2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating | Page 539 | Golden Skate

2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

It's not like Gulyakova is my favourite skater of all time but I find her skating pleasant. She's with Mishin now and all his top female skaters (Liza, Sofia and Anastasia) are very good this season. I hope that at least one of them (and who knows... maybe even two :dev2:) will be on the world team.

The point is that Anastasia is very consistent and gets very good scores this season (better than some Russian GP participants). Obviously they're domestic scores but the fed just keeps not giving her international assignments (they had plenty of opportunities and didn't fill all the CS spots or sent some unknown skaters instead).
 
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Fluture said:
Maybe more competitions will help Dasha get back her old form + consistency.
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I’m not sure. People who were at Skate Canada and watched Dasha in training seem to think it looks more like an injury/boot issue than a stamina one. They actually thought she would have to withdraw before the free skate after watching her in training (apparently she looked like she was in quite a bit of pain) but then she came out and skated 10 times better in the actual free skate.
 
I think Dasha mentioned on Instagram that she'd been dealing with an old injury and that it even kept her from training for a little while.
 
TripleAxelQueens3 said:
on a different topic:

remember back in 2016 when Yulia skated her free skate at the Rostelecom Cup with a cramp and everybody was like “yes Yulia” your so brave!”

well, no hate against Yulia (I love Yulia actually) but isn’t skating on an injury a lot more uncomfortable than just a cramp?
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I don't think so, but I guess it would depend on the type of injury and how severe. A cramp can leave you completely unable to function.
 
Am I the only one who is a little worried about Alina? She was in incredible shape at the previous two competitions, no question, but I have a feeling that she is getting a lot of pressure from her trainers alone.. I‘m rooting so much for her and I hope she will skate clean programs 🙏🏼
 
Well, finally https://www.sports.ru/others/1068344801.html :rolleye: Evgeni also has told his opinion about the battle between the 3 Russian senior girls..
I used google translater he said Liza can't beat Alina or Zhenya if they are clean because of the second marks. Sometimes I would prefer if the Russians to be less honest. Why doesn't he just simply support Liza? :drama:
 
plushyfan said:
Well, finally https://www.sports.ru/others/1068344801.html :rolleye: Evgeni also has told his opinion about the battle between the 3 Russian senior girls..
I used google translater he said Liza can't beat Alina or Zhenya if they are clean because of the second marks. Sometimes I would prefer if the Russians to be less honest. Why doesn't he just simply support Liza? :drama:
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Interestingly enough, I had the opposite reaction to reading this. I'm glad that in this world of quickly increasing technical difficulty, the components marks are still being emphasized. To me, it's no different than Boyang Jin losing out to Hanyu despite more, better quads in his repertoire because Hanyu blends artistry and athletic ability. I don't think Tutamysheva is there yet, so to me it's rightfully fair she wouldn't win even if she does 3 triple axles clean in a competition.
 
leilaraj said:
Am I the only one who is a little worried about Alina? She was in incredible shape at the previous two competitions, no question, but I have a feeling that she is getting a lot of pressure from her trainers alone.. I‘m rooting so much for her and I hope she will skate clean programs ����
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I think Alina is fine.
She looked very tense at her CS event, indeed, but at JO she had much more confidence already.
 
plushyfan said:
Well, finally https://www.sports.ru/others/1068344801.html :rolleye: Evgeni also has told his opinion about the battle between the 3 Russian senior girls..
I used google translater he said Liza can't beat Alina or Zhenya if they are clean because of the second marks. Sometimes I would prefer if the Russians to be less honest. Why doesn't he just simply support Liza? :drama:
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Overall, I agree with him.
Its not really about "Artistry being enforced", but if you watch Alina's programs, and then Liza's and Zhenya's programs, you will see there are many aspects that may create a score gap:
- difficult entries and exits into jumps. This is specially true for Liza's 3A: while it is a great jump, the setup for it in enormous, and i actually see the judges applying the GOE deduction for excessive setup on that (my guess is that where the -1s and 0s came from at SC). But also valid for Zhenya.
- overall lack of transitions and empty programs - again, more visible for Liza, but also valid for Zhenya, since her programs this year are much emptier.

Said that, Liza is an amazing performer, but Mishin programs are not really CoP savvy.
 
leilaraj said:
Am I the only one who is a little worried about Alina? She was in incredible shape at the previous two competitions, no question, but I have a feeling that she is getting a lot of pressure from her trainers alone.. I‘m rooting so much for her and I hope she will skate clean programs 🙏🏼
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I‘m Alina‘s fan and a fan‘s principal duty is to be worried. :laugh:

No, but seriously, she seems like a strong girl. Maybe not as steely as others and a bit more sensitive but especially at the Olympics you could see her will, her determination and her grit. I think she will be fine. Her first GP is relatively easy, there is no one other than Kaori Sakamoto who could maybe win over her. If Alina is clean, she‘ll win without a doubt. If she has minor mistakes, too. Even with a fall and some step-outs. After seeing her at JO and Nebelhorn, I‘m assured about her. She seemed confident, fit and healthy. Yes, pressure is tough for these athletes - and especially those who have to deal with constant expectations. But I strongly believe Alina will be fine. Maybe not as glorious as she was in her first two competitions if some challenges should occur but honestly, who cares about that? She doesn’t have to break records every time she skates. She‘ll win in Finland and it will give her confidence for her next assignment which won‘t be as easy.
 
Fluture said:
I‘m Alina‘s fan and a fan‘s principal duty is to be worried. :laugh:

No, but seriously, she seems like a strong girl. Maybe not as steely as others and a bit more sensitive but especially at the Olympics you could see her will, her determination and her grit. I think she will be fine. Her first GP is relatively easy, there is no one other than Kaori Sakamoto who could maybe win over her. If Alina is clean, she‘ll win without a doubt. If she has minor mistakes, too. Even with a fall and some step-outs. After seeing her at JO and Nebelhorn, I‘m assured about her. She seemed confident, fit and healthy. Yes, pressure is tough for these athletes - and especially those who have to deal with constant expectations. But I strongly believe Alina will be fine. Maybe not as glorious as she was in her first two competitions if some challenges should occur but honestly, who cares about that? She doesn’t have to break records every time she skates. She‘ll win in Finland and it will give her confidence for her next assignment which won‘t be as easy.
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I think that Alina is as strong as one can be, Olympics prove it. That pressure. That 3Lz-3Lo fix. Her skates this season.
Yep, there was a Worlds mess up - but imho it had nothing to do with nerves. First of all, after the Olympics, there was all the "Zhenya the real champion" outcry, both by media, important figure skating people (TAT and Co) and fans. When people complain about all the hate Zhenya got, they seem to forget about all the hate Alina got (which included bs like Tarasova, during a talk show, telling Alina's father: "I'm sorry, Pop, but we love Zhenya more"). Fans were not much behind, and surely some of that reached her.
Then, remember, Alina's gold was one of the 2 gold that Russia won at 2018 Olympics. This means that she had to attend 100500 ceremonies, events and shows in Russia right after the Olympics. It is very likely that she had no time to train at all between Olympics and Worlds. Like, nein, zero. She went to Worlds and skated well enough to be in 5th and secure Russia's 3 spots basically after skipping a month of training.
Last but not least, there was a lot of pressure at Worlds too, since it was obviously up to her to secure the 3 spots. She had to place high. She could not WD even, specially after Zhenya WD due to injury, because that would mean 2 spots next year. Pretty sure she was fairly aware of this.

Considering all this, she went out and skated like a champion. Yes, she made mistakes. But even with mistakes, she was 5th. Even with mistakes, she scored 207.72. Whoever thinks that is not much, only 11 ladies scored higher than that (including Zagi herself) last season.

I'm pretty sure that while she looks like a cute and sweet kid, she is no snowflake and can put it out when it matters.
 
moriel said:
I think that Alina is as strong as one can be, Olympics prove it. That pressure. That 3Lz-3Lo fix. Her skates this season.
Yep, there was a Worlds mess up - but imho it had nothing to do with nerves. First of all, after the Olympics, there was all the "Zhenya the real champion" outcry, both by media, important figure skating people (TAT and Co) and fans. When people complain about all the hate Zhenya got, they seem to forget about all the hate Alina got (which included bs like Tarasova, during a talk show, telling Alina's father: "I'm sorry, Pop, but we love Zhenya more"). Fans were not much behind, and surely some of that reached her.
Then, remember, Alina's gold was one of the 2 gold that Russia won at 2018 Olympics. This means that she had to attend 100500 ceremonies, events and shows in Russia right after the Olympics. It is very likely that she had no time to train at all between Olympics and Worlds. Like, nein, zero. She went to Worlds and skated well enough to be in 5th and secure Russia's 3 spots basically after skipping a month of training.
Last but not least, there was a lot of pressure at Worlds too, since it was obviously up to her to secure the 3 spots. She had to place high. She could not WD even, specially after Zhenya WD due to injury, because that would mean 2 spots next year. Pretty sure she was fairly aware of this.

Considering all this, she went out and skated like a champion. Yes, she made mistakes. But even with mistakes, she was 5th. Even with mistakes, she scored 207.72. Whoever thinks that is not much, only 11 ladies scored higher than that (including Zagi herself) last season.

I'm pretty sure that while she looks like a cute and sweet kid, she is no snowflake and can put it out when it matters.
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Um, I know all this stuff and I know some people weren‘t exactly nice to Alina after her win in Pyeongchang. I don‘t agree with this people and frankly, I don‘t agree with ANYONE who thinks it‘s justified or necessary to hate on young girls who are just trying their best. It‘s ridiculous and stupid and while I understand people were upset Zhenya lost they could have at least made sure to be a bit more sensible about what they say as to not insult Alina completely.

And what I meant by more sensitive wasn‘t a criticism it was more like a note to her actual character. One can be a sweet and sensitive person and still switch to full business mode and be competitive when it matters. I actually admire Alina for her character because while she‘s got a champion‘s determination, she‘s also got a champion‘s personality. She is humble as one can be and incredibly sweet in her interviews. Her love for dogs is adorable. Yet she grew quite a bit after the Olympics, not only physically but especially mentally. I do think it‘s hard for her and I don‘t think we should underestimate that. The pressure put on her is insane, especially for her age. Worlds was unfortunate and I’m sure she isn’t happy with her performance there. But it was understandable, given everything she went through. I don’t think we can solely say “it was nerves!“ or “it was lack of training time!“ because I actually think it was a mix of both which resulted in her just not being ready for the competition, neither mentally nor physically.

I worried for her after Wordls. I worried for her after test skates and I think everyone who likes Alina did. But she came to her next event and skated like a champion, looking confident. And then repeated the same at Japan Open. That‘s why while I don‘t think Alina has it easy at all, I believe for now she‘s handling it really, really well. And that‘s why I‘m not as nervous about her GP debut (even though I‘m still anxious and will half-cover my eyes while seeing her attempt a jump) as I was for Zhenya‘s. Because I know she is 100% ready. Her confidence is back again as is her competitive spirit. She looked glorious at her Challenger event. I don‘t care about world records, I just want to see her skate to her full potential and win in Finland. Who cares by how much as long as there is a gold medal around her neck at the end of the day. Which I strongly believe there will be.
 
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