2018-19 Russian Ladies' figure skating

[Amei]

Zhenya may have lost Russian fans love but it’s not universial internationally, IMO.

But she's Russian, and there's a good chance when her competitive career is over she goes back to Russia - losing Russian fans might hurt her future earnings for endorsement deals and skating shows.

 

[Mrs. P]

Maybe. I don’t know. But she seems beloved in Japan and there are plenty of opportunities there. She’s an intelligent girl, she’ll figure it out.

Athletes get deals because they show value. Fan support is one way to show that but it’s not the only way.

 

[Sugar Coated]

But she's Russian, and there's a good chance when her competitive career is over she goes back to Russia - losing Russian fans might hurt her future earnings for endorsement deals and skating shows.

Or she’s potentially gaining fans and new exposure. The social media with Jason might help her reach a new audience. Plus I have to imagine her improved English speaking might open up new opportunities in the future. Agreed that she likely lost many fans/opportunities in Russia but I’m not sure how much this will impact her potential career going forward.

 

[LucyH]

Or she’s potentially gaining fans and new exposure. The social media with Jason might help her reach a new audience. Plus I have to imagine her improved English speaking might open up new opportunities in the future. Agreed that she likely lost many fans/opportunities in Russia but I’m not sure how much this will impact her potential career going forward.

Agreed - she likely lost fans in Russia but she is gaining new fans internationally. I certainly pay more attention to her now that she is training in my hometown than I did when she was in Moscow. She seems like a really nice girl with an engaging and open personality. Love the fact that she actively tries to improve her English and teach herself Japanese (words anyway). She seems like quite a worldly girl to me so who knows she may even come to love North America and choose to stay here after her career is done.

 

[chopinskate]

Is Carmen for Zag a fact, or...?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Go Tat...pull for Gubanova to get that host pick. She slayed at Nationals and got nothing for it

 

[Dr-minus]

Medvedeva didn't lose any fans in Russia or anywhere else apart from a couple hundred trolls on sports.ru, who hated her all along anyway and needed an excuse to start bashing her 24/7. She won't have any problems working or touring in Russia whatsoever. I am guessing after retiring she will work in Duma like many champions of the past before her.

 

[frallik]

Ok so let's analyse it.

Kihira - if she is clean she is powerful with her 2 3As. But she is rarely clean at events that matters and she has problem with nerves. The cleanest she got was JapNats while her international events weren't as smooth as some people expected.
Mihara - more reliable than Kihira with stable international results. Definitely podium contender especially as she has clean lutz. But is she gold medal contender? Definitely more than Rika.
Tennell - if it was SA I'd be worried but it isn't SA. Also Bradie has problems with her short programs.

Time for Skate Chanada.
Tuktamysheva - Liza seems unable to skate two good programs at the same comp. If she has great sp she ends far in LP and if her long is good it's a sign she screw her short.She was 7th at the last RusNats, 8th two years ago and didn't medal at nationals since 2015-16 season. I can hardly imagine her crushing Med.
Gabrielle - never won against Zhenya and the only international event she medaled last season was Team Event at Olys. I doubt Chandian inflation will give her extra 30 points needed to endanger Med.
Higuchi - after last Worlds I can see her being bigger danger when she delivers than Tuk or Daleman. Two lutzes in SP are big point collectors and she has great axel. On the other hand she has lip and tends to make more mistakes after the first one.
Yamashita - I can't see her being any danger to Evgenia TBH. It's her first senior season, she medaled as junior but no golden strike and she doesn't have 3A or quad.
Tursynbaeva - unless she has stable 4S and doesn't make any mistake I don't see her even as podium contender.
Panenkova - stable and consistency of Eteri's school but with bland programs which don't make her a favourite in judges' eyes. Even clean doesn't get a lot of points.
I can see surviving both France and Canada with pretty good result

You may be right about the EM stage in Canada. Home starts are at a certain advantage.

 

[frallik]

Agreed - she likely lost fans in Russia but she is gaining new fans internationally. I certainly pay more attention to her now that she is training in my hometown than I did when she was in Moscow. She seems like a really nice girl with an engaging and open personality. Love the fact that she actively tries to improve her English and teach herself Japanese (words anyway). She seems like quite a worldly girl to me so who knows she may even come to love North America and choose to stay here after her career is done.

Whether it should be understood that in the international FS it's a common coaching practice to artificially slow down the results of the rivals to promote favorites and true FS NA connoisseurs meet such favorites with special warmth?

 

[Resa]

I wish for Elizaveta Tuktamysheva to nail it this Season!!

 

[frallik]

the fact that YuzuruJenny were assigned to different stages i see secret ISU intriguesagainst Orser

 

[surimi]

the fact that YuzuruJenny were assigned to different stages i see secret ISU intriguesagainst Orser

hehe, really? When I noticed my first thought was "ah of course, now that they see each other as often as they like at TCC, they don't have to go to the same competitions anymore to be able to interact"

 

[Orlov]

Medvedeva didn't lose any fans in Russia or anywhere else apart from a couple hundred trolls on sports.ru, who hated her all along anyway and needed an excuse to start bashing her 24/7.

Really, not any one? Zhenya lost at least one fan - me And i'm not troll from sports.ru.
My figure skating enthusiasm began a year ago after accidentally watching the video from YouTube in which was Zhenya's FP in Helsinki. I was kind of... shocked. My reaction was like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b3_-pPzDVk&feature=youtu.be&t=86
and I became a fan of Zhenya, just really-really fan.
But now, i'm not (although, I vaguely feel that a piece of love for her still lives somewhere inside me). Because say this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqQcVMCSWws&feature=youtu.be&t=222
and four weeks later to texting Orser... And leave coach (Teacher!) who gave you so much. Leave without good reason (all "reasonable" explanations fans made after. For me - it's nonsenc. Even Orser say "i was stunned". I do not want to discuss it - nobody will change my opinion). In my culture a very intolerant attitude to this.

Sorry for my bad english.

 

[yoloaxel]

Tbh people fall in and out of love with their favorite skaters all the time, it’s nothing strange or wrong - as long as they don’t insult the skater, ofc. As long as there is respect it’s all good! I used to really dislike Caro and now I really like her despite her technical issues, and the opposite happened for Ashley Wagner, I used to love her and now not so much, but I still respect her and wish her the best *

 

[Miller]

So the question is which newly age eligible seniors skate on Challengers and which do JGPs i.e. Gubanova, Tarusina etc. (and assuming they don't get the final Host Pick).

My guess is that Anastasiia and Anna will do JGPs, and try to reach the JGPF/Russian Nationals that way, rather than doing CS events and Russian Cups. Of course they might get the final Host Pick, but there's a lot of competition and with the depth of Russian competition you never know who it may come from, look at Alina Zagitova's and Alena Kostornaya's progress this last couple of seasons.

However I think Anastasiia and Anna will do JGPs as above, but that skaters who might struggle to reach Nationals such as Elizaveta Nugumanova or Anastasia Gulyakova will do CS's - the Russian Federation has been doing a surprising/good job at giving all their skaters a chance on this this last couple of seasons e.g. real mystery skaters like Alexandra Avstriskaya.

Add in skaters like Serafima Sakhanovich, Valeira Mikhailova, Alisa Fedichkina and Alena Leonova if she still carries on, and I think that will be the 'CS team' for this season, along with the 9 ladies already on GPs who will use them as warm up events (the CS team will also act as reserves if anyone drops out of the GPs, though of course this isn't actually guaranteed).

Finally, there's the possibility of Anastasiia/Anna switching to late season CS events if their JGP doesn't go too well, plus do Russian Cup events to try to get to Nationals that way. This would be the same as the rest of the ladies on CS events, but that aren't on GPs.

 

[esteticlove]

Tuktamysheva definitely has a chance to rise again, now that we have a new GOE system and her technique is great. But let be honest...as good as her technique is, there's really no artistry there... Hopefully, the scoring would show that (applying actually for any skater). Generally, I do except a big mess at the beginning with the new scoring

 

[moriel]

So the question is which newly age eligible seniors skate on Challengers and which do JGPs i.e. Gubanova, Tarusina etc. (and assuming they don't get the final Host Pick).

My guess is that Anastasiia and Anna will do JGPs, and try to reach the JGPF/Russian Nationals that way, rather than doing CS events and Russian Cups. Of course they might get the final Host Pick, but there's a lot of competition and with the depth of Russian competition you never know who it may come from, look at Alina Zagitova's and Alena Kostornaya's progress this last couple of seasons.

However I think Anastasiia and Anna will do JGPs as above, but that skaters who might struggle to reach Nationals such as Elizaveta Nugumanova or Anastasia Gulyakova will do CS's - the Russian Federation has been doing a surprising/good job at giving all their skaters a chance on this this last couple of seasons e.g. real mystery skaters like Alexandra Avstriskaya.

Add in skaters like Serafima Sakhanovich, Valeira Mikhailova, Alisa Fedichkina and Alena Leonova if she still carries on, and I think that will be the 'CS team' for this season, along with the 9 ladies already on GPs who will use them as warm up events (the CS team will also act as reserves if anyone drops out of the GPs, though of course this isn't actually guaranteed).

Finally, there's the possibility of Anastasiia/Anna switching to late season CS events if their JGP doesn't go too well, plus do Russian Cup events to try to get to Nationals that way. This would be the same as the rest of the ladies on CS events, but that aren't on GPs.

JGPs are pretty scarce this year, same as previous year.
I suppose those skaters may get 1 JGP each, and only get the second if they win. Which is not so likely because lots of strong juniors.

I think they will still do CS events.

 

[Tyranid]

I'm liking Radionova's competition at the GPs. She dodges both Zagitova and Medvedeva so he biggest Russian competition will be her CSKA teammates - Sotskova and Tsurskaya. Yes, she's facing strong Japanese competition, but not facing Med/Zagi is most important since they will be the heavy favorites. It will be very interesting to see who CSKA decides to support. I'm hoping it's Radionova, I feel that people are losing hope in her despite the fact that she is the only Russian lady besides Medvedeva who has 5 or more major competition medals and has never fully bombed a program. Let's hope that CSKA and the FFKR doesn't lose hope in her.

ETA: I don't think Tuktamysheva will be able to resurge. Don't have hope after 3 straight failed seasons.

 

[moriel]

I'm liking Radionova's competition at the GPs. She dodges both Zagitova and Medvedeva so he biggest Russian competition will be her CSKA teammates - Sotskova and Tsurskaya. Yes, she's facing strong Japanese competition, but not facing Med/Zagi is most important since they will be the heavy favorites. It will be very interesting to see who CSKA decides to support. I'm hoping it's Radionova, I feel that people are losing hope in her despite the fact that she is the only Russian lady besides Medvedeva who has 5 or more major competition medals and has never fully bombed a program. Let's hope that CSKA and the FFKR doesn't lose hope in her.

ETA: I don't think Tuktamysheva will be able to resurge. Don't have hope after 3 straight failed seasons.

Well, last year it was pretty obvious that Buyanova invested all in Sotskova.
My guess is that it will be the same. All resources, both coach attention and politiking will go to Maria.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

I'm liking Radionova's competition at the GPs. She dodges both Zagitova and Medvedeva so he biggest Russian competition will be her CSKA teammates - Sotskova and Tsurskaya. Yes, she's facing strong Japanese competition, but not facing Med/Zagi is most important since they will be the heavy favorites. It will be very interesting to see who CSKA decides to support. I'm hoping it's Radionova, I feel that people are losing hope in her despite the fact that she is the only Russian lady besides Medvedeva who has 5 or more major competition medals and has never fully bombed a program. Let's hope that CSKA and the FFKR doesn't lose hope in her.

ETA: I don't think Tuktamysheva will be able to resurge. Don't have hope after 3 straight failed seasons.

Radionova did pretty awfully at nationals this year and she’s regressing so why should she get support over others who aren’t?