2010 Swedish Nationals | Page 5 | Golden Skate

2010 Swedish Nationals

let`s talk

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Sep 10, 2009
Well..., I was watching Swedish nationals men LP live. The programs of two leaders didn't impress me at all. They both were very bad at jumps and not jumps only. Actually it would be easier to count not their mistakes but the number of elements they did clean. The only difference is that Kris' program's idea was a little bit more original, but the quality of performance was extremely poor. Sasha was clean and balletic. So, his disappointment is obvious. Still it doesn't excuse that kind of remarks that he used on FB. The racist words have probably something to do with his feeling of an immigrant. Well, if he thinks that he is being abused by the Swedish FS federation, he can easily restore his Russian citizenship since both countries don't mind if a person has two passports. With the current situation in Russian men skating, when skaters are either injuried or have other kinds of bad luck troubles, he can have his chance. Unfortunately, it is too late to do it this season.
 

siberia82

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I will translate the Svtplay-clip when I have time.

Okay, I will wait patiently. :)

Well..., I was watching Swedish nationals men LP live. The programs of two leaders didn't impress me at all. They both were very bad at jumps and not jumps only. Actually it would be easier to count not their mistakes but the number of elements they did clean. The only difference is that Kris' program's idea was a little bit more original, but the quality of performance was extremely poor. Sasha was clean and balletic. So, his disappointment is obvious.

Do you agree with Sasha's opinion that he should've won the free skate? (He did have the highest TES for the LP, but only by a couple of points.) Even if we disregarded the PCS scores (which is arguably where most of the favouritism would take place), he'd still finish 3rd over-all due to the major errors he made during the SP.

That being said, Majorov did perform better than his teammates at international events this season. He is the future of men's skating in Sweden, and I think the Swedish federation should have assigned him to Euros so that he could gain more experience. (Of course, after the Facebook incident, the officials certainly won't be inclined to do so, at least not for this season.) As much as I adore Koffe, he has already gone to 10 European Championships, and I don't necessarily expect that he can improve on his past results.

Still it doesn't excuse that kind of remarks that he used on FB. The racist words have probably something to do with his feeling of an immigrant. Well, if he thinks that he is being abused by the Swedish FS federation, he can easily restore his Russian citizenship since both countries don't mind if a person has two passports. With the current situation in Russian men skating, when skaters are either injuried or have other kinds of bad luck troubles, he can have his chance. Unfortunately, it is too late to do it this season.

Hmm, that's an interesting theory. Sasha did mention in the article that I shared in Post #77 that he felt the other two Swedes were favoured over him, but I thought it was due to his younger age ("having to wait your turn") and not his Russian background. I don't know how things are in Sweden, but I would be extremely shocked if the officials had a "problem" with his ethnicity...

We'll see what happens in the future. Berntsson will almost certainly retire after this season (the main reason he continued competing is to get another chance to perform in Tokyo, where he had the skate of his life at the 2007 Worlds and gained a lot of Japanese fans). If the Swedish men can retain 2 spots for Euros and/or Worlds, then Majorov probably won't have to take such drastic measure like switching countries.
 

snowflake

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Majorov did perform better than his teammates at international events this season. He is the future of men's skating in Sweden, and I think the Swedish federation should have assigned him to Euros so that he could gain more experience.

I don't agree. I am for the "American way:" Manage the pressure and skate your best when it counts.

So who would you have left home then?

Sasha did mention in the article that I shared in Post #77 that he felt the other two Swedes were favoured over him, but I thought it was due to his younger age ("having to wait your turn") and not his Russian background. I don't know how things are in Sweden, but I would be extremely shocked if the officials had a "problem" with his ethnicity...

I am 100% sure that the federation members/judges don't hold Sasha down because of his ethnicity or his Russian citizenship. Sasha has lived practically all his life in Luleå, speaks the language and seems to me like a typical Swedish teenager(with Swedish citizenship as well). His parents are highly appreciated, having done a lot for Swedish figure skating in Luleå skating club, as coach and choreographer, not only for Sasha. E.g. the Callne sisters from Luleå, 13 and 15 years old, won bronze and silver at the Swedish championships.
 

snowflake

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http://svtplay.se/v/2274812/konstakn...bast_i_sverige

Yvette: In January SVT broadcasts the European Figure Skating Championships in Bern, where Sweden participates with one lady and two men. Todays final was about the fight for these EC spots.

Intro, Roger: Of the three top skaters, the teenager Alexander Majorov from Luleå was best in ranking when he arrived to SM in Malmö. This due to results in the Swedish Elite League and international competitions. The "altmeister" Kristoffer Berntsson from Göteborg, second with lots of qualifications. Adrian Schultheiss third, but the one who has the best results of them all internationally in previous seasons; 6th in Europeans two years ago and 14th in olympics in Vancouver in February.

Roger: Majorov starts with the most difficult triple jump, 3-axel …. but takes a quick revenge; 3-lutz in combination with 3-toeloop, great … and adds another combination; 3-flip, 3-toe. Impressing! But Majorov blowed two of his three jump attempts in SP on Friday and was only in third place before the LP. More than 12 points behind A S and 14 behind K B.

Majorov: I am still the best of us … I say so because I can do this … so, it was the SP that failed me a bit.

Roger: A S is the penultimate skater in this final, in a field that hasn't been this big since the sixties. Adrian, who in the olympics did the best quad … but today it didn't work. However, he is the sole skater in this final to do a clean and excellent 3-axel. And the finish with a correct combination, 3-lutz, 2-toe, 2-toe, is also good. And he keeps Majorov behind him with his 129,20 points.

The best of them in this final is K B, though there were some mistakes. 3-lutz is fine, but the 3-toe ….. Anyway, what he does in the second half of the program with four straight triples is the strongest. And K showed that he is the best in Sweden at this moment. 132 points in the LP, the only skater with a total of more than 200 points. 5+ points better than second placed A S and 12 points better than third placed M.

K B: That I can skate the second part and nail everything shows that I am now in better shape and also that the program sits better in me than it did before.
Roger: January, Europeans in Bern … no question about that? Is it a fact?
K B: Well, that's at least what I think.
Roger: But I know you are aiming for Tokyo. At worlds in Tokyo some years ago you had your best placement ever.
K B: Yes, really, It would be so fantastic to go to Tokyo again and experience something similar. That is what I am fighting for.

Roger: K B and A S to Europeans in Bern, then. The junior M can concentrate on junior worlds in South Korea.

Yvette: For the ladies though, it was all about one person. Viktoria Helgesson was the shining star. She won with 161.89 points, 11+ points better than her sister Joshi H. This means that V represents Sweden at EC and that both of them probably go to Tokyo worlds.
 

siberia82

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Thank you so much for the translation, snowflake! :rock: Your help means a lot. :)

I don't agree. I am for the "American way:" Manage the pressure and skate your best when it counts.

The "American" way is also the "Canadian" way, but I don't believe this is the best approach. For example, in the 2008/2009 season, Shawn Sawyer and Kevin Reynolds had stronger GP results than either Vaughn Chipeur and Jeremy Ten, but the latter two happened to skate better at our Nationals, so Vaughn and Jeremy were sent to the 2009 Worlds.

By failing to take into account international standings, Skate Canada ended up shooting themselves in the foot with that decision because Ten almost didn't qualify for the long program, and Chipeur couldn't place high enough for the Canadian men to earn 3 spots for the 2010 Olympics. The CBC main network even aired a 5-minute segment on why it is so important for Skate Canada to have the maximum number of berths in the men's singles event for Vancouver. (The other FS disciplines weren't mentioned, which should give you an idea of the federation's awareness that it's the male skaters who usually attract the most attention in my country.)

History repeated itself somewhat at the 2010 Canadians. Vaughn had a better performance at Nationals, so he was sent to the Olympics despite the fact that Reynolds and Sawyer scored a lot better during the GP series. Considering the pride that Canadian FS fans have for their men, Chipeur's 23rd place finish in Vancouver was a little... embarrassing (and he almost didn't make it to the free skate). Luckily, he gave up his 2010 Worlds spot, and Reynolds at least managed to get 3 berths again.

Sorry for my rant, but my main point is that I've witnessed the damage caused by ignoring a skater's international results.

So who would you have left home then?

For Euros, I would've left Kristoffer off the team (and this is painful for me to say because I'm a hopeless Koffeholic). Yes, he was the clear winner at Nationals, but he didn't have a great LP, and coupled with his subpar scores this season, I just don't have a lot of confidence in him at the moment. Not that I'm implying that Kris will crumble at Euros, but he hasn't proven to me yet that he's over-all a better competitor than Majorov.

I think it's great that Sweden's top 3 men will have to earn their ticket for Worlds at the Nordic Championships. That is much more "fair" to me than simply sending the top 2 skaters at Nationals (like what Canada and the U.S. do). I'm not sure if the Swedish federation will accept the Nordics scores at face value, but I would also take into account the Euros results before I made my final decision.

The situation being what it is now, I think it's possible that Sasha might be denied a trip to senior Worlds even if he skates better than his teammates at Nordics because of the Facebook controversy. He's obviously lacking in emotional maturity, and in that sense, he may be not ready to represent Sweden at the most important competition of the season. A true athlete is a champion both on and off the ice, and this young man is clearly having trouble with the last part. :disapp:

I am 100% sure that the federation members/judges don't hold Sasha down because of his ethnicity or his Russian citizenship. Sasha has lived practically all his life in Luleå, speaks the language and seems to me like a typical Swedish teenager(with Swedish citizenship as well). His parents are highly appreciated, having done a lot for Swedish figure skating in Luleå skating club, as coach and choreographer, not only for Sasha. E.g. the Callne sisters from Luleå, 13 and 15 years old, won bronze and silver at the Swedish championships.

Thanks for making this clear. I was simply responding to let's talk's suggestion that there might be discrimination involved, but I was fairly certain that wasn't the case.

Yeah, but he skates like Russian. I mean style, lines, etc.

Sasha may have a Russian style when he skates, and I'm sure he's proud of his heritage, but he appears to be a Swede through and through (at least that's the impression I get based on what I've read in other articles).
 
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siberia82

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And thank you for digging up the attention from Swedish media. That's more than I do.

:laugh: It's kind of funny, isn't it? Why would a Canadian FS fan try so hard to find updates on Swedish skaters? :p The answer is, of course, that I've grown to appreciate them as much as the skaters in my own country. :love: The language barrier is an obstacle, so I guess it motivates me more to find articles, videos, etc.

Kristoffer had added a blog entry earlier today on his experience at Nationals :party:: http://www.landvetterkk.com/Kristoffer/My_thoughts/Entries/2010/12/26_Nationals_2010.html
 

siberia82

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The SVT website recently uploaded the free skates of the Top 3 skaters from the Senior Men and the Senior Ladies' event. The camera angle is different, plus the quality of their vids is higher than the live stream.


Kristoffer Berntsson LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275445/konstakning/sm-ettan_kristoffer_berntssons_fria_program

Adrian Schultheiss LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275385/konstakning/sm-tvaan_adrian_schultheiss_fria_program

Alexander Majorov LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275382/konstakning/sm-trean_alexander_majorovs_fria_program

Viktoria Helgesson LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275381/konstakning/sm-ettan_viktoria_helgessons_fria_program

Joshi Helgesson LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275380/konstakning/sm-tvaan_joshi_helgessons_fria_program

Linnea Mellgren LP:
http://svtplay.se/v/2275377/konstakning/sm-trean_linnea_mellgrens_fria_program
 

snowflake

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The Marcus Björk interview:

Marcus: It feels good, I have done good practice sessions, I am focused and I am in good shape.

Svetjiana: Can you feel that you are in good shape?

Yes, you do. You land the jumps in practise and it's easy to do your stuff.

How do you feel when it's not easy then?

Then it feels hard and sort of difficult.

But you feel good now?

Yeah.

So, it's home turf for you then. How do you feel about that?

Well, there are a lot of people I know around me and many of the volunteers are active in my club, so that makes me feel fine.

So you don't get more nervous then?

No, it's mostly fun. Like other club members come and say "good luck now", so that's fun.

You maybe get more on then, or?

Well, I am always on when I compete, but of course.

Some says that they hope you will end up on the podium in junior nationals. What do you think about that?

Well, I can't do more than my best and I hope it will be as good as possible.

But do you feel the press then, when people say that?

No, I sort of do my own thing. I know fairly well what I want to do and what to expect and then I don't bother much about the others.

What are you expecting then?

That my training will give results?

How much have you been training then before nationals?

I have been training hard the last weeks, except for this week when I have been taking it easy. Four mornings before school and every afternoon. Saturday is free but Sunday is practice.

But do you manage school and everything else then?

Yes, I do.

You do? No problems?

No.

You are sixteen. When I searched you I found an article from 2008 that already then said you were an impressive figure skater. For how long have you been skating?

I started when I was nine and I think my first success was winning "Götalandsmästerskapen" (a sectional competition in the southern parts of Sweden) just before I was twelve. Then I have done better and better. The year after was my first novice championship and then I did two more novice championships with medals in all of them. And I have been to Nordics twice as a junior and there I have won bronze and gold.

Bronze and gold, That's pretty good …

Yes it is.

But then you have done a lot.

Yes I actually have.

And you have skated from the age of nine. How good would you say Malmö is in the figure skating business?

I would say one of the better clubs. We have many good skaters here at nationals. We have good coaches, a nice club and so …

Why do you succeed do you think?

Well, everything. It sort of works fine with coaches and with, well, the whole club is supporting you and so … yes…

What do you think of the audience. Will there be a lot of people this weekend?

Yes, nationals is one of the bigger events, so it should attract some people.

Your first competition is tomorrow, the short program. And then on Sunday the long program. How excited are you.

I am very excited, I really am. I see it in my head how I succeed.

So what do you see?

Well, a good program. I do my elements properly and everything.

Maybe a medal if you succeed …

Yes, that's my hopes.

Marcus Björk from Malmö figure skating club; Good luck!
 

siberia82

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Thanks a million for your translation, snowflake! :thumbsup:
 
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