Alina was never a flavor of the month figure skater as in “look at that 5 year old with those quads”, she is going to be huuuge.
I actually like that a lot, that she evolved in a linear way and got to be crazy good. I feel that makes it more sustainable. She worked hard, she got to reap the big rewards that come with developing a talent.
Then when she became part of the conversation she was praised as being great and a hard worker who wouldn’t settle for giving less than her best. Great attention to detail I believe was what the ISU narrator said about her first junior season in St Gervais (where she won) and even in Ljubljana (where she got 3rd place). I recommend watching those videos at this great YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUwSUmtxYSHI2oYBtsdnMvQ
When she came into her own she did it in a big way.
Her training allowed her to develop without getting the “second coming” treatment and she has been there for 3 (almost 4 I think) years. By now, she knows the coaches and knows what she’ll get from (and out of) them. It worked great for her so far and I have confidence it will continue to work even more during this upcoming season.