2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[eterialskating]

The current power rankings of Russian ladies at the moment, as I see it:

1. Sasha
2. Anya
3. Kamila
4. Dasha
5. Alyona
6. Liza
7. Maya
8. Anna F

So, if Stockholm Worlds will ever take place, the only threat to Alyona's spot seems to be Liza T. Four of my top eight are still 2nd year juniors in international scene and so not age eligible. Of course, the recovering Zhenya and Ksenia are question marks, if they can possibly make the RusNats.

Edit: By the way, I'm quite sure that Russian judges prefer to send Alyona over Liza to Sweden.

They should really send Alena. She might actually retire after the Olympics and her participation there is not even guaranteed. It would be a damn shame someone of her talent never even participating in a single World Championship.

 

[Jontor]

They should really send Alena. She might actually retire after the Olympics and her participation there is not even guaranteed. It would be a damn shame someone of her talent never even participating in a single World Championship.

No worries. I'm pretty sure she will be selected to the world team. But she has to perform at RusNats of course, and they have the tradition to go on results only, so she has to be top senior three.

 

[NAOTMAA]

They should really send Alena. She might actually retire after the Olympics and her participation there is not even guaranteed. It would be a damn shame someone of her talent never even participating in a single World Championship.

Has she said anything that gives this impression? Or is it a case of she simply being so banged up that she'll have no choice?

In recent months whenever people talk about her they give off the vibes that she doesn't have much time left in this sport, like she's on borrowed time or something. I don't know her injury history so I'm pretty clueless

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Has she said anything that gives this impression? Or is it a case of she simply being so banged up that she'll have no choice?

In recent months whenever people talk about her they give off the vibes that she doesn't have much time left in this sport, like she's on borrowed time or something. I don't know her injury history so I'm pretty clueless

Alena has said in interviews that she plans on retiring after the 21/22 season and to go to university to study medicine.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

No worries. I'm pretty sure she will be selected to the world team. But she has to perform at RusNats of course, and they have the tradition to go on results only, so she has to be top senior three.

With Kamila still a junior, Alena just has to stay ahead of Liza and Evgenia. Alena does almost everything besides the 3A and 3Lz better than Liza, and Evgenia's jumps probably aren't solid enough anymore to contend for the Russian podium. It sounds like Alena is landing the 3A again, and hopefully her consistency gets back to where she can include it in her programs.

 

[chasingneverland]

They should really send Alena. She might actually retire after the Olympics and her participation there is not even guaranteed. It would be a damn shame someone of her talent never even participating in a single World Championship.

Alena is likely on the team. But the team isn't picked based on talent or who "deserves" to go. There have been plenty of v talented skaters that have never participated in Worlds or the Olympics, some have never even made it to seniors. I want Alena there!! But, I don't think she should go just based on the fact she might retire after - that's been true of most skaters.

 

[eterialskating]

No worries. I'm pretty sure she will be selected to the world team. But she has to perform at RusNats of course, and they have the tradition to go on results only, so she has to be top senior three.

Actually Worlds post Olympics could be a good opportunity for her to get "easy" medals because of the depleted field. Frankly I abhor this tradition of top skaters skipping post Olympic Worlds because of a combination of getting medals at Olympics and going on a media tour and then the skaters who are so disappointed they didn't qualify to the Olympics they ended their season at their nationals. It's so unprofessional and honestly cheapens the competition when Worlds should really be the standard instead of a once in a quad competition. In short I want Kostornaya to show up at 2022 Worlds and retire with a WC gold medal whether she qualifies at the Olympics or not.

 

[Amei]

Actually Worlds post Olympics could be a good opportunity for her to get "easy" medals because of the depleted field. Frankly I abhor this tradition of top skaters skipping post Olympic Worlds because of a combination of getting medals at Olympics and going on a media tour and then the skaters who are so disappointed they didn't qualify to the Olympics they ended their season at their nationals. It's so unprofessional and honestly cheapens the competition when Worlds should really be the standard instead of a once in a quad competition. In short I want Kostornaya to show up at 2022 Worlds and retire with a WC gold medal whether she qualifies at the Olympics or not.

I think a worthwhile idea for Russian ladies would be for the Olympic team and the Worlds team be different skaters considering the amount of talent they have.

 

[Jeanie19]

I think a worthwhile idea for Russian ladies would be for the Olympic team and the Worlds team be different skaters considering the amount of talent they have.

The reason this is a good idea is because each team would focus on only one competition. And the world team would be in good condition to sweep the podium.

 

[Amei]

I just watched the clip of Sasha and Alyona forgetting to hug each other and I cannot understand how anyone could say that this was some result of their feud or drama or whatever. If you look at their reactions for when they did actually hug, they were both smiling and clearly comfortable with the hug, and their body expression after kind of just went like "oops, that's so awkward, how did I forget?" It's like in elementary school when you go around with your valentines day cards and forget about your friend, but then you remember and there's no hard feelings because... they're your friend.

Hug-gate from Russian Cup #4 is reminding me of smile-gate from Nationals where someone caught Eteri smiling or laughing as it was announced that Medvedeva was withdrawing from the FS.

 

[Jontor]

Hug-gate from Russian Cup #4 is reminding me of smile-gate from Nationals where someone caught Eteri smiling or laughing as it was announced that Medvedeva was withdrawing from the FS.

Yeah, and while all those incidents were quite innocent, they all resulted in an gigantic Golden Skate Gates...

 

[Jontor]

I think a worthwhile idea for Russian ladies would be for the Olympic team and the Worlds team be different skaters considering the amount of talent they have.

That will never happen.

 

[yume]

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Just joking.

 

[macy]

With Kamila still a junior, Alena just has to stay ahead of Liza and Evgenia. Alena does almost everything besides the 3A and 3Lz better than Liza, and Evgenia's jumps probably aren't solid enough anymore to contend for the Russian podium. It sounds like Alena is landing the 3A again, and hopefully her consistency gets back to where she can include it in her programs.

thinking ahead past this season, she *has* to, at the very least, get her 3A back consistently and keep it in her programs. RusFed has already let everyone know loud and clear they are on the Kamila train and she can easily outscore Aliona, especially without the 3As. if she wants to stay competitive domestically and have her very best chances at making the team in 2022 the axels absolutely have to come back and i'd say even get 1 quad.

 

[plushyfan]

I noticed the Russian haters don't like this new Aliona..but I like her personality more an more..She became more open, and she likes to talk..

https://www.1tv.ru/sport/figurnoe-k...aya-chitaet-tvity-o-sebe-plate-strazy-krasota

Alena Kostornaya: “I am a person of mood. I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, and calm
European figure skating champion said that her mood is rapidly changing.

“Change the name of the Angels Plushenko school from angels to devils? Well I do not know. Maybe you can say that about me specifically. As for the name of the whole academy - this is for Evgeny Viktorovich.

I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, because I am very noisy, loud, I say something, I laugh. And it happens that I am quiet, calm, "none" practically.

I am a person of mood, it may depend on the weather, from me in general, the training went, did not go. I want - I don't want, I like it - I don't like it. It is impossible to predict.

Some kind of energy always comes from Evgeny Viktorovich on the ice. Therefore, if I have such a mood “not jumping”, “not rolling,” then he will always find words to cheer me up. If I need to overcome this state, he will help me, ”said Kostornaya

“Before I could stay up all night, but now I pay attention to the regime. Skin color is now acceptable, and not like a corpse. ".
European figure skating champion read tweets about herself and commented on them.

“Someone writes here that I don't look very good this season. Well, that's someone's personal opinion. We have a very subjective sport. Someone likes it, someone does not like it, someone is for, someone is against.

Nobody canceled their opinion. But, accordingly, your opinion is yours. If you don't like something, then, as it were ... I don't like it and I don't like it. Everything.

Now I began to devote a lot of time to the regime and other aspects that I did not observe at all before. I went to bed when I wanted, at what time I wanted.

And in general, I didn't care, I could stay up all night, ala-ulyu, chase the geese. And then just an hour before the workout, lie almost out of sight, because the body could not cope.

Now I began to pay attention to this. The bruises under the eyes are less and the skin is clearer. The color is acceptable, and not like that of a corpse, ”Kostornaya said

​

 

[Scott512]

They should really send Alena. She might actually retire after the Olympics and her participation there is not even guaranteed. It would be a damn shame someone of her talent never even participating in a single World Championship.

Aliona is lucky KV is not 15 or Aliona would have virtually no chance of worlds or euros this season. She is still very good of course but Aliona is not the same skater as last season at this point.

I believe because this is such an unusual season a season of coronavirus with such extreme circumstances and that KV is being able to skate against the big girls this season I expect the Russian Federation to go to the ISU and try to get Kamila a waiver to be able to be considered for Europeans or worlds this season. She is already competing against the two best ladies skaters in the world Anya and Sasha so why not? If Kamila lights up stage 5 EG will be pushing hard to tweak the rules just for this season of endless tweaking.

But first things first are we going to have what Europeans or worlds? Can they do them virtually and skate from your own club and have the judges watch live video of the skates? That might be the only way to do a Europeans or worlds this year.

Where is Europeans by the way?

 

[kwanatic]

Actually Worlds post Olympics could be a good opportunity for her to get "easy" medals because of the depleted field. Frankly I abhor this tradition of top skaters skipping post Olympic Worlds because of a combination of getting medals at Olympics and going on a media tour and then the skaters who are so disappointed they didn't qualify to the Olympics they ended their season at their nationals. It's so unprofessional and honestly cheapens the competition when Worlds should really be the standard instead of a once in a quad competition.

I think it's easy for us to say this as spectators sitting at home watching everything unfold, but whenever you hear skaters talk about a choice to skip a post-Olympic world championships, it's a different story. For those who win, it's a massive release of emotions having achieved something they worked their whole life for. On the flipside, losing can be a soul-crushing experience--you've worked your whole life for something and you didn't achieve it. Coming down off of that high or low so quickly and focusing to get back into the competitive zone can be difficult for some people. Also, many times those athletes who win are offered opportunities that they'd be very foolish to pass up--interviews, appearances, etc. that pay money which is needed to (a) continue skating or (b) move on with their lives. We all know skating is not a lucrative profession for the overwhelming majority of skaters...

Because Worlds is a prestigious event, I'd prefer to see a skater skip the competition rather than phone in a performance or compete unfocused and unprepared. It's better to give that opportunity to a skater who is prepared and ready to go--maybe someone who didn't get a chance to go to the Olympics or someone who needs the international experience. Plus, it's not like post-Olympic world championships are a "gimme" or an easy win. One or two people may be missing but it's still a competition and a win there isn't diminished simply because someone failed to show up.

I think selfishly we want everyone to jump right back in and continue to compete but winning or losing at the Olympics can be a life-altering thing. Whether they compete or choose to skip it, it's usually a personal decision that's made in the best interest of the athlete and where they are mentally and physically once the Olympics ends.

 

[Scott512]

I noticed the Russian haters don't like this new Aliona..but I like her personality more an more..She became more open, and she likes to talk..

https://www.1tv.ru/sport/figurnoe-k...aya-chitaet-tvity-o-sebe-plate-strazy-krasota

Alena Kostornaya: “I am a person of mood. I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, and calm
European figure skating champion said that her mood is rapidly changing.

“Change the name of the Angels Plushenko school from angels to devils? Well I do not know. Maybe you can say that about me specifically. As for the name of the whole academy - this is for Evgeny Viktorovich.

I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, because I am very noisy, loud, I say something, I laugh. And it happens that I am quiet, calm, "none" practically.

I am a person of mood, it may depend on the weather, from me in general, the training went, did not go. I want - I don't want, I like it - I don't like it. It is impossible to predict.

Some kind of energy always comes from Evgeny Viktorovich on the ice. Therefore, if I have such a mood “not jumping”, “not rolling,” then he will always find words to cheer me up. If I need to overcome this state, he will help me, ”said Kostornaya

“Before I could stay up all night, but now I pay attention to the regime. Skin color is now acceptable, and not like a corpse. ".
European figure skating champion read tweets about herself and commented on them.

“Someone writes here that I don't look very good this season. Well, that's someone's personal opinion. We have a very subjective sport. Someone likes it, someone does not like it, someone is for, someone is against.

Nobody canceled their opinion. But, accordingly, your opinion is yours. If you don't like something, then, as it were ... I don't like it and I don't like it. Everything.

Now I began to devote a lot of time to the regime and other aspects that I did not observe at all before. I went to bed when I wanted, at what time I wanted.

And in general, I didn't care, I could stay up all night, ala-ulyu, chase the geese. And then just an hour before the workout, lie almost out of sight, because the body could not cope.

Now I began to pay attention to this. The bruises under the eyes are less and the skin is clearer. The color is acceptable, and not like that of a corpse, ”Kostornaya said

​

Princess Aliona is awesome and outspoken! There is obviously a lot to like about her. But she is also Her own worst enemy in my opinion.

What's this about her basically admitting she's just starting to work hard now with this comment about her new regimine going to bed early where before she went to bed whenever she wanted to? Lol! It sounds like aliona got to do whatever she wanted at her previous academy.

But I want her to get that 3A back so she can compete with Sasha Anna and kamila. No 3A for tiny tigress aliona is like taking the fangs from a tiger and expecting them to be able to hunt like they used to. She should have had her greatest jump back by now so I am very perplexed why she doesn't have it. Obviously she has to have it for the Olympic season.

 

[Skatesocs]

She became more open, and she likes to talk..

I actually really liked how frank she was about her own performance.

 

[macy]

Princess Aliona is awesome and outspoken! There is obviously a lot to like about her. But she is also Her own worst enemy in my opinion.

What's this about her basically admitting she's just starting to work hard now with this comment about her new regimine going to bed early where before she went to bed whenever she wanted to? Lol! It sounds like aliona got to do whatever she wanted at her previous academy.

But I want her to get that 3A back so she can compete with Sasha Anna and kamila. No 3A for tiny tigress aliona is like taking the fangs from a tiger and expecting them to be able to hunt like they used to. She should have had her greatest jump back by now so I am very perplexed why she doesn't have it. Obviously she has to have it for the Olympic season.

they can't control their lives outside of the rink. that's what kids like to do, stay up late, but things change and your body changes as you get older and you realize how much better you feel when you get adequate rest. when you are younger you are resilient and your body can easily handle less sleep. i can assure you this is not something unique to only Aliona.