2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

[Fluture]

I feel like the scores are totally fine. You always have to look at them in relation to the others and from what we‘ve seen today, both Alena‘s were miles ahead of the others. We also shouldn‘t forget that Bratislava was the first JGP of the new season with the new scoring system so likely the judges were more experimental with their GOEs. And had Kostornaya not gotten only a level 3 on her step sequence and an unclear edge on her lutz, she would have beaten Shcherbakova‘s world record. Which is quite impressive, considering Anna had a more difficult combination in 3Lz-3Lo. I feel like overall, Alena‘s still a step ahead skating skills and interpretation wise. She doesn‘t have as difficult of a jump layout as Anna but the jumps she does she executes precisely, easily and beautifully. She also has great height and distance in her jumps. Quite impressive. We‘ll see what’ll happen in the free skate tomorrow.

 

[atsumiri]

Alena Kostornaia has better GOE’s but the reason she got a 71 was because she had an unclear edge on her 3Lz+3T combination.

no she doesn't.

2A:
Anna GOE 1.08
Alena GOE 1.32
3F:
Anna 2.20
Alena GOE 1.97
FCSp4
Anna GOE 1.14
Alena GOE 1.10
LSp4
Anna GOE 1.20
Alena GOE 1.04
StSq3
Anna GOE 1.32
Alena GOE 1.08
CCoSp4
Anna GOE 1.30
Alena GOE 1.25
----
Alena 3Lz+3T GOE 0.84
Anna 3Lz+3Lo GOE 2.02

still I agree with ""In fact, you can not compare the scores from one competition to another, it's different judges, different components".""
different starting order)

 

[50 Words for Snow]

I'm surprised Alena K.'s dress appears to be so controversal. I thought it was quite beautiful and fitting for the theme of the program. Also, I'm a big fan of that little jump she does after the axel. And the axel itself. Definitely a good jump for her and I hope we can see her do a tripple soon.

Not a fan of Daniil-style music cuts... it doesn't really fit this piece.

I loved that little jump! It caught me off guard and was the highlight of the program for me.

I remember reading an interview from Olga, the dressmaker, and she said that she advised against using white or light blue because she felt that it kind of blended in with the ice and the skater didn’t stand out as much or something along those lines. I’m a little surprised by the dress because of that, as it is white with a little blue. I think this is kind of what happens too, Alena gets washed out by the ice a bit, the dress just doesn’t stand out on its own against it. I personally think it’s a really cool dress though, the wings are unique!

Yes, she definitely blended into the ice and the boards, and it wasted most of that arm movement, because it was simply lost in all the white. The sleeves definitely needed to be darker. It reminded me of Evgenia's Nocturne in the Olympics, but that rink had purple boards that contrasted with the light portions of her sleeves, and her sleeves had some dark sections that stood out from the ice. The same thoughtfulness did not go into Alena's dress.

 

[Vilord]

I am curious about why kostornaia doesnt do 3Lz+3Lo. I remember videos from a competition in the late spring (elder age nationals?) where she skated in workout clothes and did a great +3Lo combination. Why would you not put it in the programs? Do they think her +3T combination is so much better that the GOE will make up for the lower BV? Did she lose the combination over the summer? Is the combination not stable enough to risk it in short?

I get that it isnt that big of a difference BV in the short but in the free it would mean being able to repeat 3F and 3Lz, instead of 3F/Lz and 3T. You could obviously solve this with a +Eu+3S combination but as far as i remember I havent seen one from Alena.
I just feel like she would need this to compete with Anna and Sasha.

 

[[email protected]]

You do not have access to YouTube?

I am in Africa now with a strict limit on MB

 

[Orlov]

I am in Africa now with a strict limit on MB

wow

 

[Fluture]

I am in Africa now with a strict limit on MB

Wow, that’s cool! Not the limit on your MB obviously but Africa. I was never there myself. Hoping you have a great time.

I am curious about why kostornaia doesnt do 3Lz+3Lo. I remember videos from a competition in the late spring (elder age nationals?) where she skated in workout clothes and did a great +3Lo combination. Why would you not put it in the programs? Do they think her +3T combination is so much better that the GOE will make up for the lower BV? Did she lose the combination over the summer? Is the combination not stable enough to risk it in short?

I get that it isnt that big of a difference BV in the short but in the free it would mean being able to repeat 3F and 3Lz, instead of 3F/Lz and 3T. You could obviously solve this with a +Eu+3S combination but as far as i remember I havent seen one from Alena.
I just feel like she would need this to compete with Anna and Sasha.

I also wondered about that. Her lutz-toe is gorgeous of course but I thought she could do 3Lz-3Lo, too. :think: Maybe it‘s not stable enough and she‘s trying to focus on getting her 3A ready and high GOEs on her other combos? A 3Lz-3Lo could potentially help her compete with Anna and Sasha but a 3A is what she really needs. Are junior ladies allowed to one in the SP? Because if so, that could give her a substential advantage over the others leading into the free...I don‘t think it‘s all that likely that Alena could challenge Sasha for the top of the podium this season. Sasha even won over her when she made mistakes and Alena was clean, so I don‘t see how that could change this year with Sasha potentially attempting three kinds of quads. I‘d love to see it happen, though because Alena is by far my favourite junior but I cannot see how it‘d be possible for now. I’m still hoping for some surprises, though. But let‘s wait and see.

 

[Elucidus]

Are junior ladies allowed to one in the SP?

No, they are not.

 

[irriya]

no she doesn't.

2A:
Anna GOE 1.08
Alena GOE 1.32
3F:
Anna 2.20
Alena GOE 1.97
FCSp4
Anna GOE 1.14
Alena GOE 1.10
LSp4
Anna GOE 1.20
Alena GOE 1.04
StSq3
Anna GOE 1.32
Alena GOE 1.08
CCoSp4
Anna GOE 1.30
Alena GOE 1.25
----
Alena 3Lz+3T GOE 0.84
Anna 3Lz+3Lo GOE 2.02

still I agree with ""In fact, you can not compare the scores from one competition to another, it's different judges, different components".""
different starting order)

I personally think Alena's spin is better than Anna. The GOE of spins and step sequence don't make any sense. Alena should got a higher PCS as well.

 

[Caustica]

No, they are not.

Well, I think she technically can if she does it as part of her combo - aka 2A, 3F, 3A3T. But it is a massive risk and probably not worth it unless her 3A is really THAT stable.

 

[Shayuki]

I personally think Alena's spin is better than Anna. The GOE of spins and step sequence don't make any sense. Alena should got a higher PCS as well.

I think Anna's layback should have higher GOE. The other two spins are more interesting, for these I'd have Kostornaya ahead.

I'm not sure about the step sequence either, especially considering that that's where Anna has the greatest GOE advantage out of any element. Well, I guess she does perform it better but I don't think it should be worth more than actual skating in a step sequence when it comes to GOE.

 

[Fluture]

Well, I think she technically can if she does it as part of her combo - aka 2A, 3F, 3A3T. But it is a massive risk and probably not worth it unless her 3A is really THAT stable.

Ah, that's a shame then. I don't think it's that good of an idea. Her Lutz combo is much more stable and she gets good GOE on it. She can't risk falling in the SP and falling that much behind in points already. I was hoping for something like:
3A, 3Lz-3T, 3F. But since this isn't allowed... I'm still pretty new to the junior circuit so I didn't know that. But it would have been a good way to get ahead of Sasha in the SP with maybe a point or two advantage in PCS and the advantage of the 3A... Why aren't junior ladies allowed to do a 3A? I thought the requirements were 3F as the solo jump (this season at least) and an axel jump. Weird...

@Shayuki: I agree with you on the spins. I would have them about equal in the step sequence. Can't really say who I'd have above.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

I hope we will see 3Lz-3Lo and 3A from Alena at some point this season

 

[Baron Vladimir]

Hm. Technically - jumpwise - Anna has better flip and combo, while Alena is better in Axel. With a point better on PCS, thanks to Alenas speed and better body movements, i think they will score around the same at the end of SP..

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Is Nugumanova going to compete this season? No one mentions her on these threads anymore, so I wonder where she is, what her music choices are, if she’s turned senior, etc.

 

[kostornaya22]

I personally think Alena's spin is better than Anna. The GOE of spins and step sequence don't make any sense. Alena should got a higher PCS as well.

In terms of musicality and refinement she is a class of her own in the juniors. I maybe bias but I don't think anybody in the juniors or I dare say even seniors can match her in this aspect. In technicals I think the two are even. They are not as good as Zagitova or have the difficulty of Trusova but they still outclass the competition. One thing I don't like about Alëna though is her poor step sequence. She seems to struggle through it. It would really reflect badly on her if she continously do these subpar ssqs.

 

[Shayuki]

:think:

Opinions on musicality aside, I think it's tough to say that Alena is better than Anna technically as long as she doesn't perform loop combos during her programs. Anna also has had a stronger FS layout, though it remains to be seen what Alena has in store for her FS.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Finally caught up a little bit. Well...I watched Alena and she seems to have improved upon an already impressive delivery. Very deliberate posture and execution throughout every millisecond she performs. It’s beautiful and impressive all at once. Not sure why the music needs those changes or that thumping bird thing at the end but I’m not here to judge her. Alena can do what she wants as far as I’m concerned. I may be bit conflicted on the music but overall I think you can see that she has improved as a skater and is going to be a force to be reckoned yet again.

I’m so jealous of those of you who get to watch it live or even just on a livestream. My weekend is pretty booked up and I can’t really watch anything because as soon as I free up its just in time to be getting ready to sleep

 

[Dr. Jenn]

I just watched Alena Kostornaia's SP. This was my first time watching her, and I was really impressed! Of all the Russian junior women, I think that she has the best chance of success when she turns senior. She seems to have gone through most of her growth, and her skills are all well-developed, with good technique. She seems physically strong and powerful, and connects really well with her music. Unlike several of the other Russian junior women, Alena's movements all seem purposeful and are fully completed, with good stretch and positions. I found her program very engaging. I look forward to seeing her FS!

 

[Xzander]

Alena Kostornaia was beautiful, my favorite skater (junior or senior) at the moment. So many intricate details performed with precision (arms, head, body position). I love how she lands like a cat and extends her free leg. And the transitions... That huge 2A from Ina Bauer to Falling Leaf is just ridiculous.