From Russia with love [#28]: Autumn to Winter 2017

The coaches are paid by the federation, aren’t they? So the percentage of the price money may be something extra, like if you get a bonus at work. Or the federation set some minimum how much the coaches must get from any earnings/price money and they thought it is not enough and wanted to make it more fair?

Yeah, it must be something like that, but I remember back in the day reading (think it had to do with Butyrskaya) that the Russian skaters had to give all the prize money to the federation since the federation covered their training.

If S&K have control over the money and decided to give extra to Mozer, on the one hand that's nice, on the other hand, how could a coach not play favorites in that situation? Other skaters in the group might have family obligations for the money and can't, or don't want to, give extra.
 
The ISU pays the Federation, ostensibly so that they don't have to follow tax withholding and reporting to every tax jurisdiction of a prize winner. They have a rule that the Fed can only skim a certain % -- 10% the last time I looked, IIRC -- less any taxes it's obligated to withhold, if any, and the skaters are supposed to get the rest. It's not policed, and who is going to call it out on a Fed that takes it against reimbursement for whatever they want?

When salaries were low or non-existent, a coach or choreographer didn't charge when the skater was young, and/or the coach subsidized the skater home or abroad, it seems to be a common arrangement in Russia to give a % of future earnings/prize money to that person. That's how Plushenko and Mishin and B/S and Moskvina did it.

It's expensive to live in Moscow, and I'm guessing coaches and staff are like many school teachers in the US, who subsidize their classrooms out of their own pockets and/or their abundant free time. So yay for S/K.
 
Lipnitskaya, Ilinykh and Pitkeev will do commentary on TeleSport this weekend :)
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1056859290.html

Ok, if Adian is there, I guess I will tune in :D Although I don't know if I will understand much if he speaks like Yulia or the way he did on his few TV interviews. I guess I'm the only one who was far more interested in Sergei's CoR commentary on Eurosport. He is easy to understand, even for someone like me who is a long way from fluent. Articulate, very little extraneous chitchat, supportive of everyone.
 
Yeah, it must be something like that, but I remember back in the day reading (think it had to do with Butyrskaya) that the Russian skaters had to give all the prize money to the federation since the federation covered their training.

If S&K have control over the money and decided to give extra to Mozer, on the one hand that's nice, on the other hand, how could a coach not play favorites in that situation? Other skaters in the group might have family obligations for the money and can't, or don't want to, give extra.
Per Nina Mozer (2015 interview).
http://www.aif.ru/dontknows/eternal/skolko_poluchaet_trener_za_pobedu_svoih_sportsmenov

English: Nina Mozer's reply how the prize money are divided between an athlete/s and trainer/training team.
- It all depends on the event. For example, prize money from the Olympics, the standard in our country (Russia) is same for all: Trainers/training staff receives 50% (of the prize money). Let's say, if the athlete/s receive $ 100,000 then "the training staff" gets $ 50,000. The "training staff" allocates their 50% according to the number of people among themselves. Of course, the exact amount depending on what each specialist does in that group, based on contribution. But there is no exact formula how to divide such amounts among main trainer, masseur, doctor, choreographer.


Отвечает Нина Мозер, личный тренер олимпийских чемпионов в фигурном катании Татьяны Волосожар и Максима Транькова:
- Вообще всё зависит от конкретного вида соревнований. Скажем, в случае Олимпийских игр у нас в стране для всех видов одно правило: тренерский штаб получает 50% от суммы призовых спортсмена. Если ребятам за победу дадут, условно говоря, 100 тысяч, то наставникам - 50. А дальше эти 50 делятся на то количество людей, что работали в тренерском штабе. Понятно, что в каждой дисциплине свой набор специалистов с разным «долевым участием». Как распределяются гонорары между тренерами, массажистами, врачами, хореографами и т. д. - единой формулы нет.
 
I hope you can provide translations again :)
I'll try my best ;)

I just saw an article saying that Match TV will not broadcast the rest of the Grand Prix series :(:
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1056849318.html

I'm wondering if this Telesport channel is on TVTeka. Took a look just now & didn't see it.
Unfortunately ,yes. Match TV doesn't have rights to show GP series, they haven't bought them :(
Don't think that TeleSport is on TVTeka , it's an online channel right now and they show their translations on Ok.ru (one of the social networks in Russia). You don't need register there to watch the stream but it maybe be geoblocked.
 
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If S&K have control over the money and decided to give extra to Mozer, on the one hand that's nice, on the other hand, how could a coach not play favorites in that situation? Other skaters in the group might have family obligations for the money and can't, or don't want to, give extra.
But it can happen in the west too, for example, if a coach says that he wants to charge 80$ per hour, and some skaters are from a well off family and decide that actually they are going to pay the coach more because in thier view the coach is worth it, it is not as if the coach was fighting with them the he/she can’t accept the money. The same way you won’t fight your employer if they decide to raise your salary, you won’t be saying that you can’t accept it because your colleague did not get the same increase.
 
Ok.ru (one of the social networks in Russia). You don't need register there to watch the stream but it maybe be geoblocked.
It is geoblocked outside of Russia (and few former republics). Ok.ru/"Odnoklassniki" is a "schoolmates reunion" site anyway (facebook for graduates). Hopefully Telesport finds a wider-range source to use.

Match TV/Arena made a decision early in 2017 not to buy rights for GP series past CoR....... why???
 
Does anyone have links to Julia and Elena's commentary at Rostlecom? I can't find it :(
 
Thank you @TAHbKA and @Ka3sha ! That was such a great interview and they both come across as interesting people. For all the rumors about their relationship , they seem to be in a really good place. I can also understand, reading this, how Ksenia and Fedor have so much better programs, choreography and costumes than their teammates. :)

To be fair, V&T had good programs a lot of the time. I honestly don't know what is going on with T&M because their programs border on (or cross the line of) sabotage. It's nearly impossible to make a team this good look this bad. I can only assume that either it's down to Robin (which means that Aliona was clearly the one in charge of S&S's programs) or it's T&M's own unbelievable lack of taste
 
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If S&K have control over the money and decided to give extra to Mozer, on the one hand that's nice, on the other hand, how could a coach not play favorites in that situation? Other skaters in the group might have family obligations for the money and can't, or don't want to, give extra.

But it can happen in the west too, for example, if a coach says that he wants to charge 80$ per hour, and some skaters are from a well off family and decide that actually they are going to pay the coach more because in thier view the coach is worth it, it is not as if the coach was fighting with them the he/she can’t accept the money. The same way you won’t fight your employer if they decide to raise your salary, you won’t be saying that you can’t accept it because your colleague did not get the same increase.

Also, wouldn't it be possible for them to be paying Mozer for more hours of coaching vs. training on their own?
 
Obviously coaches prioritise skaters who have the potential to earn them more money. What's wrong/unusual about that? :confused:
 
Who was commentating next to Yulia on Telesport? Was that Aidan? I only watched the commentary of the pairs and that was truly awful
 
Who was commentating next to Yulia on Telesport? Was that Aidan? I only watched the commentary of the pairs and that was truly awful
No, it's Denis, he hadn't watched figure skating before Rostelecom... Adian should join Julia today :)
 
Who was commentating yesterday on Russian Eurosport. This guy was really exited about Virtue/Moir.

Pairs and Men I watched on Telesport. The commentators have difficulties in analysing the programs/competition. Perhaps it's not their job. I don't know the agenda of Telesport. Is it a news outlet? Or more for event programming with emotions?

I miss TAT and Grishin.
 
I just finished watching Russian cup (domestic competition, qualifier for Russian nationals). Does anyone else find it a bit disturbing when 21 year old Bobrov skates with 12 year old Belova, using music Say something I am giving up on you? To me it feels all wrong to choose love/split up song for skaters with 9 year age difference, him being an adult man and she is a prepubescent girl. Gross!
Saying that, he may be giving up on her. He has been doing pairs for seven years and she is his seventh partner, so giving up on someone is what he is pretty good at.
 
Well done Zahorski/Gurreiro for beating Sinitsina/Katsalapov in Minsk! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:
This definitely wasn’t good competition for S/K. So many mistakes in both programs. Katsalapov seem to be very inconsistent and accident prone. On the positive note, he didn’t messed up his twizzles this time!
 
I just finished watching Russian cup (domestic competition, qualifier for Russian nationals). Does anyone else find it a bit disturbing when 21 year old Bobrov skates with 12 year old Belova, using music Say something I am giving up on you? To me it feels all wrong to choose love/split up song for skaters with 9 year age difference, him being an adult man and she is a prepubescent girl. Gross!
Saying that, he may be giving up on her. He has been doing pairs for seven years and she is his seventh partner, so giving up on someone is what he is pretty good at.

If she was at least 16, the 9 year age difference wouldn't be that bad. Kovarikova- Novotny had (I think) 11 year age difference in 1992, but she was 16 at the time and there were no lyrics (they got married a few years later). They were skating just pairs programs without any romance or suggestive lyrics. I remember that when a young 16 year old American skated an exhibition to 'you can keep your hat on', it was severely criticized.

So I agree with you that for a 12 year old skating with her 21 year old partner, this song seems like in a poor taste. I don't know if it is 'gross'. I don't know the complete song lyrics to see if there are any references to physical love or body parts.
 
I dont understand russian at all but even I could feel the commentating of Julia was not that good. The male voice kept asking her and she just answered with very short phrases.
 
If she was at least 16, the 9 year age difference wouldn't be that bad. Kovarikova- Novotny had (I think) 11 year age difference in 1992, but she was 16 at the time and there were no lyrics (they got married a few years later). They were skating just pairs programs without any romance or suggestive lyrics. I remember that when a young 16 year old American skated an exhibition to 'you can keep your hat on', it was severely criticized.

So I agree with you that for a 12 year old skating with her 21 year old partner, this song seems like in a poor taste. I don't know if it is 'gross'. I don't know the complete song lyrics to see if there are any references to physical love or body parts.
I don’t criticise the 9 year age gap as such, but their packaging with this particular song. To be suggesting a romantic relationship between 12 year old and 21 year old, is he a pedophile or what?
 
I dont understand russian at all but even I could feel the commentating of Julia was not that good. The male voice kept asking her and she just answered with very short phrases.
You're not too far off, depending on what you noticed... ;)

She was better @ SC than @ CoR, and given the type of “media outlet” (odnoklassniki) which is airing the event, she is good enough. Her voice and manner of speaking are far from a trained announcer’s, but she is speaking at the right times, gives only occasional and important accurate short descriptions of elements during programmes, and does not interfere with the rest of viewing until the skaters finish.

Personally I noticed bias in her coverage and moments of “passive aggressiveness”; she almost raved about all Med’s and Zag’s competitors, Russian and non-Russian, and quite indirectly at that hinted that she prefers all them to “those other ones” without naming names…. which is sneaky and noticeable if one knows the “inside stories”.

All skaters who are competition to Eteri’s girls got a lot of praise, exclamations and pointing out of finer details of how great this or that. She used “endearment terms” for all (Lenochka, Anechka, etc..) and never mentioned Med’s first of last name during Med’s skating. She did make positive comments on Med’s programme and some elements, but they were stated as “facts” because it was inevitable that they were “good” and Lip could not avoid it, but her “excitement” in the voice was non-existent compared to her reactions towards other. Lip's "favorite or great programmes" are everybody's but "Entri's girls".... :lol:

Lip was also pretty reserved, although positive, about Sotskova, BEFORE she even skated. The ones Lip raved about the most are the russian ones who “messed up”….. (misery loves company?).. :lol:

I can’t wait for her commentary on Zagitov…… not that Zagitova cares what they say on a high-school reunion site… :lol:

She needs to take lessons from Tara and Johnny on how to be “pleasant and fair” at least about skaters from her own country…. Or lessons from TAT how to “rave” about EVERYBODY…. :D
 
Well done Zahorski/Gurreiro for beating Sinitsina/Katsalapov in Minsk! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:
This definitely wasn’t good competition for S/K. So many mistakes in both programs. Katsalapov seem to be very inconsistent and accident prone. On the positive note, he didn’t messed up his twizzles this time!

Hopefully this will be a push Z&G need to be Russia's #3 team. I'd like it to be between them and Loboda/Drozd. I'm so over Nikita and his dramas...
 
You're not too far off, depending on what you noticed... ;)

She was better @ SC than @ CoR, and given the type of “media outlet” (odnoklassniki) which is airing the event, she is good enough. Her voice and manner of speaking are far from a trained announcer’s, but she is speaking at the right times, gives only occasional and important accurate short descriptions of elements during programmes, and does not interfere with the rest of viewing until the skaters finish.

Personally I noticed bias in her coverage and moments of “passive aggressiveness”; she almost raved about all Med’s and Zag’s competitors, Russian and non-Russian, and quite indirectly at that hinted that she prefers all them to “those other ones” without naming names…. which is sneaky and noticeable if one knows the “inside stories”.

All skaters who are competition to Eteri’s girls got a lot of praise, exclamations and pointing out of finer details of how great this or that. She used “endearment terms” for all (Lenochka, Anechka, etc..) and never mentioned Med’s first of last name during Med’s skating. She did make positive comments on Med’s programme and some elements, but they were stated as “facts” because it was inevitable that they were “good” and Lip could not avoid it, but her “excitement” in the voice was non-existent compared to her reactions towards other. Lip's "favorite or great programmes" are everybody's but "Entri's girls".... :lol:

Lip was also pretty reserved, although positive, about Sotskova, BEFORE she even skated. The ones Lip raved about the most are the russian ones who “messed up”….. (misery loves company?).. :lol:

I can’t wait for her commentary on Zagitov…… not that Zagitova cares what they say on a high-school reunion site… :lol:

She needs to take lessons from Tara and Johnny on how to be “pleasant and fair” at least about skaters from her own country…. Or lessons from TAT how to “rave” about EVERYBODY…. :D
What if she genuinely doesn’t like Medvedeva’s skating? It doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with Tutberidze. For example, I appreciate the technical aspect and the consistency of Medvedeva, but that doesn't mean that I particularly enjoy watching her. There are other Russian skaters I like much more. And Julia has always said what she thinks; so if she doesn’t like something and doesn’t want to negatively influence others, she just chose to be reserved as opposed to saying that she doesn’t like it, or trying to fake rave about something she doesn’t like. To fake that, you want a bit too much of her.
 
Hopefully this will be a push Z&G need to be Russia's #3 team. I'd like it to be between them and Loboda/Drozd. I'm so over Nikita and his dramas...

I would like them to be number two, but that seems impossible for this season.
 
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I would like the, to be number two, but that seems impossible for this season.

Yes, not until B&S retire, which they will most likely do after the Olympics. They aren't bad, but I haven't enjoyed them much once they moved to the senior ranks, it must be Zhulin's programs...
S&B are really stepping up the game though, it has been consistent progress with those two. I would have had them 2nd at the CofR.
My ideal Euros team would be S&B, Z&G and L&D. Russian ice dance needs a fresh start, and this would be the teams to do just that.
 

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