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- Oct 25, 2014
2016-17 State of Russian Ice Dance
- Thread starter gmyers
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- Nov 25, 2014
I hope no one does Carmen. Ever. Again. On any discipline.
Although I'm already prepared to see at least 2 teams and 2-3 ladies skate to it by the Olympic year. My only hope is for Zhulin to choose something coherent for B&S (please, no more Vivaldi-Chopin and Khatchaturyan-Prokoviev monstrocities) and for S&B to skate to something a little less generic than Eleanor Rigby, Barcelona and Libertango.
Although I'm already prepared to see at least 2 teams and 2-3 ladies skate to it by the Olympic year. My only hope is for Zhulin to choose something coherent for B&S (please, no more Vivaldi-Chopin and Khatchaturyan-Prokoviev monstrocities) and for S&B to skate to something a little less generic than Eleanor Rigby, Barcelona and Libertango.
I personally like Andreeva/ Desyatov. I feel potential for drama and sparkle over there lol.
They also competed this weekend, but messed up the twizzle in the short.
Here's a better performance of the short:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjvvaIFm6DQ&t=67s
Elif, what do you think about them? What are the minuses and the pluses?:think:
First time I watch them. I thought they are teamed up recently because free leg doesnt match up most of the time. Before and after the lift they are side by side crossovering but they dont generate much ice coverage or speed for all those cross cuts. I think they need more work on skating skills, speed and her lines but they look very young. Brave music choice.
From junior russians, I find Nikita Nazarov and his new partner good.
Not everyone can be Elena Ilinykh at age of 14.
I find most of top senior teams very bland. They need good skating style and skills and they can speed on boring music. ISU want it.:agree:
This is a huge problem. If a team does best in a style that is no longer acceptable and no longer wins anything what are they suposed to do? They can't be dramatic anymore. You must be subtle or lyrical or comedic. Big drama means failure.
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- Oct 25, 2014
This statement is just silly. Look at how many teams are doing the subtle and lyrical, and that doesn't mean a damn thing about their scores. If anything more people are getting fed up with it. P/C and V/M are up there because they are getting their TES right - although, it does seem interesting to me that only one camp of coaches got the job done at this Worlds, compared to the Shibs for example, who thought they had their best skate and didn't agree with the marks from the judges, but I'm not one for much conspiracy theories.
If anything, I think the tech panel had one idea in mind during the SD, and changed sides for the FS. And that's about it. What's the reason behind this change of mind? No idea. Does this mean that the russian teams should keep doing the same thing? Absolutely not.
That is right! Being coached in North America and doing lyrical doesn't help all teams advance to success but that is what they are doing. When you want to do well you have two options. Try to create new a wow inducing stuff or try to be really impressive in the existing successful formula. It's like the Duchesnay's. They really tried to be new and would become
World champs. Russia is not new but are trying to make their style acceptable again. They are trying to make judges love them again!
While being almost completely oblivious to the rules of modern ice dance
Yes first pre Olympic worlds that Russia(or Soviet Union) didn't medal in ice dance while it was an Olympic sport.
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- Dec 21, 2011
While being almost completely oblivious to the rules of modern ice dance
Right, I am pretty much just echoing many others at this point but I don't think the issue is the Russian 'style'. If anything B/S's Anna Karenina was the most Big! RussianDrama! program in years and it was also arguably (or maybe honestly not even really arguably) the best received Russian Senior Free Program since the Olympics, including anything that was done this season. The real issue IMO isn't the Russian programs (though to be honest most of the Russian programs also need work) but the fact that multiple individuals high up in the Russian Ice Dance power structure seem genuinely not to believe that levels are 'real' and to think that politicking like they did in the 90's is going to be the key to success if they just keep doing it long and hard enough.
Even if we accept for argument's sake that certain tech callers are slightly, shall we say, biased (and even if we do accpet that, not all of them are and some would be biased for Russia so it would even out) that's not the same as levels being a conspiracy or fake. A level caller could conceivably overlook a close call or look really really really hard for something to ding in a specific team, but at the end of the day a level one or two is NEVER EVER EVER going to be called a level 4 and a level 4 is NEVER EVER EVER going to be called a one or two. The levels are actually close to 100% objective, with enough time and training and access to multiple camera angles literally anyone could call them more or less correctly. This isn't 'it moved me! 6.0!' anymore. The skaters actually have to fulfill specific technical criterion in order to reach the top of the sport now. Until the Fed 100% accepts this and gets teams the help they need, they can whine all day long but S/B will never be above where they currently are in the standings. Ever.
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- Dec 21, 2011
I dunno, I think B/S can pretty much start packing their bags now barring injury or a serious meltdown the likes of which we've never seen from them. They've medaled at Euros the past two years, have medaled there every year they've been uninjured since 2010, have medaled at every Grand Prix since 2010 (though admittedly never at the final, which, though they have also qualified for every year since 2010) and have been first at Russian Nationals every year since 2010. They haven't finished lower than 8th at Worlds since 2009. I strongly think the Fed is going to pick them to 'lead' the team unless, again, they are injured or have some unprecedented meltdown AND at least 2 other teams are consistently having stronger results than them throughout the season.
The second spot is more interesting. I do think S/B are the clear front runners for it, but I/Z, S/K or even maybe Z/G could snatch it if they make a compelling case for themselves all season and deliver at Nats. What I view as S/B's main advantages at this point are that the Fed really loves them and, despite having weaker skating skills and dance skills than any of the other teams they generally DO NOT make stupid mistakes in competition. They may only get a level 2 since they miss their key points, but they aren't going to fall flat on their butts during the twizzles or have her go down on a lift. I think both I/Z and S/K are capable of overtaking them but their consistently mistake ridden programs are a huge problem that at least one team will have to fix to hope to get the second spot.
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- Oct 25, 2014
It's really hard to not make a case for B/S and S/B to go to the Olympics next season. One of the other teams must really come with everything they have, otherwise it's game over.
I'd even put L/D in the mix, after all they've been getting some scores in the junior circuit that rival some of the other senior russian teams, but alas, the first season as seniors is hardly a walk in the park.
I'd even put L/D in the mix, after all they've been getting some scores in the junior circuit that rival some of the other senior russian teams, but alas, the first season as seniors is hardly a walk in the park.
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- Dec 21, 2011
Yeah I thought of L/D but with only two spots and with it being their very first senior season I think they have a REAL uphill battle to hope to make the team.
This is the dream! But kustarova says levels are fake. Zhulin says they are fake. Kustarova had a long interview where she discussed her philosophy of technical panels and it was all a caller can have alliances with others and then do whatever they want and ISU must go back to 9 people only. Tchaikovskaya worked with s/k a few years weeks and Immediately showed up with level 1 elements.
http://www.eg.ru/daily/sports/36131/
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- Feb 17, 2010
I was live in Helsinki and I was very curious to watch Stepanova/Bukin for the first time, since there is always so much criticism on her skating. Besides of her technical issues, that have been mentioned here, what bothered me was that she isn`t really musical. She has no feel for the music and is just not a natural dancer. S/B seem to be the frontrunner for that second Oly spot, but I could also imagine that the Rhumba is going to be harder for them to sell than this year`s Hip Hop.
Regarding Bobrova/Soloviev`s result, I don`t think there was this huge push for them. Yes, they are Russia`s #1 therefore they will be backed by their Fed, but their PCS were very close with a bunch of other teams and even the GOE in the FD wasn`t that much better than C/L`s or W/P`s. They skated cleanly and beat others who made mistakes, I don`t think that is a huge scandal, tbh.
Regarding Bobrova/Soloviev`s result, I don`t think there was this huge push for them. Yes, they are Russia`s #1 therefore they will be backed by their Fed, but their PCS were very close with a bunch of other teams and even the GOE in the FD wasn`t that much better than C/L`s or W/P`s. They skated cleanly and beat others who made mistakes, I don`t think that is a huge scandal, tbh.
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- Oct 25, 2014
That interview is so, so full of sour grapes someone could probably open a winery with it. Kustarova is not a bad coach for the basics, especially for the junior teams, but we all know how her senior teams fare. And Zhulin is certainly not the best coach, but he did get B/S to step up their game ever since he started to coach them.
About the levels, well, I don't recall Zhulin saying they are fake, though he did grumble about the judges not having much love for the Russians. However, he's is getting his teams to hit levels, even if not ideally. It shouldn't be the best we hope for, but that's what we get.
Not if the ts or ts assistant is Judy Blumberg.
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Hope they survive the transition! It's so brutal! Maybe being a medalist they won't vanish without a trace like zenkova/sinitsin!
Something happened to sd levels that was very concerning.
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- Apr 18, 2014
Express Gazeta is a complete tabloid and they are notorious for making up interviews. Nobody with a brain takes them seriously. It's not hard to tell how reliable a Russian source is. All you have to do is look at whether the front page has nude photos.
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