2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[monochrom3]

Lately we spend more time discussing skaters' lives than their skating.

Can't agree more. Welcome to this forum sister, its been like this all the time

I came into this world for the love of skating, not the gossip rag that this place often is. Let's discuss the skaters skating more, you know, the thing which they actually do? They are athletes, public figures yes, but athletes first nonetheless.

That aside, I also wanted to point out that the feedback I saw from japanese figure skating fans re all the russian skaters was really positive. Exhibitions are fun things at the end of the day, the audience clearly enjoyed it, and the skaters too enjoyed it, I don't see why some people feel the need to be so pressed about not perfect skating in an ice show. Jumps being popped is nothing new in shows, skater Adam Rippon once likened jumping around in show lights as trying to jump in the dark. Skating steps were all in, maybe not 100% but my dudes I literally watched the whole thing in full, and if you look at the Japanese ladies, say Satoko or Rika, their steps are really not 100% in either. The Russian skaters were no better or worse than the other skaters.

And also to note, both Alina and Liza skated to live music for the first time (I'm sure about it being Alina's first, and maybe a little 50/50 about Liza maybe someone can confirm). Even Hanyu himself has spoken about how difficult it is to sync skating to live music, and how you really have to pay attention to the music that changes – and he's done it for a long time. I think both girls did a remarkable job with that. In particular, the music on Alina's Carmen was a little fast towards the end, but she still matched the music nonetheless even if that meant she had to speed up her steps significantly. Zhenya did 7 Rings. Sure it may not really be my type of a program personally, but its an ice show, let the girl do whatever she wants. And above all, its a fun, entertaining program that serves its purpose of entertaining the audience. People really ought to know that an ice show is literally an ICE SHOW. It's not a competition. It's not even a gala heck, its an ice show.

 

[VenusHalley]

I liked Liza the most of the Russian ladies... sure it was bit boring but it was fun without being tacky.

I find detest 7 Rings. It is a gross song. I do not like the bragging and flexing trend... it's just trashy. Zhenyas costume...... uhhhhh.

Alina's Carmen would be okay ( though girl STOP RUSHING!!!!!!)... but the bit where she spreads legs in the beginning... uh.... it spoiled the thing for me. So the chair is there only so she can flash us? Why why why.......

 

[Scott512]

I liked Liza the most of the Russian ladies... sure it was bit boring but it was fun without being tacky.

I find detest 7 Rings. It is a gross song. I do not like the bragging and flexing trend... it's just trashy. Zhenyas costume...... uhhhhh.

Alina's Carmen would be okay ( though girl STOP RUSHING!!!!!!)... but the bit where she spreads legs in the beginning... uh.... it spoiled the thing for me. So the chair is there only so she can flash us? Why why why.......

Why why why? Because VH they are kids and want to experiment. Some people like you and Madison in particular would not like Alina's quick flash. I understand why. I didn't particularly like it either. Zhenyas costume is a shock to some with that 7 rings song. I think these 2:are so sweet and nice that at 17 and 19 they want to push the envelope a bit which I surmise is normal process of growing figure skating superstars or not. Maybe it's a bit if the Liza influence too.

 

[Scott512]

Can't agree more. Welcome to this forum sister, its been like this all the time

I came into this world for the love of skating, not the gossip rag that this place often is. Let's discuss the skaters skating more, you know, the thing which they actually do? They are athletes, public figures yes, but athletes first nonetheless.

That aside, I also wanted to point out that the feedback I saw from japanese figure skating fans re all the russian skaters was really positive. Exhibitions are fun things at the end of the day, the audience clearly enjoyed it, and the skaters too enjoyed it, I don't see why some people feel the need to be so pressed about not perfect skating in an ice show. Jumps being popped is nothing new in shows, skater Adam Rippon once likened jumping around in show lights as trying to jump in the dark. Skating steps were all in, maybe not 100% but my dudes I literally watched the whole thing in full, and if you look at the Japanese ladies, say Satoko or Rika, their steps are really not 100% in either. The Russian skaters were no better or worse than the other skaters.

And also to note, both Alina and Liza skated to live music for the first time (I'm sure about it being Alina's first, and maybe a little 50/50 about Liza maybe someone can confirm). Even Hanyu himself has spoken about how difficult it is to sync skating to live music, and how you really have to pay attention to the music that changes – and he's done it for a long time. I think both girls did a remarkable job with that. In particular, the music on Alina's Carmen was a little fast towards the end, but she still matched the music nonetheless even if that meant she had to speed up her steps significantly. Zhenya did 7 Rings. Sure it may not really be my type of a program personally, but its an ice show, let the girl do whatever she wants. And above all, its a fun, entertaining program that serves its purpose of entertaining the audience. People really ought to know that an ice show is literally an ICE SHOW. It's not a competition. It's not even a gala heck, its an ice show.

You vented some and made some salient points. I bet that felt good.

 

[Scott512]

...she's a teen, she should be able to express herself sexually. but that doesn't mean that she wants to be turned into some underage sex symbol.

like if someone wears a short tight dress because they want to feel sexy, obviously they don't wear the dress with the intention of getting sexually harassed and it's in no way their fault if other people harass them.

You can't have it both ways teen gir like Billie E or not.

But I concur about your tight dress point.

Do you think Alinas SP and LP have been finalized?

Eteri will be pushing them hard soon at their training camp. I hope everyone is ready to test it up! It will be Kanyshevas first training camp with EG. That should be interesting for the new Alena K.

 

[voolfee]

she spreads legs in the beginning

Uffff, she didn't spread legs. It was only a moment, when she moved her legs from one side of the chair to another.

 

[Scott512]

Will Kostornia learn 3a this season or wait 1 more season for her triple axel debut?

 

[Bluediamonds09]

I am very very curious to see what becomes of Gubanova, Guliakova, Talalakina, Tarakanova, Tarusina, and Vasilieva. Very very curious to see if one of them can break out of the B-list box and become a world team member, or at least a GPF competitor. Thoughts?

 

[Sugar Coated]

You can't have it both ways teen gir like Billie E or not.

But I concur about your tight dress point.

Do you think Alinas SP and LP have been finalized?

Eteri will be pushing them hard soon at their training camp. I hope everyone is ready to test it up! It will be Kanyshevas first training camp with EG. That should be interesting for the new Alena K.

Expressing sexuality through ones art does not mean you are inviting someone to objectify your body. Teens can write stories or poems about rape, doesn’t mean this is what they want in real life. Teens can draw or paint nude pictures, doesn’t mean they are inviting people to sexualize their own bodies. Art is a personal experience to express oneself and own ones sexuality. That does not mean they want or feel comfortable with adults sexualizing them.

The difference is when a teen is dressed or expressing choreography that has been created by adults that depicts adult themes or draws attention to a teenage body. Doesn’t mean they can’t be sexual, just that they should avoid bringing excessive attention to their bodies as they are not fully adults.

I think Sophia expressed sexuality through her burlesque performance, maybe wouldn’t have been my first choice for someone her age, but she portrayed an age appropriate personal expression that felt genuine and worked for her without over sexualizing movements or excessively skimpy consumes. It did not rely on drawing excessive attention to a teenage body. Liza expressed a more adult program for her exhibition that was fine for her as an adult but I think would have been inappropriate for someone younger. Some of Trusovas big spender choreography also felt inappropriate, especially given her age at the time. That’s the difference I see.

 

[Vandevska]

You vented some and made some salient points. I bet that felt good.

You're becoming like a psychologist of the group

 

[Bluediamonds09]

I brought up the conversation about Talalakina and Tarakanova, etc because I was trying to steer the conversation away from this mess...... I failed.

But, it’s still interesting to think about the futures of those girls. Do u guys think any of them have a shot at the GP ?

 

[Grin]

But, it’s still interesting to think about the futures of those girls. Do u guys think any of them have a shot at the GP ?

Nope

 

[Fluture]

I am very very curious to see what becomes of Gubanova, Guliakova, Talalakina, Tarakanova, Tarusina, and Vasilieva. Very very curious to see if one of them can break out of the B-list box and become a world team member, or at least a GPF competitor. Thoughts?

This will be very interesting. Some thoughts on this:

I love Gubanova‘s style of skating. The skating skills, her artistry... one of a kind. But I just can‘t with her jumps. She has such a weird technique that it always just looks weird and forced. I‘d give her all the points just to watch her skate on the ice without any jumps whatsoever. No, seriously, she‘s been improving over the last few months, I think, and she‘s become a bit more consistent. She can even do 3Lz+3Lo, her problem is just that she often makes multiple mistakes. With the fed constantly overlooking her, she needs to be flawless for a few times in a row and sadly, she hasn‘t done that so far. But she‘s got the potential and she‘s now Buyanova‘s main senior lady, isn‘t she? As much as I love Polina, Nastya has been so much better the last few months. Maybe her improvement + the fed finally not overlooking her could lead her to a GP spot. She‘d deserve it. But there‘s that... so many Russian girls would deserve spots.

Which brings me to the next girl. Anna Tarusina. She‘s not my favourite and her skating often isn‘t my cup of tea but she‘s so consistent and passionate and her story is just inspiring. Judges like consistent skaters. If she could get a GP or some senior B events... maybe her scores would rise. Next season, I feel like a lot will be dependent on timing, momentum and most of all, luck.

Talalaikina has the least chances, I‘d say if you ask me. Not gonna lie, I loved her at Russian Nationals. Her program was cheesy but it was evident that she loved it. She was happy and it showed and I enjoyed it. But her jumps really aren‘t that great, she often pops jumps and loses levels on spins. So, if I had to rank her, I‘d put her behind Gubanova and Tarusina.

Guliakova is a different case and sadly, a lot will depend on whether she manages to get that 3A or not. Otherwise she doesn‘t have a lot going for her, unfortunately. She doesn‘t have Tarusina‘s consistency, Gubanova‘s artistry and skating skills, or even Talalaikina‘s visible enthusiasm. Her choreography is also very Mishin like, which has been a problem with the judges even for more established skaters like Liza or Sofia. If she can land the 3A or some more difficult combos... maybe. Otherwise, I‘m just not that confident about her.

Tarakanova, I think, will stay in juniors. She‘s young enough and maybe she‘ll finally make the Worlds team. Such a shame that she missed it the past two years. She has a lot of potential, if you ask me, probably the most out of all the girls you mentioned. It will depend on luck with JGP assignments and her own ability to keep calm and perform well. She‘s been known as a bit of a headcase and her constant switching of coaches could be a bit difficult as well. Constantly having to adjust surely doesn‘t help the training process. Backloading the combo in the SP also hasn’t been a good idea so far. I have no idea whether she‘s actively training 3A or quads but if she does, that could help her of course. We‘ll see.

I‘m not enthusiastic about Vasilieva, to be honest. I don’t want to be mean but I find her very boring. In my eyes, as harsh as it sounds, she only has her consistency going for her. She‘s not a Tarusina, who is an emotional and engaging performer, she skates right through the music and doesn‘t interact with the audience at all. She‘s young and she can surely improve and she does have some unique combos, though, like the +Eu+3F ones. I guess she‘ll stay in juniors. If she can improve her artistry a bit, she could be relevant.

Just my two cents. And thanks for bringing up a new topic, I guess we could really use something new to talk about.

 

[Alex65]

Nope

Why? Tarakanova will be qualify for the JGP necessarily, and will make the final, I hope.

 

[Happy Skates]

Nope

Gubanova and Tarusina are guaranteed GP spots should they be submitted, so I don't think its right to say they don't have a shot at all (imo its somewhat likely that at least one of them gets a spot).

Actually, speaking of the GP spots situation, can anyone remember a time where several skaters got one spot instead of 9 skaters getting 2? (in the initial assignments).

 

[maggieanne]

I brought up the conversation about Talalakina and Tarakanova, etc because I was trying to steer the conversation away from this mess...... I failed.

But, it’s still interesting to think about the futures of those girls. Do u guys think any of them have a shot at the GP ?

I think Tarakanova has the best chances out of all them, but only if she stays in juniors this year. If she stays in juniors and has a really good season, makes the the final and the worlds team, she would move up to seniors with a better reputation. This year I don’t think she has chance in seniors, I don’t think she would even get a real opportunity to compete to prove herself regardless of her skills.

 

[Alex65]

accidentally thought how hard the fight for the podium will be at the Russian Championship 19. Even getting into the top five can make the season for everyone. It should be cooler than the nats 18.

 

[LiamForeman]

With the 4A, Med, Tuk, Sam, and Kon getting two spots, there are just two left. I hope Gub gets at least one of those. Taru probably deserves one also. Perhaps they can square off at one event and the winner gets the final spot?

 

[SkateSkates]

I really hope Gubanova and Tarusina get one spot each. The max entry per country rule is unfortunate since they really are skaters of the caliber to get 2 assignments. I think both Tarakanova and Vasilieva said they will stay Junior this season, so hopefully they can both qualify for JGPF and then do a Senior B to improve their SB with the extra Choreo Seq element. I don’t think it makes sense for any of the other ladies to stay junior

 

[hippomoomin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQvSJxKNlq4

Three Russian ladies performance in Japan. I like Liza's music but it seems she used most of the moves from her Middle Eastern dance programs. Alina's program was fun, but it seems she didn't have enough time to prepare for it, given the improvised music. Evgenia's program has great choreography (in terms of details) for the theme it went for, and I believe she spent a lot of time practicing. The outfit and sexy tone is a little too much though. I can tell she really loves and enjoys this program.