2017-18 State of Russian Ladies skating

[Skater Boy]

The figure skating community is always divided on everything. Why should we care specifically about Medvedeva's scores?

Her SP is a masterpiece. I would agree with some other poster here: "she doesn't feel the music - she is the music". If she performs it clean she can break her SP record because tech wise it is the same but artistry wise it is better than the program from the last season so that the second mark should be higher.

Her LP is different. I don't have a firm opinion yet. May be because she could not skate it to the full potential yet. But if she manages to master it and skates it clean, yes, she should beat her own record. Because there are no obvious reasons to reduce her second mark and her tech content will be higher due to backloading.

Everyone is welcome to repeat what she has been doing and command high scores for that. We shall see this and next week if anyone can. And once again, any success brings the hate. Medvedeva is especially "lucky". Many people say: "I am not Medvedeva's hater, but..." The line was the signature of the comments last season. The reasons are obvious: the general reason that she is successful and dominant is obvious. But there are many other: for Koreans she is the leading lady from the country who "stole" OGM from their "queen". For Americans she broke the dream of Gracie Gold (and US as well) for WC gold when it was the most real in all these years (in fact Gracie did it herself) and she also skated to inappropriate music for Americans. Even for many Russians she is "evil" who "stole" Eteri's love and attention from Yulia. Yes, there are a lot of agressive Yulia's fans who write nasty comments about Medvedeva.

After Gracie's failure no one from the critics can offer any sound alternative - in fact it did not exist last season. Hence, no one can point to a skater who "should" win over Medvedeva. Then the only line of complaints is to keep saying how grossly overscored she is with all her "numerous faults". But the judges have not been eager to jump on the bandwagon of these complaints recently. And this has nothing to do with block judging. Just for a change to assume - may be she is that good? There were no massive outcries for Yuzuru's hitting 330. Then I see no reasons for them after Medvedeva hit 230.

Very well thought out and said. But maybe we have seen a weakness in Med's skating as she was not perfect on her first outing with the LP but give her time. Can she win with a more balanced program. I think so because Alina still is not a proven quantity and the Japanese ladies still are not guaranteed of beating Med. Anna is inconsistent and may not even make it out of Russia. And Kaetlyn and Gabby don't have the technical skills yet to overcome Med. Now then there is Gracie - she could do it but she too has her crosses to bear and in her case right now they are huge. She needs to get healthy and happy. Ice is slippery. Princess Yulia is gone sadly and I do wonder what is Adelina doing. So you have Med and Alina the heir apparents with the third spot stilla fight. Improving but lacking it power Maria? Passionate,powerful, and unpredictable Anna? The fighter and in need of the 3A Liza. An almost desperate Radinova.And a couple of youngsters. Leaving poor Leonova out in the cold it would appear.

 

[puremagic]

So you have Med and Alina the heir apparents with the third spot stilla fight. Improving but lacking it power Maria? Passionate,powerful, and unpredictable Anna? The fighter and in need of the 3A Liza. An almost desperate Radinova. And a couple of youngsters. Leaving poor Leonova out in the cold it would appear.

And a couple of youngsters?! How dare you not to mention Polina! If she will take back her previous shape before the injury, then she will beat all of them who pretends for a third spot. But the main word: if.

 

[LRK]

Very well thought out and said. But maybe we have seen a weakness in Med's skating as she was not perfect on her first outing with the LP but give her time. Can she win with a more balanced program. I think so because Alina still is not a proven quantity and the Japanese ladies still are not guaranteed of beating Med. Anna is inconsistent and may not even make it out of Russia. And Kaetlyn and Gabby don't have the technical skills yet to overcome Med. Now then there is Gracie - she could do it but she too has her crosses to bear and in her case right now they are huge. She needs to get healthy and happy. Ice is slippery. Princess Yulia is gone sadly and I do wonder what is Adelina doing. So you have Med and Alina the heir apparents with the third spot stilla fight. Improving but lacking it power Maria? Passionate,powerful, and unpredictable Anna? The fighter and in need of the 3A Liza. An almost desperate Radinova.And a couple of youngsters. Leaving poor Leonova out in the cold it would appear.

Just to note that this is the latest on Adelina, from a longer Plush interview:

http://fs-gossips.com/evgeni-plushenko-in-womens-skating-we-are-ahead-of-the-whole-planet/

What is going on with Adelina Sotnikova?

– Two months ago, Adelina was injured and the doctors misdiagnosed, which complicated the situation. She has a tear ligament and fracture of a small bone in foot. We do not see the point of continuing trainings this season and that’s unfair to fool people. So we decided to skip the season. It is necessary to recover fully.
We send the MRI images to Germany, we’re waiting for a response from the doctors. Soon Adelina will fly there and will be treated, because here, in Russia, unfortunately, didn’t work out.

 

[andromache]

Very well thought out and said. But maybe we have seen a weakness in Med's skating as she was not perfect on her first outing with the LP but give her time. Can she win with a more balanced program. I think so because Alina still is not a proven quantity and the Japanese ladies still are not guaranteed of beating Med. Anna is inconsistent and may not even make it out of Russia. And Kaetlyn and Gabby don't have the technical skills yet to overcome Med. Now then there is Gracie - she could do it but she too has her crosses to bear and in her case right now they are huge. She needs to get healthy and happy. Ice is slippery. Princess Yulia is gone sadly and I do wonder what is Adelina doing. So you have Med and Alina the heir apparents with the third spot stilla fight. Improving but lacking it power Maria? Passionate,powerful, and unpredictable Anna? The fighter and in need of the 3A Liza. An almost desperate Radinova.And a couple of youngsters. Leaving poor Leonova out in the cold it would appear.

As a Gracie fan, I am SO SICK of seeing the "Gracie could be the one to beat Medvedeva." It's clear it isn't happening, and that expectation should stop being heaped on the shoulders of someone who is struggling so much right now. She HAD the opportunity, she faltered, and her abundantly obvious decrease in ability due to mental and physical factors means that Gracie will not be able to beat her. She COULD HAVE done it, she didn't. And all of that is okay. I am optimistic that Gracie is resetting her goals to first focus on her mental and physical health, and then to perhaps make the US Olympic team. It is what it is. Gracie had her chance last season to come out guns blazing and keep herself in the conversation as a threat - faltering in the LP at Worlds 2016 was a bummer, but no one would've counted Gracie out if she had showed up last season in fighting shape. She didn't, and expectations need to adjust accordingly. Mental health ended Yulia's career, and let's hope it doesn't end Gracie's.

Just to note that this is the latest on Adelina, from a longer Plush interview:

http://fs-gossips.com/evgeni-plushenko-in-womens-skating-we-are-ahead-of-the-whole-planet/

What is going on with Adelina Sotnikova?

– Two months ago, Adelina was injured and the doctors misdiagnosed, which complicated the situation. She has a tear ligament and fracture of a small bone in foot. We do not see the point of continuing trainings this season and that’s unfair to fool people. So we decided to skip the season. It is necessary to recover fully.
We send the MRI images to Germany, we’re waiting for a response from the doctors. Soon Adelina will fly there and will be treated, because here, in Russia, unfortunately, didn’t work out.

What a bummer.

I mean, I figured a comeback was unlikely, and that making it out of Russia was even MORE unlikely, but I think her OGM win took her prematurely from our sport, which makes me sad as a fan. Yes, she has struggled with injuries, but she has also had months of good health, during which she would've been determined and fighting for her career and to prove herself. She never really reached her artistic potential. If she was competing now, her improved skating skills, huge jumps, excellent spins, and mature and dramatic presence would make her THE complete package, albeit an inconsistent one.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

As a Gracie fan, I am SO SICK of seeing the "Gracie could be the one to beat Medvedeva." It's clear it isn't happening, and that expectation should stop being heaped on the shoulders of someone who is struggling so much right now. She HAD the opportunity, she faltered, and her abundantly obvious decrease in ability due to mental and physical factors means that Gracie will not be able to beat her. She COULD HAVE done it, she didn't. And all of that is okay. I am optimistic that Gracie is resetting her goals to first focus on her mental and physical health, and then to perhaps make the US Olympic team. It is what it is. Gracie had her chance last season to come out guns blazing and keep herself in the conversation as a threat - faltering in the LP at Worlds 2016 was a bummer, but no one would've counted Gracie out if she had showed up last season in fighting shape. She didn't, and expectations need to adjust accordingly. Mental health ended Yulia's career, and let's hope it doesn't end Gracie's.



What a bummer.

I mean, I figured a comeback was unlikely, and that making it out of Russia was even MORE unlikely, but I think her OGM win took her prematurely from our sport, which makes me sad as a fan. Yes, she has struggled with injuries, but she has also had months of good health, during which she would've been determined and fighting for her career and to prove herself. She never really reached her artistic potential. If she was competing now, her improved skating skills, huge jumps, excellent spins, and mature and dramatic presence would make her THE complete package, albeit an inconsistent one.

I agree. Absolutely.

 

[LRK]

What a bummer.

I mean, I figured a comeback was unlikely, and that making it out of Russia was even MORE unlikely, but I think her OGM win took her prematurely from our sport, which makes me sad as a fan. Yes, she has struggled with injuries, but she has also had months of good health, during which she would've been determined and fighting for her career and to prove herself. She never really reached her artistic potential. If she was competing now, her improved skating skills, huge jumps, excellent spins, and mature and dramatic presence would make her THE complete package, albeit an inconsistent one.

A recent Adelina EX:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLSLVsNtLc

(Originally posted by RemyRose in Adelina's fan fest.)

 

[plushyfan]

A recent Adelina EX:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLSLVsNtLc

(Originally posted by RemyRose in Adelina's fan fest.)

 

[tjb]

gracie couldn't beat medvedeva at 2016 worlds. judges went crazy with the scores in the short because they wanted to make sure that american lady will end up on the podium and "10 years without medals" cycle gonna be finished on the home ground. everyone knows that gracie never skated 2 clean programs, so she needed that advantage after the short. not for the win, but for not missing a podium.
and even if gracie suddenly had a clean skate in the free, i can't imagine that judges put her ahead of medvedeva, after medvedeva's WR breaking performance.

 

[atsumiri]

please don't bring Gracie in Russian Ladies skating tread.

 

[[email protected]]

gracie couldn't beat medvedeva at 2016 worlds. judges went crazy with the scores in the short because they wanted to make sure that american lady will end up on the podium and "10 years without medals" cycle gonna be finished on the home ground. everyone knows that gracie never skated 2 clean programs, so she needed that advantage after the short. not for the win, but for not missing a podium.
and even if gracie had a clean skate in the free, i can't imagine that judges put her ahead of medvedeva, after medvedeva's WR breaking performance.

Gracie could have won easily. Her clean combo would have given her 11.50 instead of 7. 3Lz would have given her 7.5 instead of 2.5 for the double. I am sure that with clean skating she would have higher GOE for other elements vs. what she received. But even if we keep them intact her TES score would have been 75.5 Her pcs would have been at par with Ashley. Hence, 74. Then her total FS score would have been 149.5 which is only 0.6 lower than Medvedeva's. But she had almost 2 point advantage after SP.

 

[Grin]

The figure skating community is always divided on everything. Why should we care specifically about Medvedeva's scores?

Her SP is a masterpiece. I would agree with some other poster here: "she doesn't feel the music - she is the music". If she performs it clean she can break her SP record because tech wise it is the same but artistry wise it is better than the program from the last season so that the second mark should be higher.

Her LP is different. I don't have a firm opinion yet. May be because she could not skate it to the full potential yet. But if she manages to master it and skates it clean, yes, she should beat her own record. Because there are no obvious reasons to reduce her second mark and her tech content will be higher due to backloading.

Everyone is welcome to repeat what she has been doing and command high scores for that. We shall see this and next week if anyone can. And once again, any success brings the hate. Medvedeva is especially "lucky". Many people say: "I am not Medvedeva's hater, but..." The line was the signature of the comments last season. The reasons are obvious: the general reason that she is successful and dominant is obvious. But there are many other: for Koreans she is the leading lady from the country who "stole" OGM from their "queen". For Americans she broke the dream of Gracie Gold (and US as well) for WC gold when it was the most real in all these years (in fact Gracie did it herself) and she also skated to inappropriate music for Americans. Even for many Russians she is "evil" who "stole" Eteri's love and attention from Yulia. Yes, there are a lot of agressive Yulia's fans who write nasty comments about Medvedeva.

After Gracie's failure no one from the critics can offer any sound alternative - in fact it did not exist last season. Hence, no one can point to a skater who "should" win over Medvedeva. Then the only line of complaints is to keep saying how grossly overscored she is with all her "numerous faults". But the judges have not been eager to jump on the bandwagon of these complaints recently. And this has nothing to do with block judging. Just for a change to assume - may be she is that good? There were no massive outcries for Yuzuru's hitting 330. Then I see no reasons for them after Medvedeva hit 230.

No offence, but I believe there is a special place in hell for those "I am not Medvedeva's hater, but..." where they are doomed to watch Averbukh skating to Med's 9/11 FS setting records again and again for eterity...

 

[puremagic]

No offence, but I believe there is a special place in hell for those "I am not Medvedeva's hater, but..." where they are doomed to watch Averbukh skating to Med's 9/11 FS setting records again and again for eterity...

 

[hippomoomin]

Glad that Anna is OK, and it is just a minor injury from training. Hope we get to see her new programs soon.

 

[Grin]

Zagi lombardia Trophy SP
https://youtu.be/rZnJB4eBotQ

 

[jiawen2016]

I like the stsq to the music Moonlight, but I think the climax of the Swan Lake part towards the end is rather weak. She used to do the Charlotte before her 3Loop and a split jump before 2A in her last year's SP, and both were amazing! Maybe she's not comfortable with the Charlotte before 2A. It might not be a bad idea to go back to her old transitions, but I see she's doing 3F this year.

Regarding her costume, I thought she mentioned that there would be a costume change in her previous interview but not in this one. It's a beautiful costume, and I like the mixture of white, black and grey on her tutu to create an ombre effect. I'm not a big fan of the long sleeve though, and the position of the tutu seems a little low on the hip. I would like to see something more dramatic like Dina Averina's, who had a color change of her tutu from black to white towards the end.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Zagitova certainly looks pretty in her costume......but for the life of me I do not understand why her PCS was 31+. I'm sorry, I just don't get what the judges were seeing when she skated. I'm not even talking about the fall. Everyone falls, no one can be perfect every time. I'm talking about the awful position on the Back Charlotte, the lack of crisp and lovely balletic moves, the fact that she finished after the music and didn't receive a deduction, etc. But I see that many fans adored her performance. And clearly the judges did too.
I blame this completely on the judges. Alina had nothing to do with her scores. But surely, not every single judge could think, how lovely and balletic she is, and give her high PCS, right?

Evidence of cheating?

 

[Grin]

Little Alina will soon have as many antis as Evgenia, not bad at all.

 

[atsumiri]

Zagitova certainly looks pretty in her costume......but for the life of me I do not understand why her PCS was 31+. I'm sorry, I just don't get what the judges were seeing when she skated.
I blame this completely on the judges. Alina had nothing to do with her scores. But surely, not every single judge could think, how lovely and balletic she is, and give her high PCS, right?

When Costner got 36+ for her totally empty program.
and Wakaba 33+
Alina's 31+ not even high enough IMO
i don't even mention their TES...

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

When Costner got 36+ for her totally empty program.
and Wakaba 33+
Alina's 31+ not even high enough IMO
i don't even mention their TES...

I think Alina's PCS would be a point or two higher without the fall. I expect her to win the event, but since she is a first year senior it will be important for her to skate more clean programs so her PCS rises over the season.

 

[[email protected]]

I think Alina's PCS would be a point or two higher without the fall. I expect her to win the event, but since she is a first year senior it will be important for her to skate more clean programs so her PCS rises over the season.

Agree, they are pushing the envelope of what a human can do with transitions. It was very clear looking at traditional style Caro's skating vs. Alina. May be they have gone too far. It surely does not help her pcs. And this is the priority - not working on the TES which is crazy enough without this unthinkable Charlotte entry.

I cannot say that I liked Alina's performance watching the video. On the other hand, it looked much better live in Sochi. I liked it a lot. In fact it was my favorite before Medvedeva took my breath away. Live and video are two different things as Alex D explained recently. Especially, if video is done by the guy they hired for Lombardia trophy.