2019 Rostelecom Cup: Day 1

Men
- A surprisingly okay men's event? Not without errors, but aside from a few people from whom it's frankly expected (looking at your Samohin), a large number of volatile skaters managed at least a decent showing.
- Samarin getting higher PCS than Aliev despite falling while Aliev didn't is even more preposterous than his PCS often is, because here it can't even be accounted for by any sort of national bias. Dmitri is the better skate by far, he skated better here, and he's also Russian. He should have a healthy margin on Samarin.
- Ignatov has strong jumps, not much else at the moment.
- Bad landing on the Lutz aside, Deniss was in very good form (I noted no "Two Men in Love" for Russian audiences).
- When Shoma fell on his quad flip I was bracing myself for the worst, but the rest went fine. Now fingers crossed for the free skate.
- Nam seems to be in a place where he's delivering his content reasonably reliably. GOEs aren't high, but he's getting the job done, and he certainly had the cleanest of the three "Blues for Klook" programs in this segment.

Ladies
- Evgenia's Grand Prix season looks like it will have a reasonably satisfying conclusion. This was a strong performance and she got the short program lead (the free skate lead will be out of reach bar disaster from Trusova) for an enthusiastic home crowd.
- For Trusova, her reaction to the fluke fall heading into her starting pose was endearing. Capably skated, but to me this program doesn't showcase her best features as a performer.
- Bell, the program is fun. She got lucky that Satoko kind of tanked. Speaking of which...
- Satoko.:sad21:

Pairs
- Boikova/Kozlovskii impressed me when I saw them live at SCI last year, and they've certainly been going from strength to strength so far this season (after a creaky start in Shanghai).
- Tarasova/Morozov, sigh. It looked like they were going to deliver a perfect short program, and then Vladimir messed up the easiest elements in the whole thing. With these two they just always seem to self-sabotage.
- Stolbova/Novoselov look like they'll be a good team going forward.
- Hase/Seegert have such lovely short programs, and they really should be in third place here, though seeing as they never quite deliver in the free, it probably won't end up mattering.
- I was surprised that Walsh/Michaud showed up with a completely new short program, and they had their best short program skate probably since 2019 Canadian Nationals, so good for them. The previous competitions were a bit of a struggle this season.
- Ziegler/Kiefer also seemed to have gotten back on track finally, even if this wasn't a perfect skate.

Ice dance
- Sinitsina/Katsalapov are in first as expected. Despite their inflated GOEs, I do like the program.
- Gilles/Poirier got the job done, and it's heartening that they basically matched their SCI RD score outside of Canada.
- Hurtado/Khaliavin are in third as I predicted, but after their weak performance it's only because the Poles blew their shot at taking the bronze medal with their own errors. I really don't know what's going on with these two. At the end of last season it looked like they were consolidating their position as Spain's clear #1, but this year they're a mess and if the Spanish fed was choosing right now it's clear Smart/Diaz would be going to Worlds. H/K have a lot of work to do.
- As mentioned, Kaliszek/Spodyriev blew a golden (well, bronze) opportunity with that egregious flub on the pattern. They're fortunate to even be in fourth, as I'd have them clearly behind the Lithuanians.
- Speaking of them, Reed/Ambrulevicius have two really good programs this year, and they're skating this RD very well. I enjoy hearing Laura Osnes always.
- Not a very good day for recent Junior World champion dance teams. I was especially sad for Marjorie & Zach, since they'd been making steady progress through their first three events, so that error on the Finnstep has to be a bit of a shock.

Live report CoR 2019 day 1 (part 1)

Since CoR moved from Luzhniki to Megasport our (my and my wife’s) ritual has been broken. No more lunch time sitting in the bar at the 60th floor looking at Luzhniki sports center and thinking what we shall see, who will surprise us, who will disappoint us. Just straight going to the venue.
The first week of November broke some temperature records in Moscow. Some flowers in the Botanical garden were fooled to take it for early spring and started to blossom. It finished some days ago – temperature wise it’s business as usual now. Therefore, I put on my warm “Russia” jacket. However, based on our experience we decided not to take pillows to cover the seats. And we were right: it was quite warm inside. We have almost perfect seats in the 7th row at the very middle of the rink.


The view is perfect, the seats are warm, the legroom is good. I thought that I would have enjoyable several hours. Yes, almost, well… Right at the row behind us we had this guy. He also wore Russia jacket and he looked quite normal – an intelligently looking sort of a nice guy. It took me just some minutes to realize that life just cannot be perfect. The guy started to clap the rhythm during performances. Clap? No, it was something else. It was like someone was hitting my ears with sticks. I have never heard that one person could produce such a strong sound with his palms. And it was half a meter from my head. Not only that. About 30 minutes since our arrival the guy for the first time delivered: “OOoooooHHH!” It was like a train whistle when it pulls into a station. And it started to happen every 5 to 10 minutes. The last and the least torturous thing was his: “Davai, Davai!” I decided to suffer with the hope that it won’t repeat tomorrow. But if we have him behind us during the free programs I will have to address him with a very polite request to practice his extraordinary skills during some other occasion…

…We arrived as Ignatov was going through the second part of his program. I saw a stepout on 3A and decided that he was not doing superb. His 87 score was a nice surprise. A good debut. I know that the guy can jump quads. Hope to see him deliver tomorrow.

Samokhin delivered Samokhin. I don’t understand his team. The same thing happens every time. Why does not he try for a change to perform without quads? I see that the guy can skate. It just impossible to connect with his skating knowing that splats are inevitable…

Alexei Krasnozhon is a lighter version of Samokhin. This 4F of his... The success rate is small. It disrupts the program. He basically stopped indicating that the next 10 seconds or so and all next steps will be the preparation for 4F and he fell anyway. He is a good but not a very good skater with so many other things that he could focus on. But anyway, that’s their way and I am not in a position to judge them…

Kazuki Tomono skating was so slow that I thought at times that it was something wrong with him. May be it’s just the way he skates. The jumps that he landed looked beautiful, he a is flexible skater. But his slow speed and his lack of presence on ice make him not a skater that I am interested to follow.

Nam Nguen who was the last in the first group was a good contrast with the previous 3 skaters. I still think that he was more engaging during his best performances – I mean first of all La Strada. He lost a bit of spark together with the speed towards the end of the program. Still overall he was quite enjoyable.

Morisi started the second group. I remember him at my first or second CoR many years ago. Yes, the way he skates and jumps now is a certain progress since then. However, if we compare with the last 2 seasons when he started to receive 230-240 scores, unfortunately the progress is not there. He is very tall for a figure skater. We met him a couple of times. I estimate he is taller than 180. May be it’s just too big a challenge. Wish him all the best – he seems to be a very nice person.

When my wife saw Michal Brezina she was surprised: “what happened to him, is he on a diet”? Yes, Michal looks very slim. And he tries to jump quads again. And he falls. May be no quads in the short program during the last season was not a bad idea after all? His scores were higher. Some other skaters receive very high scores with no quads like Deniss Vasiljevs. I think that it was the best performance of his that I ever saw. He was fast including jet fast sit spin. He was emotional. A very good job, indeed. 87 points without quads may seem high. But there are quadless skaters who easily break 90…

Samarin was also fast. A powerful 4Lz combo was followed by sort of a traditional fall on 4F. But he is on the right track – Nathan Chen’s track. He will never be a skater like Patrick or Yuzuru. He has to jump then and to do whatever is possible skating skills wise. And look, I follow him for the last several years. I watched him live about 10 times now. I am certain – he is getting better. There has been an outcry about his pcs. I cannot challenge or agree with them per se. I just see that he is becoming a better skater (like Chen). For one thing, I used to consider him and Morisi as look alikes. No more: Alexander has made a much more tangible progress…

Shoma’s program can be a masterpiece. The choreo vs. the music are breathtaking. Kudos to the choreographer. Shoma was not breathtaking, though. His jumps are small. I don’t understand how he used to receive +3 on his 3A in 3 max era. His 3A is nothing special. He did a good job with this breathtaking choreo before the fall. After that he sort of lost the energy. At the end of the program when he started the steps (which can be outstanding with a proper delivery) it felt as if his only wish was to finish it.

Dima Aliev was the last. I don’t know if his going to triple vs. quad lutz was intentional – it did not look like a pop. Sad, because with the 2+3 quad layout he could compete for the worlds podium. With 1+2 his biggest aspiration will be just top-10. A beautiful skating in his usual style. May be a little more speed would not hurt. But he was not very slow…

To be continued…

Fantastic report so far!

I look forward to the rest :thumbsup:

I would have had Dmitri - Makar - Alexander in that order, this is just my preference.


I like Stephane and I am glad to see Shoma happy again!


I'm a little bit worried about Lajoie / Lagha. I think they are trying to improve too many things at once. It takes a lot of time to become a top senior ice dancing couple. I hope they bounce back with their Bohemian Rhapsody!

I don't think I've ever seen Zhenya's jumps have the snap that they did here. The training is starting to come together. She has got to work on the spins though, which looked like they regressed some, and she's leaving GOE she needs behind. They were focused on the jumps going into this competition and it showed. I love the SP and I can't wait until she's comfortable enough to let go while skating it. I still think the test skates had the most emotional performance of it, but this was really nice. And of course, that reaction was heartwarming. The first time in a while that she can rest easy going into the FS.

It was strange seeing Sasha get level 4 step sequence when she got level 2 for a much better performance of it. She was held up in scoring, but she is so, so charming.

Haven't had time to watch everyone yet, but here are my highlights:

Thrilled for Evgenia to finally skate the SP the way she does in practice! She looked so smooth and fast - just like at Russian test skates when I fell in love with the program. Glad they took out the lutz- good job, coaching team. Loved seeing Brian so proud of her. I'm glad to see their hard work is finally paying off in competition.

Sasha Trusova remains the most adorable and fierce of the 3A. I love her personality. I did not think her SP looked as clunky as before. I never fail to be impressed when she does her cantilever, even when it seems like a filler move. I think out of the 3A, she's probably the least afraid of Eteri based on watching their interactions. While her quads are amazing and everyone is probably correct in assuming she will win, the pressure on her must be enormous. I think for her to not succumb to pressure and keep performing the way she has, she must have the heart of a lion. I wish her good health and continued success.

I've been afraid to watch Shoma all season based on the reports I hear. I finally watched his SP since I heard it was one of his better performances, and was very impressed. I appreciate the out of box music choice- only Shoma could make something like that work. Like my idol Daisuke, his skating is magical even without any of the jumps. I would rather watch his step sequences than quads any day. Also lovely to see Lambiel cheering him on.

Will have to catch up on the rest later...

Live report CoR 2019 day 1 (part 2)

I like dance…when top teams perform. Otherwise, I am not a big fan. The same is true with my wife. That’s why we decided to skip the first group and have a lunch outside. Same as the last year (we are slaves of habits) we went to a Serbian fish restaurant in a nearby shopping mall. Our initial choice: seabass in salt – was unavailable. The substitute: dorado in salt was also close to perfection.

We rushed back as fast as we could (not really) and we managed to see Hurtado/Khalyavin standing in lobby. They were OK. We proceeded to our seats during the intermission having asked some intruders to vacate them. I looked at “The guy” like the Cat in Shrek. Well, it did not work – he continued to clap even during dance routines.

The only thing which was remarkable about the Polish team were high boot imitation. The rest was the embodiment of why I don’t watch dance. No, I did not like them.

G/P are famous for their creativity. Yes, they were creative and entertaining. Still not my cup of tea. I saw many interesting elements – I did not see a dance of 2 partners. They were also not very fast and their twizzles were not fast either. For me S/K were clearly the best. They got straight to my heart with emotions of youth and happiness. And that was the dance, a very powerful remake of the one in the movie. But that’s me. We had a discussion with my wife – she said that she would consider 2 performances as equal although very different from each other. Anyway, judging by the fact that H/K go third and the Poles who I absolutely did not like go fourth we did not miss much. And the first 2 teams are in the league of their own.

During the break I saw a big organized group of people. It turned out to be the meeting held by Zhenya’s fan group. They gave out posters and distributed yellow stars by throwing them to those who raised the hands.



I expected the same “star shower” like it was during the test skates. But it turned out to be much more modest.
OK, it’s getting very late now so that I will give the gist for the ladies omitting the pairs.

Group 1

Emmi Peltonen. Very powerful, like they say, “mature skating” with good presence. Sad about jumps.

Honguy Chen. It was clear that Misha Ge works with her especially during her very first moves. But it did not look natural – she is too stiff in the back. A lot of work to be done.

Yuhana Yokoi. Just no. It’s “old school Japanese skating”. The new generation and Satoko are on the different level already.

Nicole Schott. Another mature skating. But I liked Emmi’s style more

Ekaterina Ryabova. She is progressing. She lacks charisma of the top Russians. But she is a full package to be competitive with all non-Russian Europeans

Alexia Paganini. It was a good skate for Alexia. I would place her just below Ekaterina – she is placed just above. Not a big issue. Moreover, she has a birthday today. Happy birthday, Alexia!

Group 2

Alexandra Trusova. I checked the protocols. All level 4 this time. Yes, I like it as a fan but objectively speaking, once again, something is just not OK with technical panels. Such inconsistency. Sasha was good but not extraordinary good. Her combo looked wonky same as one of her spins. The steps were quite strong, though. I cannot say if they were exactly the same steps as before or they reworked them. I expected 71-72. 74 was a surprise. But again, Trusova is off-limits, anyway.

Yuna Shiraiwa. Another no from my side

Stanislava Konstantinova. Another disagreement with my wife. I thought that Stasya was generally doing well. She just failed the jumps as usual. My wife said that all her skating was just terrible. I shall rewatch it on TV. May be it’s just my sentiment: she used to be a lightning fast skater with a lot of presence. Alas, no more.

Evgenija Medvedeva. Good old Zhenya. Familiar vibes with familiar jump layout. Good speed, the lightness that I liked about her. Spins are still a bit wonky but it’s overall a big improvement. A very deserved lead with a spot on score.

Mariah Bell. I think that her performance could be more entertaining but it was still a very solid job. I would put Bradie a bit ahead impression wise. But Mariah is a very strong second. An unfortunate fall makes it unreal for her to become second at CoR unless Zhenya loses her concentration tomorrow (I hope, it won’t happen).

Satoko. Satoko and Shoma always had a lot in common. This season they both have non-traditional programs. For me it’s a very big step forward as Satoko was the embodiment of “Japanese boredom style” for me. The program is sublime. She delivers it superbly. And despite she is not a big skater she has quite a good presence because she is fast. Too bad about the missed combo. May be she knows about the critique and was too concentrated to rotate it.

That’s it for day 1. Overall, it was enjoyable. Hope that the free programs will not disappoint.

Really happy to see Nicole Schott get a better start to this competition than she did at Grenoble. And the sight of Michael Huth in the knc matter-of-factly holding a large Hello Kitty toy on his lap was rather charming, too.

Unorganized thoughts from what I was able to watch:

Satoko. NOOOOOO! But I'm holding out hope for her tomorrow. Her FS is bomb. I'm happy to see Mariah consistently challenging. And happy for Zhenya!

S/K: I love their RD, and they perform it incredibly. Their movements (example: twizzles) don't look as refined to me as many of the other top teams, but the judges don't seem to notice. This year's RD theme is right up G/P's ally, and they were able to perform it well outside of Canada. H'K's program was an improvement over their last GP. I hope they can contend for the Worlds spot. And I really enjoy R/A's program this year. All in all, the Rhythm Dance was fun to watch.

My heart, my feelings, my tears are all for Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kolovskii, they are the pair I've been looking for in pairs skating for many years.
I was deeply moved and speechless, no words are needed at this moment, I just felt the lights in their performance shined the whole universe.
If their performance cannot touch your soul, then you don't have one.

Like, can there be a day gentlemen division is predictable?

I love watching Aliev skate so much more than so many others but I have a growing respect for Samarin managing to land that moneymaker combo time after time.

I had no idea who Ignatov was, and was thinking it was going to be Lazukin-Shulepov experience, but I underestimated the desire to have Russian podium.

Yay, Uno is smiling again!

Darn, I guess Nguyen’s hope for the final was slim, but he’s fun & memorable this season.

For ladies, I love Trusova to bits, and I hope that flu doesn’t mess up her free. Clean SP and lots of spank, awesooome!

I’m also sooo glad Medvedeva wasn’t falling like in Canada.

Alas for Mariah, hope for a better free, even though it’s Hallelujah...

Other than that, I didn’t really found new favourites, so ladies was very predictable to me vs gentlemen.

So were pairs, because I can watch B/K all day, and i’m fond & worried for T/M