2020-21 Russian Pairs' figure skating

[aka_gerbil]

It seems that Rostelecom was a bit of a superspreading event. So far, Tarasova is the only pair skater affected. But I hope that all will take this more seriously and that MMT (Moskvina Mishin Taraosva) as well as all other coaches will wear a proper mask. if nobody else withdraws, then we will once again see Mishina/Galliamov, Panfilova/Rylov, and Boikova/Kozlovskii here. I wonder what is going on with Vasilieva/Volodin

T/M were not present at Rostelecom. Evgenia became ill after Kazan, but they are back to training.

B/K pulled out of event 5, citing “illness.”

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It would have been a huge pressure for her to be expected to learn pairs discipline so fast, while also moving to seniors (as a single skater she was junior, but suddenly she started in pairs in seniors). I am pretty sure moving to seniors is a big step for every skater, but moving to seniors while you are in a new discipline, and at the same time suddenly in this new discipline and in seniors immediately start with international competitions... with a guy who was successful before so suddenly everyone expects that they will continue to be successful... I don’t think many people appreciate enough the pressure put on the young skater in her situation. I would definitely not say that her problems were purely lack of maturity and body image issues. That would be like saying that eating disorders happen because the person just wants to be slimmer. That’s a very simplistic and incorrect view. There is the element of control in eating disorders - the person feels like they are losing control in life and therefore they control the only thing they feel they can, and it is food. Mary Beth’s eating disorder didn’t come out of nowhere, the pressure on her must have been huge, so saying it was immaturity and body issues is like completely disregarding what she went through. Her story is so similar to Antipova.

I don't disagree with you. I'm only going by what I've read and by what I've heard Mary Beth say in articles and directly in an interview on TSL. Of course, Mary Beth didn't go into exhaustive detail about her diagnosis or about what caused her eating disorder. Sometimes, it might possibly involve control issues related to family upbringing, or not. In addition, of course as you say, there are huge pressures exerted on young athletes by wanting to do well in the sport. For sure, suddenly being elevated to senior status can cause difficulties coping. In Mary Beth's case, it could be a mix of problems, including differing personality traits within the rink and definitely in part her immaturity. That latter factor likely was masked by her seemingly calm exterior, which somehow may have complicated her ability to communicate well with those closest to her regarding the heavy pressures she was feeling. She may even have been consciously unaware of how much pressure she was feeling.

Unless individuals spell out in detail their specific experiences, none of us know for sure the precise details in every case. It's very sad regardless of the respective circumstances. Marley/Brubaker was one of my favorite teams during their short time together. They had great potential to develop further, but it was not to be.

In light of all of the cases of illness, depression, and difficulty coping that so many athletes experience for a variety of reasons, hopefully more attention is being paid to providing a quantity and quality of needed resources. Better efforts in this regard could help prevent even more tragic occurrences from transpiring, such as that of Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, and many others.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It seems that Rostelecom was a bit of a superspreading event. So far, Tarasova is the only pair skater affected. But I hope that all will take this more seriously and that MMT (Moskvina Mishin Taraosva) as well as all other coaches will wear a proper mask. if nobody else withdraws, then we will once again see Mishina/Galliamov, Panfilova/Rylov, and Boikova/Kozlovskii here. I wonder what is going on with Vasilieva/Volodin

For sure. Judging by the lax use and improper use of masks by a number of coaches at rinkside, and by the lack of proper social distancing I noticed in the stands at the Russian competitions, better safety guidelines should be instituted and followed by everyone.

There was a party after the event and the skaters were sitting there without masks, eating and taking photos. Leonova also had her birthday party roughly a week ago and it was attended by quite a few skaters...

How irresponsible can they be!? What has to happen for everyone to take better precautions???

 

[Flying Feijoa]

It would have been a huge pressure for her to be expected to learn pairs discipline so fast, while also moving to seniors (as a single skater she was junior, but suddenly she started in pairs in seniors). I am pretty sure moving to seniors is a big step for every skater, but moving to seniors while you are in a new discipline, and at the same time suddenly in this new discipline and in seniors immediately start with international competitions... with a guy who was successful before so suddenly everyone expects that they will continue to be successful... I don’t think many people appreciate enough the pressure put on the young skater in her situation. I would definitely not say that her problems were purely lack of maturity and body image issues. That would be like saying that eating disorders happen because the person just wants to be slimmer. That’s a very simplistic and incorrect view. There is the element of control in eating disorders - the person feels like they are losing control in life and therefore they control the only thing they feel they can, and it is food. Mary Beth’s eating disorder didn’t come out of nowhere, the pressure on her must have been huge, so saying it was immaturity and body issues is like completely disregarding what she went through. Her story is so similar to Antipova.

Interestingly there was a recent short documentary about EDs in female athletes with Kirsten Moore-Towers and Rachael Flatt which said the same thing (about EDs being primarily about control, with food just becoming a vehicle for that control). From what Kirsten said, her was all about sporting performance - the notion that she had to lose weight just became tied to that, rather than aesthetics as a driving factor. She's had bulimia until fairly recently, she's a veteran athlete and can hardly be called 'immature'.

I agree, listing 'immaturity and body issues' as causes is trivialising the matter (almost victim-blaming). The people I know personally who had EDs were far from vain airheads - they had lots of other stresses in their lives (broken/bereaved families etc.) and the EDs were just an outlet. Worth noting that the women in the doc specifically cited pressure from other people in their sporting environment as contributing to their EDs (Kirsten said a superior of hers told her to throw up). It's possible Mary Beth could have been treated for bulimia while continuing to skate (like Kirsten), but the pressure that pairs girls face is real. Doctors would have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis whether that level of pressure is conducive to their recovery.

 

[hanca]

How irresponsible can they be!? What has to happen for everyone to take better precautions???

Come on, they are a bunch of (mostly) teenagers who after strict rules were suddenly allowed to have a party. It’s not as if students at dormitories all over the world are behaving more responsibly. The number of cases actually sharply increased with opening universities in September, so why do you expect that these teenagers (often younger than those university students all over the world) will be any more mature and more responsible?

 

[hanca]

Interestingly there was a recent short documentary about EDs in female athletes with Kirsten Moore-Towers and Rachael Flatt which said the same thing (about EDs being primarily about control, with food just becoming a vehicle for that control). From what Kirsten said, her was all about sporting performance - the notion that she had to lose weight just became tied to that, rather than aesthetics as a driving factor. She's had bulimia until fairly recently, she's a veteran athlete and can hardly be called 'immature'.

I agree, listing 'immaturity and body issues' as causes is trivialising the matter (almost victim-blaming). The people I know personally who had EDs were far from vain airheads - they had lots of other stresses in their lives (broken/bereaved families etc.) and the EDs were just an outlet. Worth noting that the women in the doc specifically cited pressure from other people in their sporting environment as contributing to their EDs (Kirsten said a superior of hers told her to throw up). It's possible Mary Beth could have been treated for bulimia while continuing to skate (like Kirsten), but the pressure that pairs girls face is real. Doctors would have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis whether that level of pressure is conducive to their recovery.

I actually don’t believe that anyone (including Mary Beth) could be treated for eating disorder while continue skating at that competitive level. The underlying problems that caused the illness would still be there, so what do you think would suddenly change that would help her get better? The intense pressure... it is like believing that alcoholic could be treated while continuing drinking recreationally. There is a reason why alcoholics are told to stop and not have even a tiny drop alcohol any more.

 

[eterislouisvuitton]

Come on, they are a bunch of (mostly) teenagers who after strict rules were suddenly allowed to have a party. It’s not as if students at dormitories all over the world are behaving more responsibly. The number of cases actually sharply increased with opening universities in September, so why do you expect that these teenagers (often younger than those university students all over the world) will be any more mature and more responsible?

Unfortunately you're right about this one. But I still think that it's not so hard not to have a party in a pandemic. Shpilevaya lost hercareer to thi and yet her teeammates continue to act like it is nothing. Rylov's mother was severely ill with it and yet I saw him in the back of the banquet.

 

[hanca]

Unfortunately you're right about this one. But I still think that it's not so hard not to have a party in a pandemic. Shpilevaya lost hercareer to thi and yet her teeammates continue to act like it is nothing. Rylov's mother was severely ill with it and yet I saw him in the back of the banquet.

I wouldn’t write Spilevaya off yet. If she still has some health problems, it doesn’t mean that those are forever. She is still young. And if she doesn’t get through in Russia, there are other countries she could represent. Quite a few skaters swapped into Georgia and Belarus over the years. Recently several pairs, but not ice dancers. Maybe there is some space for her, after she recovers.

I also think that it is hard to judge based on several photos. They could have observed all the precautions and take the masks off just for the photos... Unless you attended the banquet, I don’t think you are really the best person to make any judgements.

 

[gsk8]

B/K pulled out of event 5, citing “illness.”

She has a cold. The Covid test was negative.

 

[hanca]

I wonder where Khabibullina/Kniazhuk is. They did only one Russian cup where they placed second. They could have qualified to the nationals. But since the Russian cup (22.9.) they haven’t competed. Are they injured?

 

[eterislouisvuitton]

I wouldn’t write Spilevaya off yet. If she still has some health problems, it doesn’t mean that those are forever. She is still young. And if she doesn’t get through in Russia, there are other countries she could represent. Quite a few skaters swapped into Georgia and Belarus over the years. Recently several pairs, but not ice dancers. Maybe there is some space for her, after she recovers.

I also think that it is hard to judge based on several photos. They could have observed all the precautions and take the masks off just for the photos... Unless you attended the banquet, I don’t think you are really the best person to make any judgements.

Masks are great, but they are not magic. Social distancing was clearly not observed. I never said that I knew everything that went on at the banquet, but was it a coincidence that Leonova also held her birthday party in a similar manner? There were some videos and photos of the banquet, that weren't purposefully taken staged (when you say they could have taken their masks off). Tuktamysheva posted many videos of them sharing food. I think we can all agree that this banquet idea wasn't exactly a good idea, and I hope that they don't hold it again until things are better.

But I also hope that Shpilevaya will be able to make it back! I still am waiting for news on St. Petersburg championships and Vasilieva/Volodin but I guess Vikita won't qualify to nationals this year

 

[eterislouisvuitton]

Edit: St. Petersburg already happened. Kostiukovich/Ialin have the best pair elements of all the juniors in the world, but unfortunately pairs skating is not all pair elements, it is also expression and jumping. Monstrous score still - the world record can be theirs next year.

 

[TripleAxelQueens3]

Edit: St. Petersburg already happened. Kostiukovich/Ialin have the best pair elements of all the juniors in the world, but unfortunately pairs skating is not all pair elements, it is also expression and jumping. Monstrous score still - the world record can be theirs next year.

Did you mean Kostiukovich/Briukhanov?

 

[haribobo]

Top Russian Scores this season for probable National qualifiers (RUS Cup and GP)

PAIRS
Mishina/Galliamov 233
Boikova/Kozlovski 232
Tarasova/Morozov 227
Panfilova/Rylov 210
Pavliuchenko/Khodykin 208
Kadyrova/Balchenko 205
Artemieva/Nazarychev 204
Akopova/Rakhmanin 196
Pepeleva/Pleshkov 194
Akhanteva/Kolesov 190
Balabanova/Sviatchenko 186
Mukhametzianova/Mironov 172

 

[gordana]

Recently several pairs, but not ice dancers.

Why not? How about Kazakova / Revia?

 

[gordana]

Edit: St. Petersburg already happened.

Half of the competition in junior segment. Senior will take place this week.

 

[eterislouisvuitton]

Qualifiers:
Senior pairs, in descending order:

1. Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (
2. Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin
3. Yulia Artemeva/Mikhail Nazarychev
4. Ksenia Akhanteva/Valeri Kolesov
5. Yasmina Kadyrova/Ivan Balchenko
6. Anastasia Balabanova/Andrey Svyatchenko
7. Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilya Mironov
8. Alina Pepeleva/Roman Pleshkov
9. Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakhmanin

Skaters with byes for national team status:

1. Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitrii Kozlovskii
2. Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov
3. Apollinariia Panfilova/Dmitry Rylov

Junior pairs:

1. Polina Kostiukovich/Alexei Briukhanov
2. Alina Raskovalova/Artem Butaev
3. Anastasia Mukhortova/Dmitri Evgeniev
4. Ekaterina Petushkova/Evgeni Malikov
5. Karina Safina/Sergei Bakhmat
6. Daria Boyarintseva/Maxim Shagalov
7. Ekaterina Storublevtseva/Artem Gritsaenko
8. Tatiana Kuzmina/Alexei Khvalko
9. Alexandra Karuglina/Ilia Kalashnikov
10. Sub 1: Ekaterina Belova/Dmitri Chigiriev

Qualified from seniors:

1. Yulia Artemeva/Mikhail Nazarychev
2. Ksenia Akhanteva/Valeri Kolesov
3. Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilya Mironov (?)

 

[hanca]

Why not? How about Kazakova / Revia?

That’s not really recently though. Reviya has been skating for Georgia since 2016. The reason I said ‘recent’ is because I was thinking that Russia may not want to release too many skaters in one discipline to go to skate for a certain country. If they haven’t received any dancers to skate for Georgia recently, they may not mind releasing more.

 

[flanker]

List of participants of the RusNats:

https://fsrussia.ru/files/docs/competitons/2021/rusnat2021_participants.pdf

(transcripted on the first page of the thread)

 

[hanca]

Qualifiers:
Senior pairs, in descending order:

1. Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (
2. Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin
3. Yulia Artemeva/Mikhail Nazarychev
4. Ksenia Akhanteva/Valeri Kolesov
5. Yasmina Kadyrova/Ivan Balchenko
6. Anastasia Balabanova/Andrey Svyatchenko
7. Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilya Mironov
8. Alina Pepeleva/Roman Pleshkov
9. Karina Akopova/Nikita Rakhmanin

Skaters with byes for national team status:

1. Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitrii Kozlovskii
2. Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov
3. Apollinariia Panfilova/Dmitry Rylov

Junior pairs:

1. Polina Kostiukovich/Alexei Briukhanov
2. Alina Raskovalova/Artem Butaev
3. Anastasia Mukhortova/Dmitri Evgeniev
4. Ekaterina Petushkova/Evgeni Malikov
5. Karina Safina/Sergei Bakhmat
6. Daria Boyarintseva/Maxim Shagalov
7. Ekaterina Storublevtseva/Artem Gritsaenko
8. Tatiana Kuzmina/Alexei Khvalko
9. Ekaterina Belova/Dmitrii Chigiriev

Qualified from seniors:

1. Yulia Artemeva/Mikhail Nazarychev
2. Ksenia Akhanteva/Valeri Kolesov
3. Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilya Mironov (?)

You forgot Kargulina/Kalashnikov. Which means that Belova/Chigiriev won’t qualify (unless someone withdraws).