From Russia with Love [#34]: Autumn 2019

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mjb52

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Caught up on P/K's free! Is this the voidiest season ever or what? I really like them. I don't think I ever saw their programs last year. The wait for the scores in the K & C was so long, the Spanish commentators were like... "awkward." I assume things were being reviewed? The different demeanors in the K & C were sort of fascinating to observe. She seems super intense, he was very chill and joking with the younger coach the whole time.
 

umronnie

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Kostornaia is the most complete skater today but I am not sure she can beat a 2-4 quad clean performance even if she lands both of her triple axels. Luckily (or by design) she is not competing against Anna or Sasha. I am not sure she can beat Kihira if Kihira has a quad, in addition to her beautiful triple axels. I really want Alena to win herGPs and make it to the GPF.
Actually, Kostornia's FS score from Finlandia, with one UR 3A, was not so far off (157.59) from Shcherbakova's score at SA with 2 quads (160.16) and Trusova's score at JO with 4 quads (160.53). The added bonus of a 3A is that you can ue it in the short program, unlike a quad. So with 3 3As she should be on par with the other A's.
 

barbarafan

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Also, she is the Ambassador/Mascot/Cheerleader or whatever that they are calling it these days for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Russia. If she initiates a move away now, that result in a huge backlash against her, and for her to move to another country and compete she should start the move now for the 2-year wait to be fulfilled.
She would never be released by Russia so could never skate internationally.
 

TAHbKA

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A long-ish video interview with Goncharenko in sport-express.ru
  • A praising to Scherbakova and her team for the skate at SA.
  • Were the Russian ladies held up in the PS in SA. Goncharenko thinks it was right - Scherbakova debuted in the senior level, the judges know who she is, the competition is in the USA, the local skater aims for the GPF, so of course the Russians will be punished for every fault. Goncharenko tells her athletes when performing in the foreign countries that the score will always be low elsewhere and you have to be better and fight.
  • Praising Tennell's skate, her elements, her levels. Tennell fights, she skates well. The Japanese skaters improved a lot. The Russians have the ultra C elements - with Tuktamysheva's 3A and Scherbakova's 4z.
  • Edge call on Tuktamysheva's 3lz in Finlandia trophy - a different team of judges, that's hwat they decided, if that's the case - work harder. Liza knows where the judges would take her down - the levels of the spins and the copmonents and that's what she would be working on. Goncharentko loved the original SP programme and she is thrilled they brought the old music back. She wants Liza to bring all the moves back as well to the programme.
  • Goncharenko doesn't like the change of the content to an easier one - when you do that in order to make the easier component look great it's usually where the mistake will pop.
  • Liza has a great 3lz, Goncharenko thinks she can learn a 4lz.
  • The jet lag - in the ideal world she'd come to the USA 2 weeks before the competition, but that doesn't happen. The best is to come right before the competition. The flight to the USA is at least 2 connections, the time difference, the long flights with the changes - it's really hard.
  • Liza's 2nd mark was extremely low - she is a world champion after all, yes ,there is a lot to work on, but...
The entrance to the 3A - what Kostornaya does is what she is used to - Zhgun's group usually enters the jumps from the steps. Liza enters from the edge, which is also a complicated entrance, Goncharenko thinks Liza has the best 3A of the ladies.
  • Talks about the mental changes the athletes go through and the skating changes - becomes more feminine. Some are naturally feminine like Kostornaya, but she is an exception and not a rule.
  • Konstantinova - it's mental and something is wrong with the training - the programmes do not seem polished, she seems to be thinking of every element and there is no programme. A gorgeous skater, but she lacks something. In SA she was sad to watch which is a shame. When you feel not ready its' better to stay home than compete and fall from the double jumps. If you are an experienced skater and you are going to fall - why do something less than the actual jump and with hands up... Konstantinova is an experienced skater and the coach can not jump on the ice and do things for you. You have to think when skating. She has to work. A talented skater, but needs to work.
  • Samodurova - Goncharenko saw her in the test skates and it was bad - she was clearly overweight =while Samodurova spins well in the air her jumps are not high. In Minsk she seems to have improved and Goncharenko hopes she'll keep improving.
  • As a coach she was quite strict with her athletes weight, but she did have a case when she was catching the athlete going to a shop and buying lots of sneakers. The stories of gaining 2kg after drinking a cup of water in the morning is a joke. The athletes allow themselves something extra and it's bad.
  • Aliev- he looked bad at the test skates and kudos for waking up. Kudos to the team who helped him to focus - he is a great athlete with amazing jumps and expresses music so well, puts his soul there. But the ability to land his jumps - kudos for getting it all together.
  • The Russian guys do not tend to do runthroughs and it's hard to convince them to skate differently. She only worked with the adult skaters who had a hard time to change their way. She doesnt know how the work with Aliev goes, but she thinks he is probably lacking the runthroughs - he is thinking too much while skating and there is no autopilot in his skating.
  • During the practices in the competitions the practices are short and you can't work on everything. No one does runthroughs during the competitions, while our athletes actually do that. It's not about Aliev in particular, but our guys do that. It's tough but it's something to be done if they want to win. She have seen Chen training and he does many more attempts to jump than our guys.
  • Many athletes in Russia decline working with the shrinks. Mainly the coach does everything. Perhaps it's a good thing, perhaps it's a bad. When you work with an athlete from a very young age its' allright - you know them well, but when an adult athlete comes to your group it takes a while.
  • Brown and his lack of quads - take a look at the borders. There are american/japanese companies that pay for the ads. So yes, the American skaters will get higher marks. In case of Brown - his spins are amazing, probably the best - perhaps Chen is somewhere near, none of the Russians are close, his programmes are wonderful, his gliding, his interpretation. His triple jumps are great -they are high, they are amplitude. He is not overmarked, he deserves his points.
  • Popped jumps - just don't pop. In Goncharenko's book you'd better fall while fighting for the jump than pop it.
  • the GP in Canada- Kihira, Trusova, Medvedeva. Goncharenko expects an interesting competition. The athletes have a rule not to overpraise before the competition. Let them train and compete. Goncharenko saw the videos of the quad jumps by Kihira, but it doesn't matter till she does it in a competition - landing a quad in a practice and integrating it into a programme are different things.
  • Trusova - wants and can do things, she doesn't see her limit. Trusova improved her gliding and expression on the ice and it seems important for Trusova to work on it. Except for landing his jumps the athlete has to make sure the spins are completed, the positions are held till the end. Trusova is well disciplined and she does not leave points on the table. Trusova can probably land all the quads, but she doesn't need it right now.
  • The puberty is different for everyone, for now, for example, Scherbakova seems tiny. All you work on now will make your life easier after the puberty - the body and the muscles memory will remain.
  • Kihira - last year Goncharenko was swept by her choice of music, programme, dress- the debut in the senior level was great. This year she is not impressed with the programmes. Yes, it's all ok. Nothing more. Perhaps Kihira will polish her programmes, will add some choreography and interpretation, but for now - nothing special.
  • The Japanese skaters are very hard working. Still she prefers Kostornaya.
  • Medvedeva - when she made the choice to move she knew it would be blow, but probably not that hard. But still, take into an account - her skating is better - she used to be a little girl, her gliding is much better and it's important. It's all combined- when you change your gliding it influences the jumps. She is having a tough time, but she is talented, experienced and she is such a fighter. But in order to fight in your programme you need a base. Even for the competition in China where she was better than in the test skates - she improved. The LP didn't work, but she works and she works hard. The audience and the judges love her, Goncharenko thinks she'll show something new
  • She improves her gliding etc not because she was undermarked before, but because she was a little girl who weighted nothing she could afford jumping more. A different coach gave her a different skating approach. Orser develops her into a feminine skater. It's not better or worse, it's different. She gained some and lost some. For now what she gained is losing in consistency - she is failing jumps she used not to. What causes it? We can only guess. Perhaps she is working slightly less- after all she grew up and she can't work for so many hours anymore.
  • Medvedeva's video of a 4S with a garnet. It's a joke. Goncharenko could do it, you just need to find something strong enough to lift her.
  • Medvedeva's technical base is about 8th in Russia. But forget about the jumps - she used to be one of the best in the spins - she had the most interesting positions. Now they are less fast and less interesting. It's part of the base. Perhaps there are back problems. She is slower. But Medvedeva is a fighter and we have to believe she'll show the skate of her life.
  • Medvedeva's jumps - she used to be very consistent with a /3t combos, the /3t combo well executed costs much more than badly performed combo with a /3loop. But the coaches know better. Still, if you integrate those elements into the programme - consider whether it's a good idea taking what the rest of the programme looks like
  • The 3lz edge for Medvedeva - is possible to change and learn, but perhaps they don't have time because of all the obligations and the shows. It's very hard though. She might be taking off right in the practices and then during the competition the stress causes her to get back to the old technique.
  • The GPF changes for Medvedeva - there is always a chance. The GP is a commercial competition - it's a competition + show. Medvedeva is well loved and both the specialists and the audience will want to see her in the GPF.
  • Goncharenko did hear the `screw the GP, I'll just get ready for the nationals instead' but it's a wrong approach - the GP events are an aim for the Worlds and the Olympics. All the athletes are trying to compete in the GP if they can. The B competitions or the inner competitions in Russia are great, but the competition is not necessarily as high, the field is not so interesting a lot of times. There is also low/none price fond, so there is also that.
  • About Zagitova- kudos to Tutberidze who built the right programme and she does not let her athletes to get away. Zagitova looks more professional than anyone else - she has a great experience. It's harder for her, because she has to keep the level all the time. It's the weight, the time - you might want to do other things, it's giving up things, the shows you have to attend. You must be very professional with your time and with your mind/emotions. Zagitova does a great job. The elements she does are on the highest level, she has great programmes with great characters, she'll receive high levels and high marks, best of luck and lots of health to her.
  • Goncharenko doesn't see a point for Zagitova to learn any ultraC elements right now. She has an energy she projects and it's enough. She is a full package, she does the show, her programmes are a whole thing. She already proved everythign, she is an Olympic champion and she just has to go out there and do her show. It's a sport, she just needs to stay there. The girls with the quads have something to prove, Zagitova already proved everything.
  • What motivates Zagitova - the athletes live figure skating. She might be trying some quads. Perhaps she does. If there are no videos of her attempts - and there were, we don't know
  • There is a point of view the athlete works hard to be the one to break the wind to the younger athletes. But it's not only that the experienced athlete who motivates the young ones but the other way around as well. When you are all alone in your group you are falsely calm. When there is a competition in the group - you have to follow. The competition motivates. It happened in the past the leader withdrew and the competition fell apart - the athletes fail the elements they normally would land because there is no lead. Samodurova made it last year - she won the Euros where the others failed.
  • Working in China - Goncharenko had several offers to work in China with the local athletes. They need her experience. It's a tough choice - they want a long time contract, but for her it's tough. It's nice to learn her knowledge and experience as a coach are required, but for right now - she started working again in the skating academy, she is open for suggestions - she gives lessons now. For now in the figure skating academy. She is now willing to give names of the athletes she worked with - it's little girls who are learning the triple jumps. For now she is not moving to China.
  • There were a lot of talks after she stopped working with Voronov/Kovtun etc. It was a tough decision, but the moment came when the family took over and she had to take time off and deal with the family - her daughter was graduating the school, she set very high goals and Goncharenko had to help her daughter. They made it, the daughter graduated and got accepted to the faculty she wanted - she does Asia and Africa studies in Moscow state uni, learns Chinese.
  • With Kovtun - it was his idea to retire, then he unretired, then retired again.. Pluschenko offered working in his school, the problem was that it's very far from Goncharenko's home and the rink is not a full size. The conditions were tough, Kovtun made a decision, Goncharenko was not working at the time with anyone else and she had to focus and decide what is next. She was resting from the figure skating, but those who wanted to keep in touch with her - kept - she was not hiding, but those who wanted to talk to her did. She didn't give the interviews about her previous athletes who were still competing. The Fed did not keep in touch with her, which she found weird - she is a coach after all.
  • A female coach - it's tough. Goncharenko didn't have the energy for the family after the coaching day. Some are willing to let figure skating become their lives. Goncharenko has her dear family who always come first. She has a son, a daughter and a husband. They all support her, but sometimes she feels that she needs to step down and get back to the family. Her house was always full of foreigners- the nannies, the private teachers etc. Combining is hard. Eteri Tutberidze must be living figure skating - she has a great team though, so perhaps its' different, but she has so many athletes. Eteri lives figure skating. Goncahrenko was not willing to.
  • The athletes leaving the groups - in the past they were given the pupils and were not given a choice who to work with. If there were less athletes than a certain amount the salary would go down. The ice time was very limited. They worked almost for free - the parents had to pay for the extra ice time, so the coaches didn't dare to ask for an additional pay for the lessons. So they were working, some results came, it became interesting and then you are sucked in and at some point you don't care whether the athlete pays you - you are a fan and you want to see the results. Now things are different - it's more commercial, there are academies, schools etc - there is an official fee for an hour of the coach, of the ice, of the off ice and it's more regulate. The ice is very expensive and not every parent can afford it. So say, you have a payed group, the kid learned something, and now he will be gladly accepted to a free group. On the other hand if the kid learned nothing why would the parents keep paying. So it's a catch22. So yes, when you worked with an athlete for almost no fee and then the athlete becomes top level and you finally get some money and then wham! they leave it hurts. It really hurts. Goncharenko thinks it should be regulated, then there will be no hard feelings.
 

oleada

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Cute interview with Anna:

She says Mao is her favorite skater, because she can combine big jumps with emotional skating. 🥰
 
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Tinami Amori

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We will see :)

Speaking of Valieva, I have read some rumors that she is quite seriously injured on Russian boards not so long ago.
There were rumors, intentionally spread, that she is in a cast, as of late september. that was quickly debunked, given that she posted some innocent fotos of playing with her dog inside the rink's gym (not being aware of the rumors and posting it in dog Leva's insta account, and not her own) and few fotos of going to a theatrical show with Rozanov.


Tutberidze feeding Kamila's dog (few days before going to SA)

Few hours ago she walked her dog.... :D

she posted this 7 hours ago

doesnt look injured to me
Sorry, i posted my post before i came to yours. There is a bunch of people who are green with envy and resentment at success of Tutberidze's girls.

They are coming up with anything they can just to throw "some kind of negativity" towards anyone in her group. Inventing rumors, stories, highlighting as a "major negative" any element or detail they can find.

Somebody tried to start a story "Shcherbakov is inside a Casino, she is a minor, needs to be arrested and her coaches charged"..... (just like with Zagitova riding in a car without a seat belt which got reported to the police and spread on the news...).

Death threats against Tutberidze did not work, now they are going after the girls..

etc........ Envy is one of 7 deadly sins..... ;)
 
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rfisher

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Anna is just adorable. Her smile lights up her whole face. All three of the young skaters are so different. Trusova is fierce, focused and intent, Kostornaia is sophisticated beyond her years and Shcherbakova is just a little fairy full of joy.

I'm amused by how many of the Sambo-70 kids bring their pets with them to the rink. Or at least their dogs.
 

Tinami Amori

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I'm amused by how many of the Sambo-70 kids bring their pets with them to the rink. Or at least their dogs.
Most kids who have dogs bring them to the rink, and (while not 100% sure) there seems to be now a "pet room" where they can stay in carriers and play.

It's some kind of unofficial "comfort animal programme", which the coaches did intuitively without any guidance from anyone..

Eteri brings her dog too.

Gleikh has cats, and they don't want to come the rink (he brought one, and it did not work).
Kostornaya was given recently a baby rabbit, but he is at home.

The trainers believe that letting skaters bring their pets helps them relax and make the environment more pleasant. Plus, when pets are with them, they worry less about "taking them for walks" and what they do back at home alone.

Kunitza now has a dog too.... and skates around with her a bit.

And so does Usacheva, she got a dog just like Kamilla.
Cindy Usacheva.. https://www.instagram.com/sindi_usacheva/

:) (Eteri is a dog-nut... she pets and feeds every dog she sees... People say she has pockets in her jackets full of pet-snacks, and they fall on the ice when she takes the gloves out.)
 
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Tinami Amori

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Veronika Zhilina is said to starting to land her 4S's. here is a video of one attempt.

Her sister, Alena Zhilina won silver at Vologda Cup.

Few of her skates from the past season.

Short recap of the Vologda Cup, with young ladies' interviews. One says her idol is Trusova. The other says "I want to skate in pants. Skirts are uncomfortable"... :D
 

seruleane

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Thank you, TAHbKA for translating! I've always liked Inna Goncharenko as a coach. She seems fair and reasonable. I was very sorry to see Elena Radionova leave her. When I first saw Lena as a junior during Sochi, I was hoping she would be in contention for the Pyeongchang Olympics. A lot changes in 4 years. I'm sorry to hear that it sounds Goncharenko was not appreciated and did not have much status with the Russian Fed. I wonder if this is why Lena left for Buyanova.
 

alchemy void

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Most kids who have dogs bring them to the rink, and (while not 100% sure) there seems to be now a "pet room" where they can stay in carriers and play.

It's some kind of unofficial "comfort animal programme", which the coaches did intuitively without any guidance from anyone..

So? People are saying Rukavicin‘s rink has a full-service petting zoo for his skaters.
 

Tinami Amori

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So? People are saying Rukavicin‘s rink has a full-service petting zoo for his skaters.
Don't get defensive just because Tutberidze is doing, yet again, something good for her kids.

It's wonderful if Rukavicin has a petting zoo....... Just post some fotos so we can all enjoy kids and animals...

I've always liked Inna Goncharenko as a coach. She seems fair and reasonable. I was very sorry to see Elena Radionova leave her.
;) I was very sorry to see Tarasova giving Radionova a "set of conditions she could not refuse" to leave Goncharenko..... ;)

--
Zagitova, Volosozhar/Transkov, James/Cipres, Fernandez, Paganini will be performing in "Art on Ice" show in Switzerland fr Feb 06-16, 2020. Three cities. Tickets on sale.

 

Marco

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A long-ish video interview with Goncharenko in sport-express.ru
  • Were the Russian ladies held up in the PS in SA. Goncharenko thinks it was right - Scherbakova debuted in the senior level, the judges know who she is, the competition is in the USA, the local skater aims for the GPF, so of course the Russians will be punished for every fault. Goncharenko tells her athletes when performing in the foreign countries that the score will always be low elsewhere and you have to be better and fight.
  • Praising Tennell's skate, her elements, her levels. Tennell fights, she skates well.
  • Liza's 2nd mark was extremely low - she is a world champion after all, yes ,there is a lot to work on, but...
  • Brown and his lack of quads - take a look at the borders. There are american/japanese companies that pay for the ads. So yes, the American skaters will get higher marks. In case of Brown - his spins are amazing, probably the best - perhaps Chen is somewhere near, none of the Russians are close, his programmes are wonderful, his gliding, his interpretation. His triple jumps are great -they are high, they are amplitude. He is not overmarked, he deserves his points.
  • The GPF changes for Medvedeva - there is always a chance. The GP is a commercial competition - it's a competition + show. Medvedeva is well loved and both the specialists and the audience will want to see her in the GPF.

Weird. So many insinuations about prejudiced scoring yet also acknowledging that they skated great and deserved the scores.
 

TAHbKA

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Weird. So many insinuations about prejudiced scoring yet also acknowledging that they skated great and deserved the scores.
Am not sure whether it would make more sense if I translated the questions as well, but basically she was talking about Scherbakova when asked about Scherbakova and about Tennell when asked about Tennell. Sorry if it's confusing (I also skipped some of the questions as they didn't seem interesting and all and all it's not direct translation but just a sum up of what she said in that 1.5 hours interview).
 

Japanfan

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I'd argue there is no superior talent. Any of the top 5 might win on any given day. And there may be a whole new group competiting for the Olympics spots. Odds are good one or more of those spots could go to a15 year old.

I think there is certainly is superior talent. Within elite FS (and in other contexts), Superior means 'to stand above the rest of a group in skill'. The meaning of 'group' varies, so a skater who just makes it to Nationals may be concerned 'superior' in relationship too all that skaters that didn't make it. And 'superiority'is a common theme in figure skater, although the word 'dominant' tends be used more than 'superior'. Many people would not mind if Nathan was labelled 'superior'. G&G, V&M, and a number of skaters could have been or could be deserving of the adjective.
.
 
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rfisher

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I think there is certainly is superior talent. Within elite FS (and in other contexts), Superior means 'to stand above the rest of a group in skill'. The meaning of 'group' varies, so a skater who just makes it to Nationals may be concerned 'superior' in relationship too all that skaters that didn't make it. And 'superiority'is a common theme in figure skater, although the word 'dominant' tends be used more than 'superior'. Many people would not mind if Nathan was labelled 'superior'. G&G, V&M, and a number of skaters could have been or could be deserving of the adjective.
.
The specific reference was to the top 6 Russian women, not all skaters in general.
 

Mad for Skating

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I cannot imagine how the Russians decide who goes to the Worlds. Zagitova is a safe bet, but the remaining two spots....

I like Zagitova, but I'm not quite sure if she's even a sure bet. Kostornaia, Shcherbakova, and Trusova all have higher base values. Alina is looking great so far this season, but if the other girls pass her, I'm afraid she could have a big fight on her hands. I wish them all luck.


She could have some kind of injury you can't see. Alexander Enbert has serious "health problems" and withdrew from the Grand Prix events but was totally chilling at Skate America in the stands this weekend.

Cute interview with Anna:

She says Mao is her favorite skater, because she can combine big jumps with emotional skating. 🥰

A Mao fan! She's got taste!
 

Tinami Amori

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(Valieva) She could have some kind of injury you can't see. Alexander Enbert has serious "health problems" and withdrew from the Grand Prix events but was totally chilling at Skate America in the stands this weekend.
Enbert a) announced his injury, b) could not practice at all. Valieva is in the gym, spinning a cycle and a power machine.. :D. It's hard to hide and to work out.. :lol:

Since you're so interested in skaters' injuries. I am very curious to know the details, why Ting Cui is unjured twice in 6 months and can't perform now in either of the two GP events, and what was Tennell's injury this summer that prevented her from practicing until middle of September?
 

Tinami Amori

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Alexandra Trusova's short video clip from an interview (talking about the Award Ceremony she had to attend in Europe, when she was voted the Best Young Athlete of Europe).


"I came there, that was new. I did not have to skate... I had to speak... I rather skate".

:D https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/iwqELxbYtoSZfuh6a1z0N5wnMr2hJ1HGYDTVU0OdyeQ/?itemid=15301331/https/media1.tenor.com/images/47abc4941fd0c6b7fb66f838947592c8/tenor.gif
 

Tinami Amori

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Sofia Samodelkina @ CSKA Club is now landing solidly 3A in sequence with 3S.
Born: Feb. 2007. She'll be 13 years old in Feb. 2020.
Coach: Alexandre Kravtzov (with Sergei Davydov).

Video

Sports news
 

Ka3sha

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Channel 1 interview with Evgenia Medvedeva (mostly about her usual training day in Canada)
 

Perky Shae Lynn

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Sofia Samodelkina @ CSKA Club is now landing solidly 3A in sequence with 3S.
Born: Feb. 2007. She'll be 13 years old in Feb. 2020.
Coach: Alexandre Kravtzov (with Sergei Davydov).

Video

Sports news
Any 6 year olds landing quads?
 
J

Jeschke

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Any updates about Savosin‘s WD from his 2nd GP?
Is he injured? Who pulled him off?

i like him so much, but well, Skate America was a tough cookie.

Speaking of former successful juniors: Erokhov?! Where is he?
 
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