Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov

[Sfey]

I'm worried for my poor nerves during this competition. Does anyone have any advice for staying calm? :eeking:

It's so much less stressful to watch skating once you already know the outcome...

I don't have access to a live stream, so I rely on forum posts for live updates, which doesn't help with the stress.

 

[Layback11]

I'm worried for my poor nerves during this competition. Does anyone have any advice for staying calm? :eeking:

It's so much less stressful to watch skating once you already know the outcome...

I don't have access to a live stream, so I rely on forum posts for live updates, which doesn't help with the stress.

I feel you! Most of my favorite skaters are headcases so I've needed to figure this out too. I stay calm by:

A. Eating
B. Doing stretches/calisthenics/any kind of physical activity while watching (Focusing on doing something hard takes your mind off the skating a little)
C. Similarly, if I don't want to exercise, I like to do things with my hands-I get very fidgety when I watch anything while just sitting there. That's more to just stop myself from getting bored, but usually not a problem during live competition because I don't know what's going to happen so I'm giving it my full attention.
D. Reminding myself that it's just skating, even if it seems like a really huge deal at the time, and no one is going to die if so-and-so doesn't skate well (even if it feels like I will!)
E. It doesn't actually do anything, but it can make you feel better if you have some kind of superstition or ritual that you do for luck. For example, I always wear my favorite color when I'm worried about the outcome of a competition because it feels "lucky." And sometimes I'll do an exercise with as many reps as the PB of the skater I'm worried about (for example, I would do 73 lunge walks if I was worried about Gracie's SP because that is her SP PB). This can be anything from eating the same breakfast before every event to wearing a particular piece of clothing, and although it has no effect whatsoever on the outcome of the event, it can calm you down a little: it's like saying to yourself, "I did what I could-now it's up the the skaters."

Then again, I'm kinda weird that way. But (as a commercial once said ) it's only weird if it doesn't work.

 

[TatiMax]

Sfey to stay calm:
Come here during the competition and get it out of your chest. Bash and curse figure skating and all the ice.
If the results are good celebrate. If it is bad blame Dracula blame Maxim blame Tatiana blame your husband for jinxing the day, he will get mad ofcourse and drink beer with his friends away from you. Curse everyone afterwords. Sleep. Wake-up and curse the sun.

 

[moriel]

Yup, coming to GS helps big times, because there are always people cheering with you, or people griefing with you, its kinda nice to not be alone on that.
And yeah, eating helps too =D

 

[monwara]

The big day is coming, I'm so excited.
However, I'm happy to see in IG that Tatiana and Maxim look great and enjoyed their day off together before upcoming event (Klimov is with them as well).

 

[Sfey]

I feel you! Most of my favorite skaters are headcases so I've needed to figure this out too. I stay calm by:

A. Eating
B. Doing stretches/calisthenics/any kind of physical activity while watching (Focusing on doing something hard takes your mind off the skating a little)
C. Similarly, if I don't want to exercise, I like to do things with my hands-I get very fidgety when I watch anything while just sitting there. That's more to just stop myself from getting bored, but usually not a problem during live competition because I don't know what's going to happen so I'm giving it my full attention.
D. Reminding myself that it's just skating, even if it seems like a really huge deal at the time, and no one is going to die if so-and-so doesn't skate well (even if it feels like I will!)
E. It doesn't actually do anything, but it can make you feel better if you have some kind of superstition or ritual that you do for luck. For example, I always wear my favorite color when I'm worried about the outcome of a competition because it feels "lucky." And sometimes I'll do an exercise with as many reps as the PB of the skater I'm worried about (for example, I would do 73 lunge walks if I was worried about Gracie's SP because that is her SP PB). This can be anything from eating the same breakfast before every event to wearing a particular piece of clothing, and although it has no effect whatsoever on the outcome of the event, it can calm you down a little: it's like saying to yourself, "I did what I could-now it's up the the skaters."

Then again, I'm kinda weird that way. But (as a commercial once said ) it's only weird if it doesn't work.

Those are great ideas. I haven't watched a figure skating event live since the Olympics, and then I wasn't emotionally invested in certain skaters because I didn't know any of them (though the moment I saw V/T's short program, I wanted them to win!). For competitions this season I've been following the comments in assigned threads and watching videos once they're uploaded to YouTube. I guess it's one way to remove myself from the stress of watching the actual event without knowing the outcome. If the comments are good, I can relax when watching the program, if not, then I'm forewarned. I'm not sure how watching the actual performance live would affect me. I'm an anxious person and competitions are always very late at night for my time zone, so being dead tired doesn't help.

I might try to watch a live stream of the ice dance and see if I can handle the stress. If yes, then I'll watch the pairs live. If I can find a stream that works in Australia...

 

[Sfey]

The big day is coming, I'm so excited.
However, I'm happy to see in IG that Tatiana and Maxim look great and enjoyed their day off together before upcoming event (Klimov is with them as well).

I'm glad they look relaxed as well. Of course they're training hard, but I imagine it's just as important to for them to give themselves a break before the big event. Elite sport training seems to be a mental game as well as a physical one. I'm sure they know what works for them.

Pairs isn't until Friday, right? Do they have to be in Boston for the official practices on Monday, or can they arrive later?

 

[monwara]

I'm glad they look relaxed as well. Of course they're training hard, but I imagine it's just as important to for them to give themselves a break before the big event. Elite sport training seems to be a mental game as well as a physical one. I'm sure they know what works for them.

Pairs isn't until Friday, right? Do they have to be in Boston for the official practices on Monday, or can they arrive later?

Pairs Short program will start on Friday, today (for my time zone) is the day for Short dance. It's interesting too. From their IG, I think they're in Boston now but I'm not very good in USA city

Anyway, I never had a chance to see Live competitions. I always read the results in forum before seeing in YouTube.

 

[Sfey]

Pairs Short program will start on Friday, today (for my time zone) is the day for Short dance. It's interesting too. From their IG, I think they're in Boston now but I'm not very good in USA city

Anyway, I never had a chance to see Live competitions. I always read the results in forum before seeing in YouTube.

I'm pretty sure most of their IG pictures today are from New York. The ones with the bull definitely are. But they could have flown to Boston in the evening and uploaded pictures from earlier in the day.

I just found out that the pairs short and long programs will aired live on Australian TV! I'm so surprised, normally we never get figure skating broadcast here unless it's the Olympics. Now I can watch them early in the morning with a cup of tea and my cat for company...

I'm normally like you Monwara, I read the results first and then watch on YouTube. I wish I could sleep through the competition and check the results when I wake up, but alas, my anxious mind always has other ideas.

My birthday is on March 31. Maybe the skating gods will give me a V/T victory as a gift?

 

[kinoriH]

My birthday is on March 31. Maybe the skating gods will give me a V/T victory as a gift?

Yes please! That would be a perfect b-day gift for me as well!
Seriously.. I am willing to give away almost any present from my family as long as I'm reassured they'll be ok. Lol

 

[monwara]

My birthday is on March 31. Maybe the skating gods will give me a V/T victory as a gift?

I hope Skating gods will give you what you want, Happy Birthday to you in advance.

 

[TatiMax]

Yes please! That would be a perfect b-day gift for me as well!
Seriously.. I am willing to give away almost any present from my family as long as I'm reassured they'll be ok. Lol

I am ready to help you donating your gifts if you want someone.

 

[Nessie]

Oh, good Lord! I was away for the weekend and didn’t look at their Instagram until now. The bull is in the Wall Street area of Manhattan, on lower Broadway. My office is 25 feet from the bull!!! Sheese!. It does seem that my path is meant to cross theirs – they finally came down here! And I almost came into the office this weekend.

A week and a half ago, I was told that the Russians had the West Orange rink booked for another week and a half so I suspect the team might be headed to Boston later today or tomorrow morning. I think this might be their last day of practice in New Jersey.

I went a second time to watch V+T train on Friday. This session, all three of Russia’s greatest pairs were on the ice and each performed only the FP. They never practice the short program ….
V+T are still in great shape, though Max was off a little on his sit-spin. But as V+T skated, their own support team (Nina Moser, another coach who seems to tend to S/K, their music engineer, and two other people who’s exact job description I am not sure of – could one be a physical therapist or perhaps an equipment manager? And another guy who looked like security? Oh, and Robin Skolowy looking quite dashing) were all watching V+T skate, completely hypnotized by their program. They must have seen it tons of times, yet still they couldn’t take their eyes off them.

As for nerves in watching our favorite skaters: I just signed up for the IceNetwork live coverage and am taking Friday off to watch the skating LIVE on my computer since the television coverage in the US is so minimal. (Interest in skating has tapered off in this country – and it’s a shame.) I noticed at the 2014 Olympics that Tanya had some gestures she does – smoothing her hair and tugging lightly on her earrings, and later rubbing her hands) when she and Max are on the ice ready to skate, but one time recently she didn’t do those gestures, so I wonder if she has created some new gestures that I couldn’t detect.

The only way to get through these competitions is to remember that we are seeing the best skaters in the world -- that the reason they are in the competition is because they had the athletic ability and mental toughness to get where they are. I’m sure they are nervous before a performance, but they have performed so many times, they know how to handle the pressure. I don’t know how they do it, but they do. Or most of them do. And those that falter recognize that a mistake can cost them dearly and they just have to accept that.

I just hope all goes well.

 

[Nessie]

I'm sorry for my english, but maybe you have more information about practice Maxim Kovtun and Mikhail Kolyada? Thanks in advance for your answer and have a nice day

When I watched Kovtun and Kolyada this past Friday that they both practiced hard again and both did their long programs from start to finish and then worked on specific elements. They are very different skaters. Kovtun seems to be calculating and measuring his program, executing it in a technical and intellectual way as he skates. Kolyada seems to be more involved emotionally in his skating, though maybe I am fooled because their programs are so different.

Kolyada’s program is kind of loose, with a few wacky, unusual positions and uncommon music. When he jumps he seems to hang in the air a long time like a creature that belongs in the air. He’s a little more animal-like.

Kovtun seems not to hang in the air as long and is not quite as high off the ice as Kolyada – it’s hard to explain. He’s more machine-like. Kovtun jumps with a kind of dry precision and practices hitting his jumps over and over (sometimes six times in succession) with excellent timing.

I’m not sure either skater “sells” his program as much as he should but maybe it’s only the discipline of ice dance where skaters tend to connect with the audience. After all this isn’t the Ice Capades!

I hope they both skate well – and wish them the best.

 

[TatiMax]

How can anyone enter the practicing arena? I would have died for privacy.

 

[monwara]

Oh, good Lord! I was away for the weekend and didn’t look at their Instagram until now. The bull is in the Wall Street area of Manhattan, on lower Broadway. My office is 25 feet from the bull!!! Sheese!. It does seem that my path is meant to cross theirs – they finally came down here! And I almost came into the office this weekend.

A week and a half ago, I was told that the Russians had the West Orange rink booked for another week and a half so I suspect the team might be headed to Boston later today or tomorrow morning. I think this might be their last day of practice in New Jersey.

I went a second time to watch V+T train on Friday. This session, all three of Russia’s greatest pairs were on the ice and each performed only the FP. They never practice the short program ….
V+T are still in great shape, though Max was off a little on his sit-spin. But as V+T skated, their own support team (Nina Moser, another coach who seems to tend to S/K, their music engineer, and two other people who’s exact job description I am not sure of – could one be a physical therapist or perhaps an equipment manager? And another guy who looked like security? Oh, and Robin Skolowy looking quite dashing) were all watching V+T skate, completely hypnotized by their program. They must have seen it tons of times, yet still they couldn’t take their eyes off them.

As for nerves in watching our favorite skaters: I just signed up for the IceNetwork live coverage and am taking Friday off to watch the skating LIVE on my computer since the television coverage in the US is so minimal. (Interest in skating has tapered off in this country – and it’s a shame.) I noticed at the 2014 Olympics that Tanya had some gestures she does – smoothing her hair and tugging lightly on her earrings, and later rubbing her hands) when she and Max are on the ice ready to skate, but one time recently she didn’t do those gestures, so I wonder if she has created some new gestures that I couldn’t detect.

The only way to get through these competitions is to remember that we are seeing the best skaters in the world -- that the reason they are in the competition is because they had the athletic ability and mental toughness to get where they are. I’m sure they are nervous before a performance, but they have performed so many times, they know how to handle the pressure. I don’t know how they do it, but they do. Or most of them do. And those that falter recognize that a mistake can cost them dearly and they just have to accept that.

I just hope all goes well.

Thank you very much Nessie for exclusive information.You're so lucky to see them live. I hope I will have a chance to see them live one day. For me, Tatiana and Maxim are great and talented skaters. I can't leave my eyes off them as well. I think most of the audiences too. I'm very excited and nervous about this event. I wish everything will be good.

 

[TatiMax]

Hope everything be good too. Lets send positive vibes to the amazing team.

 

[Nessie]

How can anyone enter the practicing arena? I would have died for privacy.

I think you raise a good point here. V+T and their crew don’t seem to worry about privacy. Perhaps it’s because they are so skilled that even if a skater stole one of their moves, they wouldn’t execute them as well, so they are not concerned. I feel as if by the time V+T are at a rink in America, they have already established the foundation of their program(s). The introduction of choreography and theme and music probably starts somewhere else – in a studio even, wearing sneakers -- and what they do in NJ is merely tweak the program, and iron out the kinks on the ice. (That’s what I saw in the summer of 2014 when I watched Morozov going over certain moves – of what program I’m not sure.)

When I first went to see them train, I thought I might be forbidden to watch because someone would worry about their choreography being stolen, so I introduced myself by email to the manager and telephoned him to tell him I was coming out. And I always dress nicely when I go there – I don’t want to look like a crazy whacked-out fan. The security guy has already seen me sitting outside waiting go into the rink and he pays attention when I enter the rink and find a seat, but I’m not very scary looking, so he doesn’t confront me or anything. Maybe if I took elaborate notes or lots of pictures, they would ask me to leave. But I only took a quick video a week ago and no one came and asked me to erase it from my phone!

And if you are thinking that they might be embarrassed if they make a mistake – they make so few mistakes, that’s not a problem either.

In the end, I think they kind of like having an audience – even if it’s only one person! Goes with the territory, no?

 

[TatiMax]

No Nessie I was commenting about privacy not training secrets. It is more comfortable to train in private.

 

[Nessie]

No Nessie I was commenting about privacy not training secrets. It is more comfortable to train in private.

Whoops. Sorry! Oh, yes, I would rather practice in private too -- I take your point.