- Joined
- Jan 5, 2019
" Fragile Elf with unyielding character. Analysis of the phenomenon that is Anna Shcherbakova, Russia's best figure skater "
Why does Shcherbakova have high chances to painlessly deal with the consequences of quarantine?
Match TV presents a series of articles about the best Russian figure skaters. We have already talked about the career of European Champion Alyona Kostornaya, now it's about the phenomenon of two-time Russian Champion Anna Shcherbakova.
The Championships of Russia in figure skating among women has an exorbitant level of competition over the past four years, psychological pressure and awareness of the cost of errors in the face of the possibility of further continuation of the season. In order to cope with all this, one needs not only to be in optimal shape, but also not flinch while being on the same ice next to the winners of the most serious competitions from different years.
The modern reality of winning the Russian Championships is like getting out of a cage with hungry tigers alive. Anna Shcherbakova did it twice, and perhaps this is one of her most capacious characteristics as an athlete.
Thin and fragile, on ice Anna gives the impression of an ethereal elf, but the three most difficult quadruple jumps make everyone around notice this elf.
At the same time, the example of Shcherbakova clearly shows that even if you are able to collect three quads in one free program, the triple Axel continues to play a victorious role in women's single skating. Mostly, of course, because it is allowed in a short program, unlike quadruple jumps. But since in the foreseeable future the International Skating Union is not going to legalise quads in the short program, the skaters will play according to these rules.
The maths is simple. If you leave the short program behind the brackets, Anna surpasses Alyona Kostornaya by about 16 points in her base value of jumps. Three times Shcherbakova met with Kostornaya at competitions in the 2019/2020 season and three times won her free program. This was repeated even at the European Championship, taking into account three under rotations, greatly reducing the base value and affecting the GOE. But at the same time, only once did Shcherbakova’s advantage in the free program cover her lag after the short program - just at the Russian Championships.
Only one turn of the Axel, Anna was inferior to Alyona at different starts from 7 to 10 points. At the same time, at the European Championships, there was no longer a significant gap between them in the second assessment - within two points iover the sum of two programs, and they both fell the same number - one time. That is, it was a real War of the Roses: who will be stronger in jumping and non-jumping elements.
Specialists and “specialists” will tell you different things about Anna’s jumping technique. There is, for example, the opinion that she jumps with considerable preprotection - she conceals part of the turnover at the moment of repulsion. It will be fair to accept the fact that while the rules do not provide for punishment for prerotation, claims to Shcherbakova cheating her jumps are groundless. Otherwise, all the criteria are met - difficult approaches and exits, altitude and span.
These days, Anna, like all other athletes, is trying to keep fit with domestic exercising and is anxiously waiting for how long the absence of ice will last. However, she supposedly had the best chance to get out of self-isolation with the least losses - three years ago Shcherbakova had to experience months of skipping workouts. At the summer training camp before the 2017/2018 season, the skater broke her leg on a simple Lutz-Rittberger cascade. The recovery was long and painful - according to Anna, it helped her that then she did not participate in international competitions. Without forcing, she learned to walk, skate and jump again, and then returned with the quadruple Lutz.
Where does tender Anna draw her strength from? She grew up in a close-knit family and seems very attached to her parents and siblings. Both in joy and in sorrow they spend time with a large company in a country house. So at first, without Internet, they cheerfully celebrated New Year 2020, chorusing out every blow of the chimes, and now everyone together is waiting for the end of self-isolation - in addition to Anna and her sisters and her parents, an aunt and cousin still live with them. Unfortunately, a few days ago, Anya lost a friend - her beloved dog Boni died.
In an interview at the beginning of season, Anna talked about her daily routine. Judging by how much time she devotes to school and tutors, along with training, the questions are “how?” and when?" about her English and general education disappear by themselves.
At the age of 16, Shcherbakova is almost the best in English from the national team - at least among those who have never trained in Europe or America. She also has an amazingly competent speech, which, when deciphering comments from the mixed zone, in practice never has to be edited.
But, perhaps, the greatest gift of the clever Shcherbakova is in her internal natural magnetism. As soon as the music starts and she begins to move, it is already impossible to take your eyes off the elegant figure on the ice. She does not demolish the audience on the spot with a tsunami of energy, as Aleksandra Trusova does, she does not conquer with open sincerity, like the laughing Alyona Kostornaya. Shcherbakova is a warrior from the future, whose superpowers are intelligence and empathy. Perhaps these qualities attracted sponsors in Anna - she has recently become an athlete of the cult brand of sportswear.
Eteri Tutberidze, under whose guidance Anna has been working for the past 7 years, could not miss this magnetism nor the bright individuality of the skater. All of Shcherbakova’s programs from her conscious sporting age are mystical and attractive. Like “Dreamcatcher”, like “A Comme Amour”, like “Rondo Capriccioso”, and lately “Firebird”. Standing out is "Perfumer" - Anna's short program this season. Anna was so convincing in her performance it was almost creepy. Somehow, she managed to convey the flair of that very perfect fragrance that the brutal killer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille created at a terrible price of ruined life.
(c) Анастасия Панина
----
From: https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m..._luchshej_figuristki_Rossii_Anny_Shherbakovoj
Why does Shcherbakova have high chances to painlessly deal with the consequences of quarantine?
Match TV presents a series of articles about the best Russian figure skaters. We have already talked about the career of European Champion Alyona Kostornaya, now it's about the phenomenon of two-time Russian Champion Anna Shcherbakova.
The Championships of Russia in figure skating among women has an exorbitant level of competition over the past four years, psychological pressure and awareness of the cost of errors in the face of the possibility of further continuation of the season. In order to cope with all this, one needs not only to be in optimal shape, but also not flinch while being on the same ice next to the winners of the most serious competitions from different years.
The modern reality of winning the Russian Championships is like getting out of a cage with hungry tigers alive. Anna Shcherbakova did it twice, and perhaps this is one of her most capacious characteristics as an athlete.
Thin and fragile, on ice Anna gives the impression of an ethereal elf, but the three most difficult quadruple jumps make everyone around notice this elf.
At the same time, the example of Shcherbakova clearly shows that even if you are able to collect three quads in one free program, the triple Axel continues to play a victorious role in women's single skating. Mostly, of course, because it is allowed in a short program, unlike quadruple jumps. But since in the foreseeable future the International Skating Union is not going to legalise quads in the short program, the skaters will play according to these rules.
The maths is simple. If you leave the short program behind the brackets, Anna surpasses Alyona Kostornaya by about 16 points in her base value of jumps. Three times Shcherbakova met with Kostornaya at competitions in the 2019/2020 season and three times won her free program. This was repeated even at the European Championship, taking into account three under rotations, greatly reducing the base value and affecting the GOE. But at the same time, only once did Shcherbakova’s advantage in the free program cover her lag after the short program - just at the Russian Championships.
Only one turn of the Axel, Anna was inferior to Alyona at different starts from 7 to 10 points. At the same time, at the European Championships, there was no longer a significant gap between them in the second assessment - within two points iover the sum of two programs, and they both fell the same number - one time. That is, it was a real War of the Roses: who will be stronger in jumping and non-jumping elements.
Specialists and “specialists” will tell you different things about Anna’s jumping technique. There is, for example, the opinion that she jumps with considerable preprotection - she conceals part of the turnover at the moment of repulsion. It will be fair to accept the fact that while the rules do not provide for punishment for prerotation, claims to Shcherbakova cheating her jumps are groundless. Otherwise, all the criteria are met - difficult approaches and exits, altitude and span.
These days, Anna, like all other athletes, is trying to keep fit with domestic exercising and is anxiously waiting for how long the absence of ice will last. However, she supposedly had the best chance to get out of self-isolation with the least losses - three years ago Shcherbakova had to experience months of skipping workouts. At the summer training camp before the 2017/2018 season, the skater broke her leg on a simple Lutz-Rittberger cascade. The recovery was long and painful - according to Anna, it helped her that then she did not participate in international competitions. Without forcing, she learned to walk, skate and jump again, and then returned with the quadruple Lutz.
Where does tender Anna draw her strength from? She grew up in a close-knit family and seems very attached to her parents and siblings. Both in joy and in sorrow they spend time with a large company in a country house. So at first, without Internet, they cheerfully celebrated New Year 2020, chorusing out every blow of the chimes, and now everyone together is waiting for the end of self-isolation - in addition to Anna and her sisters and her parents, an aunt and cousin still live with them. Unfortunately, a few days ago, Anya lost a friend - her beloved dog Boni died.
In an interview at the beginning of season, Anna talked about her daily routine. Judging by how much time she devotes to school and tutors, along with training, the questions are “how?” and when?" about her English and general education disappear by themselves.
At the age of 16, Shcherbakova is almost the best in English from the national team - at least among those who have never trained in Europe or America. She also has an amazingly competent speech, which, when deciphering comments from the mixed zone, in practice never has to be edited.
But, perhaps, the greatest gift of the clever Shcherbakova is in her internal natural magnetism. As soon as the music starts and she begins to move, it is already impossible to take your eyes off the elegant figure on the ice. She does not demolish the audience on the spot with a tsunami of energy, as Aleksandra Trusova does, she does not conquer with open sincerity, like the laughing Alyona Kostornaya. Shcherbakova is a warrior from the future, whose superpowers are intelligence and empathy. Perhaps these qualities attracted sponsors in Anna - she has recently become an athlete of the cult brand of sportswear.
Eteri Tutberidze, under whose guidance Anna has been working for the past 7 years, could not miss this magnetism nor the bright individuality of the skater. All of Shcherbakova’s programs from her conscious sporting age are mystical and attractive. Like “Dreamcatcher”, like “A Comme Amour”, like “Rondo Capriccioso”, and lately “Firebird”. Standing out is "Perfumer" - Anna's short program this season. Anna was so convincing in her performance it was almost creepy. Somehow, she managed to convey the flair of that very perfect fragrance that the brutal killer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille created at a terrible price of ruined life.
(c) Анастасия Панина
----
From: https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m..._luchshej_figuristki_Rossii_Anny_Shherbakovoj
He is about 4 months old. He was found in a box with his brothers and sisters quite a baby. It’s good that there were people who took care of them. Our baby even got into the house, but then for some reason he was returned back to the shelter, from where he got to us. So far a little scared, but very active and smart��
