Team Cyprus

[CaroLiza_fan]

No, unfortunately, this is not an announcement that the results from Nationals have finally been posted. Because they haven't.

But, there are a couple of announcements.

As I have already mentioned in the country changes thread, a skater who has been representing Estonia for the past 2 seasons is returning to the Cypriot team. (She last competed at the Cyprus Championships in 2019, but I don't know how she got on because the scores for the Beginner level competitions were not published). I am not naming her because of her age (I think she is only 9 or 10 years old), but she has been training with Anna Levandi.

I am very excited, because she has turned into a very promising prospect. Rink Results has 9 competitions listed on her page, all of which had big fields. And she was on the podium in SIX of them (2 Bronze Medals; 3 Silver Medals; 1 Gold Medal), including her last four competitions.

After one competition at Chicks level (where she won the Silver Medal), most of her competitions for Estonia have been at Cubs level. She has also competed at Basic Novice level twice, winning the Gold Medal in the most recent of them (January 2023).

I don't know what level she plans to compete at when she returns to Cyprus. But, given that she has already won a Basic Novice competition, I would guess that she will be competing at one of the Novice levels.

WELCOME BACK, AND ALL THE BEST!!!

---

The second announcement is a personal one.

Apart from a few months in 2017, I have been using photos that feature Daniella Vanessa Ipsarides and / or Giorgia Isabella Sechi as my avatar for the past seven seasons.

The first, which I used from September 2016 to March 2017, was a photo of Daniella with Liza Tuktamysheva. It was taken backstage at the 2016 Sarajevo Open, which they both competed in:



From October 2017 to June 2019, I used a photo of Giorgia with me, which was taken when I met her at her family's restaurant in Paphos:



Exactly four years today, in June 2019, I started using as my avatar a picture of Daniella Vanessa Ipsarides and Giorgia Isabella Sechi that was taken at the 2019 Cyprus Championships:



In case you are wondering what the trophies are for, Daniella's was an achievement award (she had retired from competing the previous summer, and this was to recognise her career). Giorgia's was for finishing 3rd in the Junior Ladies competition.

What I did not realise at the time was that this event would be Giorgia's swansong. And, as a result, both skaters in my avatar had already completed their skating careers when I started using it.

Cyprus now has a new generation of skaters competing, and they are bringing a lot of success to the island. Although I feel sorry to leave Daniella and Giorgia behind, I feel that now is the right time to recognise this new generation.

Here is my new avatar, featuring Stefania Yakovleva, Marilena Kitromilis, Angelina Kudryavtseva, and Ilia Karankevich, which was taken at the 2023 Cyprus Championships:



I wish them all the best for the seasons to come.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

It's 16th August again, the anniversary of when Cyprus gained it's independence from the UK in 1960. And, traditionally, I would wait until this date to make changes to the Team Cyprus Fan Fest. Things like adding profiles for new members of the team, or splitting skaters off into their own threads. However, there are no major changes to make this year. So, instead, I put up a post in Stefania's thread, and another post in Angelina / Ilia's thread.

All day, I have felt uncomfortable that I didn't post in this thread. It is now coming towards the end of the day, so I am here now to put that right.

First of all, there is still no sign of any results from Nationals in May.

Secondly, we now know both of the Junior Grand Prix events that Angelina and Ilia are due to compete at, and the first of the Junior Grand Prix events that Stefania is due to compete at:

Date​	Competition​	Location​	Skaters​
30th August – 2nd September 2023	JGP2: Cup Of Austria	Linz, AUT	Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich
6th – 9th September 2023	JGP3: Istanbul	Istanbul, TUR	Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich
13th – 16th September 2023	JGP4: Osaka	Osaka, JPN	Stefania Yakoveva
27th – 30th September 2023	JGP6: Solidarity Cup	Gdańsk, POL	Stefania Yakoveva

EDIT (29th August 2023): Added in Stefania's second Junior GP assignment.​

We also now know what music they will be skating to.

Ice Dance​	Short Dance​	Free Dance​
Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich	“Like A Prayer” by Madonna “Pray For Spanish Eyes” by Madonna “Material Girl” by Madonna	“Le Notti Di Cabiria” by Nino Rota

Ladies​	Short Programme​	Free Skate​
Stefania Yakoveva	“Schindler’s List” by John Williams	“Cirque Du Soleil Selection”

For my thoughts on all these pieces of news, and also links to some recent Instagram posts, see the following posts in their own threads:

Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich - https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/posts/3144142

Stefania Yakoveva - https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/posts/3146074

As it stands, I don't know if there will be anybody else representing Cyprus internationally this season. Hopefully there will be. And if and when they compete, I will post about them in this thread.

Incidentally, I am in the process of rolling out a new format for the "Programmes" section of my Fan Fest threads. And I am pleased to announce that all the profiles for the Cypriot skaters, be they in this thread or in their own thread, have now been changed to the new format. I hope you like it.

So, here's to another season for the Cypriot skaters!

ALL THE BEST EVERYBODY!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Keachri]

It's 16th August again, the anniversary of when Cyprus gained it's independence from the UK in 1960. And, traditionally, I would wait until this date to make changes to the Team Cyprus Fan Fest. Things like adding profiles for new members of the team, or splitting skaters off into their own threads. However, there are no major changes to make this year. So, instead, I put up a post in Stefania's thread, and another post in Angelina / Ilia's thread.

All day, I have felt uncomfortable that I didn't post in this thread. It is now coming towards the end of the day, so I am here now to put that right.

First of all, there is still no sign of any results from Nationals in May.

Secondly, we now know both of the Junior Grand Prix events that Angelina and Ilia are due to compete at, and the first of the Junior Grand Prix events that Stefania is due to compete at:

Date​	Competition​	Location​	Skaters​
30th August – 2nd September 2023	JGP2: Cup Of Austria	Linz, AUT	Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich
6th – 9th September 2023	JGP3: Istanbul	Istanbul, TUR	Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich
13th – 16th September 2023	JGP4: Osaka	Osaka, JPN	Stefania Yakoveva
27th – 30th September 2023	JGP6: Solidarity Cup	Gdańsk, POL	Stefania Yakoveva

EDIT (29th August 2023): Added in Stefania's second Junior GP assignment.​

We also now know what music they will be skating to.

Ice Dance​	Short Dance​	Free Dance​
Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich	“Like A Prayer” by Madonna “Pray For Spanish Eyes” by Madonna “Material Girl” by Madonna	“Le Notti Di Cabiria” by Nino Rota

Ladies​	Short Programme​	Free Skate​
Stefania Yakoveva	“Schindler’s List” by John Williams	“Cirque Du Soleil Selection”

For my thoughts on all these pieces of news, and also links to some recent Instagram posts, see the following posts in their own threads:

Angelina Kudryavtseva / Ilia Karankevich - https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/posts/3144142

Stefania Yakoveva - https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/posts/3146074

As it stands, I don't know if there will be anybody else representing Cyprus internationally this season. Hopefully there will be. And if and when they compete, I will post about them in this thread.

Incidentally, I am in the process of rolling out a new format for the "Programmes" section of my Fan Fest threads. And I am pleased to announce that all the profiles for the Cypriot skaters, be they in this thread or in their own thread, have now been changed to the new format. I hope you like it.

So, here's to another season for the Cypriot skaters!

ALL THE BEST EVERYBODY!!!

CaroLiza_fan

Marilena Kitromilis? Her Information?

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Marilena Kitromilis? Her Information?

Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything about Marilena's plans yet. And I was lamenting that when I posted a birthday greeting in her dedicated Fan Fest a few days ago.

That said, Oliviia Bazlova (who is returning to skating for Cyprus this season after representing Estonia last season) is only starting off her 2023-24 Season campaign on 5th November at the Volvo Open. So you never know, Marilena may appear at an event shortly after that.

Unfortunately, how far in advance the entry lists for Senior B's are released varies greatly. So, it can be quite late that we find out who is competing at them. But, there are plenty of Senior B's between now and Europeans. And Marilena already has all the minimum TES's for Europeans and Worlds. So, apart from getting a feel of where she is at compared to other skaters, there is no urgent need to rush back to competition just yet.

But, if we still haven't seen her in a month from now, I would be getting more concerned.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

That said, Oliviia Bazlova (who is returning to skating for Cyprus this season after representing Estonia last season) is only starting off her 2023-24 Season campaign on 5th November at the Volvo Open.

I apologise. it turns out that Olivia has already started her season, competing in domestic competitions in Estonia.


Olympic Autumn Cup: 30 September – 01 October 2023

Olympic Autumn Cup Cubs A 2013/14 Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Olympic Autumn Cup Cubs A 2013/14 Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 2nd out of 8 in the FS and overall, with a score of 31.58.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 8.06 points behind 1st position, and 2.62 points ahead of 3rd position.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!


Olympic Autumn Cup Basic Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Olympic Autumn Cup Basic Novice Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 1st out of 19 in the FS and overall, with a score of 40.41.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 4.05 points ahead of 2nd position, and 5.54 points ahead of 3rd position.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!


Tartu Cup: 07–08 October 2023

Tartu Cup Cubs A Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Tartu Cup Cubs A Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 2nd out of 12 in the FS and overall, with a score of 37.53.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 2.74 points behind 1st position, and 0.98 points ahead of 3rd position.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!


Tartu Cup Basic Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Tartu Cup Basic Novice Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 3rd out of 20 in the FS and overall, with a score of 37.88.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 0.84 points behind 2nd position, and 0.37 points ahead of 3rd position.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!


She will be competing again tomorrow at the Gliss Extra event in Tallinn. But it will just be at Cubs level this time.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oliviia is back in action today at Gliss Extra in Tallinn, Estonia.

The Cubs A Ladies FS is due to start today at 13:40:01 EEST (10:40:01 GMT / 11:40:01 BST). So 4 hours from now.

Oliviia will be the 8th skater to start. So, fourth skater to go in Group 2 (and antepenultimate skater of the segment).

And that is as much as I can say at the moment, because the Entries /Results page has gone up the creek, with the links taking you to the wrong pages.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/96607/

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

OLIVIIA WON THE GOLD MEDAL!!!



Gliss Extra Cubs A Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Gliss Extra Cubs A Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 1st out of 10 in the FS and overall, with a score of 44.57.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

I think this is the first time I have done this type of post for a skater this young, but I've a kid coming on now.

During the Warm-Up, I was keeping an eye on Oliviia, and everything she was doing looked effortless. She was throwing out jumps like they were going out of fashion!

So, hopefully everything will be effortless now when it counts!

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

Here is what I wrote about her programme:

Ah, she's still using the "Bolero" programme she was using last season.

I said everything was effortless during the Warm-Up. Well, it still was during the programme.

Absolutely flawless.

She's got a cuddly something wearing a tigerprint hoodie!

Anna and another coach who is wearing a jacket with a Norwegian flag on it are sitting with her, and they all look happy.

She scores 44.57 and goes into a 4.91 point lead with 2 still to skate.

Oliviia can't believe it! The coaches look so proud of her!

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote after the final skater got her scores:

Just a footnote before going onto the next competition (and before I go to have my dinner).

OLIVIIA WON!!!



WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

I wasn't exaggerating either about how good it looked. There was only one minus number in the whole of the Protocols for her programme. And that was a -1 from Judge 3 for her penultiamte element, the Double Lutz-Double Toe combination. The other Judges gave it 0; and it also got 0.00 in GOE.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 4.91 points ahead of 2nd position, and 8.86 points ahead of 3rd position.

The encouraging thing is that the girl who finished 2nd at Gliss Extra is the girl that beat Oliviia to the Gold Medal in the Cubs A competitions at both the Olympic Autumn Cup and the Tartu Cup. It shows Oliviia that this girl can make mistakes, and is beatable. And that will give Oliviia confidence going forwards.

The next time we see Oliviia will be her first international appearance since her return to the Cypriot team. She will be competing at Basic Novice level at the Volvo Open in Latvia.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oliviia will be making her first international appearance for Cyprus tomorrow at the 50th edition of the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia, where she will be competing in the older Basic Novice division. And this is a happy hunting ground for Oliviia, as she won the Gold Medal in the younger Basic Novice division at the 48th edition of this event back in January.

The Basic Novice 2010-2012 Ladies FS is due to start tomorrow at 09:45 EET (07:45 GMT). So 11 hours from now.

Oliviia will be the 9th skater to start. So, second skater to go in Group 2.

The Group 2 Warm-Up is due to start at 10:30 EET (08:30 GMT). So 11h 45m from now.

And that is as much as I can say, because the Time Schedule PDF's don't work.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95812

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

OLIVIIA WON THE GOLD MEDAL!!!



Volvo Open Cup Basic Novice 2010-2012 Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Volvo Open Cup Basic Novice 2010-2012 Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 1st out of 29 in the FS and overall, with a score of 46.41.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

Not a great camera position for the Warm-Up. We saw Oliviia lining up lots of jumps, but every one of them was done outside of camera shot.

You can tell that she is new to this age division. Because she was tiny compared to the other girls on the ice with her!

But, now that the first skater in the group has finished, it is time for Oliviia to do her programme.

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!

CaroLiza_fan​

Here is what I wrote about her programme:

Oh, different pogramme. "Bolero" must just be for Cubs competitions this season.

Don't know the music at all. But, she was definitely going for the spooky theme!

Just about landed the first jump.

Everything else was effortless!

Don't know who the two ladies with her are (Anna is in Astana with Arlet).

EDIT: The lady with the black hair in the black coat is 2006 Estonian Senior Ladies Champion Jelena Muhhina; and the lady with the blonde hair in the cream coat is Oliviia's Mum!​

Into the lead with a score of 46.41.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote after the final skater got her scores:

Getting back to the older girls...

OLIVIIA WON THE GOLD MEDAL!!!



Not bad for what is not just her first international competition representing Cyprus, but is also her first competition in the older Basic Novice division.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!! ​

Looking at the Protocols, her first two elements were both Double Axels. But, whereas I thought they both looked great, they got different reactions from the people that mattered. The first one got GOE of +0.25; and 0's from two Judges; +1 from Judge 3; and +2 from Judge 1. The second one got GOE of -0.17; -1 from three Judges; and +1 from Judge 1.

I was so puzzled by this there now that I went back to the archived livestream to look at them, and thankfully the stream is still there. On the landing of the second Double Axel, her right heel momentarily went up so that only the front part of her blade was on the ice. I don't know if that was the reason, but it is the only thing I can think of.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 3.51 points ahead of 2nd position, and 4.96 points ahead of 3rd position.

This wee girl is extremely promising. Skaters from Cyprus have traditionally not moved up to the next level until they age out of the level they are currently in. I really hope Anna does not take this approach with Oliviia. I hope Oliviia gets to move up levels as soon as she is old enough to. It would be a travesty if she didn't. She is that good!

I can't wait to see Oliviia in Advanced Novice level. And Junior level after that.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just enjoy this moment.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

New team member Varvara Abramkina will be in action this week at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, and again next week at Skate Celje in Celje, Slovenia. She is competing at Advanced Novice level.

I hadn't come across Varvara before this week, so I have been digging around trying to find out information about her. And although I couldn't find too much, I did find something interesting. Tomorrow won't be Varvara's first time skating at the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia. She competed in the 2022 Priz Victoria at that rink last October as an "Out Of Competition" Advanced Novice skater. She scored:

• 26.81 in the SP, which would have put her 8th out of 11 in the main competition
• 49.24 in the FS, which would have put her 8th out of 11 in the main competition
• 76.05 overall, which would have put her 8th out of 11 in the main competition

You can't say she wasn't consistent!

Incidentally, of the girls that were competing in that event, only three are in the Advanced Novice competition this week. And two of them scored lower than Varvara. The only skater that scored higher than Varvara that is up against her this week is another of my kids, Vayana Hristova.

Varvara was down in the Entries as representing Cyprus, so I guess she wasn't able to compete properly because she was under embargo due to a country change. And it would appear that the country she has switched from is Russia.

The name "Varvara Abramkina" appears on quite a few results tables on All Skaters, and every one of them was for an event in the Moscow area. So, assuming that it is the same girl, I think it is safe to say that she is from somewhere in or around Moscow. And I have managed to find a profile on a general sports site for a skater from Odintsovo that fits everything. She turns 13 in just over a month from now, so I will post more of the details I have found out about her then.

In the meantime, all the best to her in Sofia and in Celje!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be making her first international appearance of the season today at the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start today at 16:45:00 EET (14:45:00 GMT / 17:45:00 MSK). So 8 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 2nd skater to start. So, second skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 16:45:00 EET (14:45:00 GMT / 17:45:00 MSK). So 8 hours from now.

Varvara is due to start at 16:54:20 EET (14:54:20 GMT / 17:54:20 MSK). So 8h 09m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95813

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denkova-Staviski Cup Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 2nd out of 24 in the SP, with a score of 35.00.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

Thank goodness Varvara was wearing her Team Cyprus jacket during the Warm-Up, because I didn't know what she looked like going into this event!

She tended to be doing her jumps at the far corner of the rink to where the camera was, so it was hard to see how they were going.

But she and the Serbian girl that skated before her seemed to be tiny compared to the other girls in the group.

Anyway, here she is now.

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

Beautiful Royal Blue dress and matching stickings, both with lots of sparklies.

Don't know the music, but I like it.

Came a bit too close to the camera for my liking in the lead in to her first jump. But it went very well, so no complaints!

Combination was beautiful. As were the spins she did after it.

In fact, everything was beautiful. I didn't spot any mistakes.

Oh, boys but Cyprus have a couple of little firecrackers coming through in Varvara and Oliviia!

She goes into the lead with a score of 35.00. But, because it's so early in the competition, we will have to wait until later to tell how good that is.

But, it looked great to me!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And finally, here is what I wrote during the resurfacing in the middle of the segment:

My newest kid Varvara is currently in 2nd position. It took until skater #10 for her to lose the lead. But, she is only 0.97 behind Martina SANTIA (ITA).

Wherever they end up by the end of the competition, it is going to make for a mighty battle between them in the FS tomorrow!

CaroLiza_fan​

Looking at the Protocols, there was not a single minus number. For that matter, she didn't get many 0's either - only four of them. Nearly all the Judges marks were +1 or +2.

Varvara also got a 1 point bonus for her opening Double Axel. I'm not sure how this bonus point system works, but the more points the merrier! Mind you, looking into it further, I appears that this bonus point thing did skew the results. Varvara went clean whereas SP leader Martina Santia had half a point deducted for a fall. However, the fall didn't matter because Martina had two jumps that each got a 1 point bonus, whereas Varvara only had one jump that got a 1 point bonus. If neither of them had any bonus points, Varavara would be leading going into the FS.

Varvara is currently the middle skater of a group of 3 skaters covered by 1.37 points. She is 0.97 points behind 1st position, Martina SANTIA (ITA), and 0.40 points ahead of 3rd position, Sarah RAKOTOZAFY (FRA).

Rakotozafy is 2.19 points ahead of 4th position, Milena VELCHEVA (BUL), who is 2.59 points behind Varvara. And Velcheva is at the head of a very tight group where 9 skaters are covered by 3.19 points, stretching down to 12th position, Rebecca LO CASCIO (ITA), who is 5.78 points behind Varvara.

When the Top 3 are this close, any of them could end up as the winner. But, if they make any mistakes, any of them could easily be gobbled up by the tight group behind them, and plunge down the order.

So, Varvara has to have a good Free Skate not just to maximise her chances of winning, but also to make sure she stays on the podium, and possibly even the Top 10!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 19:07:00 EET (17:07:00 GMT / 20:07:00 MSK). So 10 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 23rd skater to start. So, seventh and penultimate skater to go in Group 3 (and penultimate skater to go in the segment).

The Group 3 Warm-Up is due to start at 20:59:30 EET (18:59:30 GMT / 21:59:30 MSK). So 11h 52m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 21:38:00 EET (19:38:00 GMT / 22:38:00 MSK). So 12h 31m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95813

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denkova-Staviski Cup Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Denkova-Staviski Cup Advanced Novice Ladies Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 9th out of 23 in the FS, with a score of 52.04. This meant that she dropped to 5th place overall, with a score of 87.04.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

Didn't really see much of the Warm-Up because I was finishing off my post about my other kid who had just skated.

But, I did see Varvara thread herself between two skaters at one point. And I was holding my breath worried that there was going to be a collision.

Unfortunately, I also saw her have two falls towards the end of the Warm-Up. So, let's hope that she has filled her quota for the day.

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

Black and red dress, with black stockings.

"Voila Voila Voila". I loved that song when it was in Eurovision.

Fall on her first jump, but springs up straight away.

Fall on the second jump too. And it looked awkward. But, she carried on like nothing had happened.

Combination jump better, but the landing on the second part wasn't the best.

Combination spin was beautiful.

Her jumps just aren't here today. The next two didn't have great landings either.

I wish I hadn't said anything in my SP report about the group behind the Top 3 being so tight that if any of them made mistakes, they could plunge down the order. Because now I feel that I jinxed Varvara.

She goes into 8th in the FS, and 4th overall.

Well, I'm sure things will go better next week in Celje.

CaroLiza_fan​

Before I go any further, I need to point that there is a mistake in Varvara's section of the Protocols. They have accidentally put an extra row at the top before her first element. So, she didn't actually do 10 elements with the first element being invalidated. She did do the regulation 9 elements.

I don't want to dwell on what went wrong. But, I just want to clarify that with her first combination, the Double Salchow-Double-Toe-Double Loop, it was the third part that the issue was on (I knew it was the last jump, but I lost count of the number of jumps that there were! ) The Double Loop was under-rotated.

The second combination, the Double Flip-Double Loop, also had an issue. The Double Flip didn't have a clear edge.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.58 points behind 8th position, Virginia DESII (ITA), and 1.34 points ahead of 10th position, Isla SHENTON (GBR). I normally use a gap of greater than 2 points as defining a new group, but the Free Skate was so close that this means that these three skaters are part of a group of 20 skaters covered by 13.73 points, stretching from 2nd position, Ginevra Antonina VOLANTE (ITA), who was 5.04 points ahead of Varvara, to 21st position, Martina CANDIGLIOTA (ITA), who was 8.69 points behind Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 0.55 points behind 4th position, Volante, and 0.87 points ahead of 6th position, Vayana HRISTOVA (BUL).

There is no getting around it: Varvara did not have a great Free Skate. But, I am not getting concerned for her chances next week in Celje, because she had a sensational Short Programme. So, I know she can do it.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be in action today at the opening round of the European Criterium, Skate Celje in Slovenia.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start today at 16:00:00 CET (15:00:00 GMT / 18:00:00 MSK). So 8 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 7th skater to start. So, seventh and last skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 16:00:00 CET (15:00:00 GMT / 18:00:00 MSK). So 8 hours from now.

Varvara is due to start at 16:35:30 CET (15:35:30 GMT / 18:35:30 MSK). So 8h 35m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95818

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skate Celje Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 24th out of 41 in the SP, with a score of 26.72.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch Skate Celje.


Varvara is currently 0.56 points behind 23rd position, Dorota LUKNÁROVÁ (SVK), and 0.77 points ahead of 25th position, Neža LUŠIĆ (SVN). All three of them are part of a group where 34 skaters are covered by 11.80 points, stretching from Natalia RUNCANU (ROU) in 5th position, 6.09 points ahead of Varvara, to Lucrezia ARDISSONE (ITA) in 39th position, 5.71 points behind Varvara.

When you have a group this big, anything can happen. There is the potential for Varvara to move up considerably, or she could move down considerably.

So, she needs to have a good Free Skate to make sure she moves up.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 16:00:00 CET (15:00:00 GMT / 18:00:00 MSK). So 8 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 18th skater to start. So, fifth and antepenultimate skater to go in Group 3 (and fifth skater to go after the resurfacing).

The Group 3 Warm-Up is due to start at 17:39:20 CET (16:39:20 GMT / 19:39:20 MSK). So 9h 39m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 18:08:10 CET (17:08:10 GMT / 20:08:10 MSK). So 10h 08m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95818

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Skate Celje Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Skate Celje Advanced Novice Ladies Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 22nd out of 41 in the FS, with a score of 50.47. This meant that she climbed to 22nd place overall, with a score of 77.19.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch Skate Celje.

Looking at the Protocols, it was not a good start to the programme. She fell on her first two elements, the Double Axel and the Triple Toe. Both of them got -5 from all the Judges. In terms of GOE, they got the two biggest hits of the programme, with -1.65 for the Double Axel and -1.68 for the Triple Toe.

The Double Salchow-Double Toe-Double Loop combination that she did next also had no positive numbers beside it, but it was not a major problem. It got -2 from Judge 1; -1 from Judge 5; and 0 from the other three Judges. Because it had the highest Base Value of the programe, the GOE of -0.06 barely had any impact, and it remained as the highest scoring element of the programme.

The combination that followed, the Double Flip-Double Loop, did have issues. The Double Flip didn't have a clear edge, and the Double Loop was landed on the quarter. As a result, it got -3 from four Judges; and -2 from Judge 1. And it also got GOE of -0.54.

Everything else seemed to go well until the final element. Varvara wasn't having much joy with her Double Flips, because this one was landed on the wrong edge. it gor -5 from two Judges; -4 from two Judges; and -3 from Judge 1. It also got GOE of -0.63.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.14 points behind 21st position, Sofia ORRÙ (ITA), and 0.28 points ahead of 23rd position, Megy FILIPOVIĆ (HRV). All three of them are part of a group where 14 skaters are covered by 5.71 points, stretching from Anna ZANIN (ITA) in 15th position, 2.93 points ahead of Varvara, to Liana SMREKAR (SVN) in 28th position, 2.78 points behind Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 1.87 points behind 21st position, Isla SHENTON (GBR), and 0.25 points ahead of 23rd position, Brigitta Éva INCZE (HUN).All three of them are part of a group where 8 skaters are covered by 4.62 points, stretching from Therese HAVAG (NOR) in 20th position, 1.92 points ahead of Varvara, to Filipović in 27th position, 2.70 points behind Varvara.

After she didn't have a great FS at the Denkova-Staviski Cup, I said that I wasn't getting concerned because she was sensational in the SP. Well, now I am getting concerned. Because if you compare the two sets of Protocols, they are practically identical. (When you allow for the fact that there is an extra line at the start of the Denkova-Staviski Protocols, and the fact that she has swapped her 4th and 5th elements around).

I don't know what it is. It's not that she is making mistakes from tiring as the programme goes on due to it being longer, because most of the mistakes are happening at the start of the programme (that could be a factor in the Double Flip at the end, though).

Whatever is happening, I hope Varvara is able to take time to work out what is going on and then fix it before her next competition. Fortunately, Cyprus doesn't hold it's National Championships until the end of the season, so she does not have the worry that skaters in other countries have at this time of the season.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Marilena Kitromilis? Her Information?

Just getting back to you again to let you know that Marilena is on the Provisional Entry List for the final round of the Challenger Series, the Golden Spin Of Zagreb in 2 weeks time. So, same weekend as the Grand Prix Final.

https://results.isu.org/events/cscro2023_Women.htm

Unfortunately, in recent years the Golden Spin has developed a reputation for being very hard to follow. It hasn't had livestreaming for years, and didn't even have livescoring last year either. We hadn't a clue what was going on!

I really hope somebody that is attending is able to film Marilena's programmes, and share them with us.

But, even if we don't get to see her, it will be good to know that she is back in action.

---

On a different note, Oliviia is back in action this week at the Tallinn Trophy. She will be competing in the Cubs A and the younger Basic Novice competitions, both of which are being held tomorrow. This will be the first time that I will be doing a full set of posts about her for an event where she is doing the double. And I haven't worked out yet what would be the best approach to take with the posts!

But, fair play to her doing two competitions in one day.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Oliviia will be back in action today not once but twice at the Tallinn Trophy. Yes, she's doing the double again, competing in both the Cubs A competition and the Basic Novice 2012-2014 competition.

I think the best approach would probably be to do two separate reminder posts. So, this one will be for the Cubs A competition.

The Cubs A Ladies FS is due to start this morning at 09:55:00 EET (07:55:00 GMT). So 2 hours from now.

Oliviia will be the 7th skater to start. So, seventh and penultimate skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 09:55:00 EET (07:55:00 GMT). So 2 hours from now.

Oliviia is due to start at 10:28:00 EET (08:28:00 GMT). So 2h 32m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95819

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

And here is the second reminder post for Oliviia, this time for the Basic Novice 2012-2014 competition.

The Basic Novice 2012-2014 Ladies FS is due to start this afternoon at 17:20:00 EET (15:20:00 GMT). So 9 hours from now.

Oliviia will be the 6th skater to start. So, sixth and antepenultimate skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 17:20:00 EET (15:20:00 GMT). So 9 hours from now.

Oliviia is due to start at 17:48:15 EET (15:48:15 GMT). So 9h 28m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95819

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

OLIVIIA WON THE CUBS A GOLD MEDAL!!!



Tallinn Trophy Cubs A Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Tallinn Trophy Cubs A Ladies: Results

Oliviia finished 1st out of 15 in the FS and overall, with a score of 45.05.

Here is what I wrote in the competition thread about the Warm-Up:

My goodness, it was hard to find Oliviia during the Warm-Up because, apart from one girl who was wearing a black dress, every single skater was wearing a white jacket!

When I did find her, she promptly did a lovely combination jump!

She did another shortly afterwards, and the first part didn't go great. But, you could see when she was going into it that she was concerned about other skaters being in the vicinity, so I think she deliberately pulled out mid-jump.

Just after the announcer told them there was 1 minute left, Oliviia did another lovely combination jump. And, at the very end of the Warm-Up, she did two beautiful combination spins.

So, she's looking good. Let's hope that carries on for the rest of the day.

Right, I'm going back to the MotoGP. But, I'll pop back in when Oliviia does her programme.

CaroLiza_fan​

Here is what I wrote about her programme:

It's "Bolero" time!

Started off with a Triple Loop into a spin. The steps from the jump to the spin looked awkward.

Combination jump next, and a bit of footwork problems on landing first part.

Not sure whether the landing of the Double Axel was right. But the spin afterwards was lovely.

Hand down when sliding on ice - is that allowed?

Didn't spot anything after that.

Awww. She's got a couple of cuddly toys. Not sure what animal that is supposed to be wearing the hoodie, but the other is a very hairy sheep.

And as well as a young looking coach [EDIT: 2006 Estonian Senior Ladies Champion Jelena Muhhina], Oliviia has her Mum sitting with her!

That was some face Oliviia pulled when her score was announced! I don't think she was expecting it to be as high as that!

Into the lead with what is her highest ever Cubs FS score (and only about 1.5 lower than her highest Basic Novice score)



WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

And here is what I wrote after the final skater got her scores:

OLIVIIA WINS THE GOLD MEDAL!!!



Hopefully this is a good omen for when she comes out again at Basic Novice level this afternoon.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan​

Looking at the Protocols, I understand now why Oliviia was surprised at the score. Three of her seven elements didn't get any positive numbers next to them. And two of them were because of her Loop jumps.

The Triple Loop that she opened with was under-rotated. I kinda expected that would be the case, because of the awkward footwork coming out of it that I mentioned at the time. It got -2 from two Judges; and -1 from Judge 1. it also got the biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.65.

Later on, the Double Loop was landed on the quarter. It was done as part of her penultimate element, the Double Lutz-Double Loop. It got -2 from all three Judges. And it also got the second biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.42. However, it did hget credit for being in the second half of the programme.

The other element that got no positive numbers was her second element, the Double Axel-Double Toe. There isn't any indication in the Protocols as to the exact reason, but I did comment at the time about the footwork on landing the Axel. Anyway, it got -2 from Judge 2; -1 form Judge 3; and 0 from Judge 1. It also got GOE of -0.33.

I mentioned at the time about not being sure about the landing of the Double Axel that she did as her third element. Well, neither were the Judges, as they all gave neutral marks. And the GOE was neutral too, so the Technical Panel weren't sure either!

Everything else went down well.

Oliviia finished the Free Skate 2.52 points ahead of 2nd position, and 4.81 points ahead of 3rd position.

I'll not give away any spoilers in this post as to how she got on in the Basic Novice competition later in the day. You'll have to scroll down to the separate post about it to find out.

WELL DONE OLIVIIA!!!

CaroLiza_fan