2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[Mishaminion]

Kamila just sat through the compulsory ISU press conference with the winners.

She refused to answer to a question into her injury She asked the interpreter from FFKKR for advice and stuck to her refusal. #TeamTutberidzeForProgress instructed her well also.

We may not like this, but I think it is a sign of maturity and command over the situation to stay firm on certain touchy subjects. Otherwise, there were lots of giggles from Kamila. She doesn't seem to like press conferences, but once she got talking, she talks swift and expresses herself quite well I thought. There isn't really that much depth in most sports, nor are there secrets, including in figure skating. Work, work, work, fall and get up again, never give up and learn from every occasion.

She has a JGPF title to let sink in and celebrate right now, I think not answering questions about injury was very sensible. Her skating did the talking and that's what counts, I'd hate press conferences too, some of the questions asked are annoying.

 

[nussnacker]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5u2txkpd7q/
Sasha fixing Aliona's hair ah, so sweet!

 

[Jontor]

She's not on the same level though, she's struggling with puberty, her small jumps are even smaller and she's plagued by underrotations. That's just the tech side.
PCS wise, she's lacking a lot of the sass she had last season, possibly because she's struggling with the jumps and focused on trying to get them around.
She's in a slump and I do agree the judges are being harsh on her but being realistic here, she's not comfortable in her new body yet, and it shows in her jumps, her confidence and her performance.
I like Sofia very much though and would love to see her fight back to her best.

Agree to this. The sass is gone, probably because she focuses too much on the jumps.

But to be honest, I do think Sofia might have been a bit overscored some times last season, especially at Europeans.
Her high scores from last season indicated a level that she never really was at. Just my opinion.

 

[Charlotte 71]

Was just watching a Trusova practice LP run-through after the Junior ladies ended - was that a quad flip as her first jump pass? It was far away/fan cam, and she rotates so fast I honestly couldn't tell. Must be, because otherwise why would she have changed the layout? Amazing, she's got everything but the quad loop and the 3A now.

 

[Edwin]

Agree to this. The sass is gone, probably because she focuses too much on the jumps.

But to be honest, I do think Sofia might have been a bit overscored some times last season, especially at Europeans.
Her high scores from last season indicated a level that she never really was at. Just my opinion.

Perhaps, and on the scoring part even probable. Now, what is #TeamMishin doing about this? There isn't much time left to pull Sof'ya out of the slump she seems to be stuck in, the all important National Championships are in four weeks already!

Tarakanova, Sinitsyna, Vasil'yeva and possible Tsibinova are perhaps all vying for a spot on the national senior selection coming season. And there are going to be some drop off and retirements.

 

[Mishaminion]

Was just watching a Trusova practice LP run-through after the Junior ladies ended - was that a quad flip as her first jump pass? It was far away/fan cam, and she rotates so fast I honestly couldn't tell. Must be, because otherwise why would she have changed the layout? Amazing, she's got everything but the quad loop and the 3A now.

4S was her first jumping pass previously. If that was a 4F did she land it?!

I think she is planning 3A though, we know she has been landing them hehe

 

[DenissVFan]

She may not have done it in the program, but Liza did do a 4T in the free skate warm-up. So secure!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5vRIffHtTJ/?igshid=1a38qurw0f28c

She should go for it at RusNats.

 

[theharleyquinn]

It's good for Liza to show the score she's capable of without the 4T. It makes her case more compelling when she does put it in presumably at Nationals.

 

[Charlotte 71]

Yes! Looked clean. Wish I could post the link. (on my work computer now, youtube blocked) - it's 2019 ISU GPF Alexandra Trusova FS run through.

 

[Jontor]

Perhaps, and on the scoring part even probable. Now, what is #TeamMishin doing about this? There isn't much time left to pull Sof'ya out of the slump she seems to be stuck in, the all important National Championships are in four weeks already!

Tarakanova, Sinitsyna, Vasil'yeva and possible Tsibinova are perhaps all vying for a spot on the national senior selection coming season.

Yes, I think it will be difficult for Sofia to beat those girls at Nationals. And then there is also Gubanova, Nugumanova and Sakhanovich who also can beat her. Nationals might be tough for Sofia.

 

[Nord Stream 2]

Agree to this. The sass is gone, probably because she focuses too much on the jumps.

But to be honest, I do think Sofia might have been a bit overscored some times last season, especially at Europeans.
Her high scores from last season indicated a level that she never really was at. Just my opinion.

Once, a Chinese sage dreamed that he was a beautiful butterfly, gracefully fluttering over a flower.
In the morning, the sage thought seriously, who is he really?
A sage who dreamed that he was a light-winged butterfly, or, conversely, was he a butterfly who dreamed that she was a sage?

 

[Edwin]

Yes, I think it will be difficult for Sofia to beat those girls at Nationals. And then there is also Gubanova, Nugumanova and Sakhanovich who also can beat her. Nationals might be tough for Sofia.

But both Sinitsyna and Vasil'yeva kind of underperformed in JGPF just concluded, so for them National Championships is going to be the toughest and most important competition of the season too. I wouldn't count out the older, more seasoned and experienced competitors yet.

 

[Scott512]

How did KV win JGF gold without quads? Congrats to her.

What the heck has happened to Sofia? She was the steadiest skater on tour last year and reaped the rewards of that. It has to be more than puberty. Maybe pressure to live up to her European title?

 

[Mishaminion]

How did KV win JGF gold without quads? Congrats to her.

What the heck has happened to Sofia? She was the steadiest skater on tour last year and reaped the rewards of that. It has to be more than puberty. Maybe pressure to live up to her European title?

Alysa fell and got URs.

For Sofia it is probably a combination of things, puberty, pressure, losing confidence because of struggling with the puberty and pressure. It is a downward spiral we have seen Maria Sotskova and Stanislava Konstantinova go through recently too. Sofia is still quite consistent at staying on her feet but the URs and her struggles with several issues are a hard funk to climb out of.

 

[flanker]

Only Kamila and Alysa are invited to the gala. Did they also only invite two juniors last year? Cannot remember

I think only Aliona did the gala last year.

 

[Scott512]

Alysa fell and got URs.

For Sofia it is probably a combination of things, puberty, pressure, losing confidence because of struggling with the puberty and pressure. It is a downward spiral we have seen Maria Sotskova and Stanislava Konstantinova go through recently too. Sofia is still quite consistent at staying on her feet but the URs and her struggles with several issues are a hard funk to climb out of.

Thanks. I am surpised Alysa messed up. Good for Kamila. Trixels and quads are a huge risk and reward for skaters.

 

[nussnacker]

So Daniil confirmed my thoughts, after Kamila's injury they only managed to get all her triples back in those weeks, the quad was not ready and they did not want to push her (not to aggravate anything during her recovery I suppose), hence they went for triples only.

 

[Edwin]

Thanks. I am surpised Alysa messed up. Good for Kamila. Trixels and quads are a huge risk and reward for skaters.

Still, had Valiyeva skated with quads and Liu not fallen and stumbled, my overall ranking would have had Valiyeva still on top. Kamila's speed, skill level and quality of execution is still quite a bit higher than Alysa's.
Perhaps skating third, in front of Alysa, put Kamila on ease, and Alysa having to skate after a clean and almost perfect Kamila knew she needed to skate at her very best to beat Kamila.

So in a sense, #TeamTutberidzeForProgress' strategy paid off.

I was hoping for Usachyova to top both, which could have been possible were she absolutely flawless (of which Dar'ya is certainly capable). Usachyova has improved markedly on Open Test Skates, and is growing into an exquisite skater with classic lines.
With her also, a program without ultra-si executed to perfection will challenge any skater with those big skills that often go slightly wrong.

 

[P44]

Kamila just sat through the compulsory ISU press conference with the winners.

She refused to answer to a question into her injury She asked the interpreter from FFKKR for advice and stuck to her refusal. #TeamTutberidzeForProgress instructed her well also.

We may not like this, but I think it is a sign of maturity and command over the situation to stay firm on certain touchy subjects. Otherwise, there were lots of giggles from Kamila. She doesn't seem to like press conferences, but once she got talking, she talks swift and expresses herself quite well I thought. There isn't really that much depth in most sports, nor are there secrets, including in figure skating. Work, work, work, fall and get up again, never give up and learn from every mistake on all occasions.

RE. Dar'ya and her music choices - I like them, a bright girl that choses serious music and expresses herself with a serious face, skating her images out with full conviction. Again I sense a gender and cultural bias against certain music choices that keeps appearing here and on another site, always voiced by what to me seem the same kind of people.

I just imagine Dar'ya as a girl that reads Bronte and other serious novels on love overcoming all misery and the power of life in times of hardship and despair and feels empowered by it.

But why talk about her injury would be a problem ? It' not a criticism and she has the right not to talk about it but why keep it secret ?

 

[Nord Stream 2]

Alysa fell and got URs.

For Sofia it is probably a combination of things, puberty, pressure, losing confidence because of struggling with the puberty and pressure. It is a downward spiral we have seen Maria Sotskova and Stanislava Konstantinova go through recently too. Sofia is still quite consistent at staying on her feet but the URs and her struggles with several issues are a hard funk to climb out of.

While the Crystal Witch tortured unhappy children on an ice rink in Novogorsk and Moscow, Mishin trained Sofia in Courchevel and on the beaches of Florida. During breaks, she rested in Thailand.
Even for the experienced Liza, this was not enough. For the young "superstar" Sofia, this could deprive her of even one place in the grand prix.

But the grandfather is old and he doesn’t care.
Maybe I'm wrong, but she will make the company Stanislava in the fight for last place in the Russian Championship.
If the judges are truly honest in Krasnoyarsk.