The Russian Ladies.

Well I think they deserve their own thread as well. I may be one of the few that prefers them but I honestly do.

Irina Slutskaya is coming back but after only two months of training it's obvious she is still one of the best in the World.

Elena Sokolova didn't have her best competition at Worlds or year period. She came back though to land two 3/3s in her LP and was very happy with how she skated. I just love how she keeps trying and trying and proving everyone wrong. She did get nervous at Worlds and didn't do well in the SP but I think that the pressure can be expected since she has never had pressure on her like that before. I really hope she does well next year and gets to go to the Olympics!

Viktoria Volchkova was under marked in the first two rounds of Worlds and then had a horrible LP. We'll see what happens to her next. I still like the quiet artistry we get from her and her jumps are huge.

Yulia Soldatova will be a force next year I think, and I don't think this is the last we have seen from the Russian ladies. One thing you can always say about them is that they are fighters.

Who will make the Russian team with 2 spots? Will they do better at Worlds next year? How do they stand with the Japanese, American and Canadian ladies?

The pressure really got to Elena because she was in a position she has never been. It's always been Irina and to some extent Maria who were the top dogs from their country and their placing mattered the most. Last season Elena had a "look what I can do" mind set and it has helped her out. In Germany, she was a contender for gold and medal if she skated clean, she was leading the Russian charge and it became too much for her to handle. Even Irina said Elena has a chance to win the gold medal and she knows it.
I have no doubt she will plan her charge for next season with focus and determination to put her self back in the mix.

Irina, she's proven her self time after time and at this point in her career, all she needs to do is come back healthy and consisent. I bet she won't have any problem competing against Arakawa, Kwan and Cohen, if she regains her old form.

I really thought with Irina's world title and Olympic medal, ladies skating in Russia would start to pick up rapidly. Some times you just need that motivation, someone who you can relate to go out there and put on the table and come out with great result.

But trust me, with only two spots for next year's worlds and Euro's, Russian ladies(can't wait to see what Soldatova is up to) will come out fighting for those two spots and put them selfs back on the top as one of the top ladies in the world.
I think a healthy Irina has spot even though she has to go out there and skate her butt off, the other spot is between Elena and Julia, Vika is not even a factor anymore because she's been inconsistent throughout her career.
The last time Russia did didn't qualify 3 ladies for worlds/Euro's was 95, almost 10 years. They won't let it happen again.

Edited to add: Irina's coach(Zhanna Gromova) has a few ladies who in time could become just like Irina. It was Irina's coach who taught Neldina the 3axel.

Thanks Koroleva! I was going to start a Russian Ladies thread but you saved me the trouble. What I would like to have read was some other skaters like Oblosova and Nelidina, etc. We don't get to see them in the USA. So if there are any opinions on the not so famous, let us hear about it.

I agree with those posters who thought Volchkova was robbed in the QR. She was in the more contested group where Kwan and Ando were overmarked and she was undermarked. She was also undermarked in the SP but her LP left something tio be desired. - Those views are just mine.

Sokolova after a brilliant QR just went downhill from there. I don't know why.

I'm not sure of Volchkova's age but Sokolova is getting on there (like Kwan but no body thinks she should retire), will these gals continue to compete? The PreOly Worlds is in Russia.

Joe

Nelidina is out for the count, at least for now I think - I heard she had a nervous breakdown


k.

Nelidina has reportedly quit skating. Oblasova's 15th place at Europeans did not put her in good stead with the Russian Federation.

Elena Sokolova is 24, Irina Slutskaya is 25, Viktoria Volchkova is 21 and Julia Soldatova is nearly 23.

I think that "nervous breakdown" was one of those wacky translation misunderstandings. She was very upset about how she felt she was marked at nationals and how she was treated by the federation in general, and says she has quit. I've heard nothing of her being in a Psychiatric ward or anything like that. Anyone else have more info?

None of the senior ladies are doing well this season, and the juniors are doing no better.

Juniors

I had to look up thier stats because even though I've seen them live, I remember absolutely nothing about them other than that they weren't terribly good.

Oblasova won junior world in 01, but was 11th the next year and 9th in 03.

Basova was 17th at 02 junior worlds.

Angelina Turenko, the junior nat champ, was 8th at 04 junior worlds. Silver medalist Alina Gershkova was 15th. Niether qualified for JGPF.

Olga Naidenova was only Rus lady at 04 JGPF, where she finished 7th of 8. She was 15th at 03 junior worlds.

No Rus lady qualified for 03 JGPF.

berthes ghost said:

I think that "nervous breakdown" was one of those wacky translation misunderstandings. She was very upset about how she felt she was marked at nationals and how she was treated by the federation in general, and says she has quit. I've heard nothing of her being in a Psychiatric ward or anything like that.

Click to expand...

Oh, that's good - well....not good she's upset, but good if she's not *that* upset!

kat.

Gershkovich was assigned two JGP events in the 2003-2004 season and finished 4th and 5th. Turenko was assigned only one event, and finished 4th. Naidenova, who made the JGPF, finished 3rd and 2nd at her two events.

Turenko did very well by finishing 8th at her first Junior Worlds.

Oh a Russian Ladies thread!! Perfect!

Irina: Definelty the Queen, she did was better than everyone expected, yes her flipp and lutz are not back but her other jumps were as good as I remember them (well the loop...but her loop is already difficult so). She is so strong and she show us what can you do when you really want to. Hope she gets her health back and she can came back the Irina we all know.She is still number 1 for me.

Elena, as you said she couldn't handle pressure, I bet Pissiev was reminding her about the three Russian spots for next year but she did a great free and as Chris said in Eurosport, she got her pride back; and I hope she comes back as strong as ever

Vika, totally robbed at worlds!! it was disgusting!!

About the others I just know about Basova, she is good but soo incosistent that you don't know if you can bet on her. Overall I do like her, I like her Amelie program, I think that if Mishin could work a little bit more with her, she could probably become better, but now her coach is Tatiana Mishina and I don't know how good she really is.