2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

[NAOTMAA]

So at this moment people would be guessing the world team is something like Alina and Liza with the last spot a race between Konstantinova, Med. and Samodurova? Is there any other lady of age that people think are in the hunt?

 

[leilaraj]

Do you guys think RusNats will be weighed that much in deciding who to send to Euros and Worlds? I feel like even if Stasya or Sonya will place better than Zhenya, it will still be Alina, Liza and Zhenya..

 

[NAOTMAA]

I don't think the Russian fed. are really to ditch Evgenia at all and I think at this moment her spot on the world team is safe even if she places outside the top 3. I suppose the only thing that might make them even think of it is a complete meltdown at nationals and a bad performance at Euros (would they put someone else there instead?) but still I don't see her off the world team happening

 

[andromache]

So at this moment people would be guessing the world team is something like Alina and Liza with the last spot a race between Konstantinova, Med. and Samodurova? Is there any other lady of age that people think are in the hunt?

No.

Sofia has an advantage in terms of what she's accomplished this season by making GPF, but I think Rusfed will not want to send two Mishin girls if they can avoid it.

It will be very interesting if they wind up changing the team after Euros depending on what the team is and what happens there.

 

[Jontor]

So at this moment people would be guessing the world team is something like Alina and Liza with the last spot a race between Konstantinova, Med. and Samodurova? Is there any other lady of age that people think are in the hunt?

Yes. Gubanova!??!!?

 

[moriel]

Do you guys think RusNats will be weighed that much in deciding who to send to Euros and Worlds? I feel like even if Stasya or Sonya will place better than Zhenya, it will still be Alina, Liza and Zhenya..

I'd say Rusnats will be still Alina, Zhenya and whoever performs best, unless Zhenya BOMBS (is she skates like she did in Canada, she is in).
Alina is the best russian this season, obvious russian #1 and highest scoring one. She is the only one who can compete with a clean Kihira (Tuktik loses too many points on components). Even if she has a bad skate, fed will prop her, because not sending her to worlds would be pretty idiotic (When people say but ohhhh she bombed last worlds, she was still 5th and ahead of all the other russians).
Zhenya. If she skates like in Canada (200-ish score, which will turn into 210-215 with no !, e, < calls and higher PCs, and she will easily outscore Sonia and Stasya), fed will prop her. After all, many fed-related people supported her move, and if Zhenya doesnt go to worlds, it will prove their incompetence and bad decision making abilities. If she skates like she skated in France though, it will be harder for them to prop her if everybody else skates clean (and it will be controversial if she has a bad skate and they still give her the 3rd spot since she has no results to back this decision up). This is not 100% certain - there are almost no interviews about the GP France results yet. We got to wait till TAT and other big folks speak up so we see where this is going.
Third spot is likely to be Tuktik, but will be whoever skates the best. I would also say that they will try giving it to a non-mishin girl, so Masha or Stasya. Maybe Gubanova.

 

[moriel]

I don't think the Russian fed. are really to ditch Evgenia at all and I think at this moment her spot on the world team is safe even if she places outside the top 3. I suppose the only thing that might make them even think of it is a complete meltdown at nationals and a bad performance at Euros (would they put someone else there instead?) but still I don't see her off the world team happening

They have a history of not changing the team regardless of Euro meltdowns.
See the times when Pogorilaya was the #3 and bombed Euros. She was still sent to Worlds.

For Rusfed position on Evgenia, lets wait for the interviews (its still night at Moscow, so they will start popping up in a couple of hours) of TAT and top coaches and skaters. The collective of those usually correlates with what fed thinks.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

No.

Sofia has an advantage in terms of what she's accomplished this season by making GPF, but I think Rusfed will not want to send two Mishin girls if they can avoid it.

It will be very interesting if they wind up changing the team after Euros depending on what the team is and what happens there.

I mean, no one really has a big chance but a few do have an outside shot:
Anastasia Gulyakova: she is also a Mishin girl, it's true, but she's really improved a lot this season and won both her cup events with huge scores. She's been chosen as the new St. Petersburg favorite and her jumps are just goregous. She scored 210 at stage 1 and 210 again at stage 3.
Anna Tarusina: she was pretty held down on the JGP but won a challenger event and was second today only to Tarakanova. Her performance gets better each time and her team really knows how to do layouts, maximizing her GOE by doing two different 2A-3 combinations and her BV by repeating her best jumps, loop and flip. She scored 203 at stage 3 and 208 at stage 5.
Anastasia Gubanova: out of all the Buyanova girls, she is struggling the least. Still URs sometimes and her levels are not always perfect, but now she is a Buyanova girl. She scored 194 at stage 1 and 211 at stage 4.

 

[Tolstoj]

Buianova in a recent interview said URs are a minor thing and judges are nitpicking too much. I see the logic.

Yeah that interview was such a revelation about why so many skaters there struggle with URs.

Third spot is likely to be Tuktik, but will be whoever skates the best. I would also say that they will try giving it to a non-mishin girl, so Masha or Stasya. Maybe Gubanova.

What's up with the Mishin hate from the Fed? he brought many Olympics and World champions, but it seems they would always bring someone else over his skaters, if they can do it.

 

[Tolstoj]

Anna Tarusina: she was pretty held down on the JGP but won a challenger event and was second today only to Tarakanova. Her performance gets better each time and her team really knows how to do layouts, maximizing her GOE by doing two different 2A-3 combinations and her BV by repeating her best jumps, loop and flip. She scored 203 at stage 3 and 208 at stage 5.

Do they? they keep changing it all the time, it seems stressful and that brought some silly mistake (like at her first JGP event she ditched the layback spin in the free skate and got invalidated the combo spin)

 

[moriel]

Yeah that interview was such a revelation about why so many skaters there struggle with URs.



What's up with the Mishin hate from the Fed? he brought many Olympics and World champions, but it seems they would always bring someone else over his skaters, if they can do it.

I dont think there is hate.
Basically, russian government funds coaches based on their skaters results. So sending a skater to Worlds and Euros correlates with more funding for the team. This means that there is more than just medals or reputation in game, and rather than going the "more medals for Russia", rusfed may cater to some internal interests that have nothing to do with medals.

 

[Jontor]

Medvedeva scored 0.05 more than Tennell to be the 3rd alternate for the GPF. Pointless information, I know...or...can you say that Tennell and Medvedeva is now on the same level???

 

[melgirl25]

Medvedeva scored 0.05 more than Tennell to be the 3rd alternate for the GPF. Pointless information, I know...or...can you say that Tennell and Medvedeva is now on the same level???

I don't see how they are on the same level.

 

[BillNeal]

The first...how about Worlds 2018? The French GP was by no means the first. It happens folks and no doubt will again, as ice is slippery and anything can and will happen. Rather than blame, it's time to move on.

I call it selective memory, O2fG Med's result was disappointing today but I'm glad at least she held it together for the most part. The meltdown seen at Worlds 2018 was much worse, where judges dubiously held up the PCS of the OGM to save the 3 spots for the Russians.

Regarding Med, people seem to forget that it has been just a few months since she made this big move to a different training environment, living in an entirely different country. Remember, change takes time and its just one bad competition. She misses GPF now but on the bright side, she has time to regroup and train for Russian Nationals.

 

[moriel]

I don't see how they are on the same level.

Zhenya scored 204, 197 and 192 this season
Bradie scored 206, 192 and 197 this season
Both got 3-4 at their GPs.

Results are literally identical.

 

[melgirl25]

Zhenya scored 204, 197 and 192 this season
Bradie scored 206, 192 and 197 this season
Both got 3-4 at their GPs.

Results are literally identical.

Sorry, I am out of it. When someone asks if they are on the same level I was not thinking in those terms.

 

[zenskate]

GP France: Happens.
Internet: Alina is done.
zenskate:

Next stop: Alina wins Beijing 2022!

On another matter, I would like to award thread OP Spirals for Miles the Russian Ladies Fan Gold Medal Award. Spirals for Miles has kept the spirit that the Russian ladies thread was created in alive and frequently posts about Russian ladies who are not Eteri girls or former Eteri girls. I appreciate your hard work, and I'm sure others do too. Please step up and claim your plastic hexagon (and keep posting about the other ladies! I love hearing about lesser known Russian ladies.)

In the spirit of GP France, we will also raise your flag digitally.
https://fotw.info/images/u/us_vert.gif

 

[neusw]

I'd say Rusnats will be still Alina, Zhenya and whoever performs best, unless Zhenya BOMBS (is she skates like she did in Canada, she is in).
Alina is the best russian this season, obvious russian #1 and highest scoring one. She is the only one who can compete with a clean Kihira (Tuktik loses too many points on components). Even if she has a bad skate, fed will prop her, because not sending her to worlds would be pretty idiotic (When people say but ohhhh she bombed last worlds, she was still 5th and ahead of all the other russians).
Zhenya. If she skates like in Canada (200-ish score, which will turn into 210-215 with no !, e, < calls and higher PCs, and she will easily outscore Sonia and Stasya), fed will prop her. After all, many fed-related people supported her move, and if Zhenya doesnt go to worlds, it will prove their incompetence and bad decision making abilities. If she skates like she skated in France though, it will be harder for them to prop her if everybody else skates clean (and it will be controversial if she has a bad skate and they still give her the 3rd spot since she has no results to back this decision up). This is not 100% certain - there are almost no interviews about the GP France results yet. We got to wait till TAT and other big folks speak up so we see where this is going.
Third spot is likely to be Tuktik, but will be whoever skates the best. I would also say that they will try giving it to a non-mishin girl, so Masha or Stasya. Maybe Gubanova.

Agree with all of this. Zhenya has fed support, a month ago their interviews said they fully understood she would need adjustment, and short of a complete disaster (something like she finishes 10th and there’s 7 seniors above her) she will get sent. And they will most certainly assure that with any decent skate she will get propped up enough to not be buried by other clean programs. I also think Tuk’s position will be pretty secure if she continues showing the same level of results at GPF, where she’s got a pretty decent chance of snagging a medal.

 

[Scott512]

gp france: Happens.
Internet: Alina is done.
Zenskate:

Next stop: Alina wins beijing 2022!

On another matter, i would like to award thread op spirals for miles the russian ladies fan gold medal award. Spirals for miles has kept the spirit that the russian ladies thread was created in alive and frequently posts about russian ladies who are not eteri girls or former eteri girls. I appreciate your hard work, and i'm sure others do too. Please step up and claim your plastic hexagon (and keep posting about the other ladies! I love hearing about lesser known russian ladies.)

in the spirit of gp france, we will also raise your flag digitally.
https://fotw.info/images/u/us_vert.gif

sfm!

 

[moriel]

Sorry, I am out of it. When someone asks if they are on the same level I was not thinking in those terms.

my guess is that the person meant the results, which are indeed similar.