From Russia with Love [#35]: Winter 2019

Wyliefan

Ubering juniors against my will
Messages
44,090
Absolutely. These 3 ladies are primed for these Worlds. They are far and away the top 3 for this season and with Kihira being the only possible threat but would still involve some mistakes by Trusova. Who knows if they can maintain consistency on the big jumps and overall if their bodies continue to grow? There could be growth spurts, there could be injuries. Heck, with the likes of Valieva coming up, who knows if all 3 or any 1 could still make the world team next season.

Doesn't Valieva have one more year in juniors?
 

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
Messages
37,720
Doesn't Valieva have one more year in juniors?
Yes: none of the podium is senior age-eligible yet and each has years of junior eligibility left, even if they decided to go senior the season they can under the current rules (or grandfathered into the current rules), which is in the 2021-22 season for all three.
 

cs.berlin

Active Member
Messages
173
It's interesting. In the end, we've got a trial of the proposed increase in age, as in the end these girls won't be able to attend Worlds until they are 16/17.
In the meantime, the jumping-horny audience can get excited elsewhere - for example in the Moscow State Circus (even though the ladies there are unfortunately no longer small children). Perhaps they will then learn again what is proper and where what belongs.
 

muffinplus

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,321
In the meantime, the jumping-horny audience can get excited elsewhere - for example in the Moscow State Circus (even though the ladies there are unfortunately no longer small children). Perhaps they will then learn again what is proper and where what belongs.


Seriously? Pray tell... What is not proper about Trusova's performance and where does it not belong... what she is doing is pretty amazing
 

cs.berlin

Active Member
Messages
173
Seriously? Pray tell... What is not proper about Trusova's performance and where does it not belong... what she is doing is pretty amazing
Actually, it's quite easy to understand: If you like it, it's not my thing and I would hardly write anything else if I didn't find this whole development astonishing, but simply wrong. I see a war on the ice, because everything has to be won by all means that are (still) allowed. Certain persons and faces have become too joyless and too stony for me, scenes that have become strange to me in figure skating and that I don't consider desirable in this discipline. And I'll do a devil of a thing to enter these battlefields even once more. In the end, we will see where the course of events will lead.
 
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jiejie

Well-Known Member
Messages
884
Actually, it's quite easy to understand: If you like it, it's not my thing and I would hardly write anything else if I didn't find this whole development astonishing, but simply wrong. I see a war on the ice, because everything has to be won by all means that are (still) allowed. Certain persons and faces have become too joyless and too stony for me, scenes that have become strange to me in figure skating and that I don't consider desirable in this discipline. And I'll do a devil of a thing to enter these battlefields even once more. In the end, we will see where the course of events will lead.

Hmm, I think there's a coded message in there somewhere, but I can't figure it out. We'll get our best people working on it. ;)
 

Tinami Amori

Well-Known Member
Messages
20,156
Pairs - Kostukovich/Yalin - broke up (friendly and sweet farewells to each other on IG).
During summer 2019 Polina suffered acute pain, was taken to emergency and had her Umbilical hernia removed. Since then it was mentioned in the press a few times that Polina is experiencing some "health issues" since them, without details.
There are no indicators if Polina's health issues and breaking up of the pair are related.


Ladies Singles - Stanislava Konstantinova - eliminated from the candidate for the alternative/substitute/back-up team member list (it means she is on her own). Anastasia Gulyakova takes her place on the "alternative/substitute" team list, because Gulyakova won the Russian Cup Finals 2020.
 
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cs.berlin

Active Member
Messages
173
Hmm, I think there's a coded message in there somewhere, but I can't figure it out. We'll get our best people working on it. ;)
On this occasion, you are welcome to tell them: the difference between played show and brutal intent inside the system cannot be overlooked. The whole thing too stupid.
 

Ka3sha

Well-Known Member
Messages
8,731
Liudmila Velikova: There’s a chance Kostiukovich/Yalin will stay together. They could team up again, it’s like a family life
 

hanca

Values her privacy
Messages
12,547
Liudmila Velikova: There’s a chance Kostiukovich/Yalin will stay together. They could team up again, it’s like a family life
The gossip on the Russian forum says that she already skates with Kolesov. That would mean that Akhanteva/Kolesov split up...I hope it is not true.
 

barbarafan

Well-Known Member
Messages
5,306
Ladies Singles - Stanislava Konstantinova - eliminated from the candidate for the alternative/substitute/back-up team member list (it means she is on her own). Anastasia Gulyakova takes her place on the "alternative/substitute" team list, because Gulyakova won the Russian Cup Finals 2020.

HI...not quite sure what has happened here. Was she on the list after Russian nationals and then removed...or did she
remove herself?
 
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Tinami Amori

Well-Known Member
Messages
20,156
HI...not quite sure what has happened here. Was she on the list after Russian nationals and then removed...or did she
remove herself?
She was removed by Rus Fed. of course. It's standard procedure each year. Those with good results kept on or added to the team, as primary skaters and few in "reserve" (alternatives). And some with poor results get taken off the list, not on the team.

She had EXTREMELY poor performance all season; 13th - Russian Nationals, 11th - at both GPs, 7th - at a
Challenger. She was falling all over the place, popping jumps, scoring low..

She was given more opportunities by the Federation for the last 4-5 years than many skaters, in-spite of many people (skating professionals) saying that she is a weak skater and should not be taking others' space and assignments.

So now she is not on the team even as an alternative. She is on her own. financially and support wise. She can take all the same lessons and ice time and gym and dance and various forms of supportive activities...... but has to pay for them. She can participate in Challenger events that she qualifies for - but pay for travel and other expenses herself. She can also participate in Russian Cup Series and certain other local events, but again all expenses are hers. She can still qualify for the Russian Nationals if she does well in Russian Cup Series and Final. She needs to prove herself from scratch now...

She recently asked Alexei Mishin to take her, but he refused. She then went to Pluchenko, and he took her. He may give her some free lessons, ice time, gym use and dance classes, and do something about private sponsors, if anyone is willing to invest in her.... but she is at a mercy of others...
 
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Tinami Amori

Well-Known Member
Messages
20,156
Alina Zagitova will debut her new programme, "Notre-Dame De Paris", at the upcoming all champions show "Russia, forward!". At present the programme is arranged for the show, but maybe kept for competitions.

Apparently Alina "won something at Zakariyan's Oskar" and was invited to attend Montreal event, so she had to have a show number because she was required to skate.
 
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Mad for Skating

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,892
Bringing this in here too: Kostiukovich/Ialin split :(

I’m not completely surprised. They had potential but I think the size difference would be problematic for them over time. It worked when she was younger and very short, but now she’s almost an adult. I wish them both the best!
 

hanca

Values her privacy
Messages
12,547
I’m not completely surprised. They had potential but I think the size difference would be problematic for them over time. It worked when she was younger and very short, but now she’s almost an adult. I wish them both the best!
The size difference is probably not the reason though. Small size difference is a disadvantage, but Sui/Han and Savchenko/Szolkowy did not have a huge size difference either. In fact, their size difference was smaller than Kostiukovich/Ialin.
 

hanca

Values her privacy
Messages
12,547
So we have suddenly a number of pair ladies available:
Efimova, Buzaeva, Osipova, Kostiukovich, Vislobokova, Akopova, Scheglova...

and number of available pair men:
Korovin, Rakhmanin, Bushlanov, Briukhanov, Ialin, Kalashnikov, Shagalov...

What would be the pairs we would like to see?
Maybe Kostiukovich - Rakhmanin? Or Kostiukovich - Korovin?
If I recall correctly, Korovin, Rakhmanin, Bushlanov and Briukhanov did not have problems with jumps, so they may want somestrong jumper too.
 

Amy L

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,600
I thought Shagalov was much better than his partner, so I'm not too surprised about that one.

I hope Polina can find someone who is still age eligible for Juniors. With her injuries and growth spurt, I just don't think she'll be quite ready for Seniors next season.
 

Amy L

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,600
I didn’t think neither Akopova nor Shagalov were any good.

I didn't say he was great, but he's better than Akopova.

I don't know why they got the minor senior events they did, there were much better teams that got nothing at all.

Speaking of, has anyone heard anything about Balabanova/Sviatchenko? They did very well in the Russian Cup events then disappeared before Nationals.
 

hanca

Values her privacy
Messages
12,547
Speaking of, has anyone heard anything about Balabanova/Sviatchenko? They did very well in the Russian Cup events then disappeared before Nationals.
I don’t think they disappeared. They just finished their season. They withdrew from the senior nationals, I don’t remember if it was due to illness or injury, and after that there were no competitions they could do. They couldn’t do junior nationals because they did only one junior cup, and therefore they didn’t qualify for junior nationals. Which is a pity because they could have been sent to junior worlds. Considering the mistakes the top junior pairs made at the nationals, Balabanova/Sviatchenko could have been second or third pretty easily.
 
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barbarafan

Well-Known Member
Messages
5,306
She was removed by Rus Fed. of course. It's standard procedure each year. Those with good results kept on or added to the team, as primary skaters and few in "reserve" (alternatives). And some with poor results get taken off the list, not on the team.

She had EXTREMELY poor performance all season; 13th - Russian Nationals, 11th - at both GPs, 7th - at a
Challenger. She was falling all over the place, popping jumps, scoring low..

She was given more opportunities by the Federation for the last 4-5 years than many skaters, in-spite of many people (skating professionals) saying that she is a weak skater and should not be taking others' space and assignments.

So now she is not on the team even as an alternative. She is on her own. financially and support wise. She can take all the same lessons and ice time and gym and dance and various forms of supportive activities...... but has to pay for them. She can participate in Challenger events that she qualifies for - but pay for travel and other expenses herself. She can also participate in Russian Cup Series and certain other local events, but again all expenses are hers. She can still qualify for the Russian Nationals if she does well in Russian Cup Series and Final. She needs to prove herself from scratch now...

She recently asked Alexei Mishin to take her, but he refused. She then went to Pluchenko, and he took her. He may give her some free lessons, ice time, gym use and dance classes, and do something about private sponsors, if anyone is willing to invest in her.... but she is at a mercy of others...
Thank-you ....I did not realise that she has been around for a long time. Of course one must prove oneself each yr. when it comes to funding and assignments. In Canada very few athletes get funding and those that do get a very small amount compared to the cost of coaching and practice ice.You have to be well off for your kids to skate beyond canskate and other group lessons.
 

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