From Russia with Love [#31]: Winter to Spring 2019

Sylvia

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
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Starting a new thread by re-posting links to Russian Nationals results (English version): https://www.fsrussia.ru/results/1819/rusnat1819_ENG/index.htm

Medalists:

Anna SHCHERBAKOVA MOS 229.78 5 1
Alexandra TRUSOVA MOS 229.71 2 2
Alena KOSTORNAIA MOS 226.54 3 3

Maxim KOVTUN MOS 281.59 1 1
Mikhail KOLYADA SPB 268.40 2 3
Alexander SAMARIN MOS 265.49 4 2

Evgenia TARASOVA / Vladimir MOROZOV M/T 236.80 1 1
Natalia ZABIIAKO / Alexander ENBERT KRA 230.49 2 2
Aleksandra BOIKOVA / Dmitrii KOZLOVSKII SPB 220.40 3 3

Victoria SINITSINA / Nikita KATSALAPOV MOS 212.32 1 1
Alexandra STEPANOVA / Ivan BUKIN MOS 208.49 2 2
Sofia EVDOKIMOVA / Egor BAZIN SAM 179.21 4 3

... and the teams selected for 2019 Europeans/Winter Universiade: https://fsrussia.ru/news/4163-sostav-rossijskikh-figuristov-na-chempionat-evropy-i-universiadu.html

Team Russia for Europeans (January 21-27 in Minsk BLR):

Ladies: Stanislava Konstantinova, Alina Zagitova, Sofia Samodurova
(subs: E. Tuktamysheva, E. Medvedeva)

Men: Maxim Kovtun, Mikhail Kolyada, Alexander Samarin
(subs: A. Lazukin, D. Aliev, S. Voronov)

Pairs: Tarasova/Morozov, Zabiiako/Enbert, Boikova/Kozlovskii
(subs: Pavliuchenko/Khodykin, Mishina/Galliamov)

Dance: Sinitsina/Katsalapov, Stepanova/Bukin, Evdokimova/Bazin
(subs: Popova/Mozgov, Skoptcova/Aleshin, Zagorski/Guerreiro)

Team Russia for the the Winter Universiade (March 4-9, 2019, Krasnoyarsk RUS):

Ladies: Stanislava Konstantinova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
(subs: E. Medvedeva, M. Sotskova)

Men: Maxim Kovtun, Alexander Samarin, Andrei Lazukin
(subs: D. Aliev, A. Petrov, A. Shulepov)

Pairs: Poluianova/Sopot, Koshevaia/Bushlanov, Ozerova/Bobrov
(subs: None)

Dance: Evdokimova/Bazin, Popova/Mozgov, Skoptcova/Aleshin
(subs: Shpilevaya/Smirnov)


Notable competitions coming up:

Synchronized Skating Championships in Yoshkar-Ola, January 11-13, 2019
Junior Championships in Perm, January 31-February 4
Final - Cup of Russia in Velikiy Novgorod, February 18-22

HAPPY NEW 2019!
Congratulations to Russian skaters on the New Year holiday!
Video: https://fsrussia.ru/news/4166-s-novym-godom-videorolik-s-pozdravleniyami-rossijskikh-figuristov.html
 
I don't know how to quote from the old thread, but I'm commenting on this comment about Dmitri Aliev:

Bigbird said:
What is happening to Dmitry Aliyev? He has always been unstable but this year he's been really not at his best.

Tinami Amori's post:

There is an interview with additional info, where he makes a ref. to "death of a close person".
https://www.sovsport.ru/figure/arti...poslevkusie-ot-prokata-kak-syiroy-farsh-syest
Translation of 2 paragraphs.

Impressions after skate
- My aftertaste? as if i ate raw meat.. It's a disaster. (i) failed at the National Championship. Considering the training (i) went through, it should not have happened, i should not have skated like this (so poorly). It's a difficult season, and one must learn to handle.... Sorry, it's too hard for me to speak. So many thoughts crawl in to my mind. One must learn to cope under any circumstances, be it a death of the dear one, or in happiness.

Reasons for failure
- One should not get distracted by anything, one must remain himself. I look at myself from both sides, when reviewing my performances. I see that it is not "me" who is skating. (not my true self). This is sport. Maybe i am tired. I have not had a vacation for 7 years. Or six, to be exact. Since i moved to Sankt Petersburg, i have not had a beach vacation (have not gone to the sea). But i am not hanging my hands (giving up). I never plan to give up. I am going to move forward.


My comment:
I think there are various problems involved. Dmitri appears exhausted, more mentally than physically. In several interviews he talked about not having had a real vacation in years. I think he would have needed and deserved a vacation after the stressful Olympic season that he entered as a junior in his first senior year and that saw him taking a silver medal at Europeans and going to the Olympic Games and Worlds. That was a lot for him. He is a thoughtful person, he writes poems, he takes things to his heart and I think he would have needed some time to let everything sink in and think through it. Instead, he was chased from one training camp to the next in spring and summer.
The death he refers to could be his dog that he lost recently. That was what I was immediately thinking when he talked about it in that mixed zone interview, but I didn't want to ask in front of everyone else there. He said before that his dogs are his best friends.
The other problem I see is that his jumps have deteriorated this season, they became "small". As a friend pointed out, he has grown bigger (not fat, but just he is becoming a man now) and his jumps never were that high like for example Mikhail Kolyada's. Dmitri relied on his fast rotation to get the jumps done, but this is not working so well anymore, because he is bigger and heavier.
While I'm unhappy about Dmitri missing the team I think it could give him a well needed break. However, he said that he doesn't want to take a break and if there are any other competitions for him this season, he wants to do them. At least I hope he gets a real vacation then once his season is definitely over.
 
Thank you @Eislauffan , I agree with everything you wrote. I really want to send him on vacation to the sea, it really seems like he needs a rest. His season as been quite disastrous until now, so taking a break could hardly make things any worse. (((Dima)))
 
It’s in the press: Inspired by “various discussions” about the candidates for the Ladies EC Team, fans of Medvedeva and Tuktamysheva started an IG flesh mob requesting removal of Konstantinova and Samodurova and replacing them with a more deserving Med and Tuk. Initiators of the flesh mob asking skating fans to each send a post card to the RFSF and to petition the following team configurations “Zagitova + Medvedeva + Tuktamysheva = Russia”.
(if anyone wants to question the fact that they are "fans of Med and Tuk", the answer is simple: the organizer of the petition is Lena Rodina, an official Med support blogger. link available on request. i don't want promote Rodina's site).

“Fans don’t want to see Konstantinova and Samodurova at the European Championship 2019.“
https://nevasport.ru/43416-bolelshhiki-ne-hotyat-videt-konstantinovu-i-samodurovu-na-che-2019/

Katarina Gerbolt, on the other hand, thinks that Samodurova has more potential (more perspective) than Tuktamysheva.
https://rsport.ria.ru/20181224/1548565939.html
 
2 articles published after Nationals:

Stanislava Konstantinova (interview by Ekaterina Bespalova for sport-express.ru, Dec. 25): https://fs-gossips.com/stanislava-konstantinova-i-dont-consider-myself-aged-figure-skater/

Sofia Samodurova (interview by Elvira Ondar for gazeta.ru Dec. 24): https://fs-gossips.com/sofia-samodurova-im-happy-for-myself-but-i-feel-sorry-for-liza/

2 articles published before Nationals:

Maria Sotskova (interview by Anatoli Samokhvalov for rsport.ria.ru, Dec. 19): https://fs-gossips.com/maria-sotsko...een-chasing-me-in-nightmares-for-a-long-time/

Alena Kostornaia (interview by Anatoli Samokhvalov for rsport.ria.ru, Dec. 17): https://fs-gossips.com/alena-kostornaia-i-dream-to-be-a-neurosurgeon/
 
So I wasn't impressed PCS-wise by Medvedeva in her LP at Nats, and I remember liking her LP a lot more in prior competitions. So I went back to watch her LP from Skate Canada and I found that 10x more enjoyable. There was much more of a tango feel, IMO. She really sold the whole thing, not just the final minute. Plus, her spins looked faster.

I'm not sure why her non-jumping performances has degraded so much in the past months. I guess she was just concentrating so hard on landing the jumps that everything else was ignored. I understand she's going through a tough time right now, but if she competes again this season, I hope we see something closer to the Skate Canada LP.

But really, I hope she takes the time off to heal physically and mentally. I want to see her at her best next season!
 
wickedwitch said:
So I wasn't impressed PCS-wise by Medvedeva in her LP at Nats, and I remember liking her LP a lot more in prior competitions. So I went back to watch her LP from Skate Canada and I found that 10x more enjoyable. There was much more of a tango feel, IMO. She really sold the whole thing, not just the final minute. Plus, her spins looked faster.

I'm not sure why her non-jumping performances has degraded so much in the past months. I guess she was just concentrating so hard on landing the jumps that everything else was ignored. I understand she's going through a tough time right now, but if she competes again this season, I hope we see something closer to the Skate Canada LP.

But really, I hope she takes the time off to heal physically and mentally. I want to see her at her best next season!
Click to expand...
Doesn't she have a back injury that majorly affects her spins?
 
Perky Shae Lynn said:
Doesn't she have a back injury that majorly affects her spins?
Click to expand...
I have yet to hear or read something from Medvedeva herself about her back problems. Any links or proof? i'll be glad to see it. I read a few "fan blogs" where couple of people said it as a "hidden secret" that not only she had a fracture but a bad back as well, but not Medvedeva herself, or her "team". Her fracture was quite an issue, and i see no reason why her back problems would not be mentioned.

I wonder if people are confusing Med with a very serious back problem Tsareva's student, Anna Pogorilya had and has, which made her skate in waist brace @ SC last year, fall and roll in pain, and then never be able to regain her skating abilities...
https://i.eurosport.com/2017/10/29/2196865-45894639-640-360.jpg

.. yes, that competition, when Tsareva said to her "You skate like you not alive. I will not come near you again".
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...HqgMxxfZPqKknw7OEIrrhvzMngx2D6m-P7mWE3e29EK7c
 
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I was listening to the latest TSL thing and they talked about Medvedeva a lot, in particular about her spins. Now I know that they are just gossiping and their information should be taken skeptically, but here is one thing that they said: that in Cricket Club skaters do a lot of work on spins and other aspects of skating on their own. Time with Brian is mostly spent on jumps. I don't know if that is true or not, but I definitely think Evgenia is not nearly getting the same amount of coach attention to her overall presentation and spins in particular as she did before. I am not saying that her back is not injured, it most likely is bothering her, but as pointed out above, it's not just the spins that are not improving. Her old short program also looked worse as season progressed in terms of presentation.
 
babayaga said:
I was listening to the latest TSL thing and they talked about Medvedeva a lot, in particular about her spins. Now I know that they are just gossiping and their information should be taken skeptically, but here is one thing that they said: that in Cricket Club skaters do a lot of work on spins and other aspects of skating on their own. Time with Brian is mostly spent on jumps. I don't know if that is true or not, but I definitely think Evgenia is not nearly getting the same amount of coach attention to her overall presentation and spins in particular as she did before. I am not saying that her back is not injured, it most likely is bothering her, but as pointed out above, it's not just the spins that are not improving. Her old short program also looked worse as season progressed in terms of presentation.
Click to expand...
Now, this is an interesting point. The system is different from what Medvedeva is used to. As much as I was hoping that the partnership with BO would work, I am not seeing many positives so far. I feel like Medvedeva's spark is gone. I am starting to wonder whether the change was too drastic. She needed to get out of Eteri's world, but it remains to be seen whether Orser is the right person to transition her into "adult" skating.
 
If her back injury is causing her spin quality to decline, and not just preventing her from doing some positions, then her back injury must be getting worse as the season progresses. In that case, I'd really question the wisdom of her team with regards to all the competitions she's done this fall.
 
I am a little surprised at how ready people are to judge Zhenya’s time with Brian as a a failure after a mere six months. Have you never tried to make a huge change yourself? Six months is not a lot of time.

I also think that it’s inappropriate to speculate that Zhenya’s injuries have worsened just because you don’t like her spins.
 
Perky Shae Lynn said:
Now, this is an interesting point. The system is different from what Medvedeva is used to. As much as I was hoping that the partnership with BO would work, I am not seeing many positives so far. I feel like Medvedeva's spark is gone. I am starting to wonder whether the change was too drastic. She needed to get out of Eteri's world, but it remains to be seen whether Orser is the right person to transition her into "adult" skating.
Click to expand...
I totally agree!! She needed to go to a more relaxing environment but the gigantic move to a new country new methods new technique had to be replacing any stress that was being left behind by leaving Eteri!
 
Imagine being so young and having an ex coach slamming you in the media. Your country calling you traitor. Fans making rumors, bringing your name down with social media, recover from injury and what she might consider biggest loss of her life with not getting Olympic gold. Maybe you lose some spark too. Her skate on home country improves once fans showed support. She a very brave girl. Not sure why injury to back is hard for some to believe. Doubtful she’s being neglected or lazy
 
muffinplus said:
Zabiiako/Enbert are out of Europeans... (medical reasons)
Click to expand...
https://fsrussia.ru/news/4169-natal...-ne-primut-uchastie-v-chempionate-evropy.html
Silver medalists of the Russian Championship of 2019, a sports couple Natalya Zabiyako and Alexander Enbert will not be able to take part in the European Championships, which will be held January 21-27, 2019 in Minsk for medical reasons.

In the near future, Alexander will be organized additional medical examinations, as well as a program of treatment and rehabilitation.

We wish Alexander a speedy recovery and return to the ice!
Click to expand...
 
Finsta said:
Imagine being so young and having an ex coach slamming you in the media. Your country calling you traitor. Fans making rumors, bringing your name down with social media, recover from injury and what she might consider biggest loss of her life with not getting Olympic gold. Maybe you lose some spark too. Her skate on home country improves once fans showed support. She a very brave girl. Not sure why injury to back is hard for some to believe. Doubtful she’s being neglected or lazy
Click to expand...
I am not saying Evgenia is neglected or lazy, not at all. And I am not doubting her injury. I am sure Orser is taking great care of her within his system. In his latest interview he said that at the beginning he had to pay so much attention to Zhenia during group practices, that it started to affect other skaters and they were unhappy. What I am saying is that now it is clear to me how much time Eteri was spending polishing Evgenia's programs. I am not criticizing Brian, I am praising Eteri's work ethics.
 
babayaga said:
I was listening to the latest TSL thing and they talked about Medvedeva a lot, in particular about her spins. Now I know that they are just gossiping and their information should be taken skeptically, but here is one thing that they said: that in Cricket Club skaters do a lot of work on spins and other aspects of skating on their own. Time with Brian is mostly spent on jumps. I don't know if that is true or not, but I definitely think Evgenia is not nearly getting the same amount of coach attention to her overall presentation and spins in particular as she did before. I am not saying that her back is not injured, it most likely is bothering her, but as pointed out above, it's not just the spins that are not improving. Her old short program also looked worse as season progressed in terms of presentation.
Click to expand...

They have a spin specialist at cricket who works on the spins with the skaters. If the doctors say that certain spins will make the back injury worse or will not let it heal guess what they won't be doing at cricket? Do No Harm
 
Finsta said:
Imagine being so young and having an ex coach slamming you in the media. Your country calling you traitor. Fans making rumors, bringing your name down with social media, recover from injury and what she might consider biggest loss of her life with not getting Olympic gold. Maybe you lose some spark too. Her skate on home country improves once fans showed support. She a very brave girl. Not sure why injury to back is hard for some to believe. Doubtful she’s being neglected or lazy
Click to expand...
I think she is incredibly brave. This entire expreince is exciting but oh so difficult. Ultimately, she will be a stronger, better rounded person for it. Life doesn't end with figure skating. And I think Medvedeva is very aware of that.
 
babayaga said:
I am not saying Evgenia is neglected or lazy, not at all. And I am not doubting her injury. I am sure Orser is taking great care of her within his system. In his latest interview he said that at the beginning he had to pay so much attention to Zhenia during group practices, that it started to affect other skaters and they were unhappy. What I am saying is that now it is clear to me how much time Eteri was spending polishing Evgenia's programs. I am not criticizing Brian, I am praising Eteri's work ethics.
Click to expand...

I think that the group lessons in Eteri's system appear to be the most effective and probably cost efficient way to develop talent. I almost think that figure skating in North America is a bit of a money suck with all the money skaters have to spend for personal training, dance classes and private coaching. Eteri's girls take dance classes together, practice together take lessons together and probably do off ice training together as well. They may not receive a lot of individual attention but they are probably always supervised and watched. It probably is more effective to give small instruction to fix issues as they arise as opposed to one big lesson and leave them to practice alone. People do well under the North American system but Eteri is showing that her way produces consistency and polished programs. Her skaters look the most finished and polished compared to the other Russian coaches. Others may have better jump technique but her girls have complete programs with every detail attended to. Whether you like the choreography or not, everyone is getting spin levels, footwork before jumps, transitions, etc.

I think it would be an adjustment for Evegenia to have to take more responsibility for her skating and this training in North America costs a lot more money as well.
 
soogar said:
I think that the group lessons in Eteri's system appear to be the most effective and probably cost efficient way to develop talent. I almost think that figure skating in North America is a bit of a money suck with all the money skaters have to spend for personal training, dance classes and private coaching. Eteri's girls take dance classes together, practice together take lessons together and probably do off ice training together as well. They may not receive a lot of individual attention but they are probably always supervised and watched. It probably is more effective to give small instruction to fix issues as they arise as opposed to one big lesson and leave them to practice alone. People do well under the North American system but Eteri is showing that her way produces consistency and polished programs. Her skaters look the most finished and polished compared to the other Russian coaches. Others may have better jump technique but her girls have complete programs with every detail attended to. Whether you like the choreography or not, everyone is getting spin levels, footwork before jumps, transitions, etc.

I think it would be an adjustment for Evegenia to have to take more responsibility for her skating and this training in North America costs a lot more money as well.
Click to expand...

You nailed it. I would add that the daily competition within the group prepares them for the real competitions.
 
I wonder why Medvedeva didn’t try to find another Russian or Russian style coach out of the country if she was keen on moving training? Surely there was someone like Artunian or someone that might have been a better fit.
 
zoe111 said:
I wonder why Medvedeva didn’t try to find another Russian or Russian style coach out of the country if she was keen on moving training? Surely there was someone like Artunian or someone that might have been a better fit.
Click to expand...

I am not ready to give up on Orser yet. His track record has attracted many skaters from other countries and he has been successful with them. It may be a matter of adjustment to a new country for Zhenya, which a Russian coach living abroad might not have helped. I think she needs at least one more season with Orser before deciding whether this is going to work out for her. She does need a better choreographer, one who can use her natural talent. David Wilson was a really bad choice IMO.
 
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