From Russia With Love - Spring into Summer 2013

[hanca]

Or he's just opening his big mouth again. Shut up and let your skating talk for you Plush.

He does have a point, though...

he only said what a lot of people thinks

[antmanb]

Or maybe he's admitting what's gone been in volved in all of his titles I mean he says that it's Chan's fed that got him the gold, and says he speaks from a place of knowledge

[anna1506]

He does have a point, though...

he only said what a lot of people thinks

True! He's right. Many people, many experts think so. I too

[Ozzisk8tr]

Re the above: As much as I dislike Plush, I feel all of his wins (before his comeback) were warranted. Since coming back not so.

[Ziggy]

It's very telling how Leonova is not even mentioned by Piseev. Goodbye Alena. You had spark, you had spunk and it's a shame all that got ruined by Morozov.

TAT needs to shut up. She messed up BS's FD which could have been even more amazing if they had done Man with the Harmonica the whole way through.

Tarasova just needs to retire NOW. She's completely lost it.

Another Russian couple, Elena Ilynykh/Nikita Katsalapov, are a very interesting team. Talented. One of the most talented. But, in addition to talent, you need also to work hard. It is something they lack, in my opinion. And not only in mine. You need to work not only depending on what mood you are in. If we're in a mood - we work. No mood - we rest. If the skaters change their preparation system, they will, I am sure, achieve good results. But what can you do, unfortunately, so far they lack work discipline.

And that hits the nail on the head. Everybody works well at optimal conditions. One of the reasons you have a coach is so that they can push you when you're not at 100%.

So basically, Piseev's all "Gachinski/Menshov/Voronov could have scored 400 at the Russian Cup final and we wouldn't give a toss because Tarasova said to send her little golden boy so we're going to". Why not just be honest instead of all this rubbish about how the Russian Cup Final was a qualifier?

And how can he possibly be happy with 17th?!

I was not happy with Kovtun being sent either but Piseev had a point. Kovtun needs experience and when they sent two experienced skaters last year they didn't skate well either.

The level was extremely high and Menshov would not have placed much higher even if he skated two clean programs.

You never know. There are some pairs where the height difference is very similar to each other and they still are managing somehow. For example Zhang-Zhang (Chinese) were managing pretty well. (I know she did retire now - or was made to retire, but I wouldn't write a pair off only because Davankova grew. Deputat may have a group spur too...)

Zhang and Zhang weren't managing (they were on a clear downhill slope) and that's why they broke up. It just wasn't viable any more (and she was too tall to continue in Pairs).

Purdy/Marinaro's "triple" twist is and the lifts aren't very strong either. I don't think they have a future in seniors.

Or rather that he thinks a human Zamboni shouldn't be World Champion...

But a program consisting mostly of cross-overs without a semblance of originality and lacking in any creative ideas should?

Re the above: As much as I dislike Plush, I feel all of his wins (before his comeback) were warranted. Since coming back not so.

Exactly. So for Plushenko out of all people to be talking politics... Please.

[anna1506]

Re the above: As much as I dislike Plush, I feel all of his wins (before his comeback) were warranted. Since coming back not so.

But where? Sheffield? Russian champs?

[misskarne]

But where? Sheffield? Russian champs?

Sheffield is the only one I might not have given him. Gachinski should have had a much, much bigger lead than a few tenths after the SP, though Plushenko's LP was magic so maybe that would have come out on top anyway.

And Plushenko never said he thought Joubert should have won, he said Ten should have won.

[anna1506]

I agree

[Ozzisk8tr]

But where? Sheffield? Russian champs?

Olympics. But that shouldn't be bought up again. Great that we can have these discussions and see everyones point of view.

[VarBar]

Pluschenko writes in his twitter:
It wasn't Patrick Chan who won the competition, but his federation! It's my opinion as a person who knows figure skating. Kudos to Joubert - what a fighter! Denis Ten won that championship!

Have a feeling Pluschenko has an alternative view on figure skating, on 2nd places etc....

Brings back memories from Vancouver. It wasn't Evan Lysacek who won the competition, it was NBC.

[Sylvia]

Team for WTT has been announced:

Konstantin Menshov, Maxim Kovtun, Adelina Sotnikova, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov, Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev

Cross-posting from the WTT thread:

Russian team:

Kovtun, Menshov
Sotnikova, Tuktamysheva
Volosozhar/Trankov
Bobrova/Soloviev

http://www.team-russia2014.ru/article/9834.html

upd. Not so sure anymore...Federation is trying to be strategic again. Waiting for Friday.

So the team is not yet set in stone?

[Kasey]

I was not happy with Kovtun being sent either but Piseev had a point. Kovtun needs experience and when they sent two experienced skaters last year they didn't skate well either.

The level was extremely high and Menshov would not have placed much higher even if he skated two clean programs.

I normally agree with you on things; however, the two experienced skaters who went to Worlds and finished dismally last year had not had the consistency of either Menshov or Voronov this year (I mean, Voronov's biggest miss was that dang spin at Euros, which threw him off for half of the program; Menshov's biggest "miss" was unfortunately being assigned to high level GP events, where he still did well). Sure, Kovtun needed experience, which he got at Euros, at the expense of Menshov. Now he's going to WTT? Seriously, is that more high pressure, high level "experience" for the boy? No, it's pimping the young one out with the opportunity to earn $$$ in a reasonably low-stress environment.

[lala]

Or he's just opening his big mouth again. Shut up and let your skating talk for you Plush.

Dear, Todd Eldridge, Christina Gao, Weir and many others have same opinion...

[lala]

Pluschenko writes in his twitter:
It wasn't Patrick Chan who won the competition, but his federation! It's my opinion as a person who knows figure skating. Kudos to Joubert - what a fighter! Denis Ten won that championship!

Have a feeling Pluschenko has an alternative view on figure skating, on 2nd places etc....

haters gonna hate..

[caseyedwards]

Totally unreasonable Assignment for kovtun. Is he ever going to had to earn anything? He's just going to be given assignments! Bomb Russian nationals get sent to euros and worlds and display no clue that you can't do 4 combos after having done 3. So I wasn't like he didn't do one and was thinking he needs 3! Hes basically a pet project who displays no level of deserving being a pet project. At least menshov gets to. He skated well in senior gp and Russian nationals and everything and is not doing combos of 3t-1t.

[Lara]

Didn't see this posted anywhere but Ivan Bich and Camilla Gainetdinova have ended their partnership. She moved back to Moscow.

Sources fskate.ru and fsonline.ru.

Sorry to hear that.

[morqet]

Totally unreasonable Assignment for kovtun. Is he ever going to had to earn anything? He's just going to be given assignments! Bomb Russian nationals get sent to euros and worlds and display no clue that you can't do 4 combos after having done 3. So I wasn't like he didn't do one and was thinking he needs 3! Hes basically a pet project who displays no level of deserving being a pet project. At least menshov gets to. He skated well in senior gp and Russian nationals and everything and is not doing combos of 3t-1t.

Actually, as the ranking points that Kovtun gained on the JGP and at Worlds were counted in towards the qualification score for the Russian team, I believe they are required to pick him. But don't let that get in the way of your ranting.

[caseyedwards]

A lot the points he gained to go to wtt were undeserved so it works wither way!

[morqet]

A lot the points he gained to go to wtt were undeserved so it works wither way!

You keep telling yourself that, honey.

[caseyedwards]

You keep telling yourself that, honey.

Lol - like you think he should've gone to euros and worlds and got the points?