From Russia with Love [#33]: Summer 2019

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Ka3sha

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Ekaterina Bobrova officially retired today 😥

From the sailor dance to stunning Anna Karenina, what a journey this was!
Long live da Bob! :glamor:
Have never been a fan of this team, but as the time went, I started to appreciate their skating more and more.
And their Free Dance at 2017/18 Russian Nationals to me was a quintessence of their skating - emotional, over-dramatic at times, with some crazy librettos , but a high-quality skating nonetheless, skating with soul and simply just them.

Congratulations to her on a wonderful career (7 Russian Nats titles, 6 Euros medals, World bronze, Olympic Gold and Silver medals) and all the best to her in the future :)


Also, I have never heard or read a single bad word about Bobrova - not from other skaters, not from their ex-coaches or any other skating related person. She has never trashed or throw shadows at anyone in the interviews or while doing commentary on Russian tv channel. And these facts alone deserves some respect :kickass:
 

TAHbKA

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No more 'Katia is seducing Dima, Dima is fighting hard and Katia wins...', no more blue eye shadow....

Their crazy programme and the way they skated it was a masterpiece. Am not sure I'll miss much more of Bobrova.
 

Mad for Skating

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Ekaterina Bobrova officially retired today 😥

From the sailor dance to stunning Anna Karenina, what a journey this was!
Long live da Bob! :glamor:

I’ll miss her so much! She was honestly a light in the skating world, such a sweet and talented person. Wishing her all the best!
 

hanca

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I wonder why Polishchuk doesn’t try with Vlasenko. The last time I heard he was in the USA trying out with someone, but considering that he hasn’t competed the whole season, it probably hasn’t been going that great. I know Polishchuk is only a junior whereas Vlasenko is not junior eligible any more, but at least Polishchuk was among the top juniors when skating with Vakhnov, so that suggest that she has some potential, even if she is not completely senior ready. Unlike the girl with whom Vlasenko skated before going to the USA, that girl was completely unknown, without much competitive history and not very good.
 

Dobre

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I wonder why Polishchuk doesn’t try with Vlasenko. The last time I heard he was in the USA trying out with someone, but considering that he hasn’t competed the whole season, it probably hasn’t been going that great.

Erdman & Vlasenko competed at U.S. Nationals last year and finished 8th.

He is now signed up for the Cactus Open with Adrienne Carhart.

It wouldn't surprise me if he did/does try out with Polishchuk though. (It looked like she had a wrapped knee at Mentor Torun Cup last season. Hopefully that has mended and she can start fresh this season).
 
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hanca

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Erdman & Vlasenko competed at U.S. Nationals last year and finished 8th.

He is now signed up for the Cactus Open with Adrienne Carhart.

It wouldn't surprise me if he did/does try out with Polishchuk though. (It looked like she had a wrapped knee at Mentor Torun Cup last season. Hopefully that has mended and she can start fresh this season).
I didn’t know he competed at US nationals last season. Saying that, finishing eight, he may as well stay in Russia. With Solovieva he finished seventh in December 2017. And Solovieva was quite useless, her best score prior to her skating with Vlasenko was 132. Polishchuk would be much better partner.

Let’s see how he will do with Carhart.
 

Dobre

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Well, seeing as Zahorski & Guerreiro were 7th at Russian Nationals this season, it's highly unlikely any new team would have finished higher than 8th there this past season either. With both Shpilevaya & Smirnov and Skoptcova & Aleshin moving up, Russian Nationals was deeper this past season than the year before. (And this year, there will be Shevchenko & Eremenko also). Erdman & Vlasenko only skated at Nationals rather than a full season. They could probably have done better this year had they competed a full season and considering that Manta & Johnson aren't competing. But E&V have split so that's irrelevant. Probably whoever he skates with in either country, he & said partner will need to stick together long enough to develop into a team.
 

hanca

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Well, seeing as Zahorski & Guerreiro were 7th at Russian Nationals this season, it's highly unlikely any new team would have finished higher than 8th there this past season either. With both Shpilevaya & Smirnov and Skoptcova & Aleshin moving up, Russian Nationals was deeper this past season than the year before. (And this year, there will be Shevchenko & Eremenko also). Erdman & Vlasenko only skated at Nationals rather than a full season. They could probably have done better this year had they competed a full season and considering that Manta & Johnson aren't competing. But E&V have split so that's irrelevant. Probably whoever he skates with in either country, he & said partner will need to stick together long enough to develop into a team.
I don’t think Zahorski/Gurreiro being seventh is an accurate measurement of the competition at the Russian nationals. Z/G had an exceptionally bad day and if Vlasenko didn’t split up with Solovieva, they would probably beat Z/G too at that competition. I still think that the level of ice in Russia and USA is quite comparable, and if Vlasenko wanted to move to have better chance of getting to international competitions, I am not sure if he has better chance there. Russia has some decent junior teams coming to seniors within the next few years, but so does USA.
 

Katesk8sgr8s

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As tribute:

Anna Karenina

Their best work IMO. As time goes on, I appreciate this program more and more. So beautiful.

Definitely. Bobrova and Solovyev were really something. I also liked their program "Where I want to be". Dmitry's interview about skating with Ilinykh reminded me, the man can really be capable of being on fire but unless the chemistry is there with the right woman it will look off.
 

Dobre

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I don’t think Zahorski/Gurreiro being seventh is an accurate measurement of the competition at the Russian nationals. Z/G had an exceptionally bad day and if Vlasenko didn’t split up with Solovieva, they would probably beat Z/G too at that competition. I still think that the level of ice in Russia and USA is quite comparable, and if Vlasenko wanted to move to have better chance of getting to international competitions, I am not sure if he has better chance there. Russia has some decent junior teams coming to seniors within the next few years, but so does USA.

Yes, they are both deep. Vlasenko did split with Solovieva. My point was that a new team would have been very unlikely to make the top 7 at Russian Senior Nationals, and I'll stick with that. At Mentor Torun Cup, Polishchuk & Shamraev finished behind the 10th place junior team from Russian Nationals. Starting over is not easy.
 

hanca

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Yes, they are both deep. Vlasenko did split with Solovieva. My point was that a new team would have been very unlikely to make the top 7 at Russian Senior Nationals, and I'll stick with that. At Mentor Torun Cup, Polishchuk & Shamraev finished behind the 10th place junior team from Russian Nationals. Starting over is not easy.
Is Polishchuk’s result with Shamraev really that great indicator of anything? The same way I can name a number of couples who had comparable result with a new partner in their first season together as with their previous partner. Let’s see... Konkina with Revia (after 3 years of skating with him) scored at JGP 129, and yet the following season with a new partner (Yakushev) she scored at all competitions except of the first one over 133. The season after that with Yakushev she scored 139 and 143 at their two JGP, but the season after that with Vakhnov at JGP 147. So one example of Polishchuk, who got the worst partner she could have got (wasn’t he ice dance beginner?), is not really that great indicator. Similarly, Diana Davis scored with one partner at the junior nationals 125 and the following season with another partner 154. I am not claiming that beginnings are easy, it took time for Popova/Mozgov to start improving, but in case of Vlasenko, I don’t think that any partner after Solovieva would be as bad. And after the past season, considering all those split ups, he would have quite a good choice of decent juniors - Khubardieva, Ivanenko, Konkina, Kuts, Polishchuk...
 

hanca

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Konkina/Drozd are still a thing, or? :huh:
They are. What I meant was that Vlasenko missed his chance after she split up with Yakushev and then again with Vakhnov. She had two partnership break ups and Vlasenko didn’t grab the opportunity.
 

Dobre

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Is Polishchuk’s result with Shamraev really that great indicator of anything?

Only an indicator that it is easy to make big mistakes in your FD during your first season out. And that there is nothing tragic about finishing 7th or 8th at U.S. or Russian Nationals during one's first season if you even get there that first season. It takes time to build a team. I think we're saying the same thing so moving on.
 

Ka3sha

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They are. What I meant was that Vlasenko missed his chance after she split up with Yakushev and then again with Vakhnov. She had two partnership break ups and Vlasenko didn’t grab the opportunity.
Maybe he didn’t want that opportunity? Or didn’t see it as opportunity?

He moved to Florida with Marina - maybe he is more interested in coaching in the future? Or simply wants to stay in America
 

hanca

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Maybe he didn’t want that opportunity? Or didn’t see it as opportunity?

He moved to Florida with Marina - maybe he is more interested in coaching in the future? Or simply wants to stay in America
It is a bit sad watching a skater who scored one season with Popova 143-157, then the next season with Solovieva 123-155 and then has another partner and scores with Erdman 124. I think he could do so well if he found a decent partner. Such a waste. If he has to have a partner who is not great, than at least the partner should be from a country without any ice dance competition, so that at least he can get to Europeans or 4CC and worlds. Yanovskaya skating with Lukacs doesn’t feel so bad, even though she had so much potential which may never fully fulfil with Lukacs, at least they can go to Europeans and worlds. But what does Vlasenko getting out of it, swapping one bad partner for another one? Does he need a partner who will pay for his skating?
 
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