Russian pairs disaster in Boston- why?

[liv]

One idea would be to really focus on T/M. They have the skills, ask anyone, they just need some good choreographer to put effort into their work. It seems like they are just left to do whatever while the focus is on other pairs... I feel like they are orphans...

 

[ancientpeas]

Love to know what that article is saying. Since I love all things Russian but never learned the language I guess I'm SOL.

I think that people should not be forced to compete if they don't want to. If Yuna really was forced to come back in 2016 it would explain her beautiful but somewhat emotionally flat performance.

 

[Amei]

Trankov was not happy to even compete there according to his words. They only did it because the Rus Fed forced as Klimov was injured. Klimov is still recovering. Also historically Russian team does not do that well at Worlds. Last year there was no medal and so was none in 2008. They will shrug it and go on to win Olys yet again.

I don't get this, they willingly came back to competition but didn't want to compete at Worlds? So why are they even competing if they don't want to be at the biggest event of the season?

 

[gmyers]

Vaitsekhovskaya, as usual.

I read a bad translation but the idea that Mozer has too much power, bad training methods for tech advancements, and too much uncritical adoration and hope than they are right. She obviously has no care for or ideas for T/M and thy need to leave.

 

[andromache]

One idea would be to really focus on T/M. They have the skills, ask anyone, they just need some good choreographer to put effort into their work. It seems like they are just left to do whatever while the focus is on other pairs... I feel like they are orphans...

I 100% agree. Focus on them. They're young and presumably healthy, and they seem fairly consistent with their gorgeous elements (no weaknesses like S/K's twist, as far as I know.)

Let V/T move on with their lives if that is what they want to do. No one should be encouraging them to compete if they would be happier not competing. As long as they're unhappily competing they are taking federation and Mozer's time and money away from younger pairs. I'd love V/T to keep competing because they're still fairly young and full of talent, and I think they have a lot more to offer the competitive skating world. But they should not compete if they aren't going to give 100% or if they do not want to.

Push T/M with great choreography and develop a good rivalry between T/M and S/K.

(And T/M should leave Mozer and go to Moskvina to make this even better.)

 

[HermioneG]

The only pair who bombed in Boston are VT.
SK had almost a normal skating as for pair after injury.
TM had shown their best.
As for VT - as I have heard, they had some problems before WCh (at least on some photos from Moscow Max a bandage on his arm and I don't want to retell all other gossips espetially when VT don't want to comment everything). And yes, I'm not sure it was decision of VT to compete here, so maybe the lack of motivation and some problems before WCh made the result of VT. The most interesting thing as for now - what will they do next. And one more notice - this is the first time VT has nothing to say to press after disaster in skating. What does it mean? I don't know.
As for Tanya competing with someone else - don't make me laught please)))

 

[Amei]

The only pair who bombed in Boston are VT.
SK had almost a normal skating as for pair after injury.
TM had shown their best.
As for VT - as I have heard, they had some problems before WCh (at least on some photos from Moscow Max a bandage on his arm and I don't want to retell all other gossips espetially when VT don't want to comment everything). And yes, I'm not sure it was decision of VT to compete here, so maybe the lack of motivation and some problems before WCh made the result of VT. The most interesting thing as for now - what will they do next. And one more notice - this is the first time VT has nothing to say to press after disaster in skating. What does it mean? I don't know.
As for Tanya competing with someone else - don't make me laught please)))

Frankly if a skater can't muster up the motivation for Worlds, the biggest competition every season except for an Olympic year, then that skater needs a reevaluation of what they are doing... It's not a crime to retire/quit.

 

[HermioneG]

Frankly if a skater can't muster up the motivation for Worlds, the biggest competition every season except for an Olympic year, then that skater needs a reevaluation of what they are doing... It's not a crime to retire/quit.

Well, it's not that simple. Everything what I write next is just an imagine but still.
Imagine that VT wanted to retire after ECh. Or skip it because it's hard for them to be in shape during full season and they realized it too late (Max is 32 and look the way how PangTong competed their last seasons - only a second half of the season). But skating federation asked them to go to WCh because SK are injured and it wasn't clear if they could compete at WCh at all, and TM are unstable (like AR and BD are), and someone had to compete for 3 spots for the next season (yes, I think this but not medals was their main goal here). Of course if the situation is such a kind, VT would agree to go because they think they have to.

 

[HermioneG]

And a part of article of Elena Vaitsehovskaya, famous russian sport juornalist who write about FS.
http://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skating/reviews/984490/
"По-хорошему, везти в Бостон Волосожар и Транькова вообще не следовало. Запас прочности пары был рассчитан лишь на половину сезона – до чемпионата Европы, который Таня с Максимом честно выиграли, закрыв собой оголившиеся прорехи российского парного катания. То, что фигуристы имеют крайне мало шансов победить в Бостоне, было понятно еще тогда. Думаю, как раз поэтому Траньков сказал на пресс-конференции, что участие в мировом первенстве в их с Татьяной планы не входит.
Стратегически, как мне кажется, тренерам пары было крайне необходимо учесть еще один момент: когда спортсмены выступают во всех соревнованиях сезона, не делая больших перерывов, нет ничего страшного в том, чтобы проиграть какой-то из турниров. Если же речь идет о паузе длиной в два года, как это случилось у олимпийских чемпионов, появляться на публике стоит лишь тогда, когда ты уверен в том, что уйдешь с поля битвы без позора. Но никак не в том состоянии, в котором в субботу на лед вышли Татьяна и Максим.
По сути, олимпийские чемпионы просто стали заложниками ситуации: за полтора месяца, прошедшие после чемпионата Европы, Столбовой и Климову так не удалось вернуть былые кондиции, и по мере приближения мирового первенства становилось все очевиднее, что России отнюдь не гарантирована перспектива завоевать в парном катании три квоты на следующий сезон. Это означало, что ни одна из ведущих мозеровских пар уже не может позволить себе отказаться от выступления в Бостоне ни под каким предлогом.
В итоге и те, и другие выходили на произвольный прокат с совершенно обреченным видом: спортсмены ведь всегда чувствуют расклад сил гораздо острее, чем те, кто следит за борьбой с трибун. Понятно было и то, что никаких шансов на победу у россиян нет изначально, пусть сознание до последнего отказывалось принимать действительное."
She wrote that VT shouldn't compete here at all. They were prepared only for half a season. Besides, it's not good idea to make to compete someone who skipped almost 2 years and were not ready to the competition (and the fact that they were not ready was obvious for her). But circumstances made them compete for spots for the next year. (Sorry, if someone want to translate more - welcome))) )

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I was bummed out when V&T did not win or even medal. They are my favorite pairs team. I was so mad that I deleted the competition from my dvr. Don't ever want to see it again. :disapp:

 

[Crossover]

The outcome is hardly a disaster, just disappointing to pair fans.

The title should go to Team China whose World spots are reduced to 2 spots because of the federation's absurd decision.

 

[Ice Dance]

As people, have already said I agree that T&M had--by far--their best performance of the season. V&M had a poor free skate. It happens. I felt for them.

The real reason I wanted to post, though, was just to say that Klimov did seem noticeably affected by the injury when observing from the arena. I had not seen them live before; but their throw in the short program was noticeably smaller & weaker than the other competitive teams. As soon as I saw it, I assumed he was affected by the shoulder injury. Of course, that doesn't explain her mistakes in the free; but even without those, the strength of their elements seemed noticeably impacted while watching live.

 

[moriel]

Just signing under what everybody else said.

1. T/M did their best
2. S/K - he looked injured
3. V/T - their goal this season was worlds, and they looked kinda not too happy to perform at worlds.
I guess they couldnt WD because S/K situation wasn't clear and T/M and A/R would not be able to keep 3 spots.

 

[Sweet Dream]

It is totally wrong to put all eggs in one basket. In other words, the Russian Skating Federation should take full responsibility for their pairs failure at Boston. They should develop different training bases nationwide instead of sending all strong pairs to the one and only coaching team in Moscow. Why not invest more in St. Petersburg skating schools? To some degree this beautiful city can be seen as the birthplace of Russian pairs skating, but now the situation there is very worrying.

 

[MaxSwagg]

It was a disaster. Anything less than a medal for Russian Pairs is an embarrassment given their legacy, in my opinion. They had two of the greatest if not the greatest in the world and they both foundered.

 

[silverfoxes]

It is totally wrong to put all eggs in one basket. In other words, the Russian Skating Federation should take full responsibility for their pairs failure at Boston. They should develop different training bases nationwide instead of sending all strong pairs to the one and only coaching team in Moscow. Why not invest more in St. Petersburg skating schools? To some degree this beautiful city can be seen as the birthplace of Russian pairs skating, but now the situation there is very worrying.

That's not the case, though...A/R are coached by Dmitriev and B/D by Vasiliev in Moscow. And who else should they have sent? If K/S were not injured then maybe things would have been different. Stuff happens beyond anyone's control sometimes.

 

[moriel]

It was a disaster. Anything less than a medal for Russian Pairs is an embarrassment given their legacy, in my opinion. They had two of the greatest if not the greatest in the world and they both foundered.

Injuries happen?

 

[Giselle]

That's not the case, though...A/R are coached by Dmitriev and B/D by Vasiliev in Moscow. And who else should they have sent? If K/S were not injured then maybe things would have been different. Stuff happens beyond anyone's control sometimes.

There are so many people who are saying that if S/K and V/T were injuried they shouldn't have competed. But honestly, I can't see even a clean Astakhova/Rogonov, Zabijako/Enbert (who were injuried too) or Bazarova/Deputat placing higher than 6th. The only one who could have won a medal were Kavaguti/Smirnov of course but they were injuried too...

Yes, Mozer has a lot of teams but AFAIK she was the one who paired up Tarasova/Morozov and Zabijako/Enbert. Volosozhar/Trankov have been with her since the beginning of their partnership together too. The only one who "transfered" for better conditions are Stolbova/Klimov.

On the junior side, I think her only Top team is Fedorova/Miroshkin. And even if he is the best male pair skater I've seen in a long time, I don't think I've ever seem her land a jump... They were out this season because he was injuried.
Mishina/Mirzoev are in St-Petersburg coached by the Velikovs
Atakhanova/Spiridonov are in Moscow with Pavlova
Borisova/Sopot, Gubanova/Sintsov and Poluianova/Korotkov are all in Perm with the Tiukovs
Ustimkina/Volodin are in St-Petersburg with Alexei Sokolov


Coming back to Worlds. The thing is that Duhamel/Radford have SBS 3lz and throw Quad Sal and Sui/Han have Quad twist and Throw Quad Sal so until the Russian Pairs up their technical content (even if it's in another way like S/K's 3T3T) they'll be dependent on D/R and S/H's mistakes to win. And they can't expect these teams to have a meltdown everytime so they can win.

 

[skylark]

There are so many people who are saying that if S/K and V/T were injuried they shouldn't have competed. But honestly, I can't see even a clean Astakhova/Rogonov, Zabijako/Enbert (who were injuried too) or Bazarova/Deputat placing higher than 6th. The only one who could have won a medal were Kavaguti/Smirnov of course but they were injuried too...

Is winning a medal or placing top 5 the only consideration? It's an honest question, I'm not implying anything or being sarcastic. I'd love to have seen Astakhova/Rogonov skating there. and I don't think they would have endangered the 3 Russian spots for next year. I'm American, so obviously our team wouldn't have gained anything.

I agree that a team who don't want to keep competing should just move on. Tatiana and Maxim have done everything. Of course many, including me, would miss them if they retired to show skating. But maybe, as someone suggested upthread, Tatiana still wants to compete, and Maxim is going along. But going along may be hard for him.

 

[skylark]

Tarasova/Morozov should be sent to Moskvina. They are so obviously a Moskvina pair that I don't know what they're doing skating in Mozer's group.

That's an interesting thought (maybe not new to others but it is new to me). I love seeing what Moskvina does with each new pair, because she seems to always do something original with each couple, and she's always creative. But what do you mean by "they are obviously a Moskvina pair"? I'm curious.