2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[flanker]

Today's sport (just like many other areas of people's activities) wouldn't be what it is without people who did not give up after the first problems. There is time, there is effort. Never give up, never surrender!

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Could the incredible flexibility be hurting the Russian skaters? Is the body too “loose-goosey” for sturdy jumps? I heard that too much flexibility hurts jump technique. Is it true? Think tuktamysheva or Yuna Kim or midori or the Kween: not incredibly flexible but all had long lasting sturdy jumps.Think of the really flexible skaters whose jumps always look “labored”. I’m just making an observation. I think Alina has beautiful flexibility but could that hurt her jumps as she gets older? I want her to stick around.

 

[Shayuki]

Plushenko as a person definitely seems pretty off-putting to me. Not like I know him personally, but many of his comments aren't something I really approve of, especially with his lack of significant accomplishments when it comes to the coaching front. His handling of Tarakanova especially was pretty terrible in every way, and his general philosophy that I gathered from those moments(that he'll force skaters to learn difficult tech, ready or not).

Well, now's the opportinity for him to walk the walk, with him managing to poach some very promising ladies from multiple age groups. It also is a test for Rozanov. But even if he's successful it'll be very difficult for me to approve of him as a person and a human being.

 

[plushyfan]

Plushenko as a person definitely seems pretty off-putting to me. Not like I know him personally, but many of his comments aren't something I really approve of, especially with his lack of significant accomplishments when it comes to the coaching front. His handling of Tarakanova especially was pretty terrible in every way, and his general philosophy that I gathered from those moments(that he'll force skaters to learn difficult tech, ready or not).

But you don't hate him, right? Probably you remember Eteri, Mishin, Carrol etc had bad words on that skaters who left them. Right? I just don't like the double standard.

 

[ruga]

Could the incredible flexibility be hurting the Russian skaters? Is the body too “loose-goosey” for sturdy jumps? I heard that too much flexibility hurts jump technique. Is it true? Think tuktamysheva or Yuna Kim or midori or the Kween: not incredibly flexible but all had long lasting sturdy jumps.Think of the really flexible skaters whose jumps always look “labored”. I’m just making an observation. I think Alina has beautiful flexibility but could that hurt her jumps as she gets older? I want her to stick around.

I think Mishin said something along these lines, that flexibility makes muscles more susceptible to injury. A user in this forum also quoted a post about what sports go and don't go with figure skating - rhythmic gymnastics were especially not recommended, but artistic or acrobatic gymnastics are considered just fine.

 

[Fluture]

To distract from the ongoing, er, discussion, why not just listen to Aliona describing fellow skaters in one word.

https://mobile.twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1284140649797779460

I really loved what she said about Anna, Alina and Zhenya, looks like she put a lot of thought in each of her answers.

 

[macy]

this thread is exhausting sometimes.

 

[Fried]

Does the most beautiful skater in the world have any endorsements yet? I don't understand why not.

And so everyone lives in his very own world.

 

[ruga]

Excellent descriptions from Aliona.

Does the most beautiful skater in the world have any endorsements yet? I don't understand why not.

It's confusing for me too. Internationally, Aliona is the most successful skater out of all recent newcomers. However, she has recently announced that she will retire after Olympic season and pursue a career of neurosurgeon, so maybe sponsors are looking for someone who intends to stay in the sport for longer.

 

[Fluture]

It's confusing for me too. Internationally, Aliona is the most successful skater out of all recent newcomers. However, she has recently announced that she will retire after Olympic season and pursue a career of neurosurgeon, so maybe sponsors are looking for someone who intends to stay in the sport for longer.

Yes, I‘m pretty sure it‘s because she‘s well known to want to pursue a shorter career. But honestly - if I was a make up/sports/clothing company, I‘d love to collaborate with someone like her. She‘s a champion, yes, a strong-minded athlete and a beautiful skater but she‘s more than that: She‘s smart and mature and grounded and she wants to help people, push herself to reach the excellence and skill needed to succeed in a field so different from what she‘s done before. It’s about what connects sports to a field as neuroscience - responsibility and determination and composure in the face of adversity.

Doesn‘t that sound good as a message? Maybe it‘s the Aliona-fan in me speaking but I think this could be a great statement. I can already imagine a lot of slogans/advertising videos like that lol.

 

[Fluture]

Okay, this made me laugh.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCbpzVip0fJ/?igshid=y03h7cqsvndm

Anna and Sasha, not quite side-by-side 3Lz+three-turn. Anna should have been a bit faster and it would have looked intentional. But I love how coordinated they are, even down to the annoyed headshake at the end.

 

[lopsilceci]

It's confusing for me too. Internationally, Aliona is the most successful skater out of all recent newcomers. However, she has recently announced that she will retire after Olympic season and pursue a career of neurosurgeon, so maybe sponsors are looking for someone who intends to stay in the sport for longer.

How popular is Aliona in Russia compared to Anna and Sasha? ��
That's an interesting point. I guess sponsors want someone who's a top competitor at their sport and of course, if they can stay at the top for a long time, even better, as their increased popularity and success will also benefit the sponsors.
But it is really strange that she has no sponsors so far.

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Yes, I‘m pretty sure it‘s because she‘s well known to want to pursue a shorter career. But honestly - if I was a make up/sports/clothing company, I‘d love to collaborate with someone like her. She‘s a champion, yes, a strong-minded athlete and a beautiful skater but she‘s more than that: She‘s smart and mature and grounded and she wants to help people, push herself to reach the excellence and skill needed to succeed in a field so different from what she‘s done before. It’s about what connects sports to a field as neuroscience - responsibility and determination and composure in the face of adversity.

Doesn‘t that sound good as a message? Maybe it‘s the Aliona-fan in me speaking but I think this could be a great statement. I can already imagine a lot of slogans/advertising videos like that lol.

I think her lack of sponsors could be because she has mentioned several times over the past year or two that she does not plan on staying for long in this sport. She said she wants to quit in the 21/22 season and maybe will only do one year of ice shows if even one at all and then wants to have a normal life as a student. From a business point of view investing in someone who only will stay in this sport for a maximum of 2 years and then will leave the public life completely and therefore will possibly then lose the public interest does not make sense. Many brands endorse the same actors, athletes, singers, models for many years, sometimes a decade.
E.g. Although Yuna quit figure skating and quit doing shows (except her own show once a year) she still has many endorsement contracts and gains more each year because she never left the public life despite quiting the sport. She models mainly now and therefore she had and has so many brand deals. Alena does not plan on having a public life afterwards so I think that is why she could possibly have no brand deal, of course, there is also the option that maybe she does not want to have sponsors. Maybe she got many offers but rejected them. Who knows.

 

[Fried]

Okay, this made me laugh.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCbpzVip0fJ/?igshid=y03h7cqsvndm

Anna and Sasha, not quite side-by-side 3Lz+three-turn. Anna should have been a bit faster and it would have looked intentional. But I love how coordinated they are, even down to the annoyed headshake at the end.

Thank you very much for this amusement! A little pearl!

 

[Scott512]

Yes, I‘m pretty sure it‘s because she‘s well known to want to pursue a shorter career. But honestly - if I was a make up/sports/clothing company, I‘d love to collaborate with someone like her. She‘s a champion, yes, a strong-minded athlete and a beautiful skater but she‘s more than that: She‘s smart and mature and grounded and she wants to help people, push herself to reach the excellence and skill needed to succeed in a field so different from what she‘s done before. It’s about what connects sports to a field as neuroscience - responsibility and determination and composure in the face of adversity.

Doesn‘t that sound good as a message? Maybe it‘s the Aliona-fan in me speaking but I think this could be a great statement. I can already imagine a lot of slogans/advertising videos like that lol.

Aliona is different and very deep on a human level in a not so deep sport.

But I don't agree with well she said she's going to retire after the Olympics as to why she doesn't have sponsors. The Russian girls tend to get passed by by younger teammates as the years go by so they don't stay around for that long.

And if Aliona is making sponsorship money and money from shows in a couple years she may want to continue doing that and then go to college and medical school after that.

 

[Shayuki]

But you don't hate him, right? Probably you remember Eteri, Mishin, Carrol etc had bad words on that skaters who left them. Right? I just don't like the double standard.

I think he appears to be a very unpleasant person.

You seem to have missed the point.

 

[plushyfan]

After this conversation I learned some things: Plushenko is the most terrible person in FS, ( there is no secret you know all of his mistakes) the double standard is working, I must be more malicious, the malice and injustice is very succesful here. I won't be so understanding with every coach and skater....

I'm starting because everything has other side: Sima went for Plushenko because she and her parents thought he will pay everything. Plushenko paid her medical threatment when she arrived and was injured he postponed his show because of Sima's competition, she trained for free at the academy but that was not enough. She wants new apartement. After her split she praised Plush one of her interviews and some days later she had bad words on him. ( the interviews are real).

a part of Tarakanova's interview:

"I realized that you do not need a strict coach"
- How are the classes at this academy different from those that you had before?

- Previously, I always thought that I needed a strict coach to let me shake things up if something does not work out. Here they do not scold me, but reassure me.

Once in a training session, coordination problems started - I was just bored. Then Ksenia Semenovna (Ivanova - “Gazeta.Ru”) took me to the coaching room and instead of my lesson I drank tea for about 15 minutes, and then I came to the ice to another group and worked normally. So I realized that you do not need a strict coach.

- What are the other differences?

- No break. All workouts go in a row. And we have a separate trainer in general physical training (OFP) - Ram, two-time world champion in acrobatic rock and roll.

Also, a separate trainer is engaged with us on the ice - Ksenia Semenovna. She works with us on special physical training (TFP). And our head coach is Evgeny Viktorovich.

- What is Evgeny Viktorovich doing?

- All! He works with us on programs, on acting, engaged in jumping, somehow trying to help me in everything.

It seems to have found some kind of sponsor, but so far I have not met with him.

Perhaps Evgeny Viktorovich will also help me with housing, since I live quite far from the rink of our academy and take a long time to get there.

To come to study and trainings, I have to get up very early. Classes end quite late. Recently, I’m even missing choreography because I can’t get home at night. When I miss something, I feel a little disgusting. Immediately some kind of stone on the soul. But Evgeny Viktorovich does a lot for me, helps a lot ...

- You should not pay for training at this academy?

- As for the payment, I do not know - I have never even been interested in this. There is probably some kind of thing that allows you to train for free. But I don’t know for sure. I just came to the coach - to Evgeny Viktorovich Plushenko, to deal with his team. And that’s all. And these issues were decided more by my parents than me."

She was histerical many times I know this there is a woman who can go in the trainings she told us. And it seems Eteri is a real strict coach.

Maybe I'm childish a little bit but I'm in this mood after the debate. This is when I does similar comments as many others here. I'm going to do.

 

[Happy Skates]

I think Mishin said something along these lines, that flexibility makes muscles more susceptible to injury. A user in this forum also quoted a post about what sports go and don't go with figure skating - rhythmic gymnastics were especially not recommended, but artistic or acrobatic gymnastics are considered just fine.

Its funny because my coach said the exact same thing to me a few years ago, that the Rythmic gymnasts she had trained were too flexible and it messed with their strength. Someone mentioned Kamila as a counterargument to this, but Kamila only did it for one year and has been a bit injury prone (although she is very strong obviously, but again, only did it for one year as a small child).

 

[JazzUp]

How popular is Aliona in Russia compared to Anna and Sasha?

One Russian sports newspaper (second most popular portal, sport-express) has been conducting a poll with a single question - "Which Russian figure skater do you follow most closely?" Around 63K people have responded so far with the following results:

[TABLE="width: 500"]
[TR]
[TD]Alina[/TD]
[TD]68%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Anya[/TD]
[TD]13%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zhenya[/TD]
[TD]11%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Alyona[/TD]
[TD]3% [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Liza[/TD]
[TD]3%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sasha[/TD]
[TD]2%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[lopsilceci]

I think her lack of sponsors could be because she has mentioned several times over the past year or two that she does not plan on staying for long in this sport. She said she wants to quit in the 21/22 season and maybe will only do one year of ice shows if even one at all and then wants to have a normal life as a student. From a business point of view investing in someone who only will stay in this sport for a maximum of 2 years and then will leave the public life completely and therefore will possibly then lose the public interest does not make sense. Many brands endorse the same actors, athletes, singers, models for many years, sometimes a decade.

Still, Sasha signed with Adidas while she was still a junior and Anya signed with Nike in March of this year (at least that's when she announced it). I don't see why Aliona would reject a sponsor or why a company would have her future plans as an objection to sign her while she is competing/having success.

E.g. Although Yuna quit figure skating and quit doing shows (except her own show once a year) she still has many endorsement contracts and gains more each year because she never left the public life despite quiting the sport. She models mainly now and therefore she had and has so many brand deals. Alena does not plan on having a public life afterwards so I think that is why she could possibly have no brand deal, of course, there is also the option that maybe she does not want to have sponsors. Maybe she got many offers but rejected them. Who knows.

Yuna is Yuna though And still, I think most of her sponsors are korean and that's where she is more of a celebrity/superstar. That's why I think a skater's popularity in their own country is more valuable to sponsors than other factors.