From Russia With Love (#36) Spring into Summer 2020

[Tinami Amori]

I noticed that Tarasova and Rodnina were mentioned. I'd say Shakhrai says that he has nothing to say about Tarasova and Rodnina.

First publication addresses Rod/TAT. Second one is a demonstration how media take an old issue out of context and uses it as a headline to get clicks on their article. I covered two issues - Rod/Tat old story, and current situation how media abuses hot topics.

Also Tinami Amori

understand every word, but not sure about the meaning....

 

[Tinami Amori]

Anna Shcherbakova is featured in PATINAGE magazine.

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[Cherub721]

understand every word, but not sure about the meaning....

It's meant to compare seemingly contradictory statements from the same person. Tinami said (something), but Tinami also said (something that's diametrically opposed to the first thing).

 

[TAHbKA]

Some interesting stuff from Volosozhar's instagram (am not sure whether she writes the texts herself, but there is some really interesting stuff and really well written)
We broke a figure skating rule!
Of course we did not do that on purpose, it's something that can happen to any skater. Well, any skater who chose having buttons on their costume. The team event, SP we were skating our favourite Masquerade. During the pairs spin we heard how a button fell of Maks' costume.
I forgot about it and dissolved in the programme. Maksim was thinking for the rest of the skate of a possibility of the judges seeing it and taking a point off - according to the rules the costume details must not leave the skater.
It was even scarier to think the button might bother our skate. During the bowing Maks was scanning the ice looking for the button. We were lucky! No one noticed and Maks was able to find it and pick it up without anyone noticing.

 

[starrynight]

Some interesting stuff from Volosozhar's instagram (am not sure whether she writes the texts herself, but there is some really interesting stuff and really well written)
We broke a figure skating rule!
Of course we did not do that on purpose, it's something that can happen to any skater. Well, any skater who chose having buttons on their costume. The team event, SP we were skating our favourite Masquerade. During the pairs spin we heard how a button fell of Maks' costume.
I forgot about it and dissolved in the programme. Maksim was thinking for the rest of the skate of a possibility of the judges seeing it and taking a point off - according to the rules the costume details must not leave the skater.
It was even scarier to think the button might bother our skate. During the bowing Maks was scanning the ice looking for the button. We were lucky! No one noticed and Maks was able to find it and pick it up without anyone noticing.

Well there was an 18 point difference between them and second place so I guess it is okay to admit this!

Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Pair skating - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[TAHbKA]

Volosozhar's interviewing Sotnikova

• Sotnikova was doing gymnastics and figure skating at once till the age of 8-9. She always loved everything about gymnastics, ballet. She liked gymnastics as well, but her mom pushed her towards figure skating
• Sotnikova was really afraid of letting her team and her family down, she had to work with a shrink till the Olympics - she was too afraid to let people down. Volosozhar, on the other hand never worked with a shrink. Sotnikova does not trust many people, she was afraid things she would tell the shrink will be passed to the coach. But at the end she was able to trust them. First she did not believe it would be beneficial - the practices were better, but the competitions were all over the place.
• Sotnikova's grandfather was a pilot during the war, Sotnikova was afraid of flying as a kid.
• She had to undergo a surgery and is now afraid something might go wrong with it. She does not believe she'll ever be landing triples again - perhaps after a work with a shrink, but she is too afraid the things that were done in her neck will go wrong.
• Sotnikova completely changed after winning the Olympics - from a child who would take the others' decision before the Olympics, she was afraid to share things, she did not communicate enough - a bit with her mom, a `ughm...' to the coach. After the Olympics she was called to the shows and interviews and she knew she couldn't remain a very quiet and shy self. She used to have some friends before the Olympics, but she really started meeting people after. She started voicing her opinion and not just listen to the others. She got invited to many shows, TV projects etc.
• It was great for her to be able to help her family, her sister, to be independent and deciding on her budget.
• The dude she was dancing with on a dancing with a star project - there were talks about them having an affair, but not, he is like a brother to her, his wife was participating most of the practices, Sotnikova is good friends with his wife and him, when she and her mom visited the USA they spent several days together with the family of her dancing partner. They were doing the show for the media, but in real life they are really good friends.
• Sotnikova is very close to her mom, her mom is probably her best friend.
• Relationship with Lipnitskaya: they were on a `hello/goodbye' level as with all the other athletes, during the shows they have different make up rooms, but between the shows they were really bored and they would communicate, laugh together, now there is nothing special about their relationship, they communicate freely.
• Sotnikova's mom is a shrink
• Sotnikova went to the same kindergarten with Buyanova's son. Buyanova saw Sotnikova on the ice - Sotnikova's mom had no idea Buyanova was a coach and Buyanova had no idea Sotnikova was skating. Buyanova would pay attention to Sotnikova when she was on the same ice and advised switching schools, because Sotnikova is talented. Sotnikova loved her coach and didn't want to switch. Sotnikova was 7, she had all her doubles and was learning a 2A. Sotnikova came to a try out on the same ice with Griazev, Gedevanishvili and others on the ice. Buyanova asked Sotnikova whether she can do a 2A and Sotnikova confidently said she has it. She never landed it before. But she managed to land it. She was shocked she landed it. Then Buyanova asked her whether she can do a 3S, so Sotnikova lied and said yes, landed something lame for the first time in her life. Sotnikova was then asked to spin etc. Her mom went to talk the coach. When the coaches saw the mom they decided to decline - Sotnikova's mom was overweight, which was a sign the kid will be overweight as well. Sotnikova's mom convinced the coaches to let Sotnikova try. The new schedule was very different - previous she would have 2-3 ice session a week because the hockey players were there as well. Buyanova calmed Sotnikova's mom about being overweight when saying her own mother is not thin either, but it really depends on the person, not on their parents. They decided to try with Buyanova, they went straight to the old coach and told her, they were all crying when parting. They are still in touch with her old coach, in really good relationship.
• Meeting Tarasova for the first time - Tarasova came to the practice. Sotnikova came over and bowed to Tarasova, then Tarasova noticed her and asked to see what she can do. Sotnikova was shaking with fear, her mom was on the stands, her mom signed her `relax, focus!'. The practice was quite good. Then there was a competition for the little kids and Tarasova was there. Sotnikova came with her parents and sister and Tarasova saw her sister. That's when Tarasova became a person who noticed them and helped them all along.
• The music ideas - the coaches were deciding and she would only say `yes/no'. When she was around 14 Sotnikova was asked more what was her opinion - if the skater doesnt' like the music what is the point skating to it? Sotnikova liked all her programmes.
• Some of the costumes belong to TSKA and are there, some are at Sotnikova's. The Olympic skates - she still has them.
• Preferred type of vacation: Sotnikova planned going to the sea. Prefers to mix the passive and the active vacation - doing nothing for a couple of days and then go back to practicing. The dream- to visit the Maldives/Seychelles. She saw the photos on instagram by her friends and she wants to go there. She visited Bali last year and loved it.
• Keeping in shape: Sotnikova works out every day, but till last week she was not allowed to run after the surgery. She was working on her back and neck after the surgery.
• Sotnikova lives alone for quite a while, her mom and sister live nearby and they visit her a lot - mom and sister are allowed to drive around.
• Sotnikova's mom business is really down now - they have to pay the rent, which is really high while the beauty salon is closed. She hopes it will work out.
• Stay healthy, Sotnikova spent almost 2 months home, but she hopes things will be back to ok.

 

[starrynight]

Her mom went to talk the coach. When the coaches saw the mom they decided to decline - Sotnikova's mom was overweight, which was a sign the kid will be overweight as well.

Buyanova calmed Sotnikova's mom about being overweight when saying her own mother is not thin either, but it really depends on the person, not on their parents.

I know this happens, but gee it's a totally different thing being in shape as a young elite athlete who exercises all day and eats a sports diet as opposed to someone's mother who is probably so busy with work, housework, taking kids to practices etc to have time to work out and diet etc.

The coaches that turned away the Olympic gold medalist over such a thing were a bit silly.

And Buyanova is right - it's the person. For example my mother and sister are very thin because neither of them like eating much. lol I LOVE food and so I don't have their body shape. Even though I have their genes.

 

[TAHbKA]

Well there was an 18 point difference between them and second place so I guess it is okay to admit this!

Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Pair skating - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

10. It's a team event SP. But yeah

 

[PRlady]

I know this happens, but gee it's a totally different thing being in shape as a young elite athlete who exercises all day and eats a sports diet as opposed to someone's mother who is probably so busy with work, housework, taking kids to practices etc to have time to work out and diet etc.

The coaches that turned away the Olympic gold medalist over such a thing were a bit silly.

And Buyanova is right - it's the person. For example my mother and sister are very thin because neither of them like eating much. lol I LOVE food and so I don't have their body shape. Even though I have their genes.

It's kindergarden level genetics. My mom was short and skinny most of her life. I was medium-height and well-endowed but not really fat (I've fought an extra ten pounds a few times, including now, but never had an unhealthy BMI.) My daughter was in the 80th percentile for weight as a baby, is big-boned and strong, and will never be anything but curvy to overweight. So judging any of us by our mothers would not have panned out.

 

[starrynight]

Weight is such a funny thing too that is also quite dependent on things like diet, exercise, age etc. Particularly in countries where food is commonly rich etc.

Although if I was looking for a pairs girl and it turned out both parents were giant tall Dutch volleyball players or something, I might have some second thoughts...

 

[PRlady]

Weight is such a funny thing too that is also quite dependent on things like diet, exercise, age etc. Particularly in countries where food is commonly rich etc.

Although if I was looking for a pairs girl and it turned out both parents were giant tall Dutch volleyball players or something, I might have some second thoughts...

Well, yes, there's usually some correlation. But then my niece is short and thin and was the "top girl" in cheer-leading routines in high school. Her mom is also short but quite plump, Amy takes after her paternal aunt, not her mom. So a cheerleading coach meeting my stepsister when Amy was in 9th grade would have been uh-uh, but wrong.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I think it is unfair to judge a little girl’s potential due to a parent’s body habitus and for a coach to outright reject them due to that. The coach should be focusing on natural talent, self-discipline, work ethic etc. Those qualities are champion qualities. My best friend went to school with an 80s gymnast, Kristie Phillips, who was a national champion. Her mother was extremely obese. Yes she didn’t make it to the Olympics (pretty sure she was an alternate), but being a national champion is amazingly successful. Imagine a coach rejecting her as a little girl due to her mother! Pretty much EVERY skater/athlete will never go to the Olympics. Some coaches are delusional if they reject a child at such a young age because of what they might look like in ten years.

 

[alexikeguchi]

When I skated at SCNY in the 70s and 80s, pretty much all the rink moms even of the national and international competitors were seriously overweight. I can't think of a single one who was as petite as the typical skater, though Kyoko Ina's mom, a former swimming champion, just had a muscular compact body type.

 

[Bigbird]

I think it is unfair to judge a little girl’s potential due to a parent’s body habitus and for a coach to outright reject them due to that. The coach should be focusing on natural talent, self-discipline, work ethic etc. Those qualities are champion qualities. My best friend went to school with an 80s gymnast, Kristie Phillips, who was a national champion. Her mother was extremely obese. Yes she didn’t make it to the Olympics (pretty sure she was an alternate), but being a national champion is amazingly successful. Imagine a coach rejecting her as a little girl due to her mother! Pretty much EVERY skater/athlete will never go to the Olympics. Some coaches are delusional if they reject a child at such a young age because of what they might look like in ten years.

Tell that that every Russian ice dancer, then step back. LOL. They use it as a means of fat shaming others. Haha.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Tara Lipinski’s Mom wasn’t small either, and Tara is still very petite. Maybe these rink moms wouldn’t be overweight if they didn’t sit all day watching their kid practice? Rink moms fascinated me. One I got to know pretty well bragged that she had never missed even one of her daughter’s lessons and the girl was 15! I kind of felt sad for her tbh.

 

[CaliSteve]

• i also know TAT personally, mostly through CONFRONTATIONS at the Aeroflot counters when she was flying ex USA to Moscow. She always had all her tickets and services "economy" BUT made stink at the counters insisting on getting a) moved to 1st/Business class, b) her excess luggage flown for FREE, c) access to business lounge and drinks.
• TAT insisted "I and my father we did so much for the country!!! i deserve it"!

Did she end up getting upgraded?

 

[Regretla]

This is something that happens a lot in sports and dance too. Some coaches look at the mother to see how the daughter will look like in 10-20 years time. Half of the times it's a waste of time.I look like my father, not my mother. My mother is a pear, I'm all lilmbs, when my mother tried to enroll me in rhytmic gymnastics the coach was skeptical until they saw me.It's another thing I was terrible.
Russian ice dancers though? From what I can see none of them has even the slightest possibility of ever being fat shamed. Apart from what Popova said in her interview of course.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Did she end up getting upgraded?

Sometime if there was space in business she was upgraded, but i was not in charge of passenger and cabin sitting issues. I was a commercial cargo agent-manager for various e. and w. coast US stations, and only dealt with excess weight, units allowed, and over sized luggage.

I am not a monster, SU/Aeroflot any given station managers are not monsters... if a flight was fairly empty she could load her extra luggage at no charge, but so were allowed mothers with kids, families, etc. But with a fairly full flight she had to pay like all others. after all.. there is an indirectly relevant matter of "Center of Gravity positioning " in luggage and cargo loading process, and at some point there are costs involved that relate to weight the aircraft is carrying, and work required to load/off-load... it's not free to the airline itself..

People like to help when they can, it's TAT's sense of entitlement that's unacceptable. MIA and JFK station managers still "remember her" with a few choice words...

I am talking 90's, and not only "big wig" TAT was on those flights to Russia...... but also presidents and chairmans of major corporations and MOST importantly their top researchers, scientists, and developers (Exxon, Mobil, Boeing, Airbus, Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, etc).

These guys all bought 1st/business class with perks, but when something went wrong, they had no issues flying passenger. They never even raised an issue of not paying for excess baggage.... even when they were carrying equipment and supplies that would Directly (!!!!) benefit Russia...

And here is a skating coach claiming all these free perks and bossing people around...as if she prevented WWIII...

 

[Tinami Amori]

Alina Zagitova - the day after her 18th B-day, what does she do? - runs to get her new and first Driver's License! And thanks her driving ed. teachers and instructors.

Great day!
Now I am the owner of the Driving license . Thank you to the Auto school for their lessons and teaching me . It was not so easy to pass exams , but I did it .

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to remind of a funny story, Dmitry Medvedev (VP) was teasing Alina about not being able to use the girft for 3 years

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Alina Zagitova's b-day make morning news on Japanese TV (I love Japan! they know how to do things.. )

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[Perky Shae Lynn]

Tara Lipinski’s Mom wasn’t small either, and Tara is still very petite. Maybe these rink moms wouldn’t be overweight if they didn’t sit all day watching their kid practice? Rink moms fascinated me. One I got to know pretty well bragged that she had never missed even one of her daughter’s lessons and the girl was 15! I kind of felt sad for her tbh.

It's a huge commitment. I am a "rink mom" to a female figure skater and a boy hockey player. I had no desire to involve them in expensive and time consuming sports. They involved themselves and don't want to stop. My daughter is getting too tall for ice dancing (5'8 already, lol) but doesn't care. I am gently trying to guide her toward volleyball but it ain't working. My son just wants to skate and shoot pucks all day. It's a logistical nightmare and a huge financial burden. I work full time in a demanding job and don't attend ANY of their lessons. I know a few rink moms and we are all different sizes, of course. Genetics play a huge role. Some 24/7 rink moms are tiny despite sitting there all day.

ps. Don't feel sad for the lady. She made a choice, either for herself or for her children, to be at the rink every day. If that's what fulfills her - it's totally fine. Maybe it's the happiest thing in her life. Maybe she is doing the best she can.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Elena and Sergey - IG fotos, a lot of their son and their own time together.

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[SkateSand]

Alina Zagitova - the day after her 18th B-day, what does she do? - runs to get her new and first Driver's License! And thanks her driving ed. teachers and instructors.

Great day!
Now I am the owner of the Driving license . Thank you to the Auto school for their lessons and teaching me . It was not so easy to pass exams , but I did it .

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Alina is so pretty even her driver's license photo is cute. (Mine looks like a mug shot, lol)

 

[Bellanca]

Maybe these rink moms wouldn’t be overweight if they didn’t sit all day watching their kid practice?

Despicable comment.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Despicable comment.

How I wish I lived in your world where a perfectly legitimate suggestion/question is labeled despicable. Then again, neh. But you do you. I’ll survive. That comment was absolutely not meant to be unkind nor disrespectful.

 

[Bellanca]

How I wish I lived in your world where a perfectly legitimate suggestion/question is labeled despicable. Then again, neh. But you do you. I’ll survive.

How grateful I am not to live in your world where this particular ”perfectly legitimate suggestion/question” should have just remained a thought in your mind.

In my world, I don’t take unnecessary cheap shots assuming that a skater’s rink mom is overweight because she sits all day watching her kid practice. It was still a cheap shot —and I think you know it. But you do you. I’ll survive.

 

[Bellanca]

@ErikWilliam, I see you have edited your remark, trying to clean it up now... That’s what is sad.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I did not edit. I added the last sentence. No disrespect was ever intended. Bye Karen/weave.

 

[Bellanca]

Gotcha! Btw, it’s not Weave. I’ll let you in on a little secret, it’s not even pronounced that way, but then I must cut you some slack... how could you possibly know. I give you credit though, you sure know how to project. Kinda creepy how you followed me over to another thread... it must be getting to you.

No disrespect, huh? Oh, okay.
I think we're pretty much done here.

Btw, my apologies for the unfortunate thread-drift. No other thread goes off the rails like this one.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Gotcha! Btw, it’s not Weave. I’ll let you in on a little secret, it’s not even pronounced that way, but then I must cut you some slack... how could you possibly know. I give you credit though, you sure know how to project. Kinda creepy how you followed me over to another thread... it must be getting to you.

No disrespect, huh? Oh, okay.
I think we're pretty much done here.

Btw, my apologies for the unfortunate thread-drift. No other thread goes off the rails like this one.

I have no idea what you are talking about? I wouldn’t follow you for a drink of water. Are you crazy? What thread?!?! The 1996 Canadians? You left NO impression on me. Karen get over yourself, hmmm? https://www.google.com/search?q=smu...i#imgdii=Qv7lABWbPkGNJM:&imgrc=EJt35gSWqWXLjM:

 

[mjb52]

so what's new in Russian skating?