From Russia with love [#27]: Summer 2017

[thvu]

And the Shibs would probably be disappointed with 5th, since they've been the team behind P/C for ~1.5 seasons.

The Shibs were definitely sent a message at worlds. Clean, but cautious skating is not going to cut it. They were slotted to be US #3 at worlds, and were lucky C&B and H&D made major errors. If either of them didn't feck up the twizzles, the bronze would have been theirs.

The way Alex reacted to the results, it seemed to me that he's aware the political winds are turning. Shibs fans should pray Dostatni isn't given all the major championship assignments like in 06, or a worse case scenario of Dostatni and Ponomarenko at the Olys.

 

[Dobre]

Messages that were sent at this year's "Torino" of a World Championships:

Don't expect the standings in the SD to be the standings in the FD.
Everybody needs to get a level 4 on their footwork if they want to medal. (And if you want to know how you are doing on levels you need to ask a technical controller not from your own country).
No one is infallible. And it would be wise of the judges not to pretend teams are or next year could be very uncomfortable for said judges.
Yes, folks, if you blow your entire sequence of twizzles you will be off the podium. You will ALL be off the podium.
No one--not the Shibs or Bobrova & Soloviev or Hubbell & Donahue or Cappellini & Lanotte or anyone else--can expect to win with a level two footwork sequence.
You can blow your twizzles pretty much every time out during the season, but if you hit them in the big competition you may still finish fourth.
Safe is not necessarily better.
Disaster is worse.
Even Shpilband-level politicking cannot save you if you royally muck up.
Papadakis & Cizeron need to clean up their SD.
All the politics in Russia cannot make three spots happen.
Scott, you got away with it this time. Don't count on it happening again.
Speed & deep edges will be rewarded even if you do practically the same footwork sequence as everyone else.
Absolutely no one should be comfortable.

Roger that, judges. But do you think maybe we could get at least one happy team in the top 9 next year? Maybe?

 

[caseyedwards]

Messages that were sent at this year's "Torino" of a World Championships:

Don't expect the standings in the SD to be the standings in the FD.
Everybody needs to get a level 4 on their footwork if they want to medal. (And if you want to know how you are doing on levels you need to ask a technical controller not from your own country).
No one is infallible. And it would be wise of the judges not to pretend they are or next year could be very uncomfortable for them.
Yes, folks, if you blow your entire set of twizzles you will be off the podium. You will ALL be off the podium.
No one--not the Shibs or Bobrova & Soloviev or Hubbell & Donahue or Cappellini & Lanotte or anyone else--can expect to win with a level two footwork sequence.
You can blow your twizzles pretty much every time out during the season, but if you hit them in the big competition you may still finish fourth.
Safe is not necessarily better.
Disaster is worse.
Even Shpilband-level politicking cannot save you if you royally muck up.
Papadakis & Cizeron need to clean up their SD.
All the politics in Russia cannot make three spots happen.
Scott, you got away with it this time. Don't count on it happening again.
Speed & deep edges will be rewarded even if you do practically the same footwork sequence as everyone else.
Absolutely no one should be comfortable.

Roger that, judges. But do you think maybe we could get at least one happy team in the top 9 next year? Maybe?

It just means Russia politics in dance - if any exists- is not powerful at all anymore! First time ever no medal at pre Olympic worlds in dance. The message is adopt North American school. Become North American. Train in North America.

 

[Vash01]

I like the fact that H&D have managed to basically skate one clean, mistake free international competition over the course of their entire careers, (2016 worlds), but in this analysis they are only "politically" weak.

If they were from Russia, the would be getting sh*t on left and right for their own competitive track record.

The truth is, bronze is a 5-7 way race that could turn out almost any way, and a 5th place finish would be respectable for any team that isn't P&C and V&M.

I don't think the Shibs or Chock & Bates would consider a 5th place finish respectable.

 

[chapis]

It is obvious that nobody wants to descend in the standings. V / M would not be happy either winning the Olympics with a presentation like the one presented in the Worlds, because they have done better on other occasions.

 

[Spun Silver]

It is obvious that nobody wants to descend in the standings. V / M would not be happy either winning the Olympics with a presentation like the one presented in the Worlds, because they have done better on other occasions.

I think they'd get over it pretty quickly. Canada would certainly forgive them.

 

[Bellanca]

No one wants to finish 5th, but 4th isn't exactly peachy, either - especially @ the Olympics.

I think the bronze spot is tricky, and I am not so sure about the silver. Nothing is set in stone ... not even the gold. Things could happen.

 

[Dobre]

Things could happen.

Things like an entire season of skating.

 

[Ka3sha]

Video's from Tamara Moskvina's master class in Igora last Saturday
Kavaguti/Smirnov:
https://youtu.be/S1AZTbP3de8
https://youtu.be/ASyhtmsDl-U

They also did two quad throws their (Yuko fell on the first one)

Nika Osipova and Vlad Tarasenko showed their SP
https://youtu.be/_KyOO0wZwi8
Tarasenko moved to pairs around a year ago, iirc, he trained in Tutberidze's group before that. Nika Osipova skated with Alexander Gallyamov last season (who teamed up with Nastia Mishina this spring)

I've read in Kavaguti/Smirnov's group on Vk.com that Smirnov and Ruslan Zhiganshin are currently at the camp somewhere near Tver working with children
https://vk.com/wall432044855_92

 

[hanca]

Tarasenko was still competing in singles the season 2015-16, so he switched to pairs before or during the season 2016-17. They were partnered in spring 2017, so considering that they are together just a few months, and that he is pairs beginner, it wasn't bad. He didn't do lift and twist, so those elements probably still need some work. I don't think they will be ready for this season's JGP, but as a pair they look compatible visually, so let's see how they look towards the end of the season.

 

[Spun Silver]

I'm afraid to watch K/S's FS but ther SP is amazingly solid. Yuko looks as if she had never been hurt! Sasha does an interesting variation on a one-legged lift and has a hilarious chest thumping (shoulder shaking?) moment near the end. Muy Soviet. Only why oh why at this stage in their careers are they being stuck with Dark Eyes -- the most lugubrious version ever??

 

[Karpenko]

If I had to guess, Yuko really adored Elena Berezhnaya and maybe wants to pay homage to Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze's "Dark Eyes" LP from 20 years ago. (Oh my god it's been 20 years) ...but with those agonizing vocals instead.

It's really nice to see them coming back, I'm still hoping they can somehow make the team over Z/E and the others.

 

[aftershocks]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ZoOERhRH8 fs 2017 Russian Nationals Alisa -- that final spin is amazeballs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WojHpOS00_Q fs 2015 Cup of Russia Adian (someone needs to calm down TAT)
Adian was an excellent singles skater with quads too, although 3-axel was not his friend; I'm glad to see that Adian has found a partner to pursue a career in ice dance. Good luck to Alisa and Adian!

 

[zebraswan]

Dark Eyes is an old ex program for K/S...they've skated it numerous times before over the years.

 

[adelia]

Ilinykh-Shibnev:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWXp-0XHcx0/

 

[rfisher]

I'm more interested in what happened to Davenkova. Oh, the irony of taking someone's man. Someone is going to have to produce a ven diagram with Morozov at the center. Except it would be really crowded.

 

[adelia]

I'm more interested in what happened to Davenkova. Oh, the irony of taking someone's man. Someone is going to have to produce a ven diagram with Morozov at the center. Except it would be really crowded.

Davankova has her own YouTube channel now, video blogging abt fashion and other stuff. The link is on her instagram page. I doubt Shibnev was the one who initiated the break-up, least of all leaving her for Ilinykh, D/S broke up some months ago.

Contrary to what people on skating forums think, there isn't some line of male ice dancers queuing up for a chance to skate with Elena. That's how she ended up with Shibnev.

 

[Wyliefan]

Wait, so Davankova isn't skating at all now?

 

[adelia]

Wait, so Davankova isn't skating at all now?

She took part in Amodio/Morozov's June summer camp for a few days. Other than that, I don't know.

 

[Cherub721]

I wish she would go back to pairs.

 

[Vash01]

I wish she would go back to pairs.

Me too.

She is only relatively tall for a pairs skater. When you watch how close in height Sui - Han are, it seems a bit unfair that Vasilisa was rejected by male pairs skaters for being tall.

 

[Sylvia]

@zebraswan posted Olga Ermolina's interview with Sergei Voronov in the Programs/Choreographers thread:
http://www.fsrussia.ru/intervyu/3032-sergej-voronov-starayus-ne-nastupat-na-te-zhe-grabli.html
Machine translated excerpt:

I try not to step on the same rake. In this case, my age and my experience are a plus, because the conclusions are made.
- What do you mean by the words "not to step on the same rake?"
- A man is all out of my head. As they get older is changing outlook, attitude, start with different eyes to look at some things. At the beginning of the season I had a task to abstract from a certain situation, and, thank God, it turns out. I even put myself a little plus, yes - we have excluded, we go further. I hope that little by little puzzle emerge in the picture.

 

[3T3T]

I thought Davankova/Shibnev had a very good debut season in Ice Dance and had potential to move forward, especially with Morozov in their corner. So I am sad to see them split, it sounds like she may be done with skating.

It is kinda funny that the ex girlfriend is now skating with the partner of the wife of her former boyfriend. Russian Ice Dance does love its dramas.

 

[Tinami Amori]

I'm more interested in what happened to Davenkova. Oh, the irony of taking someone's man. Someone is going to have to produce a ven diagram with Morozov at the center. Except it would be really crowded.

My summary, based on her "v-blogs" and social media, and some comments from people "in the rink where she trained", that she is not concentrating on competitive skating, it was her/Nikolai's decision to leave the dance team, and she is not likely to compete, at least THIS season.

Last several weeks she's been posting new fotos from different continents and countries: "Look! i am in Paris", "Look! I am in New Jersey", "Look I am in Athenes!", "Look! i am South of France"......

Seems she just wants to have fun and travel..... or maybe they are "interviewing" prospective partners.... Or she told Nikolai the typical words of a young pretty Russian Girl to her older man: "If you want my youth and beauty, you must pay and sacrifice! i want to see the world and that's that!"....

https://www.instagram.com/vdavankova/?hl=en

If that is true, i hope HE dumps her when she is 30+, without a job or a profession, no accomplishments, as an example to other women how NOT TO waist your life while young.

 

[aliona22]

If that is true, i hope HE dumps her when she is 30+, without a job or a profession, no accomplishments, as an example to other women how NOT TO waist your life while young.

That's really harsh dude. Vasilisa wasn't even an adult when she got involved with this creep. What she posts on instagram may seem shallow, but she's also just 19 years old.

 

[zebraswan]

LOL, more fanfic? No matter what someone posts on social media, you still aren't seeing what they do the other 99.99999% of the time. Nobody here knows for sure why she split with her partner or what she plans to do next. Could be for a hundred different reasons that have nothing to do with "wasting her life." Maybe she is studying, or injured, or searching for a new partner, etc. but now someone has already decided that she deserves to get dumped for having fun on Instagram...like every other girl her age?

 

[Tinami Amori]

That's really harsh dude. Vasilisa wasn't even an adult when she got involved with this creep. What she posts on instagram may seem shallow, but she's also just 19 years old.

(for the record: dudess).. Vasya is 19. She should be either a) studying or b) training or c) working. and not "doing nothing". no ifs of buts. those who don't work, don't eat (old russian saying: кто не работает - тот не ест).

 

[kwanfan1818]

Oh, the irony of taking someone's man.

Whose man did she take? I thought Ando was right before her, and Ando's mother split them up. Was there someone in between that I'm forgetting?

 

[TAHbKA]

It's Morozov. Surely there was someone. Or several someones?

 

[Karpenko]

His "little black book" is the size of an encyclopedia. You'll need a library catalog and pbp thread to keep up to date.