From Russia with Love [#34]: Autumn 2019

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I wonder if not having Zabiiako and Enbert to push them this season has anything to do with it. They seem to be phoning it in somewhat.

T/M have BoiKoz to push them. Who have a much greater chance to become Russia's #1 than Z/E ever did.

 

[skatingguy]

4A's=Alina,Alena,Sasha and Anna no?
I dont think anybody is expecting Janny to land a quad Axel

You don't say.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I literally don't know what to say about Sasha Trusova's skating. I find her beyond adorable and very plucky. But I can't watch her, I just can't. I've seen 10 year old juniors with far superior skating skills and ability to interpret music. She is so rough. Just going from jump to jump, poor extension, not holding positions, etc. At least she has some charisma. But Sasha will be done the moment she gets a little bigger. I am rooting hard to Kostornaia to be able to stick around.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Boikova and Kozlovskii are total stars. So pleased for their two Grand Prix Series wins this season, as well as earning well-deserved personal bests for the short, free, and overall at this event.

 

[kalle]

I literally don't know what to say about Sasha Trusova's skating. I find her beyond adorable and very plucky. But I can't watch her, I just can't. I've seen 10 year old juniors with far superior skating skills and ability to interpret music. She is so rough. Just going from jump to jump, poor extension, not holding positions, etc. At least she has some charisma. But Sasha will be done the moment she gets a little bigger. I am rooting hard to Kostornaia to be able to stick around.

I think Trusova will fair quite well comparing to for example Scherbakova that really gives me Lip vibes with her jump technique.. I hope I am wrong though and that Anna can still jump well in a few years heading into the next olympic season.

 

[NAOTMAA]

Boikova and Kozlovskii are total stars. So pleased for their two Grand Prix Series wins this season, as well as earning well-deserved personal bests for the short, free, and overall at this event.

I know some people are pointing to the home ice inflation but they were in my opinion under marked at Skate Canada in both the SP and FS. I think in Canada the judges were marking based on the perception that it was a T/M vs M-T/M race for gold in the SP and in the FS trying not make the mountain too high for M-T/M to climb. So the inflation at Rostelecom isn't as much as the final scores between both competitions might suggest.

I am so thrilled for them, back to back flawless performances! Inconsistency says who?

 

[oleada]

I know some people are pointing to the home ice inflation but they were in my opinion under marked at Skate Canada in both the SP and FS. I think in Canada the judges were marking based on the perception that it was a T/M vs M-T/M race for gold in the SP and in the FS trying not make the mountain too high for M-T/M to climb.

I couldn’t agree more

 

[Mad for Skating]

Boikova/Kozlovskii were exquisite! Tarasova/Morozov looked improved from Skate Canada. I’m bummed that Stolbova/Novoselov had so many errors and missed out on a medal, but it’s their Grand Prix debut and they have time to clean things up before nationals. He must’ve been so nervous!

 

[Frau Muller]

Boikova and Kozlovskii are total stars. So pleased for their two Grand Prix Series wins this season, as well as earning well-deserved personal bests for the short, free, and overall at this event.

I see them winning Euros this season. Period.

 

[whiteskates]

B/K have a good chance at Euros but how about James/Cipres? Will they be back?

 

[Mad for Skating]

B/K have a good chance at Euros but how about James/Cipres? Will they be back?

I believe they will be!

 

[oleada]

B/K have a good chance at Euros but how about James/Cipres? Will they be back?

They are supposed to be. We’ll see. I don’t have high expectations with a whole season off. Plus, IMO, B/K are stronger technically and have more charisma and presentation skills than T/M. Of course B/K will have to skate clean.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I would like to see T/M skate clean (and with some sort of passion) at the Euros - and win. They really need a confidence boost. I still believe that they are capable of great things. On the other hand, I wonder whether Vlad has checked out and the split is imminent. B/K are a total work in progress at this point. Yes, they are already amazing. But still a delicious irresistible half-baked chocolate cake. Keep in mind, Sui/Han and T/M are both 24 and 27 years old to BoiKoz's 17 and 19. That's a pretty insane 7-8 year difference. Almost two full Olympic cycles, folks.

ps. Everyone thought I was crazy when I said after seeing baby B/K the the Euros last year that they would be Russia's #1 by the end of this season.

 

[NAOTMAA]

I would like to see T/M skate clean (and with some sort of passion) at the Euros - and win. They really need a confidence boost. I still believe that they are capable of great things. On the other hand, I wonder whether Vlad has checked out and the split is imminent. B/K are a total work in progress at this point. Yes, they are already amazing. But still a delicious irresistible half-baked chocolate cake. Keep in mind, Sui/Han and T/M are both 24 and 27 years old to BoiKoz's 17 and 19. That's a pretty insane 7-8 year difference. Almost two full Olympic cycles, folks.

ps. Everyone thought I was crazy when I said after seeing baby B/K the the Euros last year that they would be Russia's #1 by the end of this season.

T/M seem to have a different problem with every performance. Its never the same so I think that makes the problem easier to fix. It doesn't look like a case of nerves like in the past but more like mental hiccups and lapses in concentration which is weird because I don't think that was ever their problem. I don't know if that's the same as "checking out" as you suggest but I guess some might see it as so. At least these performances were a major improvement over the last two which I think should give fans confidence for their next competition.

Having B/K, M/G and P/K all under 20 and doing amazing already its hard to hold down the excitement considering how rough its been for Russian pairs for a long time. But a lot of people do forget that in pairs teams usually don't really start firing on all cylinders until their mid-20s or hit their peak till their late 20s. That's why it is important to take a breath and have patience. All three (god forbid injury interferes) could potentially have another 10 years in them of competitive skating if they choose.

As for #1 at the end of the season everyone knows the Russian fed. is stubborn and, as some have stated here, late on jumping on the bandwagon of which pair to support. However I do think the marks here (they didn't have to go as high for B/K as they did) do suggest that for once they have an open mind and aren't so rigid. At this very moment they might actually think about it. But we still got the GPF, nationals, Euros and worlds so its still early.

 

[Vash01]

My read on T&M is that in addition to all the changes in their life and surroundings they are not yet comfortable with this program (LP). It is a very different style for them. It seems they have been searching for the right style but nothing has really worked. I still don’t know if this one will work. Only time will tell. Rachmaninov SP worked very well for them last year. They may not want to skate classical all the time, so TE Amo May be a good experiment. It does have some very interesting things. Due to their lack of familiarity it is possible that they make different mistakes. I am hoping that after going through the Russian nationals and Europeans (GPF is still an uncertainty) they may feel comfortable with the new program.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

My read on T&M is that in addition to all the changes in their life and surroundings they are not yet comfortable with this program (LP). It is a very different style for them. It seems they have been searching for the right style but nothing has really worked. I still don’t know if this one will work. Only time will tell. Rachmaninov SP worked very well for them last year. They may not want to skate classical all the time, so TE Amo May be a good experiment. It does have some very interesting things. Due to their lack of familiarity it is possible that they make different mistakes. I am hoping that after going through the Russian nationals and Europeans (GPF is still an uncertainty) they may feel comfortable with the new program.

All these are very fair points. But to me the biggest problem is that they seem uncomfortable with each other.

 

[Spun Silver]

They don't look uncomfortable together to me. Evgenia looks happy to me, like she got her man back. I am assuming it's the challenge of skating a much more complex program and reinventing their style, as Vladimir noted in that post-SC interview linked a week or two ago in their fan thread (I think). I haven't looked at their programs analytically enough to see what he means. If anyone else has, I would love to read some analysis. Maybe I'll give it a try but I'm sure others could do it better.

 

[aka_gerbil]

They haven't looked uncomfortable with each other to me either. They seemed very supportive of each other and affectionate after both the short yesterday and the fs today.

Whatever is going on seems to be related to skating. The confidence and command they had at test skates has just evaporated. It's like.... what happened? I still maintain they should have pulled out of SLC due to lack of training time and insane travel schedule, but it's like things have just snowballed.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

They don't look uncomfortable together to me. Evgenia looks happy to me, like she got her man back. I am assuming it's the challenge of skating a much more complex program and reinventing their style, as Vladimir noted in that post-SC interview linked a week or two ago in their fan thread (I think). I haven't looked at their programs analytically enough to see what he means. If anyone else has, I would love to read some analysis. Maybe I'll give it a try but I'm sure others could do it better.

If that's the case, I am thrilled. I didn't like the dynamic between the two them at Skate Canada at practices.

 

[Vash01]

They don't look uncomfortable together to me. Evgenia looks happy to me, like she got her man back. I am assuming it's the challenge of skating a much more complex program and reinventing their style, as Vladimir noted in that post-SC interview linked a week or two ago in their fan thread (I think). I haven't looked at their programs analytically enough to see what he means. If anyone else has, I would love to read some analysis. Maybe I'll give it a try but I'm sure others could do it better.

They don't look uncomfortable to me either. Whenever they have a good skate (like today, and at the 2019 worlds LP) Zhenya hugs or kisses him. When one of them messes up, the other puts an arm around the other after they finish. They may not be an off ice couple anymore, but they are good friends, based on one of Zhenya's interviews. In general (starting from the 2016 worlds, when I had a chance to ask for an autograph) I noticed that Zhenya is always smiling, and Vladimir is always very reserved. Their on ice personalities seem to be the same. For some other pairs (e.g. G&G) their off ice personalities are very different. To me, they both appear rather reserved on the ice, but it doesn't mean they are uncomfortable with one another.

I want to watch their performance at Rostelecom again. I was holding my breath throughout their performance today, expecting some kind of a mess up. I want to watch it in a more relaxed frame of mind to see what they did well and where they had problems. They didn't mess up other than the sbs jumps. That is quite normal for pairs skaters. I couldn't believe the size of their first throw. I thought no way she lands it, but she did. She is a tough lady.

I really believe that if they become more comfortable skating that LP, it will come across very differently. It may take more than one season.

 

[Wyliefan]

It seems Trusova got her poodle. Congratulations, @rfisher, I know you were hoping for this. https://twitter.com/absoluteskating/status/1196127475396481024?s=19

 

[muffinplus]

It seems Trusova got her poodle. Congratulations, @rfisher, I know you were hoping for this. https://twitter.com/absoluteskating/status/1196127475396481024?s=19

Cute!

EDITED to remove random comment that somehow showed up in my post?

 

[oleada]

Ahhhh, Lana the poodle is adorable!

 

[Wyliefan]

She is very cute. I hope they leave her like that and don't give her the fancy poodle-cut, which I've never cared for!

 

[rfisher]

She is very cute. I hope they leave her like that and don't give her the fancy poodle-cut, which I've never cared for!

That's a puppy trim, but I doubt they'll do a show cut when she grows up as it's way too much work to maintain. I guess her mother decided a win and a trip to the GPF was enough. It was supposed to be when she mastered the 3A. Unless she has and plans to unveil it later. The potential dresses boggle the mind.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have two Poodles, but theirs are the minis. They keep them in the puppy trim.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I don't know who's cuter, Trusova or her new puppy.

 

[hanca]

I guess her mother decided a win and a trip to the GPF was enough. It was supposed to be when she mastered the 3A. Unless she has and plans to unveil it later. The potential dresses boggle the mind.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she already had 3A, or if she has been working extremely hard on it and is very close. Trusova is very competitive and she must be aware that how the rules are now (triple axel allowed but quads not allowed in the SP) puts her in disadvantage in the SP and she must be catching up in the FS.

 

[Tinami Amori]

It seems Trusova got her poodle. Congratulations, @rfisher, I know you were hoping for this. https://twitter.com/absoluteskating/status/1196127475396481024?s=19

The pressure from her mother "to get 3A" was not healthy mentally on Trusova, who is mad about jumping and animals and dogs specifically. TeamTutberidze and "inner circle" fans where concerned. Because Trusova will jump 5-turns at a snap of a finger, and it is not a good idea in her coming out in seniors. So they collected some, and suggested to Trusova's mother and father to give her a dog now, and not hold it as a "carrot" to make Trusova do crazy stunts....

 

[Tinami Amori]

Alina Zagitova will have a part in a movie "Pal'ma'.

Алина Загитова и ее собака Масару снимутся в фильме Александра Домогарова-младшего

Олимпийская чемпионка по фигурному катанию сыграет в кинокартине «Пальма».

www.eurosport.ru

It is a small part, but she auditioned for it along with many actors and persons who own and love dogs. It was not "given to her" because of her sports accomplishments, but because she could sincerely feel "the love for animal".

The story is about: A man has to leave USSR (back in the 70's) to go live in another country. He can't take his dog with him and leave her with other people. The dog finds her way to the airport, and waits for her owner's return. The filming will take place in Russia and Japan.

I know when many people had to leave USSR in the 70's, some could not take their pets with them. It was very difficult for all of us who had pets. The friends and relatives of these people had to make a lot of efforts to reunite the pets with their families.

In USA specifically, it was very difficult to find an apartment in low budget areas, that would allow pets. Some families had to wait for years until they make money and can afford to have a say in where they live and bring their dogs and cats from USSR, Russia.. Some pets did not live that long and some where forgotten.

Alina Zagitova did not need acting lessons in this role.

https://pp.userapi.com/c847123/v847123296/6caef/Dc7bZ-77lWI.jpg

https://66.media.tumblr.com/34ce5397c28941f1e8f85155451ac2d6/tumblr_pqa8igC9mj1xy9dojo1_500.jpg

https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/ff88066a10a467ad74cf974a657c7c74/tumblr_pb35n9E3re1thu2vbo5_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1

(nor does Eteri when she pets and gives bits to the dogs on the streets for a publicity stunts or an advertising PR..... like some idiots on TSL claim)

https://i.imgur.com/sZCR4kk.jpg

 

[puglover]

I am sure the fact that Alina Z. is absolutely breathtaking to look at didn't hurt her chances to get a movie role.