Hello to everyone. I am a 4 year frenetic fan of FG(after watching Yulia at Europeans...by luck!!) . I watch this thread nearly everyday and I love your conversations. You analyse with great respect , critical view and love the career of Alina and it helps me with my mentality towards life. I don't really like chatting, I prefer face to face but , unfortunately, you are all around the world so maybe this way means a lot. I hope I be able to write here too more often.
https://youtu.be/EonlbXqqnOk
Maybe you have posted it before nationals but after what happened with Alina at FS I thought it is a good reminder. Alina does all her jumps great. 3lz-3lo. 2 times. 3flip-3loop. She has grown so much , she probably has growth pains but she keeps that fighting spirit and her jumps haven't left her cauz she hasn't left them. I don't know if she withstand for a long time Eteri methods but I really cannot explain how much I admire this young teenager. If only I was in love with sth in my life as much as alina does with figure skating and would be that my life. Maybe nationals what happened was tiredeness from GPF or the immense psychological pressure or just a bad day. I believe so much in Alina and I feel that in Europeans she will show us the best skate among those that has skated in the first half of the season.she has one month , she will rest a little with her family and I really hope that she will acknowledge that it is important for her to rest once in a while and be less strict to herself. Her body changes , her mentality begins to change and she must let this happen not force it back.
I , personally, want to see her struggles. I want to see a Alina that is an athlete , a human one. Failures mean so much in life and when I see my favourite athletes fail and then be able to rise again , I get really emotional and that gives me the strength to continue with my life. It doesn't mean anything to always win. And yes. An Olympic gold medallist HAS the right to not be always first. And I hope that Alina will understand that too cuz most of the fans seem to want always victories and tend to love so easily the next rising star and leave the ones that struggle. The goal is not only the gold medal but be table to always surpass your limits. Be better than your previous self. Younger ones have the more childish mentality of the antagonism one another. Be better than the other. But when you grow up you understand that you do this for yourself. And I hope Alina , although she is in a group with a more competitive mentality, that understands that and have a healthy mentality . Above all is our health and happiness guyes

and it is a very difficult and long path for an individual to learn how to live his life and be happy. Alina is in that turning point in her life (so is Zhenya). I hope she will continue skate and be as much injury free to find that path. And if it is not FG her path, I am ok with that
Sorry for writing that much but I read edge thread too and I really get pissed off about how people praise 3A and write off these young ladies. And I feel that this is a space where you will understand these feelings and the fact that a true fan of figure skating does not only see for better and better technical achievement. But sees this sport as life is. Always changing and that you need to see the simple things to be happy. I get really happy with all these ladies and younger ones. They are so unique and each has it's own pathway. So I don't care to compare the best technician or the best artist but the one that loves this sport , wants to improve (for that I have GREAT respect for Sima) and gives me joy watching him , gives me food for thought about my own life and overall giving this life a meaning by giving his existence a meaning and trying for it.
Once again , sorry for the length of the text.