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Why don't you want this discussion? I guess you dont want to start a controversy. That's nice of you.I didn't want a discussion as I too hope and naturally would love to see her next season. I just said that in my opinion the only thing why we are not seeing her this season is probably her health.
Maybe it’s not about health and she is enjoying skating with no pressure, having her name out there and not having to stay in 100% competition shape throughout the season while still getting endorsements and making money.Why don't you want this discussion? I guess you dont want to start a controversy. That's nice of you.
Evgenias programs are the best she has the most charisma the most stature and is a Russian great. Not debatable. If she trained for several weeks she would contend in any event because so many of the top Russian ladies top Korean ladies top Japanese ladies are hit-and-miss mostly miss except for Anna and Aliona from 2 years ago. That's it in a nutshell.
I saw where Alysa Liu won Neblehorn with a score under 210 points. Hmmm. Anna won worlds with what? 220 something? Hmmm.
If they dont want to give Zbenya challenger's or Grand Prix events that's okay but why not a couple Russian cup series events or the Saint Petersburg cup in December? What are the federation and the great coach afraid of? I believe I know what it is but I won't say it here because I don't want to start that discussion.
People need to see these programs in competitions. And if it's not the Medvedeva from 2018 Winter Olympics so what? To think that she wouldn't be able to compete for the 3rd spot for the Olympic team with Dasha and Maia and Aliona and Liza is preposterous. Is International judges with love these programs.
The Russian federation also has to worry about coronavirus running through their team at the wrong time and injuries running through their team at wrong time. There is a lot to be concerned about from the federations point of view. I would think they would want as many skaters as possible who can score more than 220 points just in case.
Of course a lot of this depends on her health. But this is for 2021 not fall 2020 and Evgenia looks amazing and health. Is what a difference a year makes..
If she trained for several weeks she would contend in any event because so many of the top Russian ladies top Korean ladies top Japanese ladies are hit-and-miss mostly miss except for Anna and Aliona from 2 years ago. That's it in a nutshell.
Of course a lot of this depends on her health. But this is for 2021 not fall 2020 and Evgenia looks amazing and health. Is what a difference a year makes..
Maybe it’s not about health and she is enjoying skating with no pressure, having her name out there and not having to stay in 100% competition shape throughout the season while still getting endorsements and making money.
Maybe her competitive flame has been extinguished and she can enjoy skating at her pace.
Sounds like a good life to me.
Life unfortunately is not always a fairy tale ending.Alright, I said I wasn’t going to comment on this but I let myself be baited into it. Because that‘s not it in a nutshell and to suggest it‘s as easy as "training a few weeks" is almost insulting to Zhenya herself. Do you really think if it was this easy, she wouldn‘t do it? She's had a chronic back injury and covid with severe lung damage. Longterm problems from Covid especially, may not always be obvious but that doesn’t mean they don’t make competing difficult. Frankly, it‘s a miracle she‘s even in the shape she is right now, nevermind competing on the elite level. She‘s also, sorry to say this, coached by a team that has, so far, successfully worked with a total of zero women over the age of 20. A coaching team that has six girls preparing for the Olympics and as a result neither the time nor the motivation to help a 21-year old chronically injured athlete slowly regain all her jumps. She‘d need lots of personal attention and individual training plans. Do you think she‘s likely to get that in TeamTutberidze? Really? She‘s acknowledged herself that their methods are very successful for young girls but get harder and harder to endure once you grow older. Zhenya outgrew them in 2018 already, it‘s not going to be better three years later.
But discounting all that, I still believe she would try if her health allowed it (just like she tried in September last year, when there were reports of her training as hard as she did as a 15 year old).
Bottom line to this already very long post: Zhenya‘s said a million times that if she was healthy enough, she would compete. She isn‘t right now and doesn‘t know when/if she even will be again, so she‘s establishing a life (and a very successful one at that) for herself outside of competitive skating. It‘s a smart move. I think we should trust her to know what‘s right for her body and not diminish her struggles by claiming she would be at the top if she just put in a few weeks of effort. Maybe that wasn’t your intention but that‘s how posts like these come across to me.
She‘s said in several interviews over the past months that health‘s the reason. But honestly, if you were right (and maybe you will be, who knows), it would probably be the best for her. Figure skating is a cesspit right now that has very little to do with sport and she‘ll probably have a much more peaceful life outside of it. Show skating is also right up her alley because the focus is on the artistry and performance factor.
But the main reason I want her to come back for a farewell event/season, is to show her programs in a competitive setting, the way they were meant to be and for her to end her career on her own terms, with a good performance in front of adoring fans. It just feels more organic to me, to close the book "Evgenia Medvedeva‘s competitive figure skating career" with a good chapter, not a troublesome one. Like a happy ending, so to speak. But who knows what she‘ll decide to do. It‘s her life after all and if she‘s happy with her career, all power to her.
Zhenya with her 'Ice Age' partner Danya Milokhin. Filming starts tomorrow and the first episode will be aired on October 2nd
Life unfortunately is not always a fairy tale ending.
But she will always get the applause skating exhibitions and won’t need to tax her body as much.
Zhenyas health is the main thing. No question. While I don't follow her as closely as everyone else here I saw the video and she looks fabulous and seems to be skating at a reasonably high level.Alright, I said I wasn’t going to comment on this but I let myself be baited into it. Because that‘s not it in a nutshell and to suggest it‘s as easy as "training a few weeks" is almost insulting to Zhenya herself. Do you really think if it was this easy, she wouldn‘t do it? She's had a chronic back injury and covid with severe lung damage. Longterm problems from Covid especially, may not always be obvious but that doesn’t mean they don’t make competing difficult. Frankly, it‘s a miracle she‘s even in the shape she is right now, nevermind competing on the elite level. She‘s also, sorry to say this, coached by a team that has, so far, successfully worked with a total of zero women over the age of 20. A coaching team that has six girls preparing for the Olympics and as a result neither the time nor the motivation to help a 21-year old chronically injured athlete slowly regain all her jumps. She‘d need lots of personal attention and individual training plans. Do you think she‘s likely to get that in TeamTutberidze? Really? She‘s acknowledged herself that their methods are very successful for young girls but get harder and harder to endure once you grow older. Zhenya outgrew them in 2018 already, it‘s not going to be better three years later.
But discounting all that, I still believe she would try if her health allowed it (just like she tried in September last year, when there were reports of her training as hard as she did as a 15 year old).
Bottom line to this already very long post: Zhenya‘s said a million times that if she was healthy enough, she would compete. She isn‘t right now and doesn‘t know when/if she even will be again, so she‘s establishing a life (and a very successful one at that) for herself outside of competitive skating. It‘s a smart move. I think we should trust her to know what‘s right for her body and not diminish her struggles by claiming she would be at the top if she just put in a few weeks of effort. Maybe that wasn’t your intention but that‘s how posts like these come across to me.
She‘s said in several interviews over the past months that health‘s the reason. But honestly, if you were right (and maybe you will be, who knows), it would probably be the best for her. Figure skating is a cesspit right now that has very little to do with sport and she‘ll probably have a much more peaceful life outside of it. Show skating is also right up her alley because the focus is on the artistry and performance factor.
But the main reason I want her to come back for a farewell event/season, is to show her programs in a competitive setting, the way they were meant to be and for her to end her career on her own terms, with a good performance in front of adoring fans. It just feels more organic to me, to close the book "Evgenia Medvedeva‘s competitive figure skating career" with a good chapter, not a troublesome one. Like a happy ending, so to speak. But who knows what she‘ll decide to do. It‘s her life after all and if she‘s happy with her career, all power to her.
Good point about there isn't always a fairy tale ending. No doubt skating the shows is better for Zhenya in some ways. She is fantastic in the shows and makes probably very good money and she loves it.Life unfortunately is not always a fairy tale ending.
But she will always get the applause skating exhibitions and won’t need to tax her body as much.
Skating at shows and skating competitively are 2 different things though. A fall in a show will still get you an ovation.Good point about there isn't always a fairy tale ending. No doubt skating the shows is better for Zhenya in some ways. She is fantastic in the shows and makes probably very good money and she loves it.
As for whether she has the hunger to still compete I hope she does but we will find out in the next year. As others have pointed out Zhenyas programs are better than anything we've seen program wise this season with the ladies.
I didn't want to start a discussion on this day because I don't know how many here are still having hope , how many think a bit more negative. And this was in my eyes the wrong time to start this discussion because we were all just so happy seeing Algeria, and seeing zhenya skate like this.. And yes I am one of the persons who still have that hope that she could return to competition, because with a programm like Algeria? She would get a lot of pcs as well, so if she is healthy enough and wants to go out to competitions again than I hope she goes for it.Why don't you want this discussion? I guess you dont want to start a controversy. That's nice of you.
Evgenias programs are the best she has the most charisma the most stature and is a Russian great. Not debatable. If she trained for several weeks she would contend in any event because so many of the top Russian ladies top Korean ladies top Japanese ladies are hit-and-miss mostly miss except for Anna and Aliona from 2 years ago. That's it in a nutshell.
I saw where Alysa Liu won Neblehorn with a score under 210 points. Hmmm. Anna won worlds with what? 220 something? Hmmm.
If they dont want to give Zbenya challenger's or Grand Prix events that's okay but why not a couple Russian cup series events or the Saint Petersburg cup in December? What are the federation and the great coach afraid of? I believe I know what it is but I won't say it here because I don't want to start that discussion.
People need to see these programs in competitions. And if it's not the Medvedeva from 2018 Winter Olympics so what? To think that she wouldn't be able to compete for the 3rd spot for the Olympic team with Dasha and Maia and Aliona and Liza is preposterous. Is International judges with love these programs.
The Russian federation also has to worry about coronavirus running through their team at the wrong time and injuries running through their team at wrong time. There is a lot to be concerned about from the federations point of view. I would think they would want as many skaters as possible who can score more than 220 points just in case.
Of course a lot of this depends on her health. But this is for 2021 not fall 2020 and Evgenia looks amazing and health. Is what a difference a year makes..
When has she actually bombed at an international competition? The worst she ever placed was at SCI in 2019, and she bounced back to win silver at the next GP. Even at SCI 2019 and IdF 2018, the two comps where she missed the podium, she skated at least one of her programs well, the SP at IdF and the FS at SCI. This woman looked better than anyone but Sasha at test skates 2020, and that was with a broken back. If she "bombs" at a comp, it will be the result of getting buried by inflated scores for other skaters, not from her flopping around on the ice like a drunken seal because she hung in there a few years too long, and if her fed cant rely on those other skaters, they will inflate Zhenya instead. If she stays on her skates, she is in the hunt for a medal, including the gold, at any competition, and she almost always stays on her skates.Let’s say she does come back competitively and bombs. That will be the opposite of the fairy tale ending, getting pity applause in places, unlike shows, where the crowd may not necessarily be pulling for her.
I think there are a few moving parts and you covered some of them.I think it's both health and politics, and I think that each of you are probably right to some extent; she has shown that she can still skate at a competitive level, or at least, do competitive elements well enough to win in competition, so it makes sense to believe that she could return to competition, and to do so would certainly take more than a few weeks, while in the meantime, she may well be enjoying how her body feels when it isn't being driven to its limits six days a week.
I hope she returns, because I am selfish and derive great joy and pleasure from watching her skate, and I win vicariously through her when she wins, so yeah, #GoZhenya! and I also think that her career has been such an epic journey that seeing her being forced to give up, at the very least her Olympic dream, at the start of the Olympic season after coming this far, is like seeing Frodo pawn the ring in downtown Mordor because his hobbit hole is in foreclosure, but perhaps George Martin has written this heroine's tale rather than Tolkien, and if so, its still a wonderful story that has kept me enthralled these past few years.
If it's health, I assume it is covid damage, and there's nothing to be done for that except time and prayer. If it's politics, then perhaps those who oppose her will run out of options as the season wears on and will be forced to turn to her to save their Olympic medal hopes. If she has actually decided deep in her heart to hang it up and is waiting for the rest of her body to acknowledge it, then it was a magnificent career in which, in the words of the Kukushka song, she burned like a star.
Universide? That would be great. When will that be in February or March?I think seeing Alegria just makes us know that it's a masterpiece and would be great to see it in competition. I still think Universaid would be the perfect competition for her to test the waters.
On the other hand, if she chooses to not return to competitions, I support that decision too. I am sure that this summer doing Anna Karenina in Sochi was a great time for her. She lived alone with Tofu and had some down time to explore Sochi.
Plus, she has had a taste of pairs skating, it could be a new direction.
Finally, being her fan is a journey of ups and downs, but it's a ride I'm not getting off from, and I will stick by her not matter what.
The mystique is real.Skating at shows and skating competitively are 2 different things though. A fall in a show will still get you an ovation.
A fall in competition may get you the boot, especially in Russia.
And, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Let’s say she does come back competitively and bombs. That will be the opposite of the fairy tale ending, getting pity applause in places, unlike shows, where the crowd may not necessarily be pulling for her.
The problem with competition skating is that sometimes you don’t leave on your terms. And all the fan anticipation ends up being anticlimactic and sad.
You run the risk of her last appearance competitively being a mid pack finish.
Not saying this will happen, but it’s one possibility. Not even taking into account how much the sport has evolved since the last Olympics.
Getting out at your peak and leaving them wanting more, while everyone remembers the positive memories, may not be the worst strategy.
She is a champion no matter what she does in the future. Her past cannot be taken away no matter what.
All this will she/won’t she only adds to the mystique.
Not saying she will bomb. But time doesn’t stand still.When has she actually bombed at an international competition? The worst she ever placed was at SCI in 2019, and she bounced back to win silver at the next GP. Even at SCI 2019 and IdF 2018, the two comps where she missed the podium, she skated at least one of her programs well, the SP at IdF and the FS at SCI. This woman looked better than anyone but Sasha at test skates 2020, and that was with a broken back. If she "bombs" at a comp, it will be the result of getting buried by inflated scores for other skaters, not from her flopping around on the ice like a drunken seal because she hung in there a few years too long, and if her fed cant rely on those other skaters, they will inflate Zhenya instead. If she stays on her skates, she is in the hunt for a medal, including the gold, at any competition, and she almost always stays on her skates.
Liza is Liza, Medvedeva is Medvedeva. 2 different careers.The mystique is real.
Most of the Russian girls fall often. Maybe Anna doesn't. Alyona 2 seasons ago didn't and Zhenya hardly ever.
I also think seeing Liza compete for an Olympic spot while Zhenya has to sit on the sidelines is hard for some of us to take. Liza is trying for the 3rd time to make the Olympic team Zhenya only had one chance. It is what it is and that sports and that's life.
I hope she comes back if it's in her heart and her body can handle it.