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

[love_skate2011]

a new shining star, Alena Kostornaya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo9GZ6r-ZWU&feature=youtu.be

 

[Tinami Amori]

Liza is ahead of Sotskova and Kostner in Espoo after SP. Just to mention that.

Only by few point fractions, and only because for some odd reason Sots got a 1 pt time deduction. She finished on time, so maybe it has to do with start-time, but its not clear how that happened.

Question to people in-the-know: what caused Sotskova's the time deduction? She ended on time. She did not move before music started. My only guess is that after music started she stood too long without moving?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13x1BohIvE

 

[DobrinFan]

Only by few point fractions, and only because for some odd reason Sots got a 1 pt time deduction. She finished on time, so maybe it has to do with start-time, but its not clear how that happened.

Question to people in-the-know: what caused Sotskova's the time deduction? She ended on time. She did not move before music started. My only guess is that after music started she stood too long without moving?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13x1BohIvE

Probably took more than 30 seconds to get into starting position after her name was called.

 

[morqet]

Only by few point fractions, and only because for some odd reason Sots got a 1 pt time deduction. She finished on time, so maybe it has to do with start-time, but its not clear how that happened.

Question to people in-the-know: what caused Sotskova's the time deduction? She ended on time. She did not move before music started. My only guess is that after music started she stood too long without moving?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13x1BohIvE

The required length for the SP is 2mins 40 +/- 10 seconds. In that video, she starts moving at 0:09 and stops at 3:02, so it was over 2 mins 50 seconds. Silly to design the program to be so close to the wire on timing. Maybe she started moving off too quickly.

 

[Ka3sha]

a new shining star, Alena Kostornaya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo9GZ6r-ZWU&feature=youtu.be

Kostornaya is a star, luurve her
She is probably the first Eteri's full package skater: she has decent technique, high jumps, interesting spins, good basics and, what is even more important, great charisma and nice programs.
Just hope that she will survive through puberty and deep field among russian ladies.

 

[Tinami Amori]

The required length for the SP is 2mins 40 +/- 10 seconds. In that video, she starts moving at 0:09 and stops at 3:02, so it was over 2 mins 50 seconds. Silly to design the program to be so close to the wire on timing. Maybe she started moving off too quickly.

So i guess it is not any of Sotnikova's fault, but a correct penalty in general.

 

[Bellanca]

Liza!

 

[Vash01]

Kostornaya is a star, luurve her
She is probably the first Eteri's full package skater: she has decent technique, high jumps, interesting spins, good basics and, what is even more important, great charisma and nice programs.
Just hope that she will survive through puberty and deep field among russian ladies.

First full package? Medvedeva is a full package.

 

[DobrinFan]

So i guess it is not any of Sotnikova's fault, but a correct penalty in general.

Nope. Not her fault Sotskova went over

 

[hanca]

Only by few point fractions, and only because for some odd reason Sots got a 1 pt time deduction. She finished on time, so maybe it has to do with start-time, but its not clear how that happened.

Question to people in-the-know: what caused Sotskova's the time deduction? She ended on time. She did not move before music started. My only guess is that after music started she stood too long without moving?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13x1BohIvE

Tinami, it doesn’t matter whether she moved before music started, or if she finished with the music. They don’t measure the music, and they don’t care whether you start before music, with music or after music. They don’t care whether she stands too long. They measure from the point when the skater starts moving to the point when the skater stops moving. There are two options - either her skating time was too long, or she took too long to get into her starting pose.

 

[hanca]

Medvedeva changed her FS. Her new free program is Anna Karenina (that was her exhibition before). It’s a pity, I liked her free program she had at Ondrej Nepela.

 

[binbinwinwin]

Here's the article that confirms Evgenia's change: https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1056326296.html

I wonder why she changed it though, the previous one seemed perfectly adequate and she only made one mistake at Ondrej Nepela. Is she officially ditching the new layout?

 

[lala]

Medvedeva changed her FS. Her new free program is Anna Karenina (that was her exhibition before). It’s a pity, I liked her free program she had at Ondrej Nepela.

I love the new one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsMvSV9cjRs

 

[Maofan7]

Sofia Samodurova's interview from the Zagreb JGP event

 

[martyross]

well the previous FS wasn't awful but Anna Karenina is a step forward anyway. at least there is a character and (supposedly) an interpretation attached to it. something that any ordinary mortal can grasp. and she is not mimicking a train collision. pheeeew.
it still doesn't deserve the marks it got.
they are probably instructing her to make those ott facial expressions, maybe she agrees and enjoy doing them, anyway if she wants to convince the audience she is Anna Karenina she should study body movements with a ballet teacher or something. to learn how to emote with her skating only. otherwise it looks just fake.

 

[Tinami Amori]

I love the new one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsMvSV9cjRs

I like it, see benefits of it over the first one. (can't stand the character of Anna Karenina, and it does not fit Med... she would not have wasted her life on a man, or jump under the train...)

 

[MorganaLefay]

I am annoyed by Jenya's Anna Karenina, it's so fakish, even in comparison to Pogo's exhibition, not to mention Kostornaia's natural musicality and choreo for a less relatable music that she interprets seamlessly. What are the 3 open/close your face exaggerated arm movements, what are they supposed to represent in AK's contex? Also, something is off with her body in that traditional AK dress.

For Kostornaia: never been so impressed with a junior program since I/K's Schindler's lis and Gubanova's Swan! I hope the puberty monster is gentler to her than to Gubanova.

 

[Tinami Amori]

What are the 3 open/close your face exaggerated arm movements, what are they supposed to represent in AK's contex?

Three main revelations: AK meets Vronsky/true love for the first time, AK realizes she lost his love, AK realizes that life has no meaning.

The rest of the programme choreography and gestures support each segment pretty well, as well as it can be in a skating routine.

 

[Vash01]

Medvedeva changed her FS. Her new free program is Anna Karenina (that was her exhibition before). It’s a pity, I liked her free program she had at Ondrej Nepela.

Me too. I like this FS also but that one looked like a winner.

 

[Cherub721]

I'm really happy that she changed to Anna Karenina. This is the first one of her competitive programs I've ever liked. The last 3 long programs all run together for me. There are still some awkward moments in this one and she can get a little gangly, but this was the first time that I felt like in her step sequence she was actually interpreting music and not just wasting time so she could get to her jumping in the second half. There's lots of little details here I like, plus it's an easy sell for the general audience: a Russian girl skating to a Russian classic. I'm really impressed that she decided not to just stick with the formula that worked in the past. I wish she would change her SP to last year's French music exhibition.

 

[Tinami Amori]

There's lots of little details here I like, plus it's an easy sell for the general audience: a Russian girl skating to a Russian classic.

Now we need Pogo to take her exhibition "Karenina" change for LP, and we'll have the one and only Battle of Kareninas. The media and audience will talk of that and nothing else, and all other girls will take rear-stage....

 

[Ananas Astra]

The reason for the change is mostly simple (I guess): A classical (Russian) topic for an Olympic season. Slutskaya chose "Tosca" back in 2002, Lipnitskaya chose to be "the girl in the red coat" and we all know what this turned out to be ( "A SENSATION!")...so it's just natural for a Russian OGM contender to choose a known character to portray.
Let's wish Medvedeva the best of luck with that!

 

[adelia]

Well, kinda strange cause I/S are already working with Gorshkov for more than a week.

The connection to Gorshkov was hinted as early as July, when Lena was rumoured to be helping to coach Lozko-Pitkeev, who were then in Gorshkov's group.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Maybe Ilinykh is more engaged in general if she's multi-tasking. Maybe Gorshkov wants her to help Pitkeev to come up to speed.

I was happy to see that Sotskova won Finlandia .

 

[Vash01]

The reason for the change is mostly simple (I guess): A classical (Russian) topic for an Olympic season. Slutskaya chose "Tosca" back in 2002, Lipnitskaya chose to be "the girl in the red coat" and we all know what this turned out to be ( "A SENSATION!")...so it's just natural for a Russian OGM contender to choose a known character to portray.
Let's wish Medvedeva the best of luck with that!

Is this final? So far she has skated in two competitions - one more like an exhibition- and skated two different FS. I like your argument though, skating/portraying a well known Russian and tragic character for the Olympic season.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Is this final?

According to the Russian press, yes. Unless she changes it later.

 

[dinakt]

The reason for the change is mostly simple (I guess): A classical (Russian) topic for an Olympic season. Slutskaya chose "Tosca" back in 2002, Lipnitskaya chose to be "the girl in the red coat" and we all know what this turned out to be ( "A SENSATION!")...so it's just natural for a Russian OGM contender to choose a known character to portray.
Let's wish Medvedeva the best of luck with that!

I read somewhere that it has to do with the element distribution. "Karenina" has the last year's layout, and the Averbukh new LP had jumps set up differently.

 

[Yehudi]

The connection to Gorshkov was hinted as early as July, when Lena was rumoured to be helping to coach Lozko-Pitkeev, who were then in Gorshkov's group.

On the other hand, Sounds like Gorshkov is hesitant to have her in his group at all. He says he will work with them until Nationals then he (not they) will decide whether to continue.

https://rsport.ria.ru/figure_skating/20171007/1126833916.html

 

[Ka3sha]

Hopefully, Polina Tsurskaya and Anna Pogorilaya will start their season at the Russian Cup event in Yoshkar-Ola this week

 

[adelia]

On the other hand, Sounds like Gorshkov is hesitant to have her in his group at all. He says he will work with them until Nationals then he (not they) will decide whether to continue.

https://rsport.ria.ru/figure_skating/20171007/1126833916.html

At this point, probably every coach would be hesitant to have Elena in their group.
She worked with him in the summer (in what capacity and for how long I don't know), decided to officially stay with Kustarova and then now wants to work with him officially.