From Russia With Love (No 32): Spring to Summer 2019

[Mad for Skating]

I'm disappointed with their FD choice of Bohemian Rhapsody, but I'm optimistic they'll make it as OTT, voidy, and in-your-face as possible.

Here’s my two cents: I love the original song “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but I hate the movie for a multitude of reasons.

Knowing these two, however, I have no doubt it’s going to be fun.

 

[Ka3sha]

Polina Tsurskaya announces her retirement from competition in order to focus on her studies.
She wants to get a degree in international economics.

 

[quartz]

Noooo...but I love her...

 

[Amy L]

The Curse of the Polinas is real ya'll. Can we donate to a fund or something to get Polina Kostiukovich to change her name?

 

[Marco]

Polina Tsurskaya announces her retirement from competition in order to focus on her studies.
She wants to get a degree in international economics.

Another promising skater leaves the scene. She has great jumping technique. I forget - has she been injured or does she have some sort of pre-existing condition that affects her skating once she grows out?

 

[Jeschke]

Polina Tsurskaya announces her retirement from competition

Polina#1
Polina#2
Polina#3
Polina#4
Edmunds does not count here!


It's a big shame! As she came up as a promising junior, I was not too convinced but she got me over the years. Her lines and gliding were breathtaking.
A shame it did not work out for her in the end.
Her 'Light of the Seven' SP remains as one of my favourites of the last few years in the ladies discipline.

Farewell Polina.

 

[Ka3sha]

Ekaterina Bobrova and Andrei Deputat shared a pic of their newborn son
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHq5eGF_DK/?igshid=1bnamrb981qc

 

[Japanfan]

Polina#1
Her 'Light of the Seven' SP remains as one of my favourites of the last few years in the ladies discipline.

Farewell Polina.

That was so excellent! I have heard of Polina before but not watched her skate, as I recall. But she does have a lot of promise.

Maybe the logjam that is Russian ladies is too much for her to deal with, and she determines that success will be easier to achieve outside of FS?

 

[rfisher]

The Curse of the Polinas is real ya'll. Can we donate to a fund or something to get Polina Kostiukovich to change her name?

You mean Alionanotpolina

POLINA T has had long term health issues from a congenital issue.I liked her, but she's been wanting to quit for a long time and would have done so if not for her parents. She's finally old enough to make her own choices. Good for her.

 

[Bigbird]

That was so excellent! I have heard of Polina before but not watched her skate, as I recall. But she does have a lot of promise.

Maybe the logjam that is Russian ladies is too much for her to deal with, and she determines that success will be easier to achieve outside of FS?

There is so much more to life than skating around in a freezer, barely dressed, competing for that elusive little piece of plastic (yes Didier shade).

 

[Enchanted]

You mean Alionanotpolina

POLINA T has had long term health issues from a congenital issue.I liked her, but she's been wanting to quit for a long time and would have done so if not for her parents. She's finally old enough to make her own choices. Good for her.

Has it really been reported that her parents wanted her to continue against her own wishes? I haven’t been following her career that closely, so I haven’t read all of her interviews and that’s why I’m asking this.

 

[Wyliefan]

I'll miss Polina. That waltz SP of hers last season was magnificent and I still maintain that it should have been scored higher when she was on. Best wishes to her.

 

[rfisher]

Has it really been reported that her parents wanted her to continue against her own wishes? I haven’t been following her career that closely, so I haven’t read all of her interviews and that’s why I’m asking this.

If you read the recent interview, she makes it very clear. She's commented several times in the past she wanted to stop but her parents didn't agree. Plus, you could tell in her skating she really wasn't into it the past four years. She had a significant injury after winning the JGPF and was out for a full season (she has a congenital condition), and she just really never came back to the same condition she was prior. She was a beautiful skater with big jumps, but if you're not committed. you're not committed. I'm glad she's found something she's passionate about and that she was able to stand up to her parents and say this is what I want for my life.

 

[Japanfan]

There is so much more to life than skating around in a freezer, barely dressed, competing for that elusive little piece of plastic (yes Didier shade).

Oh, I agree. But plenty of female (and male and pair and dance) skaters clearly think otherwise. Those individuals breathe, eat and live FS. And there is lots of them.

 

[BittyBug]

Her 'Light of the Seven' SP remains as one of my favourites of the last few years in the ladies discipline.

Farewell Polina.

She skated that beautifully with astounding speed and gorgeous edges, but the choreo is so cliché Tutberidze group - miming in place to open (12+ seconds without leaving center ice), jump and spin, big rest break at the 1 minute mark, remaining elements, mime to close.

 

[Wyliefan]

Because I wasn't sure where else to put this: Cute graduation pictures of Liza Kulik and her family! https://www.instagram.com/p/ByJnN0WA0J7/?igshid=1jxksm8ldi27y

 

[Japanfan]

Because I wasn't sure where else to put this: Cute graduation pictures of Liza Kulik and her family! https://www.instagram.com/p/ByJnN0WA0J7/?igshid=1jxksm8ldi27y

Who is the guy?

 

[Sylvia]

Who is the guy?

Her dad, Ilia Kulik.

BTW, Liza Kulik competed with the Los Angeles Ice Theater (placed sixth of 10 senior teams) in France in April: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ion-april-26-28-2019-in-epinal-france.105559/

 

[Japanfan]

Her dad, Ilia Kulik.

I did not recognize him at first.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Her 'Light of the Seven' SP remains as one of my favourites of the last few years in the ladies discipline.

My favorite program of hers! My little Game of Thrones queen, she deserves so much more I’ll miss her, but I hope she finds happiness.

Ekaterina Bobrova and Andrei Deputat shared a pic of their newborn son
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHq5eGF_DK/?igshid=1bnamrb981qc

Aww this is so cute

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

I recognized Kulik, but boy, does he look different. We all age of course, so yeah...

 

[Japanfan]

Katia and Ilia broke up some time ago, right?

 

[Amy L]

Katia and Ilia broke up some time ago, right?

Yes, I believe the divorce was finalized in 2017 but they had been separated for at least a few years before that.

 

[Ka3sha]

New edition of the 'Moscow figure skater' magazine (pdf, in Rus)
http://ffkm.ru/images/mf/Figurist_1_2019.pdf

Many pictures and interviews inside (including ones with Joubert, Michal Brezina, Aleksandr Majorov, Zoe Jones / Christopher Boyadji, Guignard/Fabbri and others), I will try to translate some of it later and in more suitable threads

Fs-gossips translated interview with Daniil Gleikhengauz: We chose Phantom of the Opera and Carmen for Zagitova she is able to skate these pieces better than everyone else who have skated before

How does this all happen? A choreographer choose music and program for an athlete, or you choose an athlete for the particular idea of the program.

– I would say both. For example, I really wanted to do a Swan Lake so I was looking, waiting for an athlete for this idea. It was Alina Zagitova, because not every skater can be a black swan. But it also happens in a different way: you need to do a program for an athlete from the group, and you get his vibe, select the music and idea for him. For example, you look at Sasha Trusova and see such an energy, and the lyric program will hardly suit her. At the same time, Alena Kostornaia seems to be born for romantic programs. However, if this year each of them have programs in their style, this does not mean that the next season will be the same. Sasha can’t always skate some kind of action movie, just as Alena will not always be a “princess”. The task of the choreographer is to develop athletes, to expand the variety of their stylistic capabilities, which we do in training: we learn some kind of moves, we do some steps to different music, we dance in all sorts of styles etc.

This season, you chose famous music for your athletes: Alina Zagitova pskated to the Phantom of the Opera and Carmen, Alena Kostornaia to Romeo and Juliet, Alexandra Trusova to the OST Kill Bill and Fifth Element. Did you do this because this images are familiar and understandable for the viewers?

– I understand the question. You have named programs to the music that everyone knows, but for the Kostornaia, Shcherbakova, Usacheva, Valiyeva and others we took the music which is unidentified for many people, one can say we “discovered” it. Answering your question, I adhere to the 50/50 ratio. For one program we take a hit, for the other – an unknown piece. Sometimes we take famous music, but think of an unexpected artistic image. For example, once we did the program for Polina Tsurskaya to the “Game of Thrones” OST, but the idea of the program had nothing to do with the show. As for Alina and her two programs, we started from the fact that she is able to skate these pieces better than everyone else who have previously skated to the Phantom of the Opera and Carmen. It was my desire, because I’ve never choreographed to this music. The goal was to make such a programs for her, so that for another three or four years no one would take them, knowing that they couldno’t perform them better than Zagitova did.

 

[Enchanted]

Gleikhengauz seems a bit delusional if he thinks Zagitova interpreted those musics better than anyone else. Those programs were not particularly memorable.

 

[Finsta]

Wow. He must’ve been watching a different skater all season. A bit of ego and delusion in his comments. I hope they’re not telling her stuff like that because it’s not helping her. She was lucky To have skated clean at worlds and other skaters faltered. Not really memorable at all.

 

[Stephanie]

Gleikhengauz seems a bit delusional if he thinks Zagitova interpreted those musics better than anyone else. Those programs were not particularly memorable.

I'm also shocked that he thought Swan Lake would be a good idea for Lipnitskaya

 

[coppertop1]

Polina Tsurskaya announces her retirement from competition in order to focus on her studies.
She wants to get a degree in international economics.

That's sad but there's so much depth in Russian Ladies that it's almost impossible to breakthrough if you don't do it right away. Like so many of the young Russian Ladies, she'd have no trouble getting to Worlds or Olympics if she skated for another country.


Are Trusova, Scherbakova and Kosternaia all going to be competing at the senior Grand Prix this year?

 

[muffinplus]

Gleikhengauz seems a bit delusional if he thinks Zagitova interpreted those musics better than anyone else. Those programs were not particularly memorable.

The translation "I picked the music because Zagitova is able to skate to this music better than everyone" is not quite accurate. It's more like "I picked the music because I believed Zagitova is capable of skating to this better than anyone who previously skated to it". I think there is a small but subtle difference.

 

[Wyliefan]

The translation "I picked the music because Zagitova is able to skate to this music better than everyone" is not quite accurate. It's more like "I picked the music because I believed Zagitova is capable of skating to this better than anyone who previously skated to it". I think there is a small but subtle difference.

Still delusional.