2017-18 State of Russian Ladies skating

[atsumiri]

19-23 Feb 2018, Velikiy Novgorod - Final of Russian Cup, all 4 disciplines, Senior, Junior.
participants from Moscow https://www.sportvokrug.ru/competitions/3578//participants/
It's going to be pretty interesting

Senior
Tsurskaya
Kostornaya
Panenkova
Gulyakova
Mihailova
Tarusina

Junior
Trusova
Tarakanova
Kanyasheva
Kostuk
Kurakova
Safonova
Sinitsina

 

[esteticlove]

Thanks for the info! I hope the girls acclimatize quickly, get as much training time as possible and most importantly stay healthy! It is the time of their lifes and I wish them to enjoy every minute of this unique experience

 

[tars]

This is Anna’s performance with the head
https://twitter.com/aviana_ruby/status/957576961416679425

The drama!

 

[Tolstoj]

I wonder who will be the next Eteri's girl for the next season. Someone from Panova's group maybe?

Anyway i'm only now watching junior nationals (and yes i'm mad that Konstantinova finished on the podium instead of Gubanova), big fan of Kostyuk's SP, might be one of
my favourite programs of this season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_9dPMtPa0

 

[[email protected]]

I expect judging at Olympics to be ridiculous. They will definitely try hard to leave russians out of podium.
#FakeOlympics

I would not exaggerate risks at this moment. No one can beat clean Medvedeva, may be only Zagitova. So it's up to them, basically to skate clean. The biggest damage biased judging can make is in TES to give e to Medvedeva's lutz (neglecting wrong edges of the others) and UR to Zagitova's loop in the combo. In pcs they can keep Zhenya at 36+72 and Alina at 34+68. Even then they will score both around 220. To beat that competition have to do what they never did before this quad like clean FS from Caro and Osmond.

Team competition will be a good test for judging.

 

[ancientpeas]

Eteri already regretted leaving Daniil alone with the kids.

Can this be filed under "when the cat is away the mice will play"?

 

[ancientpeas]

I would not exaggerate risks at this moment. No one can beat clean Medvedeva, may be only Zagitova. So it's up to them, basically to skate clean. The biggest damage biased judging can make is in TES to give e to Medvedeva's lutz (neglecting wrong edges of the others) and UR to Zagitova's loop in the combo. In pcs they can keep Zhenya at 36+72 and Alina at 34+68. Even then they will score both around 220. To beat that competition have to do what they never did before this quad like clean FS from Caro and Osmond.

Team competition will be a good test for judging.

Is it strange that I actually think the opposite? Most of the judges are ISU judges. The ISU judges showed at Europeans that they had no problem with Russians winning medals. I would expect the judging to be much like what it has been at GPF and Europeans. If Evgenia and Alina skate clean I think no one will touch them and one will win gold and one will win silver. I think the bronze is up for grabs with Carolina being the favourite because even if her jumps let her down she gets lots of points for other things. I think though if Kaetlyn, Satoko, Maria or any other of the top flight ladies skate cleanly and Carolina does not that any of them could win the bronze.

But I pretty much see Alina-Evgenia going one-two unless they have meltdown. That would be a nice silverlining for the Russian ladies. Arguably the ladies Gold is the most prized medal at the Olympics and I personally don't see how Russia does not win it. I can't see both of them faltering.

Just my two cents.

 

[madison]

I also think that one of the OAR will win the ladies event with big chances for the other one to be on the podium as well and Canada for silver or bronze
I have a feeling that the judges will go with Medvedeva if she goes clean or nearly clean.

 

[Lightstar]

But to be honest I'm really afraid that same could happen to Alina like it happened to Julia. That she will be amazing in the Team and have a meltdown or not so great skate in the individual event. I have kind of a bad feeling...

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

But to be honest I'm really afraid that same could happen to Alina like it happened to Julia. That she will be amazing in the Team and have a meltdown or not so great skate in the individual event. I have kind of a bad feeling...

That shouldn’t happen...Julia’s situation was one of a kind. Home crowd plus sudden worldwide fame... no one was expecting a Russian girl to charm their hearts. Now we’ve come to expect it. Julia was also near perfect the entire season and that was her strength...when she lost it in the SP it scarred her. At least she got that WC silver medal.

 

[tars]

most likely it refers to case of stealing chocolate by Kostornaia caught on camera at JrNat competition

Looks like it's spreading to even younger generations!

 

[hippomoomin]

If the team event is held after individual events, this kind of situation can be avoided.

But to be honest I'm really afraid that same could happen to Alina like it happened to Julia. That she will be amazing in the Team and have a meltdown or not so great skate in the individual event. I have kind of a bad feeling...

 

[Tolstoj]

But to be honest I'm really afraid that same could happen to Alina like it happened to Julia. That she will be amazing in the Team and have a meltdown or not so great skate in the individual event. I have kind of a bad feeling...

Do not expect much from the Olympics.

1) Athletes that competes under the neutral flag are often underscored. The caveat here is that technically here they are still recognized as russian athletes, so this might change but i'm not sure.

2) The competition is in Korea, they have their history of cheated events, the last one 2014 Asian Games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerns_and_controversies_at_the_2014_Asian_Games

The thing is here they don't have strong south korean skaters: they didn't even win a single medal at the major competitions, but they might still help other skaters more.

3) I think Evgenia in particular is such an icon in figure skating, as long as she skates clean she should receive good marks. Alina unfortunately might be another Julia: she is not that famous true but her programs are much more stressful, that a single fall (especially in the free skate) is the kiss of death because then she wouldn't have the time to recover.

 

[lavoix]

Do we know what's the story with Stepanova/Bukin and Stolbova/Klimov, why they were banned etc?

 

[kiamma]

3) I think Evgenia in particular is such an icon in figure skating, as long as she skates clean she should receive good marks. Alina unfortunately might be another Julia: she is not that famous true but her programs are much more stressful, that a single fall (especially in the free skate) is the kiss of death because then she wouldn't have the time to recover.

You think if Alina was to make a glaring error or fall, that the judges will pounce to drop her PCS/GOE and try to get someone else on the podium?

 

[Tolstoj]

You think if Alina was to make a glaring error or fall, that the judges will pounce to drop her PCS/GOE and try to get someone else on the podium?

I think this could happen with Evgenia too, maybe not off the podium but lost the gold, it's possible, while Alina i can see her being out of the podium with a fall.

 

[alvina9894]

You think if Alina was to make a glaring error or fall, that the judges will pounce to drop her PCS/GOE and try to get someone else on the podium?

Rightfully so. GOE on her non-jump elements, and PCS apart from the TR category has been much of a joke lately.
I personally do not find her improving so drastically from GP to GPF to Euros that a >10 point PCS rise could justify.

 

[YesWay]

I personally do not find her improving so drastically from GP to GPF to Euros that a >10 point PCS rise could justify.

I'd say her performance and delivery has very noticably improved over the course of this season.

Her programs have become more polished - better extension, finishes her moves better, arms more graceful, and looks less rushed. No fall at Euro's either, if judges were considering it distracting enough to dock her PCS for it.

I don't know if it's 10 points worth of improvement, but I do see some very clear improvements.

 

[[email protected]]

I'd say her performance and delivery has very noticably improved over the course of this season.

Her programs have become more polished - better extension, finishes her moves better, arms more graceful, and looks less rushed. No fall at Euro's either, if judges were considering it distracting enough to dock her PCS for it.

I don't know if it's 10 points worth of improvement, but I do see some very clear improvements.

I watched yesterday the winners of 4CC and Europeans. It's the best comparison: both competed last year as juniors - both just won respective continental competitions.

Sorry, Kaori - you are not close so far in anything but jumps. Hence, the difference in pcs between Alina and Kaori is easily justified. By how many points? That's an open question, may be 5 may be more. But the difference is huge.

 

[[email protected]]

It should be victory to the pariticular ladies who win.


Honestly, I dislike nationalism in sports (like when people at bar act like THEY WON, and it was THEIR EFFORTS, while all they did was shout and curse at TV)... and it figure skating it makes even less sense. Does your liking for a skater depend on country they were born in?

I hope the one with best, non-inflated scores wins and people just accept it.

Of course, it won't happen, because apparently it's not Olympics (which was originally meant as celebration of peace and unity), but some proxy cold war.


In a way, maybe skating under Olympic flag the girls on podium give more name recognition as an individual.

In theory yes, it should be like that. In real life what we have is an unprecedented pressure on one country and its athletes. I am not sure if any of Russian skaters feel "liberated from an "oppression" to skate for their country and earn the "right" to represent just themselves.