When SK placed second after SD at SA, I didn’t think anything of it, because they were 8 points behind the leaders, which is a lot for SD. But when they were less than 3 points behind the leaders in the FD (with 2 deductions!) and won TES, it began to look like it
might be a different situation. I understand that CB were mostly working on their new SD lately and weren’t at their best in the FD. But they still got a bit more than they’d gotten at SA last year and similar to what WP had gotten at SC and NHK last year and PC at TEB. It may be that being no. 1 US team competing in the US helped them a bit, but the question is why did SK get the kind of FD score that top ID teams get at GP events? I bet if this kind of surprise happened at COR, our forum would have exploded with indignation over corrupt judging, worthless scores and possibly even demands to transfer the GP event to some other country
. But since this happened at SA, conspiracy theories don’t apply. I don’t believe the Russian Fed politicks for them either, or at least not in any special way. And I personally don’t know if Zueva really politicks for her teams, but if she does, it’s no good, as SK’s results at COR and Nationals last year, Shibutanis career after Zueva split with Shpilband and CL’s results last year amply testify. What then? Could SK really have improved from being unable to get tech minimum for Worlds at 3 competitions in a row to a top team since January? Could the judges have been so surprised by the progress SK
had made and maintained in both segments of the competition that they overscored them? Could the contrast play in their favor? But in order for there to be a contrast with GP and HB, SK would have to be a top team, wouldn’t they? And I don’t think GP and YM would agree that everybody got over-scored at SA; neither IMO did HB get even the PCS they deserved in FD. Could by some random chance the judges at SA have a taste for the kind of programs SK have created this year? Maybe. Certainly enough members of our forum liked them. So it looks like it might be just a fluke, but I think there’s also a possibility that it isn’t – I do say just a possibility because it’s just one competition.
I just want to make one thing clear. I have no reason whatsoever to believe that if IZ had competed at Milwaukee and done two clean skates, they wouldn’t have won by a landslide. In fact, I do rather regret now that they hadn’t been assigned to SA. But it looks like there’s a possibility that in the future SK might join CB, PW, CL, PC and perhaps BS as one of the teams IZ would have to keep in mind when strategizing. Personally, I very much hope it won’t happen, because I think IZ have enough rivals as it is to keep them on their toes, because it’ll renew all the talks and the attention to the past, and because I don’t like SK’s skating: last year their programs were vulgar, and this year they’re all generic and fake; FD in particular almost screams phony at me to the point of being barely watchable, although normally I enjoy the lyrical/romantic style. But I don’t know if there are cases of ID teams getting champions’ TES and PCS at GP-level events once, not because they had outdone themselves that one time and really deserved first-rate scores, and never getting them again.
I did follow the results and watched the top 2 after coffee and nicotine. I don't know why there is worry. We watched Marina try to turn C/L into the Diet Coke of Tessa and Scott. Sinitsina and Katsalapov are the Coke Zero of that in terms of campiness. I can be dramatic and kiss my husband too. While they have improved there is still much to work on. I found it off putting that Nikita has to start his twizzles 2 feet behind Vika in order to twizzle with her and still finish ahead of her. That was the first set, and he stays ahead of her for the next two sets. They are still masking Vika's lack of edges. The music cuts are ehh. This is not a program of substance but pretty points.
That’s very interesting! Thank you very much for pointing this out! I wonder why on earth SK got level 4 on their twizzles and +2 GOEs from most judges? Don’t skaters have to be in sync on the twizzles? And don’t the judges see their tricks to mask S’s relative lack of edges?
I am not worried about COC. The judges placed I/Z above C/L at Euros and were ready to make them silver medalist based on the fact that I/Z were stronger skaters even then. I think Ruslena can beat C/B. The judges love their skating as does the crowd. They have actual edges, expression, and emotion from a place of substance. More importantly they have fire.
Keep on keeping Ruslenaiacs!
ITA. And I think that one more thing that they have in their favor is that they genuinely enjoy skating with each other, probably even more so than many off-the-ice ID couples do, because they match each other so well, and for professionals it would matter, wouldn’t it? I thought it probably contributed to the success of their Carmen that that program seemed to be about both Carmen and Escamilio finding perfect partners – something Elena and Ruslan must have found easy to relate to. When people genuinely admire each other and are happy to be skating together no play-acting can compare to it.
Them going to Igor it's something dreadful for me. I don't care how good with TES he is (for me that has become a bit of a myth but anyway) or how much political power he has. I want these two become the couple I know they can. I still love and watch today Moiseeva & Minenkov and never cared about Linichuk & Karponosov, for example. Obviously I want IZ to win many titles and become OGM but I don't want them to become like "ordinary" and have generic, crappy or cheesy programs. About the "god coaches" in ID the history speaks for it. Before it was Dubova, later Linichuk kicked her out (Dubova's fault IMO also), after Linichuk came Marina and now Igor it seems, which will fall also.
I think there’s no danger of them agreeing to do generic, crappy or cheesy programs now that they’ve become adults and tried creating something special, something that’s theirs.
I really wouldn't worry so much. It's a sport, not life and death. And when it comes to the sport the teams in question, in this case IZ, are well aware of what they need to do to accomplish their goals and where they stand. They'll be ready to the best of their ability, I have no doubt.
Absolutely! If SA results prove to be more than a fluke, it’ll be irksome, but nothing major. More good teams would have likely emerged anyway, even if I would have preferred them to be more enjoyable to watch and have no personal history with IZ. But I have no doubt either that they have the understanding, determination and talent to not only keep rising and become uncontested champions, but to really make an impact on ID. It’s so incredibly lucky that two such people came together. Even their personalities match! Back when they announced their music choices, I found myself telling about them to my coworker who has daughters my age, but knows a lot more than me about Queen, and suddenly caught myself thinking that I sound like I’m retelling a movie.
And thank you for reminding us that this is indeed not a matter of life and death. Especially since, in this case, even if, god forbid, something happens to prevent them from fulfilling their potential in fs, I’m sure they’ll still be living meaningful lives.
I know what they should do. One you already mentioned and it's more or less the same thing I was going to say. Put it shortly they should skate clean and skate great and impose themselves. Work hard and skate great, better than others. That's how the greatest couples in the history of ID have done and that's the way it should be.
And that’s how it will be with them, I am sure. Luckily they have everything for it.
) about the FED, or panicking just becase another couple gets good or high marks, when these two haven't even competed in the GP yet. We haven't seen a lot of couples yet. Can we at least wait till we've seen them all?
)
There are a lot of very good teams right now- in another thread someone was commenting that even being in the top 10 in the world right now is going to be a huge accomplishment with how good many of the teams are or are becoming. At the end of the day I/Z mostly just have to focus on themselves- I actually think strategy around other teams is often counter productive- better to strategize around your own strengths and things you love and base your goals off the best you can do, and not worry too much about other teams in my opinion. Honestly, I always thought the people who were willing to totally write S/K off last year were foolish- most ice dance teams don't gel as quickly as Ruslena. But I don't think it matters much because my focus is just on Ruslena and their doing the best they can do.
Who knows maybe illness or injury was also an issue.
:dance:
