- Joined
- Jan 12, 2018
Then you are in a wrong thread.
Alena Kostornaia
- Thread starter vesperalvioletta
- Start date
Can u do the same with NBC commentary, please?
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2019
Alyona Kostornaya: my triple Axels are the result of wounded pride
The third stage of the Grand Prix series in figure skating ended with another triumph of the coaching school of Eteri Tutberidze - this time the winner of the tournament was her 16-year-old pupil Alyona Kostornaya. Yesterday's junior performed three triple Axels in two programs. More recently, these jumps could be found only in men's competitions. Kostornaya told TASS how the triple Axel appeared in her programs, what wounded pride means for an athlete, about the secrets of the expressiveness of her skating and the subtleties of make-up.
- Alyona, firstly, congratulations on your victory. Three triple axels ....
This is truly impressive. That's just something does not fit into the head, how is this possible? Because at the Open Test Skates you in every possible way "denied" even the possibility of this jump?
A: I was not ready for the Test Skates, and I don't know why. I was not ready so much, I couldn’t even cleanly skate out my normal content. It didn't work out. And then I decided to change something.
- Risky, at the very beginning of the season. When exactly did this decision come?
A: Literally a day after the Test Skates, I went to training and decided to try the quadruple Salchow. True, the coaches told me to leave it for now and try the triple Axel.
- And you tried it right away?
A: I rejected - "I don't want to", "I won't". They suggested me trying on a fishing rod and harness (a device that facilitates the learning of new jumping elements and minimises the risk of injuries).
- You agreed?
A: Well, I didn't. I decided I'd try by myself. Of course, I fell, fell, fell, and then suddenly - I got it. First, once, then twice at training sessions. And then at some point I already did three or four jumps. Then I realized that there was a chance.
- But this is only a try out, what came next?
A: Daniil Markovich came up to me and said: "They told me, are you jumping Axels? Show me." But I haven't yet skated out a triple Axel program before. In general, I was falling again for two skating runs, and on the third day I began to have an exit from this jump.
- But there were these two jumps ...
A: Then the coaches told me - okay, let's do two of them to be more confident. You do the first, the second as a spare. So I started to skate out my free program with one spare Axel. Only then the trainers told me - well, since you are already doing a program with two Axels, what's the point with having only one? As a result, I have to blame myself (laughs).
- Alyona, this trust and such confidence from trainers is just priceless for an athlete.
A: Yes, that's true. And here, by the way, one more moment worked - a lot of people have told me before: "Alyona, you have these jumps, you have to jump them."
- How did you assess your chances for the season before its start?
A: Even before the September Test Skates, when we were discussing plans, I was very hurt internally when I heard from different angles: "Well, yes, you did well, but if you had jumped something like this ...."
How could these " if only's " piss me off! It could turn out this way, with such a set in the second half of the season I have to skate in juniors again?
- It turned out that wounded pride works wonders?
A: That's for sure.
- Skipping over jumps, where does your choreography come from? in the world of figure skating, only the lazy ones don't talk about it. How does this happen at your young age?
A: I don't know. When I was still very young, I went to acting classes. Maybe it helped. But here is what I know for sure - if I like something, I will go all the way. If I like some music, I will squeeze myself under it to the maximum. Squeezing so much, people will start talking about it - that's really good.
- You have favourite music, favourite composers?
A: Sometimes it happens, it sinks into my heart, and that’s it. And I know for sure if for my program I will have the music I like, there will be more chances with it than with the one that has been chosen for me without consulting me.
- And when was the last this happened?
A: Yes, literally yesterday - I watched the performance of the pairs, when the now bronze medalists skated, Americans Haven Denny and Brandon Fraser. Somewhere in the middle of the program, she was in support, and there was this music I just liked.
- I will allow myself a purely feminine question. Despite your young age, you always have very good makeup at your performances, almost perfect eyebrows and lipstick tone. Do you choose your own images, do you apply your own make upmake-up?
A: Yes.
- You learned this yourself?
A: I had to. Many young people have their make up applied by a parent before going out on the ice, including me. But once there was such a situation that my mother couldn't come to the competition, could not do my hair and make up before the start.
- I imagine. I often found myself in such situations as a mother, just a tragedy.
A: And that was, by the way, at my first Moscow championship. I was 12−13 years old then. In general, I had to do everything myself.
- And the line of your lip contour didn't creep up to behind your ears?
A: Not for a bit. I saw how she did my make up, I saw how she did my hair. And all this at that time I did so myself. And you know what? I really enjoyed it.
Interviewed by Veronika Sovyetova
-----
From: https://tass.ru/interviews/7076281
The third stage of the Grand Prix series in figure skating ended with another triumph of the coaching school of Eteri Tutberidze - this time the winner of the tournament was her 16-year-old pupil Alyona Kostornaya. Yesterday's junior performed three triple Axels in two programs. More recently, these jumps could be found only in men's competitions. Kostornaya told TASS how the triple Axel appeared in her programs, what wounded pride means for an athlete, about the secrets of the expressiveness of her skating and the subtleties of make-up.
- Alyona, firstly, congratulations on your victory. Three triple axels ....
This is truly impressive. That's just something does not fit into the head, how is this possible? Because at the Open Test Skates you in every possible way "denied" even the possibility of this jump?
A: I was not ready for the Test Skates, and I don't know why. I was not ready so much, I couldn’t even cleanly skate out my normal content. It didn't work out. And then I decided to change something.
- Risky, at the very beginning of the season. When exactly did this decision come?
A: Literally a day after the Test Skates, I went to training and decided to try the quadruple Salchow. True, the coaches told me to leave it for now and try the triple Axel.
- And you tried it right away?
A: I rejected - "I don't want to", "I won't". They suggested me trying on a fishing rod and harness (a device that facilitates the learning of new jumping elements and minimises the risk of injuries).
- You agreed?
A: Well, I didn't. I decided I'd try by myself. Of course, I fell, fell, fell, and then suddenly - I got it. First, once, then twice at training sessions. And then at some point I already did three or four jumps. Then I realized that there was a chance.
- But this is only a try out, what came next?
A: Daniil Markovich came up to me and said: "They told me, are you jumping Axels? Show me." But I haven't yet skated out a triple Axel program before. In general, I was falling again for two skating runs, and on the third day I began to have an exit from this jump.
- But there were these two jumps ...
A: Then the coaches told me - okay, let's do two of them to be more confident. You do the first, the second as a spare. So I started to skate out my free program with one spare Axel. Only then the trainers told me - well, since you are already doing a program with two Axels, what's the point with having only one? As a result, I have to blame myself (laughs).
- Alyona, this trust and such confidence from trainers is just priceless for an athlete.
A: Yes, that's true. And here, by the way, one more moment worked - a lot of people have told me before: "Alyona, you have these jumps, you have to jump them."
- How did you assess your chances for the season before its start?
A: Even before the September Test Skates, when we were discussing plans, I was very hurt internally when I heard from different angles: "Well, yes, you did well, but if you had jumped something like this ...."
How could these " if only's " piss me off! It could turn out this way, with such a set in the second half of the season I have to skate in juniors again?
- It turned out that wounded pride works wonders?
A: That's for sure.
- Skipping over jumps, where does your choreography come from? in the world of figure skating, only the lazy ones don't talk about it. How does this happen at your young age?
A: I don't know. When I was still very young, I went to acting classes. Maybe it helped. But here is what I know for sure - if I like something, I will go all the way. If I like some music, I will squeeze myself under it to the maximum. Squeezing so much, people will start talking about it - that's really good.
- You have favourite music, favourite composers?
A: Sometimes it happens, it sinks into my heart, and that’s it. And I know for sure if for my program I will have the music I like, there will be more chances with it than with the one that has been chosen for me without consulting me.
- And when was the last this happened?
A: Yes, literally yesterday - I watched the performance of the pairs, when the now bronze medalists skated, Americans Haven Denny and Brandon Fraser. Somewhere in the middle of the program, she was in support, and there was this music I just liked.
- I will allow myself a purely feminine question. Despite your young age, you always have very good makeup at your performances, almost perfect eyebrows and lipstick tone. Do you choose your own images, do you apply your own make upmake-up?
A: Yes.
- You learned this yourself?
A: I had to. Many young people have their make up applied by a parent before going out on the ice, including me. But once there was such a situation that my mother couldn't come to the competition, could not do my hair and make up before the start.
- I imagine. I often found myself in such situations as a mother, just a tragedy.
A: And that was, by the way, at my first Moscow championship. I was 12−13 years old then. In general, I had to do everything myself.
- And the line of your lip contour didn't creep up to behind your ears?
A: Not for a bit. I saw how she did my make up, I saw how she did my hair. And all this at that time I did so myself. And you know what? I really enjoyed it.
Interviewed by Veronika Sovyetova
-----
From: https://tass.ru/interviews/7076281
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2014
More random stuff about Aliona from IDF:
1) The ice dancers watched her SP "enthusiastically": :agree:
https://twitter.com/patinaggio/status/1190536694434537475
2) Jeremy Ten is a fan!
https://twitter.com/j3r3bear/status/1190760556917067777?s=19
3) Aha, here she is cheering for Dasha/Denis!
https://twitter.com/JuunaArdann/status/1190738922697117696?s=19
4) High praise from Kaori:
"She has jumps and expression that anyone would give +5 to; there is nothing you would give a minus to, and she has no weaknesses, so even though she only has triple axels, I really thought she'd be able to get a huge score and win."
https://twitter.com/beeeryo/status/1191022764309782528
5) And Wakaba's thoughts:
Her presence was really impressive; during practice, it was like she was the only one on the rink, and it was the same way during the competition. In a different way from the two girls who do quads, she has something like she is three-dimensional, she expresses herself and skates well--she's good at those aspects.
https://twitter.com/beeeryo/status/1191002415828520965?s=19
At first I read this as "she's god".. and I agreed.
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2019
Wow that's something. Okay let's just casually do a 2nd Triple Axel as a "spare".
No wonder Team Tut is so successful. They're not playing around.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/Technical Panel Handbook_Singles Skating.pdf (page 18)
"Short Program of the season 2019 – 2020 must include 2 solo jumps:
For Senior & Junior Men and for Senior Ladies, when the triple Axel is executed as
an Axel jump, it cannot be repeated again as a solo jump or in the jump combination.
Solo jumps must be different from the jumps included in the combination."
Mmm, fair enough, I apologize for my intrusion.
Only rereading my post I realized that some of my statements about Aliona’s qualities are inadequate, like: “she has difficult jumps and beautiful spins and power and poise”, “she take all the jumps at full speed”, her jumps are “so high, so long”, or “she is obviously an attractive ice skater, who has a winning smile and a seductive way of interpreting her music”.
In my defense I can only say that English is for me a foreign language, so I have largely drawn these statements from an old newspaper article about a skater who competed in the eighties.
It seems that this chick, named Katarina Witt, has won in her time some minor competitions like, if I remember correctly, two olympic gold medals, four world championships, six european championships in a row and eight national championships, stuff like this.
Bur you’re right, for a true fan this implicit reference is not a real compliment, in some way. I apologize again.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2016
The depth of your cheek and the way you use your tongue to put it so deep inside the above-mentioned cheek are thoroughly impressive. That's perhaps one of the few areas where Alyona still has room for growth. Never mind. Pope has already declared: Alyona is God.Mmm, fair enough, I apologize for my intrusion.
Only rereading my post I realized that some of my statements about Aliona’s qualities are inadequate, like: “she has difficult jumps and beautiful spins and power and poise”, “she take all the jumps at full speed”, her jumps are “so high, so long”, or “she is obviously an attractive ice skater, who has a winning smile and a seductive way of interpreting her music”.
In my defense I can only say that English is for me a foreign language, so I have largely drawn these statements from an old newspaper article about a skater who competed in the eighties.
It seems that this chick, named Katarina Witt, has won in her time some minor competitions like, if I remember correctly, two olympic gold medals, four world championships, six european championships in a row and eight national championships, stuff like this.
Bur you’re right, for a true fan this implicit reference is not a real compliment, in some way. I apologize again.
Mmm, fair enough, I apologize for my intrusion.
Only rereading my post I realized that some of my statements about Aliona’s qualities are inadequate, like: “she has difficult jumps and beautiful spins and power and poise”, “she take all the jumps at full speed”, her jumps are “so high, so long”, or “she is obviously an attractive ice skater, who has a winning smile and a seductive way of interpreting her music”.
In my defense I can only say that English is for me a foreign language, so I have largely drawn these statements from an old newspaper article about a skater who competed in the eighties.
It seems that this chick, named Katarina Witt, has won in her time some minor competitions like, if I remember correctly, two olympic gold medals, four world championships, six european championships in a row and eight national championships, stuff like this.
Bur you’re right, for a true fan this implicit reference is not a real compliment, in some way. I apologize again.
Your english is very good ... I think Azikin only read the first statement ... I only hope that Kostornaia have the same winnings that this little chick .. I know I'm asking very little of her
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2019
Your english is very good ... I think Azikin only read the first statement ... I only hope that Kostornaia have the same winnings that this little chick .. I know I'm asking very little of her
just some minor competitions, like olympics or worlds
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2016
our little pet-project.
Alyona's SP skating map:
https://twitter.com/SkatingMaps/status/1191511280021954560
https://twitter.com/SkatingMaps/status/1191511592820543488
(athought this is Finlandia Trophy 2019 layout, a new layout from GP France with 3A and new transitions entry is coming up soon!)
I guess.. share, repost, like, spread the word.
Alyona's SP skating map:
https://twitter.com/SkatingMaps/status/1191511280021954560
https://twitter.com/SkatingMaps/status/1191511592820543488
(athought this is Finlandia Trophy 2019 layout, a new layout from GP France with 3A and new transitions entry is coming up soon!)
I guess.. share, repost, like, spread the word.
Thanks Edwin for translating and posting!
Aliona always reveals some pretty interesting things in her interviews (though some might say she reveals too much!).
It feels to me that at the beginning of the season, the Russian Fed was thinking the senior World team would be Alina, Sasha and Liza or Anna, with Aliona likely to go to Junior Worlds again if there wasn't a 3rd strong contender. Aliona getting pissed off enough to work really hard on triple axels, and then succeeding with them--I feel like that has totally thrown a wrench in their plans. :yes: At IDF, the Russian judge gave Alina a big PCS advantage over Aliona (bigger than she received in her actual scores), which was not surprising. It will be interesting to see if that gap closes going forward--to me, that would give some insight into Russian Fed's thinking.At any rate, Aliona can't focus on this behind-the-scenes politicking...First and foremost, she has to skate her programs cleanly with no UR or edge calls. And I think if she does that, she'll stay in the top 2 scorers of the season, which will make it very hard for the Russian Fed to leave her off the World team. I hope. :yes:
The part about the music was interesting. I wonder if this is what happened with her originally announced FS music. They picked it for her, she didn't like it, and so we wound up with this Twilight program that looks like it was half-baked--because it was. They probably put it together hastily after choreographing the other program. But Aliona loves it, and she's killing it, so she's probably right! It's better to let her skate to music she can pour her soul into, no matter how dreadful it may be!
:agree:Finally - interesting that she took acting classes. I know she said she wanted to go into sports journalism, but I wonder if one day she might be acting on TV or in movies? :luv17:
Thanks again to sabinfire!
As promised, here's some translated comments. Though honestly, the Japanese commentators didn't say much of interest.
The NBC commentators were actually way more effusive about Aliona, with Johnny saying stuff like "her skating is a dream," "I can't get enough of her skating," etc., and Tara saying "she is special." They pointed to her as an example of someone who excels at both the technical side and the artistic side of skating. I was also pleased that they pronounced her name ("Aliona") properly, and pleasantly surprised that they included part of her English interview after the FS. :hap57:
But anyway, from the Japanese commentators:
After 3A+2T, Shizuka says, "It has good height."
After the 2A: "It's a beautiful jump in between the steps."
Around 2:28 (start of the step sequence): "Each and every movement is very well done; her movements are clear, making it easy for her to be expressive."
After 3F+1Eu+3S: "Beautiful flow, and the rhythm was good."
3Lz: "This is well done."
4:12 (combo spin): "Even when she changes positions, the rotation speed doesn't drop. It's a very stable spin."
ChSq: "It's a choreo sequence that shows off her flexibility."
5:00: "From the beginning to the end, it was very cleanly done, and she showed off all her good qualities, and her skating was shining today."
5:42 (replay of 1st 3A combo): "Every movement is very detailed, and from that, she jumps a high 3A, and it looks like the GOE should be high. The axis in the air is beautiful, and the flow was good."
2nd 3A: "This one also had height, flow, distance. She landed it fully rotated with room to spare."
The male announcer mentions that her 3A in the short got a UR call, and Shizuka says "Today she properly rotated all her jumps with clean landings, which is why she got high GOE on many elements. Her air position has a very straight axis and is beautiful, and you feel the quality.
On the 3F+1Eu+3S combo - "even though this jump was in the second half, she maintained the balance and landed it beautifully. This is another jump that will earn high GOE."
6:45: "Through the whole program, she never let her speed drop, and while doing these big movements, she paid attention to the fine details, which she completed beautifully. You get the sense that this skater [like the other Eteri girls] has been well trained. There were many elements that should receive high GOEs. Jumps, spins, steps--everything she showed us was of high quality."
This broadcast has slightly different video of the kiss & cry--in the close-ups here, her eyes are just
Are there any French and/or Spanish speakers here? If so, does anyone want to tell us what the commentators said about Aliona's FS? 
Spanish commentary:
https://youtu.be/ikCsSZT0dFk
French commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2QkPVypu8
I was having trouble with geo-blocking earlier, but I discovered (thanks to TontoK) that I could use the Opera web browser (with VPN tool enabled) to watch these. :hap57:
Spanish commentary:
https://youtu.be/ikCsSZT0dFk
French commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2QkPVypu8
I was having trouble with geo-blocking earlier, but I discovered (thanks to TontoK) that I could use the Opera web browser (with VPN tool enabled) to watch these. :hap57:
Ok, last post from me today!
1) English subtitled version of the video interview with Aliona (probably from gala practice time):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSKX3fb-0kQ
2) Beautiful fan art!
https://twitter.com/nmtk301/status/1191370176081481729?s=19
It says "Kostornaia-Beauty is amazing" (remember, the Japanese fans call her as "Kostornaia-Beauty").
3) For fun, I calculated her scores with men's PCS factoring again:
Short program score of 84.94.
Long program score of 177.22
Total of 262.16, good enough for bronze.
4) Nice words from Inna Goncharenko and Elena Radionova. They've always had nice things to say about her. :agree:
Inna:
https://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/zzzjjj/2626616.html
GoogleTranslate:
Perhaps Edwin can give us a more elegant translation?
Lena:
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1079847050.html
GoogleTranslate:
* This means quads and 3A.
5) Aliona is going to be in an ice show in Italy in January! :agree:
https://www.facebook.com/BolzanoPas...6884153272588/505550993373750/?type=3&theater
6) Looks like she and Dasha got to go to an art studio today!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4dA0iPJvYK/
Gah, she's good at drawing too?!
7) In the group photo from the gala, I can't help but notice that everyone but Aliona is looking at the camera:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4aOXeoAS91/
That seems to be her thing though, like here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYIFuZoeYT/
1) English subtitled version of the video interview with Aliona (probably from gala practice time):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSKX3fb-0kQ
2) Beautiful fan art!
https://twitter.com/nmtk301/status/1191370176081481729?s=19
It says "Kostornaia-Beauty is amazing" (remember, the Japanese fans call her as "Kostornaia-Beauty").
3) For fun, I calculated her scores with men's PCS factoring again:
Short program score of 84.94.
Long program score of 177.22
Total of 262.16, good enough for bronze.
4) Nice words from Inna Goncharenko and Elena Radionova. They've always had nice things to say about her. :agree:
Inna:
https://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/zzzjjj/2626616.html
GoogleTranslate:
Perhaps Edwin can give us a more elegant translation?
Lena:
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1079847050.html
GoogleTranslate:
* This means quads and 3A.
5) Aliona is going to be in an ice show in Italy in January! :agree:
https://www.facebook.com/BolzanoPas...6884153272588/505550993373750/?type=3&theater
6) Looks like she and Dasha got to go to an art studio today!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4dA0iPJvYK/
Gah, she's good at drawing too?!
7) In the group photo from the gala, I can't help but notice that everyone but Aliona is looking at the camera:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4aOXeoAS91/
That seems to be her thing though, like here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYIFuZoeYT/
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2019
Are there any French and/or Spanish speakers here? If so, does anyone want to tell us what the commentators said about Aliona's FS?
Spanish commentary:
https://youtu.be/ikCsSZT0dFk
French commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2QkPVypu8
I was having trouble with geo-blocking earlier, but I discovered (thanks to TontoK) that I could use the Opera web browser (with VPN tool enabled) to watch these. :hap57:
I don’t have a VPN set up, but after so many problems with NBC being horrible at covering anything and making you pay for a Gold Pass to watch events live I’ve been considering it. I’m not near a computer right now, but generally I’m not horrible with Spanish so if I do get it working I’ll see if I can parse out some of what is being said. Every year my Spanish gets worse and worse because I’m out of practice, so I’m sure it would be a nice refresher
The spanish commentators started highlighting that she is from the Tutberidze group and that she was gonna do the triple axel.
Once she started they said the second 3A was prettier than the first. About the 3f-3t they said "what a jump! how she jumps! and that speed!!".
About the 3f-1e-3sal: "so much confidence!".
When she finished they said "Tutberidze is going to have a big role" and went on about how sasha and anna won their gp's and now alena won this one (just as she finished, some commentators try to hold back until the scores are announced but not these), and finally said the gp final was going to be russia vs russia.
On the slow mo one of them said "She's such a skater, such a jumper. The first axel was just there but appearentely she's not getting deducted. The second was soo much prettier, with better air position, and clean. The height of the 3f-3t was impressive. She jumps so well, her vertical height is so good. The beggining was very serious but as soon as the music changed she went along with it, very well interpreted. This is the triple flip, good inside edge and length".
The other one said "what she has against her is the pcs because they are shaped and grow with the years, and Zagitova has that better." (I was a bit confused by how sure she was about this, but she might be talking about the numbers, not the actual skills, or maybe both.) "but since this is maths and she has better technique...". "She has level 4 in everything". "She's 20 points above Zagitova. 20 POINTS"
Once she started they said the second 3A was prettier than the first. About the 3f-3t they said "what a jump! how she jumps! and that speed!!".
About the 3f-1e-3sal: "so much confidence!".
When she finished they said "Tutberidze is going to have a big role" and went on about how sasha and anna won their gp's and now alena won this one (just as she finished, some commentators try to hold back until the scores are announced but not these), and finally said the gp final was going to be russia vs russia.
On the slow mo one of them said "She's such a skater, such a jumper. The first axel was just there but appearentely she's not getting deducted. The second was soo much prettier, with better air position, and clean. The height of the 3f-3t was impressive. She jumps so well, her vertical height is so good. The beggining was very serious but as soon as the music changed she went along with it, very well interpreted. This is the triple flip, good inside edge and length".
The other one said "what she has against her is the pcs because they are shaped and grow with the years, and Zagitova has that better." (I was a bit confused by how sure she was about this, but she might be talking about the numbers, not the actual skills, or maybe both.) "but since this is maths and she has better technique...". "She has level 4 in everything". "She's 20 points above Zagitova. 20 POINTS"
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2019
Alyona Kostornaya - The perfect example for judges in figure skating. What is she good in?
Spoiler: Kostornaya is good at everything, but she also has problems.
- Specialists and fans started talking about Alyona Kostornaya in a superlative degree as soon as she appeared at the international junior scene. The girl stood out with high jump and even at this tender age showed such command over her skating, many figure skaters from an senior top 10 would envy her.
- In her sixteen years, Alyona managed to get on the podium of the Russian Championship twice, win the final of the Grand Prix among juniors and become the vice-champion of the world among juniors, losing only to Aleksandra Trusova.
- This season, Alyona started with two victories. First, at the Finlandia Trophy, she left behind the world champion Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva, armed with three triple Axels. At the first senior stage of the Grand Prix of her career, Alyona also convincingly became the best, and this happened in the company of Olympic Champion Alina Zagitova.
Now everyone is talking about Kostornaya. What is known about her? She is studying in a regular - not sports - school, until recently she dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon, she loves horses and unicorns. The girl is emotional and straightforward - she does and says what she feels. Like, for example, at the Grand Prix in France: she disappointedly let pass "why did I strain myself?" when she saw the low marks for her short program with her first triple Axel. And then at the award ceremony, she laughed contagiously along with other medalists when the organisers mixed up the medals and handed Kostornaya's gold to American Bell.
“Match TV" figured out what exactly is so strong about Alena Kostornaya, and how she can be defeated.
JUMPING
As far back as last season, Kostornaya’s jumping set did not stand out among a dozen other figure skaters in Russia and the world - it wasn't distinguished in complexity, but in the cleanness of its execution.
At the September Open Test Skates, Alyona looked like an obvious outsider among her Khrustalniy classmates - there were no quadruple jumps, experience in senior performances and record-breaking with titles - also, back then she made mistakes. Alyona did not put up with this situation, and immediately after the Test Skates she began to learn the triple Axel. A month later, two ultra-si elements were performed in Helsinki in the free program, which allowed Kostornaya to get ahead of the other trikselist Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva.
Now Kostornaya’s content is as follows:
Short program: triple Axel, cascade of triple Lutz and Flip - Toeloop in the bonus zone. The base value of her jumps is 24.35 points.
Free program: cascade triple Axel - double Toeloop, triple Axel, double Axel, triple Rittberger, as well as a cascade of Flip - Toeloop, Flip - Euler - Salchov and triple Lutz in the bonus zone. The base value of her jumps is 53.55 points.
From the point of view of compliance with modern rules, Kostornaya’s jumps have something to award high GOE's. She jumps in amplitude, like Tuktamysheva, but always uses a difficult approach (for example, from a Bauer spiral), exit (several one-leg turns on the landing leg), and sometimes the position during the jump (Tano or Rippon - one or two arms are raised) .
Unfortunately, Alyona has a problem with her repulsive edge on the old fashioned toepick. Exclamation marks indicating an unclear edge on the Flip and Lutz appear from time to time in its protocols, but the “e” mark is a wrong edge - the technical team has marked this to Alyona since 2017.
In particular, at the last stage of the Grand Prix in Grenoble, where the refereeing was especially strict, Kostornaya immediately got two exclamation marks - on the Lutz in her short and on the Flip in her free program. What does this mean in the future for Alyona? If you do not try to correct these errors, Flip and Lutz will always be a convenient tool for manipulating results - this can negate all the advantage that the triple Axels brought to it.
SPINS
Rotations account for approximately 20% of the base technical value of a program, therefore, a loss of levels or poor performance can significantly affect the final grade. Kostornaya has no problems with this at all - over the past two seasons she has not lost a single level on spins. Moreover, the GOE allowances are large - on average “+3” and “+4”, with rare “+2” and frequent “+5”. In fact, Alena does not have the outrageous split of Lipnitskaya and Biellman of Valiyeva. She does the same as always, just very high quality - maintaining the position, maintaining the desired number of revolutions, without losing centering and speed.
STEPS SEQUENCES
In the 2019/2020 season, Kostornaya still exclusively receives the maximum level fours for her sequences. Last year, there were approximately equal third and fourth level, and GOEs are again high - an average of at least “+3”. The only exception is the Russian Championship, where Alyona fell just during the performance of the track.
The maximum or near maximum level of the sequences with high premiums is a sign of a top-level athlete. So in the best skating runs they elevate the champions and prize-winners of the Olympics and World and Continental Championships. Kostornaya’s sequences really look spectacular thanks to its quality sliding. And this is a separate point of our investigation.
SKATING SKILLS
Let's see what criteria are used by the International Skating Union in determining the parameter sliding:
- Using deep edges, steps and turns
- Balance, rhythmic knee work and leg accuracy
- Ease of slding
- The diverse use of force, speed and acceleration
- Skills in different directions
- Sliding on one leg
Starting from the junior stages of the Grand Prix, Alyona never got less than 7.5 points in the components for “skating skills”, and by the time she entered seniors she began to receive a stable 8.0 or even 8.5. By gradation of the communique, this corresponds to a rating of "very good." Above this are only “excellent” (9.0 - 9.75) and “outstanding” (10.0), and provided consistently clean performances, Kostornaya will be evaluated at this level.
At the Grand Prix in France in the short program, Alyona lost to Alina Zagitova in components by about 3.5 points. In the free the gap was no longer so large - only 2 points. And this is provided by, on the one hand we are talking about the reigning World and Olympic Champion, and on the other, about a debutant in senior competitions.
PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION
In a recent interview, Alyona admitted that if she is touched by music, more than anything, she wants to skate under it so that everyone around says - this is really good. Whether the acting lessons that Alyona attended as a child helped, or whether natural abilities played a big role, only Kostornaya can present it as the best, even when given unremarkable program.
An example is her new free program to the Twilight soundtrack. There is no outstanding music, and even in the plot of the film there is nothing that would motivate the viewer to revise it many times after many years - there is nothing to cling to. But thanks to how musically Alyona arranges her choreography and her energy according to the layout of the program, it looks like a premium production for a premium skater.
PSYCHOLOGICAL STABILITY
Last season, Alyona held a high level over 6 tournaments, making a total of three blunders in 12 skating runs - a single Axel in the short program and a fall from a triple Flip in the free (both errors were the junior Grand Prix stage in Ostrava), as well as a fall on the step sequence in the Championship of Russia. Moreover, her performance of jumping elements is phenomenal - almost 97% of cleanly performed jumps and cascades. Using this indicator, only Yevgeniya Medvyedeva is comparable if you sample her first two senior seasons.
Alyona Kostornaya is undoubtedly one of the strongest skaters in the world at her age. And her strength is not only that she can jump high and difficult or skate beautifully. Her strength is that she is good at almost everything - a sort of ideal product of the 15-year existence of the Judicial System of the ISU. Problems with edges on the Lutz and Flip can complicate Alyona's sporting life somewhat, but with a competent coaching approach this can be fixed.
(c) Анастасия Панина
-----
https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m...my_v_figurnom_katanii_V_chem_ona_tak_khorosha
Spoiler: Kostornaya is good at everything, but she also has problems.
- Specialists and fans started talking about Alyona Kostornaya in a superlative degree as soon as she appeared at the international junior scene. The girl stood out with high jump and even at this tender age showed such command over her skating, many figure skaters from an senior top 10 would envy her.
- In her sixteen years, Alyona managed to get on the podium of the Russian Championship twice, win the final of the Grand Prix among juniors and become the vice-champion of the world among juniors, losing only to Aleksandra Trusova.
- This season, Alyona started with two victories. First, at the Finlandia Trophy, she left behind the world champion Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva, armed with three triple Axels. At the first senior stage of the Grand Prix of her career, Alyona also convincingly became the best, and this happened in the company of Olympic Champion Alina Zagitova.
Now everyone is talking about Kostornaya. What is known about her? She is studying in a regular - not sports - school, until recently she dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon, she loves horses and unicorns. The girl is emotional and straightforward - she does and says what she feels. Like, for example, at the Grand Prix in France: she disappointedly let pass "why did I strain myself?" when she saw the low marks for her short program with her first triple Axel. And then at the award ceremony, she laughed contagiously along with other medalists when the organisers mixed up the medals and handed Kostornaya's gold to American Bell.
“Match TV" figured out what exactly is so strong about Alena Kostornaya, and how she can be defeated.
JUMPING
As far back as last season, Kostornaya’s jumping set did not stand out among a dozen other figure skaters in Russia and the world - it wasn't distinguished in complexity, but in the cleanness of its execution.
At the September Open Test Skates, Alyona looked like an obvious outsider among her Khrustalniy classmates - there were no quadruple jumps, experience in senior performances and record-breaking with titles - also, back then she made mistakes. Alyona did not put up with this situation, and immediately after the Test Skates she began to learn the triple Axel. A month later, two ultra-si elements were performed in Helsinki in the free program, which allowed Kostornaya to get ahead of the other trikselist Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva.
Now Kostornaya’s content is as follows:
Short program: triple Axel, cascade of triple Lutz and Flip - Toeloop in the bonus zone. The base value of her jumps is 24.35 points.
Free program: cascade triple Axel - double Toeloop, triple Axel, double Axel, triple Rittberger, as well as a cascade of Flip - Toeloop, Flip - Euler - Salchov and triple Lutz in the bonus zone. The base value of her jumps is 53.55 points.
From the point of view of compliance with modern rules, Kostornaya’s jumps have something to award high GOE's. She jumps in amplitude, like Tuktamysheva, but always uses a difficult approach (for example, from a Bauer spiral), exit (several one-leg turns on the landing leg), and sometimes the position during the jump (Tano or Rippon - one or two arms are raised) .
Unfortunately, Alyona has a problem with her repulsive edge on the old fashioned toepick. Exclamation marks indicating an unclear edge on the Flip and Lutz appear from time to time in its protocols, but the “e” mark is a wrong edge - the technical team has marked this to Alyona since 2017.
In particular, at the last stage of the Grand Prix in Grenoble, where the refereeing was especially strict, Kostornaya immediately got two exclamation marks - on the Lutz in her short and on the Flip in her free program. What does this mean in the future for Alyona? If you do not try to correct these errors, Flip and Lutz will always be a convenient tool for manipulating results - this can negate all the advantage that the triple Axels brought to it.
SPINS
Rotations account for approximately 20% of the base technical value of a program, therefore, a loss of levels or poor performance can significantly affect the final grade. Kostornaya has no problems with this at all - over the past two seasons she has not lost a single level on spins. Moreover, the GOE allowances are large - on average “+3” and “+4”, with rare “+2” and frequent “+5”. In fact, Alena does not have the outrageous split of Lipnitskaya and Biellman of Valiyeva. She does the same as always, just very high quality - maintaining the position, maintaining the desired number of revolutions, without losing centering and speed.
STEPS SEQUENCES
In the 2019/2020 season, Kostornaya still exclusively receives the maximum level fours for her sequences. Last year, there were approximately equal third and fourth level, and GOEs are again high - an average of at least “+3”. The only exception is the Russian Championship, where Alyona fell just during the performance of the track.
The maximum or near maximum level of the sequences with high premiums is a sign of a top-level athlete. So in the best skating runs they elevate the champions and prize-winners of the Olympics and World and Continental Championships. Kostornaya’s sequences really look spectacular thanks to its quality sliding. And this is a separate point of our investigation.
SKATING SKILLS
Let's see what criteria are used by the International Skating Union in determining the parameter sliding:
- Using deep edges, steps and turns
- Balance, rhythmic knee work and leg accuracy
- Ease of slding
- The diverse use of force, speed and acceleration
- Skills in different directions
- Sliding on one leg
Starting from the junior stages of the Grand Prix, Alyona never got less than 7.5 points in the components for “skating skills”, and by the time she entered seniors she began to receive a stable 8.0 or even 8.5. By gradation of the communique, this corresponds to a rating of "very good." Above this are only “excellent” (9.0 - 9.75) and “outstanding” (10.0), and provided consistently clean performances, Kostornaya will be evaluated at this level.
At the Grand Prix in France in the short program, Alyona lost to Alina Zagitova in components by about 3.5 points. In the free the gap was no longer so large - only 2 points. And this is provided by, on the one hand we are talking about the reigning World and Olympic Champion, and on the other, about a debutant in senior competitions.
PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION
In a recent interview, Alyona admitted that if she is touched by music, more than anything, she wants to skate under it so that everyone around says - this is really good. Whether the acting lessons that Alyona attended as a child helped, or whether natural abilities played a big role, only Kostornaya can present it as the best, even when given unremarkable program.
An example is her new free program to the Twilight soundtrack. There is no outstanding music, and even in the plot of the film there is nothing that would motivate the viewer to revise it many times after many years - there is nothing to cling to. But thanks to how musically Alyona arranges her choreography and her energy according to the layout of the program, it looks like a premium production for a premium skater.
PSYCHOLOGICAL STABILITY
Last season, Alyona held a high level over 6 tournaments, making a total of three blunders in 12 skating runs - a single Axel in the short program and a fall from a triple Flip in the free (both errors were the junior Grand Prix stage in Ostrava), as well as a fall on the step sequence in the Championship of Russia. Moreover, her performance of jumping elements is phenomenal - almost 97% of cleanly performed jumps and cascades. Using this indicator, only Yevgeniya Medvyedeva is comparable if you sample her first two senior seasons.
Alyona Kostornaya is undoubtedly one of the strongest skaters in the world at her age. And her strength is not only that she can jump high and difficult or skate beautifully. Her strength is that she is good at almost everything - a sort of ideal product of the 15-year existence of the Judicial System of the ISU. Problems with edges on the Lutz and Flip can complicate Alyona's sporting life somewhat, but with a competent coaching approach this can be fixed.
(c) Анастасия Панина
-----
https://matchtv.ru/figure-skating/m...my_v_figurnom_katanii_V_chem_ona_tak_khorosha
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
Does anyone have a link to her programs with NBC commentary? Can’t seem to find it anywhere.
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