German Skating News 2018/19

J

Jeschke

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Israel: Müller fell on the twizzles again, Dieck the usual (diva) Dieck afterwards.
Somehow TES was still kinda high, they placed 5th, one rank above Urban/Steffan.
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
🇩🇪 Team for worlds
(accordings to ISU entries)

Schott (Weinzierl sub)
Fentz
Hase/Seegert, Hocke/Blommaert
Koch/Nüchtern (Müller/Dieck, Urban/Steffan sub)

No sub listed for men. None has the minimums, what happens, when Dimitrescu gets them this weekend? Too late to name as sub, in (the likely) case Fentz is injured?

Pairs seem to have a good chance keeping 2 spots in the 19pairs field with the improvement of H/S. Top12 should be doable for them.

Happy K/N are the chosen ones.
 
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J

Jeschke

Guest
This evening: https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendun...avchenko-Endlich-ganz-oben,sendung887442.html (trailer)

half our documantary on Aljona Savchenko, airing 11.35 p.m. on ndr

Some 'highlights' (in order as they appeared in the documentary)
I focused on the new interviews for this documentary (in comparison to interview clips of the past)

A: Aliona
S: Robin Szolkowy
M: Bruno Massot
W: Daniel Weiss
K: Alexaner König

Best quote (while touring on Art on Ice):
Q: How is it to live without the pressure of competition?
A: Competitions are no pressure, it's pleasure. :rofl: (continuing: Bruno does not like that, I love it.)

Flashback on her getting to Chemnitz.
S: We were able to to skate well, Ingo did good things, we could clone them very well but some some communication on a friendly, straightforward basis was far far away.
A: Some input by everyone was missing.
S: He formed us and we achieved the results due to his talent.

Flashback on 'Stasi'-problem with Steuer.
S: I know I felt really bad. Everyone of us felt really bad. And we never even talked about it. Not as a trio at least. These were some of my worst career moments. I think I was never that alone as back then. The language barrier with Aliona was a big thing here, as some easy german words are not enough for such a big topic. We were totally left alone by the fed.

On Ingo/Aliona
W: You could see very early that Aliona was the woman of Ingo's dreams, not only in life but especially on ice. This would have been the one, he could have won olympics with. And you could tell, this was heading into the wrong direction. I think he opened some doors, which should remain closed for a coach.
A: The relationship was tough. If there have been private problems, there have been problems on the ice.
S: The entire scenario was a big no-go. One example: I came to the rink. Ingo's door (at the office) is closed, Aliona is warming up, alone. Then I knew immediately, mum and dad did fight again. (awesome phrase :rofl: ) This will be fun. Actually I could go back home again.

A: We won medals, that all that matters, despite how we treated each other. The important thing was there (medal). We wanted to stay loyal, because we were content.

Aliona flashback on her 1st euro title. Awesome to hear her describing the feeling of succeeding and realizing it while performing.

On why the team was never that popular/beloved in Germany despite their success:
S: First of all figure skating is not that important anymore here in GER, our team compilation was always controversial, I do not look like the typical German, Aliona coming from UKR with broken language, then Ingo with his Stasi-past.

A: In Chemnitz I was only focused on figure skating, the entire life besides figure skating was no life at all.
W: She was such a bitch these days, eroded by her own ambition.

On Vancouver:
A: It was a disppointment of course. I cried, and the show had to go on.
S: No one was encouraged in our team. I was the guilty one. I was often the guilty one, even for things was not responsible of. I was simmering inside, quite often, but one thing was clear: I wanted that success too and this is the price I had to pay.

On Sochi:
A: I put both bronze medals in the basement. I said, they will never get out of there until I have olympic gold.
(seeing images of that flower ceremony again 🆘 One of the saddest memories for me in figure skating, seeing her crying on Robin's shoulder that hard :( )

On the the split with Robin:
S: They did miss the point of explaining their plans to me (continuing with a different partner instead of making money in shows) or of seeing me as full-fledged member and not only as means for purpose.
A: I wished we could have parted better, but that's the way it is and we have to live with it.

On pairing up with Bruno:
A: I had to much energy, you know then, you have to go on.
W: I did not know him too well, I saw some tall, a bit, not overweight, but plump big man. Does this fit?

On split with Steuer:
A: We wanted to remain with Steuer but financially this was not possible for us (as they should have to pay them by themselves) and he did not want to find any compromise and it was obvious for me, this happened for a reason. This was the end. The chapter was closed. Finished.

On move to Oberstdorf and new start:
K: It was awful. To form these 2 as a team, was a big challenge for me. Bruno wanted to become a star and she was already one and there were always some arguing in practice like 'I am the star, you have to do what I am saying' and 'Get your high nose back down'.
M: Aliona is, I do not want to say the ukrainian army is responsible for this, but she is focused on the sport like no one else. If she has an idea, she will get it. I am practicing hard, but more in the funny way. I want to have fun on the ice.

A: I am still angry, we are the only sportsmen on that level without any sponsors besides Bundeswehr (army) and Sporthilfe. Without them we could not have done it.

On Liam:
A: He was so relaxed, my soul.
On König:
A: He trusted me, I trusted him, it is really important to communicate with each other, real communication within the team. ( :rofl: as she is calling him 'Herr König', Mister König)

On 'new' Aliona:
W: The combo with König and Liam did change her. She became kinda soft but still with her fighting spirt. Everyone in the figure sakting world, the federation said: We do not recognize her anymore.
K: She is open minded, she listens to other opinions to reflect on them. I think she did one big step for her pesonality in that regard.
A: I think this was the best decision of my life. New partner, new coach. All this nature here did calm me. I got some inner freedom. To fly and no one is holding me back.

On Pyeongchang:
A: 3rd, 4th, 5th, that did not matter: the goal wad gold.
K: (on FS performance) Oh my god, what is happening right now? In me, there was total silence.
M: This was actually the big strength of our team, that she never gave up. Never never never never.
K: These are the many many hours (tearing up), the bliss.
W: This will be a free skate for ages.

Bronze medals moved to living room: (end of documentary)
A: They are now together (laughing), they all belong together. This is my way, my life.

---

Overall this short documentary was well done.
I only disliked the obvious black mark they put on Steuer. Only showing clips of him 'coaching as a dictator'.
A shame they could not bring Steuer to this. I would have killed for his point of view :watch:

Nice to see Szolkowy agreed to be part of this. I did not get rid of the feeling he is still kinda bitter about some things.

Lots of short moments where Aliona did not come along as very likeable. I like that approach of the documentary to give a full picture here.
 
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J

Jeschke

Guest
Congrats to Hess (62,93pts) and Starostin (61,61pts) for making the FS cut at junior worlds.
This was not a given after that season.
Well done boys!
#teamD 🇩🇪
 

Sunny231

Member
Messages
56
Congrats to Hess (62,93pts) and Starostin (61,61pts) for making the FS cut at junior worlds.
This was not a given after that season.
Well done boys!
#teamD 🇩🇪
Yes, good news! Starostin made the most of it and had a clean skate (besides the little stumble in the step sequence), but the PCS he got were not that good, he was underscored IMO. Heß could have done better, again the fall on the 3F :wall: and the 3T+3T Combo looked < on the second 3T, but great 3A :)! After the really bad season he had so far this was very decent. Let's hope that both can pull off a strong FS as well.
 

text_skate

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,944
What's the story behind Starostin? According to his ISU bio he's traning in Latvia and Russia, but skating for Aschaffenburg. Hometown: Germany? Citizenship?
 

Sunny231

Member
Messages
56
What's the story behind Starostin? According to his ISU bio he's traning in Latvia and Russia, but skating for Aschaffenburg. Hometown: Germany? Citizenship?
According to the info I found on the website of his club, his hometown is St. Petersburg but he occasionally lives in Erbendorf near Weiden in Germany. No idea if he has German citizenship, too.
 

Sunny231

Member
Messages
56
Not the result I was hoping for in pairs :(! Last place and no FS for R/S who skated really shaky, surely they were very nervous. And the 13th place for T/K after SP is surely not satisfying for them either, they looked very disappointed in the K & C. Unfortunately I see the 2nd spot lost also in pairs if T/K can't make up 3 places in the FS which I consider unlikely after what they have shown this season so far in the FS.
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
I think I never saw many clean 3lz3t by Starostin, most of the time I saw him doing 3-2, so he really lived up to the moment. Though I agree seeing him butchered in the PCS departement.

Thomalla/Kunkel are a big disappointment this season and I can't see much future. They don't seem very happy (with each other) the entire season. While I like that they somehow look more mature now, the skating itself did not improve at all. I can't see any progress in terms of skills and presentation and unfortunately the tech abilities have even regressed :( Yikes

Roscher/Schuster looked all over the place, maybe the nerves. I like this SP though for them. A shame we did cannot see the 'Ice Age' FS. That's all what junior worlds is about :love:

---

Müller/Dieck (again with the obligatory twizzle wobble) sit in 5th at Universiade.
 

Sunny231

Member
Messages
56
No good day for the Germans today at WJC, only 18th place with 50.15 points for M/P in the RD is disappointing, they scored so much higher already in a couple of competitions this season, I expected a better placement and better scores. P/S didn't even make the cut to the free skating :(.

Sad to say that this was the best FS in pairs of T/K we have seen this season and the best individual jumps from her ever shown in any FS, I can't recall her ever landing cleanly both the 2A and the jumping sequence in the FS. Nevertheless their PCS were way down compared to all other pairs and again the 1LzTh:wall:. That's really an unusual mistake and cost a lot of points, but sadly we have seen it from them already a lot this season. Not sure what's actually happening as they never made such mistakes last season. Maybe she is struggeling a lot with her growth.
I agree that they definitely didn't make any progress in the PCS, that's even worse to see. Anyway I hope they stay together despite the disappointing season.
The time of Roscher/Schuster is still to come, I'm sure that they will progress further next season, the basics are already there.
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
only 18th place with 50.15 points for M/P in the RD is disappointing, they scored so much higher already in a couple of competitions this season, I expected a better placement and better scores.
At random b-events.
At jgp they scored less and that's the only reliable score to compare to be honest.
In that regard 50pts is not bad, the patriot inside me would have hoped for more too but to be honest, that was not great. And their basics are not great either. They won't make an impact in seniors at all, not even at nationals.

Thomalla/Kunkel -Well, there is not much to say to be honest.
 

text_skate

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Messages
1,944
What a difference a year makes.
This year's outcome of Junior WC is quite plain: Germany's skaters lost in no man's land. None was on, most didn't reach PBs. All 2nd spots lost.

imo Roscher/Schuster show some promise, albeit I think, they need to adjust to reality. Their score was just in SP, although I got the feeling they felt undermarked (perhaps I'm reading too much into it).

I also liked Starostin. In FS I had the impression, he gave up after the 2nd fall, and lowered his jump content to 2S, 2Lo, 2T...

What happended to Hess??? Last season he was a different skater. He need to change his programs. For how many seasons he's using them?
 

Sunny231

Member
Messages
56
What a difference a year makes.
This year's outcome of Junior WC is quite plain: Germany's skaters lost in no man's land. None was on, most didn't reach PBs. All 2nd spots lost.
Yes, sadly true. Especially the outing of the ladies was so weak that it was embarrassing (Marold's more than Eudine's). That the 2nd spot in ladies would be gone was already sure before they even skated and I already anticipated that both won't make it to the FS, but I had hoped at least for a better fight from Marold.
Dastich was dearly missed. There is no junior lady with real potential in sight, so I don't see any need for a 2nd spot either.
imo Roscher/Schuster show some promise, albeit I think, they need to adjust to reality. Their score was just in SP, although I got the feeling they felt undermarked (perhaps I'm reading too much into it).
I agree, R/S didn't take any risk. They were the only pair without a triple throw, with only a double throw and no 2A in the SP it was very likely ending up on the last place, even if they had skated absolutely clean, they should have known that. I also had the feeling that they felt underscored.
I don't like their playing it save attitude, I would have preferred to see them trying the triple throw and the 2A and fail than playing it that save because they had nothing to lose, it couldn't have gotten worse than last place.

I also liked Starostin. In FS I had the impression, he gave up after the 2nd fall, and lowered his jump content to 2S, 2Lo, 2T...
Starostin has great potential, I like his skating, too, but I disliked his missing fighting spirit. It took him ages to get up after both falls, I had the impression that he just gave in and didn't care about continuing his performance in a decent way after the falls, he missed one jump combo as well. And he didn't even look disappointed in the K & C, I think he was already satisfied with having reached the FS.

What happended to Hess??? Last season he was a different skater. He need to change his programs. For how many seasons he's using them?
Heß had lots of changes this season, he began studying at university in Mannheim and therefore changed coaches and the training location from Stuttgart to Mannheim, he first trained with Lindemann, but apparently that didn't work out well and he switched to Szczypa instead now. That might have played a role maybe.
I agree that he urgently has to change both programs, especially the FS, he skated to it 3 seasons in a row now, the SP he has already for 2 seasons. He definitely needs new input and a better choreography for the next season.
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
I don't want to join the route of various other posters in different threads bitching about their federation and their 'own' skaters, but this entire season should give a lot to think for german fed.

Let's face it, JW was not a the entire disaster it could have turned into, but it was a really bad competition for #teamD🇩🇪

The only positive highlight to me was Starostin making the FS cut. With his limited jump content and unsecure 3-3 I did not see that coming. FS was a classic skate for him though. He always had those falls where he seems to slide for seconds on his arse before bothering to get up again. From a distant point of view I agree in seeing not much fighting spirit in him and satisfaction level way too low.

Hess 20pts below last seasons outing, his jumps kinda came back, the overall skating still was so bad. Being 18 and having already a list of 10 former coaches may speak for itself here.

Girls: I have said a lot about Marold before (in regard of her overscoring at nationals) and this outing only proves my point (I have no satisfacton outta that). Totally wrong sign given by german fed there with ****ed up juding and shitty calls. Eudine was solid for her standards, not that this would have helped her anyway here.
We always had not the best artistic ladies in the last junior years but they somehow got their shit together in the TES department and jumped their way up into Top12 (Dastich, Bock, Pfrengle, Drescher, Hecken). Now we don't have artistic skaters and lost track on TES development completely.

Pairs: T/K seemed not to have progressed at all, what a step backwards that was. It's a shame as Oesterreich seemed to have found the right approach for H/S, but for the juniors, big big step backwards. I would be very much surprised seeing them next season together again, to be honest.
R/S coming to JW and going in with content like that, well...nothing more to say.

Dance:
Imho we lost the most potential dance team in Luft/Kazimov during the season. M/P have no charisma at all and their is no ease and lightness in their skating at all.
P/S looked promising in the first JGP outing, but this was really not good either.

Lost all the 2nd spots, lost jgp spots - but let's face it. It's not like this (and the upcoming junior) team deserves much better right now.
Something really has to change.
 
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sandra_persch

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3,760
Lost all the 2nd spots, lost jgp spots - but let's face it. It's not like this (and the upcoming junior) team deserves much better right now.
Something really has to change.

I think the Fed has realized that too.
With the new team envelope criteria and if its implemented in full all of the Senior and most of the Juniors will be off the team and out of the funding.
Only a week 11, 12 and 13 year old ladies and 2 or 3 guys have met the new rules.
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
With the new team envelope criteria and if its implemented in full all of the Senior and most of the Juniors will be off the team and out of the funding.
.
If that is right approach for a re-start remains open though :shuffle:
 

Quadjump

Well-Known Member
Messages
262
Imho Schott FS, H/S FS and K/N FD are leaving a lot room for improvement.
And I do not even start with Fentz 🆘
Fentz and Hase/Seegert should begin with changing their costumes. Sometimes I think that a super slim, dark and nice shirt for the men would be a better choice than anything else they had worn before.

Just ask Aljona. She would help!
 
J

Jeschke

Guest
One thing puzzling me still is the bad public reltations work by german fed.

There were no infos at all about Junior Worlds in Zagreb besides one photo with the pairs.
Not that it was much better back then, but the days Aliona won shit, they at least published some articles.
This puts the entire fed into some perspective if there will be only coverage when the results are pleasing.

I don't know why I am still complaining, as, by time, I should know better, but...
 

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