2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

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My take: a breath of fresh air, perhaps? Seriously, why did you call her 'mean'?

Huh? Maybe because that‘s what she calls herself? Haven‘t you read her twitter or instagram account? It‘s a joke:

https://mobile.twitter.com/TuktikLiza/status/1035399025212764161

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpeoiUyHHJx/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=lt2oixwztw53

 

[ramed]

Huh? Maybe because that‘s what she calls herself? Haven‘t you read her twitter or instagram account? It‘s a joke:

https://mobile.twitter.com/TuktikLiza/status/1035399025212764161

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpeoiUyHHJx/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=lt2oixwztw53

OK, 'the empress' but where did you see 'mean'?

 

[DanseMacabre]

This thread is always a mess somehow lmao
at least in the middle of all this Medvedeva talk i managed to find out that Alyona is competing next week. I hope we can see her 3A there :agree:

This thread is always doing The Most to stay messy but at least it keeps me entertained.

Talking about what Orser is giving her or not giving her is too early in my opinion. He said he doesn‘ expect immediate results, his method takes at least one year. Let‘s give him this year and then decide.

...

About the ”moment of glory being lost“. Evgenia is still the most consistent skater ever. Her past seasons were more glorious, obviously, but I think it‘s pretty natural that she has to face some issues eventually, NO ONE can always be perfect and always win everything. She has a lot to improve on and a lot to work but I‘m sure she knows it. I don‘t know why people are writing her off so fast. She showed that she is willing and able to fight. Yes, she might not return to her past “glory“ of winning everything but that was bound to happen eventually. I know there are plenty of issues with her programs and her overall packaging, I‘m not denying this. But to say she‘s totally done? A bit too harsh and a bit too early.

I want to give this whole post a standing ovation. Honestly, the winning streak was going to end sometime. No one can stay undefeated forever. And the longer you go undefeated, the louder people are going to lament your demise when the streak inevitably runs its course. From the histrionics from some corners, you’d think Evgenia finished dead last instead of winning a bronze medal after a truly redemptive and determined free skate. People really do love clutching their pearls. I’ll just sit here sipping my tea, enjoying the evolution of this fierce, determined young athlete.

 

[MissBeeFarm]

OK, 'the empress' but where did you see 'mean'?

Check her Twitter, she's used it many times herself (Oct 21 most recently). She's also used #KindEmpress. To balance it out I suppose. [emoji1]

https://mobile.twitter.com/TuktikLiza

 

[Lunalovesskating]

She now has a month to improve. I don‘t know how doable it is to win against Rika, she is pretty consistent this season, has a much higher BV as well.

Rika only skated once this season at Ondrej Nepela and she fell during her SP on her 3A. I would not call that a consistent season. Rika is known for crumbling under pressure. We will see how she will go during her first Senior grand prix where the pressure is high. Then her mental strength will be really tested. I think Evgenia and Rika both have equally good chances for gold.

 

[Fluture]

This thread is always doing The Most to stay messy but at least it keeps me entertained.



I want to give this whole post a standing ovation. Honestly, the winning streak was going to end sometime. No one can stay undefeated forever. And the longer you go undefeated, the louder people are going to lament your demise when the streak inevitably runs its course. From the histrionics from some corners, you’d think Evgenia finished dead last instead of winning a bronze medal after a truly redemptive and determined free skate. People really do love clutching their pearls. I’ll just sit here sipping my tea, enjoying the evolution of this fierce, determined young athlete.

Yup. I‘d like to remind people who scream about her being done for good that our Olympic Champion had two rough SPs in her GP events last year and yet managed to pull it through in the FS. Because that‘s what truly defines you: not that you lose once, or twice but that you fall, stand up, deal with it and continue to fight. Evgenia did that. The event went less than glorious for her, worse than expected. But sometimes things don‘t go as you planned them. And she went out there after finishing worst ever in her SP after a stupid mistake and showed determination, grit and true mental strength in every step she made there on the ice. That‘s what‘s intriguing for me, even if the result in the end was lower than originally expected.

Everyone makes mistakes. Zhenya‘s winning streak was unique and mind-blowing but had to be broken eventually. It‘s a natural process, someone‘s always better than you. There‘s two ways to deal with it: Either accept defeat or move on, change something and try to work hard to improve. You only ever have a chance with the second method to begin with. And to my mind, that’s what truly shows champion material: You might not succeed but at least you gave it your everything.

OK, 'the empress' but where did you see 'mean'?

Look at the second picture I posted. The one from Instagram, in the hashtag she calls herself #meanempress along with #sorrynotsorry. It‘s a joke because she made live commentary on Skate Amegica on twitter and sometimes was harsh on skaters (she was joking, though and really supportive in the FS proportion of the competition.) That‘s where the #Meanempress thing is coming from and it stuck with her fans. I love Liza, don‘t worry.

https://mobile.twitter.com/tuktikliza/status/1053783869810466817

Here another example of her #meanempress commentary.

 

[Reddi]

Hahaha that’s exactly why I want to understand it!... ...And also because I enjoy the drama - of it’s why I enjoy watching the K+C reactions and interactions. It’s part of the experience.

In that case TAT is the best in the world for you. Devil wears Shuba... on channel one. Seriously, she keeps constantly pouring fuel in the Russian community bonfire since the Olympics.

 

[Fluture]

Rika only skated once this season at Ondrej Nepela and she fell during her SP on her 3A. I would not call that a consistent season. Rika is known for crumbling under pressure. We will see how she will go during her first Senior grand prix where the pressure is high. Then her mental strength will be really tested. I think Evgenia and Rika both have equally good chances for gold.

Rika will have a GP under her belt already at GP France. She will get that senior GP debut tension away there. I have faith in Zhenya but I try to be realistic. Rika has much higher BV to begin with and posted a much higher score than Zhenya even with a fall in the SP. It will be interesting to see, of course but for now Rika is probably one of the most promising skaters this season. Zhenya can do it if she skates clean, though. Let‘s wait and see.

A silver medal wouldn’t be enough, would it?

 

[neusw]

Rika will have a GP under her belt already at GP France. She will get that senior GP debut tension away there. I have faith in Zhenya but I try to be realistic. Rika has much higher BV to begin with and posted a much higher score than Zhenya even with a fall in the SP. It will be interesting to see, of course but for now Rika is probably one of the most promising skaters this season. Zhenya can do it if she skates clean, though. Let‘s wait and see.

A silver medal wouldn’t be enough, would it?

Speaking of Rika, I’m quite curious o see how she will do this season. Her scoring potential is absolutely huge—she could challenge the Russians for dominance if she could string together a few clean competitions. But that’s the big IF. Sadly it seems she suffers from the same consistency issues as many other top Japanese ladies with excellent basics and jumps.

 

[ramed]

Look at the second picture I posted. The one from Instagram, in the hashtag she calls herself #meanempress along with #sorrynotsorry. It‘s a joke because she made live commentary on Skate Amegica on twitter and sometimes was harsh on skaters (she was joking, though and really supportive in the FS proportion of the competition.) That‘s where the #Meanempress thing is coming from and it stuck with her fans. I love Liza, don‘t worry.

https://mobile.twitter.com/tuktikliza/status/1053783869810466817

Here another example of her #meanempress commentary.

Ah now I see. Well, alright. So, back to her gala performance - I didn't quite get if you commented about it with approval or disproval? I personally always like a bit of provocation, so for me Liza has succeeded.

 

[Fluture]

Ah now I see. Well, alright. So, back to her gala performance - I didn't quite get if you commented about it with approval or disproval? I personally always like a bit of provocation, so for me Liza has succeeded.

I commented in her Fanfest already, I‘m a bit torn on it. At first I was like: :eeking: and then I was like... oh yes, that‘s totally Liza. She‘s provocative but she totally knows how to stay in the spotlight and slay there. I gotta love it even though normally I don‘t like sexy exhibition programs, just not really my thing. But this one is just so very special and so very Liza I can‘t help but cheer her on for being so gutsy and confident.

 

[ramed]

Speaking of Rika, I’m quite curious o see how she will do this season. Her scoring potential is absolutely huge—she could challenge the Russians for dominance if she could string together a few clean competitions. But that’s the big IF. Sadly it seems she suffers from the same consistency issues as many other top Japanese ladies with excellent basics and jumps.

I can see she has potential in jumps but otherwise... sorry I really don't mean to offense anyone but beyond jumps (when all stars align properly) is there anything memorable there?.. Nice rotations? Transitions? Overall elegance or artistry?.. Again, please don't take my words as an insult, I'm just trying to understand...

 

[ramed]

I commented in her Fanfest already, I‘m a bit torn on it. At first I was like: :eeking: and then I was like... oh yes, that‘s totally Liza. She‘s provocative but she totally knows how to stay in the spotlight and slay there. I gotta love it even though normally I don‘t like sexy exhibition programs, just not really my thing. But this one is just so very special and so very Liza I can‘t help but cheer her on for being so gutsy and confident.

Matter of taste, of course. But well, since we're a bit past the dark ages of puritanic moral, I hope some bits of sexyness can be tolerated in FS just like in all other arts, huh?

 

[Fluture]

Speaking of Rika, I’m quite curious o see how she will do this season. Her scoring potential is absolutely huge—she could challenge the Russians for dominance if she could string together a few clean competitions. But that’s the big IF. Sadly it seems she suffers from the same consistency issues as many other top Japanese ladies with excellent basics and jumps.

I‘m quite curious as well. She has so much potential and her first start in the season was really, really good so I‘m expecting a lot from her. Overall, this season seems like a lot of unexpected things can happen. Alina definitely looks like the one to beat but Rika is a strong contender as well. I don‘t know about her nerves, to me she seemed pretty confident at Nepela Trophy even with the fall. It will be interesting to see how that translates to her first GP event which will be in NHK trophy, I think? Liza will be there, too, so that we speak of a Russian lady again and not go totally off-topic. Battle of the 3As! :eeking: I‘d love for Liza to take home another gold but with Satoko, Mai and Rika all there it seems tougher than I thought as especially the former two are really consistent. Liza can‘t afford a mistake and we all know how risky those 3As are. But I have confidence in her that she can slay no matter what, even if she doesn‘t win gold. A bronze would be totally sufficient for her to enter the GPF.

 

[Fluture]

Matter of taste, of course. But well, since we're a bit past the dark ages of puritanic moral, I hope some bits of sexyness can be tolerated in FS just like in all other arts, huh?

Yes, of course. It‘s not that I have a personal problem with sexiness or anything, not at all. It‘s just that I mostly enjoy other programs more. But Liza really went out there with full confidence and you could see how much fun she had performing the routine. That‘s why I liked it in the end. You have to be pretty gutsy and self-assured to pull off something like this successfully and she did. Not everyone could do that, for most it would just look plain uncomfortable and weird. Not for her. But that‘s why she‘s The Empress, right?

 

[Skater Boy]

I got confused there and thought Rika might now be on Team Russia lol. Back to talking about Russian ladies. I think still the three Russian ladies are Alina, Liza and Evgenia. Evgenia is definitely struggling and dealing with her new body and technique but the next Russian lady has y et to take ownership she wants on the world team. Pogo from all reports is not ready. Maria is having issues with her UR's. Polina, Daria, Radinova et al aren't really competitive. Sofia is still quite inexperienced. They are waiting for next year I guess when RUssia will be strong even against the Japanese powerhouse.

 

[[email protected]]

I got confused there and thought Rika might now be on Team Russia lol. Back to talking about Russian ladies. I think still the three Russian ladies are Alina, Liza and Evgenia. Evgenia is definitely struggling and dealing with her new body and technique but the next Russian lady has y et to take ownership she wants on the world team. Pogo from all reports is not ready. Maria is having issues with her UR's. Polina, Daria, Radinova et al aren't really competitive. Sofia is still quite inexperienced. They are waiting for next year I guess when RUssia will be strong even against the Japanese powerhouse.

So far the Japanese powerhouse won just SA where tier-2 Russians were present, hence, I don't really know what you are talking about.

 

[Tolstoj]

I think Buyanova accepting all these skaters and sending them to competitons totally unprepared + Tsareva doing the same with Panenkova is ironically a huge assist for Evgenia (and most importantly for Japan), because it is making Russia looking vulnerable as they never were the last Olympic cycle, which means it could be easier to make the team for worlds.

Russian Nationals won't be as hard as it was last season when Samodurova with 2 clean programs finished 11th, not all of them but i believe some of these skaters who are now looking so weak they won't fix all their issues in time for Nationals.

Yes, juniors will certainly make an impact but even if they medal they don't go to Euro and senior Worlds.

So far the Japanese powerhouse won just SA where tier-2 Russians were present, hence, I don't really know what you are talking about.

It's not japanese powerhouse but the fact that Polina Tsurskaya and Daria Panenkova did so bad, while the japanese were all on point, it makes Russia look slightly weaker this season.

Rika will have a GP under her belt already at GP France. She will get that senior GP debut tension away there. I have faith in Zhenya but I try to be realistic. Rika has much higher BV to begin with and posted a much higher score than Zhenya even with a fall in the SP. It will be interesting to see, of course but for now Rika is probably one of the most promising skaters this season. Zhenya can do it if she skates clean, though. Let‘s wait and see.

A silver medal wouldn’t be enough, would it?

2nd place could be enough but it depends on the other skaters and who WDs. Two years ago Adam Rippon qualified to GPF with 2 bronzes.

About GP France, it's not just Rika but also Bradie Tennell and Mai Mihara, they can beat her if she makes any mistake.

 

[Fluture]

I got confused there and thought Rika might now be on Team Russia lol. Back to talking about Russian ladies. I think still the three Russian ladies are Alina, Liza and Evgenia. Evgenia is definitely struggling and dealing with her new body and technique but the next Russian lady has y et to take ownership she wants on the world team. Pogo from all reports is not ready. Maria is having issues with her UR's. Polina, Daria, Radinova et al aren't really competitive. Sofia is still quite inexperienced. They are waiting for next year I guess when RUssia will be strong even against the Japanese powerhouse.

Rika definitely isn‘t Russian but she‘s one of the strongest rivals our Russian ladies have this season. That‘s why I think it‘s okay to talk about her a bit, as long as it isn‘t too much.

Japan is definitely looking strong so far, Satoko, Rika, Kaori and even first year senior Mako have shown that they‘re not here to play. But Russia is definitely in good hands this season already, even without the junior power trio. Yevgenia, even though she‘s struggling right now still has the potential for high scores if she‘s clean. Liza is slaying her 3As right now and seems like she won‘t be willing to lose a gold to anybody this season. Sofia Samodurova even though being in her debut year shows strong and clean performances. And of course there‘s Alina Zagitova, Olympic Champion and the indisputable number #1 this season so far.

I think Buyanova accepting all these skaters and sending them to competitons totally unprepared + Tsareva doing the same with Panenkova is ironically a huge assist for Evgenia (and most importantly for Japan), because it is making Russia looking vulnerable as they never were the last Olympic cycle, which means it could be easier to make the team for worlds.

Russian Nationals won't be as hard as it was last season when Samodurova with 2 clean programs finished 11th, not all of them but i believe some of these skaters who are now looking so weak they won't fix all their issues in time for Nationals.

Yes, juniors will certainly make an impact but even if they medal they don't go to Euro and senior Worlds.



2nd place could be enough but it depends on the other skaters and who WDs. Two years ago Adam Rippon qualified to GPF with 2 bronzes.

About GP France, it's not just Rika but also Bradie Tennell and Mai Mihara, they can beat her if she makes any mistake.

Russian Nationals will have the junior power trio, it will still be more than hard, harder than ever maybe. And skaters want to medal, so with Alena, Anna and Sasha there it will be increasingly difficult. Quads are huuuuge TES pusher. You basically can’t fight against them, even with high PCS. Yes, Daria and Buyanova‘s skaters seem vulnerable so far but it‘s the beginning of the season, a few of them might get their act together and perform well later in the season. So, I think Nationals will still be a bloodbath even if not as much as next year when the junior trio will finally move up and fight for worlds spots.

A silver and a bronze seems risky and to rely on other skaters failing is never a good idea. Maybe she can really get it together and win gold. Bradie is a huge contender if she‘s clean due to high BV. Mai Mihara is lovely but unspectacular but rarely makes mistakes. So, yes, she faces a tough field there and really needs to stay clean. I hope she can. She seems determined in her interviews at least, so that‘s good.

 

[colormyworld240]

I think you're right.

Words aren't getting it across, and video will need to be the way to get it across. It's not my skillset but I'll give it a try when I can.

I keep saying 'look at the skating leg and foot' and the response is 'but look at those great upper body positions'...so this is in a loop.

Will do my best.

I think the disagreement is about the slating leg and foot. You're saying things like there isn't control in the core, that the spin radius is too big, which leads to a tendency to travel. That makes sense. But the disagreement is that many of Eteri's skaters don't have that problem. So even if you could just link a video and a time stamp, for skaters you mention like Alina and the juniors, and then another for comparison, there would be something visual to guide a more meaningful discussion.