Russian Ladies news & discussion

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Frau Muller

From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
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Grand Prix events. GPF if she makes them. Fall or spring internationals.

Leonova was invited to GPs a few seasons after she missed the Euro/World Team because her SB / WS was still high enough.

Same will be true for Alena K. When everything returns to normal, there will be a maximum of 18 spots for Russian ladies at the 6 GP events. As long as she maintains top 24 SB / WS and Rus Fed continues to add her name to the pool, she will be guaranteed 1 GP invite.
I was referring to recent (2019?) European Champ Sofia Samodurova. Does she stand a Chance in h*** of being invited to a G-P event next fall? Not that I don’t love her offbeat programs...oh, Mama Afrika!
 

Frau Muller

From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
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So the Russian Fed itself just banned Sotskova for 10 years. Does this mean no more coaching?

 

kwanatic

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Long time no post, lol. I did watch the cup over the weekend so, my thoughts:

Honestly, what is in the water in Russia?? How are these girls cranking out these quads like this?

Kamila: Despite the mess that program was at times, she impressed me with her step sequence. She actually performed! There was an engaged performance quality I haven't seen before. One of my only hang-ups with Kamila was her stony-faced approach to all of her skating. Seeing her smile and give a bit of energy and pizazz to her performance was refreshing. I feel like she's going to look like Polina Tsurskaya in terms of height/length which may hurt her in the end--Polina had those long legs and arms and huge jumps as well...and then puberty, so...

Maiia: Again, WTF is in the water? It seemed like those quads came out of nowhere and they were fabulous! Very good for her. I enjoy the way she performs--I really like her personality in her SP. Having those quads definitely raises her stake and makes the top in Russia even more crowded.

Daria: No quads or 3As but such a lovely skater. I love her R&J and the way she performs it. She's lower on the list without those big elements but with Eteri in her corner she gets that PCS boost that helps push her into that top 5.

Liza T: 10+ years in at the senior level and still competitive. That is called longevity and it doesn't seem to happen in Russian ladies. Thoroughly impressed with her and happy she's going back to worlds. And that Maxim shoot... I was like, "Daaaaaamn girl! YAAAAAAZ!!" :love: The people who have a problem with a grown-a$$ woman who is comfortable with her body and sexuality really need step into this century and get over themselves. I think she looked sexy and stunning. Werk it, Empress!

Alena: I definitely prefer her programs now over the Billie Eilish SP and whatever that previous FS was. Honestly, I wish she'd just sat out the whole season and showed up next season with her 3A and maybe a quad. Her performances weren't bad (mistake on the combo and doubled triple in the FS) but next to 3As and quads and the Eteri bonus, the outing was a bit of a failure for her. She's still a remarkable skater but Alena is in trouble. Both Daria and Liza T beat her in PCS in the FS. No way that would have happened last year even if she made multiple errors. Finishing this competition in 6th place and missing a spot to worlds just doesn't look good on her track record. No clue what they have planned for next year but if she wants one of those 3 spots to Beijing, she has a ton of work to do. Trusova has improved under Plushenko. It remains to be seen if Alena will.
 

kwanatic

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I'm sure there are dozens of reasons why she left initially but, given her position in Eteri's group at the end of last season, I didn't understand why she left in the first place. As one of the top skaters in the world, I'm sure she was higher up on the pecking order than some of the girls who have basically surpassed her this season.

The move of Trusova to Plushenko made a lot of sense to me and she's shown visible improvement since the switch. Alena's move seemed less calculated and I didn't quite get why she did it. Of course Rona, injuries, etc. factor into it, but Alena hasn't shown any improvements this season---she's actually regressed a little bit. If she's trying to go back to Eteri now, it seems like a backtracking move that is coming purely because she's fallen quite far down the ranks in Russia and realizes she probably hasn't got a shot in hell at making that Olympic team unless Eteri is in her corner. However, bouncing from coach to coach, program to program shows a lot of instability in Alena's camp and that's never a good thing.

If this is true, it'd be interesting to see how this plays out. I still think she is an amazing skater and I want to see her do well, no matter which coach she's with.
 

twizzletoes76

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209
Long time no post, lol. I did watch the cup over the weekend so, my thoughts:

Honestly, what is in the water in Russia?? How are these girls cranking out these quads like this?

Well, I’ve asked myself the same questions and don’t really know. Some are saying supplements but—who really knows?

May just be the 24/7 training environment and the constant repetition of elements. Then, if one girl sees another girl do something and finds that it’s possible, then she’s motivated to try the same.

But, to be honest, I’ve seen a lot of very athletic pre-teen and teen girls skate in the US—but none seem to have quite the energy and quickness as the Eteri girls—so maybe something is going on there?
 

twizzletoes76

Well-Known Member
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209
Long time no post, lol. I did watch the cup over the weekend so, my thoughts:

Honestly, what is in the water in Russia?? How are these girls cranking out these quads like this?

Kamila: Despite the mess that program was at times, she impressed me with her step sequence. She actually performed! There was an engaged performance quality I haven't seen before. One of my only hang-ups with Kamila was her stony-faced approach to all of her skating. Seeing her smile and give a bit of energy and pizazz to her performance was refreshing. I feel like she's going to look like Polina Tsurskaya in terms of height/length which may hurt her in the end--Polina had those long legs and arms and huge jumps as well...and then puberty, so...

Maiia: Again, WTF is in the water? It seemed like those quads came out of nowhere and they were fabulous! Very good for her. I enjoy the way she performs--I really like her personality in her SP. Having those quads definitely raises her stake and makes the top in Russia even more crowded.

Daria: No quads or 3As but such a lovely skater. I love her R&J and the way she performs it. She's lower on the list without those big elements but with Eteri in her corner she gets that PCS boost that helps push her into that top 5.

Liza T: 10+ years in at the senior level and still competitive. That is called longevity and it doesn't seem to happen in Russian ladies. Thoroughly impressed with her and happy she's going back to worlds. And that Maxim shoot... I was like, "Daaaaaamn girl! YAAAAAAZ!!" :love: The people who have a problem with a grown-a$$ woman who is comfortable with her body and sexuality really need step into this century and get over themselves. I think she looked sexy and stunning. Werk it, Empress!

And, yep, I’m totally a fan of Liza’s Maxim cover photo—she looks great there. And, if she’s happy with how that shoot came out, then all good!
 
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ЭPiKUilyam

Banned Member
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Interesting. If true, I’m wondering if “Hot Sergei” will be returning to Eteri’s coaching stable too? Can’t forget Hot Sergei! 🔥
I thought Hot Sergei was the reason for Alena's switch? Puppy love? I figured the romance floundered and now she wants to go back to get away from Hot Sergei.
 

ЭPiKUilyam

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You must be one amazed person Angi. In fact your whole life you're probably walking around in amazement. How sweet, and how lucky!
 

Frau Muller

From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
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I thought Hot Sergei was the reason for Alena's switch? Puppy love? I figured the romance floundered and now she wants to go back to get away from Hot Sergei.
Oh....OHHHHH... Oops. Never gave credence to that.

Sorry, I just enjoy seeing Hot Sergei. 😋
 

ЭPiKUilyam

Banned Member
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Can we not speculate about the love lives of minor children, please?
A person turning 18 in a couple of months, especially someone with world class talent and who has seen the world and has had to make more adult decisions than the typical adult, is probably cringing at the thought of some random thought-police skate nerd calling her a minor child. Which she is not.
 
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hanca

Values her privacy
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12,547
Well, I’ve asked myself the same questions and don’t really know. Some are saying supplements but—who really knows?
Yes, sure. Because the supplements makes you rotate so fast that the girls have to take it very easy to land the quads, otherwise they could suddenly land the fifth revolution in the jump if they tried harder! Can I have some of those supplements too? I am a modest person and I will be happy with having triples (my hardest jump was only single Lutz, so one can’t be too greedy!) Or maybe the supplements give you extra spring? In fact, maybe it is not the supplements, maybe they altered their equipment (their skates) and have something in their boots or blades to make them more springy? More spring means higher jump, which means more time to finish all those rotations.
 

Tinami Amori

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Kostornaya's transfer to Eteri is by no means confirmed. Tutberdize was asked by journalists and avoided the answer. Many people in figure skating elite are commenting that "Aleona left with a loud nasty band burning lots of bridges, so her return better be just as loud and sound apology.
Semi- official - there will be a discussion (with Federation?) on March 04th to solve this issue.

What is CERTAIN however, is that Kostornaya just packed and abruptly left Plushenko without notifying him or the coaching staff, as she did with Eteri.
 
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tony

Throwing the (rule)book at them
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17,679
If it's true, I'm going to be even more delighted for all of these internet wannabe police and activists to melt down some more.

Reading (especially) Twitter and even some comments in these posts on the boards, people get so invested in acting like these athletes are their family or that an athlete from side A is terrible simply because another athlete is on side B. Yes, you hiding behind a user name on a message board or an attempt at a sarcastic Tweet behind an even more ridiculous user name is doing so much.
 

Japanfan

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That’s exactly my point. US lady number 20 or 50 will get there by swapping countries, while US lady number 4 is sitting at home. But the hypocrites can be happy, because we are so inclusive, we enable more countries to compete.

Skaters are allowed to swap countries, providing that certain conditions are met.

But my primary concern is about skaters from countries with little figure skating countries not being allowed to compete.

We are going in circles here. Being 'so inclusive, we enable more countries to compete' - isn't that the point of a Worlds and Olympics.

I repeat - should Bin Yao not have been allowed to compete?
 

Tinami Amori

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Elena Ilinykh requested Plushenko's Club to remove her from a list of permanent coaches. She is taking a long leave of absence for family and personal matters. She will remain in contact with the club but not on permanent basis. Freelancer.
 
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hanca

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Skaters are allowed to swap countries, providing that certain conditions are met.

But my primary concern is about skaters from countries with little figure skating countries not being allowed to compete.

We are going in circles here. Being 'so inclusive, we enable more countries to compete' - isn't that the point of a Worlds and Olympics.

I repeat - should Bin Yao not have been allowed to compete?
If Bin Yao was any good, then he would manage to get through even without competing at the worlds initially.
 

Japanfan

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If Bin Yao was any good, then he would manage to get through even without competing at the worlds initially.

He was good enough to represent China. And a chance to compete at the Worlds is really important, I'm sure you understand that.

SFAIK, Bin Yao and partner were not very good. They were quite terrible, actually. I remember reading that his partner would come out on the ice with coins in her pockets, which spilled out onto the ice. IIRC, the pair finished dead last at Worlds and Olympic competitions.

So I repeat my question: should Bin Yao and partner not have been allowed to compete.

The answer seems obvious - Bin Yao was ashamed and went home with the vision of creating a pairs school in China, which he did, and it succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He created World and Olympic medalist - S/Z, P/T, S/H, Z/Z and others.

Had he not been allowed to compete, his legacy might never have happened.

I repeat my question: should Bin Yao and partner not have been allowed to compete?
 

hanca

Values her privacy
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He was good enough to represent China. And a chance to compete at the Worlds is really important, I'm sure you understand that.

SFAIK, Bin Yao and partner were not very good. They were quite terrible, actually. I remember reading that his partner would come out on the ice with coins in her pockets, which spilled out onto the ice. IIRC, the pair finished dead last at Worlds and Olympic competitions.

So I repeat my question: should Bin Yao and partner not have been allowed to compete.

The answer seems obvious - Bin Yao was ashamed and went home with the vision of creating a pairs school in China, which he did, and it succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He created World and Olympic medalist - S/Z, P/T, S/H, Z/Z and others.

Had he not been allowed to compete, his legacy might never have happened.

I repeat my question: should Bin Yao and partner not have been allowed to compete?
Yes, in his first year, he had no place at world championships. He could have gone to B competitions, get the ranking, see how the skating is done, learn from it the same way as he did and work his way up.
 

kalle

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If Kostornaia is also back with Eteri, it is just out of this world the hunger games it will be next season in their camp! I wonder if Zenya and Zagitova will do a push to make the Olympic team and what about Kostornaia, Valieva, Daria abd Maia..interesting times ahead!
Depending on what happens at Worlds, I would not be surprised if Trusova wants to move back too.
 

love_skate2011

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Kostornaya's transfer to Eteri is by no means confirmed. Tutberdize was asked by journalists and avoided the answer. Many people in figure skating elite are commenting that "Aleona left with a loud nasty band burning lots of bridges, so her return better be just as loud and sound apology.
Semi- official - there will be a discussion (with Federation?) on March 04th to solve this issue.

What is CERTAIN however, is that Kostornaya just packed and abruptly left Plushenko without notifying him or the coaching staff, as she did Eteri.
she has a diva personality and needs to stop crying
 
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