2020 Russian Junior and Senior test skates

Definitely hope to see Med’s program fully realized. Hard to say whether staying in Canada through the summer would’ve been better since the IAM event Friday made the difference in ice time between countries pretty clear...but at the same time there’s no substitute for on-ice coaching. Nathan Chen’s most likely the exception that proves the rule.
 
For those who want to rewatch Kolyada's mesmerizing FS (version with Barton's awestruck comments afterwards :D): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_K_x0dJGbs&t=1h24m30s

Playlist of all test skates - individual & event videos (Russian):

And interviews playlist:
 
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Would you agree that this time Trusova was more prepared than Scherbakova and Valieva? She did land more quads then them.

No, Trusova was less prepared than expected. Her original complaint was that she was not allowed to do 4 or 5 quads and a 3A in one programme, and that she was failing half of her quads in competition.

Well..... now she had no 3A's and only 3 quads, of which she fell on one, and had a hand-down on the second. That is worst than what she had before.
 
No, Trusova was less prepared than expected. Her original complaint was that she was not allowed to do 4 or 5 quads and a 3A in one programme, and that she was failing half of her quads in competition.

Well..... now she had no 3A's and only 3 quads, of which she fell on one, and had a hand-down on the second. That is worst than what she had before.
Well, in comparison with Scherbakova who made only one attempt and fell and therefore did not land any quad at all?
 
Well, in comparison with Scherbakova who made only one attempt and fell and therefore did not land any quad at all?
Shcherbakova had different goals, other than quads. She grew 5 cm in a few months and had to learn to manage her regular jumps.
 
Major take-always from the last two days:

Men: Kolyada EXQUISITE in both programs. I’m sure that the spirit of Nureyev was smiling down!

Ladies: Trusova and Valieva especially. One with oomph; the other, uber finesse.

Pairs: Boikova/Kozlovsky entering a new high, with more exquisite qualities.

Dance: The race for Russia’s 3rd spot will be a tough one!

New star by the boards: Ilinikh’s jumping and swaying antics - most entertaining...if a bit distracting when she’s within camera shot...as while Trusova was ending her FS (R&J Pillow Dance pounding march) and Ilinikh pounded every beat. Someone get her a sedative!

Music: In General, great choices. Not so many pop female ballads...a la Amber Glenn Blah.

P.s.- Was that a mattress propped up at one of the far ends of the arena? LOL! I’ve seen cars propped up (in China) but never before a bed or mattress??!! Was it a Serta Sleeper ad...in Russia?
 
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A few belated thoughts:

Mishina/Gailimov
Unapologatically loved this. The entrance to the 3toes is so crazy and fun but it actually made sense musically, too. They're already emoting much more than last year. Obviously still putting everything together and lacked so much speed and flow, but I'm fully on board with this direction. I somehow liked the music cuts, and appreciate the unique distribution of the elements.

Boikova/Kozlovsky
The difference in speed, basics, and polish was so apparent after M/G. Very smooth. I like this program, but feel like they will outgrow this by the end of the season (if not already). Love the confidence and ease.

Kadyrova/Balchenko
Fabulous music, but Angel and Devil just isn't as effective when the guy doesn't have a receding hairline. :drama: Bonus points for the 3S+1Eu+3S.

Pavlyuchenko/Khodykin
I liked Sing Sing Sing yesterday. This is better than Tron, however, most of the choreography/emoting is done in the first 10 seconds and after all the high-risk elements. Noticeable improvement, even if I'm not as enthusiastic as Ted.

Ladies was messy.

Trusova
Funnily enough, on paper, I would take Game of Thrones over R&J any day, but on ice, the opposite is true. I appreciate the program actually has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I like this jump layout: focus on that gorgeous quad toe. And the triples in the second half of the program don't look nearly as labored as last season. Even the basics look somewhat better.

Tuktamysheva
I like it. More detailed choreography than usual. I'm not worried about the status of jumps for a 23 year old in September after a long layoff. Besides, the axel is already close. Good ending pose.

I can see the potential in Scherbakova and Valieva's programs, even if both aren't connecting yet.

Poor Med. Same thoughts as Tuk. She's here without a coach and coming off a long layoff, so it's the overall roughness is much easier to forgive compared to a 15 year old. Some cool voidy moments in there (even if one or two moves weren't intentional :lol: ). I'm excited to see this develop. A fun costume is definitely necessary.
 
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Loved Mishina/Galiamov's, Kolayda's, Mozalev's programmes. Liked Tuktamysheva's programme.
The ladies were totally blah. All of them. Trusova is not even pretending having a programme - she just skates from one element to the next. Was going to write `in true Mishin's style' but there is Kolyada proving you might be with Mishin and still have a programme between the jumps.
Valieva has the same frightened look Sotnikova used to have in 2013. I hope the pressure that is put on her will not break her. I have a soft spot for Scherbakova, but this programme is not yet there and am not sure it will become much more interesting.
 
Interesting when you think about the 9-year age gap between Tukt and Valieva. Tukt isn't as bendy but there is a charisma that's lacking with Valieva. And despite 7 years of competition at the senior level and injuries and all, Tukt's basic triples are smoother and easier. That good basic technique of Tukt's has proven its value over and over.

This is actually Tuk's 10th senior season. Her Grand Prix debut was the 2011-2012 season.
 
Wow, you guys weren't kidding about Mishina/Galliamov, they looked great in their short. Enjoyed Khuda/Bazin and Tiff/Jon, missing Vika/Nikita terribly (I'm a stan, what can I say!). Haven't gotten to mens and ladies yet. Working on the shorts for now, hoping to get to the frees early in the week.
 
My highlights were Kolyada's sublime long (with a few more quads, cld challenge for the top), Valieva's short, Mishina/Galiamov element entries (I got a distinct impression that Moskvina is trying to style her into Mishkutenok, and with a bit more stretching, it may well happen) and of course, Khuda/Bazin--super debut, they just have such a natural, genuine expression, no fake dramatics a la Morozovs (even though I liked Morozov's edges). I appreciate the choice of SP music for Boikova/Kozlovsky (bc it's from one of my fav movies of all times), but the arrangement is so odd and the skate was also messy (his jacket needs to go). Overall, it was quite an emotional experience, even though seeing the crowd in the arena made me a bit uncomfortable:)
 
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