Deniss Vasiljevs | Page 91 | Golden Skate

Deniss Vasiljevs

For news we must wait probably till Kobe FoI rehearsals (some 10 days), today just a random fact sharing :)

Stephane, at age 18, was 6th at Europeans and 4th at Worlds.
Deniss, at age 18, was 4th at Europeans and 6th at Worlds.

Hope to see the same coincidence in the years to come ;)
 
Jelena shared a series of videos from Daugavpils open practice on youtube. They seem to be put in chronological order, with the Lion King routine (no jumps nor spins) as the last one.

I must say that it's incredible what Deniss can do with his body moving on ice. It's visible especially when a camera is still and you can see his silhouette in the distance.
 
And - it's only my silly idea - very probably the rules in fs are going to be changed. Champery is very close to Lausanne, the seat of ISU. Maybe Stephane knows something about new rules?...
Well, it’s not your silly idea! Some days ago I happened to speak to the person who is pro in skating and she told that it is true. There are some fundamental reasons for it. One of which is a high level of injuries and the fall of popularity of figure skating at least in Europe. Nobody knows exactly (might be Stephane knows) how it is going to be carried out, but it could be a good chance for those skaters who are more artistic and emotional.
She also told that there are some skaters who for one reason or other can’t do complicated high-revolution jumps.
It means that even if Deniss doesn’t master all the quads properly, his versatile talents will be appreciated.

I recall this conversation from November now, when the changes are known and there are fans who try to recalculate results of past competitions according to new rules (there is a separate thread on the Edge). And guess what? It seems that Deniss could have been 4th at Worlds, because of high GOEs. So all this work on polishing performance instead of pushing on more difficult elements (quads namely) won't be wasted. On the other hand, new rules don't encourage a risk and a quad must be introduced carefully, only when it's stable. So I'm really curious what's Stephane's plan for new season...
 
I recall this conversation from November now, when the changes are known and there are fans who try to recalculate results of past competitions according to new rules (there is a separate thread on the Edge). And guess what? It seems that Deniss could have been 4th at Worlds, because of high GOEs. So all this work on polishing performance instead of pushing on more difficult elements (quads namely) won't be wasted. On the other hand, new rules don't encourage a risk and a quad must be introduced carefully, only when it's stable. So I'm really curious what's Stephane's plan for new season...

I have a sinking feeling that Deniss is going to be a scapegoat for complaints about the scoring changes next season... all because he was the highest placed skater without quads... :sad14:

While the changes should benefit him, I think their strategy will stay the same. Deniss is already a great all-around skater that earns good GOE on all elements. The only way they can ensure his scores will continue to grow is to add quads. However, it does mean that there's a better chance of him getting on bigger podiums next season, like GPs, and it's looking more likely that he'll be able to get on the Euros podium ahead of the Russian men next season :)
 
Could you, lavenderblossom, give us just a little insight into the main changes to the ISU rules some day? Or somebody else? It’s not that easy for me to digest everything. :pray:

As far as I can understand, the changes will be good for Deniss. I hope no one will blame him for that, because the ovation and cheers of the audience prove that Deniss has gained their support not because of a pretty and smiley face, but because of his really excellent skating skills, spins and also great jumps. We usually focus on quads, but all the other jumps now are really perfect. But you are right about the quads. He won’t be forgiven if he doesn’t do them. So, I think he will do all what is in his power to master them. :)
 
The main changes that I’m aware of are:

A. +5/-5 GOE - that could help Deniss, since he has high quality elements, or hurt him (since +5 GOE on a quad is a big score). I tend to agree with Mishin, this is likely to be subjective scoring, and the judges will use GOE to reward the skaters they want to reward - they already don’t really use criteria when awarding GOE.

B. Only one quad can be repeated. This hurts the skaters who have good 4s and 4T and nothing else - it shouldn’t make much difference for Deniss.

C. Only 7 jumping passes in the FS, and 30 less seconds. This I think hurts Deniss a little - Stéphane argued that with less time, programs are more packed and there is less room to show creativity and skating skills.

D. Restrictions on backloading - this shouldn’t effect Deniss too much. His FS have been a little backloaded, but not heavily.

I’m probably missing something major. What else?

Oh yeah, men can wear tights now - that could help Deniss (I’m totally silly now)
 
Could you, lavenderblossom, give us just a little insight into the main changes to the ISU rules some day? Or somebody else? It’s not that easy for me to digest everything. :pray:

As far as I can understand, the changes will be good for Deniss. I hope no one will blame him for that, because the ovation and cheers of the audience prove that Deniss has gained their support not because of a pretty and smiley face, but because of his really excellent skating skills, spins and also great jumps. We usually focus on quads, but all the other jumps now are really perfect. But you are right about the quads. He won’t be forgiven if he doesn’t do them. So, I think he will do all what is in his power to master them. :)

My apologies! I should have explained it properly :palmf:

Everything fourthdimension said is correct. But there are a couple of things which only become apparent when Deniss's scores are compared across the board.
Firstly, the +/-5 GOE. It's true that +4 or 5 GOE on a quad will add up to monstruous TES. However, Deniss is currently earning +GOE on all his elements. In fact, at Worlds he received the most +GOE in the men's free skate - even more than Chen. Since the changes have increased the value of GOE, if Deniss receives just the equivalent GOE (and I don't see why not - his jumps, when executed well, have good speed in and out, good flow, decent height, very good distance, very good air position and landing) his TES is capable of climbing.
The other things are to do with the bigger picture - changes in BV, coupled with the one quad repetition rule. Essentially these rules are going to bring down the TES of quite a few of the top contenders. That can be seen from the recalculations of the Worlds Men overall scores. As icetug said, it was shown that if the event had been scored under the new system, Deniss would have placed fourth overall and been 3rd in the free skate, ahead of Kazuki Tomono and Mikhail Kolyada.
Following on from the recalculated scores, it was shown that although Deniss's BV is still behind the top contenders, the changes to BV and the removal of a jumping pass don't hurt him as much as some others. The lowest value jump to cut from his current layout would be the double axel, which is not worth much in points compared to triples and quads. However, the top contenders will be losing a triple, and in the cases of those who repeat two quads, a quad as well. The value of quads themselves has also decreased a little in relation to triples. All these changes are going to bring Deniss's TES a fair bit closer to that of the top group. He was already on the verge of breaking into it, but these changes are going to make it easier for him to catch up in TES without having to drastically change his layout or add multiple quads - that is what I think will ruffle more than a few feathers. Some will not accept a skater with 0/1 quad beating quadsters, even if the all-around quality of the former skater makes up for the deficit in jump BV.

On the topic of tights, this is exactly why I was praying it went through. If Deniss shows up to a competition in leggings, nevermind tights, no one will be able to take their eyes off him :devil: :luv17:
 
My apologies! I should have explained it properly :palmf

On the topic of tights, this is exactly why I was praying it went through. If Deniss shows up to a competition in leggings, nevermind tights, no one will be able to take their eyes off him :devil: :luv17:

:thank: for the explanation. It looks good.

About tights. I'm not against! But tastes differ! :think: I don't like men in tights, so I don't think I would like to see Deniss in tights. Although if I go deeper into the matter, I must acknowledge I would like him in any garment. :love:
 
Deniss and Stephane have been already practising for Kobe FoI, based on Aliona's instastory :)
(tell me that my eyes don't mislead me :laugh:)

It's them!! https://twitter.com/TarorezYo/status/1006793956326367233 :biggrin:

To tide us over while we wait for more FaOI news, throwback to Olympics - practice videos
https://twitter.com/way__s__he__r__/status/1003516678225793024
https://twitter.com/way__s__he__r__/status/1003517229843898368

(Superficial comment: He looks very handsome in his practice clothes. (✿ ♥‿♥)
 
Your insights, lavenderblossom, may be superficial, but are always on point ;) (not team tights myself, but in Deniss' case the tighter the better :laugh:).
 
These little bits were tiding us over until this weekend. Glad it's almost time:laugh:
Thanks for all the updates!
FS news in general has been unpredictable as of late.
 
Today was the first day of Kobe FaOI performances! Deniss was the first skater in the first half and did Lion King again. In the second half, he skated the duet with Stephane. They had new costumes for the duet.
Photography was banned, so no pics :noshake: but! On Sunday it will be broadcast on BS Asahi, at 1:00 AM - 4:30 AM in Japan. For me, that is 5pm, so if I can find a stream I'll do my best to record it :agree: and if not, I'm sure there will videos floating around.

This thread https://twitter.com/onewhiteblossom/status/1007555549414580224 was providing live updates throughout the show.
This one https://twitter.com/onewhiteblossom/status/1007614406702686208 :laugh2:
 
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