Russian figure skating news & updates in 2022

[karmena]

Adelina already has faded away...

Sarah? Sarah deserved her gold, she was the best on that day.
Truly, I almost have forgotten Adelina while Sarah's skate still alive in my memory. She touched the heart of the audience.

 

[karmena]

Poor Sarah, the most forgettable OGM ever, at least prior to the doping Russians era...

How it comes it is forgettable and yet you do remember??

 

[Nadya]

Most of those skaters besides the 15-year-old Olympic champion were physically able to continue skating at a high level well past their teen years. Eteri’s skaters don’t have that option. Even when they want to, like Medvedeva, they can’t, because one way or another, her abusive methods that you like so much have wrecked them before age 20.

But even if we don’t single out a coach and we pretend it’s the same everywhere and all coaches are abusing their skaters to the same degree that Eteri does - which is delusional, but fine, let’s go with it - that doesn’t mean we should be celebrating it. If we see kids getting hurt on a regular basis, the only appropriate response as adults is to consider ways to mitigate the risk that more of them will get hurt in the future. The solutions may be complicated and nothing will be 100% effective. But if you’re an adult fan of figure skating, you have two choices - celebrate the child abuse, or call it out and support efforts to stop it wherever we can.

What was high level at the time of these skaters isn't now.

High-level sport is abuse. Self-inflicted, consensual abuse. Some people like medals more than they like perfectly healthy bodies. Plushenko doesn't have a good bone in his body; did someone force him to skate when it was clearly bad for him? no. The boy likes glory and he is prepared to pay for it. He did. It was Yagudin, as I recall, who said "if you're an elite skater and you wake up in the morning with no pain, you're dead."

 

[Trillian]

High-level sport is abuse. Self-inflicted, consensual abuse. Some people like medals more than they like perfectly healthy bodies.

Kids can’t consent, so if you believe this is true, this is another argument in favor of raising the age minimum. If you truly believe it’s impossible for elite sports to prioritize the long-term health of the athletes, then kids don’t belong out there.

 

[Nadya]

Kids can’t consent, so if you believe this is true, this is another argument in favor of raising the age minimum. If you truly believe it’s impossible for elite sports to prioritize the long-term health of the athletes, then kids don’t belong out there.

Yes, I don't believe that elite sports and long-term health are compatible. Any honest athlete would tell you as much. Any honest dancer would too. How can it, when the long-term sport development trajectory clearly points at "harder, faster, more?"

I feel like you're setting up a false dichotomy with the "kids can't consent" stuff. Clearly kids do and can consent to SOME stuff, do they not? A 12-year old can consent or not to custody orders. 10-year olds enter ballet academies for what is effectively job training. 17-year olds enter colleges. Let's not even get into the age of consent for sex, shall we. There is an artificially constructed age limit for every circumstance, and it's sort of useless to pretend that there is one universally approved age limit below which nothing is possible and beyond which everything is.

 

[nlloyd]

Yes, I don't believe that elite sports and long-term health are compatible. Any honest athlete would tell you as much. Any honest dancer would too. How can it, when the long-term sport development trajectory clearly points at "harder, faster, more?"

I feel like you're setting up a false dichotomy with the "kids can't consent" stuff. Clearly kids do and can consent to SOME stuff, do they not? A 12-year old can consent or not to custody orders. 10-year olds enter ballet academies for what is effectively job training. 17-year olds enter colleges. Let's not even get into the age of consent for sex, shall we. There is an artificially constructed age limit for every circumstance, and it's sort of useless to pretend that there is one universally approved age limit below which nothing is possible and beyond which everything is.

The bottom line is that children don't have the ability to consent to long-term sacrifices of their health because they don't have the perspective on their lives that adults do. They can't imagine what it will be like to be in constant pain, need multiple surgeries and/or have constricted movement in their 30s, 40s etc. They can't really envisage life after skating, let alone the fact that their after-skating life will be far longer. It takes an adult's perspective to do that.

 

[Trillian]

Yes, I don't believe that elite sports and long-term health are compatible. Any honest athlete would tell you as much. Any honest dancer would too. How can it, when the long-term sport development trajectory clearly points at "harder, faster, more?"

I agree to an extent, but the amount of lifelong damage caused by various sports clearly varies and I don’t think making athletes safer is an impossible goal in any sport. If I really thought it was inevitable that every athlete I was watching would have a horrible long-term physical or psychological outcome, I wouldn’t watch sports. If you’re watching skating or dance and going, “This is doing terrible things to your body and I don’t see any point in trying to change it, but twirl for me anyway!” then I don’t know, man. That’s pretty bleak.

I feel like you're setting up a false dichotomy with the "kids can't consent" stuff. Clearly kids do and can consent to SOME stuff, do they not? A 12-year old can consent or not to custody orders. 10-year olds enter ballet academies for what is effectively job training. 17-year olds enter colleges. Let's not even get into the age of consent for sex, shall we. There is an artificially constructed age limit for every circumstance, and it's sort of useless to pretend that there is one universally approved age limit below which nothing is possible and beyond which everything is.

The bottom line is that children don't have the ability to consent to long-term sacrifices of their health because they don't have the perspective on their lives that adults do. They can't imagine what it will be like to be in constant pain, need multiple surgeries and/or have constricted movement in their 30s, 40s etc. They can't really envisage life after skating, let alone the fact that their after-skating life will be far longer. It takes an adult's perspective to do that.

Exactly this.

 

[Bigbird]

I agree to an extent, but the amount of lifelong damage caused by various sports clearly varies and I don’t think making athletes safer is an impossible goal in any sport. If I really thought it was inevitable that every athlete I was watching would have a horrible long-term physical or psychological outcome, I wouldn’t watch sports. If you’re watching skating or dance and going, “This is doing terrible things to your body and I don’t see any point in trying to change it, but twirl for me anyway!” then I don’t know, man. That’s pretty bleak.




Exactly this.

100%. Age limit cannot get to 18 fast enough when a greater percentage should be more mature.

 

[Nadya]

I agree to an extent, but the amount of lifelong damage caused by various sports clearly varies and I don’t think making athletes safer is an impossible goal in any sport. If I really thought it was inevitable that every athlete I was watching would have a horrible long-term physical or psychological outcome, I wouldn’t watch sports. If you’re watching skating or dance and going, “This is doing terrible things to your body and I don’t see any point in trying to change it, but twirl for me anyway!” then I don’t know, man. That’s pretty bleak.




Exactly this.

If that's how you feel, I fully expect you to boycott all pairs skating because every time a woman goes into a lift, she runs a risk of falling head first into the ice, with terrible consequences. Clearly, they don't begin to learn these lifts at 18 so it's a given that children are doing it. Do you boycott pairs skating?

 

[thvu]

If that's how you feel, I fully expect you to boycott all pairs skating because every time a woman goes into a lift, she runs a risk of falling head first into the ice, with terrible consequences. Clearly, they don't begin to learn these lifts at 18 so it's a given that children are doing it. Do you boycott pairs skating?

Oh @Nadya . You take a quote, only address a part of it so it's out of context, and attack. Surely you can be more creative and rational than that. You wouldn't want others to confuse you with a low-rent propagandist would you?

 

[Nadya]

Oh @Nadya . You take a quote, only address a part of it so it's out of context, and attack. Surely you can be more creative and rational than that. You wouldn't want others to confuse you with a low-rent propagandist would you?

Please, continue to list all the rich and varied ways in which I disappoint you. The more, the better! I love attention, and care enormously about your opinion.

 

[Trillian]

If that's how you feel, I fully expect you to boycott all pairs skating because every time a woman goes into a lift, she runs a risk of falling head first into the ice, with terrible consequences. Clearly, they don't begin to learn these lifts at 18 so it's a given that children are doing it. Do you boycott pairs skating?

There’s a difference between having some risk of catastrophic injury, versus having an inevitable bad outcome. You’re arguing that a bad outcome from elite skating is inevitable, but kids should be out there dancing around for your entertainment anyway. I think we can mitigate the risks for kids involved and any responsible adult involved in figure skating (including fans) should advocate to do so. If I thought “irreparable harm” was unavoidable, you are correct, I wouldn’t watch skating. But you’re the one who thinks that, not me.

And I don’t know if I’m comfortable with the level of risk in pairs skating or if the safety measures are enough. I go back and forth on that question, I don’t always watch pairs, and I wouldn’t be heartbroken if it disappeared.

 

[soogar]

Kids can’t consent, so if you believe this is true, this is another argument in favor of raising the age minimum. If you truly believe it’s impossible for elite sports to prioritize the long-term health of the athletes, then kids don’t belong out there.

I don't see people wringing their hands when Ilia Malinin posts quad axels. Kids do all sorts of crazy stunts on skateboards, rollerblades etc. It's all about being young and unafraid, with bodies that can handle the impact. He will certainly feel the effect of these jumps as he gets older, the same way Hanyu and Nathan are feeling now. Even with age limits, people get injured doing sports. There are always horrific injuries associated with gymnastics, despite age limits. There have been deaths on the field with high school football. Loads of injuries in women's soccer involving knees. If you look at Olympic sports as whole, majority of people who have reached the top have experienced injuries. Very rare that athletes don't experience pain or feel pain after their careers are over. Especially now, the performance standards across the board are so much higher. The equipment is better and the athletes cross train more to push performance.

 

[Vagabond]

I don't see people wringing their hands when Ilia Malinin posts quad axels.

There have been many posts on FSU about the risks Malinin is running with not just the quadruple axel but with his full repertoire of quadruple jumps. Use the Search function, and you will find them.

 

[On My Own]

I support the proposal - but I acknowledge @Nadya's points that the matters of age and consent aren't as set in stone as some say. If we say 12 year olds and 15 year olds can't consent to self-inflicted abuse, then well, 17 aren't exactly mature adults either. We're drawing an arbitrary line there.

For me, I hope the proposal can do a decent job of making sure athletes who dope aren't "protected" anymore, and also that their coaches can be held accountable. And I hope that most coaches will try to let their junior skaters build up their skills more slowly.

I'm still split on what will happen to the skaters who're already with abusive coaches, though, because those coaches might just use malpractice for a longer time on their students. And I'm still not sure what will happen in countries like Japan, with their deeper fields, and funding made available only to top junior finishers - that will still be competition, and juniors might still feel pressurised to win with big elements. Plus, some of those juniors might compete with the seniors, and will absolutely be attempting big elements, again since funding is an incentive.

So it's not all clear to me what will happen, but I hope it will turn out to be an improvement. The question of Pairs is a good one in this context, for me, too. We can surely reduce harm, but we can only argue our positions currently, unless there's some evidence from other sports that it's helped (someone brought this up with gymnastics, but I cannot be sure how it's helped, since I don't follow it).

 

[Nadya]

There’s a difference between having some risk of catastrophic injury, versus having an inevitable bad outcome. You’re arguing that a bad outcome from elite skating is inevitable, but kids should be out there dancing around for your entertainment anyway. I think we can mitigate the risks for kids involved and any responsible adult involved in figure skating (including fans) should advocate to do so. If I thought “irreparable harm” was unavoidable, you are correct, I wouldn’t watch skating. But you’re the one who thinks that, not me.

And I don’t know if I’m comfortable with the level of risk in pairs skating or if the safety measures are enough. I go back and forth on that question, I don’t always watch pairs, and I wouldn’t be heartbroken if it disappeared.

You are correct in that a head-into-ice falls come into the category of "some risk" that may or may not happen. But yes, I think it is inevitable that an elite athlete will years of training will inevitably have SOME bad outcomes in their knees, back, feet, what have you. If you want to take a position that elite sports achievement should not happen unless it leaves your body unaffected, that's up to you. I think this discounts individual agency but I can see this consideration isn't paramount to you.

On that note, I'd like to correct the words you've attempted to put in my mouth. Kids "should" be out there dancing? SHOULD? Like in a way they should poop in the potty and not their pants? Did I say that? No, you did. Are these kids dancing around for my entertainment? No. Camilas of the world don't give a fig about my entertainment. There is a subset of kids with unnatural drive who WANT to do all these things, at the expense of normal childhood experience, healthy knees and all other pursuits, because these kids are made differently from you and I, in the same way that say, Evgeni Kissin wanted to play piano six hours a day instead of playing cops and robbers. Camila skates because she wants to skate - just like Tara wanted to hammer her triple-triples because she freaking wanted to. You cannot force a child to put in an effort required for high-level success because that type of drive only comes from within. But what you think I SHOULD want is to say no, Camila, you may not skate as much and you may not do THAT particular trick because childhood. I don't have that in me. Kids don't have to dance for my entertainment but I won't stop Camila if she wants to.

 

[Trillian]

You are correct in that a head-into-ice falls come into the category of "some risk" that may or may not happen. But yes, I think it is inevitable that an elite athlete will years of training will inevitably have SOME bad outcomes in their knees, back, feet, what have you.

Some, yes. But there are degrees. If an athlete has to quit by the time they reach adulthood because their body has sustained such severe damage that they can’t practice the sport anymore, or if they’re going to spend the rest of their lives in therapy dealing with eating disorders and other psychological issues, that’s an excessive cost that we should try to prevent. There is a difference between an elite athlete who retires at 30 with a bad ankle, and an elite athlete who retires at 18 because she needs a hip replacement. The latter scenario is one that adults have a responsibility to try and prevent.

Are these kids dancing around for my entertainment? No. Camilas of the world don't give a fig about my entertainment. There is a subset of kids with unnatural drive who WANT to do all these things, at the expense of normal childhood experience, healthy knees and all other pursuits, because these kids are made differently from you and I, in the same way that say, Evgeni Kissin wanted to play piano six hours a day instead of playing cops and robbers.

Kamila is too young to have any real concept of the long-term physical or psychological consequences of what the adults in her life are telling her to do. If she was skating for the pure joy of it like you claim, she wouldn’t be doing it for an audience. She skates the way she skates so the people like Eteri and the Russian government can use her for their own gain, and you are participating in that abuse when you defend it as acceptable.

 

[Nadya]

Some, yes. But there are degrees. If an athlete has to quit by the time they reach adulthood because their body has sustained such severe damage that they can’t practice the sport anymore, or if they’re going to spend the rest of their lives in therapy dealing with eating disorders and other psychological issues, that’s an excessive cost that we should try to prevent. There is a difference between an elite athlete who retires at 30 with a bad ankle, and an elite athlete who retires at 18 because she needs a hip replacement. The latter scenario is one that adults have a responsibility to try and prevent.



Kamila is too young to have any real concept of the long-term physical or psychological consequences of what the adults in her life are telling her to do. If she was skating for the pure joy of it like you claim, she wouldn’t be doing it for an audience. She skates the way she skates so the people like Eteri and the Russian government can use her for their own gain, and you are participating in that abuse when you defend it as acceptable.

Yes, I can see that you feel fully prepared to decide where to draw the line between acceptable tear and wear and unacceptable harm. I wish I had your self-confidence in my ability to decide what's best, by god, for everyone on the planet.

Pure joy is too tired a word to describe why Camila skates. She skates the way she skates because of her talent and her drive. No government in the world can give you that against your will.

 

[Trillian]

Yes, I can see that you feel fully prepared to decide where to draw the line between acceptable tear and wear and unacceptable harm. I wish I had your self-confidence in my ability to decide what's best, by god, for everyone on the planet.

Of course there are shades of gray. Given how young elite skaters start training, there’s no way to get it exactly right. But that doesn’t mean we should leave the sport completely without reasonable guardrails for children, or side with adults whose child abuse it well-documented. We still need to err on the side of protecting children where we can.

Pure joy is too tired a word to describe why Camila skates. She skates the way she skates because of her talent and her drive. No government in the world can give you that against your will.

I’ll drink to that. Oops, wrong emoji?

 

[Ananas Astra]

In other news: Mishin's team is in Kislovodsk and Kolyada and some other dudes have dyed their hair platinum blonde: https://www.instagram.com/p/CeizznQIUtr/

I really hope Kolyada is going to skate to music by Scooter next season judging by this new hairstyle. Everything else would be an utter disappointment.

 

[Bigbird]

Of course there are shades of gray. Given how young elite skaters start training, there’s no way to get it exactly right. But that doesn’t mean we should leave the sport completely without reasonable guardrails for children, or side with adults whose child abuse it well-documented. We still need to err on the side of protecting children where we can.



I’ll drink to that. Oops, wrong emoji?

Funnily enough I don't really enjoy her skating. It looks forced. Meh...

 

[Sylvia]

English versions of 3 recent interviews in Kislovodsk with Liza Tuktamysheva (cross-posted in the Russian women's thread): http://www.figureskating-online.com/l-tuktamysheva.html

Andrei Lazukin: http://www.figureskating-online.com/a-lazukin.html

Matvei Vetlugin (switched to Mishin's group one year ago): http://www.figureskating-online.com/m-vetlugin.html

 

[Wyliefan]

Check out both gifs at this link -- Mark doing a 4S-1Eu-4S, and below it, Sasha's reaction. Comedy gold.

imgur.com

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like orionsteroids.

imgur.com

 

[Rukia]

Check out both gifs at this link -- Mark doing a 4S-1Eu-4S, and below it, Sasha's reaction. Comedy gold.

imgur.com

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like orionsteroids.

imgur.com

I guess she too is not a fan of just throwing yourself into the air and rotating wildly hahahahaha I feel you girl

 

[ChelleC]

Check out both gifs at this link -- Mark doing a 4S-1Eu-4S, and below it, Sasha's reaction. Comedy gold.

imgur.com

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like orionsteroids.

imgur.com

Sasha is like my boyfriend is crazy.

 

[soogar]

Petr Gumennik: “From the age of eight, coaches constantly told me to lose weight. Mom kept me on black bread and bouillon. But I couldn’t stand such food and used to spent all my pocket money on chocolates.”

Interview with Petr Gumennik, bronze medalist of the Junior World Figure Skating Championships. About cooperation with Rafael Arutyunyan,, weight, why he doesn't want to be a coach and plans for the 2026 Olympics.

fs-gossips.com

Don't know if this has been posted yet. I really like that he develops his intellect as well.

Most athletes after the end of their careers become coaches. You, as I understand it, have no such idea?

Petr Gumennik: It seems to me that many skaters do not think about having exams successfully, because in the future they see themselves involved in sports. I want to diversify the risk: if it doesn’t work out with figure skating, then I will have another opportunity to grow. I don’t want to be a coach.

Your high state exam results shocked the public and were actively discussed. How did you manage to combine sports and studies?

Petr Gumennik: I think I’m intellectually gifted, and sports did not prevent me from studying. There are 15 hours of wakefulness in a day, I can skate for 6 hours maximum, the rest of the time can be devoted to intellectual activity.

What university are you planning to enter?

Petr Gumennik: I will do it this year. At first I thought about medical science, then bioinformatics, now I decided on computer science, at ITMO. No subject gives me as much pleasure as computer science, but I have not passed the exam yet. To get on scholarship, you need to get 94 points for the exam. I will enter the full-time department. We agreed that I would skate in the evening and go to university in the morning.

Did you draw a parallel between yourself and Nathan Chen, who combines his studies at the university with a career of a figure skater?

Petr Gumennik: I look at Chen and think: he has achieved such results in sports, he studies at the best university, so this is possible. In Russia, almost none of the figure skaters dare to study another profession. If I was guided by them, then I would have thought that between sports and study you need to choose one thing.

What are your hobbies besides figure skating and studies?

Petr Gumennik: As a child, I studied at a music school, but I never finished it, I studied for myself. Now sometimes I play the piano, learn some compositions. I like to read, I study investing and French. I like to walk and talk about some topics. I choose, for example, a question and analyze it for myself. I love to ride a bike.

 

[ChelleC]

Evgeni Plushenko got a grant from Putin for his show “Union of Champions”

The ice show of two-time Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko

fs-gossips.com

Not that I find this surprising or anything.

 

[Ena Grins]

It's amazing how Russia keeps their sports so cleanly separated from political issues while checks notes... funding an athletic showcase because it provides “Support for groups and cultural figures who have become objects of sanctions pressure for their patriotism and devotion to the country.”

 

[Lilia A]

I guess she too is not a fan of just throwing yourself into the air and rotating wildly hahahahaha I feel you girl

It's because she knows that when you do sh*t like that, something like THIS can happen (from earlier today, apparently).

 

[TAHbKA]

An awesome article by Panina about the figure skaters eating disorders. Panina moved to RIA a couple of months ago and so far... she's a star imho.