Alina Zagitova

[Edwin]

Another article explaining the honor accorded to Alina with the way her temporary break from skating announcement was handled in the television interview. Again worth reading with the help of Google Translate -

https://www.eurosport.ru/figure-skating/story_sto7575356.shtml

Indeed, a very nice article. Didn't know this was an historic moment in modern Russia's television history, only 2 other people have ever been interviewed at the news desk in the main 9 O'Clock News: President Vladimir Putin and singer/entertainer Alla Pugachyova.

" Take this into consideration: Putin, Pugachyova, Zagitova. This summary of the 'first families' in Russia is exactly right: governing, entertaining, sporting."

This teenage girl who declares herself vulnerable but determined before all eyes of the nation deserves nothing but the highest respect, and what did she get, scorn and hatred! But also huge support, from the nation, from the fans, from her fellow competitors

 

[JazzUp]

Alina's post about the VU show

 

[lesnar001]

A little odd here: "Perhaps she will continue to perform in the show or return to the big sport. But in any case, I believe that when her hormonal and psychological balance is established, she will become stronger. I think she will be fine."

This kind of words and terms is best avoided IMO.

I think something was "lost in translation".
Given the tone of the rest of the interview, I am 100% sure no harm was intended.

 

[Finley]

From FSO again. Support from Alexei Rogonov -

Alexey Rogonov

Dec 15, 2019 at 5:26 pm

Speaking about Alina Zagitova’s decision to suspend her sports career, many argue that it is impossible to return from the world of ice shows ...
They say no one has returned from there.
(besides @plushenkoofficial and another famous Russian figure skater Alexei Tikhonov @ alekseitikhonov71)

Many people know that in 2014 I also suspended my competitive activity and immersed myself for the whole 5 months in the Lithuanian television project "Dancing on ice", where I performed in pairs with the famous TV presenter @ gintare.gureviciute
I can say that this experience was only beneficial. I analyzed a lot, and, most importantly, I decided for myself, I decided that I was not ready to stop yet.
Love for figure skating prevailed over reason!) Nobody believed in the fact that Rogonov would return to the big ice, except for my mother and trainer Arthur Dmitriev. But at the end of the season, I and my new partner represented Russia's interests at the World Championships in Shanghai.

Morality, if you really want something, don’t react to the negative, just do as your heart tells you. And then you will be honest with yourself.

Therefore, I wish @azagitova to successfully pass this stage in life and find the right solution for herself.
You have already proved everything to everyone, take a break!
@rogonov_alex

 

[Finley]

Heartfelt testimony from a fan

When I read this I know that she will always be okay. I believe her heart will give her the strength she needs to face whatever it is that needs to be faced in her life.

So much grace at 17.

 

[Edwin]

I think something was "lost in translation".
Given the tone of the rest of the interview, I am 100% sure no harm was intended.

Fully agreed, but this is perhaps how an older female skater thinks over the matter. IMO it would've been just better to avoid all together any hormonal hysterics in teenage girls in this context of Alina taking a break from highly competitive sports. You don't want the gossip blogs and yellow pages press picking this up, since it exactly fits their sentiments.

 

[lesnar001]

I know this article involves another skater from another country but it feels relevant to the step Alina has chosen to take in her life at the moment -

https://globalnews.ca/news/6303130/kaetlyn-osmond-figure-skating-sports-mental-health/

I do think Alina will try come back to competitive sport. I just hope she a lot of support around her.

Good for Kaetlyn for speaking out about this. It has to be such a difficult transition. I never even thought about the lack of access to the people who kept you "in shape" while you competed. (Trainers, Doctors, etc....)

 

[lesnar001]

Fully agreed, but this is perhaps how an older female skater thinks over the matter. IMO it would've been just better to avoid hormonal hysterics in teenage girls in this context of Alina taking a break from highly competitive sports. You don't want the gossip blogs and yellow pages press picking this up, since it exactly fits their sentiments.

That is a very unfortunate aspect.
The fact that *some* people could very well use this to fit their narrative.
Or just to stir up the drama even further.
It really is a shame that every word has to be carefully thought out.

 

[JazzUp]

All those Shiseido makeup tutorials paid off!

One poster commented:"Alina is better at this with her eyes closed than I am with my eyes open!"

 

[Edwin]

One poster commented:"Alina is better at this with her eyes closed than I am with my eyes open!"

Yeah, I laughed when Navka went all wild painting Urgant while Alina stayed dead serious in painting her subject.

Alina still needs to learn to 'play to the audience' but after a few shows she'll get more at ease in letting herself go a little.

 

[lesnar001]

Yeah, I laughed when Navka went all wild painting Urgant while Alina stayed dead serious in painting her subject.

Alina still needs to learn to 'play to the audience' but after a few shows she'll get more at ease in letting herself go a little.

Alina being herself is all this audience of one (me) ever wants to see.

A little nervous on the set.
Less chatty this time than the last time she was on the show.
But afterall, the main purpose was for Navka to talk about her production.
Alina deferred to her, and rightly so.

I think Alina takes all "challenges" seriously.
Like the last time she was on the show identifying the stuffed animals.
She is a born competitor.

Which is why I think she'll be back on competitive ice.
No matter the "conventional wisdom" that the fortune-tellers are forseeing for her future.

 

[vnana]

Exactly. All Japanese that commented on Alina taking a break are so much nicer to her than the vast majority of her own countrymen. It freaking blows my mind.
Russian elite comments range from 'she's for sure not coming back' to degrading her career by saying 'it's only 3 programs' and 'what's the point of skating if you fall from 2A when others are doing quads' (Zhulin)
Meanwhile, Miki, Rika and Satoko being the angels that they are, support Alina and say they'll wait for her, that they wish her a great rest and that they will miss her during her break.
Yeap... Why can't russian elite find some love (or even some decency) for Alina, even a tiny bit, when her competition from another country found that love within themselves.
Visit Japan more often, Alina! You'll get showered with love and appreciation that you deserve!

p.s. Japanese TV also filmed Alina's appearance in that shopping Mall with Sleeping beauty show and her appearance on Evening Urgant. They cover her every move
It certainly makes my happy seeing that she has found a special place in their hearts.

I used to ignore Russian elite wisdom comments after 2019WC. I was always worried that these words might hurt Alina before, but after all the drama situation, I find that Alina literally doesn't care about them at all. She is quite mature in handling external pressure. Meanwhile, Russian elite only speak for people who are belong to their party. Alina is always being isolated from traditional Russian elite group, so is Tutberidze. Alina receives so much love from Japanese and Russian fans. Maybe she is one of the most popular athletes in Russia. Her suspension statement incited "war" in figure skating world Can anyone else do so?

 

[vnana]

Yeah, I laughed when Navka went all wild painting Urgant while Alina stayed dead serious in painting her subject.

Alina still needs to learn to 'play to the audience' but after a few shows she'll get more at ease in letting herself go a little.

The only thing Alina should do is being herself, she is not an entertainer or drama queen. Being "serious" or "shy" is her personality, if you think that's shy. I don't think she can 'play to audience' and she doesn't need to.
Apparently, her team and Tatarstan pay much attention to her. Her team is extremely conservative when choosing commercial brand (If they were open to all the brands, I think Alina probably gets much more commercial contracts). In other words, it's important for Alina to be a celebrity who is 'perfect' not entertaining.
However, this is just my speculation according to her public activities and advertising.

 

[Finley]

https://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/hardbassraz/2670844.html

Say it louder for the people in the back! The ones wearing fur coats!

"Zagitova is the least conflicting figure skater, who did not say a single bad word about another athlete, coach or choreographer. She never expressed disagreement with the points set, as many other skaters do. She did not behave provocatively when she recognized the rating for her rental. And even when reporters asked her to give provocative comments, she did not speak negatively about anyone."

She also never spoke out in her own defense. Not once. Not when she was being called a copy-cat for stealing someone's favorite song. Or being accused of plagiarism because of Daniil's choreography choices. Or being called an 'undeserving' Olympic Champion who won Gold by 'accident'. She remained silent, continued to work, and proved her critics wrong by winning Worlds.

When she was reported to the police (!) in her home town for driving down an empty neighborhood street at 2 miles per hour, she never said a word. Nor did any member or her family that I am aware of.

She gives all the credit to her coaches and family. Takes the blame on herself when anything goes wrong. Says the judges are always correct even when her scores are harsh. When Eteri's sister posts derogatory comments that imply she doesn't work hard enough, she supports her coaches and doesn't even hint at defending herself from any accusations or inferences.

When the great idols of Russian FS are behaving like deranged 'stans' she just stays quiet. She could have made a joke about them on Urgant. With an assist from him, and in front of an audience of her fans, it would have brought the house down and the video would have gone viral. She doesn't even address it indirectly, much less take a cheap shot. There are some very foolish people being mocked relentlessly right now who could learn from her.

 

[Edwin]

The only thing Alina should do is being herself, she is not an entertainer or drama queen. Being "serious" or "shy" is her personality, if you think that's shy. I don't think she can 'play to audience' and she doesn't need to.
Apparently, her team and Tatarstan pay much attention to her. Her team is extremely conservative when choosing commercial brand (If they were open to all the brands, I think Alina probably gets much more commercial contracts). In other words, it's important for Alina to be a celebrity who is 'perfect' not entertaining.
However, this is just my speculation according to her public activities and advertising.

We'll see how it goes and how she grows in show business

But you are quite right in the marketing and presentation, so far Alina is advertising a limited few top brands, being worldwide Shiseido ambassador is an honour.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alina even gains more popularity and marketability in Japan than in Russia since her image and character fit very well to Japanese culture and appreciation.

 

[icybear]

I dont think Alina has to force herself to be more audience likable if she doesnt feel comfortable with it. I kinda like her introvert personality.:luv17: I'd much rather she kept true to own self than learn to be a charismatic celebrity

 

[flanker]

We'll see how it goes and how she grows in show business

But you are quite right in the marketing and presentation, so far Alina is advertising a limited few top brands, being worldwide Shiseido ambassador is an honour.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alina even gains more popularity and marketability in Japan than in Russia since her image and character fit very well to Japanese culture and appreciation.

Depends whether you speak about elites or people. We can see that Alina is extremely popular among the common people in Russia, she is winning every popularity contest she's in, she has huge number of devoted fans etc. Just because of her character, because she can be easily taken as "one of us" and because she never learned "celebrity manners". with the elites it is more problematic. There are those in Russia who support her, always speak well about her (like Moskvina, Butyrskaya, now maybe even Trankov joins the family ) and, then there are the other ones, who even when make a compliment, they do it the way that it bites.

As for Japan, Japan seems very friendly towards Alina, I can't measure it with japanese ladies, but for a foreigner she has huge support there and not only among ordinary people, but among elites as well, just those recent very supportive coments from Satoko, Rika or Miki Ando speak for themselves.

 

[vnana]

We'll see how it goes and how she grows in show business

But you are quite right in the marketing and presentation, so far Alina is advertising a limited few top brands, being worldwide Shiseido ambassador is an honour.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alina even gains more popularity and marketability in Japan than in Russia since her image and character fit very well to Japanese culture and appreciation.

If you noticed, Alina is more active in Japanese shows. When Katelyn and 3As participated in the same show with Alina(last summer and this summer), Alina is far more relaxed than the other girls and good at showing herself. She is not a girl who is always shy. She plays different roles in Russian and Japanese market. If you want her to be a entertainer, just see Japanese show. However, I don't think she has more business potential in Japan because she is NOT Japanese. She doesn't have powerful PR team in Japan. She may be the most well-known foreigner in Japan but not the girl who earns more than native celebrities and athletes.
She chose a serious news program to announce her suspension. And the first time she attended that talk show, all she talked about is representing Russia. Apparently , her team positioned her as a new-era model right now, quite ambitious and hard to reach.
Unfortunately, I don't think Russian market can bring her huge profit like Mao in Japan and Yuna in Korea, considering Russia's economy and business environment right now. But maybe for her team, business is not the priority consideration.
But one thing I'm sure is that she will never turn into a purely entertainer, that's not her and she dislikes excessive attention, her team will prevent that circumstance too. If she turned to a purely entertainer, she would loose much fans because she becomes an ordinary celebrity. Maybe you should count on other Russian girls.

 

[Scott512]

https://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/hardbassraz/2670844.html

Say it louder for the people in the back! The ones wearing fur coats!



She also never spoke out in her own defense. Not once. Not when she was being called a copy-cat for stealing someone's favorite song. Or being accused of plagiarism because of Daniil's choreography choices. Or being called an 'undeserving' Olympic Champion who won Gold by 'accident'. She remained silent, continued to work, and proved her critics wrong by winning Worlds.

When she was reported to the police (!) in her home town for driving down an empty neighborhood street at 2 miles per hour, she never said a word. Nor did any member or her family that I am aware of.

She gives all the credit to her coaches and family. Takes the blame on herself when anything goes wrong. Says the judges are always correct even when her scores are harsh. When Eteri's sister posts derogatory comments that imply she doesn't work hard enough, she supports her coaches and doesn't even hint at defending herself from any accusations or inferences.

When the great idols of Russian FS are behaving like deranged 'stans' she just stays quiet. She could have made a joke about them on Urgant. With an assist from him, and in front of an audience of her fans, it would have brought the house down and the video would have gone viral. She doesn't even address it indirectly, much less take a cheap shot. There are some very foolish people being mocked relentlessly right now who could learn from her.

Alina is unbelievable as a human been forget about all her amazing records as an athlete all the things you point out Finley prove that Alina is even more special as a person then she adds as a champion athlete.

I did not know she got reported to police for driving that car. Is that really true and what happened?

 

[vnana]

Depends whether you speak about elites or people. We can see that Alina is extremely popular among the common people in Russia, she is winning every popularity contest she's in, she has huge number of devoted fans etc. Just because of her character, because she can be easily taken as "one of us" and because she never learned "celebrity manners". with the elites it is more problematic. There are those in Russia who support her, always speak well about her (like Moskvina, Butyrskaya, now maybe even Trankov joins the family ) and, then there are the other ones, who even when make a compliment, they do it the way that it bites.

As for Japan, Japan seems very friendly towards Alina, I can't measure it with japanese ladies, but for a foreigner she has huge support there and not only among ordinary people, but among elites as well, just those recent very supportive coments from Satoko, Rika or Miki Ando speak for themselves.

I agree with you. Somehow, Russian elites' impolite behavior makes Alina's fans more loyal to her and always tried their best to protect her. Her team doesn't allocate much media resource to her. But she has already received high reputation among ordinary Russian people.(Maybe we have to thank TAT and her followers).
I actually think she should avoid to be entertaining because AS and Medvedeva are quite good at gaining attention through entertaining way. Alina should be more special and maybe a serious/rebellious fighter image is more proper