2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[chasingneverland]

I looked at the Announcement for Rostelecom cup, and no testing is mentioned, only that masks are mandatory and that "Additional details will be provided to all participants at a later date." Which I guess could mean that they required testing in the end.
In fairness to Rusfed, NHK trophy also didn't require testing. They had to track their body temperature, etc.
Seems like the ISU needs stricter rules in general.
Edit: The ISU only recommends testing.

Well all of this is just stupid. The RusFed, quite frankly, deserves the blame for their skaters health.

ISU and JapanFed too.

 

[flanker]

Press conference with english subtitles:

 

[Scott512]

Did you watch Zhenya, Scott? What did you think?

I just saw it on YouTube. Lovely.

Maybe Zhenya should take the next few months and just heal up with the lung and the back and then get back to serious training if she can handle it for next season.

Zhenya wants to compete again so next season should be the target.

 

[chasingneverland]

Press conference with english subtitles:

I love them, they're so cute. Also it's obvious despite everything they like each other. <3 (Or at least like each other more than the drama surrounding them would suggest.) It's also super obvious that Anna is kinda the spokesperson. Also I doubt Eteri is going to love all the talk about her crying . Although their reaction right after Anna's skate reminded me of after Alina's SP skate at GPF, when I don't think anyone thought they could do it and then they went and had stunning skates so I'm glad Kamila (and Sasha) remembered it too. I also love how nonchalant they are about quads. Both Anna and Sasha are like well we've been doing them for years and this is actually a downgrade for us but we weren't allowed/able to do more. Like quads are normal as if they're not one of a handful of ladies in the world with even one and the only ones I can think of with more than one.

EDIT: I "like" how impatient both Anna and Sasha are with getting healthy and getting back to landing more than 2 quads in a program. As if the fact they both had stunning, clean, beautiful 2 quad skates (along with Kamila) that made people cry, was an underachievement on their parts. It's why their champions and fierce competitiors (although it's also why they need people around them to help them make wise decisions.)

 

[silveruskate]

Well, that "Russian way“ (I’d say it’s something athletes have in common, no matter where they come from, though it does seem to be extremely valued in Russian culture. At least, from what I, as an outsider, have seen) lets us witness performances like Evgenia‘s at Pyeongchang — a display of immense courage, overcoming pain, difficulty and odds stacked against you etc. But too much of it and it will shoot you in the foot. Ironically enough, this Russian mindset won Evgenia the Silver but also, in some way, lost her the gold. If she and her team hadn’t been so stubborn to insist on competing in the Japan Open, Challenger and GP series, she probably would have been fully healed by Nationals and gone into EC and OG as the undisputed Russian Number 1. The story might have been different then.

Which is why I am so hesitant to this whole mentality. Because it can be extremely admirable and a way to show courage and strength. But if you overdo it, it might do more wrong than good and hurt your future chances. So, Anna skating in this condition won her the Gold here and she showed tremendous fighting spirit. Whether it will have been the right decision or come back to harm her, can only be seen in the future. A lot of it is about pacing yourself, the Olympics aren’t until next year. And that’s why I wish that sometimes, they’d hold back on that whole "sports = overcoming“ mindset — there simply comes a time when you have to play smart, no matter how much you want to compete.

Frankly, there was some stupidity and I have no idea where it came from with regards to Evgenia's Olympic preparations. The fact that you even have to change your Olympic free skate is really alarming. You have to pick your moments, and Japan Open/Challengers are not the moments to pick.

 

[Magill]

Press conference with english subtitles:

Good to see the 3A spirit alive and well despite all the coaching changes drama.
Also, kudos to Anna and Sasha for not giving in to the apparent hostilities between their camps and being as happily involved in chatting and smiling, and exchange of knowing glances, as ever (or even more so!). If anyone was to guess which two of the three are the training mates, I am pretty sure everyone would point to Anna and Sasha
Thank you, flanker, for posting.

 

[flanker]

Good to see the 3A spirit alive and well despite all the coaching changes drama.
Also, kudos to Anna and Sasha for not giving in to the apparent hostilities between their camps and being as happily involved in chatting and smiling, and exchange of knowing glances, as ever (or even more so!). If anyone was to guess which two of the three are the training mates, I am pretty sure everyone would point to Anna and Sasha
Thank you, flanker, for posting.

Later I realized it was already posted in the girls fanfests, so also thanks to @patee for it

Agree about the girls spirit and personalities, they dealt even with some rather awkward questions.

 

[colormyworld240]

Press conference with english subtitles:

The part when Kamila spoke out of turn was cute. And Anna and Sasha were just like it's okay, speak!

It's always awkward to be the "new girl" as from the BTS clips Anna and Sasha are obviously closer and shared many more conversations and laughs where as Kamila looks more shy and reserved probably because she doesn't know everyone as well. The learning curve from going from junior to senior isn't only the competitive part but also (inter-)personal one.

 

[chasingneverland]

These are not "proclamations" -- whether you like them or not. These are logical inferences that follow immediately from the collection of inconsistent statements made by the Tutberidze camp, Shcherbakova and her parents, and Russian Federation officials. All of these inconsistent statements cannot hold true simultaneously, so it must be the case that at least a subset of these statements are lies. Further, all the involved parties would have had strong incentives to provide inaccurate information. The major issue here is that there is a strong likelihood that these lies recklessly endangered the health of several athletes, and affected their ability to compete at their full capacity in the pre-Olympic season. The Rostelecom Cup turned out to be a superspreader event, and Russian Nationals may have a similar outcome. There needs to be some accountability for that, and appropriate measures need to be taken to prevent similar deceptive behavior from occurring in the future.

Fact: No one has definitively said she had COVID. Just that she had pneumonia and had a fever before skating at nationals and refused to get her temperature taken again.
Fact 2: It's not against regulations (in Russia) to not skate with a fever. See: Sofia S at test skates who had a fever and apparently had a cold. A fever doesn't exclude you from skating and Anna has never said she didn't have one.
Fact 3: Any time she needed to have a negative result to skate, she did. While it's unclear when she did test (and for which competitions), it is clear that she did, in fact, test negative.
Fact 4: She does seem to have had a negative COVID test for nationals.

The fact is that all the inconsistencies can be true. Name those that can't.

As a side note: She's not the only one to get pneumonia/some other illness and not have it be called COVID, even when those close to them did get COVID and test positive. Tarasova also got pneumonia forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. Boikova got a cold forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. (Note: Both their partners had previously had COVID.) Khodykin had an acute respiratory infection forcing them to withdraw from Rostelecom. Of note: all three pairs were at nationals despite withdrawing from events at the same time Anna did (and in the case of Khodykin the same event). Where is the outrage surrounding them? Where are the accusations that they have gotten COVID previously and must be lying??

 

[AshWagsFan]

So is Anna pre-puberty or something? I would have to disagree pretty heavily. She has looked post-puberty for like a year

I wasn’t just talking about Anna. People hit puberty at different times. However, if you want, we can discuss Anna breaking her leg at age 12 from attempting quads . Whether she was pre or post pubescent then doesn’t matter, all I’m saying is learning quads younger can lead to career ending injuries. Obviously Anna recovered, but don’t know if every skater can do it. Look at Alena Kanysheva - she struggled with injuries yet continued to try and jump quads when she was young. She switched to ice dance as a result because she couldn’t deal with the pain that jumping caused her. It’s great to see her continue skating, but her singles career was basically ruined by quads/going for tougher jumps at a younger age.

This isn’t just going after certain skaters or coaches either. It’s an issue that is occurring In multiple countries, which is why the age limit thing is even being argued.

 

[chasingneverland]

I wasn’t just talking about Anna. People hit puberty at different times. However, if you want, we can discuss Anna breaking her leg at age 12 from attempting quads .

Anna didn't break her leg attempting a quad. She broke her leg on a 3 loop (in combo). So on a triple jump that many skaters do.

 

[AshWagsFan]

Anna didn't break her leg attempting a quad. She broke her leg on a 3 loop (in combo). So on a triple jump that many skaters do.

Thanks for the correction then . Sorry I was wrong, we all have our miscalculations. But the point about Kanysheva is accurate.

Again, this isn’t just about Anna or particular skaters, it’s a systemic issue that needs further research and investigation. Obviously we want skaters to push the boundaries of the sport (I love watching these ladies jump quads), but we also need to make sure all the skaters are training in healthy ways with techniques that promote sustainability and skaters’ health, not just results.

 

[colormyworld240]

Press conference with english subtitles:

I finished the interview and do they not screen these questions beforehand?

The one Anna got "who do you dedicate your performance to?" and Anna said "can't I just keep it for myself?". She said she was joking but there is definitely truth to that. It's great that people are fans of Team Tutberidze as a whole and it's also great when skaters come out and say they dedicate their skates but why do they bring it up when she didn't mention it as if she wasn't the biggest biggest contributor to her success. It's not like Anna doesn't thank her coaches and parents regularly.

And the question of "you're not getting media attention like Kamila, Sasha, and Alena" what is she supposed to say to that? But it's also true. It bothers me so much that almost every time Anna gets attention it's because it's used to either praise or bash her coaches. She doesn't exist to only be part of Team Tutberidze. Her coaches have obviously helped with her career but the biggest contributor to Anna's successes past and present has always been herself. Her love of the sport that we clearly see through her performances and competitive spirit which have driven her as a skater is hers alone.

 

[AshWagsFan]

Fact: No one has definitively said she had COVID. Just that she had pneumonia and had a fever before skating at nationals and refused to get her temperature taken again.
Fact 2: It's not against regulations (in Russia) to not skate with a fever. See: Sofia S at test skates who had a fever and apparently had a cold. A fever doesn't exclude you from skating and Anna has never said she didn't have one.
Fact 3: Any time she needed to have a negative result to skate, she did. While it's unclear when she did test (and for which competitions), it is clear that she did, in fact, test negative.
Fact 4: She does seem to have had a negative COVID test for nationals.

The fact is that all the inconsistencies can be true. Name those that can't.

As a side note: She's not the only one to get pneumonia/some other illness and not have it be called COVID, even when those close to them did get COVID and test positive. Tarasova also got pneumonia forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. Boikova got a cold forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. (Note: Both their partners had previously had COVID.) Khodykin had an acute respiratory infection forcing them to withdraw from Rostelecom. Of note: all three pairs were at nationals despite withdrawing from events at the same time Anna did (and in the case of Khodykin the same event). Where is the outrage surrounding them? Where are the accusations that they have gotten COVID previously and must be lying??

Ted said Anna had COVID, but I have no idea if that’s accurate or not. Could’ve been misconstrued by some of the viewers though

 

[readernick]

Ted said Anna had COVID, but I have no idea if that’s accurate or not. Could’ve been misconstrued by some of the viewers though

Anna has pneumonia. Covid can cause pneumonia, but I guess we don't know for sure that was the cause. Perhaps, even she doesn't know as the COVID tests in Russia are notoriously inaccurate. ( Not my opinion, the opinion of several people I know who work as doctors in Russia).

 

[Magill]

Fact: No one has definitively said she had COVID. Just that she had pneumonia and had a fever before skating at nationals and refused to get her temperature taken again.
Fact 2: It's not against regulations (in Russia) to not skate with a fever. See: Sofia S at test skates who had a fever and apparently had a cold. A fever doesn't exclude you from skating and Anna has never said she didn't have one.
Fact 3: Any time she needed to have a negative result to skate, she did. While it's unclear when she did test (and for which competitions), it is clear that she did, in fact, test negative.
Fact 4: She does seem to have had a negative COVID test for nationals.

The fact is that all the inconsistencies can be true. Name those that can't.

As a side note: She's not the only one to get pneumonia/some other illness and not have it be called COVID, even when those close to them did get COVID and test positive. Tarasova also got pneumonia forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. Boikova got a cold forcing them to withdraw from the 5th stage of the Russian cup. (Note: Both their partners had previously had COVID.) Khodykin had an acute respiratory infection forcing them to withdraw from Rostelecom. Of note: all three pairs were at nationals despite withdrawing from events at the same time Anna did (and in the case of Khodykin the same event). Where is the outrage surrounding them? Where are the accusations that they have gotten COVID previously and must be lying??

Now Anna had Covid after all. AsI said. The whole FC is a smearcomedy. Every second word a lie.

Александр Горшков: «Щербакова не нарушила никаких правил. Она давно болела коронавирусом, но сейчас был отрицательный тест»

Президент Федерации фигурного катания России ( ФФКР ) Александр Горшков прокомментировал ситуацию с выступлением Анны Щербаковой на чемпионате России.

www.sports.ru

«Щербакова не нарушила никаких правил. Она давно болела коронавирусом, но сейчас был отрицательный тес
Hey, and here we go again. I just remind you it was Goshkov who said it today that Anna had had Covid but long time ago so her skating with fever at RusNats did not put anyone in danger of catching it. This is what actually started all this discussion. So, no, that's not true that no one said explicitly that she had COVID.
The title above says: "Alexander Goshkov: "Shcherbakova did not break the rules. She was ill with coronavirus for a long time (long time ago) but now her test was negative"

 

[flanker]

And the question of "you're not getting media attention like Kamila, Sasha, and Alena" what is she supposed to say to that? But it's also true.

The question wasn't too tactful even if that's more or less right. Everywhere, both in Russia and abroad Aliona, Sasha, even Kamila get more attention than her (though partially because there is not much personal "controversy" around her). BTW a year ago when Ted was commenting the nationals and Anna came to the ice to skate her free program he said "she's the third behind to some level because the other two shine so bright" or something very similar. On the other hand, her third national title in a row shows once again that media "popularity" (positive, even negative counts to some level) doesn't decide the competition.

 

[anonymoose_au]

I looked at the Announcement for Rostelecom cup, and no testing is mentioned, only that masks are mandatory and that "Additional details will be provided to all participants at a later date." Which I guess could mean that they required testing in the end.
In fairness to Rusfed, NHK trophy also didn't require testing. They had to track their body temperature, etc.
Seems like the ISU needs stricter rules in general.
Edit: The ISU only recommends testing.

Well that'd just idiotic.

Honestly, I've never felt more lucky to live in Australia, most other country's are just proving themselves useless in the pandemic.

 

[chasingneverland]

«Щербакова не нарушила никаких правил. Она давно болела коронавирусом, но сейчас был отрицательный тес
Hey, and here we go again. I just remind you it was Goshkov who said it today that Anna had had Covid but long time ago so her skating with fever at RusNats did not put anyone in danger of catching it. This is what actually started all this discussion, So, not, that's not true that no one said explicitly that she had COVID.

Hey haha.

And then he followed it up by saying right after (in that exact article you linked by saying) "but now she had a negative test (for COVID), she really had pneumonia."
That doesn't contradict Anna/her team, at all. In fact it agrees with her statements, which is 1. She had pneumonia and 2. She had a negative COVID test.

It's also possible that she had a false negative test (tests in Russia are about 30-40% wrong but that doesn't mean she didn't have a negative tests) and she did have COVID and it developed into pneumonia. That's a super common known side effect of COVID. (But it also doesn't mean she didn't. You can get pneumonia without having had COVID, for example Liza years ago.) She's also not the only skater to get COVID-like symptoms and say they have a cold/fever (Sofia), pneumonia (Tarasova and her partner had COVID earlier in the season), cold (Boikova and her partner also had COVID earlier in the season), and acute respiratory infection (Khodykin). The last three also withdrew from events at the same time/same event as Anna and all participated in RusNats.

 

[readernick]

«Щербакова не нарушила никаких правил. Она давно болела коронавирусом, но сейчас был отрицательный тес
Hey, and here we go again. I just remind you it was Goshkov who said it today that Anna had had Covid but long time ago so her skating with fever at RusNats did not put anyone in danger of catching it. This is what actually started all this discussion, So, not, that's not true that no one said explicitly that she had COVID.

I see. Well obviously it isn't surprising. I have nothing but respect and concern for Anna. I even understand why her coaches and parents didn't force her to withdraw. Although, I think that was the wrong decision. However, I do not have any such understanding or compassion for RF. If you have protocols, they need to be enforced. Testing for COVID, and temperature checks were suppose to be required. They should be required. It isn't ok to allow exceptions. That is how skaters like Anna end up with long team health consequences from catching this terrible disease. Several Russian athletes have lung damage from COVID, Med and several ice dancers. Many are suffering from breathing problems. Yet, RF continues to repeat the same mistakes over and over. It is so irresponsible.