Bellanca

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Alina Zagitova is the 2018 European Champion, 2017–18 Grand Prix Final Champion, and 2018 Russian National Champion. Earlier in her career, she won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships and at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final. Not too shabby! With stats like that, a cheering thread is the next logical step for such accomplishments. Enjoy!
 

AxelAnnie

Like a small boat on the ocean...
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14,463
Alina Zagitova is the 2018 European Champion, 2017–18 Grand Prix Final Champion, and 2018 Russian National Champion. Earlier in her career, she won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships and at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final. Not too shabby! With stats like that, a cheering thread is the next logical step for such accomplishments. Enjoy!
Props to her.

But I have to say the phrase "Earlier in her career" made me laugh........what, like 10 minutes ago?
 

Vash01

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Alina is incredibly talented and she has a great future, which includes an opportunity to win the OGM at age 15!
 

Vash01

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https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/327142-who-russias-skating-star

I particularly applaud this mentioned in the article: "Overall, Zagitova is a normal teenager: for relaxation she watches TV shows (Americans mostly) and play with her pets – cats and chinchillas." :)

I think it must be very pretty common for Russian teenage athletes to have a normal off ice life. Medevedeva was 16 when she won her first worlds. I remember reading at that time that for entertainment she watches cartoons. I remember reading about Julia's pets and horse riding.
 

whiteskates

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I simply LOVE Zagitova! What a talent and so suitable for ballet music. Both her short and long are great but the long is outstanding. What a pretty little red ballerina! I hope she wins everything this year. I like Medvedeva as and won't say anything whoever wins but Zagitova's programmes are so exquisite.
 

ToFarAwayTimes

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She is better than Medvedeva and should be the favorite I think.

The programs should still be limited in how much they can backload because it's just painful to watch nothing happen for 2 minutes. People will get bored and stop watching skating if this continues to go on.
 

Spun Silver

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She is better than Medvedeva and should be the favorite I think.

The programs should still be limited in how much they can backload because it's just painful to watch nothing happen for 2 minutes. People will get bored and stop watching skating if this continues to go on.
Have you noticed people yawning and walking out during Zagitova's programs? And since when are spins, footwork and choreography "nothing"?
 

ToFarAwayTimes

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735
Have you noticed people yawning and walking out during Zagitova's programs? And since when are spins, footwork and choreography "nothing"?

Yes, well almost...me. That's not a criticism of her but it's a criticism of the scoring system. Skaters will go after the points but it's incumbent upon the organizers moving forward to restrict the number of bonus elements to maintain artistic balance throughout programs. I do find these layouts extremely boring.

Zagitova's was less boring because I think she's a better skater, easier to watch than Medvedeva. Either because she's less artistically inclined or the choreography is worse, I don't know, but I cannot watch Evgenia's programs this year they are unbearable.
 

annie_mg

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She does very well with jumping. That's all I get out of her programs. She's only 15. It takes years to become an artist.
Exactly - does anyone want to go back and watch Kostner's programmes when she was 15?! Worse than Zagitova for me.
Not all skaters can be like Lipniskaya who had it all at 15. I believe Zagitova can definitely improve. I'm just scared she will win and retire and we won't see her again after this year.
 

DreamSkates

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Exactly - does anyone want to go back and watch Kostner's programmes when she was 15?! Worse than Zagitova for me.
Not all skaters can be like Lipniskaya who had it all at 15. I believe Zagitova can definitely improve. I'm just scared she will win and retire and we won't see her again after this year.
If she retires it's because there are other young girls coming up who can do quads.
 

annie_mg

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If she retires it's because there are other young girls coming up who can do quads.

I don't believe girls will be consistently landing quads anytime soon. At least not for a long time before injury or puberty hits them.
 

AxelAnnie

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Dick Button's FB comments:

Gonna have to have a chat with uncle Dick.
I am not a fan of her artistry. I do mos certainly admire her ability to get the job done.

Did anyone else notice the look on that child's face when she took the ice? Totally gleaming eyes with a playful NOW THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!
 

snoopy

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Scott Hamilton compared Zagitova to Baiul. He compared in terms of artistry but what I think he was trying to get at is enthusiasm and energy. She is captivating because of all of her e's - enthusiasm, effervescence, energy.

Interestingly, however, the judges seemed to say "not yet" in her LP scores.
 

Vash01

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Exactly - does anyone want to go back and watch Kostner's programmes when she was 15?! Worse than Zagitova for me.
Not all skaters can be like Lipniskaya who had it all at 15. I believe Zagitova can definitely improve. I'm just scared she will win and retire and we won't see her again after this year.

Carolina at 15 and even a couple years later was coltish and inconsistent. Zagitova skates beautifully, showing her personality, on the music, and landing difficult jump combinations. Carolina always had the edge when it came to skating skills but she didnt develop her artistry until around 2010. Zagitova is already quite good and is likely to get better artistically. What I don't want is for Zagitova to be rewarded too soon for what she is not yet good at.
 

Vash01

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So does anyone know if Alina is older or younger than Tara and Yulia? :)

She is older by one month than both Tara and Yulia.

Tara was younger than Yulia by 5 days when she win the OGM.

DOBs:

Tara June 10, 1982 (won OGM in Feb. 98)

Yulia June 5, 1998 (won OGM in Feb. 2014)

Alina May 8, 2002 (competing in the 2018 Olympics)

Tara remains the yougest ever OGM winner.
 

aftershocks

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17,317
Dick Button's FB comments:

Sounds like DB is in love in his old age. He's certainly fallen for the Eteri-devised bravura ballerina shtick! Uncle Dick has always loved the ballerina theme and drama brought to the ice! There is something there that Alina has, but to me it's a more modern dance aesthetic.

Even with all the kinetic frou-frou posing, backloaded technique and transitions galore thrown in for extra points, Alina is only 15 and so she doesn't yet know how to truly hold positions for full effect, and neither is she interpreting the music, she's parroting the lessons she's been taught. I'm mildly surprised that Dick can't see through the gimmicky packaging. Perhaps he's fixated on Alina's potential, her beautiful sweat-shimmered visage, and the frou-frou tutu rather than her camouflaged weaknesses. ;)
 

Cherub721

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I don't know why people even bother to respond to Ashley. I haven't even read her original comments. She is - thankfully - totally irrelevant to these Olympic Games.
 

Spun Silver

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Yes, well almost...me. That's not a criticism of her but it's a criticism of the scoring system. Skaters will go after the points but it's incumbent upon the organizers moving forward to restrict the number of bonus elements to maintain artistic balance throughout programs. I do find these layouts extremely boring.

Zagitova's was less boring because I think she's a better skater, easier to watch than Medvedeva. Either because she's less artistically inclined or the choreography is worse, I don't know, but I cannot watch Evgenia's programs this year they are unbearable.
There's no need to change the rules because very very few skaters can completely backload a program, so you don't need to survive many of those programs. :/

I always have issues with Medvedeva, but in the TE I just could not make sense of her footwork. It was unaesthetic in the extreme IMO. I have more issues with that being rewarded. If she can backload her jumps for the bonus, she should go for it. Although it is probably taking years off her life, at least her hip life.
 

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