2017-18 State of Russian Ladies skating | Page 386 | Golden Skate

2017-18 State of Russian Ladies skating

I also just desperately need Gubanova to prove herself and get to that top level. Her skating and expression is just on another level entirely than any other lady in the world, IMO. Buyanova won't improve her at all - probably just give her tacky programs and some political connections. I feel like she's too old to thrive under Eteri. I actually think moving to Plushenko would be good for her, or moving to a "total package" North American coach who teaches great jumps like Orser or Raf (though that's not gonna happen).

There are few skaters who i would like to see on the elite level for a long time, but for whom it's a hard period right now. Gubanova, Nugumanova, Tarusina, Tsurskaya to name a few...
 
The only girl who can beat an Eteri girl is another Eteri girl!!!!

I'm curious if this means that our sport is destined to be dominated by prepubescent girls forever into the future, like Carlo Fassi warned when they first did away with figures.

And props to Eteri for pushing and transforming the sport the way she has. In many ways, I think Alena Kostornaia and Sasha Trusova kind of epitomize the "ultimate skaters" that Eteri's strategies can create.

Kostornaia is so musical and artistic, her skating is fluid and beautiful. Big jumps with a lot of flow out and beautiful spins - and she's capable of gold medal worthy TES, too, with backloading, two 3-3s in the second half. She's a skater that Eteri-haters and fans who long for "the good ol' days" can really love. She finishes her movements.

Trusova is an even better jumper than Kostornaia, and obviously, QUADS. The greatest female jumper ever, at 13. No one can complain about her technique or her jumps being too small or too muscled. Decent spins, but not amazing. She doesn't have the skating skills or musicality of Kostornaia, but she has a very raw it factor and diva attitude that can sell the heck out of a program.

In most ways, both ladies have kind of already surpassed Alina and Evgenia. Alena isn't as technically accomplished as Alina, but she's beyond her in terms of artistry and skating skills.

I also just desperately need Gubanova to prove herself and get to that top level. Her skating and expression is just on another level entirely than any other lady in the world, IMO. Buyanova won't improve her at all - probably just give her tacky programs and some political connections. I feel like she's too old to thrive under Eteri. I actually think moving to Plushenko would be good for her, or moving to a "total package" North American coach who teaches great jumps like Orser or Raf (though that's not gonna happen).

I think this kids pushing out grownups will remain while new amazing talents keep showing up.
Imho it is not even about age - for instance, Medvedeva does same content as she did as junior. It just stopped being enough.
 
I think this kids pushing out grownups will remain while new amazing talents keep showing up.
Imho it is not even about age - for instance, Medvedeva does same content as she did as junior. It just stopped being enough.

Eteri's coaching team has definitely grown and evolved to the point where they are able to just teach jumps better. I think it's less about talent and more about what the girls are being taught. Trusova is obviously a phenom-level talent - but I doubt all the other girls in that age group are all just more talented than Evgenia. Each generation of Eteri girls surpasses the others. Trusova might be the technical limit for some time though, both because she's so naturally talented and because I think the next step will be figuring out how to maintain those jumps and avoid injury.
 
those are the frumpiest figure skating costume since Oksana's Bail pink fluffy atrocity.


also.... could we not be so judgemental of girls for growing and developing naturally? That happens in puberty. You are not supposed to stunt your growth and be teeny weeny mini thing that eats only protein powders.

Ummm thats how elite sport works? Children or not, they practice a sport where every gram matters, and "naturally" is not very compatible with it.
You should really watch some documentaries on rhythmic gymnastics, as the weight issue is better disclosed.
 
You guys read Angels of Plushenko instagram? They wrote Sima "took a break" from the sport.
I wonder what it might mean at her age and in circumstances of Russian ladies fs.
 
I've never been a fan, even when she had been beating Zhenya in junior competitions, but she impressed me at Skate America last year. If she's about to end (hopefully not), that was very nice goodbye performance. :thumbsup:
 
I think this IS Gubanova's shape. Even back when she was 10 or 11, she was not a stick figure, which means she will be like today at this age. Elena R. was very skinny when she was 14, but now she is more of an average. The good thing is Gubanova is pretty short, so weight gain may not affect her jump that much, like the Japanese ladies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnzsRSUc15E
From what I see from the Final Cup of Russia, she has gained some weight since Junior Nationals... it's not really affecting her skating (yet), she skated clean in both competitions.
 
I think this kids pushing out grownups will remain while new amazing talents keep showing up.
Imho it is not even about age - for instance, Medvedeva does same content as she did as junior. It just stopped being enough.

In fairness we've seen her landing several combos in practices, i wonder why she didn't take the risk at the Olympics.

Maybe they were worried that with a mistake judges somehow would have put Osmond ahead of her, otherwise i don't know: we've seen in practice a good 3lo-1lo-3f consistently clean from her for like an entire year and it would be worth more than 3s-3t.
 
And props to Eteri for pushing and transforming the sport the way she has. In many ways, I think Alena Kostornaia and Sasha Trusova kind of epitomize the "ultimate skaters" that Eteri's strategies can create.

ITA! Trusova's athleticism is awe-inspiring, and Kostornaia has the beauty of classic Soviet female pair skaters to go along with elite technical content.
 
we've seen in practice a good 3lo-1lo-3f consistently clean from her for like an entire year and it would be worth more than 3s-3t.
Her current set of combos is worth more than that actually, doing something like that is not a good idea unless you can at least repeat Lutz - Which she cannot.
 
Even is Alina wins, Sotskova/Konstantinova would still have to place at least 12th. To be honest I'm a bit worried for Russian ladies' 3 spots now.
 
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