The Alexander Petrov Fan Thread

[adelia]

I hate those kisses blown in eligible competitions, regardless of who does it.

Mishin strangely seems to like that. But maybe he will take it out later. Last season's SP changed a lot during the course of the season.

 

[adelia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJMDwca60TE
FS. The camera angle is not ideal but it's the only video so far. Maybe the Fed will upload a high quality version later. I hope so.

 

[adelia]

Flashback: Sasha's 3A-3T at age 13
http://cs407020.vk.me/v407020130/4ca1/b0oLY_mC7EA.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wanc3-fd9do#t=0m21s (3A followed by 3A-3T. Three 3As landed in that competition)

 

[adelia]

It's been a difficult few months for Sasha (late start to the season and growing pains said Mishin) but he did well at Skate Canada! Two clean skates, the only person in the competition to do this. Congrats!

 

[Vash01]

He did really well at the Russian nationals and earned a spot for Europeans. I hope he skates well there. Once he adds a quad (next season may be?) he is going to be very competitive in the mens field in Russia. He has such a natural flair! He has the potential to become an artist on the ice.

 

[adelia]

He did really well at the Russian nationals and earned a spot for Europeans. I hope he skates well there. Once he adds a quad (next season may be?) he is going to be very competitive in the mens field in Russia. He has such a natural flair! He has the potential to become an artist on the ice.

He will add the 4T at Euros. The original layout for Nationals had the 4T as the opening jump in his LP but on the morning of the FS Sasha discussed it with Mishin and they decided to revert to another layout without a 4T. The reason is because he damaged some ligaments a week and a half before Nationals. So since he was carrying an injury they decided not to risk it because if he fell he could have gotten seriously injured.

I was incredibly happy with his performance. He had the highest TES and highest combined GOE in the LP. All the more impressive since he was carrying an injury.

And in my personal opinion, his musicality and performance skills are really first class. Every gesture and movement in that LP is linked to the music.

 

[adelia]

I would like to point out though that I made a factual error in the OP for this thread that I forgot to correct earlier. Mishin did not take over coaching completely in 2013. Tatiana Mishina remained his main coach. Currently Sasha is partially coached by Mishin (the other coach being Tatiana Mishina). In his ISU profile and Russian Fskate profile, the first name under "coaches" is still Tatiana Mishina.

 

[adelia]

I'm really proud of Sasha. He wasn't in good shape due to illness but he still managed to skate well. It may not have been as clean as Nationals but it was just as impressive and perhaps even more so given the circumstances. His fighting spirit is so strong!

 

[Vash01]

I didn't know he was ill. I have not watched his program yet but it sounds like he did a pretty decent job, given it's his first Euro.

 

[adelia]

In his interviews, he mentioned that after returning from a winter training camp in Tartu he fell ill. He started full training about 3 days before they departed for Bratislava. At Euros he felt physically weak. According to a fan report, he couldn't land his 3A in the FS practice session on the morning of the 28th.

 

[bardtoob]

I didn't know he was ill. I have not watched his program yet but it sounds like he did a pretty decent job, given it's his first Euro.

He definitely showed his consistency at 2016 Euros but his jumps were rather low in comparison to past performances. It was noticeable enough that I am not surprised he was ill. I hope he feels better soon.

 

[adelia]

It's been a long time since I posted any update, sorry. I was greatly disappointed that he was not selected for Junior Worlds.

Anyway, this is his tentative summer camp schedule:

1.Mishin seminar from May 6-8 in Ontario
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cc1lBRSW4AA3uE0.jpg
Sasha may or may not be there. Only Liza and Nugumanova are advertised in the poster.

2.Tartu Camp #1 from May 16-30

3.Courchevel Camp from June 17-30

4.Tartu Camp #2 from July 10-20

It looks very hectic. I'm a little concerned about over-training.

 

[adelia]

Photos from Mishin's birthday gala:
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u2b6f9.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u1b96a.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ubc2d4.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u0b3ac.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ub9bb0.jpg

http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ud806f.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u81267.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u84cb2.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ub9c11.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-u0f329.jpg

http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-uf00f6.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ua5ef4.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ud0abe.jpg
http://data3.gallery.ru/albums/galle...740-ueaeff.jpg

 

[adelia]

Based on information that is available so far, I created a list of relevant events for 2016:

May 6-8 2016 Mishin's Ontario Seminar
May 16-30 2016 Tartu Camp
June 17-30 2016 Courchevel Camp
July 10-20 2016 Tartu Camp
Aug/Sept 2016 Russian Test Skate
Sept 2016 1st Stage of Russian Cup (Samara)
Sept 2016 Nebelhorn Trophy
Oct 2016 Ondrej Nepela Trophy
Oct 2016 Finlandia Trophy
Oct 2016 Nice Cup
21-23 Oct 2016 Skate America
28-30 Oct 2016 Skate Canada
4-6 Nov 2016 CoR
11-13 Nov 2016 TEB / 9-13 Nov Kiev CS event
18-20 Nov 2016 CoC
25-27 Nov 2016 NHK / 22-27 Nov Estonia CS event (maybe Tallinn Trophy)
Dec 2016 Golden Spin of Zagreb
8-11 Dec 2016 GPF Marseille
Late Dec 2016 Russian Nationals (Chelyabinsk)

 

[adelia]

It's Sasha's 17th birthday today! Happy Birthday to him!

Some well wishes from fans:
https://pp.vk.me/c626218/v626218701/...CHLdmwGMqs.jpg
https://pp.vk.me/c626218/v626218845/...01OH2buBBs.jpg
https://www.instagram.com/alexander_petrov_fanpage/

 

[adelia]

Summer update
-Sasha has made the main national team, as he should!!

-GP assignments will be released in some hours time. I'm expecting Skate Canada +1.

-He's completed 3 out of the 4 training camps...

Guelph, Canada: https://www.instagram.com/p/BFQ36YXHmMy/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFQ4SALnmNW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFQ4qE9nmN5/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFQ63jkHmBc/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFSeOSqHmBE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFbXmRYHmLW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFd7LgPHmDe/

Tartu, Estonia: https://www.instagram.com/p/BF4adP2HmPs/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BF4cEa9nmD6/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BF4djiHHmIB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGAgivBHmF5/

Courchevel, France: https://www.instagram.com/p/BG91-rLnmOr/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG_q0QanmDx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG_pyl1nmB4/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLDNBwj2KN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHMQWaDDVyG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKxVRNjO_r/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKuUIajGNB/
The Courchevel camp was special for him because that's where he made his JGP debut. The exact same rink.

-There is one training camp left, Tartu in about 10 days' time.

-No confirmation on who will be the final choreographer of his programs. So far he has worked with Lance Vipond, Misha Ge, Benoit Richaud and of course the group choreographer Tatiana Prokofieva. The music for his FS has been changed at least once. Personally I hope the FS was done by Richaud.

 

[adelia]

He's on the entries list for Nebelhorn Trophy.

And so the list of relevant events:
Sept 10-11 Test Skate, Sochi*
Sept 22-24 Nebelhorn Trophy*
Sept 29- Oct 2 Ondrej Nepela Memorial
Oct 6-9 Finlandia Trophy
Oct 14-16 Nice Cup
Oct 28-30 Skate Canada*
Nov 18-20 CoC*
Dec 8-11 GPF Marseille / Dec 7-10 Golden Spin of Zagreb
Dec 20-25 Russian Nationals (Chelyabinsk)
Jan 25-29 Euros (Ostrava)
Mar 29-Apr 2 Worlds (Helsinki)

*Marks those he has been officially entered in

 

[adelia]

Sasha skated his new SP today at the 1st Stage of the Cup of St Petersburg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4e_iQud6YA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXG2C46OEAE

 

[bardtoob]

Sasha skated his new SP today at the 1st Stage of the Cup of St Petersburg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4e_iQud6YA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXG2C46OEAE

Mishin's camp did right by Petrov. He has everything, good jumps, good ice usage, good transitions, good step sequences, spins that will score well ... The men's field just got one deeper.

 

[adelia]

Mishin's camp did right by Petrov. He has everything, good jumps, good ice usage, good transitions, good step sequences, spins that will score well ... The men's field just got one deeper.

I would "like" your post 10 times if I could because I couldn't agree more.

Leonid Raitsin, the Russian trainer who has worked with many former Russian champions, especially TAT's students, wrote a long post on FSO last season. After the Russian championships, some people were questioning the results of the mens competition and Raitsin explained that there are two main ways you could train a young skater. One was not to force him to train quads but devote enough time to all aspects of skating and the second was to strive for jumps which are as complex as possible.
This is the part of his post that was relevant to Sasha:
"The first (as they are now preparing Petrov), is over a reliable stability, not forcing training quads. It is unusual for Mishin. I am in favor of such an option. It eliminates serious injuries, makes it possible to devote sufficient time to work on good skating, and provides a good psychological stability."

This is consistent with what Sasha once said in interviews, that during training he makes less than a handful of attempts at any one type of jump. And then they move on to some other aspect of skating. I believe that this method of training started to bear fruit last season and that this season we will see even more improvements from him.

 

[adelia]

Sasha's new FP. Sinatra's My Kind of Town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCimppKuPsE
Different camera angle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGop93ehrIg

He finished second overall at the 1st stage of the Cup of St Petersburg. He won the FS by about 5 pts over Gorshkov.

 

[bardtoob]

Sasha's new FP. Sinatra's My Kind of Town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCimppKuPsE
Different camera angle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGop93ehrIg

He finished second overall at the 1st stage of the Cup of St Petersburg. He won the FS by about 5 pts over Gorshkov.

I prefer the "different camera angle" because it is clear the program was designed to face that direction.

It is early, but he is pulling off an American themed program better than most non-Americans. Really, I think only Javi has done it better.

My only criticism is that Petrov's posture is a little too good because in that style and era middle class American men had good posture but carried themselves more relaxed. He could also work on the way he uses his arms, particularly his elbows since they get a little angular, and the way he punctuates his body movements to the music, although that could just be because the program is new.

 

[adelia]

I prefer the "different camera angle" because it is clear the program was designed to face that direction.

It is early, but he is pulling off an American themed program better than most non-Americans. Really, I think only Javi has done it better.

My only criticism is that Petrov's posture is a little too good because in that era middle class American men had good posture but carried themselves more relaxed. He could also work on the way he uses his arms, particularly his elbows, and the way he punctuates the music.

I don't think the other active Russian men could do this. And that's one of the things I like about his skating style. He is versatile and can adapt to various genres of music. He is still quite young and has much room to grow but I think eventually, if given the right nurturing, his presentation in particular could develop into something truly outstanding. The talent is there IMO.

 

[adelia]

Sasha's SP performance at the open test skates on 10 Sept:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgDxeFL5n6o
For whatever reasons he did not attempt a quad. On 1 Sept, at the gala opening of the new rink for Mishin's school, he did attempt a 4T, it was UR but landed.

 

[Rina RUS]

I like his arms. And his spins...

 

[Rina RUS]

LP at the open test skates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1e3vHdmhw

 

[adelia]

He kind of ran out of steam towards the end but overall it was good. They changed some things including the final spin, added a few transitions, including a spread eagle (while checking the time on his "watch") entry into the first 3Lz. I hope they continue adding transitions to this program and working on the stsq, he is capable of much more.

Mishin's group is back in St Petersburg already. They took the last flight from Sochi back to SPB at night. In about 10 days time, Sasha is due to compete at Nebelhorn Trophy.

 

[adelia]

He will take part in Finlandia Trophy too. 6 to 9 Oct.

I've updated the schedule of relevant events:
Sept 22-24 Nebelhorn Trophy*
Oct 6-9 Finlandia Trophy*
Oct 19-23 Nice Cup
Oct 28-30 Skate Canada*
Nov 18-20 CoC*
Dec 8-11 GPF Marseille / Dec 7-10 Golden Spin of Zagreb
Dec 20-25 Russian Nationals (Chelyabinsk)
Jan 25-29 Euros (Ostrava)
Mar 29-Apr 2 Worlds (Helsinki)

*Represents events he has officially been entered in.

 

[adelia]

Congratulations to Sasha, he won Nebelhorn Trophy!
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR8WMdS6Fgs
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvE1qDe9nxU
Ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE-086HEKzc

 

[adelia]

Sasha finished 6th at Finlandia Trophy. I think before the start of the competition, I would have thought 5th would be a good result given the field so 6th is less than optimal. But the PCS he was awarded was much lower than at Nebelhorn so that affected his overall score significantly. He made two mistakes across two programs. Doubled the lutz in the SP and singled it in the FS. Both at the same spot on the rink. He had no problems with the lutz combo at the other end of the rink so this is something his coaches should look into. Otherwise, there weren't any other mistakes. He had planned to do a 4T in the FS but the practice session this morning didn't go so well so probably they decided just to stick to the triple. I watched parts of his practice session on the 6th when he spent some time working on quads. There were some pops and some rotated ones but with turnouts. Generally the jump seems to be progressing. He finished 3rd in the freeskate.

SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuxeIqkFZL8
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I11GQ-DEB5I

It appears that he will no longer be going to Nice Cup, which is a good thing because he looked rather tired at this competition so a good rest is needed.