New Russian-French pair skating team | Golden Skate

New Russian-French pair skating team

Ptichka

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http://www.rambler.ru/db/sport/msg.html?mid=10506139

New Russian-French team Vorobieva-Blanchard wants to represent Russia
June 5, 2007 13:57 | Information Agence "Sportcom"


Famous Peter coach Oleg Vasiliev told Information Agency "Sportcom" that he started training a new Russian-French team.

"Valeria Vorobieva and her French partner Jerome Blanchard are planning to skate for Russia", said Mr. Vasiliev. "We already did their short program, and the kids are succeeding with the elements. French federation's waiver should come soon." After the Japanese Yuko Kawaguchi who is skating with Alexander Smirnov, Blanchard will be a second foreigner intending to represent Russia. The team will be training for a month in Chicago, and then in Saint Petersburg. The 18-year old Vorobieva is a former single skater, who switched to pair skating last year to skate with Pavel Lebedev, but the team didn't get to compete anywhere. Lebedev is now skating in a show. 25-year old Blanchard has skated for France with different partners. His best showing was the fifth place at the European championships in 2001 and the sixth at the Europeans in 2004.

Irina ANNENKOVA, I.A. "Sportcom"

http://www.rambler.ru/db/sport/msg.html?mid=10507350&s=10450

Valentin Piseev: "It's the first time I've heard of a new international team"
June 5, 2007 15:29 | Information Agence "Sportcom"


The news about Russian coach Oleg Vasiliev training the international team of Valeria Vorobieva (Russia) – Jerome Blanchard (France) was first heard by the Russian Figure Skating Federation President Valentin Piseev from the I.A. "Sportcom" correspondent.

"Oleg Vasiliev did have a talk with me some time ago, but he didn't mention anything about a new team. I am ambiguous about some teams. I think we need to search for internal reserves, seeking talented athletes inside the country. We should only ask for the international athletes' help as a last resort", commended Valentin Piseev.

Valeria Vorobieva started her figure skating career as a "single". Last year, the athlete switched coaches, leaving Alexei Urmanov for Oleg Vasiliev to skate with Pavel Lebedev.

Jerome Blanchard used to skate with a French partner Sabrina Lefrancois. The Lyon native is 26 years old. At different times, he has worked with Annick Gailhaguet, Richard Gauthier, and Stanislav Leonovich.

Olga ERMOLINA, "Vremya Novostej" correspondent for I.A. "Sportcom".
 

chuckm

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Two years ago, Blanchard (FRA) was supposed to skate with Rinata Araslanova (RUS). They were even assigned to a GP in France. It wasn't clear whether they'd be skating for France or Russia, and eventually the RFSF put the kibosh on the pair so they never competed internationally.

I wonder if Vorobieva/Blanchard is headed in the same direction.

Originally, Vorobieva (a former Singles skater) was supposed to be paired with Pavel Lebedev. I guess that pairing didn't work out.
 
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JonnyCoop

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I'm finding it fascinating that Russia is now having to bring pairs skaters in from other countries, i.e. Blanchard and Yuko Kawaguchi. Used to be the other way around -- the Russians were going elsewhere to skate for other countries in Pairs and Dance. Another "sign of the times", I guess....
 

Ptichka

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I'm finding it fascinating that Russia is now having to bring pairs skaters in from other countries, i.e. Blanchard and Yuko Kawaguchi. Used to be the other way around -- the Russians were going elsewhere to skate for other countries in Pairs and Dance. Another "sign of the times", I guess....
Yeah. Though it seems to be coach-driven in both instances. Vasiliev and Moskvina are both world class coaches, so they get requests from all over the world. My guess is that they both (especially Moskvina) are counting on it being easier to deal with Russian federation where they know what's what than with other ones. In Blanchard's case I also wonder if this has anything to do with the uneasy relationship that Leonovich had with the French federation.
 

JonnyCoop

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I imagine it would be easier on Moskvina -- while she was coaching Ina & Zimmermann (as well as Kawaguchi & Markuntsov, representing Japan), there were some implications here and there that the Russian Federation was less than happy about her coaching a team not representing Russia, especially if they were fairly succesful.
 

antmanb

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Yeah. Though it seems to be coach-driven in both instances. Vasiliev and Moskvina are both world class coaches, so they get requests from all over the world. My guess is that they both (especially Moskvina) are counting on it being easier to deal with Russian federation where they know what's what than with other ones. In Blanchard's case I also wonder if this has anything to do with the uneasy relationship that Leonovich had with the French federation.

To be fair - the amount of crap that the French federation has foisted onto their skaters - Joubert being the latest victim, it doesn't surprise me that french skaters are running from the federation to skate for another country.

Ant
 

chuckm

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To be fair - the amount of crap that the French federation has foisted onto their skaters - Joubert being the latest victim, it doesn't surprise me that french skaters are running from the federation to skate for another country.

Ant

The media-covered crap that Piseev dumped on his skaters last season make the French federation seem kind and generous by comparison.
 

netnuts

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strange

Sounds like strange bedfellows. One partner has never even skated pair before, and they haven't even got a LP yet, and never even competed. I'm wondering what the fuss?
 

antmanb

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The media-covered crap that Piseev dumped on his skaters last season make the French federation seem kind and generous by comparison.

I guess...six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Ant
 

Ptichka

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The media-covered crap that Piseev dumped on his skaters last season make the French federation seem kind and generous by comparison.
Ah, but you can't compare French merdre with Russian говно! The latter works by rather specific rules. There is only so much of it, and it does need to be poured somewhere - as in all over the skaters. It is, of course, ugly and smelly crap, but one just needs to clean themselves off and move on. Ultimately, you know whom who have to be nice to, what wheel to greese - and you're all set. Russian coaches, being well familiar with crap à la Russe, can fell almost comfortable with it.

As to the French - I have no idea what rule its crap follows; there most likely is a rule, but it's probably more difficult for Russian coaches to figure out.
 

Nmsis

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Two years ago, Blanchard (FRA) was supposed to skate with Rinata Araslanova (RUS). They were even assigned to a GP in France. It wasn't clear whether they'd be skating for France or Russia, and eventually the RFSF put the kibosh on the pair so they never competed internationally.

I wonder if Vorobieva/Blanchard is headed in the same direction.
In fact, it was this season (2006-2007) and it was clear they were skating for France. Araslanova had moved to France in 2004 and had a try with another guy. They paired in september 2005 and everything went fine until the begining of the 2006-2007 season when Russia alternatively said they could or couldn't go on. They did the french Masters in october after Russia finally said they could go on and splitted just before TEB when the russian fed said it was not ok anymore. If I got it right, it is linked with the french fed refusing to release a dancer to skate with Loren Galler-Rabinowitz for the israeli federation. The french fed was steady on its position and Blanchard lost his partner. That's probably his issue with the fed.

I think the last time Blanchard has competed internationally for France was at TEB in 2004. He is a really good pair skater and made a wonderful pair with Sabrina Lefrançois before she got wounded and decided to quit. But he is apparently not an easy guy to deal with. Aurore Ponomarenko - with whom he paired after the 2004 TEB - learned from a third source that he was not skating with her anymore and had found another partner (Araslanova). And with Araslanova, it has sometimes been really heated too. At times, he talked about quitting pair skating. I hope he'll finally hang with a partner who will match his ambition and will be able to bear his character or it will be a great talent lost.
 
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chuckm

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Vorobieva is only 18, this will be her Pair debut, and she may not be prepared to deal with such a difficult personality.
 
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