Anna Pogorilaya

j00mla said:

In this case she will have to leave Russia and change coach for someone working outside it (in North America for ex) which is much more expensive.

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That's why I don't want Anna to rush into a decision, but take time to think it through.

I know a lot of us want her to leave Anna Tsareva, for her own wellbeing. And killing two birds with one stone by switching countries at the same time would mean she would only have to go through one lot of adjusting to new situations.

But, the Russian Fed likes to keep everything in house. They don't like their skaters having foreign coaches, and they don't like their coaches having students who represent other countries.

There are some exceptions, such as Alexei Mishin coaching Carolina Kostner and Li Zijun, along with his Russian students. But not many.

So, if Anna was to switch countries, especially to one which does not have good relations with Russia, she could suddenly find herself not having access to a Russian coach. Where would she go?

The obvious answer is "to one of the Russian coaches based in North America". But, using the most high profile example, would you want to send a gorgeous young female skater to Morozov? Especially one that needs one-to-one attention to fix her falling issues. Like, given that he has a habit of marrying his students!

The problem with being based in North America is that it is a different continent with different language, different culture, etc. to what she is used to. And some people find it difficult to adjust, and become homesick. And we don't want that happening to Anna on top of everything else.

Then there is the financial side of things: would the Ukrainian Fed be able to afford the costs associated with having one of the best skaters in the world?

All these things have to be weighed up.

Although switching to her ancestral homeland would mean Anna would pretty much be guaranteed international slots, there is more to be considered than just that.

If it works out well, it would extend her international career, and give her the chance to fight for wins at the Majors for many years to come.

But if it goes wrong, it might just finish her career completely. Which is the last thing we want.

CaroLiza_fan

Anna may seem fragile but she is tough, or else she wouldn't have had the success she has had. Like other skaters who leave their homeland to train in foreign country and cultures, she will have the fortitude to do it if she has the will. Is she ambitious enough to make all the big changes and sacrifices?

Totentanz said:

Here are her own words about the current state, not sure if it counts as an interview though. She looks determined to heal and come back!
http://fs-gossips.com/anna-pogorilaya-the-season-is-over-for-me/

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I have a feeling that she stressed the fact that she has not been practicing on ice to avoid being asked about her relationships with her coach. Maybe she did not want to be on the ice to face Tsareva who has not shown much sympathy or support for her either. At least, she said that she kept her spirit up and is determined to restore her back. I think a predicament like what Anna had suffered this whole year would really make a person mature, become stronger and appreciate more about what she/he has in life. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger! I have faith in Anna that she will rise like a phoenix and find more happiness and purposes in her life!

j00mla said:

In this case she will have to leave Russia and change coach for someone working outside it (in North America for ex) which is much more expensive.

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I wonder if Plushenko as he is not state-funded could take her in that case? I think he has some students who are not competing for Russia, someone for Kazakhstan if i am not wrong?
But i have thought that some students from ex-soviet countries train in Russia, isn't it so?

QueenOfTheRoad said:

I wonder if Plushenko as he is not state-funded could take her in that case? I think he has some students who are not competing for Russia, someone for Kazakhstan if i am not wrong?
But i have thought that some students from ex-soviet countries train in Russia, isn't it so?

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Anastasia Galustyan trains in Moscow - and Moris Kvitelashvili still trains with Eteri after having switched to Georgia, so there are at least a few non-Russians training in Russia. And yes, I believe Plush has a non-Russian student or two (plus he has some family in the Ukraine, and has Ukrainians working on his shows as well, as I recall him saying - and this was well after the problems started, so that might not be an issue for him.)

Still, Anna may not wish to switch countries in any case.

Armenia and Kazakhstan try to maintain good relations with Russia, Ukraine - vice versa. Kvitelashvili and Eteri are both georgians, modern Georgia seems to be neutral to Russia.
Plushenko's school is quit expensive so Anna will need financial assistance, I guess.
Note 1 - After recovery being Russian skater she can use Russian Cup and Nationals as very good competitive practice, being Ukrainian skater she wouldn't have any strong "internal" competitors.
Note 2 - A lot of Russian young ladies would be gladly accepted in other countries if they want to avoid hard selection for the national team, but I can't remember any lady (except Ovcharova and she have no real success after that) who used such opportunity, they prefer Russian "bloodbath" on ice.

I think country switch is rather bad idea than good.

j00mla said:

modern Georgia seems to be neutral to Russia.

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It is not. I hope people like Moris and Eteri could contribute to softening the hostility.

j00mla said:

Armenia and Kazakhstan try to maintain good relations with Russia, Ukraine - vice versa. Kvitelashvili and Eteri are both georgians, modern Georgia seems to be neutral to Russia.
Plushenko's school is quit expensive so Anna will need financial assistance, I guess.
Note 1 - After recovery being Russian skater she can use Russian Cup and Nationals as very good competitive practice, being Ukrainian skater she wouldn't have any strong "internal" competitors.
Note 2 - A lot of Russian young ladies would be gladly accepted in other countries if they want to avoid hard selection for the national team, but I can't remember any lady (except Ovcharova and she have no real success after that) who used such opportunity, they prefer Russian "bloodbath" on ice.

I think country switch is rather bad idea than good.

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Just to note that Plush's school is expensive, yes, but he also coaches some talented skaters for free.

Not that I am contradicting what you said, and I believe Anna herself has expressed the opinion that the fierce competitiveness of the Russian ladies is an advantage & great motivator.

Wishing Anna the best in her recovery from her back injury. I want to see her back next season, stronger than ever

QueenOfTheRoad said:

I wonder if Plushenko as he is not state-funded could take her in that case?

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Wow. I didn't realise Plushy wasn't state funded. Like, he is The Great Man of Russian skating, after all.

But, I suppose he is new to this coaching lark. Once he gets established, he will probably get more support.

LRK said:

Anastasia Galustyan trains in Moscow - and Moris Kvitelashvili still trains with Eteri after having switched to Georgia, so there are at least a few non-Russians training in Russia. And yes, I believe Plush has a non-Russian student or two (plus he has some family in the Ukraine, and has Ukrainians working on his shows as well, as I recall him saying - and this was well after the problems started, so that might not be an issue for him.)

Still, Anna may not wish to switch countries in any case.

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LRK said:

Just to note that Plush's school is expensive, yes, but he also coaches some talented skaters for free.

Not that I am contradicting what you said, and I believe Anna herself has expressed the opinion that the fierce competitiveness of the Russian ladies is an advantage & great motivator.

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Very good points, LRK. :agree:

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I am kinda regretting bringing up the fact that Anna has this option. I only mentioned it to try and re-assure a fan who was getting upset that this is not necessarily the end.

So, can we go back to concentrating on the important thing - Anna getting better.

CaroLiza_fan

CaroLiza_fan said:

Wow. I didn't realise Plushy wasn't state funded. Like, he is The Great Man of Russian skating, after all.

But, I suppose he is new to this coaching lark. Once he gets established, he will probably get more support.

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Plushenko set up a private school on his own initiative. To get support, you normally need to join some sort of an existing structure that is state-funded.

Anna deserves much more. She does not deserve the things that are happening to her, I hate to see her cry, I hate to see her disconsolate, I hate to see her eyes reflecting despair, I hate to see her alone in a kiss and cry being humiliated by her trainer. She deserves the support of a good coach who really cares about her, God, as we would all her admirers, we could give her our support that she read it directly but it is difficult. Anna is a beautiful person

I heard the "Por Una Cabeza" tango Anna skated to for 2016-17 recently and couldn't help but feel really sad. I still think she has a bright future and really have high hopes for her. If that means a new coach and new training environment, then so be it. All the best for Anna in 2018! Heal well!

I'm trying to chatch up, after being disconnected from iceskating for half a year, to find out that my favorite female skater is not skating this season!!!
I'm gonna miss her a lot. Female's aren´t my favorite part of the skating world, except for her (always) and a few others (sometimes, depending on the programs).
I hope that she can fix whatever is keeping her from competitions. We need you Anna!!

Olibritt said:

I'm trying to chatch up, after being disconnected from iceskating for half a year, to find out that my favorite female skater is not skating this season!!!
I'm gonna miss her a lot. Female's aren´t my favorite part of the skating world, except for her (always) and a few others (sometimes, depending on the programs).
I hope that she can fix whatever is keeping her from competitions. We need you Anna!!

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In case you missed it, this is worth watching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqBqfzK_fjc

LRK said:

In case you missed it, this is worth watching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqBqfzK_fjc

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It was worth watching!! Thank you!
She is wonderful!
I think this is the sencond time she use spanish music in her programs. I'm spanish myself, so i'm delighted!!
I hope we can see that program again next season, with Anna totally recovered.
And, in the meantime (i'm gonna be picky here), she can polish small details of her spanish dancing abilities to make it even better.

Olibritt said:

It was worth watching!! Thank you!
She is wonderful!
I think this is the sencond time she use spanish music in her programs. I'm spanish myself, so i'm delighted!!
I hope we can see that program again next season, with Anna totally recovered.
And, in the meantime (i'm gonna be picky here), she can polish small details of her spanish dancing abilities to make it even better.

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Yes, I'm hoping myself that she keeps this program - it has potential to be really amazing, I think.

I think it's pretty obvious that she wasn't at her best at Skate Canada, but the SP is, well short, and a skater of her caliber can make it look good anyway. You can see that she's having problems with her back and her movements aren't as sharp. I also still think there was a reason for that dress and why her upper body looked so bulky. Anna has a bust, compared to other female skaters but she's not that...bunched up usually. It even went so far that one of our commentators said that puberty has finally caught up with her. (weight wise) She's 19 years old and to me it looked like her puberty was over before she came onto the senior scene.

As I said before, I'm not specially fan of female skaters. I have nothing against them, when I watch Medvedeva's programs, or any other top skater, I see how wonderful they are and that they deserve every single point they receive, they just don´t move me. This is a very exigent sport, the skaters need to be very young and that's my problem, they are extremely young to be able to transmit emotions with their programs. It's not a problem of inmaturity, they need to be extremely mature for the sport life and the trainning they have to follow, but it's imposible for them to have experience to transmit emotions they have not lived. I understand that this is not a problem for those fans that have a strong skating background and can apreciate the technical aspects more than me, but in my case, I need that strong connection.
Anna is my exception, because she does moves me. The reason is clear, she is a woman, she's got a woman's body and is able to tramsmit woman's emotions and, in a competition, what I value most of all is diversity and she is really different from the rest.
The body shape is extremely important in this sport but I'm really tired of the tyranny of "being perfect" when applied to women. She is different and that's her value, not her problem. It's their coaches job to help her make the most of it.

I think we only saw a shadow of what that SP could be. It was good - but it could be truly great.