A bit of standard red tape (partnership changes don't have to be made official until May 31st) and a bit of trying to make the best of a bad situation. Think of it like a business and all these skaters as an investment - they've all had central funding for at least 4 years, and considering costs per season for an individual skaters, that could easily run into $1million+ already. Even though they have no obligation to fund the new teams at the moment, the federation will want to be sure they are still getting some return on the money already put into these skaters; they aren't free to just pick someone that the federation considers unsuitable to partner. They need to get the maximum yield from their investment - now that I/K is seemingly unviable, maybe the best returns come from S/K & I/Z, maybe it comes from putting these skaters with completely different partners. But all these decisions need time because you can't tell how skaters will work together after just a few days.
Yes, we will probably see some small results in half year at test skate (if it will be open and if S&K will arrive), we will see more at the end of 2014/15 season and final decision about good or bad changements of those couples will be available in two years because even with good results this season – it must be confirmed with next season. We leave in a time when it is not so unusual to lose positions and jump few placements up or down during two seasons…even in ice dance (especially with new judging system where you can lose levels in one second). A couple must show they are great and then they must confirm their great placements next year to adapt in top 5 and protect those high placements in front of couples who are close behind them.
It is impossible to look at couple even after three weeks and say for sure that a couple is promising. All important questions will get answers in one or two seasons, not sooner. Even if a couple will show nice skating together, they will lack some synchro, the speed, the feeling for each other (Nikita loved to tell that he feels Lena on 100% even at practises… how many time it will take until he will feel Victoria in the same way – definitely not three weeks, even three months, and probably even three years). Nobody knows how will new couple cope with a stress at competitions…plus both of partners doesn’t know what to expect at competitions from each other, suddenly a partner will be shaky or slower and it will be totally new situation which never happened before with previous partner and a skater will have a little bit more than two and half minutes to adapt on it and show five elements clean. The same with free dance. And we have now idea how will judges react on that new couple. Judges loved I&K and helped them and supported them as much as possible…always, but who they really loved? Lena? Nikita? Only Lena and Nikita together? Who knows what will judges do with new couples with only half of I&K presented? Nobody knows answers on these questions right now. And nobody will know it after three weeks of tryout with Zueva.
And what Russian Federation risks? Mutko said that all new couples start from zero, that they will have no Federation financial support until they will become a member of National Team again. So what is so risky for Federation that they need time to see a progress and compatibility of new couples. If Nikita and Victoria did a bad choice they will fail at competitions and even Pushkash & Guerreiro and Zenkova & Sinitsin will jump over them and S&K will never get into National Team…the same for Lena and Ruslan…and all this time new couples will be supported by sponsors or by region, not by Federation. So what does Federation risks?
Every day of another waiting is bad.
You can’t think about future if your past is not solved. You can’t take music and ask some choreographer and think about new elements in programs while you are not 100% sure who will be your partner. You can’t go to choreographer and tell him: “Hey, I want a program for me and my partner, it should suit us very well but…you know, maybe I will have another partner in one month, so try to bring something what will suit both of me and both of my possible partners…here is one of my possible partner – staying beside me…and here is a picture of my second possible partner and you can find a video of her skating on YouTube…so, please, it should suit to all of us.“ Funny, really. And in moment when I start to think about project for costumes for next season….it would even be much more funny, because all those four have different sizes of clothes and have different body shape, colour of hair, hair style – some colours are more suitable for blonde, some colours more for brunettes…and how to make a costumes which will suit to all of those in moment when nobody knows who will skate with.
And now hand on heart…I don’t believe that Nikita himself was able to persuade Zueva about tryout for three weeks, overall it is a nonsense to make tryout with famous coach, tryouts are made in few days with specialists who will decide about new team, no famous coach (especially sitting in different country) is needed. So I guess that it was Russian Federation who suggested Zueva to work with S&K for three weeks (and they probably hope she will take them in future). But if Russian Federation suggested Zueva to work with team who oficially still doesn’t exist….so for Russian Federation the decision was already made, yes? Why to send to Zueva two people who has questionable future? So it is obvious that after those three weeks and test skate in front of specialists….Russian Federation will accept this couple. Why not to do it immediatelly? It would make free Lena and Ruslan for their decisions.
And what is Russian Federation expecting from Zueva working with S&K? Nikita will be in heaven with Zueva…she will not scream on him that he destroyed two great couples…she will not ask him to explain…she will not push him to think about future….she will only give advises how to do this step and that step. While I believe that Russian Federation wanted explanations and media wanted explanations and Lena and Ruslan wanted explanations….both Victoria and Nikira run away in front of it to “save and peaceful place“ in Zueva‘s team. If anybody expected that Nikita would think about his decision and start to hasitate – Zueva’s team is the last place where he would be able to think about consequences. He will happily train and relax that nobody wants anything from him.
). Or Zueva wants them so much that she's paying for the ice herself. Of course no one except them knows for sure.
Obviously it takes several seasons before you get to see a team's full potential, but on the other hand, many skaters have said they know within a few hours (or sometimes even within a few minutes) whether a person is compatible for them.
