The Future of the Russian Skater | Page 5 | Golden Skate

The Future of the Russian Skater

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Joesitz said:
I don't remember Dobrrin at Calgary? I did see him in Moscow. He looked a bit uneasy with his presentation. I don't think he will make a 'cossack'.

Griazev gets to me in spurts but nothing overwhelming. He has a high jump when he makes them.

I've never seen Lezin or Uspenski. Just don't know. I am looking forward to Varnoff.

How different the Russians are from the Americans. I can't imagine who ever it is at the head of the American team would interfere with the progress of a team member.

Joe

You don't remember Dobrin because after his showing at Euros 2006 where he was battling Klimkin for the second Olympic spot, he was canned for Griazev for 2006 Worlds.

Uspenski qualified last year for Worlds in Russia but didn't skate well at Junior worlds where he had the flu and was replaced by Dobrin. Originally Lezin was the 3rd Russian guy but when he couldn't get into the top 10 at Euros he was replaced with Uspenski and then Uspenki was replaced with Dobrin. I don't think the American team ever replaces anyone that easily and it's foolhardy to do this because no one ever develops the ability to compete.
 

euterpe

Medalist
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Uspenski has always been an inconsistent skater. He has skated consistently well in the JGP events and has been to the last 3 JGPFs, but won just one JPF bronze medal (in the 2004-2005 season). This past season, he won his two JGP events but finished 4th in the JGPF and then was 8th at Junior Worlds. He just turned 19 this April, so he is no longer eligible for Junior competitions. Uspenski has finished 4th at Russian Nationals the past two seasons. Given that without Plushenko, the Russian men will have just two places at Worlds for the forseeable future, so finishing 4th at Nationals isn't going to help Uspenski.

Voronov has won bronze medals at the JGP, but hasn't qualified for the JGPF, and has finished 6th at Russian Nationals the past two years. He won silver at 2006 Junior Worlds, and this may boost his career. Sergei has one more season of Junior eligibility (he turns 19 in October), but it is likely that he will be sent to the Senior GP this season. That's what the RF did with Dobrin when he won JW bronze in 2005; he was still eligible for Juniors, but was sent to Seniors.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
euterpe said:
Uspenski has always been an inconsistent skater. He has skated consistently well in the JGP events and has been to the last 3 JGPFs, but won just one JPF bronze medal (in the 2004-2005 season). This past season, he won his two JGP events but finished 4th in the JGPF and then was 8th at Junior Worlds. He just turned 19 this April, so he is no longer eligible for Junior competitions. Uspenski has finished 4th at Russian Nationals the past two seasons. Given that without Plushenko, the Russian men will have just two places at Worlds for the forseeable future, so finishing 4th at Nationals isn't going to help Uspenski.

Voronov has won bronze medals at the JGP, but hasn't qualified for the JGPF, and has finished 6th at Russian Nationals the past two years. He won silver at 2006 Junior Worlds, and this may boost his career. Sergei has one more season of Junior eligibility (he turns 19 in October), but it is likely that he will be sent to the Senior GP this season. That's what the RF did with Dobrin when he won JW bronze in 2005; he was still eligible for Juniors, but was sent to Seniors.

Replacing the boys like underwear isn't going to help their consistency or their training regimes. The fact that Uspenski skates well enough in the JGP events to qualify for the final yet doesn't skate well enough to medal in the final perhaps says more about his training system than his consistency.

As for moving the boys to senior level...well I can't say whether that's a good or bad thing. It would probably help those guys to skate at more events and master the junior level before moving to the senior level. Yet Andrei won everything at the junior level and has struggled since he became a senior skater. Evan who has always finished 2nd to Andrei has passed him by on the senior stage.
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Joesitz said:
There will never be a truly American skater while ethnicity runs amok.
There's a classic Shoe cartoon with the following dialogue:

"I'm filling out this form for school. What box do I check for race and/or national origin?"

"Well, let's see. Your father was red, and your mom was part-yellow and part-brown. One graddad was black and orange and the other was blue and white. And both your grandmothers were half-gray, half-green."

"So what does that make me?"

"That would make you American."

Every skater with an American passport is, by definition, an American skater, and recognition and influence of ethnicity on American citizenry has been a long-time American attribute.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Love the story, and how true.

However, while the legalities of being an American are in place, the ancestral influence dominates in arts and sports at least for 3 generations.

Joe
 
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