2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[Mathman]

This appeared totady in my (English) news feed. Alina Zagitova on her "haters" and how she had to struggle not to let them get to her. (My apologies if this has already been posted.)

https://www.rt.com/sport/485766-alina-zagitova-hits-back-haters/

Frankly, I am utterly disgusted with the human race, that a teenaged athlete has "haters." :disagree:

 

[Edwin]

This appeared totady in my (English) news feed. Alina Zagitova on her "haters" and how she had to struggle not to let them get to her. (My apologies if this has already been posted.)

https://www.rt.com/sport/485766-alina-zagitova-hits-back-haters/

Frankly, I am utterly disgusted with the human race, that a teenaged athlete has "haters." :disagree:

With more than 15 years of service and 36K postings, you're a bit late to the "haters ball", aren't you? ;-)

And you'll find this hate also in some so called 'professionals in the sport' with their toxic and immoral attitude, and ventilated by so called 'professional journalists' with an agenda.
And you will find the hate is mostly directed by certain media at certain rinks, skaters and their trainers.

Best learn to ignore it.

 

[Edwin]

“ In some ways, Lukashenko is right about viruses at the rink. ” The tallest skater talks about her parents prohibiting her to train in Belarus

Interview with Viktoriya Safonova - an ex-Russian who is happy with the change of her sports citizenship

Among the talented skaters who the Russian team lost, several female single skaters were supposed to go to the World Championships in Montreal. Yevgeniy Plyushchenko's pupil Yekaterina Ryabova from Azerbaijan, Brian Orser's pupil Yekaterina Kurakova from Poland, Anastasyia Galustyan from Armenia and Viktoriya Safonova from Belarus.
The 16-year-old newly-made Belarusian stands out at least for her height — 176 centimeters are indicated in some sources, Viktoriya herself “counted” 173 - anyway, there is no one taller among participants in the World Championships.

Back in 2019, Viktoriya took 8th place in the junior Championship of Russia, and in the summer she moved to the national team of Belarus and won their National Championship. The best result in the season of 192,49 allowed counting on a high place in Europe, but the tournament in Graz did not work out - Safonova became only 14th. Nevertheless, she had to go to her first World Championship - but it probably will not take place.
About her thoughts to move to Belarus for training and changing sports citizenship, as well as the problem of age qualification and the return of Alina Zagitova, the Russian figure skater told “SE”.

I learn a triple Axel in the countryside.

- Victoria, first of all - where do you isolate yourself?

" I am in Istra, I train every day two times for an hour and a half, run, jump, stretch, strength exercises. In principle, under the conditions of our summer cottage, I can train. I even learn a triple Axel. "

- You represent Belarus, which is the only European country where skating rinks and the entire infrastructure still work. Have you thought about moving there and practicing while the rest are idle?

" There was such an idea, of course, I considered this option. And I wouldn't even mind, but I live in Moscow with my grandmother, and my parents did not want to endanger her health. I could become a carrier of the disease. So me and my parents decided not to risk it. I can’t say that I’m directly offended. In this case, it was decided more by my trainers and parents. "

- Have you seen this interview with Aleksandr Lukashenko at some ice rink, where he says “it's a refrigerator, viruses don't fly here”?

" Yes, I saw that passage. Smiled. On the one hand, he is right that we need to be more comfortable with the situation, on the other hand, a lot of people are already sick, and it’s not just because everyone closes everything. Personally, I have not so many fear, but worries - that’s why I try to wash my hands, wear masks, and observe all the rules. "

- The head coach of the Belarus national team is Oleg Vasil'yev, who is now forced to stay home after five negative tests for coronavirus. They didn't “lock” him out?

" First of all, thank God that they are all negative. Maybe he’s allright at home, actually. Just in case. "

- What do you say - Belarus or Belorussia?

" No matter how much I read on the Internet, I couldn't understand which one is right. (Laughs.) It seems it has always been Belorussia before. Now it's Belarus. It seems that Belarusians want the second option to be used. "

- How are you progressing on your triple Axel?

" So far, I haven't been able to land it, but there are very good attempts, fully rotated. But I’m still not having clean exits. But given the competition that exists now, and the fact that the girls do quads, all this forces us to learn more complex elements. "

- Who are you targeting from the current skaters?

" Choosing between Sasha, Anyai and Alyona, I still like Alyona's skating the most. "

When I moved to Belarus, it seemed that they were eyeing different people

- What is your height now? They write 'about 176 centimeters'.

" It seems to be 173, it has not been measured for a long time. But it seems to me that I’m no longer growing, I haven’t grown at all over this year. "

- Have you ever seen taller people at the rink?

" Not among the girls. "

- You weren't rejected at first, they didn’t say, like, 'what to do with you being so tall'?

" No, the contrary! They said that I have beautiful lines, I need to use this. At first, it caused difficulties, of course, it was unusual. It was especially difficult to handle jumping, but then when you get used to it, everything is fine. "

- When you commented on the transition to the national team of Belarus, you said: “I'm glad you chose me.” So there was a choice?

" I think they chose between several, but honestly, I don’t know who they were. There was a feeling that they ... looked closely at different people. But I’m sure that everything turned out well after the transition, all the conditions. "

- You spent part of your career in Sambo-70, but in the department of Tchaikovsky’s Rink. How did you get there?

" I can only tell about our department, in our group the children just come, skate for assessment, and Oksana, if she appreciates - "stay". Sometimes for a week. About Khrustalniy I don’t know, we operate independently of them. "

- There was no desire to go try yourself for the group of Eteri Tutberidze?

" No, there wasn't. Everything suits me at our rink, we have many halls, ice. Why change? "

- Training loads and strictness, which are much talked about, were a factor?

" Going by the words of the girls that I've read, she jokes a lot, but can also be strict. She praises and scolds. She uses the carrot and stick method. To say that I heard some story about her and because of this I didn't go? No, I can't. "

I want Zagitova to return

- World Championship are worth holding, in your opinion?

" In some ways, I am in favour of holding them, because everyone was preparing for them, training, but at the same time, health is more important, and they will be held in the new season, when new competitions start. Of course, it will be a shame not to go. But if I suddenly ended up in ISU, I don’t know how I would vote. You need to think carefully. "

- Of the other events transferred - ISU Congress, where they could raise the minimum age. Should they raise it?

" Here I have also a double opinion. Yes, it is necessary in the sense that skating at 17 is much more difficult than at 14 or 15, it’s true. But on the other hand, why should they raise it? ISU will decide, let's see what they say. "

- Many skaters have already left figure skating at 17. Would you like, for example, Alina Zagitova to return?

" Yes, I would like her to, that'd be cool. She is a special athlete, Olympic Champion. It would be interesting how she rides on. "

- Her confrontation with Medvyedeva rather played in favour of figure skating? At least in the sense of popularisation?

" Sure. Zhenya and Alina are of great interest to the audience, this is obvious. "

- Was there a skater in your life that pulled you into sports? I read, perhaps, about Carolina Costner?

" So I immediately skated for myself. Yes, I like Carolina, but ... you have to try to be an idol for yourself in order to improve. "

(c) Дмитрий Кузнецов
-----
From: https://www.sport-express.ru/figure...na-pereehala-iz-rossii-v-belorussiyu-1662589/

Viktoriya avoided Kuznetsov's bait

 

[flanker]

Saturday Anna will have live training with Anastasia Kotelnikova:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7CIRoJUwV/

 

[Happy Skates]

Have we heard whether Sinitsina is switching coaches? Part of me wants her to stay where she is and bring her current coach some success. Part of me wants her to get the high scores she deserves but I don’t think she’ll get at Snow Leopards.

I know it’s off topic, but to those of you who speak Russian, and keep up with her social media, how is Aleksandra Soldatova doing recently? I hope she is well.

The only coach that I can see being an improvement for her would be Eteri because she would gain consisntency and might get her triple axel (and maybe a quad) down. Its not like Buianova would help her at all, her skating skills and choreography are already great, she just needs more consistency and maybe a 3A/quad and its not like Buianova would help her with that. I also don't see how Mishin would help her as he seems to be great with jump technique but not a consistency wizard like Tutberidze, and I just couldn't bear to see her with Mishin choreography (her transitions and intricate choreography really make her programs great).

That being said, this is probably the worst season to switch coaches. If the GP does end up happening, she would need to be really prepared to make a senior debut by the end of the summer, and switching to a new coach + rink closures because of the virus is not the best combination for that. If it weren't for the rink closures, I could see it happening, but it just seems so chaotic to do it now. Although switching before the Olympic season isn't great either so its not like she has many options.

 

[flanker]

The only coach that I can see being an improvement for her would be Eteri because she would gain consisntency and might get her triple axel (and maybe a quad) down. Its not like Buianova would help her at all, her skating skills and choreography are already great, she just needs more consistency and maybe a 3A/quad and its not like Buianova would help her with that. I also don't see how Mishin would help her as he seems to be great with jump technique but not a consistency wizard like Tutberidze, and I just couldn't bear to see her with Mishin choreography (her transitions and intricate choreography really make her programs great).

That being said, this is probably the worst season to switch coaches. If the GP does end up happening, she would need to be really prepared to make a senior debut by the end of the summer, and switching to a new coach + rink closures because of the virus is not the best combination for that. If it weren't for the rink closures, I could see it happening, but it just seems so chaotic to do it now. Although switching before the Olympic season isn't great either so its not like she has many options.

Davydov could help with the jumps but as for the choreo it would be similar to Mishin, because whatever strong sides CSKA skaters have, choreo is not among them. Still, somehow I would like to see Kseniia remain with Panova, because Snow Leopards have many strong sides and I think it is necessary to have at least one more strong team. Though, and I don't care if it sounds like gender stereotypes, Panova should hire at least one strong man coach precisely for training quads in harness with her girls.

 

[eterislouisvuitton]

Davydou could help with the jumps but as for the choreo it would be similar to Mishin, because whatever strong sides CSKA skaters have, choreo is not among them. Still, somehow I would like to see Kseniia remain with Panova, because Snow Leopards have many strong sides and I think it is necessary to have at least one more strong team. Though, and I don't care if it sounds like gender stereotypes, Panova should hire at least one strong man coach precisely for training quads in harness with her girls.

One thing that might not be very relevant to the discussion: Davydov's novice girls, Samodelkina and Berestovskaia, have very hunched takeoffs on their jumps. This is a problem that could worsen as they grow, but I hope it won't get too bad. I don't know what it does for their jumps, but it truly is quite a distraction from their other lovely qualities.

Sinitsyna might switch coaches, but if she was going to wouldn't she have done it by now since she wasn't selected for jr worlds and her season was over after jr nationals? I think she is happy with the progress that she is making in Snow Leopards, but the political influence will never get her where she deserves. I hope growth is kind to her. Well, this is truly becoming ice dance!

Also, how is Soldatova? Now that the olympics are postponed she has some time to push through if she wants to, the Averinas are constantly injured so Kramarenko and the others have a good chance whereas if they were this year, the Averinas would have dominated.

 

[flanker]

One thing that might not be very relevant to the discussion: Davydov's novice girls, Samodelkina and Berestovskaia, have very hunched takeoffs on their jumps. This is a problem that could worsen as they grow, but I hope it won't get too bad. I don't know what it does for their jumps, but it truly is quite a distraction from their other lovely qualities.

Sinitsyna might switch coaches, but if she was going to wouldn't she have done it by now since she wasn't selected for jr worlds and her season was over after jr nationals? I think she is happy with the progress that she is making in Snow Leopards, but the political influence will never get her where she deserves. I hope growth is kind to her. Well, this is truly becoming ice dance!

Also, how is Soldatova? Now that the olympics are postponed she has some time to push through if she wants to, the Averinas are constantly injured so Kramarenko and the others have a good chance whereas if they were this year, the Averinas would have dominated.

C'mon, we've talked about this already. Ksenia definitely can't complain about the lack of opportunities. JWC, JGP/JGPF, WCAISG, YOG, russian senior/junior nationals.

 

[Gabby30]

This appeared totady in my (English) news feed. Alina Zagitova on her "haters" and how she had to struggle not to let them get to her. (My apologies if this has already been posted.)

https://www.rt.com/sport/485766-alina-zagitova-hits-back-haters/

Frankly, I am utterly disgusted with the human race, that a teenaged athlete has "haters." :disagree:

Everybody has "haters". But it bothers you because it's about Zagitova? Why should she be an exception? Maybe you should check out what people say to/about Sotnikova since 2014

 

[macy]

Everybody has "haters". But it bothers you because it's about Zagitova? Why should she be an exception? Maybe you should check out what people say to/about Sotnikova since 2014 ��

i didn't see any indication that Mathman is only upset about Zagitova, rather he said "a teenaged athlete" which i interpret more as expressing frustration that these underage children athletes in general have haters.

 

[JazzUp]

ISU Statement - Definite cancellation of pending 2020 ISU Championships

we still might get the ISU Skating Awards:

In regard to the planning of the 2020/21 skating season and considering the uncertain development of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the staging of international sports events, the ISU Council will hold another on-line meeting on April 28 when different scenarios of the COVID-19 developments and impact on the ISU Event calendar will be discussed. The objective is to work out and communicate to all stakeholders options suitable for different scenarios in order to limit the uncertainty to the strict minimum. This evaluation will also consider the ISU Skating Awards in Figure Skating.

 

[Edwin]

LOL, who really cares about ISU Skating Awards other than the few specific ‘stakeholders‘ that have a definite commercial interest in those awards.

More interesting is what ISU will decide over GP and JGP events. But what can they do if the local OC’s cancel the stages due to their specific circumstances?

It’s still way too early to make any plans.

 

[JazzUp]

ISU VP Lakernik says that at the moment, no one in ISU can answer the question whether the Grand Prix series will take place next season.

 

[brakes]

FFKKR launched a new magazine - World of Figure Skating: https://fsrussia.ru/news/4993-nomer-zhurnala-mir-figurnogo-kataniya-1-2020.html

Now we only need a link to the .pdf ....

https://fsrussia.ru/mir-figurnogo-kataniya.html#2020-god - click on the date and read in a browser or right click and "save as" to download and view in pdf viewer on your device

I really like reading these, you can copy/paste it into google translater if you need. Many interesting info you won't find anywhere else, especially technicalities of Russian Fed functioning.

 

[Arbitrary]

It's a matter of time till every adept of the Great Theory of Conspiracy will be believing that the whole COVID-19 nonsense is orchestrated only to strip Russia off few medals. In the FS, in the ice-hockey etc.
Well, succeeded. The price is a little high...

 

[brakes]

Random quarantine thought: Adelina Sotnikova could have had quad, if she'd trained it.

Can't see Lipnitskaya, Radionova, Pogorilaya, Sotskova and many great Russian skaters from the past being able to perform it, but Adelina absolutely yes. Watch her triple toe loops from her peak seasons and notice how much space cushion there was at the landings. Very athletically gifted girl.

 

[kmw227]

LOL, who really cares about ISU Skating Awards other than the few specific ‘stakeholders‘ that have a definite commercial interest in those awards.

More interesting is what ISU will decide over GP and JGP events. But what can they do if the local OC’s cancel the stages due to their specific circumstances?

It’s still way too early to make any plans.

I hope they'll at least be able to hold the events without spectators by that point. JGP events usually don't draw huge crowds (aside from Chelyabinsk, of course, but that was an anomaly) so those might be able to be held as normal.

 

[Tolstoj]

Random quarantine thought: Adelina Sotnikova could have had quad, if she'd trained it.

Can't see Lipnitskaya, Radionova, Pogorilaya, Sotskova and many great Russian skaters from the past being able to perform it, but Adelina absolutely yes. Watch her triple toe loops from her peak seasons and notice how much space cushion there was at the landings. Very athletically gifted girl.

The height and distance was there for sure, i'd even say the 2a when she does the 2a-3t in the long is so massive that could be 3a.

Mentally though i don't know if that was even possible. At the time (and still today) many believe ladies quads is not a thing, Eteri skaters do it but with many caveats being the young age and the extremely thin body for the fast rotation.

Anyway i'm also rewatching old performances these days, one thing i noticed in the pre 2014 era, 3-3s were definitely more rare but when you saw one, it was so trained, sometimes the skater just flies into it with so much confidence.

One of the clearest examples of that was Laura Lepisto's 3t-3t, very inconsistent skater, but her 3-3 was always massive and done at insane speed, i'd love to see that flawless execution in current figure skating.

It's the zero wait in between the two element that makes it so special, i think you can train that.

 

[brakes]

Mentally though i don't know if that was even possible. At the time (and still today) many believe ladies quads is not a thing, Eteri skaters do it but with many caveats being the young age and the extremely thin body for the fast rotation.

At first, wanted to write some snarky comment regarding Adelina's mental toughness, but as much as inconsistent performer, she was quite tough in training, wasn't she? :think:
I remember Buyanova talking about her overcoming puberty issues before Sochi, which must have been hard task for her.

 

[Tolstoj]

At first, wanted to write some snarky comment regarding Adelina's mental toughness, but as much as inconsistent performer, she was quite tough in training, wasn't she? :think:
I remember Buyanova talking about her overcoming puberty issues before Sochi, which must have been hard task for her.

Oh yeah from what we've heard from media journalists, she was always a nice girl but super aggressive in practice, fighting for everything.

It's just in competition i guess it was often nerves issue, you could often see even silly mistakes in the gala performances, but she made it happen in the end, good for her to end on a high note. It's a bit sad her comeback didn't fully work, mostly due to the injuries, cause i think she deserved better than all the backlash she got after Sochi.