Is Irina Really A Nice Person?
- Thread starter Kwan101
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2005
Kwan101 said:
What's with the surprise? As far as I can remember, Irina's always been known as a brat, which is why it's always news when she actually says something nice about other skaters (but, of course, people are more sophisticated than believing that the statements are sincere). That's nothing, however, compared to exploiting the condition of one's own mother and claiming to be personally ill and using this-and-that SOB STORY just to generate publicity and gain sympathy from the public and the judges. Totally tacky and without class.
I pronounce competition 'comptition' like Michelle does... so maybe it's just a SoCal pronounciation thing...- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
I think Irina is generally a nice person, but I don't like some of the comments she has made in the past. I did not like many of the things she said regarding SLC, nor do I find these new quotes regarding the 06 GPF that complimentary in terms of character. She didn't skate her best and was beaten by two skaters that performed better in both of these events (02 Olympics and 06 GPF), IMO. I respect honesty and straight-forwardness, but this is a little much for me. Had Irina skated perfectly as she has been doing, I could understand the confusion and the frustration. However, she was soundly beaten, IMO. Accept the defeat and move on. There is no need for veiled jabs.
At the same time, Irina was beaten by Michelle several times (00 & 01 Worlds) and was visibly crushed, yet she remained entirely humble. So, overall, I think Irina is just human. She doesn't seem mean spirited or insidious, but she (naturally so) doesn't like losing to young/relatively inexperienced competitors. She has become very accustomed to wearing the mantle of the enormous favorite, and the judges have rewarded her accordingly. It isn't easy to face serious competition when you are used to being far-and-away the best in the field.
As for the whole "sick mother" issue......please! She never milked that for undeserved sympathy. She loved her mother and her grave illness was understandbly a major factor in her life. The media took hold of this and flew with it. IMO, Irina never utilized this personally for her benefit. It certainly didn't boost up her scores or earn her undeserved placements.....she was 9th at the 2004 Worlds! And, as for her own illness....I think the same applies. She talks about it and is very open. She isn't pandering for higher COP scores with unnecessary talk or discussion about her illness.....she is skating her butt off and having one of the best seasons of her life. So....I don't like her comments regarding her loss at the 06 GPF.....but I don't think they make her a bad person.
P.S. As for Michelle and commentating.....well, I just don't see that as being her calling as of now. She does have a strange speech pattern. She is very laid back and has some strange pronunciations......just as I do!
At the same time, Irina was beaten by Michelle several times (00 & 01 Worlds) and was visibly crushed, yet she remained entirely humble. So, overall, I think Irina is just human. She doesn't seem mean spirited or insidious, but she (naturally so) doesn't like losing to young/relatively inexperienced competitors. She has become very accustomed to wearing the mantle of the enormous favorite, and the judges have rewarded her accordingly. It isn't easy to face serious competition when you are used to being far-and-away the best in the field.
As for the whole "sick mother" issue......please! She never milked that for undeserved sympathy. She loved her mother and her grave illness was understandbly a major factor in her life. The media took hold of this and flew with it. IMO, Irina never utilized this personally for her benefit. It certainly didn't boost up her scores or earn her undeserved placements.....she was 9th at the 2004 Worlds! And, as for her own illness....I think the same applies. She talks about it and is very open. She isn't pandering for higher COP scores with unnecessary talk or discussion about her illness.....she is skating her butt off and having one of the best seasons of her life. So....I don't like her comments regarding her loss at the 06 GPF.....but I don't think they make her a bad person.
P.S. As for Michelle and commentating.....well, I just don't see that as being her calling as of now. She does have a strange speech pattern. She is very laid back and has some strange pronunciations......just as I do!
NorthernLite said:
They said in a few interviews the training conditions/facilities were better in the US than in Russia (where they can't have as much ice time as they want). I don't remember where I read it, but if you want to read more try www.icestory.narod.ru - it's TTMM unofficial website and they have many translated interviews there. The translation is not always perfect but you'll certainly get the idea.
[IMG2="There is plenty medical documentation of Irina's illness. Comments like those are what is tacky and without class. May illness not strike you or someone you hold dear."][/IMG2]
While I agree with everything you've said here in spades, I don't think you are the person to say it. I recall when Irina's illness was first announced, I believe you had the following comment on your board " I know I shouldn't say this, but, Why couldn't this have happened to some other skater, one that doesn't even care enough to compete all the time?" Anyone who is familiar with you and your posting history knows exactly who you were talking about.
While I agree with everything you've said here in spades, I don't think you are the person to say it. I recall when Irina's illness was first announced, I believe you had the following comment on your board " I know I shouldn't say this, but, Why couldn't this have happened to some other skater, one that doesn't even care enough to compete all the time?" Anyone who is familiar with you and your posting history knows exactly who you were talking about.
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Regarding Irina's illness:
When she was first sick, before it was public, her agent and good friend Ari Zakarian called and said, "We can't say anything now, but possibly in the very near future we will have to announce that Irina is done skating."
I said, 'Oh - so she's going to retire from eligible?" And he said, "No, it's much more than that. I'm worried she could be dying." He then went on to explain that, at this point, they thought something was wrong with her heart - that they couldn't understand what exactly was making her so ill - but that it was very serious.
It just boggles my mind that people think these things are 'for show' or whatever. Do skaters feign injury or exxagerate a twist or an ache or a pulled muscle here and there to sometimes avoid events? Well, what do you think? But when it gets to life-threatening/career ending ailments? No. If anything, that's when they try and cover for just how bad it is.
When she was first sick, before it was public, her agent and good friend Ari Zakarian called and said, "We can't say anything now, but possibly in the very near future we will have to announce that Irina is done skating."
I said, 'Oh - so she's going to retire from eligible?" And he said, "No, it's much more than that. I'm worried she could be dying." He then went on to explain that, at this point, they thought something was wrong with her heart - that they couldn't understand what exactly was making her so ill - but that it was very serious.
It just boggles my mind that people think these things are 'for show' or whatever. Do skaters feign injury or exxagerate a twist or an ache or a pulled muscle here and there to sometimes avoid events? Well, what do you think? But when it gets to life-threatening/career ending ailments? No. If anything, that's when they try and cover for just how bad it is.
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- Joined
- Feb 5, 2004
havanamesa1 said:
Are you questioning the legitimacy of either Irina's illness or her mother's illness? I can tell you for nothing that grand statements about what skaters are doing with regards to media attention is pretty worthless since you can only comment about the media attention in one country. It is very well known that skatnig coverage in the US of full of fluff and random filling in crap year in year out. In the UK the only coverage we have is Eurosport and once in a blue moon you'll get BC coverage. BOth channels show you the event with commentators and you get no fluff or random "documnetaires about the skaters. In ice resurfacing breaks on eurosport you get interviews with the skaters, repeats of earlier performances or repeats of skaters for nationailty of the country you're watching in.
As far as the commentators go, in the worlds that she didn't attend because of her mother's illness the reason was given and that was that...if anyone milks it its the ridiculous north american media...if you want to rant about being tacky and without class try aiming it at the north american media.
Ant
I think Irina is an extremely agressive competitor, and that's why she can be so *itchy when it comes to skating. I suspect that she is probably very easy to get along with when she is not on the ice and the subject is not skating. But she is very single-minded when it comes to her own skating. As far as she is concerned, she is #1, the best, bar none, in the entire world, and always has been, and this is what she has believed from day 1 and will continue to believe until her last day on figure skates..
That being said, it's no wonder she is a sore loser (and sorest when the stakes are the highest), or that she sees herself as the most entitled skater around. I'm sure she is a wonderful daughter and will one day be a wonderful mother, and to her friends a wonderful friend, but to rivals, ach! The only exception is Michelle, who Irina respects, and who she considers the only other skater anywhere near her level. But should Michelle beat her, Irina would still grouse "wuz robbed", just not quite as loud or as pointed.
ETA: I never for one moment doubted that Irina was seriously ill.
At the GPF, Irina did admit to being dizzy and jet-lagged, but I think there was more to it than that. She may have been feeling a slight recurrence of her illness, and the doctors probably upped her medication (the same thing happened last year at this time). Heavier doses of her medication usually have a negative effect on her performance.
That being said, it's no wonder she is a sore loser (and sorest when the stakes are the highest), or that she sees herself as the most entitled skater around. I'm sure she is a wonderful daughter and will one day be a wonderful mother, and to her friends a wonderful friend, but to rivals, ach! The only exception is Michelle, who Irina respects, and who she considers the only other skater anywhere near her level. But should Michelle beat her, Irina would still grouse "wuz robbed", just not quite as loud or as pointed.
ETA: I never for one moment doubted that Irina was seriously ill.
At the GPF, Irina did admit to being dizzy and jet-lagged, but I think there was more to it than that. She may have been feeling a slight recurrence of her illness, and the doctors probably upped her medication (the same thing happened last year at this time). Heavier doses of her medication usually have a negative effect on her performance.
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- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
Irina was very, very ill. Just as Irina's mom was very, very ill just prior to the 2003 Worlds (still is ill, I think).
In the past, the USSR team was infamous for faking 'illnesses' of elite athletes, to 'save' them for specific events, as well as to give younger alternates some experience. That surely was not the case with the post-Cold War Russia & Irina.
In the past, the USSR team was infamous for faking 'illnesses' of elite athletes, to 'save' them for specific events, as well as to give younger alternates some experience. That surely was not the case with the post-Cold War Russia & Irina.
Kwan101 said:
ITA with those with doubts. The way she skated last season and the way she's been skating this season is not how a sick person skates. The body (especially the heart) can take only so much stress, training-wise and competition-wise, especially at the level and frequency she's skating, that if she really had a death-causing (according to her agent) heart problem, she'd be dead by now. But she's actually performing with more stamina, power, energy, and difficulty than ALL her healthy competitors that she's literally become a superwoman.
If everyone that has her "illness" is able to skate like her throughout two seasons back-to-back, competition after competition (when even she herself never did that she was perfectly healthy), then all the skaters should wish to get that "illness" so they, too, can skate as superwomen on ice and make this Olympic Game (which is really just an awarding ceremony for this gold-annointed skater) more exciting.
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- Joined
- May 22, 2004
JanJam said:
God,what a jerk you are making yourself out to be! How would you know what a person in her condition can and cannot do?Are you her?Do you spend time with her when she is off ice?? I can't stand people who make assumptions about things they know nothing about.
FYI,people who have serious medical conditions are not bound by what people think they SHOULD be doing or feeling.Sometimes people pull themselves up by their boot straps and keep going whether they feel like it or not! Especially if they have good reason to go on,sick or not...like Irina does,her winnings go to take care of her mother. Also besides that, a person can have a serious illness or a chronic illness and still lead a productive and somewhat normal life if they take care of themselves and excercise*i should know i have a condidiont myself*.Sometimes excercise is the best medicine,because it helps the body to heal itself.And also sometimes illnesses go into remission and give the person a little bit of time to get done what they need to accomplish.
Ya know sometimes people who harrass others in the way you are,end up getting a taste of their own medicine.Let's hope that if you are ever that ill,that people are kinder to you.
Irina's illness is chronic and incurable, but it can be controlled with medication, and there are periods of remission when she has no symptoms, is feeling well, and is on very light doses of prednisone. That's the condition she was in during CoC and CoR, when she skated so well. But at the GPF, it wasn't the Irina of the two earlier events. She complained of dizziness and jet lag, and she didn't skate at all well in the SP, doubling a jump--very unusual for her.
What has probably happened is that this latest period of remission has started to fade and she isn't feeling as well. The doctors monitor her closely, and when it seems her symptoms are returning, they put her back on much heavier doses of prednisone. Prednisone is not kind to the human body. It causes fluid retention, weight gain, fatigue and susceptibility to common infections. When Irina is newly on heavy dosages, it takes her weeks to adjust and her skating is affected. We saw the effects last year at Europeans, where she had a horrible FS. It was easy to see then that Irina was on heavy medication because her face was very puffy and swollen, a common, very visible predisone side effect.
Irina is ill, there is no doubt of that, and her condition is very much affected by stress. The stress this year is much higher than usual because of the Olympics. Many of Irina's fans are worried about her. I am by no means a fan of Irina's skating, but I am concerned for her.
What has probably happened is that this latest period of remission has started to fade and she isn't feeling as well. The doctors monitor her closely, and when it seems her symptoms are returning, they put her back on much heavier doses of prednisone. Prednisone is not kind to the human body. It causes fluid retention, weight gain, fatigue and susceptibility to common infections. When Irina is newly on heavy dosages, it takes her weeks to adjust and her skating is affected. We saw the effects last year at Europeans, where she had a horrible FS. It was easy to see then that Irina was on heavy medication because her face was very puffy and swollen, a common, very visible predisone side effect.
Irina is ill, there is no doubt of that, and her condition is very much affected by stress. The stress this year is much higher than usual because of the Olympics. Many of Irina's fans are worried about her. I am by no means a fan of Irina's skating, but I am concerned for her.
