Alena Kostornaia

[Skatesocs]

I just wanted to say in her FF (because I don't want to start it all again in the RLT), that I wish none of the drama had happened, with all the interviews, and what-not. The TV broadcast pretty much gave it away that it'd been decided a bit before we got to find out that she was going back, so I wish they'd all shut up instead of constantly saying this and that to whichever person shoved a mic under their noses.

Anyway, best of luck to her. Still don't care for her skating all that much, but the LP to Yellow Moon was my favorite of hers - I hope she can get to keep it, but we don't know, and probably not.

 

[nussnacker]

Still don't care for her skating all that much

Pure heresy!

 

[sinus]

 

[patee]

Happy Women's Day!
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKENrGp1PR/

 

[silveruskate]

That commute is a killer. I think some classes at Khrustalny might be optional, like some of the dance/ballet classes. She probably can't skip any now, but you understand why the girl feels too tired.

 

[Scott512]

Moderator's note: We are here to praise Alena, not to bury her. Mean and negative posts (and subsequent posts quoting and responding to them) are not appropriate in the fan fest folders and will be removed.

Gabby's post was disappointing and I was hoping it was still here so I could reply. It's very simple while I believe AK had other options besides returning to TT she went back to a place she knows that works for her.

Someone was in here last week also posting a derogatory comment about Alyona wanting to be a neurosurgeon and saying don't ever be on the operating table with somebody as emotionally unstable as Alyona being in a neurosurgeon. This never happens in Zhenya or Alinas fan fest.

 

[Scott512]

That commute is a killer. I think some classes at Khrustalny might be optional, like some of the dance/ballet classes. She probably can't skip any now, but you understand why the girl feels too tired.

I also wonder how the girls are treating her with her coming back. I'm thinking of Maya with her qhads now and Dasha both of whom many people say had the inside track on the Olympic team ahead of Aliona. But if aliona gets her triple Axel back and her form and her health she is going to have a chance at making the Olympic tean or at least the world's taint next season.

We also have to understand that the top 3 or 4 girls going into the olympics in Russia may not be healthy if someone gets sick or injured and somebody's going to have to be put in there and why not AK? These girls work incredibly hard train incredibly hard and you expect the top 3 for the Olympic to him to be won on 2% healthy is unlikely. I mean for instance sasha has been injured since November.

 

[Decoder]

That commute is a killer. I think some classes at Khrustalny might be optional, like some of the dance/ballet classes. She probably can't skip any now, but you understand why the girl feels too tired.

Would she consider renting a place nearby? Long commute is a big problem.

 

[Decoder]

Gabby's post was disappointing and I was hoping it was still here so I could reply. It's very simple while I believe AK had other options besides returning to TT she went back to a place she knows that works for her.

Someone was in here last week also posting a derogatory comment about Alyona wanting to be a neurosurgeon and saying don't ever be on the operating table with somebody as emotionally unstable as Alyona being in a neurosurgeon. This never happens in Zhenya or Alinas fan fest.

I was about to reply to that post, but then thought, what the hell, I might get a warning again, not worth it. I know your reply would be different, because you want Aliona to have other options. Haha.

 

[Decoder]

I also wonder how the girls are treating her with her coming back. I'm thinking of Maya with her qhads now and Dasha both of whom many people say had the inside track on the Olympic team ahead of Aliona. But if aliona gets her triple Axel back and her form and her health she is going to have a chance at making the Olympic tean or at least the world's taint next season.

We also have to understand that the top 3 or 4 girls going into the olympics in Russia may not be healthy if someone gets sick or injured and somebody's going to have to be put in there and why not AK? These girls work incredibly hard train incredibly hard and you expect the top 3 for the Olympic to him to be won on 2% healthy is unlikely. I mean for instance sasha has been injured since November.

I would not worry too much about how the other girls might treat her. To most of them Aliona is a senior both in terms of age and achievement, they probably don't think about it as much as you do, except Daria and Maya?

Daria and Maya are not at the level Aliona was a year ago yet, and they may or may not be able to get to that level soon enough. I agree with you, anything can happen, and Aliona definitely has a chance. I wish Sambo could help her and her mom find a nearby place to stay, at least for the next 2 months.

 

[macy]

you know she had a good training session when her hair looks like this!

I think perhaps there is a little bit of overreacting here about the probation period. We know she has to show up to practice every day and get the 3A back, but 2 months with no practices missed will certainly help the latter of the issues. Covid recovery seems to be going well. I think what we saw in practice clips showed there wasn’t a talent deficiency because her jumps are long and loose when she isn’t tired, her spins look good, she can really sell the step sequences. Rather this is a conditioning issue. We saw the same 2A at the Russian Cup that we saw before 2019 test skates— it was effortless, long, and the in air position was really lax. So I think if she was conditioned, she’d be able to even pull it out tomorrow. Which is actually great news because conditioning is the easiest thing to get back if you’re training every day. And as anyone who has played sports knows— the better conditioning you have the less your chronic injuries ail you. Also, practice every day doesn’t necessarily mean a rigorous on-ice practice. Training is comprised of all different things. Regular work-outs, dance/choreo practice, etc. I don’t think Eteri wants the image of taking back a renowned skater and immediately breaking her from harsh demands and I trust that her and Aliona know appropriate limits.

10000% agree with all of this!

 

[Scott512]

I would not worry too much about how the other girls might treat her. To most of them Aliona is a senior both in terms of age and achievement, they probably don't think about it as much as you do, except Daria and Maya?

Daria and Maya are not at the level Aliona was a year ago yet, and they may or may not be able to get to that level soon enough. I agree with you, anything can happen, and Aliona definitely has a chance. I wish Sambo could help her and her mom find a nearby place to stay, at least for the next 2 months.

A place to stay? She just left the place with a place to stay.

That's a long commute for great athlete. I hope she is up for it.

I think one of the reasons EG took her back is because it gives her another option to the even a slight chance as it is that Alyona could take the 3rd spot from Sasha for the Olympics.

 

[McBibus]

I must confess: when Aliona left Eteri, I stopped coming to this thread. I am an Eteri fan. I never hated Aliona, how could I hate her after she gave me so much joy with her wonderful skating? But I felt helpless, I felt a big blow, because I really believed that with Eteri, she'd be very successful and made us all happy. I don't trust other coaches. Forgive me, haha.

However, once I heard that she wanted to come back, I got very excited. My first reaction was a big relief, both for myself and for Aliona. She hasn't abandoned me. I had no doubt that Eteri will take her back. I didn't think she should apologize to anyone. She's the one who suffered the most. I am not helpless anymore, because I can root for her now.

Not like you, a true fan, who always stays with her. Not like Scott, who would also like her to have other options. I am a "regular fan", because I only believe her success with Eteri. I just believe that Eteri knows Aliona's skating the best (haha, don't try to argue with me on this one, I am stubborn). Of course I cannot be 100% sure she will be success at this point, but Aliona gives me hope now. I am not even bothered by those "probation and conditions". In case Aliona does not bet back her 3A in 2 months, and Eteri kicked her out because of that, I will be only mad with Eteri, not Aliona.

I have the greatest admiration for TT's work and when a new prospect is coming up I'm excited but I could never be a team fans in an individual sport, so I'm curious about hearing from someone that is more attracted toward a school than toward a champion (not necessarily Aliona).

The talent and the uniqueness is what gets me and more than being "the strongest" is some particular that capture my attention.
For Aliona was her basic skating with that sensation that she friction would take a pause to admire her and she could move indifinitely without losing any speed*, the flow out of the jumps where (again) she seemed not to lose any speed and her trixel.
The 1st time I saw skating live there was Midori Ito jumping her trixel, that was something never seen before that I still remember so, to me, a good trixel with always been more amazing than a quad.
And then, January 4 2020, i meet her and that sealed my devotion forever.

* I remember Aliona capturing my attention while circling on the ice taking position to initiate her program the 1st time I saw her. She was as regal as Carolina even just moving slowly over the ice

 

[Decoder]

A place to stay? She just left the place with a place to stay.

That's a long commute for great athlete. I hope she is up for it.

I think one of the reasons EG took her back is because it gives her another option to the even a slight chance as it is that Alyona could take the 3rd spot from Sasha for the Olympics.

An apartment.

 

[McBibus]

An apartment.

A palace for my princess

 

[Decoder]

I have the greatest admiration for TT's work and when a new prospect is coming up I'm excited but I could never be a team fans in an individual sport, so I'm curious about hearing from someone that is more attracted toward a school than toward a champion (not necessarily Aliona).

The talent and the uniqueness is what gets me and more than being "the strongest" is some particular that capture my attention.
For Aliona was her basic skating with that sensation that she friction would take a pause to admire her and she could move indifinitely without losing any speed*, the flow out of the jumps where (again) she seemed not to lose any speed and her trixel.
The 1st time I saw skating live there was Midori Ito jumping her trixel, that was something never seen before that I still remember so, to me, a good trixel with always been more amazing than a quad.
And then, January 4 2020, i meet her and that sealed my devotion forever.

* I remember Aliona capturing my attention while circling on the ice taking position to initiate her program the 1st time I saw her. She was as regal as Carolina even just moving slowly over the ice

FS is an individual sport, but it is really a team work. When I see a school is making progress in the middle of a revolution it started, I'm attached to that school. I want to see what more the school can give us, I would be disappointed when the process is disrupted, and I'd feel sorry for the individual skaters if they miss the train.

Of course it is not good enough if only one school can succeed, and I am sure this will change. For example, Davydov team is doing some real work, girls from other teams are jumping quads.

Yeah, it seems 3A is more of a challenge to the quad girls, and it would make us very happy if Aliona can get it back.

 

[Decoder]

A place to stay? She just left the place with a place to stay.

That's a long commute for great athlete. I hope she is up for it.

I think one of the reasons EG took her back is because it gives her another option to the even a slight chance as it is that Alyona could take the 3rd spot from Sasha for the Olympics.

Ah, that also makes sense. You mean then Eteri would have destroyed the other guy completely? Haha.

 

[Batsuchan]

Happy International Women's Day to Aliona! I'm glad Kostornaia Team was able to present her with gifts and flowers.
Thanks for always supporting our girl!

Well at least someone is glad to see Aliona back at Crystal (though this pic is actually from 2019):

I, on the other hand, still have very mixed feelings about Aliona's abrupt return to Team Tutberidze.

In my opinion, it makes total sense for Team Tutberidze to take Aliona back, with or without a probation period. It is a complete win-win situation for them. First of all, they look like saints for taking back a skater who has been labeled a "traitor," or an arrogant "prima donna," or even just a capricious teenager who keeps changing her mind.

And since Aliona now has a reputation of being so "difficult", if things don't work out, Team Tutberidze can kick Aliona out at any time, for any reason (or no reason), and all of the blame will go to Aliona. In contrast, if Aliona is able to regain her form from the 2019-20 season and starts winning again, Team Tutberidze will get all the credit. So Team Tutberidze takes none of the risk and will get all of the reward.

While it's a total win-win situation for Team Tutberidze, it seems to be a very precarious situation for Aliona. Even if she gets through the 2-month probation period, I still think Team T. can kick her out at anytime. And she will have absolutely no say in any of her programs or her training conditions.

So I vacillate between being pessimistic and optimistic about what this means for Aliona.

When I'm feeling especially pessimistic, I worry that Team T. has no intention of actually taking her back, and that the 2-month probation period is just a ruse to waste time and prevent Aliona from looking for another coach until May. And perhaps further ruin her health in the process.

I was very surprised to see Plushenko be so kind when Aliona left, and that did make me wonder if Aliona's health problems are indeed more serious than we know. Perhaps Team T. set the 2-month probationary period conditions knowing full well that it would be nearly impossible for Aliona to meet them, but they still look like they gave her a chance.

In contrast, when I'm feeling optimistic, I hope that Team T. is fully willing to forgive Aliona and will treat her professionally as a skater who has the potential to win medals.

It was clear to me that Aliona was lacking motivation, and being in Team T. will definitely provide the motivation she needs.

And I know that some people think that Aliona's not "special" anymore or that Team T. doesn't need her, but I disagree. In my opinion, the reason that there was such a tremendous fuss when Aliona left is because Eteri knew that she could be an Olympic contender without her. (Of course, it didn't work out that way, but if Aliona had gone to another coach and stayed completely healthy, who really knows what would've happened.)

Yes, the Russian Fed can manipulate scores all they want in domestic competitions, but in international competitions, it's not so easy. And Aliona is beloved by international commentators and skaters, and probably the judges too. Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, Ashley Wagner, Kurt Browning, Adam Rippon, Shizuka Arakawa, Yukari Nakano, Miki Ando, Max Ambesi -- I can list a huge number of non-Russian skaters/commentators who LOVE Aliona.

If Aliona gets back in shape with the 3A, I fully expect her to be on the podium again, and that made me wonder if the 1tv report was a way to start "rehabilitating" Aliona's image ahead of the Olympics, where she may very well be a medal-contender.

At the end of the day, I guess Aliona decided that winning medals is what truly makes her happy, so I sincerely hope that she is able to do that with Team T.!

Fingers crossed for an Eteri-choreographed tango for her Olympic season SP!!

 

[dante]

While it's a total win-win situation for Team Tutberidze, it seems to be a very precarious situation for Aliona.

Win-win means benefit for both parties. Not leaving Eteri would have been a win-win situation.

I worry that Team T. has no intention of actually taking her back, and that the 2-month probation period is just a ruse to waste time and prevent Aliona from looking for another coach until May.

Why in the hell would she do it? If she thinks Alyona has potential, why not aim to win a couple more medals? If not, why waste time at all?

 

[Batsuchan]

Why in the hell would she do it? If she thinks Alyona has potential, why not aim to win a couple more medals? If not, why waste time at all?

I am not sure what Team T. really thinks of Aliona. There are many things we don't know about this situation.

Maybe they might want to make Aliona feel miserable for 2 months and then kick her to the curb, as a warning to any other students who might think about leaving for another club. Of course, like I said, this is just me feeling pessimistic and speculating wildly.

I am mainly worried that everything is not settled, and that the 2-month probation period will end with Aliona not being able to meet Team T.'s conditions, so she is left without a coach or a club.

Aliona said in one of her interviews (from 2018?) that the phrase that would describe her life is something like "journey of a 1000 missteps."

I think it took a lot of guts to take a risk to try a new club and coach, and I think it took a lot of maturity to realize her mistake, swallow her pride, and apologize. Trying and failing and learning from your mistakes is essential to growing as a person. I just hope Team T. sees it that way and gives her a fair chance.

And I also hope that Aliona doesn't lose her "rebel spirit" -- just learns to control it better.