2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[colormyworld240]

I'm not making it up, she deleted if from her stories now, but some hours ago she had a post that suggested shortly before the Audience Award vote closed Team Red Machine was in the lead. In other words they really won it too and TV1 just gave it to Med and her team out of pity.

I just don't appreciate her acting like she was the underdog here, she had Anna and Kamila the best skaters in the entire world and all the other segment were basically evenly matched.

She actually claimed she wasn't sure her Team would win until the last minute? Seriously? They were behind by 125 points! Even a novice Russian girl could have got that.

The only way Team of Firsts could win was for Sasha to do all four of her quads. She didn't/couldn't, that's all Plushenko's fault as well of course. He really is the root of all evil in the figure skating world.

She never said her team was supposed to win the audience award. TeamZagitova, her fan account, posted that a lot of the Russian community voted for her team in the poll. She reposted it and thanked the Russian community who supported her team, just as she always does.

She also didn't act like she was the underdog. Evgenia said Alina had the stronger ladies (she did) and Alina responded that Evgenia also had many world class skaters like Kolyada, Stepanova/Bukin, etc. (also true). She didn't say "you have stronger skaters than me". Again, was she supposed to just sit there and say nothing? If others can talk about their wins and their teams, then she can too.

 

[Finley]

Yup! They just look tired to me! Like they had a big few days and just want to wrap it up.

Alina was in a great mood when the press conference started

 

[Finley]

She never said her team was supposed to win the audience award. TeamZagitova, her fan account, posted that a lot of the Russian community voted for her team in the poll. She reposted it and thanked the Russian community who supported her team, just as she always does.

She also didn't act like she was the underdog. Evgenia said Alina had the stronger ladies (she did) and Alina responded that Evgenia also had many world class skaters like Kolyada, Stepanova/Bukin, etc. (also true). She didn't say "you have stronger skaters than me". Again, was she supposed to just sit there and say nothing? If others can talk about their wins and their teams, then she can too.

And if I am not mistaken she used the word 'ranked' or 'rated' (as in by the ISU) to qualify that statement.

 

[Finley]

I read the whole press conference. There was some mild confrontation but I didn't see any big fights. Zhenya put some gasoline in the fire. She said that she was crying for the first time since the Olympics - she brought the topic of her disappointment then. She said that she was not happy about the selection procedure. She claimed that if Alyona was there the result would be different. This might affect Maja's further confidence as she was hinted as not a top skater. Finally she said that it would be much better if the Russians competed with the rest of the world rather than with each other. If I were Alina I would feel that this is trying to diminish my victory.

The question is whether the victory in this "manufactured event", as one local poster labeled it, mattered. I was surprised that it did. Both Alina and Zhenya took this friendly competition very seriously. Their emotions were very real - at least it looked like that. I see that those emotions were still there when they were at the conference. But I would not go for further generalization what it means.

Almost like it's 2018 all over again Except this time let's be very clear, it wasn't her victory, it was her teams. She may or may not have spoken up for herself but she was not going to let all the hard work her team just put in over two days get written off for the sake of catering to some narrative.

 

[Finley]

I just watched the conference that the journalists held with the team captains after the competition. Wow. For me personally, a lot has become clearer and more unambiguous

23.54 Evgenia: "As captain, I will speak on behalf of my entire team - we will not admit defeat. And we are proud to have won the audience Award, because people know who they choose" (it's means - "you can't fool people")

To smooth the impression, the press secretary of the federation Olga Yermolina says a conciliatory speech. She says that it was a holiday that gave people a lot of positive emotions "in this time of troubles", and that in this sense it can be considered that "today there are no winners or losers", just win-win situation.

25.00 Alina smiles, doesn't say anything, but shakes her head in denial Yermolina sees it, smiles herself, but continues: "I'm talking about... like, friendship... I can see that Alina doesn't agree with me... But we are still one team, one national team"

Some journalist asks to give the floor to Alina and Yermolina self-contradictingly ends her speech with the words "Alina, of course the red team got ahead and today there is a winner. This is not in doubt.."

25.20 Alina: "Yes, today there is still a winner and this is.."
Evgenia: "Winners in both camps"
Alina: "..Red Maсhine"

Alina makes a rather long pause, her eyebrows begin to take on an independent life, but still her famous good manners take over and we only hear:
25.31 "But we still have the cup"
Evgenia: We congratulate you (the temperature of the words approximate -15 degrees Celsius, or 5 degrees Fahrenheit )
Alina: Thanks
Zhenya rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath

Oh maaaaaan! Come on, you guys! It's been almost three years since that day, just let it go

Narrator: They did not let it go.

 

[alexocfp]

If we got these post match theatrics for an “exhibition,” I’m scared to think what would happen if it was a “real” competition. Haha

Channel One must be more ecstatic today than they were yesterday, because their little TV event is still the talk of the town.

Where do we go to make Channel One turn this one part sporting event, one part soap opera, one part advertisement, and one part personal rivalry into a regular event?

 

[Skatesocs]

If we got these post match theatrics for an “exhibition,” I’m scared to think what would happen if it was a “real” competition. Haha

Channel One must be more ecstatic today than they were yesterday, because their little TV event is still the talk of the town.

Where do we go to make Channel One turn this one part sporting event, one part soap opera, one part advertisement, and one part personal rivalry into a regular event?

If it got the ratings, then I expect it to return. Maybe after the Olympics (and worlds) next year?

OTOH, if there are full seasons again, maybe they'll let it go.

 

[Shayuki]

Medvedeva just is a sore loser, even in events such as these that are clearly for fun. I think it'd be mature to just admit defeat rather than generate drama for the sake of drama, but I guess that'd be too much to ask.

 

[Jontor]

Speaking of Medvedeva. I was amazed that I thought that she has NO rhythm. Those scenes when she was "trying to dance/clap" at her teams performances was just off IMO. I was kind of surprised as Zhenya is supposed to be musical, right? But I guess that doesn't include sense of rhythm.

 

[renebaebae]

Medvedeva just is a sore loser, even in events such as these that are clearly for fun. I think it'd be mature to just admit defeat rather than generate drama for the sake of drama, but I guess that'd be too much to ask.

Funny how something is "clearly for fun" but everyone is holding pitchforks and ready to light Zhenya on fire for insinuating that maybe everyone might be a winner in a different way in a fun event. Clearly some people aren't taking it as fun as they are saying this event really is.

 

[renebaebae]

Speaking of Medvedeva. I was amazed that I thought that she has NO rhythm. Those scenes when she was "trying to dance/clap" at her teams performances was just off IMO. I was kind of surprised as Zhenya is supposed to be musical, right? But I guess that doesn't include sense of rhythm.

Lmaoooo is this real life????? Are we really gonna use audience clapping along to music while being on edge for the skater skating as the new caliber to measure how musical a skater is??? This thread is spiralling oh Lord.

 

[rollerblade]

She may or may not have spoken up for herself but she was not going to let all the hard work her team just put in over two days get written off for the sake of catering to some narrative.

I agree. This is basically like Reality TV with heavy producers influence. The producers could have easily chosen Trankov and Yagudin to be the team captains. Both are retired gold medalists, and both played up their "roles" pretty well. The tournament would be just as fun.... albeit without all the post-competition stories that the producers count on. Why else would they have this "press conference"?

No idea how much Alina was paid to participate in this event, but I wish she (and/or her agent) had turned it down.

 

[Finley]

Funny how something is "clearly for fun" but everyone is holding pitchforks and ready to light Zhenya on fire for insinuating that maybe everyone might be a winner in a different way in a fun event. Clearly some people aren't taking it as fun as they are saying this event really is.

Based on her tone and criticism of the event there is not the slightest indication that she thinks this is 'fun'. Just going off instagram posts, the skaters who participated enjoyed it. As did the media who covered it. (Olla Pautova & Igoresha Prudnikov) It was a fun 'holiday' atmosphere. Then came the press conference. And we all saw how that turned out.

Even a game of Candyland that you play with a toddler has a winner.

 

[Finley]

I agree. This is basically like Reality TV with heavy producers influence. The producers could have easily chosen Trankov and Yagudin to be the team captains. Both are retired gold medalists, and both played up their "roles" pretty well. The tournament would be just as fun.... albeit without all the post-competition stories that the producers count on. Why else would they have this "press conference"?

No idea how much Alina was paid to participate in this event, but I wish she (and/or her agent) had turned it down.

I don't because I had so much fun watching her enjoy every minute of this competition and bringing her team together. It was so much fun. Better than Super Bowl Sunday Now do I hope that she turns down anything that pits her against Medvedeva again in the future? Yes. 100%.

Never need to see that again.

But something tells me we will.

 

[colormyworld240]

I agree. This is basically like Reality TV with heavy producers influence. The producers could have easily chosen Trankov and Yagudin to be the team captains. Both are retired gold medalists, and both played up their "roles" pretty well. The tournament would be just as fun.... albeit without all the post-competition stories that the producers count on. Why else would they have this "press conference"?

No idea how much Alina was paid to participate in this event, but I wish she (and/or her agent) had turned it down.

Maybe she wanted to do it?

 

[Skatesocs]

Well, at least the press conference took heat away from the current skaters.

 

[Finley]

Maybe she wanted to do it?

Clearly she did! She put herself into it 100%.

 

[Dawn825]

A ten second snippy exchange between long time rivals, and this thread is going to be unbearable for days
Can we go back to talking about how cute Petrosyan is? Or any kind of skating? What do we hope Kostornaia will skate to? Or Anna and Sasha next year? Do black tights always look terrible? (yes)

 

[Skatesocs]

What do we hope Kostornaia will skate to?

A 4 minute long spoken word piece consisting of the lyrics "But we still have the cup", "We congratulate you", "Thanks", I am guessing, at this point.

 

[Finley]

A ten second snippy exchange between long time rivals, and this thread is going to be unbearable for days
Can we go back to talking about how cute Petrosyan is? Or any kind of skating? What do we hope Kostornaia will skate to? Or Anna and Sasha next year? Do black tights always look terrible? (yes)

Sorry I got here late

There is still lots of skating talk to be read