Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov Split

BusyMom said:

or send them to Zueva too and we are going to have the most exciting quad of ice dance! More drama from Canton camp.

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Zueva apparently wants D/W to continue, based on her new interview. And V/M haven't made a decision to retire or not yet.

Imagine, Zueva coaching 2 out of 3 top American pairs (D/W and the Shibs), the top Canadian pair, and the two formerly top Russian pairs...

It makes me want Real Life: Canton even more!

Snow63 said:

S/K are going to the US for three weeks tryouts with Zueva.

Source: http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20140413/742845516.html

Edit: Good for the start. Does it mean NO MOROZOV?

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I think this is unfair to I/Z. Why don't they also get the chance to have a tryout with Zueva? Who is paying for the 3 weeks in Detroit?

fleeting said:

Zueva apparently wants D/W to continue, based on her new interview. And V/M haven't made a decision to retire or not yet.

Imagine, Zueva coaching 2 out of 3 top American pairs (D/W and the Shibs), the top Canadian pair, and the two formerly top Russian pairs...

It makes me want Real Life: Canton even more!

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I am not sure if she would have enough time for them if D/W and V/M decide to continue. They could also end up as Shibs.

Snow63 said:

S/K are going to the US for three weeks tryouts with Zueva.

Source: http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20140413/742845516.html

Edit: Good for the start. Does it mean NO MOROZOV?

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http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20140413/742845516.html
Zueva says: “Kids (Victoria and Nikita) are arriving to Detroit today and they will train three weeks with me. It will be a test of compatibility so far, a talk is not about programs, but we will simply look what two skaters with different style are able to do together.
Many different details must be tried – paso doble, lifts, maybe after that we will try some style. After it a Russian Federation will look at them.“

Wow, that is a great opportunity for Victoria and Nikita. And if Zueva would be their coach, they would be in good hands.

But I have some questions.
1. If Russian Federation puts so much effort into taking Zueva in…so they already decided to make a new couple, yes? So why that waiting period?
2. Why three weeks? Lena and Ruslan will have to wait until first week of May when Victoria and Nikita turn back from US, then they will have to wait another few days until Russian Federation will see Victoria and Nikita skating together and then they will have to wait at least one or two days until Russian Federation will make final decision that a new couple of S&K was born. And it will be almost a half of May. Quite long, no?
3. Why to US and why Zueva for tryout? Isn’t it a waste of her time for tryout only? There is not enought ice and enought coaches in Russia to allow Victoria and Nikita to skate some hours together to see if they feel good with each other? And OK, once Russian Federation agree with making a new couple, send them to whoever they want (for Moscow region money).
4. Who will pay the bill if Victoria and Nikita get no support from Russian Federation and need money from region? Or is Zueva ready to do it for free? And now I speak for tryout only, in case of working with her in future who will pay it in future until Victoria and Nikita show results – which is around seven months until first Grand Prix?
5. If Victoria and Nikita got such opportunity and help from Russian Federation… what help and support for Lena and Ruslan will make it equivalent? Understand me, if Russian Federation shows such support (and send them to Zueva) for two peple who destroyed two of three top couples – how they will compensate the situation for Lena and Ruslan, who didn’t know about a split before? And I don’t mean Sphilband – Nikita told he learned so much from him this season – and he left at the end of season, plus Sphilband’s jumping dancers… I mean some support of training process, helping with bringing necessary specialists etc. If one couple gets such help, it would be only OK that second couple (the more innocent in this situation) will live in the same conditions.

Is Russian Federation really serious that a couple needs three weeks to explore if they are compatibile? Zueva is such specialist that it will take her less than one practise and she will know if it can work…so why three weeks? Vera Bazarova and Andrei Deputat needed one practise, no? And this looong tryout means looong waiting and waste of important time for next season preparation for Lena and Ruslan. So it is not only quite “behind the scene“ and unfrank behaviour from Nikita and Victoria but now also unfair and “behind the scene“ behaviour of Russian Federation to Lena and Ruslan.

ElenaNikitaFan said:

I think this is unfair to I/Z. Why don't they also get the chance to have a tryout with Zueva? Who is paying for the 3 weeks in Detroit?

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If they wants to skate with together and wants another coach, I'm sure Russian Federation would fund them too. After all even Pushkash/Guerreiro worked at USA with Linichuk/Karponosov.

fleeting said:

Zueva apparently wants D/W to continue, based on her new interview. And V/M haven't made a decision to retire or not yet.

Imagine, Zueva coaching 2 out of 3 top American pairs (D/W and the Shibs), the top Canadian pair, and the two formerly top Russian pairs...

It makes me want Real Life: Canton even more!

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You arent seeing D&W or V&M back (and in the super unlikely event V&M continued it wouldnt be with Zoueva).

hanca said:

I am not sure if she would have enough time for them if D/W and V/M decide to continue. They could also end up as Shibs.

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V/M have already moved out of Canton and put up their places for sale. Assuming they do continue, it most likely won't be with Zueva.

So next season, assuming everyone continues, we'll have,

D/W- Zueva
V/M- ?
S/K- Zueva
I/K - Kustarova
W/P- Krylova
C/L- Shpilband
C/B- Shpilband
G/P- Lane
Co/Bu- Platov
Shibs- Zueva
P/I- Krylova

And B/S - Zhulin.

ElenaNikitaFan said:

I think this is unfair to I/Z. Why don't they also get the chance to have a tryout with Zueva? Who is paying for the 3 weeks in Detroit?

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There's a report out by a Russian reporter that years ago before going to Morozov they tried to get Igor and Marina to take them but Marina refused because she had enough of Elena when she trained with them years ago. I don't know if its true but its the report.

I find all of this, Nikita is a terrible human being, and horrible person to be highly unfair. We don't know his side of the story. There were reportedly personal issues between him and Elena. He and Elena were highly touted and talented, he had to have had some pretty strong reasons for ending the partnership.

He's reportedly wanted out for awhile, so I don't think this came solely out of the blue, no matter what Elena's saying.

Just because one person does the breaking up, doesn't mean the other party is an innocent angel, who did nothing wrong. I doubt he wanted the news to break the way he did. But him deciding to end it, doesn't make him a terrible person or a bad guy.

Clearly their working relationship had issues, and it takes two to make a relationship work. He might have been the one to end it but she could have given him plenty of reasons.

BusyMom said:

I have a feeling all along that Zueva was a real culprit in all these circus. She is such a real-life Maleficent (Mistress of all evil). But I love her all the same.

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Zueva's make up alone is already Maleficent

bekalc said:

There's a report out by a Russian reporter that years ago before going to Morozov they tried to get Igor and Marina to take them but Marina refused because she had enough of Elena when she trained with them years ago. I don't know if its true but its the report.

I find all of this, Nikita is a terrible human being, and horrible person to be highly unfair. We don't know his side of the story. There were reportedly personal issues between him and Elena. He and Elena were highly touted and talented, he had to have had some pretty strong reasons for ending the partnership.

He's reportedly wanted out for awhile, so I don't think this came solely out of the blue, no matter what Elena's saying.

Just because one person does the breaking up, doesn't mean the other party is an innocent angel, who did nothing wrong. I doubt he wanted the news to break the way he did. But him deciding to end it, doesn't make him a terrible person or a bad guy.

Clearly their working relationship had issues, and it takes two to make a relationship work. He might have been the one to end it but she could have given him plenty of reasons.

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Remember how miserable Trankov was with Mukhortova. When they broke up everybody understand him, nobody thought he is horrible person, did they? If Katsalapov would have been a little bit less warm to Ilinykh, not touching, kissing her or looked very happy with each other, maybe everbody could have understand their break up. When I remember those times I can't help but thinking he is a two-faced person. I did not remember even one cold stare from him or a criticism to Ilinykh, now suddenly they have personal issues. If he didn't played to cameras I could have understand him. :confused2:

BusyMom said:

or send them to Zueva too and we are going to have the most exciting quad of ice dance! More drama from Canton camp.

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but not good for the bothteams skating environment

Ilinykh/Zhiganshin needs a Shipilband like coach to help Ruslan with lifts and overall technique for the two

elif said:

Remember how miserable Trankov was with Mukhortova. When they broke up everybody understand him, nobody thought he is horrible person, did they? If Katsalapov would have been a little bit less warm to Ilinykh, not touching, kissing her or looked very happy with each other, maybe everbody could have understand their break up. When I remember those times I can't help but thinking he is a two-faced person. I did not remember even one cold stare from him or a criticism to Ilinykh, now suddenly they have personal issues. If he didn't played to cameras I could have understand him. :confused2:

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Exactly. I don't blame someone for ending a partnership if they are unhappy, but all season he was saying how great they are getting on, he said in interviews leading up to worlds they wanted to work even harder to bring back the gold at the next olympics - but at this time he must have already been arranging his partnership with Sinitsina, because the first report in Itar-tass said they heard about it at a show I/K were performing at in Saint Petersburg, and that show was just 2 weeks after the Olympics. And I know from someone who knows Elena very well that she genuinely had no idea this was coming - not just not hearing about a try out specifically, but they weren't disagreeing, no fights like they used to, nothing to suggest their working relationship was breaking down. So I don't blame him for leaving, but I blame him for lying to his partner and his federation.

I think Zueva is interested in being new coach for S/K. 3 weeks are too long for just a tryout. If it's really only a tryout, than that would mean, they all are really NOT convinced that S/K could work. However- the impression stays that it's unfair on I/Z. I/Z can only make the best of it and use the time for practise.

bluestar said:

I think Zueva is interested in being new coach for S/K. 3 weeks are too long for just a tryout. If it's really only a tryout, than that would mean, they all are really NOT convinced that S/K could work. However- the impression stays that it's unfair on I/Z. I/Z can only make the best of it and use the time for practise.

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http://itar-tass.com/sport/1118108

Kustarova says here I/Z are working together well, but the Federation also considers their partnership a try-out and decisions won't be made for a few weeks for both teams.

But I agree, Zoueva is interested in S/K. I think it would have been unlikely she would have taken I/K, but not because of issues with Elena, but because her "thing" has always been to make new teams, mostly from juniors & she'd see S/K as the kind of blank canvas she likes to work with.

bluestar said:

I think Zueva is interested in being new coach for S/K. 3 weeks are too long for just a tryout. If it's really only a tryout, than that would mean, they all are really NOT convinced that S/K could work. However- the impression stays that it's unfair on I/Z. I/Z can only make the best of it and use the time for practise.

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You don't need three weeks to see if a couple would work. The FED is trying to ascertain how to split the funding between the two teams hence the extended try-out. I believe Kustarova when she says I/Z look good together, what they should do is make use of this time. Trusting Nikita to be the stubborn man that he says he is, there is no way after all of this that he's going back to Lena. Len and Rus should just go full steam ahead, because let's face it, Lena will master new material in a shorter time than Nikita any day so what has she got to lose, nothing. However, I strongly believe Nikita has some strong backing in the FED to make something like this happen, three weeks? Absolute nonsense!!

Did it ever occur to anyone else that the three weeks is probably more a test to see if a coaching situation with Zoueva would work out rather than a S/K switch, which pretty much sounds like a done deal at this point...

uhh said:

Exactly. I don't blame someone for ending a partnership if they are unhappy, but all season he was saying how great they are getting on, he said in interviews leading up to worlds they wanted to work even harder to bring back the gold at the next olympics - but at this time he must have already been arranging his partnership with Sinitsina, because the first report in Itar-tass said they heard about it at a show I/K were performing at in Saint Petersburg, and that show was just 2 weeks after the Olympics. And I know from someone who knows Elena very well that she genuinely had no idea this was coming - not just not hearing about a try out specifically, but they weren't disagreeing, no fights like they used to, nothing to suggest their working relationship was breaking down. So I don't blame him for leaving, but I blame him for lying to his partner and his federation.

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When you are skating with a couple in public you are trying to present an image. So just because he's nice to her in front of cameras doesn't mean there are no issues.

Something tells me I/K's relationship had a ton of ups and downs. One moment they are happy the next they aren't.

Even the federation has openly said there were personal issues between I/K.

Perhaps things were better between them, so Elena thought things were fine. But its possible that there had been so much water on that bridge. That Nikita was going to stick around with the Olympics but wasn't convinced things wouldn't go back to the previous incident after the Olympics. So he decided to-switch.

Sorry if this is a stupid question. But could it be that they are ona 3 week try out to see what Zoueva can do? Instead of knowing if they can work together or not, just Zoueva deciding if she takes S/K under her coaching?

pamela said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question. But could it be that they are ona 3 week try out to see what Zoueva can do? Instead of knowing if they can work together or not, just Zoueva deciding if she takes S/K under her coaching?

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It is quite possible.