From Russia With Love [#37]: Summer 2020

[hanca]

You're a skating fan, and i see you have no idea how many LiveJournal and Zen figure skating chats there are ... dozens and dozens. Don't limit yourself to sports.ru or FSO....

True, there are many if them. It must have taken quite an effort for you to find one that thinks that Valieva and Scherbakova are the best...

 

[DobrinFan]

I was expecting Gulyakova and Sinitsina to be there, were they not invited?

Sinitsina is injured per Panova and will miss the first cup next week. Gulyakova is speculated to be injured as well.

 

[Bigbird]

I have not had the courage to discuss Liza, because I just didn't have the heart to watch the programme from start to end. But I do wish her though all the best for the season. Hopefully those costumes will be revised. Please and thank you.

 

[giselle23]

Lipniskaia had the flexibility, but not the balletic stretch and posture.

I thought you just said stretch. Now it's balletic stretch?

 

[Sasha is DIVINE]

Valieva's SP was my favorite. I hope she can stay healthy until seniors. She really has it all.

You voiced what I am thinking. Valieva and Scherbakova are very similar right now, with Valieva being the upgraded version of Scherbakova due to her stretch and flexbility. They even look sort of similar.

Kamila's skating skills are an upgrade from Anna's as well.

 

[alexikeguchi]

Valieva's SP was my favorite. I hope she can stay healthy until seniors. She really has it all.

Kamila's skating skills are an upgrade from Anna's as well.

I agree, but OMG Bolero for a fourteen year old for the FS? That's just completely wrong, and it also seems like a choice that accentuates her lack of interpretive abilities, the one weakness in her skating. I sure hope they don't keep that for the Olympic season.

 

[Hanna]

Wrong thread

 

[alexikeguchi]

Despite the technical mishaps, I enjoyed the mature skaters most. I felt like Med actually skated and presented the program, and she was cute about the whiffed cartwheel thingy. I like Liza's music a lot, and there was more choreography than usual, plus an eked out Biellmann position gunning for the level 4. I hope she doesn't dispense with the choreography and leans into it more as the season progresses, as it seems like a good direction for her. R and J is overdone, but the specific selections for Sasha were a decent fit. I always feel like her SPs with limited technical elements work out better than her free programs where she just skates from quad to quad, but the music at least makes sense. I thought Anna's program was really boring and a big step back from last year's entertaining Firebird. That probably took five minutes of Daniil's time, and he could have done better given Sambo 70 is down a few skaters compared to last year, and there was plenty of down time with the pandemic to get more creative rather than less.

 

[Ka3sha]

People will argue over the ladies for many days to come, but Kolyada was a true star of this event. I enjoyed his SP yesterday, and the LP today was simply gorgeous. He has truly great basics, probably the best ones among all Russian skaters : the technique, the gliding, everything

 

[Tinami Amori]

Will Kostornaya skate today or not?

Obviously Kostornaya did not skate the FS. In one interview Pluschenko said that it is because her FS is not quite ready, in today's interview he said that she has an injury and skated SP on pain shots.

Плющенко: Косторная выступала в короткой программе с травмой

В воскресенье фигуристка снялась с контрольных прокатов, выступив только с короткой программой

tass.ru

 

[Tinami Amori]

Sinitsina is injured per Panova and will miss the first cup next week. Gulyakova is speculated to be injured as well.

And Sinitsina will not be at the first event of the Russian Cup in Syzran (per Panova).

Синицына пропустит этап Кубка России из-за травмы

Серебряный призер юношеских Олимпийских игр 2020 года и золотая медалистка командного турнира Игр в Лозанне Ксения Синицына пропустит этап Кубка России в... РИА Новости Спорт, 13.09.2020

rsport.ria.ru

 

[hanca]

People will argue over the ladies for many days to come, but Kolyada was a true star of this event. I enjoyed his SP yesterday, and the LP today was simply gorgeous. He has truly great basics, probably the best ones among all Russian skaters : the technique, the gliding, everything

Kolyada wasn’t bad, but the true star is Khubardieva. I really enjoyed Khubardieva/Bazin

 

[Bigbird]

Kolyada wasn’t bad, but the true star is Khubardieva. I really enjoyed Khubardieva/Bazin

I like her, but I find him a distraction and annoyance. He doesn't know how to play the part and that Katsalapov like flub on the twizzles for your debut? Even I heard the collective groans of their coaches.

They have potential, but I don't know yet if he can keep up. While watching them I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was the more mature skater, then the see through tights over the boots was just more than I could handle. I could not watch to the end...though I saw some good moments.

But early days..more...later.

EDIT: I tried to rewatch K/B and realized what the issue was. It is a shamelessly pretentious P/C copy that is exceedingly embarrassing. Get a new program and quick. They have good skills!

 

[greenapple]

People will argue over the ladies for many days to come, but Kolyada was a true star of this event. I enjoyed his SP yesterday, and the LP today was simply gorgeous. He has truly great basics, probably the best ones among all Russian skaters : the technique, the gliding, everything

Agree with you 1000%, He was without doubt the star of the test skates. His free skate is on another level.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Mikhail Kolyada's FS - the best programme of the day.

Михаил Коляда. Произвольная программа. Предсезонные контрольные прокаты по фигурному катанию

Михаил Коляда представил новую произвольную программу в рамках предсезонных контрольных прокатов по фигурному катанию.Спортсмен выступал под музыку из фильма...

www.youtube.com

 

[hanca]

I like her, but I find him a distraction and annoyance. He doesn't know how to play the part and that Katsalapov like flub on the twizzles for your debut? Even I heard the collective groans of their coaches.

They have potential, but I don't know yet if he can keep up. While watching them I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was the more mature skater, then the see through tights over the boots was just more than I could handle. I could not watch to the end...though I saw some good moments.

But early days..more...later.

EDIT: I tried to rewatch K/B and realized what the issue was. It is a shamelessly pretentious P/C copy that is exceedingly embarrassing. Get a new program and quick. They have good skills!

I can’t see anything wrong with the program. The mistake on twizzles, it can happen. As long as he doesn’t make a habit out of it like Katsalapov...

 

[Aerobicidal]

I loved Mishina and Galliamov's SP but "Bohemian Rhapsody" is at the top of my list of music that should be banned.

Also now on that list = Kolyada's SP music.

I find Mozalev and Gumennik to be likable, although I don't know if I support the latter's coach having hair that isn't damaged to the extent that it's basically a V05 before advertisement.

The ladies programs were completely uninteresting to me with the exception of Samodurova's bizarre SP packaging. Both of Tuk's programs as well as Valieva's FP . . . have some choices I will not comment on today.

Plushenko's hair just astonishes me. I can't look away, even though I think I want to, but I'm not sure, and then I find myself fantasizing about NSYNC, and everything is existentially confusing.

 

[Polaris]

They gave Valieva the worst possible LP that highlights all of her weaknesses.

Enjoyed Trusova's LP, but there was zero Juliet in that program.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Valieva will skate in Senior Ladies Russian Cup, the two event which are held in Moscow.

Валиева готовится выступить на московских этапах Кубка России

Турнир будет состоять из пяти этапов

tass.ru

 

[Bigbird]

Valieva will skate in Senior Ladies Russian Cup, the two event which are held in Moscow.

Валиева готовится выступить на московских этапах Кубка России

Турнир будет состоять из пяти этапов

tass.ru

Why would anyone, let alone Eteri and company give a 14 year old child Bolero? I am just speechless. You could see the discomfort in her eyes. And they've been working on this for some time. Do the girl a solid and give her a new programme. Ugh...

 

[rfisher]

Valieva will skate in Senior Ladies Russian Cup, the two event which are held in Moscow.

Валиева готовится выступить на московских этапах Кубка России

Турнир будет состоять из пяти этапов

tass.ru

Are there any rumors whether Channel 1 will stream them on YouTube?

 

[Ka3sha]

Another highlight (just as usual) and a take-away from these test skates is Mishin and Moskvina. Both utterly amaze me. They are turning 80 next year and still love this sport so much and have so much to give us all and the skaters. It’s just little details you can see from the boards, their presence and everything.
I have no doubts Moskvina is aiming for two medals at the next Olympics. I was not sold on Mishina/Gallyamov’s LP yet but their short program was absolutely amazing yesterday and their transformation is still in the making.

On both days Moskvina came to the boards to watch Kolyada and was standing right behind Mishin. And this photo after the SP is super cool

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFEd9VbJac8/?igshid=1ntp68n9qga9f

The Channel 1 35-minutes documentary about Mishin’s team I posted few days ago is pure gold. It’s a pity they do not provide any subtitles (come on , you hired Ted to do the commentary, translation wouldn’t be that hard as well), because it’s worth so much more than some stupid fan and coaches wars. Really hope they did the same kind of documentary with Moskvina and her skaters.

 

[thvu]

Why would anyone, let alone Eteri and company give a 14 year old child Bolero? I am just speechless. You could see the discomfort in her eyes. And they've been working on this for some time. Do the girl a solid and give her a new programme. Ugh...

I think they're thinking "Olympic Moment" with giving her the LP this year. She's going to reuse the LP, and they're betting she'll "get there" in a year and a half's time. They want her entering next season guns blazing.

 

[rfisher]

I think they're thinking "Olympic Moment" with giving her the LP this year. She's going to reuse the LP, and they're betting she'll "get there" in a year and a half's time. They want her entering next season guns blazing.

And, if I were Mishin, I'd keep Kolyada's FP as well. It could be on the Olympic podium if clean. I think Misha was wrong in insisting on the SP, but it can be changed. The key is that he skates whatever SP clean so his FS will be competitive against Chen and a possibly rejuvenated Uno. I don't expect Hanyu to be there.

 

[SmallFairy]

I find myself fantasizing about NSYNC,

Please get help!

 

[Bigbird]

I think they're thinking "Olympic Moment" with giving her the LP this year. She's going to reuse the LP, and they're betting she'll "get there" in a year and a half's time. They want her entering next season guns blazing.

I hear you but, Bolero? Why not the Dying Swan? She was made for that, right? Or Afternoon of a Fawn, Revierie...etc....

 

[Stephanie]

And Sinitsina will not be at the first event of the Russian Cup in Syzran (per Panova).

Синицына пропустит этап Кубка России из-за травмы

Серебряный призер юношеских Олимпийских игр 2020 года и золотая медалистка командного турнира Игр в Лозанне Ксения Синицына пропустит этап Кубка России в... РИА Новости Спорт, 13.09.2020

rsport.ria.ru

Hoping she will be able to skate at a later event instead

 

[Tinami Amori]

Why would anyone, let alone Eteri and company give a 14 year old child Bolero? I am just speechless. You could see the discomfort in her eyes. And they've been working on this for some time. Do the girl a solid and give her a new programme. Ugh...

I loved Valieva's Bolero, and think this is perfect for her, given she is good at modern ballet moves and very flexible. Her opening moves are very interesting and creative. Loved it.

I will however agree that she could be more expressive, which she usually is, but it seemed she was hurt somewhat and a bit shocked by the fall in the opening quad, even if she then pulled off the next quad combination. I did see that she is reserved in her movements.

By the way, the dresses Valieva and Shcherbakova were wearing are not competition dresses. Anna said in the interview that the ones they are wearing were made specially for practices and Test Skate, so that they don't bore the crowds with athletic clothes.

Sports Business On-line newspaper declared Valieva the best.

Валиева – лучшая, Трусова выросла, а Косторная не в форме. Главное с контрольных прокатов

Фигурное катание вернулось.

sport.business-gazeta.ru

Alexander Zhulin said that Valieva is the best female skater in Russia.

Жулин назвал фигуристку, которая катается лучше всех в России

Двукратный призер Олимпийских игр, чемпион мира и Европы Александр Жулин поделился мнением о 14-летней фигуристке Камиле Валиевой. РИА Новости Спорт, 13.08.2020

rsport.ria.ru

 

[DobrinFan]

They gave Valieva the worst possible LP that highlights all of her weaknesses.

Enjoyed Trusova's LP, but there was zero Juliet in that program.

She's not portraying Juliet.

 

[Sylvia]

Recap of the test skates by Andrei Simonenko:

Посткарантинная реальность: лучшие фигуристы России выступили в Москве

Контрольные прокаты сборной России по фигурному катанию завершились в воскресенье в московском дворце спорта "Мегаспорт". Они прошли в отсутствии нескольких... Спорт РИА Новости, 13.09.2020

rsport.ria.ru

For those who want to rewatch Kolyada's mesmerizing FS (version with Ted Barton's awestruck comments afterwards ):

[R Test Skates 2020] Mikhail Kolyada FS

www.youtube.com