2020 Rostelecom Cup: Pairs' FS

[gsk8]

Boikova and Kozlovskii capture second Rostelecom Cup gold | Golden Skate

Russia's Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii rebounded from second place to defend their title on Saturday in the Ladies Free Skate at 2020 Rostelecom Cup.

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What did you think of the Pairs' FS?

 

[NAOTMAA]

With everything they've been through the last two months B/K needed the clean skate for their confidence more then the actual win itself. So I'm absolutely thrilled they did it and the win was a cherry on top.

 

[Skatesocs]

My favourite team here were Panfilova/Rylov. I think they have a very interesting quality to them that I hope is built upon.

 

[readernick]

Loved B/K. They were perfect. I don't necessarily love their LP but they really hit all the notes perfectly and executed their elements flawlessly. Obviously, they deserved to win.

M/G's LP confuses me. Honestly, I believe Moskvina can do no wrong (and their SP proves her genius), but what was she thinking with this program. The first half is ok. But, the second half of the program doesn't work. Maybe she is envisioning something that M/G can't deliver yet.

P/R have the most stunning pair elements. They weren't a good here as they were last year at some competitions

 

[NAOTMAA]

Loved B/K. They were perfect. I don't necessarily love their LP but they really hit all the notes perfectly and executed their elements flawlessly. Obviously, they deserved to win.

M/G's LP confuses me. Honestly, I believe Moskvina can do no wrong (and their SP proves her genius), but what was she thinking with this program. The first half is ok. But, the second half of the program doesn't work. Maybe she is envisioning something that M/G can't deliver yet.

P/R have the most stunning pair elements. They weren't a good here as they were last year at some competitions

I think she envisioned all those other Queen programs where the skaters really let loose and the crowd went crazy with excitement. It's why the second half is filled with all those exhibition style tricks that people who attend shows think are cool and fun.

I think it's also true they can't fully deliver it at this moment but I'm thinking with more time and as they get more comfortable it can work. We can already seeing them show more personality in the short with one genre and now she's trying to make them do so with another in the free. Maybe its too much to ask out of them all at once but considering the season its not bad to try and experiment now when scores and such don't matter as much.

 

[hanca]

P/R have the most stunning pair elements. They weren't a good here as they were last year at some competitions

Of course they weren’t. This is only their first competition this season. They lost a lot of training time. First Rylov had two surgeries, then his mother got admitted to hospital with covid19 and it looked pretty serious (not sure how she is now), and recently Panfilova injured her leg. So not only they have been training a few months less than the others, they also did not have a chance to get any mileage on the SP and find their feet properly on the ice. I find it amazing that during all that, they clearly worked hard on her jumps and at least she risked the 3S, even though it didn’t work out yet this time.

 

[ladyjane]

I can't help it, I love watching Aleksandra and Dmitrii, especially their SBS jumps. One of the few pairs who execute those in such a beautiful way. They had an almost perfect programme, and in my view rightfully won. They also seem to be such good mates, and I like that part of the partnership too. Somehow I like Anastasia and Alexandr's short programme so much better than their long (even when the SBS do go well). Too bad Apollonariia and Dmitry showed off their fantastic throws and lifts, but weren't as good as I've seen them before. Still it was a lovely night of pairs skating.

 

[readernick]

I think she envisioned all those other Queen programs where the skaters really let loose and the crowd went crazy with excitement. It's why the second half is filled with all those exhibition style tricks that people who attend shows think are cool and fun.

I think it's also true they can't fully deliver it at this moment but I'm thinking with more time and as they get more comfortable it can work. We can already seeing them show more personality in the short with one genre and now she's trying to make them do so with another in the free. Maybe its too much to ask out of them all at once but considering the season its not bad to try and experiment now when scores and such don't matter as much.

Honestly, I am not particularly fond of those types of Queen programs (They rarely work because it is hard to maintain the level of energy needed at the end of a program—a very athletic ice dance team like Davis/White might pull it off, but single’s skaters rarely do). I do agree that it is a good time to experiment, and it will likely help M/G in the long run. However, right now it doesn’t compare favorably to their short programs or their competitors’ long programs. I am looking forward to seeing improvements!

 

[lariko]

I loved the competition and B/K were wonderful, but I am so scared by how unwell Kozlovskii still looks. Like, honestly, if anyone could afford skipping one stage of Russian Cup, it’s them. do! They are gorgeous and wonderful, I want to watch them for the next few years, once the world is back to normal.

I was jumping for joy to see Panfilova and Rylov back!

and Kadyrova/Balchenko are my new favorites...

I know I am weird, but the pairs are always my fav discipline, and I can’t wait for RusNats in pairs! It’s going to be crazy