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

[Tinami Amori]

What if she genuinely doesn’t like Medvedeva’s skating? And Julia has always said what she thinks;

If she wants to be viewed as a professional commentator, she should take a cue from Maxim Trankov who often commentates on Pairs @ MATCH TV/ARENA. D/R, S/S (M), S/K are his competition, and they had their "run-ins" but he manages to stay objective discussing strictly the elements of the competition without "personal subjectivity" and "past history".

 

[Coquelicot14]

Agreed regarding Trankov, he is an excellent commentator.
I may be one of the few here, but I really dislike listening to Lipnitskaya. She was great in her competitive days, but her personality with journalists really annoys me. She is always whining about something nor does she have any particulary good insights, I'd rather hear from someone more polished.

 

[Ka3sha]

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...

If you're taking Loboda/Drozd in consideration, then don't forget Popova/Mozgov as well

 

[TAHbKA]

re the age gap and wrong music choises: Tankova/Krasnopolski with 'I put a spell on you' that was later replaced with some classical tenor. Eeek

Commentary: Lipnitskaya imho is not bad. She gives the elements and she doesn't speak during the skate. Trankov is great, but he swallows the vowels and has Tarasova there. Ilinykh annoyed me the most - she said close to nothing about the elements, she raved about the dresses with a vocabulary of 4 words and, argued with a co-commentator about football (explaining how not interested she is), offered him to take a better look at the girls (because, obviously, that's what figure skating viewers are looking for - girls on the screen ) and, what totally killed it for me - the grammar mistake she keeps making (if I had to translate it's about 'I want to tell what that..'. Medvedeva, by the way, does exactly the same mistake, think Sotnikova had it as well.

 

[hanca]

re the age gap and wrong music choises: Tankova/Krasnopolski with 'I put a spell on you' that was later replaced with some classical tenor.

At least Tankova wasn’t 12 years old whereas Bobrov’s partner is! I guess she is the right age to be married in Armenia?

 

[quiqie]

the grammar mistake she keeps making (if I had to translate it's about 'I want to tell what that..'.

Yes, but it is so common these days I’m afraid it will soon become a new norm.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Yes, but it is so common these days I’m afraid it will soon become a new norm.

Back in the days of King Solomon, in USA it was called "valley girl talk": oh, you know, it was kind of like wow! just gag me with a spoon...

 

[IceAlisa]

re the age gap and wrong music choises: Tankova/Krasnopolski with 'I put a spell on you' that was later replaced with some classical tenor. Eeek

Commentary: Lipnitskaya imho is not bad. She gives the elements and she doesn't speak during the skate. Trankov is great, but he swallows the vowels and has Tarasova there. Ilinykh annoyed me the most - she said close to nothing about the elements, she raved about the dresses with a vocabulary of 4 words and, argued with a co-commentator about football (explaining how not interested she is), offered him to take a better look at the girls (because, obviously, that's what figure skating viewers are looking for - girls on the screen ) and, what totally killed it for me - the grammar mistake she keeps making (if I had to translate it's about 'I want to tell what that..'. Medvedeva, by the way, does exactly the same mistake, think Sotnikova had it as well.

Can you or another Russian speaker write in Russian the mistake that Ilinykh made? Curious.

 

[TAHbKA]

'я хочу сказать, то что...'

 

[IceAlisa]

'я хочу сказать, то что...'

Oh, dear!

 

[zebraswan]

And what do the native Russian speakers think about Sergei's commentary? I'm sure nobody else bothered to watch his solo broadcast, but you can find the videos in this playlist (first 11 from the men's SP at Rostelecom...he also did the ladies' FS with the other Eurosport guy). It seems to me that he is very objective, doesn't talk too much, and what he does say is clear and well spoken (I can barely understand anything Yulia says).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Naegz8ckgw&index=1&list=PLznbScNXYTFW9u4Tw4udkihAKrufwvtEX

 

[Tinami Amori]

And what do the native Russian speakers think about Sergei's commentary? I'm sure nobody else bothered to watch his solo broadcast, but you can find the videos in this playlist (first 11 from the men's SP at Rostelecom...he also did the ladies' FS with the other Eurosport guy). It seems to me that he is very objective, doesn't talk too much, and what he does say is clear and well spoken (I can barely understand anything Yulia says).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Naegz8ckgw&index=1&list=PLznbScNXYTFW9u4Tw4udkihAKrufwvtEX

Liked his commentary very much. I was watching Eurosport-2 as a primary source, and the rest of coverage TSN2, Odnoklassniki, etc., in recordings.

He is well spoken, 98% of his comments are facts, descriptions, and supporting information; gave minimal opinions that were not much more than "good job", "well skated", "had a good/difficult season", "probably will place ahead/behind skater x", etc.

 

[bardtoob]

So I have warmed up to Sotskova as a candidate for the Olympic Team. Most of her jumps are huge and with difficult arm positions in the air. I love her soft skating, and her understated dresses are lovely.

However . . . that 2A

----------------------------

I still love my Pouty Pogo, but I have to face the fact that Russia has others.

 

[Xela M]

Well done Zahorski/Gurreiro for beating Sinitsina/Katsalapov in Minsk!
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 only saw S&K's short dance - but to say it "wasn't good" is a pretty great understatement

I&K as a team and individually have to be promoted to the team trainwreck hall of fame like NOW

 

[Tinami Amori]

I only saw S&K's short dance - but to say it "wasn't good" is a pretty great understatement
I&K as a team and individually have to be promoted to the team trainwreck hall of fame like NOW

Here is FD ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80667MPjHVg

I still love my Pouty Pogo, but I have to face the fact that Russia has others.

Pogo was treated very poorly by Tzareva in K-n-K @ SC. The second Pogo got off the ice, Tzareva started to critique her, and not just in a tone of disappointment, but with nasty sarcasm.

Pogo was nearly crying and Tzareva kept pocking her with a smirk on her face.... I am all for tough coaches, but this very contra-productive and pointless.

Pogo at one point started to reply with sarcasm right back...

I'd love to hear that Pogo changed coaches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmpckb1p4fs

 

[Marco]

Oh Anna. I believe her Olympic dream is over. Even one bomb (at 2017 Worlds) is hard to recover from for her and her Federation, but now there is no way the Fed will allow her to go to Euros, Olympics and Worlds this season even if she doesn't put a single foot wrong at her second GP and Nationals.

FWIW, I also find her Swan Lake way too generic.

 

[Cherub721]

'я хочу сказать, то что...'

As a beginner in Russian I don't understand why that's a mistake...

 

[Coquelicot14]

Oh Anna. I believe her Olympic dream is over. Even one bomb (at 2017 Worlds) is hard to recover from for her and her Federation, but now there is no way the Fed will allow her to go to Euros, Olympics and Worlds this season even if she doesn't put a single foot wrong at her second GP and Nationals.

FWIW, I also find her Swan Lake way too generic.

Maybe not... if she gets 2nd at Nationals and medals at Euros she is in. The RF always sends 1 & 2 from nationals.
Now whether or not that's doable from the state she is in now, that's another question.
I did like the Swan Lake, it suits her well. I may be mistaken, but I think I heard her coach said she only does the full run through the program once a week. Obviously that's not enough.

 

[Tinami Amori]

As a beginner in Russian I don't understand why that's a mistake...

It's not grammatically wrong, but it is stylistically wrong and inappropriate when one is a public speaker or a commentator.

It's ok to use it in a casual conversation, but even then it's not "elegant"... That’s how uneducated old babushkas talk to each other in a hall-way…….. “Well, you know, all I want to say really, is that my son in law, you know him, does not earn a very high salary, oh gosh, and my daughter, you know she is such a beauty, has to spend, you know all that time at work naturally to take second shifts, you know how its, to make more money really, as I was saying…..”

If one is commentating on an event, his/her job is “to say”, so she does not need to start with “I kind of want to say” or “I just want to say”….. Just say it! that’s what you’re paid for….

 

[Marco]

Maybe not... if she gets 2nd at Nationals and medals at Euros she is in. The RF always sends 1 & 2 from nationals.
Now whether or not that's doable from the state she is in now, that's another question.
I did like the Swan Lake, it suits her well. I may be mistaken, but I think I heard her coach said she only does the full run through the program once a week. Obviously that's not enough.

I don't think the Fed will support her to the extent that she can earn high enough PCS at Nationals to make top two even if she goes clean. She was strong all through the GP season last year and the judges still placed her below Zagitova. Can you imagine what would happen now that she has bombed so spectacularly twice?

She obviously wasn't able to bring out the full Swan Lake this time. Perhaps it will look better when she skates it well next time.

 

[TAHbKA]

As a beginner in Russian I don't understand why that's a mistake...

It should be 'я хочу сказать, что', without 'то'. For me it sounds pretty much like 'she don't' or 'you has'. Or like scratching the blackboard.

 

[TAHbKA]

It's not grammatically wrong

AFAIK it is grammatically wrong.

You didn't get the point. The 'я хочу сказать, что' is fine, grammatically and stylistically. The 'я хочу сказать то, что' is still fine stylistically, just wrong grammatically.

 

[quiqie]

It's not grammatically wrong, but it is stylistically wrong and inappropriate when one is a public speaker or a commentator.

It's ok to use it in a casual conversation, but even then it's not "elegant"... That’s how uneducated old babushkas talk to each other in a hall-way…….. “Well, you know, all I want to say really, is that my son in law, you know him, does not earn a very high salary, oh gosh, and my daughter, you know she is such a beauty, has to spend, you know all that time at work naturally to take second shifts, you know how its, to make more money really, as I was saying…..”

It is gramatically wrong, and don’t offend old people. Nobody over 25 makes this particular mistake.

 

[quiqie]

Here is a paper on this: http://www.dialog-21.ru/media/1254/korotaevna.pdf

 

[TAHbKA]

And what do the native Russian speakers think about Sergei's commentary?

Listened to Lazukin's skate and Kvitelashvili's. He was silent during Lazukin and didn't even name the elements, during Kvitelashvili he was talking about the elements and a bit more. Am not sure which is his usual style.

Generally the language sounds correct, he is respectful, he names the elements, he does not swallow the vowels like Trankov. Am not sure it's a correct comparison - Trankov has Tarasova to overcome - she never shuts up and they (Grishin and Trankov) have to shout on the top of their lungs to stop Tarasova's stream of erm.. whatever; Lipnitskaya had the football dude who was talking nonsense as well, while Voronov was left left alone and was able to talk as little as he thought was right. All and all liked his commentary, though except for naming the elements he didn't say much more than what is written in the skater's bio. Lipnitskaya and Trankov add some personal stuff about the skaters, which is quite interesting (for example Lipnitskaya said how when on the ice with Osmond when she goes into the jump there is that woooooooooosh of a speed up or how she would stop during the official practice and watch Hongo's Irish programme. Trankov talked a lot about Stolbova/Klimov and Tarasova/Morozov in the past at least). I sort of miss that with Voronov, who at least should know stuff about Kvitelashvili.

 

[IceAlisa]

Wow, I should really dig into the Lipnitskaia commentary links. She sounds fun.

 

[chapis]

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.

it is indeed gross

 

[kwanfan1818]

I&K as a team and individually have to be promoted to the team trainwreck hall of fame like NOW

Or we should start a #TeamSelfImmolated

 

[barbarafan]

Here is FD ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80667MPjHVg


Pogo was treated very poorly by Tzareva in K-n-K @ SC. The second Pogo got off the ice, Tzareva started to critique her, and not just in a tone of disappointment, but with nasty sarcasm.

Pogo was nearly crying and Tzareva kept pocking her with a smirk on her face.... I am all for tough coaches, but this very contra-productive and pointless.

Pogo at one point started to reply with sarcasm right back...

I'd love to hear that Pogo changed coaches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmpckb1p4fs

Luv Pogo - she is so elegant. Kudos to her for finishing that program. Skating with injuries and in pain is never pleasant and you could see she was in pain in the practices. A very tuff competitor. Her coach is evil.

 

[Coquelicot14]

Luv Pogo - she is so elegant. Kudos to her for finishing that program. Skating with injuries and in pain is never pleasant and you could see she was in pain in the practices. A very tuff competitor. Her coach is evil.

Her coach is not evil, she is frustrated. Understandibly so. Like I mentioned before, if it is true that she only does a full run through the program once a week...
I love Anna's skating and hope she gets out of this rut. But no one made her go to World's last year. It was her decision to compete despite some health issues.
I think she needs to give herself time and come back strong at nationals, which would be the most important competition for her this year.

She totally reminds me of Maria Butyrskaya, who despite all the ups and downs became World Champ. I think Anna can do it too.