Russian Team for 2013 Euros and Worlds

[drivingmissdaisy]

Ando also was a world champion. Sure it would make sense for leonova to stop doing 3/3's but now she has no opportunity to do that! The Russian federation is very mistakenly sending girls who do hard jumps but have terrible pcs like tuktamisheva. Tuk will be lucky to get 55 in pcs when she needs near 70 in pcs to do well. Leonova at least has much better pcs and that is what the ladies event is about.

I wasn't a fan of Liza before (still not a huge fan) but I think the days of her getting low PCS are numbered. Her improvement in presentation is noticeable and I think she is fully capable of finishing in the top 6 or so. A relatively clean Adelina or Alena would certainly get Russia 3 spots for next year. I really think they have to send Leonova to Worlds because she is the 3rd best option for that last spot.

[silverlake22]

Ando also was a world champion. Sure it would make sense for leonova to stop doing 3/3's but now she has no opportunity to do that! The Russian federation is very mistakenly sending girls who do hard jumps but have terrible pcs like tuktamisheva. Tuk will be lucky to get 55 in pcs when she needs near 70 in pcs to do well. Leonova at least has much better pcs and that is what the ladies event is about.

Tuk's PCS will improve though if she continues to jump that well. Her PCS aren't horrible, they just can't compete with the best. Her TES is sometimes enough to make up for it though. Alena was very much the same way a few years ago. I wouldn't worry too much yet, Russia will have 3 strong girls to send to the Olympics regardless of if Leonova, Sotnikova, etc. continue to skate poorly because there are just a rediculous number of talented female skaters in Russia now and I'm sure more will continue to emerge.

[gmyers]

Mao got 66 in pcs at the gpf and tuktamisheva got 53! In worlds 2012 kostner got 65 pcs. Kostner won Tes and Mao was .2 away from winning Tes because of goe on spins and steps. Even sending tuktamisheva is a huge risk because she needs to be flawless on all her jumps. She can't make one mistake. They need to send leonova because Her pcs can be near 60! If Liza doesn't get over 60 Tes than there is nothing positive about sending her. Her tes to pcs ratios have been 63/53 this season and 65/55 last season at GPfs. If Mao Yuna and kostner all get near 70 in pcs and 60s in Tes than liza getting 50's/50's is just a huge disaster. The pcs is the most important and Liza is not going to get it until post 2014 probably. Her Tes needs to be around 70 and that requires a level of being flawless that is rare for her. They need to send a pcs skater like leonova because pcs is near rock solid and concrete every time! If Liza gets 53 than gosviani is not getting over 50 or near 50 probably. Sotnikovas Tes is not Likely to break 50 or even 45 because of her severe and crippling nerve problems that occur frequently. Leonova is needed or makarova.

[sky_fly20]

I guess this is what Gorshkov saw at nationals training when he meant can jump 4S, 4T, 3A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPtoQWQ8uI

[gmyers]

Practice is practice. He didn't do much in competition. If he goes to worlds he also starts off with horrible pcs so all his jumps need to be there. Like gachinski's were at 2011 worlds. No mistake is possible because the pcs is not there at all. Most Russians going to worlds in singles will have horrible pcs so no jump mistakes are affordable.

[seniorita]

Before getting Kostner's pcs who is ten years older and has the best ss, choreo, presentation etc ,skaters would start from somewhere lower, there is no point keeping Adelina and Liza in domestic competitions only, I don't see how their pcs will rise this way.

Wow thank for Kovtun video!

[gmyers]

They should send Liza and Adelina but sending gosviani instead of leonova is dumb. Leonova could beat Liza and Adelina but there is no way gosviani could. Her pcs will be horrible and atrocious- tuktamishevas is and sotnikovas jumps are s big question all the time but leonova has higher pcs than any other! Leonova being home is a huge mistake because of pcs.

[blue_idealist]

They should send Liza and Adelina but sending gosviani instead of leonova is dumb. Leonova could beat Liza and Adelina but there is no way gosviani could. Her pcs will be horrible and atrocious- tuktamishevas is and sotnikovas jumps are s big question all the time but leonova has higher pcs than any other! Leonova being home is a huge mistake because of pcs.

I think sending Gosviani is meant to be a wake up call to Leonova.. either skate better, or be left off the team. If Gosviani bombs at Euros I bet Leonova will be at Worlds.

[Ziggy]

I think sending Gosviani is meant to be a wake up call to Leonova.. either skate better, or be left off the team. If Gosviani bombs at Euros I bet Leonova will be at Worlds.

And that's only fair.

[sky_fly20]

Practice is practice. He didn't do much in competition. If he goes to worlds he also starts off with horrible pcs so all his jumps need to be there. Like gachinski's were at 2011 worlds. No mistake is possible because the pcs is not there at all. Most Russians going to worlds in singles will have horrible pcs so no jump mistakes are affordable.

agreed, but Gosviyani is not a guarantee she will go to Euros, she could bomb in Poland and not meet the min TES requirements
Gosviyani is an inconsistent skater, she has lost to juniors like Sakhanovich, Medvedeva, Sotskova etc. even in the Russian Cup Series

I am also almost certain Gosviyani will not be at Worlds unless they want a repeat of Polina K. scenario placing 24th at Worlds !

[LRK]

Well, if Gosviani doesn't get the TES, they've got Leonova. As for her - Leonova's - PCS... Are they good enough to make up for all the mistakes she's been making? PCS isn't the be all and end all - not even now... Talking about what she "could" do and "can" do is of no use if she doesn't actually do it, you know?

[gmyers]

I do think pcs is the be all and end all. Mao won an event doing 4 triples over the sp and lp.

Leonova is just sure to get better than 53! She almost reached 60 last season.

[haribobo]

Holding back skaters who have rightfully earned opportunities at Nationals due to gmyers' logic is the worst idea I've ever heard. I hope Gosviani does awesome at Euros and makes that argument look totally baseless.

[gmyers]

Usually it would be different but it's not the Russian fed cares about nationals order! Lol. This Might lead to worlds and Russia had a good shot at three spots for Sochi.

[LRK]

I do think pcs is the be all and end all. Mao won an event doing 4 triples over the sp and lp.

Leonova is just sure to get better than 53! She almost reached 60 last season.

If you're coming from a point of bitterness and disenchantment from what has been going on, I can perfectly understand that. I think that a lot has been done - and will continue to be done - with questionable PCS. However, I don't think Leonova is quite in that league of Favoured Ones, that the judges will hold her up no matter what. True, her silver medal from last year' sWorld no doubt gives her some "cred" with the judges - but if she goes on the way she has, I don't know how long that will be true.

It's not "just" that her jumps have been bad - it's even more the fact that, overall, there's something lacking. While she is not a favourite of mine (this does not mean that I DISlike her or anything - I like her well enough; she's just not a favourite), there is no denying that when she's "on" she skates with an exhuberance and enthusiasm that can be catching. That, however, I feel is what has really been missing this season. The puzzler is - why? Not knowing anything about her, or her situation, I cannot of course even venture to guess - all I can say is that she looks as if she EXPECTS to fail - and when she goes out on the ice, it looks like she is trying to do damage control, rather than skating her heart out - the way she can.

Or at least it was so during the GP season - I haven't seen her RN skates, but going by comments it does not seem to have changed. Of course, if anyone has seen a change in her demeanour that indicates that she may be on the way back, I should be glad to hear of it. As I said, while she is not a favourite, it is sad to see someone not skating to their potential.

ETA For clarification - I wrote "year" when it should, of course, have been "season".