team hasthey manage to stay injury free and they never break up .....yeah, thats a bankable deal.

[sashaisgreat]

I thought that they meant that H/Z would pay the HUngarian Federation back, But, I could be wrong.

[Cocomo]

That may be......still a risky deal either way.

[oubik]

- Kristof Trefil seems to have a new pairs partner, a girl with the family name "Yarkunova", but I haven't got the faintest idea who she might be. Their absolute goal is to make the 24-cut at Worlds to present their LP too.

Good goal!! Sad thing is that the cut off for pairs is 20

[igniculus]

Good goal!! Sad thing is that the cut off for pairs is 20

I didn't know that. Sorry. The text said is to make it to the LP, I thought it was the same as with singles.

[oubik]

I didn't know that. Sorry. The text said is to make it to the LP, I thought it was the same as with singles.

Don´t worry, they should even make the 20, not so many times there are more pairs in the comp.

[nuge]

So when are we going to see Diva Nora and new partner skate ?

[poths]

Is there ANY news on Poth?

[igniculus]

Is there ANY news on Poth?

Nothing I've heard of, other than her photoshoots.
http://www.lacaceleb.hu/magyar/poth_diana/index.html
http://index.hu/gal?dir=hcdb/pothdiana/

[Sinclare]

Diva Nora was spotted at CoR in the stands.

[igniculus]

Diva Nora was spotted at CoR in the stands.

EYS, I've heard that too.

[Marco]

Nothing I've heard of, other than her photoshoots.
http://www.lacaceleb.hu/magyar/poth_diana/index.html
http://index.hu/gal?dir=hcdb/pothdiana/

One set of photos is and the other is (aka ugly version of Idora Hegel)

[igniculus]

There was a lengthy interview with Júlia Sebestyén last night on M2, the second state TV of Hungary. It is 45 minutes long, and I'm not mazochist enought to translate all of it (as I'm sure only few posters would read it anyway ), but here is a summary of what she was talking about.

Topics:
- her carrier's highs and lows, that she considers the 2004 Europeans and 2002 Olympics as highlights of her carrier

- her injuries (she broke her legs twice in her carrier) and how that was a small kind of break in her "rise"

- her coaching change after the last olympics, and how the work with the Vardanjans changed her training methods, like focusing on choreography, refining the jumps and spins from a technical aspect

- her work with a sports psychologist; although she adds that no sports spychologist can help you to win competitions if you don't have the technical abilities or the preparation yourself for the actual competition

- from the conversation, it turnes out that she has completed the necessary education to be an international judge (or specialist? or caller?)

- that she likes to have a Hungarian theme in her programs or in the choreography (like using music by Hungarian musicans, like working with pianist Csilla Szentpetery last season, or Edvin Marton; or using folk themes like she did in the past)

- politiking
-- 2005 Europeans, how she should have been on the podium, but after a judging error, she ended off the podium
-- 2008 Europeans, she said that experts and coaches all said to her that she should have been 3rd; or the "!" mark on her 3Flip where she never had a problem with edge calls and recieved always +GOEs on her 3Flips and how odd it is to have a call the next day
-- how important it is who the tech specialist and controller, in terms of supporting a skater or putting him/her back
-- she mentioned Carolina Kostner as an example of how strong she is supported internationally because the head of the ISU is also an Italian, even if she makes mistakes
-- that if she had been a Russian, American or Italian, she could have finished significantly higher in certain competitions because these countries do get favored more internationally [than smaller, more obskure countries like Hungary], but as a Hungarian, she already got used to that and is proud of what she still achieved this way, so far.

- the new judging system
-- how she (and all the others) had to learn many new elements, because the NJS valued other elements higher as the old JS
-- how everything is focused on technique and high levels and how that leads to many mistakes in the programs, and how strong the contrast is to the old system where skaters used to play it safe and showed more clean programs
-- how the audience often does not understand the marks, as in the NJS, so many small elements make a whole lot of difference [I think she means counters, rockers, etc. as these small elements not always recognizeable for the viewers]

- that her favorite color is blue

- she shows the host her LP dress, and the host says that people would assume these tiny dresses are light, but in reality, they are quite heavy from all the glitter and rhinestones

- she talks about skating dresses overall; how flexible these dresses need to be to not rip apart while skating; about how easy it is to work with Tamas Naray, acclaimed Hungarian designer, and how Naray always knows what looks good on her

- previously, when a Russian company was doing her dresses, she was always positively surprised by her dresses, even if she had no chance to try them on before getting the final products; and how Nina Petrenko influenced her to pick that particular company and helped her

- that she always has such a short time for shight-seeing because the ladies' events are usually the last ones; about how many places she already visited thanks to her skating carrier; about skates getting lost nowadays and how frustrating it is every time to see if the skates arrive or not

- that she already skated in North-Korea on Kim Jong-Il's birthday shows, something very voidy (knowing the strict state of North-Korea), how they were all watched and guided everytime, how different it is from the Western countries; and that she is already invited to the next birthday skating gala (from which the host assumes that "wow, Kim Jong-Il must be alive then" PML!! )

- she elaborates on the physiologial differences of the Asian skaters from all the others (like, being shorter, different balance points, jumping more lighter); and about the differences in the support they get from their federations in terms of training possibilities

- she talks about her one-of-a-kind experience of training 10 years long at an open rink (she believes none of her competitors have this experience)

- she remembers all of her competitions, her programs, her mistakes in these programs, the cities she had been, ever since her first program was done

- that she started skating at the age of 3, when she was sent off from the kindergarden (as there were too many children to take care of, and the kindergarden officials suggested she should stay home with her mom who was having her younger brother at that time); and as she was lively girl she was sent to a "figure skating school", a course for small children who were taken to the rink every time - there, her talent was spotted, that she didn't when she was falling, etc.; like, that it was a coincidence that she started skating

- family is very supporting and important to her

- she is considered very humble by her coaches and the host , and she does come off kind of shy when she is asked about her private life (no gossips!)

- internationally, she was chosen to the most popular/known female athlete of Hungary, but the host says a national survey may not have the same result; that she is treated so well internationally by the media, especially in Japan where journalists and fans are so attentive; but in Hungary we have such a small coverage of skating events

- she would never skate for another country, she says.

- she loves Hungary and can't really imagine to live in a different country

- she wants to stay in the figure skating world after she finishes her competitive carrier, no idea how, as a coach or a judge, she says she has enough time to decide.

That is all.

[kirkyo]

Thank you for that awesome translation summary!

[Poggi]

I had no idea she has a brother I also planned watching it tonight, but I had no idea it was so long

Maybe tomorrow

[kwanfan1818]

- that she always has such a short time for shight-seeing because the ladies' events are usually the last ones;

In 2003, a local news report in Malmo reported on several Ladies skaters who were out shopping and sight-seeing, and quote them as being happy that their competition was over first, which almost never happened

Great translation/summary, igniculus

[Gregor]

addin

What is it they say about smoke and fire?
USFS accepting a payoff for a skaters release never, that just wouldn't be fair would it?
Oh, but this makes it easier to believe, USFS is accepting a promise to pay because we all know the guaranteed future a dance team hasthey manage to stay injury free and they never break up .....yeah, thats a bankable deal.

I have followed Morgan and her efforts for release. She and her partner are now skating for the USA.
But before this the question of release from USFS was important.
Because of the rules posted she would not be release by the US until after the 2008-2009 season which is now.
So that would mean that Max would not be released until after this 2008-2009 season.
I believe that means he can not skate for another country until the 2009-2010 skating season meaning not this season.
About Morgan, sadly they can not qualify for the Olympics because it will be impossible for Lief to be a citizen by then it seems.

This matter of the USFS rule about release is possibly true because even though they have been signed up twice for international competitions they have not actually competed in any international competition.

[igniculus]

WTF, Júlia Sebestyén might retire?!?!

A short interview surfaced today in acclaimed Hungarian tabloid called "The Blikk" about the issues that happened at the Europeans.

http://www.blikk.hu/sport/sebestyen-...zi-132835.html

Former European champion figure skater, Júlia Sebestyén (25) is considering retirement. After the Europeans in Torino 2005, last year [in Zagreb] and this year [in Helsinki] she was underscored again, so she finished in 8th place. Sebestyen feels she isn't getting proper financial and sports diplomatic support from her own country/federation.

"I missed the podium for the 3rd time now due to the scoring. So far, I always remained silent, but after this, I cannot sit calmly and say nothing anymore. The technical panel worked against me and put me to [14th] place while the judges put me into 5th place" said the inconsolable skater, and she added that international specialist and federation leaders were also appalled by the decisions.

"It hurts and I'm very dissappointed by the whole thing. I even considered retirement. No matter how good I skate, nobody is supporting me. It's so typical that it was me who had to ask the Hungarian federation to ask for an investigation of my low points."

Her coach, Gurgen Vardanjan believes everything was planned beforehand.

"If the scoring had been correct, she could have been on the podium, but they wanted to give the medals to two of the Finnish ladies" Vardanjan said with a big sigh. "The most awful thing is that not just the federation, but the higher sports leaders don't care about us either."


[the source text is full of errors in terms of placement or city name of the championships, I corrected that for you]

ETA: another tabloid, basically with the same content:
http://www.borsonline.hu/news.php?hid=17542

She also said to have appeared on one of the national radio stations for an interview where she didn't say anything about the official retirement, but sounded very torn about going to the world championships.

[sbanet]

"It hurts and I'm very dissappointed by the whole thing. I even considered retirement. No matter how good I skate, nobody is supporting me. It's so typical that it was me who had to ask the Hungarian federation to ask for an investigation of my low points."

:sigh: I wish Juli would just skate to her full potential... I have a feeling that once again, nothing good is going to come out of this public display of and

My wish for her is to have 2 clean and sharp programs at Worlds and to skate with inspiration through the Olympic season next year. After that she can retire on a high note, and then perhaps go to work as an...

...ISU TECH SPECIALIST

[the source text is full of errors in terms of placement or city name of the championships, I corrected that for you]

not to mention fwiw, Juli is 27

[HisWeirness]

((igniculus)). Gosh what a week. Johnny's struggles and Julia's threat of retirement has to make you even sadder than I am. I hope that Julia stays in and does well at worlds. I also hope that nothing was really up with the Euros judging, because that would be terrible for all involved.