2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[starlight97]

We have no idea what Alena's new FS is going to be? No music, no choreo, no theme? No idea how her tech is looking?

 

[Shayuki]

So, now Krivonosova, 3rd competition win in 10 days. 6 days with a program, 4 days without in that time frame. And now for the first time competing in the sports 1 category, received a winning score of 179.87 which is very good. One random fall, but not during an element - no elements received negative GOE.

Also Melkumova's comeback program. It was good, almost clean when it comes to jumps, and better than her SP overall. But still, the actual PCS performing just wasn't there. We'll see... 163.83 total.

 

[Dawn825]

With Bolero, the closing indeed tends to be amazing with that music, and after the music pumps up the endings of Bolero programs in general tend to work well. The issue with Bolero is that portion after the very opening and until the end, it feels like nothing's really happening and the program itself doesn't help.

The ending's great, as always with a Bolero, but it's pretty challenging making a decent program when the music piece itself is nothing but a slow 15 minute buildup for a climax, with zero variety or dynamic changes to speak of. There's not much to interpret.

Another problem is using Bolero with a frontloaded quad program, or a FS in general I guess. The most impressive athletic feats happen in the beginning, when the music's at its weakest. Then the most impressive music is in the ending when there's some spins. Of course, Kamila's great with spins but it's just backwards in my eyes.

You know, now that I watch it again, I change my mind - I don't like the program
I think the ending is ok because the step sequence is close to actually being choreographed to the beat, as is most of the second half of the program. My biggest problem is the beginning, the first few moves she does are cool but don't match the music. Same with almost all the choreography she does in the first half, before the flying back camel - cool but glaringly unmusical.

 

[macy]

A triple sweep for 14 year olds

No, I actually have a lot of faith in Alyona and her ability to be skate clean this one. That's why I go with this:
1. Kamila
2. Alyona
3. Dasha
4. Liza
5. Maiia
6. Hopefully Nugu
7-8. Davydov girls
9-11. Rest of St. Petersburg
12. Nastya T. Sadly it's just a very tough competition.

Alyona and Dasha will be very close, but the slightly higher PCS for the former settles it. She most likely won't have her 3A:s, but it makes no difference. Even with them she wouldn't catch Kamila.

And Alyona naturally claims the third spot at Worlds. I'm also hoping for that.

i mostly agree with this. if Aliona puts out her best, she should comfortably be ahead of Liza, even without 3As. Liza only beat her by less than 3 points at Rostelecom, where if i recall correctly, Liza skated pretty solidly with 3As and Aliona had several mistakes that added up and no 3As. if she's not, then there's a good chance we can see Rostelecom happen again.

honestly i think Daria will be more direct competition (again, if she is at her best).

 

[macy]

We have no idea what Alena's new FS is going to be? No music, no choreo, no theme? No idea how her tech is looking?

i think everything has been kept pretty under wraps. there is some speculation she is skating to Experience, but no proof behind it last i knew.

 

[Scott512]

Well so many changes within such a short timeframe, for 1 skater looks really odd, I mean it takes time to get used to a coach with how quickly she's changing it doesn't seem like the coaches are getting a shot before she boots them for someone else.


I said coach/choreographer because I don't know what Morozov's capacity is with her, he's got a background as both a coach and a choreographer.



If it was only the move to Morozov I wouldn't be wondering what about the rationale, but its like her 3rd or 4th coaching team change since she moved to Plushenko, she's not even been with him a year, like I said in my earlier comment, it seems really oddoddy

With Bolero, the closing indeed tends to be amazing with that music, and after the music pumps up the endings of Bolero programs in general tend to work well. The issue with Bolero is that portion after the very opening and until the end, it feels like nothing's really happening and the program itself doesn't help.

The ending's great, as always with a Bolero, but it's pretty challenging making a decent program when the music piece itself is nothing but a slow 15 minute buildup for a climax, with zero variety or dynamic changes to speak of. There's not much to interpret.

Another problem is using Bolero with a frontloaded quad program, or a FS in general I guess. The most impressive athletic feats happen in the beginning, when the music's at its weakest. Then the most impressive music is in the ending when there's some spins. Of course, Kamila's great with spins but it's just backwards in my eyes.

Interpretation is not Kamilas strength at 14.

The music may not be great in the beginning of bolero but Kamilas skating is and that's the focus.

Maybe TT can tweak Bolero and get it even better and more spectacular than it already is.
Let's see what happens next season hopefully puberty won't hammer Milla.

 

[Shayuki]

Interpretation is not Kamilas strength at 14.

The music may not be great in the beginning of bolero but Kamilas skating is and that's the focus.

Maybe TT can tweak Bolero and get it even better and more spectacular than it already is.
Let's see what happens next season hopefully puberty won't hammer Milla.

I wouldn't really say so because with the girl on ball program I think that her performing was just fine. It just is not right for Bolero. I think Kamila Valieva does "power skating" almost throughout the program when the beginning really would call for more delicacy and vulnerability. It's a transformation/metamorphosis/development-type piece of music but the performing is so one note, dunno. Hard to put it into words but I just know when a program does or does not work for me.

 

[Scott512]

A triple sweep for 14 year olds

No, I actually have a lot of faith in Alyona and her ability to be skate clean this one. That's why I go with this:
1. Kamila
2. Alyona
3. Dasha
4. Liza
5. Maiia
6. Hopefully Nugu
7-8. Davydov girls
9-11. Rest of St. Petersburg
12. Nastya T. Sadly it's just a very tough competition.

Alyona and Dasha will be very close, but the slightly higher PCS for the former settles it. She most likely won't have her 3A:s, but it makes no difference. Even with them she wouldn't catch Kamila.

And Alyona naturally claims the third spot at Worlds. I'm also hoping for that.

The quality of the Rukavicin girls is always much greater than what their actual scores are and sadly I expect that to be the same here. There is no way nice skating 14 year old girls without ultra jumps deserve to be given more respect than beautiful skating 18 year old women. KV excluded of course. Having the coach who is the heavyweight champion of the world coach in the ladies discipline helps. Alot.

I was glad to see Ilya Averbuk said Little Liza
has a shot at the 3rd world spot. But that's only if she received fair scoring and judgment like the 14 year old TT girls get. I don't expect that to happen it may be it's time for her coach to start speaking up. Although hes always more focused on his men.

 

[Scott512]

I wouldn't really say so because with the girl on ball program I think that her performing was just fine. It just is not right for Bolero. I think Kamila Valieva does "power skating" almost throughout the program when the beginning really would call for more delicacy and vulnerability. It's a transformation/metamorphosis/development-type piece of music but the performing is so one note, dunno. Hard to put it into words but I just know when a program does or does not work for me.

But like with me and many others KVs Bolero works a lot more now than I did at the beginning of the season. Yes?

 

[Shayuki]

But like with me and many others KVs Bolero works a lot more now than I did at the beginning of the season. Yes?

Yeah sure, she performs it better now than she did before.

I know she could do so much better though, so having them repeat that for Olympics is just so disappointing...

 

[Scott512]

Yeah sure, she performs it better now than she did before.

I know she could do so much better though, so having them repeat that for Olympics is just so disappointing...

A lot of people feel that way and then when you see her ultra jumps and the finish it makes up for what it's lacking. I actually get a kick out of seeing faces she bends backwards at the close. I think if KV voice her displeasure about the program they would do what they could to please her. Put that probably has not happened.

 

[Jontor]

Official Worlds song here:

2021 Worlds are still on

If you're going to put it in quotes, then please correctly spell "Herd Immunity". Or is there some other form of immunity that comes from being informed that someone else was immunized? English is not the first language of many of us, we do our best but we make mistakes especially when...

www.goldenskate.com

 

[karina17]

It's obviously an unlikely situation to begin with, but I wonder what RusFed would do if Liza N. somehow came out on top here, like if she was absolutely clean and Alena and Liza T both splatted. I would have thought that Liza T would be pushed over her, but they weren't shy at all about letting Liza N beat her at Rusnats - weren't they less than a point apart? They could've saved her and yet they didn't.

 

[Amei]

It's obviously an unlikely situation to begin with, but I wonder what RusFed would do if Liza N. somehow came out on top here, like if she was absolutely clean and Alena and Liza T both splatted. I would have thought that Liza T would be pushed over her, but they weren't shy at all about letting Liza N beat her at Rusnats - weren't they less than a point apart? They could've saved her and yet they didn't.

I doubt they would send her over Kostornaia or Tuktamysheva even if they bomb here and she places ahead of them. Nugumanova has under-rotation issues, no senior international reputation and her highest international score is under 187 based on 2019 worlds (where there was 1 skater doing 1 quad and I think 1 doing triple axels) that score would put her out of the top 10.

 

[brakes]

I doubt they would send her over Kostornaia or Tuktamysheva even if they bomb here and she places ahead of them. Nugumanova has under-rotation issues, no senior international reputation and her highest international score is under 187 based on 2019 worlds (where there was 1 skater doing 1 quad and I think 1 doing triple axels) that score would put her out of the top 10.

She improved though - usually got destroyed by carrots at Nats until last December.
Regarding performance - she could totally win int'l fans and judges hearts.

 

[Shayuki]

Hasn't Nugumanova been doing better with her UR issues lately? I'm not sure why people consider it an impossibility. If Tuktamysheva's sent over her even if she defeats her twice in a row, that'd be a pretty lowly move in my eyes. They even sent Konstantinova in 2018. And almost had to pay for that decision, but hey.

She's a much more engaging performer than Tuktamysheva for sure, although I wouldn't send her over an in-form Kostornaya. But, I would send her over the early season Kostornaya.

 

[brakes]

I say just let them win the third spot in direct fight, plain and straight.
Anna and Sasha are going to get three Olympic spots anyway.

 

[Shayuki]

They indeed could probably afford to do that. Trusova and Shcherbakova will be fully concentrating on each other and the situation of 2018 would be avoided, where Konstantinova and Sotskova offered no help and Zagitova crumbled under the pressure of having to get the 3 spots almost on her own. They in the end just barely managed to preserve the third spot anyway, though if Sotskova or Zagitova had placed even a single position lower, they'd have lost it.

 

[Amei]

She improved though - usually got destroyed by carrots at Nats until last December.
Regarding performance - she could totally win int'l fans and judges hearts.

Her highest international score is under 187. Kostornaia was scoring over 200 in Juniors (I didn't list her senior score since that is based on her triple axel) and Tuktamysheva's international scores lowest score last year was 205. I'm a big proponent of taking skaters based on the results of the competition vs. using the body of work, but I doubt it happens (would love to be proven wrong of the 3 skaters Nugumanova would be my favorite of the season).

 

[brakes]

So, now Krivonosova, 3rd competition win in 10 days. 6 days with a program, 4 days without in that time frame. And now for the first time competing in the sports 1 category, received a winning score of 179.87 which is very good. One random fall, but not during an element - no elements received negative GOE.

Also Melkumova's comeback program. It was good, almost clean when it comes to jumps, and better than her SP overall. But still, the actual PCS performing just wasn't there. We'll see... 163.83 total.

She impresses me. Her talent does not hit me in the face like, let's say, Kostyleva's or early Valieva's, but she is just very good in every element of figure skating craft: good jumper, spinner, glider, performer and last but no least - delivering in competition.