Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov Split

If Nikita DID in fact go behind her back and set up the partnership with Victoria, all while telling Elena how he wanted to win 2018 with her, I'm sorry that's just wrong. You don't go behind your partner's back like that, especially when trust is essential in a partnership like this. Nikita could have at least in the interview thanked Elena for the years they skated together and the success they achieved together. The fact that Elena found out about the plan through a rival competitor, as opposed to her own partner, is very disturbing.

I was one of I/K's biggest fans, but with the way Nikita (and Victoria) acted, I find myself rooting for Ilinykh/Zhiganshin, one of the reasons being the way they were wrongly treated by their former partners.

I find the Davankova/Deputat split to be one of the classiest, particularly the way Deputat went about it. He sat down with Davankova and their coach, and nicely explained that by no fault of her own, she was getting tall, and that he felt that it would be difficult to continue skating together. THEN, he went looking for a new partner. He also said nothing but NICE things about her in interviews (wishing her the best, she's a great/talented skater who will surely find a partner, etc) - I'm guessing Vasilisa has no hard feelings about the split, given that he went about it in the most mature way possible. He didn't arrange to skate with Bazarova before he spoke to Vasilisa - only after they agreed to end their partnership, he looked for a new partner. That's how it should be done. You don't set up a partnership behind your partner's back, and then say "Oh btw we're done, just so you know." I always got the sense that Davankova and Deputat got along well, so I'm not surprised that he would break it to her nicely and maturely.

sky_fly20 said:

and it isnt Nikita btw who is rumored to be lazy and has work ethic issues

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It might be Elena with the work ethic issues, but Nikita's the one who messes up at their most critical moment, while Elena did everything right (although she messed up their Euro title chances).

If i remember corectly, it was nikita who made the silly mistake during world's. Do you guys think it was a planned one? Assuming nikita was slready secretly arranging try outs before world, he would know breaking up with elena with a gold medal will be even harder

Kittosuni said:

If i remember corectly, it was nikita who made the silly mistake during world's. Do you guys think it was a planned one? Assuming nikita was slready secretly arranging try outs before world, he would know breaking up with elena with a gold medal will be even harder

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I don't think so, I don't belive that. That would be too much, even for an ***....,and it's not like it's the first time that Nikita messes up. I think by that time the rumour spread out and there was tension between Nikita and Elena, so maybe he was lacking in concentration and Elena looked determined to skate well.

CanadianSkaterGuy said:

It might be Elena with the work ethic issues, but Nikita's the one who messes up at their most critical moment, while Elena did everything right (although she messed up their Euro title chances).

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Even that mistake of her was thanks to him as well.

96skiluvr said:

If Nikita DID in fact go behind her back and set up the partnership with Victoria, all while telling Elena how he wanted to win 2018 with her, I'm sorry that's just wrong. You don't go behind your partner's back like that, especially when trust is essential in a partnership like this. Nikita could have at least in the interview thanked Elena for the years they skated together and the success they achieved together. The fact that Elena found out about the plan through a rival competitor, as opposed to her own partner, is very disturbing.

I was one of I/K's biggest fans, but with the way Nikita (and Victoria) acted, I find myself rooting for Ilinykh/Zhiganshin, one of the reasons being the way they were wrongly treated by their former partners.

I find the Davankova/Deputat split to be one of the classiest, particularly the way Deputat went about it. He sat down with Davankova and their coach, and nicely explained that by no fault of her own, she was getting tall, and that he felt that it would be difficult to continue skating together. THEN, he went looking for a new partner. He also said nothing but NICE things about her in interviews (wishing her the best, she's a great/talented skater who will surely find a partner, etc) - I'm guessing Vasilisa has no hard feelings about the split, given that he went about it in the most mature way possible. He didn't arrange to skate with Bazarova before he spoke to Vasilisa - only after they agreed to end their partnership, he looked for a new partner. That's how it should be done. You don't set up a partnership behind your partner's back, and then say "Oh btw we're done, just so you know." I always got the sense that Davankova and Deputat got along well, so I'm not surprised that he would break it to her nicely and maturely.

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This. :thumbsup:

Nikita: “Vika is a big hero. All coaches are enthusiastic about her. She is catching everything geniously. She needs to stand aside for a little moment, she thinks herself, then she starts to work. Truly Vika got many advises, because she was in not easy situation, she had to make many things faster. We may imagine only how she felt. But the positive atmosphere helped Vika to make herself free, to open. It is evident that she is in fire.“

Can someone tranlate this for me please? Why Vika is a big hero and why they can only imagine how she felt?

The new season can't start soon enough. I just want to see them skate. Their relationship looks to be just too toxic. Some people just have no business working together and I/K may be two such persons.

Alba said:

Nikita: “Vika is a big hero. All coaches are enthusiastic about her. She is catching everything geniously. She needs to stand aside for a little moment, she thinks herself, then she starts to work. Truly Vika got many advises, because she was in not easy situation, she had to make many things faster. We may imagine only how she felt. But the positive atmosphere helped Vika to make herself free, to open. It is evident that she is in fire.“

Can someone tranlate this for me please? Why Vika is a big hero and why they can only imagine how she felt?

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I understand it like Nikita described that Victoria had to improve her skating to get on his level, to become faster, to make elements faster...so they all gave her advises how to improve, she absorbed it well and learnt it. That is why she is a hero - that she improved so quickly. And because Nikita thinks that him or any of coaches were never in situation when they had to skate with technically better partner, he says that they can't imagine how was she feeling.

I don't like his description of Victoria, she is not skater - beginner, but here it looks like that she had to learn everything to take on Nikita's level.

sisinka said:

I understand it like Nikita described that Victoria had to improve her skating to get on his level, to become faster, to make elements faster...so they all gave her advises how to improve, she absorbed it well and learnt it. That is why she is a hero - that she improved so quickly. And because Nikita thinks that him or any of coaches were never in situation when they had to skate with technically better partner, he says that they can't imagine how was she feeling.

I don't like this Victoria description, she is not skater - beginner, but here it looks like that she had to learn everything to take on Nikita's level.

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OMG!
He really is full of himself isn't he?

This quote is not an accurate translation of what he said, it's rather :" it was a well thought through decision" so the tone was quite neutral...

Lenchik said:

This quote is not an accurate translation of what he said, it's rather :" it was a well thought through decision" so the tone was quite neutral...

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Which quote are you referring to?

The translation is : Vika is doing a great job, they are praising her efforts ...

About deliberate act or smith...sounds nasty in English , was not in an actual interview, have to admit, though I am all for Elena (-:

Lenchik said:

About deliberate act or smith...sounds nasty in English , was not in an actual interview, have to admit, though I am all for Elena (-:

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The translation sounds a bit weird. I guess it was done with Google translation or something like that.

I'm curious, does Nikita have any siblings or he's the only child?

Alba said:

The translation sounds a bit weird. I guess it was done with Google translation or something like that.

I'm curious, does Nikita have any siblings or he's the only child?

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Him only.

bramweld said:

Him only.

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Funny. He always looked to me a bit as a mama's boy.

TAT was really rotting for these two.
SD:http://www.ntvplus.ru/olympic/video/1401-tanets-eleny-ilinyh-i-nikity-katsalapova.xl#.U4gTz2dZrz0
FD: http://www.ntvplus.ru/olympic/news/258-ilinyh-i-katsalapov-vyigrali-bronzu-v-tantsah-na-ldu.xl

Once again, we don't know that the other partners don't have try outs before breaking up their partnerships. Did anyone say they didn't. If your going to criticize Nikita for lining up a partner first, I have one question. Do you quit your job before finding another job? Or get a new job first than quit.

As for him saying earlier he wanted to go with Elena to 2018 Olympics. Maybe he meant that when he said it. Maybe he thought things were getting better and something went down and he decided against it. It happens.

At the end of the day I feel jumping and vilifying any of them is unfair. We don't know the situation.

bekalc said:

Once again, we don't know that the other partners don't have try outs before breaking up their partnerships. Did anyone say they didn't.

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If they did that was wrong and two wrongs don't make a right, but till know we know what they clearly said: "thank you to my partner and coach. Now I'm looking for somebody else". That's fair enough. Hard for the other partner I suppose but fair.

If your going to criticize Nikita for lining up a partner first, I have one question. Do you quit your job before finding another job? Or get a new job first than quit

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To answer your question yes, I did quit a job before finding another one. Nothing wrong to search first for a new job than quit, but this is not the same thing with I&K split anyway.
This was a partnership. In a partnership there are two people involved, and to take your example, do you search for a new partner without telling anything to the one you have?

As for him saying earlier he wanted to go with Elena to 2018 Olympics. Maybe he meant that when he said it. Maybe he thought things were getting better and something went down and he decided against it. It happens.

At the end of the day I feel jumping and vilifying any of them is unfair. We don't know the situation

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Nobody is vilifying him. He has all the rights to split with Elena, or any other partner for that matter, if he feels that's the right thing for him.
As a fan I'm sorry but I can't blame someone for not wanting to skate with their partner. However, there is a wrong way to do it and a right one. He chose the wrong one, whether you like it or not. Simple as that.

bekalc said:

Once again, we don't know that the other partners don't have try outs before breaking up their partnerships. Did anyone say they didn't. If your going to criticize Nikita for lining up a partner first, I have one question. Do you quit your job before finding another job? Or get a new job first than quit.

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As Alba said, I don't think the job analogy works here - it's relevant to a coaching change perhaps, but for an ice dance or pairs couple the relationship is so much more than simple employment. Your success is so dependent on the other person, and at the level that I/K were at there has to be so much trust that you are both working for the same goals. I've only ever competed in very small local ice dance competitions, but even there it's nothing like the relationship you would have with your work colleagues. You see it come up time and time again in interviews ice dancers saying their partnership is more like a marriage than anything else - and again as Alba says, you wouldn't justify someone who went off looking for a new romantic partner while not even letting on to their current spouse that nothing was wrong.

bekalc said:

As for him saying earlier he wanted to go with Elena to 2018 Olympics. Maybe he meant that when he said it. Maybe he thought things were getting better and something went down and he decided against it. It happens.

At the end of the day I feel jumping and vilifying any of them is unfair. We don't know the situation.

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People have said here, on FSO and on FSU that they heard rumours about Sinitsina & Katsalapov as early as last summer. The journalist who first reported it said they were told at the St Petersberg show 2 weeks after Sochi that it would be happening. I can remember at least 2 interviews Nikita gave between that show & Worlds talking about Elena & their ambitions, not just wanting to win in 2018 but to do 2 more Olympic cycles. The last interview was published a week and a half before worlds. I also know a girl who ran a fan site for I/K & who was in touch with Elena from time to time - again a week before Worlds Elena was in touch with this girl telling her about the shows I/K had committed to after the season was over & their plans to make a new exhibition program. So at that stage some people had known about the split for weeks, but Nikita was still saying in public that he was committed to Elena (I can understand that to an extent if he wanted to finish the season with minimum fuss) but he was also lying to Elena and allowing her to make plans for their partnership that he never had any intent of going through with. Victoria has managed to escape with way less criticism that Nikita, but from what Ruslan's sister Nelly said at Worlds, it sounds like she was doing exactly the same - Ruslan only found out when the story appeared in the press, and yet Zueva said Morozov had already told her it was a done deal!

To repeat, no one is villifying Nikita for switching partners. But the way he & Victoria did it is not the way to conduct yourself. If they were unhappy they should have spoken to the Federation (who, if we do take the job analogy, are their employers after all & as such should know their plans - you wouldn't suddenly decide to switch departments at work of your own volition & expect everyone to be cool with it, would you?), and they should have been upfront with their partners that things weren't working instead of lying in such a shamelesss manner.

Vilify implies unjustly making a villain out of someone, doesn't it? But, as Bekalc states, noone here knows the real situation. Therefore those who condemn S/K for their conduct, may just as well be right. As most of them have repeatedly said, this is not about the split, but about the manner of it and about their current attitude. Based on the interviews posted here, S/K both sound to me like ruthless, classless, inconsiderate -and in K's case also conceited- people, acting like their previous partners and coaches wronged them horribly enough to warrant pretending they no longer exist. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it seems clear they don't have one positive word to say about I and Z or any of the coaches, never offered any explanation or thanks to any of them, and just stopped communicating with all of them, out of the blue. I don't feel like I'm jumping to a conclusion when I find the image of them I've so far felt from the interviews, plain and simple repulsive.

Alba said:

Nikita: “Vika is a big hero. All coaches are enthusiastic about her. She is catching everything geniously. She needs to stand aside for a little moment, she thinks herself, then she starts to work. Truly Vika got many advises, because she was in not easy situation, she had to make many things faster. We may imagine only how she felt. But the positive atmosphere helped Vika to make herself free, to open. It is evident that she is in fire.“

Can someone tranlate this for me please? Why Vika is a big hero and why they can only imagine how she felt?

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he makes it sound as if Victoria was completely clueless before him and now she is out of this world skater because she is with him. God, he is just all about himself. Ego doesn't work well in sports, he should know that by now!