2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

[Spirals for Miles]

Dasha Panenkova!!!!!!
when everyone forgets baby Dasha

 

[IceBallerina]

Dasha Panenkova!!!!!!
when everyone forgets baby Dasha

She's entering seniors this season, right?

 

[Hello from Brazil]

She's entering seniors this season, right?

Yes!!!!

 

[Fluture]

Dasha Panenkova!!!!!!
when everyone forgets baby Dasha

I‘m sorry, that‘s the second time already I forgot her, isn‘t it? I should probably watch more videos of her to get myself to remember her next time. :O

 

[russianfan]

Petty AF but it's a sad state of affairs when people feel the need to bash someone else to... (pick whatever inane reason you want I guess). Seriously, get a life! I may just stick to her fan fest in the future...

 

[russianfan]

It's so hilarious how one of the most hated persons on this forum(Medvedeva) is now the most beloved one and no one is allowed to criticize her for anything, and people find over9000 excuses for any controversial thing she does. About one year ago I was defending her on the forum, and now we swap the roles

 

[Fluture]

It's so hilarious how one of the most hated persons on this forum(Medvedeva) is now the most beloved one and no one is allowed to criticize her for anything, and people find over9000 excuses for any controversial thing she does. About one year ago I was defending her on the forum, and now we swap the roles

I don‘t know, I have no problem with criticizing Med if it‘s justified. So, you can call her on her flutz or her tanos or her miming. But if one picks on every little thing she says in interviews and tells she „feels betrayed by Eteri“ (when did she say that?) or „is being ungrateful“ (and that ??), that‘s not criticizing her. It‘s finding excuses and reasons to hate her. I criticize some of the things Zhenya does, too. I‘m still not sure on how she handled the whole Eteri situation, wether she was completely innocent or not. I realize she has a big, reaccuring mistake with her flutz which never got called. I see that, even as a fan of her. But I don‘t like it when I see obvious spiteful comments on her which are not even true but most of the time just a twisted interpretation of her words.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

I don't think it's so black and white, and that's why I've tried to refrain from picking sides. Both people could have done things better:
--Eteri shouldn't have revealed what Evgenia said to her in confidence
--Eteri shouldn't have bashed all of her former students on national TV (even if her opinions are correct, it's not good PR)

--Evgenia should have replied to Eteri's text messages (even if vaguely)
--If what Eteri said she said about the Olympics is true, she shouldn't have said it (even though it was said in confidence to her coach who is like her second mother and she was so emotional she couldn't really think straight)
--Evgenia should've been clearer with her words in the interviews about what she meant if indeed she's not bashing Eteri

--Neither of them should bash each other but instead acknowledge that there were good things that came out of their partnership and that Evgenia's moving on to the next chapter of her life

 

[moriel]

I dunno, I am petty like that. I found the quote about education hilarious, and I discuss it =D

Just a little bit on "stupid people or those who studied horribly, will never reach a high level in sports. It is important to have brains".

Pogorilaya: http://www.mk.ru/social/2015/05/22/anna-pogorilaya-prishlos-nanyat-trekh-repetitorov.html
Had to hire tutors in order to catch up with school.

Q: It is believed that the young athletes barely manage to finish school, because all the time that training, camps and competitions take...
Anna: Here I am probably not an exception, since I had to miss a lot from the fifth grade, and in 10-11th the sport took too a very significant place in my life... Teachers, of course, were not excited: to whom it is pleasant when his pupil spends more time at the rink, than in the classroom... But when the first serious successes started, from 2011-2012, they changed their attitude, supported, rejoiced, and now at prom many came to me with sincere and moving farewells.
Q: Was it difficult to catch up with the missed studies?
Anna: Yes, it is not easy. To do decently at EGE [Note: Unified State Exam], it was necessary to hire three tutors: in mathematics, Russian and biology, after all I plan to enter the Russian University of Physical Education and Sports.

Tuktamysheva: https://www.penza.kp.ru/daily/26360.7/3241647/
Had to repeat her last school year because she had no time to study because FS.

The figure skater and current world champion is in 11th grade [last year of school in Russia]. And this year she was supposed to finish school. But it is not working out. In the first half of the year, Liza managed to attend literally a couple of classes. Then the preparations for the European Championship began, and there was simply no time left for studying.
"Next year, I think she'll be able to finish school, - Liza's mother is sure. - My daughter does a lot for this: she works with tutors, when she has free time - 1-2 times a week, not possible to do it more often. In mathematics and geometry, I help her [Liza's mom is a teacher]. Previously, she took textbooks with her to all camps, tried to study between training. But now the workloads are too big, there is neither time nor energy for classes. Nevertheless, my daughter always takes with herself something to read. She likes to read, everything - both classics and modern authors".

Lipnitskaya: https://www.kp.ru/daily/26163.7/3050365/
Did not seem very fond of studying at all.

Q: And at eight you were already at school?
Yulia: I do not go to school at all. I study at home. And do not ask, for God's sake, about my favorite subject, there is no such thing! One thought: learn everything quickly, pass the exam and end this suffering.

Radionova: https://www.sovsport.ru/others/figu...ova-chempionat-mira-na-chetverochku-s-minusom
Also needed additional tutoring.

Lena: Turning into an adult is generally a very difficult period. In addition, I have to finish school this year, this also required a lot of efforts. This is also why the season is hard - you have to do everything at the rink, and you can not neglect your studies. I'm glad I survived this season. Officially it ended, maybe there will be some competitions, but it's good that I was able to stand it.
Q: Did devote more time than usual to the studies?
Lena: Every day, tutors come, they prepare me for the subjects on which I will take the EGE. So it turns out, after training I'm studying right away. Sometimes, I go to their place.

Too lazy to scramble for more, But actually both Radionova and Sotskova studied pretty well, and also finished school with all B's.
Despite this, they never implied they are not one of those "stupid people or those who studied horribly".

 

[moriel]

As for my own opinion...
I always defended Zhenya when people called her "mean" and "show off" when she added and extra 3T in competition, or did the 3-3-3-3-... combos. But somehow, reading her post Olympics interviews, it makes me feel that maybe it was actually true back then, and is true right now.

 

[atsumiri]

It's so hilarious how one of the most hated persons on this forum(Medvedeva) is now the most beloved one and no one is allowed to criticize her for anything, and people find over9000 excuses for any controversial thing she does. About one year ago I was defending her on the forum, and now we swap the roles

now
Evgenia has "the right" coach.
even Kооlа now loves Evgenia)

 

[yoloaxel]

It's so hilarious how one of the most hated persons on this forum(Medvedeva) is now the most beloved one and no one is allowed to criticize her for anything, and people find over9000 excuses for any controversial thing she does. About one year ago I was defending her on the forum, and now we swap the roles

tbh, I've been on this forum for a year and she's always been the most criticized since I've been around. Personally, I don't find anything wrong in criticizing a skater for their skating (although people have been picking her skating apart and ignoring others' obvious mistakes quite consistently) and I'm not even against criticizing one's words\behavior (I myself have been critical of statements made by skaters before). This is what forums are for.

However, I also cannot help but notice how in this thread in particular there seems to be the tendency of picking apart literally every little thing she says and blowing it out of proportion to make it seem like she's genuinely a horrible person. Just a random example, let's take one of Alena Kostornaia's answers on her ask profile:
"Would you choose the Olympic gold and a lonely life or missing the Olympics but a happy family?" "Gold and loneliness". I am willing to bet that Zhenya had said these words there would be people here calling her selfish, self-entitled, ruthless, ecc ecc. A vague statement about learning that not everyone has good intentions = diss at Eteri, ungrateful, a brat. A statement about how she was a restless child but then she learned the importance of studying and not staying ignorant even if you're an athlete beause she thinks being smart is necessary in sports (a belief that, for example, is shared by literally everyone in Asia) became her being mean and ill intentioned. When I saw the ruckus here about an interview of her I thought it was a new one, when I realized it was the ELLE one I was honestly confused because I had read it and just though 'okay good', I would have never even imagined it would have become subject of discussion tbh

This is not to say that Evgenia is perfect! On the contrary, I'm sure she, like everyone, has had many moments of pettiness, bitterness, she probably has said inappropriated things or behaved not in the best way at some point or another. What rubs me the wrong way is that it seems like everyone here is waiting, or even hoping that she says something even remotely dubious to prove their point that she is just generally horrible which, frankly, I don't understand at all

 

[millie]

A bit on russian schools.
Unlike many western schools, in Russia there is always a lot of homework. For example, when I moved to Brazil, I was *shocked* there is no homework at school - you just sit through classes, do an assignment or two and youre done. In my whole life, including all school and university, my 1st-3rd grades in Russia were the years when I did the most homework. Maybe this is outdated, so I asked my 11 years old nephew - yep, he spends between 3 and 5 hrs daily on his homework.
A nice detail is that tests are a very small portion of your grade. Most assignments are graded (you don't turn them in, you get an F). Class activity is also graded - so the teacher can ask you a question, and then give you and F if you do not know the answer.

Obviously, this is not compatible with elite training, because an athlete rarely has 8hrs a day just to study.

So athletes have it easier, much easier. This is, in part, the reason on why most of the younger ones do Physical Education at University, because it is where they can enter. The teachers usually support the kids who study in a regular school by reducing their study load - for example, they can "forgive" one's homework, or do not call to answer in class, leaving just tests. The kids who do not study in a regular school, it is just obviously easier. Ofc, in both cases, quality suffers.

For example, take Pogo: http://www.mk.ru/social/2015/05/22/anna-pogorilaya-prishlos-nanyat-trekh-repetitorov.html
She says here she needed to hire 3 teachers to catch up to be able to get grades good enough to enter university at the unified state exam (and it was Physical Education, which is not very prestigious, consequentially not being very hard to pass).

So, from an average russian point of view, boasting about how she is a good student and how she is intelligent, and how you need to be intelligent to compete on top level sounds quite delusional. It is actually funny, coming from any athlete. In best case, it sounds extremely naive.
In Zhenya's defense, I can say that it is very likely that she pretty much never hanged out with regular kids who go to regular school, so she has no knowledge of what school actually is.



OFF: Russian grades range from 5 (best) to 1. 1 is very rarely given, so you have something like:
5 - excellent
4 - good
3 - tolerable (while it is still a "pass" grade, it is considered a bad grade overall)
2 - fail
Those also allow gradation, so you can get a 4+ for example, or a 5-.

In Zhenya's interview, she said that she does not get 2's.

As for "good student"... The way Zhenya worded it is very strange to me, because it makes no sense. The word she uses for good student, "хорошист", literally means that you get mostly 4's ("good student" that gets 4 - "good" grade mostly) with some 5's (A guy who get mostly 5's is called "отличник"), and pretty much no 3's. We are not even talking of not getting 2's or 1's here. So when it is followed by "I get no 2's", it is just weird, because a "хорошист" gets no 3's, you don't need to explain you don't get 2's.
For me, this sounds a lot like a metaphor for "I get a lot of 3's actually".

There was a post on GS way back about how Russian girls are away ahead of Canadian girls in skating. Now I understand why. In Canada, by law, you have to attend school until the age of 16. Young figure skaters have to attend school and practice their figure skating before and after school is out. It seems that in Russia the skaters do not have to attend a structured school system and therefore can concentrate 100% on their skating. I stand to be corrected on this information.

 

[Fluture]

tbh, I've been on this forum for a year and she's always been the most criticized since I've been around. Personally, I don't find anything wrong in criticizing a skater for their skating (although people have been picking her skating apart and ignoring others' obvious mistakes quite consistently) and I'm not even against criticizing one's words\behavior (I myself have been critical of statements made by skaters before). This is what forums are for.

However, I also cannot help but notice how in this thread in particular there seems to be the tendency of picking apart literally every little thing she says and blowing it out of proportion to make it seem like she's genuinely a horrible person. Just a random example, let's take one of Alena Kostornaia's answers on her ask profile:
"Would you choose the Olympic gold and a lonely life or missing the Olympics but a happy family?" "Gold and loneliness". I am willing to bet that Zhenya had said these words there would be people here calling her selfish, self-entitled, ruthless, ecc ecc. A vague statement about learning that not everyone has good intentions = diss at Eteri, ungrateful, a brat. A statement about how she was a restless child but then she learned the importance of studying and not staying ignorant even if you're an athlete beause she thinks being smart is necessary in sports (a belief that, for example, is shared by literally everyone in Asia) became her being mean and ill intentioned. When I saw the ruckus here about an interview of her I thought it was a new one, when I realized it was the ELLE one I was honestly confused because I had read it and just though 'okay good', I would have never even imagined it would have become subject of discussion tbh

This is not to say that Evgenia is perfect! On the contrary, I'm sure she, like everyone, has had many moments of pettiness, bitterness, she probably has said inappropriated things or behaved not in the best way at some point or another. What rubs me the wrong way is that it seems like everyone here is waiting, or even hoping that she says something even remotely dubious to prove their point that she is just generally horrible which, frankly, I don't understand at all

This. Perfectly said. Thank you!

I don‘t get why there always needs to be this hate. If you don‘t like a skater, either keep your mouth shut or express your opinion respectfully. There is no need to hate on somebody. If Evgenia says something you find dubious, then please quote her EXACT words not something that‘s completely out of proportion and bluntly state „Wow, this girl really lost it in her interviews!“ while going on on how she did this wrongly and that, ESPECIALLY if most of the things aren‘t even true! It‘s OKAY to not like a skater but to hate on this person ? Why even bother? There‘s enough hate in this world can‘t you at least keep it away from such a minor thing as a FIGURE SKATING FORUM. Seriously.

 

[moriel]

There was a post on GS way back about how Russian girls are away ahead of Canadian girls in skating. Now I understand why. In Canada, by law, you have to attend school until the age of 16. Young figure skaters have to attend school and practice their figure skating before and after school is out. It seems that in Russia the skaters do not have to attend a structured school system and therefore can concentrate 100% on their skating. I stand to be corrected on this information.

Russia, by law, allows homeschooling.
I don't think it is a big deal, since many countries allow it.

 

[j00mla]

Dasha Panenkova!!!!!!
when everyone forgets baby Dasha

during her vacation, she spammed instagram and I'm tired of her

 

[Tulipstar]

This. Perfectly said. Thank you!

I don‘t get why there always needs to be this hate. If you don‘t like a skater, either keep your mouth shut or express your opinion respectfully. There is no need to hate on somebody. If Evgenia says something you find dubious, then please quote her EXACT words not something that‘s completely out of proportion and bluntly state „Wow, this girl really lost it in her interviews!“ while going on on how she did this wrongly and that, ESPECIALLY if most of the things aren‘t even true! It‘s OKAY to not like a skater but to hate on this person ? Why even bother? There‘s enough hate in this world can‘t you at least keep it away from such a minor thing as a FIGURE SKATING FORUM. Seriously.

Thank you. Exactly this.

When I first came to this forum, I was really looking forward to talking with fellow fans. Naively, I thought there would be a friendly atmosphere. I didn't hate any skaters and I still don't. Therefore, I never expected to find so many angry posts here. Figure skating is not a sport with an enormous fanbase, so why invest so much into hating skaters instead of enjoying the sport and supporting them. Please note that I'm not talking about this thead specifically, though it does come up here from time to time.

 

[moriel]

There was a post on GS way back about how Russian girls are away ahead of Canadian girls in skating. Now I understand why. In Canada, by law, you have to attend school until the age of 16. Young figure skaters have to attend school and practice their figure skating before and after school is out. It seems that in Russia the skaters do not have to attend a structured school system and therefore can concentrate 100% on their skating. I stand to be corrected on this information.

Actually, I did some research on the subject... Homeschooling is legal in all Canada, so your information is wrong.

 

[snwnprv]

I checked quite a few different websites and forums. Pretty much everywhere the comments are negative

Could you, please, share some links? I'm really interested, it's not an irony.

As for sports.ru - just a couple of weeks ago it was overflowing with her fans. I wonder where did they go on this one?

Um... sorry, but a couple of weeks ago that website was overflown not with Zhenya fans, but with people adoring Alina Zagitova and her new dog. I've counted at least 13-14 news and blog posts on sports.ru exclusively about Alina and Masaru (apart from other news and posts about Alina) in that time period.

 

[Shayuki]

There was a post on GS way back about how Russian girls are away ahead of Canadian girls in skating. Now I understand why. In Canada, by law, you have to attend school until the age of 16. Young figure skaters have to attend school and practice their figure skating before and after school is out. It seems that in Russia the skaters do not have to attend a structured school system and therefore can concentrate 100% on their skating. I stand to be corrected on this information.

"Is homeschooling legal in Canada?
Yes, home based learning, or "home school," as it is often referred to in the regulations, is legal in every part of Canada and comes under the jurisdiction of the provincial Ministry of Education. Each province has its own Education Act and Regulations with sections relevant to home education. You can find links to them on the provincial pages of this web site."

It took me literally 5 seconds with google. But OK.

I don't think that this is the reason behind the difference in the countries' junior ladies.

during her vacation, she spammed instagram and I'm tired of her

She really spams Instagram, huh... I follow her with hopes of seeing some interesting pics with the other skaters but sheesh, she really posts a ton of random stuff.