Russian test skates 2017-2018

[Tutto]

lol someone needs to tell Averbukh to chill the f out

100 :thumbsup:

 

[starla16]

Crazy prediction it is not. It's a rule in Olympic season that you might not know who will win, but you always know early on who isn't going to based on program potential. There is still time of course. Evgenia can change her program altogether. Carolina ditched both her programs deep into last Olympic season and she was completely on the money.

I like the new FS it will be very nice once everything is polished, everyone said last season the 9/11 FS was horrid and it turn out great by the end of the season.

 

[silverfoxes]

I like the new FS it will be very nice once everything is polished, everyone said last season the 9/11 FS was horrid and it turn out great by the end of the season.

Exactly. Everyone complained and said that she would have to change that FS or else, because it was so terrible and offensive, etc. I can't remember how long the thread was about it - 50 pages or so? It made no difference in the end and it certainly didn't hurt her scores. I cannot say it will ever be my favorite program of hers, but she skated it beautifully.

The whole purpose of a test skate is to get feedback and use that feedback to make the program better. It is not the finished product. I wasn't blown away by the new one, but I will reserve judgment until she performs it at a competition. There were worse programs presented here...much worse. Those skaters should be worried but Zhenya will be just fine.

 

[jenaj]

In my opinion none of these programs were particularly memorable: some of these were so forgettable that i had to rewatch them.

Gracie's Samson & Delilah was very bad: it was a loop of "crossover - pose - jump (fall)", no moments at all but most importantly she never felt it and you could tell by watching her face. The only beauty of that program was probably the dress.

Wakaba's Scheherazade maybe the only one of this list that i enjoyed (at least the choreography was respectful for the music), but still it was very inappropriate for her age and body.

When did Gracie skate to Samson and Delilah?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I hope one day that we get to see Polina Shelepen return to the test skates with an army of little test skaters of her own!

https://instagram.com/p/BY5ALwDh851/

#TeamShelepen

 

[MelDee]

When did Gracie skate to Samson and Delilah?

I recall Ashley skating to it, but Gracie...

 

[Tolstoj]

When did Gracie skate to Samson and Delilah?

Daphnis et Chloé

*errata corrige*

 

[nolangoh]

Medvedeva SP: Actually i think this is my favourite SP of hers in these years. However, it would be MUCH nicer if she gets rid of the sound effects and the weird face expression at the end. Chopin NEEDS NO SOUND EFFECT! HIS MUSIC IS THE EFFECT!!

Medvedeva FS: Not yet perfect but one thing I already (and have always) found annoying is the arms flailing and legs swinging, it got worse a lot this season.

Radionova SP: I always liked the SP last season so i am happy she keeps it.

Radionova FS: It is nice to try something that is more mature and elegant and polished which I think she has improved this year. I think she feels the music better and have better choreography. I especially like the ending.

 

[Grin]

TAT about test skates
https://m.sports.ru/amp/news/1055555870/

 

[Barb]

Why Evgenia insists in doing this moves, she can´t do it properly https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=45
https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=31 . Plus the spread eagle :disapp:, if she wants a challenge program, Why does not she try good positions?

 

[Ender]

Why Evgenia insists in doing this moves, she can´t do it properly https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=45
https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=31 . Plus the spread eagle :disapp:, if she wants a challenge program, Why does not she try good positions?

You mean the Y position? I think it looks ok. The point is to hit a difficult position, not to make it look like ballet dancers.

 

[Grin]

TAT on Russian men. She wasn't kind to them
https://m.sports.ru/figure-skating/1055538923.html?utm_source=AMP&utm_medium=suggest

 

[andromache]

Why Evgenia insists in doing this moves, she can´t do it properly https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=45
https://youtu.be/TLbWAJa3xtM?t=31 . Plus the spread eagle :disapp:, if she wants a challenge program, Why does not she try good positions?

I think the position on the spin/glide whatever thingy it is looks fine. It's a move in all of her programs that is fairly unique to her.

Agree that the Y-spin position on the spin is not particularly aesthetically pleasing. I think she has lost some flexibility maybe?

Her spread eagles are fine, but I would love to see her hold one for a longer period of time.

Your tone towards Evgenia seems a little unnecessarily harsh.

I get that Evgenia's skating isn't everyone's cup of tea, and she (and Eteri's school more generally) has a different style than what was dominating four years ago with Yuna, Mao, and Carolina. But different isn't necessarily bad. She doesn't flail like Elena or rush through her movements like Alina tends to (though Alina is superior in other ways). And this year neither of her programs have exploitative voiceovers or an overuse of miming, which were the (IMO pretty legitimate) criticisms from last year. I think both programs are strong in that they stand on their own without an annoying Averbukh "tragedy" driving them.

Though I hope post-2018 we get to see Evgenia take more risks in her music choices. The music choices are beautiful, but they all sound the same.

(My favorite Evgenia program is still the 2015-2016 LP.)

 

[humbaba]

I like the new FS it will be very nice once everything is polished, everyone said last season the 9/11 FS was horrid and it turn out great by the end of the season.

Exactly. Everyone complained and said that she would have to change that FS or else, because it was so terrible and offensive, etc. I can't remember how long the thread was about it - 50 pages or so? It made no difference in the end and it certainly didn't hurt her scores. I cannot say it will ever be my favorite program of hers, but she skated it beautifully.

In skating, what one enjoys watching as a fan and what scores well in competition can be very different. I found Medvedeva's programs close to unwatchable last season, no matter how much she won with them. Judging by what she showed at the test skates, I feel more optimistic about her programs this year. I'd like to be able to enjoy Med's performances and not just admire her competitive effectiveness.

 

[Sweet Dream]

I will not compare Medvedeva's LP to any other former Olympic Champion's, but I don't think it will please the judges. Believe it or not, Zagitova will beat her so easily when she is on, for the technical content of Alina's 2 programs is simply crazy.

Glad to see a mature Liza coming back again with great jumps! Thumbs-up for her persistent coaching team! :thumbsup:

 

[gmyers]

TAT on Russian men. She wasn't kind to them
https://m.sports.ru/figure-skating/1055538923.html?utm_source=AMP&utm_medium=suggest

Everyone needs to ignore everything she says. She just destroys programs and has no talent in figure skating anymore.

 

[puremagic]

Everyone needs to ignore everything she says. She just destroys programs and has no talent in figure skating anymore.

I'm still wondering what if Tatiana Tarasova had her own ice rink. As I may see, she can't imagine her life without figure skating. And will be really cool to see her as a coach again.

 

[jenaj]

I will not compare Medvedeva's LP to any other former Olympic Champion's, but I don't think it will please the judges. Believe it or not, Zagitova will beat her so easily when she is on, for the technical content of Alina's 2 programs is simply crazy.

Glad to see a mature Liza coming back again with great jumps! Thumbs-up for her persistent coaching team! :thumbsup:

But will Zagitova skate without mistakes? Evgenia's consistency will beat her, if she doesn't. (As will Evgenia's PCS, probably).

 

[Ice Dance]

But will Zagitova skate without mistakes?

Who knows? But Zagitova was certainly rock material last season. Her first event, the JGPF, Nationals, and Junior Worlds. Solid, solid, solid.

 

[Sweet Dream]

But will Zagitova skate without mistakes? Evgenia's consistency will beat her, if she doesn't. (As will Evgenia's PCS, probably).

Zagitova is a dark horse as well as a serious threat to Medvedeva this season. She has no pressure to skate on the Olympic ice, so her chances of delivering both programs successfully are much larger. You will see what I meant if you once watched her performances at the Junior Championships/Nationals last season. In terms of music choice & program choreography, Medvedeva's LP is really poor for the Olympic season, so anything can happen.