2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

Resa said:

I just rewatched Tarakanova's FS from GPF in 2017 and oh my - she did have flow!!! Please can Daniil make her choreography again?

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Given where she is now, and in her current state of limbo, whatever gave her the idea to leave Khrustalniy for a better prospect? Did Volkov lure her out with promises made by Plyushchenko?

No matter how she thought back then (a rebellious 13 year old nobody was able to talk sense into?) she cut her own career short and still has to tie the ends together. Two very important seasons wasted, the seasons where her three former rink mates defined themselves as some of the best the world has ever seen.

You need to word hard in every Russian rink to make the grade, hopefully she understands that by now, talent alone isn't enough and all good trainers are strict and demanding.

Hopefully Anastasiya will be sufficiently healed to compete in Russian Cup and Junior National Championships with excellent results before transferring into seniors next season in #TeamPanova.

Elucidus said:

Agree.

And here I thought you could make some proper deductions.. Dudakov has nothing to do with it. Each and every transfer of underage athletes in Russia have two main factors contributing to it - first and foremost:
1) parents opinion and their relationship with current coaches (while from the side POV one can clearly see foolishness of such decision - from inside parents POV they can have very subjective, distorted perspective - thinking sincerely that their child do not get enough attention she deserves and perceiving unavoidable scores and placements fluctuations or temporary setbacks as a great failure and sign of coaches neglect)
2) other coach school who is making timed proposition to parents/skater in time of "failure" - using their distressed state and luring them with promises of more favorable conditions. This "stealing" of talented athletes is known methodology used by TAT, Plushenko and many others
The underage athlete himself or his current coaches more often than not can't even have any way to affect such decision, I am afraid.

Wrong. AFAIK Kostornaia family is more rich and influential than Scherbakova's. Alena's favorite pastime - equestrian sport - is VERY expensive and highclass hobby.

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Riding as a hobby cost money , yes and most of the time more than other hobby but it is not a high class hobby in itself. I am a rider myself for almost 12 years now and I am not from a high classfamily. Owing a horse that's a bit different but riding as a hobby is not high class. At least not what alena is doing at the moment, if you go to competitions than it could be that it's a bit more pricey.

fabienne1996 said:

Riding as a hobby cost money , yes and most of the time more than other hobby but it is not a high class hobby in itself. I am a rider myself for almost 12 years now and I am not from a high classfamily. Owing a horse that's a bit different but riding as a hobby is not high class. At least not what alena is doing at the moment, if you go to competitions than it could be that it's a bit more pricey.

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As far as we know, Alyona's aunt owns a horse and has it stabled somewhere. Those Channel One clips with Alyona shown riding (using a longe) were made at some premier stable in Moscow's vicinity, the kind of stable where only pro dressage and jumping horses are kept. The kind of thoroughbred horses that are worth millions and owned by very wealthy owners and corporations, not necessarily riding them. Stabling your thoroughbred there will probably cost several thousand a month per box, and all the daily keep by stable hands, training, veterinary costs etc etc.

Alyona's answer to that particular question from the press concerning equestrian in a future Olympics I don't consider a very serious answer, since as of late, Alyona doesn't appear to behave professionally with the press.

Speaking of Alyona, her installment of Channel One's FS show has never been aired, and it seems the whole planned series has been cancelled? A pity, must have been fun seeing her on her own in that kind of show.

Riding a horse a few times a week isn't particularly expensive. Well, someone who earns minimum wage probably can't afford neither riding, nor figure skating for that matter, but for a family with a bit more than average income it's certainly doable.

And yet it's pretty useless to comment on girls' wealth or 'connections'. Most figure skaters, even Russian ones, have to spend a fortune to skate professionally. I really hate when people try to portay someone as super rich and arrogant while others are pictured as poor and humble to create some simplified image even if both of these portrayals are far from reality.

lpt said:

Akatieva, Petrosian and Berestovskaia will compete today at 15:45 Moscow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BofUTjE-xHk

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how did they do?

ruga said:

Riding a horse a few times a week isn't particularly expensive. Well, someone who earns minimum wage probably can't afford neither riding, nor figure skating for that matter, but for a family with a bit more than average income it's certainly doable.

And yet it's pretty useless to comment on girls' wealth or 'connections'. Most figure skaters, even Russian ones, have to spend a fortune to skate professionally. I really hate when people try to portay someone as super rich and arrogant while others are pictured as poor and humble to create some simplified image even if both of these portrayals are far from reality.

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I do not know how much it cost in other country's but normal hobby riding just for pleasure and not for competitions cost for example my parents for once a week 70 to 80 euros , there is also something in between school riding and owning a horse. In German it is called reitbeteiligung not sure what it would be called in other languages basically you pay a horse owner money so you can care and ride their horse a few times a week. My last one cost me 90 euros a month, for 2 days or sometimes more days in a week . That's not really too much money.

Vilord said:

how did they do?

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Here is the clip, not all skaters are included, there were internet disturbances and other mishaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BofUTjE-xHk.
It has Candidate Masters Adeliya Petrosyan at around 6:15:00 with her wonderful SP (63.31) full of quirky movement and Sof'ya Akat'yeva's cautious SP (67.35) at around 6:43:00.

There seem to be two competition running concurrently, haven't found Berestovskaya in today's results. (10 of 12 listed girls competed)

January 27-30 has the big event, Moscow Cup in the Younger Age, where slated to compete are:
Ice Age, Kids: Sof'ya Dzepka, Kseniya Melkumova, Lyobov Rubtsova, Sof'ya Akat'yeva, Liza Berestovskaya, Sof'ya Vazhnova, Alisa Dvoyeglazova, Veronika Zhilina, Anastasiya Zinina, Yelizaveta Kulikova, Mariya Markholiya, Mariya Paramonova, Adeliya Petrosyan, Mariya Rebrova, Sof'ya Samodelkina, plus Sof'ya Titova.
Several triksels and quads might be possible.

fabienne1996 said:

I do not know how much it cost in other country's but normal hobby riding just for pleasure and not for competitions cost for example my parents for once a week 70 to 80 euros , there is also something in between school riding and owning a horse. In German it is called reitbeteiligung not sure what it would be called in other languages basically you pay a horse owner money so you can care and ride their horse a few times a week. My last one cost me 90 euros a month, for 2 days or sometimes more days in a week . That's not really too much money.

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I'm from Eastern Europe, so things are bit cheaper than elsewhere - riding 2-3 times a week at a good equestrian centre with coach would cost ~150 euros. If the prices are similar in Russia, equestrian sport is not so expensive compared to figure skating (where simply a dress and skates can cost a few thousands for a skater with no state support). Keeping your own horse and training every day is pricey and time consuming, but I doubt Aliona is doing another sport professionally in addition to figure skating. I'm just happy she chose a hobby and has enough time to pursuit it.

Edwin said:

Given where she is now, and in her current state of limbo, whatever gave her the idea to leave Khrustalniy for a better prospect? Did Volkov lure her out with promises made by Plyushchenko?

No matter how she thought back then (a rebellious 13 year old nobody was able to talk sense into?) she cut her own career short and still has to tie the ends together. Two very important seasons wasted, the seasons where her three former rink mates defined themselves as some of the best the world has ever seen.

You need to word hard in every Russian rink to make the grade, hopefully she understands that by now, talent alone isn't enough and all good trainers are strict and demanding.

Hopefully Anastasiya will be sufficiently healed to compete in Russian Cup and Junior National Championships with excellent results before transferring into seniors next season in #TeamPanova.

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I think back then she left khrustalny because she was disappointed for not making JWC and left the sport. Which is ... well, now we know that the results where the best of her career

Anastasia Tarakanova didn't leave specifically Eteri - she just wanted to quit sport in general. She got a JGPF medal but her results at JNats were disappointing despite quite a normal skate and later on she got ill so it probably contributed to her loss of motivation. It was probably too late to return to Eteri when she decided to come back. She never spoke about training conditions there and her coaches claimed that they do not know any specific reasons why she quit.

ruga said:

Anastasia Tarakanova didn't leave specifically Eteri - she just wanted to quit sport in general. She got a JGPF medal but her results at JNats were disappointing despite quite a normal skate and later on she got ill so it probably contributed to her loss of motivation. It was probably too late to return to Eteri when she decided to come back. She never spoke about training conditions there and her coaches claimed that they do not know any specific reasons why she quit.

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Whatever the reasons, it was a waste of talent, effort and money.

But not all is lost for Anastasiya, she just needs to apply herself 100% to catch up in the seniors. Let's hope she and Sinitsyna get along well, spar well together and learn side by side in #TeamPanova.

I am still not comfortable over Anastasiya's silence since last year's announcement. We'll have to wait for her in Junior Nationals and Russian Cup in the Elder Age.

Edwin said:

Here is the clip, not all skaters are included, there were internet disturbances and other mishaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BofUTjE-xHk.
It has Candidate Masters Adeliya Petrosyan at around 6:15:00 with her wonderful SP (63.31) full of quirky movement and Sof'ya Akat'yeva's cautious SP (67.35) at around 6:43:00.

There seem to be two competition running concurrently, haven't found Berestovskaya in today's results. (10 of 12 listed girls competed)

January 27-30 has the big event, Moscow Cup in the Younger Age, where slated to compete are:
Ice Age, Kids: Sof'ya Dzepka, Kseniya Melkumova, Lyobov Rubtsova, Sof'ya Akat'yeva, Liza Berestovskaya, Sof'ya Vazhnova, Alisa Dvoyeglazova, Veronika Zhilina, Anastasiya Zinina, Yelizaveta Kulikova, Mariya Markholiya, Mariya Paramonova, Adeliya Petrosyan, Mariya Rebrova, Sof'ya Samodelkina, plus Sof'ya Titova.
Several triksels and quads might be possible.

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Thanks. I saw the link originaly but since it was almost 10h long and I dont speak russian and didnt know the schedule it was verry impractical to look for just two skaters. It seems they both did a good job but too bad on the video cuting most of Akatievas skate :sad21:

Where there any other noteworthy performances?

Edwin said:

Whatever the reasons, it was a waste of talent, effort and money.

But not all is lost for Anastasiya, she just needs to apply herself 100% to catch up in the seniors. Let's hope she and Sinitsyna get along well, spar well together and learn side by side in #TeamPanova.

I am still not comfortable over Anastasiya's silence since last year's announcement. We'll have to wait for her in Junior Nationals and Russian Cup in the Elder Age.

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Isnt Tarakanova too Old for Elder age? I thought it was a Novice category with max age 15?

Vilord said:

Isnt Tarakanova too Old for Elder age? I thought it was a Novice category with max age 15?

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I think Edwin was referring to the Senior Russian Cup Final (the one that Medvedeva and Tuktamysheva had their "skate off" at last year) rather than the novice elder age you're thinking of.

Thanks to our Japanese-speaking teammate we have Alena's SP videomap in Japanese now! Please spread and let our fellow Japanese fans to enjoy this program too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVrONwDzm8I

Where does information about alleged 'wealth and power' of Alena's family comes from?

KOBOT37 said:

Where does information about alleged 'wealth and power' of Alena's family comes from?

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Because she likes horses. Basically.

CSKA's Varvara Kisel' (2006) competed in Gomel (BLR) Winter Starlet Open Tournament and threw her newly learned triksel again, but fell hard on it.

She has successfully landed a 3A-2T combination previously, but obviously needs to work a lot on stabilising her triksel.

Varvara was listed as competing for a Minsk club, has she switched federations or was this a once-off guest appearance? She scored 57.33 in SP, 103.38 in FP, 160.71 total, winning the event by more than 30 points.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to speculate about the girls’ family wealth/background (or any skater’s). You never really know someone’s situation. Things may seem one way but unless you are there, you can’t know for sure.

The most important thing is that Sasha, Anna and Aliona’s families support their skating careers

A WONDERFUL NEW WORLD. HOW WOMEN'S SINGLE SKATING CHANGED IN 10 YEARS

Judges became more generous with components, figure skaters with ultra-hard jumps.

The year 2020 is the start of a new decade, and at such moments in all spheres of life it is customary to take stock: what happened then and how it has become now. Match TV continues a series of articles on how the world of figure skating has changed in 2020 compared to 2010.

PRIZES

In 2019, the prize pool of women’s single skating at the World Championships was revised up to 182 thousand dollars - 40 thousand more than it was in 2010. The maximum possible reward is 64 thousand dollars instead of 45 thousand. To participate in the distribution of prize money, you need to take a place no lower than sixth, while 10 years ago athletes were supposed to win money up to 12th place inclusive.

RULES AND JUDGING

According to the structure and set of elements of the program, the demands have not changed for almost 10 years. The only difference is the sequence of spirals is now called a choreographic spiral (a spiral is an element when an athlete slides on the deep edge of the blade of one or two skates in a complex beautiful position. - “Match TV”). Perhaps, the entertainment sequence wins over the choreographic spiral - it was required to cover the entire rink, with the change of edge and without fuss due to time limitations.

For an excellently executed element in 2020, you can get premiums from judges in the amount of 50% of its base value, for poorly executed - lose up to 50% of the base value. Prior to the season 2018/2019, the limit values ​​were + 30% and -30%.

If there was any amazing transformation in female single skating, it concerned the evaluations for the components of the program: these include blade 'ownership', connectives between the elements, performance, choreography and interpretation. Now the “sevens” in the components with the maximum “tens” are perceived as below average and even a reason for resentment at the referees, and then they were even given to the winners of the world championships. Moreover, those “sevens” were often received even by the recognized Queen of Components, Carolina Costner.

Take a concrete example. At the 2010 World Championships, the then current Olympic Champion Kim Yuna did not perform very well, but against the general background she still became a silver medalist. The components of the Korean judge were rated at 95.32 points (30.28 + 65.04).

Now these points are received by Sof'ya Samodurova, who, according to fans, is constantly held back in the second assessment, or Aleksandra Trusova, who competes her first season in the adults. To be more precise, Trusova’s components at the first adult stage of the Grand Prix (33.44 + 67.42 = 100.86 points. - “Match TV”) were higher than those that Olympic champion Kim Yuna saw in the protocols 10 years ago.

You can take an even more similar example from the recent past. At the 2018 World Championships, the current Olympic Champion Alina Zagitova brilliantly performed in the short program and fell three times in the free program. But her grades for components still tended to the "nines."

At the same time, the fact that modern figure skaters really have become richer and more diverse in components does not need proof. This is clearly striking if you watch a few videos of the 2010 model and several relevant performances one after the other. But the assessment for the components consists of four more parameters, and it cannot be said that conditionally Kihira, Shcherbakova or Medvyedeva are so much better in sliding, interpretation and choreography than the conditional Mao Asada, Kim Yuna or Rochette.

Just at some point, the estimates for the components rushed upwards, and it was impossible to stop the volcano. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the fact that athletes receive well-deserved "nine" for luxury skating runs. Nevertheless, this coin has a flip side: gaps in the components between leaders and those who lose solely in complexity, and not in the quality of the performance of elements, sometimes defy any logical explanation. The relationship of the second assessment with the assessment of the technique and belonging to a specific sports federation has become even more obvious, and this does not decorate the sport too much.

WHICH FROM THE CURRENT STARS BEGAN BACK THEN?

None of the girls participating in the 2010 World Junior Championships reached 2020 in active athlete status. None have achieved any serious results in the masters.

Literally, in 2010, all the skaters, who won all the medals of the Russian championship for the second consecutive season, began their journey into big sport. Aleksandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova were 5 years old then, Aluona Kostornaya - 6.

GEOPOLITICAL SITUATION

Japan's position in 2010 was as serious as it is ten years later. Starting from 2006 and ending with 2015, not a single pedestal of the World Championship was complete without singles from the Land of the Rising Sun.

This coincided with a difficult transition period in the teams of the USA and Russia, which fell out of the medal circle for at least one Olympic cycle. It always happens when big stars complete their careers - Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya.

Who took the place of Russia and America? South Korea, which at that time can be called the country of one skater, and Italy. Periodically, the federations of Finland, Canada and Switzerland joined the fight for awards (in the case of Switzerland, we are talking only about the awards of the continental championship. - “Match TV”).

The situation broke in 2014 immediately after the Sochi Olympics. The freshly baked Olympic Champion Adelina Sotnikova and the icon of Kim Yun did not participate in those world championships. Gold went to Japan again, but silver was sent to Russia by the efforts of Yuliya Lipnitskaya, and since then at least one Russian singles skater has always been among the strongest in the world. The only exception was the difficult championship immediately after Pyeongchang-2018.

In addition to Russia, Japan is clearly a strong federation. The United States and Canada would be happy to say their weighty word, but they do not have weapons - the last North Americans to fight Russian and Japanese skaters were Caitlin Osmond, who completed her career, and Gabrielle Daleman, who could not escape a series of injuries

True, the alignment may change soon. If Canada is still sad, then the United States has 14-year-old Alysa Liu, who owns quadruple jumps and a triple Axel. The reservoir is growing in South Korea.

WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR VICTORY THEN AND NOW

Over the past 20 years, one or the other single women have made periodic attempts to break in the triple Axel so that it turns from an unpredictable stallion breaking apart the remaining jumps into a workhorse for victories. In 2010, Mao Asada almost succeeded - already then she did three triple Axels in two programs.

Asada had her own Achilles' heel - her Lutz edges, which were always noted as incorrect. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t refuse the Axel - without it her content would not be enough for claims to leadership.

In 2010, no one jumped cascades of triple Lutz - triple Rittberger, which we now almost ceased to perceive as something complicated. Miki Ando performed it in a double Rittberger variation, which is certainly simpler. Lutz and flip with a Toeloop were then considered cascades of high difficulty - only a few jumped them. Most chose a set of two triple Toeloops or a double jump Lutz / Flip.

What now? Now - a brave new world. Anna Shcherbakova included two quadruple Lutz's and a quadruple Flip in the program, so her cascade of Lutz-Rittberger goes unnoticed. Aleksandra Trusova is master over the quadruple Toeloop, Lutz, Flip and Salchow, intending to learn another Rittberger and finish off the triple Axel.

Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva stably competes in tournaments with three triple Axels, learned the quadruple Toeloop and plans to master the quadruple Salchow.

The triple Axel generally ceased to be a unique leap - at least in training, at least in competitions, except for Russians, skaters from Japan, Korea and other countries jump it.

The limit of the upper level for these 10 years in women's single skating has risen higher than ever. Any of the skaters who skated cleanly at the recent Russian Championship in Krasnoyarsk would technically be stronger than those who won the main competitions at the end of the first decade of the 2000s. But in sport there is no subjunctive mood, and you will have to win the one with whom you are competing right now.

2020 was noteworthy even in the sense that for the first time in history all the Grand Prix Gold (six medals out of six plus the Gold in finals. - “Match TV”) was taken home by the students of one coach - Eteri Tutberidze. For the first time in the recent history of Russian figure skating, students from only one coach can go to the main tournaments - and moreover, they can win every single medal of the European and World Championships this season.

There is no doubt that Anna Shcherbakova, Aleksandra Trusov and Alyona Kostornaya will not stop rewriting history in the near future. The only question is how the sports world will react to such unconditional dominance. The last time it reacted by rewriting the rules - this happened after the victory of Alina Zagitova at the 2018 Olympics thanks to all the jumps performed in the bonus second half of the program.
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https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m..._let_izmenilos_zhenskoje_odinochnoje_katanije