Alina Zagitova cheer thread

[rfisher]

This was a cute interview with her after the win. Some interesting answers to the questions that gives more insight into her personality.
https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/news/detail/alina-zagitova-i-want-to-do-things-my-way/

I had an Akita. Wonderful dog and she is exactly right about their personality. They will challenge you.

 

[Wyliefan]

I'm always gobsmacked every time I see pics of that dog flopping down on the ice. Brrr!

 

[Spun Silver]

Some people are born to compete - she's obviously one of them. Her drive to win, her self-discipline and appetite for work, and her humility amaze me. She's still only 16! I'm glad to hear she plans to continue. Think how much skaters like Mirai, Carolina, Kwan and so many others developed after that age. I look forward to seeing her evolve. Congratulations and go, Alina!

 

[rfisher]

I'm always gobsmacked every time I see pics of that dog flopping down on the ice. Brrr!

My Molly would go outside and lay in the snow. They have such a thick undercoat, they are totally insulated against cold. It's the heat that's a problem for them.

 

[Fiero425]

She's very close to nailing it. Looks like she will soon do it on the ice.

She'll need it with the crop of newbies; esp. the youngster from the US! They're all doing not one, but two 3A! To keep up, Alina will need every tech. advantage she can muster b/c it won't last from what I'm seeing of the next crop!

 

[rosewood]

deleted

 

[Vash01]

Bumping up this thread because I am reading way too many negative comments about Alina in other threads. One would think she is a third rate skater who is just given medals and wins. Alina is a great competitor and a great jumper. She has improved her artistry significantly. She must love to skate and compete. Many Olympic champions, retired once they got the OGM (not putting down Yamaguchi or Arakawa here), but Alina continues to compete at a very high level. It seems her success may be bothering some who thought she may just disappear after winning the two most important gold medals. I am happy that she is still around and skating well. I have enjoyed her programs this year.

 

[Deleted member 40371]

Bumping up this thread because I am reading way too many negative comments about Alina in other threads. One would think she was a third rate skater who is just given medals and wins. Alina is a great competitor and a great jumper. She has improved her artistry significantly. She must love to skate and compete. Many Olympic champions, retired once they got the OGM (not putting down Yamaguchi or Arakawa here), but Alina continues to compete at a very high level. It seems her success may be bothering some who thought she may just disappear after winning the two most important gold medals. I am happy that she is still around and skating well. I have enjoyed her programs this year.

Exactly the reason I am here. She gets way too many negative comments. She is one of the very few to have won everything to win in the sport, and I hope she keeps on competing until she wants to. She is the most successful female skater from Russia having won the gold medals at Olympics, Worlds, GPFs and Euros. Non of the other skaters including Slutskaya, Buturskaya, Sotnikova, Lipnitskaya or Medvedeva managed this. Also, her gold at Pyengchang was the only individual gold from her country, that is a thing for records and will serve her well for years to come.

 

[Cherub721]

ITA with you guys. The negative comments are ridiculous. Watch once these other girls win Worlds or Olympics, they will also be the worst ever, with zero redeeming qualities, soooo overmarked, etc. No Russian skater has ever managed to avoid it. It's quite unfortunate considering she really has improved, and she has no reason to be out there other than the love of the sport. She is not hiding from some major competition right in her own backyard. And she seems like a very nice girl. I feel a bit protective over her.

 

[DreamSkates]

She is not afraid to face new rivals and work until she rivals them in points. And she has been there, knowing what it will take to stay on the podium. Fierce competitor for sure!
And I love her LP dress this year. So sophisticated. Good change for her, too.

 

[Spun Silver]

Alina is definitely skating more maturely this season. I wish I could see her live so I could get a better sense of her speed and scale compared to other skaters. I'm hopeful that, like last season, Alina will triumph late in the season. There was an interview where she was asked if she didn't need to add some of the bigger jumps. She said she and her team were evaluating that but that so far they hadn't found it necessary. At this point though, it looks like it will be, if she wants to get back to the top of the podium. I assume she's been working on them?

Another thing I hope is that, as she matures and the pressure on her lightens up a bit due to the three younger As, Alina will be able to take a stronger role in her own development. Up to now, it seems as though she is happy to let Eteri, Gleichengauz and Dudakov decide everything. I would really love to see her becoming her own person on the ice. Not going coachless, heaven forbid, but having more of a say in her programs and how to perform them. I'm not sure if Eteri's system allows for that, though.

 

[muffinplus]

I just love her exhibition this year... not necessarily the choreography but the level of engagement and emotion she is projecting in it

 

[babayaga]

I am so glad I found this thread. Reading the competition comments was depressing It is not new for me to root for someone who is disliked at this forum (Bobrova/Soloviev was the worst I think), but it is still hard to see how so many posters get out of their way to describe Alina's skating in the most insulting way possible. I don't get it. So thanks everyone.

 

[Sylvia]

New interview, translated in GSD:

Samokhvalov's interview with Zagitova

Anatoly Samokhvalov's interview with Alina Zagitova for ria.ru AS: Alina, I've never seen you so happy AZ: I rethought a lot of things, besides I spent most of the summer in the show where I spoke to the older skaters who shared their experience with me. I listened to them closely and it became...

www.fsuniverse.net

ETA:

Alina Zagitova Interview at ISU Grand Prix France 2019, subtitles

Interview with Alina Zagitova after her taking silver at Grand Prix in Grenoble, November 2019. (my own English translation)

www.youtube.com

 

[Vash01]

I just happened to read some comments in the other thread. I can’t believe the hatred Alina gets from so many posters. I love Kostornaia but do people have to insult Zagitova to appreciate Kostornaia? Some comments are really awful,
like she has horrible posture (she does not) her skating is frantic (it was in 2018 but Not anymore) etc. I stopped reading at that point. Different skaters have different strengths. Why can’t we appreciate them all?
Alina has so many great qualities. I am not her Uber fan, but i appreciate many things about her skating. I respect her dedication to the sport.

I remember how much Medvedeva was hated on fsu when she was winning. When she started losing, suddenly she became their favorite. Now Alina is the new punching bag. How long will it be before they turn on Kostornaia? Trusova has already taken some punches. Shcherbakova will, if she wins the next GP.

This whole attitude toward Russian skaters, particularly the ladies bothers me a lot. I want to defend Alina on those threads but it is impossible to change their biased minds. So I
Ike this thread.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I just happened to read some comments in the other thread. I can’t believe the hatred Alina gets from so many posters. I love Kostornaia but do people have to insult Zagitova to appreciate Kostornaia? Some comments are really awful,
like she has horrible posture (she does not) her skating is frantic (it was in 2018 but Not anymore) etc. I stopped reading at that point. Different skaters have different strengths. Why can’t we appreciate them all?
Alina has so many great qualities. I am not her Uber fan, but i appreciate many things about her skating. I respect her dedication to the sport.

I remember how much Medvedeva was hated on fsu when she was winning. When she started losing, suddenly she became their favorite. Now Alina is the new punching bag. How long will it be before they turn on Kostornaia? Trusova has already taken some punches. Shcherbakova will, if she wins the next GP.

This whole attitude toward Russian skaters, particularly the ladies bothers me a lot. I want to defend Alina on those threads but it is impossible to change their biased minds. So I
Ike this thread.

Please don't confuse criticism and POV with hatred. One can appreciate many things about a skater and still see and point out places where they think they can improve. Most of what you point out about Alina i.e. bad posture and frantic skating are not quantifiable. They are opinion based.

IMO it is a reach (and an unfair one) to assume that people with criticisms against a skater are "haters" of an entire nation.

A gazillion years ago, I was accused of being a Communist because I preferred Irina to Michelle. I mean, really?

 

[Vash01]

When the criticism is unreasonable, one sided, and consistently against skaters from one particular country, it is biased. The comments about Alina in some threads is not just a matter of opinion. It doesn’t take a genius to identify hatred.

 

[skatfan]

New interview, translated in GSD:

Samokhvalov's interview with Zagitova

Anatoly Samokhvalov's interview with Alina Zagitova for ria.ru AS: Alina, I've never seen you so happy AZ: I rethought a lot of things, besides I spent most of the summer in the show where I spoke to the older skaters who shared their experience with me. I listened to them closely and it became...

www.fsuniverse.net

ETA:

Alina Zagitova Interview at ISU Grand Prix France 2019, subtitles

Interview with Alina Zagitova after her taking silver at Grand Prix in Grenoble, November 2019. (my own English translation)

www.youtube.com

So glad to see her enjoying her skating and realizing that she’s won everything you can so the rest is just icing on the cake. Bravo to her!

 

[Japanfan]

I'm always gobsmacked every time I see pics of that dog flopping down on the ice. Brrr!

Dogs have fur coats!

 

[missing]

As one of the few Alina Zagitova fans around here (although she seems to have many in different arenas around the world), I want to say that although I don't know her at all and most likely she's just an average teenage kid (albeit one with an Olympic gold medal and a World Championship to call her own), I like to picture her ten years from now, sitting at an outdoor café in Montmartre, sipping an aperitif and destroying Hemingway with the flick of a single eyebrow.

It's probably not her fantasy about her future life but it works for me!

 

[Tinami Amori]

Alina is fine, she received a welcome committee of fans at the airport, with gazilion of flowers, had to get another cart to fit them all, and had a back of the van full.

She needs to take care of the bruise/sprain on her ankle and start practicing for RN, and yes, possibly lose 1 kg at least.. .

One of her fan-sites posted a video of groups bringing her flowers at the airport.

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Other 3 girls were not forgotten either...

https://i.imgur.com/JIbnhuq.jpg

Kostorka

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Anna (giving interview, she was given presents later).

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Trusova is too tough for flowers, her dog gets the gifts (not shown here)

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And they are all now at the rink, starting a new week.

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[rosewood]

She needs to take care of the bruise/sprain on her ankle and start practicing for RN, and yes, possibly lose 1 kg at least.. .
.....
And they are all now at the rink, starting a new week.

Thanks for the info about Zagitova's injury. So it means the injury was not serious? Hope so. Best wishes for Nats!

 

[Tinami Amori]

Thanks for the info about Zagitova's injury. So it means the injury was not serious? Hope so. Best wishes for Nats!

She was walking, carrying her own suit-cases, pushing her own cart full luggage and loading the trunk....
She also went on a tour of Turin, on her own two feet...

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I don't think she is critical, but needs to take care of it to skate in-full.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Im such a fan of Zag finally. As Ive always said Im a fan of ladies skating... not 13-16 yr old girls. I like when women mature, fill out and can interpret their music. I didn't like Medev or Zag when they debuted because Im not into the waif style, frantic (Eteri goes overboard on this type of choreography) style of skating.

I wonder which of the three young dynamos I will eventually like. Im slightly leaning towards Anna.

Was sad to see Zag a bit teary in K&C at GPF. Perhaps aside from Russian Nats that was her last competition this year.

Zag is all woman now and gone are the days of frantic choreography and tutus on steroids! Kudos for this seasons SP.

 

[Sylvia]

Alina just announced today that she will not compete at nationals but will continue to practice:

Zagitova announces a temporary suspension of her competitive career; will perform in shows, incl. 'Art on Ice 2020'

https://rsport.ria.ru/20191213/1562381901.html https://rsport.ria.ru/20191213/1562382593.html TV interview is here: https://www.1tv.ru/news/2019-12-13/377373-sensatsionnoe_intervyu_aliny_zagitovoy_dlya_programmy_vremya_polnaya_versiya She will not compete at nationals; "I will keep practicing...

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^^ Just so competitive in Russia... wow.. I mean she is the Current World Champion.... and she wont be there, and probably not the current World Silver Medalist and probably not the current World Bronze medalist.....

wow.

 

[Tinami Amori]

^^^^ Just so competitive in Russia... wow.. I mean she is the Current World Champion.... and she wont be there, and probably not the current World Silver Medalist and probably not the current World Bronze medalist.....

wow.

Wow! Osmond is a previous World Champion and she won't be there either, because she quite right after winning her first World title, and decided not to confirm it the next year.. And probably not Gabrielle Daleman either.. Or even possibly Myahara, given there is Rika, Satoko, and possibly Wakaba or one of the younger ladies.. Or the very prospective (2 years ago) Karen Chen who chose education before sports.

It's called evolution in sports and/or "skaters grow up and move on to other activities".

 

[Fiero425]

Wow! Osmond is a previous World Champion and she won't be there either because she quit right after winning her first World title, and decided not to confirm it the next year. And probably not Gabrielle Daleman either.. Or even possibly Myahara, given there is Rika, Satoko, and possibly Wakaba or one of the younger ladies.. Or the very prospective (2 years ago) Karen Chen who chose education before sports.

It's called evolution in sports and/or "skaters grow up and move on to other activities."

Sorry, but this is about not embarrassing themselves! Who are we kidding? These past champions might get humiliated with these new kids jumping like BEANS!

 

[Sylvia]

Мишин: думаю не об отечественном фигурном катании, а о девушке Алине

Российский тренер Алексей Мишин, комментируя решение Алины Загитовой о приостановлении карьеры, сказал РИА Новости, что в первую очередь переживает не за... РИА Новости Спорт, 13.12.2019

rsport.ria.ru

Russian coach Alexei Mishin, commenting on Alina Zagitova’s decision to suspend her career, told RIA Novosti:
“I believe that in our society the main thing is a person. Therefore, I am currently thinking not about Russian figure skating, but about Alina Zagitova, about a man, girl, athlete. And I wish her all the best, kind and happy in future life the way. I’m thinking not about Russian figure skating, but about Alina, "Mishin said over the phone.

 

[Cherub721]

Sad about the break. The GPF SP was beautiful and she showed she's still competitive by being the only one of the older Russian girls to make GPF. She has the highest scores this season of any lady without an ultra-c element (and higher than some who do have those elements like You and Tuk).

One good thing is that I won't have to read FSU pbp during her skates again...