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- Jan 12, 2014
What? Or do I even want to go there?
2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating
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What? Or do I even want to go there?
I think I found interesting girl in Davydov's group at CSKA: Sofia Smagina, 9.5yo, high jumps, good speed, using the edges, smiling wide and rocking her performance.
I loved this little girl at the Moscow competition. In fact, i think she was my favorite.
I happen to think that this is Kaori's year, I've never seen her look better. Her Matrix is exciting. I DO predict Kaori will be on the podium.
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- Aug 4, 2020
Anyone know where we can watch the Worlds live?
12 points down vs a Rika Kihira who had a not-so-good short and completely watered down free? Rika at full strength beats her by 25 points. Anna and Sasha at full strength beat her by something similar. 25 points or so is a huge margin to make up against three skaters.
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- Dec 31, 2019
Kaori yes, she's around a high 150 (like 155+) if she's clean in the FS. That can touch Rika (in the FS) if she only does 1 quad and 1 3A and either underotates or falls on one of them. If she (Rika) lands both, it can't touch Rika. However, if Rika lands her 3A in the SP it really can't touch her at all (even if Rika falls on both of them). That (Kaori) will threaten Anna is she only does her two quad program and only lands one of her quads cleanly. If Anna does her three quad program and only lands one quad cleanly (as long as she rotates everything else) it won't touch her. It's a slightly bigger threat for Sasha than for Anna. But if Sasha lands at least two quads it won't touch her. (Or if Sasha lands her 3A in the SP and one clean quad.)
Kaori has less technical content than Liza T (although she does still have 7 triples), but gets higher GOE AND higher PCS and has much more federation support. Liza T even clean is usually a bit lower than Kaori. If Kaori lands her 4T (super big if), considering Liza T (as of right now it's planning on adding it) - although we don't know if Kaori is either (I doubt it), Kaori will definitely be ahead. She'll likely be ahead without it though (even counting Liza's 3As). But they're close. They're the best shot to take it away from Rika/Sasha/Anna but it would take huge huge mistakes (like between Anna/Sasha/Rika no one lands one clean quad/3A (but they rotate everything else) to threaten them - and they would have to be clean. Especially as Anna and Rika in particular get higher PCS than especially Liza T.
Bradie's high 140s in the FS. Less technical content than Liza T but more federation support (way more). Basically if Liza has one or two not clean 3As (even if she lands them), Bradie (if clean) will be ahead.
Basically Anna can clear 240 if she only lands one quad cleanly (out of 3 as long as she rotates the other quads and lands everything else). Sasha can clear 240 as long if she lands two quads cleanly (as long as she rotates her other quads and lands everything else) or lands her 3A in the SP and one quad cleanly (and rotates and lands everything else). And that would be with mistakes. Rika if clean is around there too and as long as she lands one of her 4S or her 3A cleanly is 235+ (as long as she lands everything else cleanly) and probably closer to 240.
Liza T absolutely clean (like not a turn out of her 3As) is 235 (230-235).
Kaori is about 230 - 235 (if she puts it all together and skates two clean programs).
Bradie clean is about 225-230. (But she'll have more federation support and they won't want her behind the 3rd Russian skater.)
So basically there's not really much of a chance as long as Anna, Sasha, and Rika land one "ultra-c" element (and land all their triples.) If Anna, Sasha, and Rika don't land a single quad/3A (assuming they still land all their triples) then they're about the same as a clean Liza T (with her 3As)/Kaori/Bradie - 230ish. (maybe 225)
Basically Kaori and Bradie aren't threats at all to Anna/Sasha/Rika. They're threats to Liza T and the 4th place position and they're more likely to get it than Liza T. (Liza T has to be completely completely completely clean to have it because they get better PCS and have waaaay more federation support.)
No one else will clear 220.
If Satoko has the skate of her life and doesn't get any under-rotations (because she has the PCS) she's around 215-220.
Of course ice is slippery. But really as long as Anna/Sasha/Rika land one ultra-c jump, the only people who can take gold from them are each other. And no one else can take the podium - as long as they land one, rotate the others, and land their other triples.
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- Nov 2, 2013
Talented lady for sure. Considering the 2011s as a group, probably one of the top skaters.I think I found interesting girl in Davydov's group at CSKA: Sofia Smagina, 9.5yo, high jumps, good speed, using the edges, smiling wide and rocking her performance.
I think it's in reference to her (and actually most of the senior ladies in the US) that still think program content that won in the early 2000s are going to win now. The entire 4 person podium of the us nationals this year did 4 triple-triple combinations in the FS, Shcherbakova who won Russian Nationals did 3 triple-triple combinations in her FS alone (plus 2 quads)
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- Jan 12, 2014
Oh you mean like 2014 program content? Gotcha.
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- Oct 24, 2020
That's exactly what I meant
Also, she's big time lacking control on her jumps and I have problems understanding how she can compete with top ladies. I think that's just because of her federation support.
If Bradie will somehow beat Liza I will seriously be devastated. For me all Americans belong around the 10th place xd
Trusova is a wildcard, no way of knowing how she will skate. Rika? I think she will be 2nd, based on the tech BV, assuming she hits the 3A's (probably) and the 4S (maybe). I think it is highly possible that Kaori wins the short, or is 2nd, and will only drop to 3d. Also depends how much Kaori loses on jump calls, same goes for Trusova, now that they have decided to ding her on the flip.
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- Nov 2, 2013
In a sense, Anna for example shouldn't need to land a single quad, even if she only attempts two. That essentially is the beauty of these layouts. Anna will still be jumping 7 triple jumps just like all the others, so the jumps that Anna would be replacing with her quads would be one 2A and one 2T or similar. So that still earns a TES advantage, even with falls.
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- Dec 31, 2019
Sasha hadn't been dinged on the flip internationally, although that could potentially happen.
Kaori likely won't win the SP. A clean Anna will probably outscore her. And that's not counting the 3As from Rika, Liza T, and Sasha?? Kaori also doesn't tend to lose on jump calls - although she's not usually clean.
If Anna does her 3 quad program Rika won't be second on BV.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2014
Too much talk about talented Japanese ladies Kaori and Rika and their layouts in RLT today. The mods dont like that. That should be taken to the world's competition thread and discussed there. But it must be nice for them to be able to build their careers and not have anyone coming up behind them pushing them out of the way like of Russian ladies every season. 
Zhenya Alina Anna Sasha and Aliona wonder what's that like.
Well I had to bring this thread back to the Russian ladies because it is RLT!
And the only reason anyone has a chance at a podium besides a Russian lady is because Aliona foolishly left TT July 31st 2020. That and the pandemic has lessened the Russian ladies chance at domination because they were so far ahead of everybody as a discipline especially at the top. The gap has been narrowed because of Alionas departure from TT and Coronavirus that has hammered Russian figure skating.
Zhenya Alina Anna Sasha and Aliona wonder what's that like. Well I had to bring this thread back to the Russian ladies because it is RLT!
And the only reason anyone has a chance at a podium besides a Russian lady is because Aliona foolishly left TT July 31st 2020. That and the pandemic has lessened the Russian ladies chance at domination because they were so far ahead of everybody as a discipline especially at the top. The gap has been narrowed because of Alionas departure from TT and Coronavirus that has hammered Russian figure skating.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2014
That's the sneer KV uses to close her incredible Bolero program right before she bends over backwards like a pretzel. It's the most phenomenal close in figure skating in years. But can she make it even better next season the Olympic season?Oh, really?
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2019
Eh, that's not quite true. If she doesn't land either she'll be in the 150-160 in the FS (probably 155 max). And she does sometimes get called for under-rotating her 3Lo.
And that will be beaten by Sasha and Rika and is catchable (with clean skates) by Kaori, Liza T, and Bradie.
Anna needs to land at least one to be 160 (and rotate the other) and be clean everywhere else.
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Somebody please tell me, Russian Novice Nats are gonna be streamed as usual. 
They're starting today and I see no planned stream in YT.
They're starting today and I see no planned stream in YT.
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2019
Kaori and Rika were the ones pushing people out. And while Rika is fine, Satoko and Kaori are being caught by 16 year old Rino. Kaori has federation support, that's really the only difference.Too much talk about talented Japanese ladies Kaori and Rika and their layouts in RLT today. The mods dont like that. That should be taken to the world's competition thread and discussed there. But it must be nice for them to be able to build their careers and not have anyone coming up behind them pushing them out of the way like of Russian ladies every season.
Well I had to bring this thread back to the Russian ladies because it is RLT!
And the only reason anyone has a chance at a podium besides a Russian lady is because Aliona foolishly left TT July 31st 2020. That and the pandemic has lessened the Russian ladies chance at domination because they were so far ahead of everybody as a discipline especially at the top. The gap has been narrowed because of Alionas departure from TT and Coronavirus that has hammered Russian figure skating.
And Kaori and Rika's layouts are super important when considering Liza T's and Anna/Sasha's, respectively. What Kaori and Rika do drastically impacts what the Russian skaters will do and what they NEED to perform cleanly. Especially as Rika will have higher PCS than at least Sasha. There is no one in this competition that gets higher PCS than Rika. And Rika has the highest short program TES and personal best out of everyone in attendance at the competition. A clean Rika in the SP would be a threat to Aliona (at her peak) in the SP - and Anna and Sasha can't match that (even if Sasha lands her 3A in the SP). (Anna because she doesn't have a 3A and Sasha because she doesn't have the PCS.)
And no, last year Aliona would have been there and Rika was still a threat (particularly to Sasha). This year Rika is stronger - she has her 3Lz back and gained a 4S which she's successfully landed in competition now. They weren't ahead of Rika last year really - especially as Anna and Sasha in particular where much less clean/stable last year. Both of them only landed their layouts cleanly once last year - so it was going to be interesting especially between Rika and Sasha, to see who could manage to be clean.
And considering there were rumours Aliona was struggling with injuries even before World's last year, she hadn't gotten her 3A back while with Eteri, and Eteri's camp was severely affected by COVID (both Evgenia and Anna? had it), there's no guarantee that even if Aliona had stayed with Eteri she would still be going. She was already struggling with injuries even before leaving. She didn't have her 3A stable by Rostelecom - at which point Anna was ALREADY sick with possibly COVID. So there's no guarantee Aliona wouldn't have gotten COVID with Eteri either.
And COVID didn't just affect Russia. Other skaters also never made it back to peak form - 16 year old Young Yu for example who also had a 3A (as well as a 3Lz-3Lo combo) and hasn't been able to get it stable yet (probably due to lack of competition due to COVID but possibly also reduced training due to COVID) and has been left off her team and she had 225+ scoring potential.
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