2017-2018 State of Russian Ice Dance

[Mattieu]

I think S/K will come back and have a great showing in the FD.
They will finish a close 2nd IMO
However, if I was the Russian Fed, I would be looking at sending more stable teams to Euros.
S/K had their chance at Euros last season and finished an embarrassing 10th.
Today's performance doesn't inspire confidence, even if they win the FD tomorrow.

 

[Snow63]

OMG, that fall!!

Nikita just can't save his face. He just can't. Falls happen, falls from lifts happen, but this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. Why no apologizing, or simply hugging? It looks like his mistake and he just skates away from her. Not to mention he stopped. Not good :noshake:

 

[gmyers]

I think S/K will come back and have a great showing in the FD.
They will finish a close 2nd IMO
However, if I was the Russian Fed, I would be looking at sending more stable teams to Euros.
S/K had their chance at Euros last season and finished an embarrassing 10th.
Today's performance doesn't inspire confidence, even if they win the FD tomorrow.

C/l would have to miss multiple technical elements for them to lose the fd!

 

[uhh]

Relax, Eisfee. It's only CS, not GP. And they scored 63 WITOUT ONE ELEMENT while at Euros this year they got 64 for probably best SD they've skated that season.
The real challenge will be GP. Now it can be considered as bad luck.
But I also think that their Olympic chances are close to none, regardless of their overall performance this season.

Hmmm, except, in line with past seasons, I'd say take about 4-6 points off the score at Ice Star to get something similar to what they'd get with an equivalent skate - especially for Eastern European and Russian skaters. (Nothing really nefarious, just that there isn't the North American or French influence pulling the politics the other way, lots of the skaters & coaching teams have cross border links) For example, the years M/K won in 2014 & 2016 they got SD scores at Ice Star 8 - 10 points higher than they managed at any of their GP events, or at Worlds or Euros).

More than the lift, I would be concerned about how slow they were, especially in the non touching sequence. That sequence won't get +2 GOE anywhere else if the ice coverage remains that poor.

S/B managed to make big improvements from their CS event to their first GP, so maybe S/K can too, but right now I don't think they are really in the conversation for the Olympic spots.

 

[anyanka]

The story makes no sense. They all agree to stay in America for rehab after surgery. Then they leave for rehab in Russia. They say zueva will coach via Skype. They abandon that plan totally and switch to Tchaikovskaya. Questions are: why do anything with zueva for 2016-2017? Why choose Tchaikovskaya? Why was there no planning ahead? Why not stay in America the whole season and skip Russian nationals? The whole season? Why not fly back to America after Russian nationals? Why not travel with rehab people?

I'm going to guess it was a funding issue. It also seems that there are almost no Russian teams training in the US now, and with more available resources now, why leave unless Zueva gives them the time and attention they need?

Agreed that the story made no sense. I don't want to repeat what I had read / heard but it was shall we say unsavory.

Re: the rest, they're all good questions. That "Marina will teach us via Skype" tidbit I heard as well was just so ... odd.

 

[uhh]

Plenty of the usual suspects will come and shout me down but @anyanka trust me, the reason they had to leave Marina was every bit as unsavoury as you've heard. And I heard about from skaters who trained alongside them & it was happening long before they were forced to leave.

 

[Mattieu]

Plenty of the usual suspects will come and shout me down but @anyanka trust me, the reason they had to leave Marina was every bit as unsavoury as you've heard. And I heard about from skaters who trained alongside them & it was happening long before they were forced to leave.

Me too, I can back you up on that, I heard exactly the same first hand.
I also heard it continued in Russia, and that is why they had to leave Volkov, he had enough of the behaviour.
Zhulin was their last resort, no-one else would take them. Tarasova confirmed he was their last chance at the time.
http://fs-gossips.com/tatiana-tarasova-zhulin-is-the-last-berth-for-katsalapov/

 

[Marta25]

Plenty of the usual suspects will come and shout me down but @anyanka trust me, the reason they had to leave Marina was every bit as unsavoury as you've heard. And I heard about from skaters who trained alongside them & it was happening long before they were forced to leave.

This is awful for Viktoria. I can just hope that he stopped treating her this way and that there are people around offering her the help she needs.

 

[LittleLotte29]

Hmmm, except, in line with past seasons, I'd say take about 4-6 points off the score at Ice Star to get something similar to what they'd get with an equivalent skate - especially for Eastern European and Russian skaters. (Nothing really nefarious, just that there isn't the North American or French influence pulling the politics the other way, lots of the skaters & coaching teams have cross border links) For example, the years M/K won in 2014 & 2016 they got SD scores at Ice Star 8 - 10 points higher than they managed at any of their GP events, or at Worlds or Euros).

More than the lift, I would be concerned about how slow they were, especially in the non touching sequence. That sequence won't get +2 GOE anywhere else if the ice coverage remains that poor.

S/B managed to make big improvements from their CS event to their first GP, so maybe S/K can too, but right now I don't think they are really in the conversation for the Olympic spots.

Of course you are right, I'm just trying to stay positive
Ice coverage was decent, though, and speed suitable for the music. They are a fast team, all in all.

I'm going to guess it was a funding issue. It also seems that there are almost no Russian teams training in the US now, and with more available resources now, why leave unless Zueva gives them the time and attention they need?

Agreed that the story made no sense. I don't want to repeat what I had read / heard but it was shall we say unsavory.

Re: the rest, they're all good questions. That "Marina will teach us via Skype" tidbit I heard as well was just so ... odd.

We've had a strong discussion about it a few pages earlier.

Me too, I can back you up on that, I heard exactly the same first hand.
I also heard it continued in Russia, and that is why they had to leave Volkov, he had enough of the behaviour.
Zhulin was their last resort, no-one else would take them. Tarasova confirmed he was their last chance at the time.
http://fs-gossips.com/tatiana-tarasova-zhulin-is-the-last-berth-for-katsalapov/

And Nikita said "I don't think it's my last chance". Plus, we don't know what she meant exactly - "he changed coaches way too many times and now he's coming back to the first one" or "he's so bad that no one wants to work with him".

Nikita just can't save his face. He just can't. Falls happen, falls from lifts happen, but this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. Why no apologizing, or simply hugging? It looks like his mistake and he just skates away from her. Not to mention he stopped. Not good :noshake:

Well, he was hugging Elena and always seemed very sympathetic towards her mistakes.
And he didn't stop. They lost speed and pacing with music thus he slowed down.

 

[kresslia]

This is awful for Viktoria. I can just hope that he stopped treating her this way and that there are people around offering her the help she needs.

What are we referring to here? :/

 

[LittleLotte29]

What are we referring to here? :/

God, please, not again.
Rumor has it that Nikita is abusing Vika. That is what are we referring to.
However, I really see no abusement here :/ he lost his balance during the lift (the ice quality is allegedly not so good in Mińsk), it happens, and his reaction was actually pretty much sensible as he didn't drop her immediately after losing the balance but when they both were already down.

 

[Barb]

Maybe Victoria should lift him instead of him to Victoria. Honestly I think it is his arrogance speaking, probably they were not sure about the lift but his ego did not let accept it and they decided do it anyway. This is not the first time. His technique is bad but his attitude sucks, Alex is thin and has never dropped Maia. H/B have problems with lifts too but at least they are able to accept it and don´t try risky lifts.

 

[Mattieu]

God, please, not again.
Rumor has it that Nikita is abusing Vika. That is what are we referring to.
However, I really see no abusement here :/ he lost his balance during the lift (the ice quality is allegedly not so good in Mińsk), it happens, and his reaction was actually pretty much sensible as he didn't drop her immediately after losing the balance but when they both were already down.

The abuse being referred to is not on the ice

 

[bramweld]

The abuse being referred to is not on the ice

Deleted.

 

[Marta25]

After watching Loboda/Drozd`s Short Dance and seeing in the practice clip that they haven`t changed their music, I think they need an intervention ASAP. There`s too much talent to get wasted on programs like they got this season. I`m surprised they scored as high as they did at Skate Canada in the SD. Let`s see how the judges will react to their Free Dance.

 

[icedance]

Today's performance doesn't inspire confidence, even if they win the FD tomorrow.

Are you joking?

 

[Aqua Lady]

RE S/K at Minsk...

As horrible as the lift disaster was, it was not only him who made a mistake. She had balance issues as well. Why are they still skating? Well, what can we say? Karma strikes again.

 

[Snow63]

No love and no chemistry, just beautiful skating. Same old style and nothing new from Papadakis/Cizeron after their breakthrough....

Alexandra Stepanova better not enter GS after this interview https://rsport.ria.ru/interview/20171028/1127868940.html At least Ivan was more complimentary.

 

[madison]

RE S/K at Minsk...

As horrible as the lift disaster was, it was not only him who made a mistake. She had balance issues as well. Why are they still skating? Well, what can we say? Karma strikes again.

Yes, the universe sends them, and to Ilinykh too, messages that they are on the wrong paths. Ilinykh and Katsalapov should reunite and work on that karma. And I'm not joking.

And why is Zhulin always travelling with S/K? He has a team to prepare for Olympic games...

 

[maya1985]

No love and no chemistry, just beautiful skating. Same old style and nothing new from Papadakis/Cizeron after their breakthrough....

Alexandra Stepanova better not enter GS after this interview https://rsport.ria.ru/interview/20171028/1127868940.html At least Ivan was more complimentary.

In fact the audience is stupid, standings ovations for a program without love and chemistry. Miss Stepanova is jealous.