Evgenia’s body has changed much more significantly than Lilibet’s has. Plus, Eteri is great at packaging junior ladies to seem mature without being out of their range - that is not to say that Lilibet is a junior, but she has been tricky to package because she has been senior for a few years but still has the appearance of a junior / has experienced very little body change.
We also need to consider that Zhenya's been injured and Lil Bet hasn't been
So far, Evgenia's both programs look very generic, and actually terrible in Evgenia's standard. There is not much choreography going on to start with, and her "interpretation" does not look good, especially in the LP. The sp has a more distinct theme, but her movement could be much sharper, if I compare her sp with Mariah Bell's Chicago. I never thought the latter's program was that superb, but at least the movements were more jazzy. I really wish Evgenia worked with Shae-Lynn Bourne, who did wonders for Wakaba and Young You.
Why did Evgenia get a level 1 on her spin? Repeat spin?
She did not do enough revolutions on one position at that spin that is why it was downgraded (like Yuzuru today haha) otherwise she would have won. What a bummerWhy did Evgenia get a level 1 on her spin? Repeat spin?
She looked healthy and happy. She got a silver medal and it was very close. It is seriously not the end of the entire world. She did exactly what she had to do and yes, the performance and execution can (and will) improve but she's had a big life change in the last 10 weeks. It feels longer because we've known about it for a long time but the actual move to Orsar is still very fresh. He can't just snap his fingers and all of a sudden all her faults are gone and fixed. I think she has done as good as she humanly could do with the time that she's had.
I also think it's good for her to keep her lutz in there, it will encourage her to keep actively working on it, and force her to improve and not be lazy. And if there was ever a year to focus on improvement this is the year. Though we go on about it a lot the senior competition at national level isn't actually that strong at the moment and the international competition isn't much better. All that will change next year with the new influx of juniors. Both in Russia and elsewhere. It looks like it is going to be a quiet season for senior women this year so yes, please take the time to focus on growth. That goes for everybody, not just Evgenia, because we don't know when the next quiet season will be as the next three lots of junior Russian, Japanese and Korean graduates are looking very strong atm.
Evgenia is enjoying the journey, and is growing both as a person and as a skater. And more important, she's completely honest on her way. She doesn't try to hide the lutz, but to work on her flaws. i'm convinced that this work will pay back in the future.
And she has something that makes you trust totally in her.
Maybe this season there won't be a clear leading lady. So far both Evgenia and Alina showed their vulnerability.
Obviously, it's too early to judge Zhenya's technical development - changes in the training process (more so with relocation to another country) always cause a decline, usually temporary. The difference of 33 points from Pyeongchang is huge, but with the new judging system it's more understandable.
But what disappoints me now is her programs. Don't get me wrong, these are cute jazz and tango programs, but they are of the Challenger tier, not something a two-time grand slammer really deserves.
Eteri school has always been leaning towards ingenue characters, be it by selection or cultivation. Such characters became an integral part of Zhenya's image, made her unique even among her team members, and eventually led her to the most important victories in her career. But now after adopting two femme fatale characters, Zhenya became ordinary, and now it may take years to master this type to such a level that she will stand out of the line-ups again. If this is really the first time Zhenya has full control over her programs, then I'm all for Eteri's more pragmatic methods.