Interesting. But I think there is also likely the chance that the Vets maintain their dominance of the sport in the same way Michelle and Irina dominated it despite the rise of other teenage talents. But then again, Sarah Hughes will always remind me that I cannot count out the advantage a teenager has over the Vets no matter how dominant the latter ones are.
So far Russian girls have won exactly "0" (zero) OGM's.
I think considering that the Olympics will be in Russia, the Russian teens (and I'm not thinking Ksensia Marakova unless she improves technically) are going to have a big advantage. Reports are Mishin is already politiking for Elizaveta. So if they can maintain their jumps and 3/3s, I think they can vault to the top very quickly.
I see the situation more as:
The Vets:
Yu-Na Kim
Mao Asada
Laura Lepisto
Akiko Suzuki
The Powers
super-powers (ala Kim, Asada)
Mirai Nagasu
Christina Gao
Kanako Murakami
lesser-powers (ala Ando, Kostner, Rochette)
Ashley Wagner
Alena Leonova
Min-Jung Kwak
The Youth
Elizaveta Tuktumysheva
Anna Ovcharova
Kim Haejin
Yukiko Fujisawa
Moxie- I'd like to know that as well. That's a rather loaded statement, bekalc. How much politiking could Mishin possibly do? Sochi is four years away, anyway.
Let's see Elizaveta make it to puberty first before we start forming theories about backdoor deals her coach "already" has in the works for her.
Mishin said something really funny in an interview once. Something like Russian girls are not built to be dainty skaters. They are better suited for working on the railroad. I'm paraphrasing and might have mucked up the translation but I thought it was hilarious.
Anyway, Elizaveta looks to be an experiment right now. Although if she's successful people can start calling her Queen Tukt.
I think in general this is true, and that is why we see so many great female Russians skaters be so great when they are 12 and then disappear by the time they are old enough to go to Olympics and worlds; because puberty is too hard on them and their bodies change a lot. I think Asians are coming to dominate the sport because they are generally small and light, and in a sport where jumps, number of revolutions, and bending yourself in half are so important, this helps. Many European and American skaters struggle because they become too tall, too muscular, too heavy, too hippy, etc. Not all successful skaters are the same build but I think skaters like Joannie, Irina, Rachael can get away with being stronger builds because they are short and Carolina and Kiira can get away with being tall because they are skinny. Most of the asian skaters are tall enough to have the desired long lines but are not actually tall and weigh very little but are still strong.
I see the situation more as:
The Vets:
Yu-Na Kim
Mao Asada
Laura Lepisto
Akiko Suzuki
The Powers
super-powers (ala Kim, Asada)
Mirai Nagasu
Christina Gao
Kanako Murakami
lesser-powers (ala Ando, Kostner, Rochette)
Ashley Wagner
Alena Leonova
Min-Jung Kwak
The Youth
Elizaveta Tuktumysheva
Anna Ovcharova
Kim Haejin
Yukiko Fujisawa
^As for the youngsters, why aren't Kanako Murakami, Yukiko Fujisawa, and Haruka Imai on the list?
Yeah... I read something in an article that's like, slimmer hips help skaters "cut" through the air during jumps or something? Thus, due to the increased focus on technical details, the ideal build is small(less weight) and slim.
Anyway, Elizaveta looks to be an experiment right now. Although if she's successful people can start calling her Queen Tukt.
Originally Posted by Lilith11
Yeah... I read something in an article that's like, slimmer hips help skaters "cut" through the air during jumps or something? Thus, due to the increased focus on technical details, the ideal build is small(less weight) and slim.
Then why is it that some of the greatest female jumpers in the history of the sport, Midori, Tonya, and Irina were hardly small and thin?
I'm just paraphrasing a statement made in an article I read. Personally, I think that it kinda does make sense; one of the reasons men have the advantage in jumps is because 1). more muscle and 2). no hips to worry about. Thus, there's also the dreaded puberty, when women do develop hips. Buuuuttt, there's always women who are such amazing athletes that regardless of their build, they're great jumpers.