Alena Kostornaia

[McBibus]

The program itself I feel is kind of empty, and I hope they will add to it over time. It's still better than any FP she's had in the past couple of years imo. It didn't seem like she was 100% ready, but even so, it was a beautiful performance with a lot of potential. Her jumps look great, especially the loop. Her new Biellmann variation is really weird though, and she should really drop it. It's failed her 2/2 times now, and there was nothing wrong with her Biellmann from before.

worse than that: I think they messed up two spins that were working.
Her usual exit from her crouched spin, after raising her arms above her back was amazing and fluid, but it's just killed changin feet and entering that slow turning position (slow beacause the weight is spread far away from the center) without any speed so that it result horribly slow until she raised her leg.
Bielmann variant may work: this one I have doubts.

The step sq is simply not existant at the moment, so I'm not so worried about it: we're goin to see it.

Generally I'm not convinced by the program.
In crown I see her, not because many of the pop dance move remind of twilight (not a bad idea imo), but because of the fire I see in it.
This was dull compared to Aliona usually project: I did not see her.
Let's see it again in a couple of week.

Jump potential is there. trixel placeholders are clear.
The single 3lo leave place for a quad in the future.
Another back pain is not welcome.
It could slow down progress immensely and she need to work without limitations.
All the season there has been something wrong keeping her away from the ice when she was dealing with a change of environment and work methods along with a changing body.
I'm aware she looks amazing, but that does not make it easier to skate.

 

[jvpiter]

The FS seems a bit work in progress and empty at this point, but I didn’t dislike it entirely. It’s a bit “whatever” right now and I hope they fill it with intricate choreographic moments where Alyona can shine. However, I do dislike the dress, especially that particular shade of pink.

 

[melsh]

I'm an huge fan instead. maybe because the dress and the color is my style, not to mention the heavenly music so as usual it's a matter of taste for these things, but to me she looks like Grace Kelly out there. she has the beauty and the charm of past movie stars in this program, the elegance and grace that are so rare now, a doe-like look on her face, the vulnerability which is so infinitely feminine to me. and yet, despite the dreaming quality that Yuna also had, she exudes something so powerful that is hard to describe but is definitely bewitching. AND she moves like a goddess ( so I'm rewatching this like a lunatic just to see her moving her arms and hands. who cares if the thing is still empty?
Alena, la divina.

 

[Deripashka]

Wouldnt be for Alena beneficial if they would pay Ilia Averbukh to compose her olympic season programs?

 

[Philippa8187]

well i think both programs needs training to be on the level of kostornaia .. if we think she only got this program in september maybe october .. she only really training for max. of 2 month .. if you compare to other skaters
But she needs her 3A to compete for 1... maybe even a 4

Yes she does need the 3A, and a quad, to be competitive. I hope they can fix the spins, as these are one of Alena’s strengths, and complicate the step sequence and the program considerably.

 

[Philippa8187]

I'm an huge fan instead. maybe because the dress and the color is my style, not to mention the heavenly music so as usual it's a matter of taste for these things, but to me she looks like Grace Kelly out there. she has the beauty and the charm of past movie stars in this program, the elegance and grace that are so rare now, a doe-like look on her face, the vulnerability which is so infinitely feminine to me. and yet, despite the dreaming quality that Yuna also had, she exudes something so powerful that is hard to describe but is definitely bewitching. AND she moves like a goddess ) so I'm rewatching this like a lunatic just to see her moving her arms and hands. who cares if the thing is still empty?
Alena, la divina.

I loved the dress too! Both the style and the colour, and I thought the costume suited Alena well.

 

[Philippa8187]

Looking at her flip .. that could be a 4 to.. to be honest almost all kostornaia's jumps are so perfect that it's impossible that she doesn't practice a 4 .. she complete the rotation in the air and them landing .. so I agree for her probably is mental not the technic .. and when she presents a jump that must be perfect

I can see her landing a 4F in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Fluture]

First things first: I‘m SO PROUD of Aliona. After this hell of an off-season she‘s had and all the hate that was spewed at her, she held herself together really well and put out two respectable performances.

I think her FS has a lot of potential and I‘m sure I‘ll really love it once she‘s completely comfortable with it and doesn‘t leave out choreography like she did today. I don‘t quite get the storyline (is there one?) but some of the snippets of the choreography looked really interesting today!

She was pretty cautious and much slower today but she‘s still a beautiful skater. She just needs time.

I do have to say, I kind of hate both of her dresses. The pink one especially. It looks like someone put her angel costume in the washer with too many red clothes...

I can see her landing a 4F in the not-too-distant future.

I don‘t think so. Folks, she‘s clearly going through puberty, her jumps all have lost some of the snap and fast rotation they had last year. She herself said she “died“ in the middle of the program, which clearly shows a lack of stamina. Besides, she hurt her back in practices recently. Do you think she could (or should, really) try and train a very dangerous jump she‘s never done before under these circumstances? I don‘t think so. It‘s okay, she‘ll improve and it’s a wonder that she‘s even landing everything as well as she did at this competition! But let’s not put even more expectations on her. She‘ll need to heal, build up her stamina, polish her programs and then think of including the 3A. She has a LONG way to go and this season will likely be a struggle but there‘s no better year for it to happen. Her focus should be on how to be at 110% for next year. This year, all she really has to do it position her in the top 4 at RusNats, so that she has a good shot to overtake one of them for an Olympic spot next season. It‘s not gonna be easy (she’s, as weird as it sounds, quite old already for a Russian lady) but that should be the plan - and according to her interview, it is.

 

[Cicero]

I really like her stsq in the SP of test skate, every move is on point and effortless just like she used to be. The latest version in the competation felt a little cramped up and I think she was struggling to keep up with the music. The stsq of FS has the same problem, a bit lagging behind compared with her previous ins post of the intended choreography. Might have sth to do with those jumps and all. Hoping to see it become better next week.

 

[sclloyd]

So I am bored, clearly, because I am watching the TSL recap about Stage 4. AND. Someone in the comments said they saw video on Russian another site where Aliona landed a 4T and a 4S in a harness.

I asked for a link because it sounds like hot air, but if they can provide it... I will be stunned. Also would it explain the 3T issues? You add another rotation, and suddenly the 3T timing gets off... things to ponder, but I will consider it rumor until I see it with my own eyes.

 

[nussnacker]

So I am bored, clearly, because I am watching the TSL recap about Stage 4. AND. Someone in the comments said they saw video on Russian another site where Aliona landed a 4T and a 4S in a harness.

I asked for a link because it sounds like hot air, but if they can provide it... I will be stunned. Also would it explain the 3T issues? You add another rotation, and suddenly the 3T timing gets off... things to ponder, but I will consider it rumor until I see it with my own eyes.

seeing her 3Ts last year, I thought they're going to try 4T first to be honest, just because it was always so big, even bigger than 3F.

 

[Artemisa]

So I am bored, clearly, because I am watching the TSL recap about Stage 4. AND. Someone in the comments said they saw video on Russian another site where Aliona landed a 4T and a 4S in a harness.

I asked for a link because it sounds like hot air, but if they can provide it... I will be stunned. Also would it explain the 3T issues? You add another rotation, and suddenly the 3T timing gets off... things to ponder, but I will consider it rumor until I see it with my own eyes.

I don't doubt that is true .. even maybe without the harness .. after what she said about her 3A .. she is only going to jump them if she can land them 100 % ... she is different from sasha .. sasha will jump everything because is a challenge even if she faills. it's her only option to beat anna and kostornaia .. kostornaia is more mentally afraid .. she knows she can get GOEs, PCs and she will loose them if she falls

 

[Hammer24]

I‘m happy with Aliona’s performance and she’s about where I expected her to be.

I think Aliona’s biggest challenge is building confidence in her jumps. Once her body is fully healthy and she adjusts to her new mature physique, her confidence should return along with greater consistency.

I think also that the next 15 months are a marathon and not a sprint. It’s all about gradual progress and peaking at the right time.

I won’t comment on the pink dress

 

[macy]

once you see both programs fully trained, the spins will be there. spins take up a ton of energy in a program and require stamina which she is still working on. the slow jump rotation, all of it will be there when she gets them trained. it takes time.

 

[Zora]

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of the free skate music, because this is something her old team has done a million times before.
But her posture and arm movements stood out so much, that was perfection. Also the way she lands her jumps is an art in itself. I hope she can regain her 3A and won't be lost in the upcoming quad battle.

 

[Vemvane]

Photos of the podium hug. The expressions on Sasha and Aliona's faces make me laugh!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHa_z37J9Ek/

 

[sunnystars]

Here is Alena's music edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji_zfD0vK7Y

The program itself is a work in progress. I can see some potential, especially within the second half. I am not sure if that potential will be maximized though. But it's the skating season the not's really a season. The next year is where everything should count and I wouldn't worry much about her this time.
Anyway, the music itself is quite nice. I think her team needs to rework some sort of transition between the Nocturnal Animals and W.E. track.

 

[plushyfan]

I noticed the Russian haters don't like this new Aliona..but I like her personality more an more..She became more open, and she likes to talk..

https://www.1tv.ru/sport/figurnoe-k...aya-chitaet-tvity-o-sebe-plate-strazy-krasota

Alena Kostornaya: “I am a person of mood. I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, and calm
European figure skating champion said that her mood is rapidly changing.

“Change the name of the Angels Plushenko school from angels to devils? Well I do not know. Maybe you can say that about me specifically. As for the name of the whole academy - this is for Evgeny Viktorovich.

I have two states: driving, which is very hard for someone to endure, because I am very noisy, loud, I say something, I laugh. And it happens that I am quiet, calm, "none" practically.

I am a person of mood, it may depend on the weather, from me in general, the training went, did not go. I want - I don't want, I like it - I don't like it. It is impossible to predict.

Some kind of energy always comes from Evgeny Viktorovich on the ice. Therefore, if I have such a mood “not jumping”, “not rolling,” then he will always find words to cheer me up. If I need to overcome this state, he will help me, ”said Kostornaya

“Before I could stay up all night, but now I pay attention to the regime. Skin color is now acceptable, and not like a corpse. ".
European figure skating champion read tweets about herself and commented on them.

“Someone writes here that I don't look very good this season. Well, that's someone's personal opinion. We have a very subjective sport. Someone likes it, someone does not like it, someone is for, someone is against.

Nobody canceled their opinion. But, accordingly, your opinion is yours. If you don't like something, then, as it were ... I don't like it and I don't like it. Everything.

Now I began to devote a lot of time to the regime and other aspects that I did not observe at all before. I went to bed when I wanted, at what time I wanted.

And in general, I didn't care, I could stay up all night, ala-ulyu, chase the geese. And then just an hour before the workout, lie almost out of sight, because the body could not cope.

Now I began to pay attention to this. The bruises under the eyes are less and the skin is clearer. The color is acceptable, and not like that of a corpse, ”Kostornaya said

 

[Azikin]

She became more open, and she likes to talk..

She's always been like that.

 

[McBibus]

I can't understand the hate for Aliona as I could never hate Sasha, Anna of one of her other rivals.
She's an emotional creature: emotions are her drive and our pleasure when she uses her empaty to communicate on and off the ice.

Those king of personalities usually rose love or hate.
She's not always perfect like Anna who will think about the right thing to do and say in any situation, not she's a sweetheart like Sasha when not competing.
She can be an island or a tornado of emotions projected around her in a way to could condition the mood of the people around her.
For whoever pick any occasion to criticize here's the reply from someone who knew something about being a star.