Volchkova in Kudriavtsev's group again!

Vika Volchkova left Tchaijkovskaja and is training in Kudriavtsev's group again, however, not with Viktor Kudriavtsev who already trains Sokolova and Soldatova, but with his wife Marina Kudriavtseva. They plan to send her to "Kubok Rossij" and if she skates well there, she still might get a spot in the Russian national team for worlds.
(You can find this in Russian media at: http://www.stog.ru - click on sports)

Wow, interesting! Good luck, Vika! She's so gorgeous and has so much potential as a skater that would just LOVE for her to reach it.
Rgirl

really
can't wait to see how this develops...

Changing coaches is a not bad resolution. But IMO she needs to work on the quickness of in-betweens and getting ready to jump. Vicktoria has hugh jumps, but she needs to put them in a exciting program. Her previous programs all have the same slow in-betweens.

Excellent skater; Garbo like face; incredible lutz; that beautiful dress in the GP, and so much more, however, she falls into that category like Angela Nikidinov, imo, as "so much potential waiting and waiting and waiting to happen".
I can't help but give her and those like her much credit for hanging in there.

Joe

Yay! Great news! Normally I don't like to hear about skaters switching coaches, but I could never see any reason for her to have gone to Tchaikovksaya. Now that she is with Kudryavsteva, I think there is hope. As to her going to Europeans or Worlds, I think this is very possible: if Russians cannot send Soldatova, they have to send a 15 year old inexperienced Alima Gershkovich as the 3d skater, and I bet they would rather send Vika. (Assuming, of course, that Irina still cannot skate)

Volchkova not in Europeans team, at least

Originally posted by Ptichka
As to her going to Europeans or Worlds, I think this is very possible: if Russians cannot send Soldatova, they have to send a 15 year old inexperienced Alima Gershkovich as the 3d skater, and I bet they would rather send Vika. (Assuming, of course, that Irina still cannot skate)

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As posted on FSU (with links to a Russian article) and shown in the entries list on the 2004 Europeans site, the three skaters representing Russia are Elena Sokolova, Kristina Oblasova, and Tatiana Basova. I do agree that Volchkova still has a shot at the Worlds team, especially if both Oblasova and Basova tank at Europeans and Slutskaya remains ill or lacks sufficient time to get in shape for Worlds (which is unfortunately likely).Given Volchkova's poor results throughout the year and at Russian Nationals, I have some doubt that she'll be able to recover sufficiently to even be close to last year's fifth-place finish at Worlds.

As for the coaching change, I am unsure that Volchkova will garner better results. I had high hopes for her after last year. When completed, her jumps are beautiful, and she had a breakthrough at Cup of Russia, winning the long program over both Slutskaya and Cohen. However, even last season we saw that even with clean performances, Volchkova remained a step below the top ladies in terms of her musical expression and attack. This year, she appears to have taken a few steps back, with less consistency on jumps and a rather lackluster LP in which she displays apathetically little connection to the music. In addition, some of the (admittedly) rumors and articles coming out of the Russian press were unflattering to her work ethic (Anyone know the true story). I hope that the coaching change will add the jump consistency, sparkle, and perhaps confidence that Vika seems to be lacking, but at the same time, I think the chances of the transformation everyone (including me) seems to want actually happening anytime soon are low.

InsecureEdge

Interesting, considering that in a recent article he said that VV's skating Mom had definate ideas on how to package VV that were oposite of his own. I wonder how they are going to resolve this.

Vika has always had such beautiful and very high jumps (like some other Russian ladies also). I think it is great that she has gone back to Kudriatshev camp, maaybe next season will be better for her. Also I hope that she would work for her stamina, because it seems to me that she has had problems with a freeskate because of the lack of that.

She is a wonderful skater, and I hope that she will use music and choreography which will suit her own skating style and the body type. Maybe something a bit strong sounding, perhaps?

Marjaana

I've always been waiting for her to add the last spark to her programs, as to me, they have been somewhat...slow...and without highlights, and she really has the potential of great results, because her jumps are so text-book. When I watch her choreography I always end up frustrated because I'm waiting and waiting, and what I'm waiting for at the end of the program is not coming. Her short last year had such great music, but when the music was speeding up, she didn't seem to follow it, she could have done so much more with it....

I really hope it's not all lost that she could really get the choreography together, and listen to good advice, not just let her mother get in the way, because, as someone said, even though she skates well, she's placed below the absolute top....and IMO it's because she lacks the extra spark and sparkle (I love that; spark and sparkle )