Even more fabulous. What I love the most is how they skate. They have lovely soft power and flow, and to imagine this is just the beginning.
Haterz gonna do their thing but I'm gonna do me 
Elena Ilinykh & Anton Shibnev
- Thread starter Mattieu
- Start date
Even more fabulous. What I love the most is how they skate. They have lovely soft power and flow, and to imagine this is just the beginning.
Haterz gonna do their thing but I'm gonna do me 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3dn--oRz7s
They won overall, but lost the FD by 0.2 to Morozov/Bagin. Anton made a big mistake on the twizzles and at the end of the 2nd step sequence. The choreo was again, really different from the test skates - overall I liked it but it's a shame they moved the twizzles because the exit from the first set was a real highlight for me. The biggest challenge from them is skating together in the step sequences, but the lifts are really great.
I don't know what this means for qualification to nationals
What do you mean by what it means for qualification to nationals? They have done their first russian cup and won it. There is one more Russian cup competition. If they take part, it is highly likely that they will qualify.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
Well they won`t. They will be skating at the Challenger in Tallinn, so the question is if one Russian Cup competition + Challenger is enough for Nationals or not.
Last year Lozko did one Russian cup where she placed third, and then she went to international competitions and because of that she missed the last Russian cup, and they let her compete at the senior nationals. But it depends a lot on the Federation. They can do whatever they want to.
- Joined
- May 4, 2015
Lol, who doesn't ever make mistakes? Maybe Katsalapov who made mistakes when he skated with Elena, including on twizzles, even costing them WC gold in the end, and now keeps making them with Sinitsina, including at their first Cup this year, even though they've been skating together for over three years now. Does this mean that Katsalapov is a weak partner who hasn't mastered the basics?
For a brand new team skating a week-old free dance, this is a very good performance, and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing it develop in their next competitions.
I'm also very grateful to Elena for not taking an easy way out, as most people would have done in her place, I think: "The Fed treats us shabbily, my second partner has a career-ending injury, it's a sign..." I wonder where she gets her strength. I've been watching fs for over 30 years, but I haven't seen anyone like her, either on and or off the ice.
Thank you. A voice of reason. Yes, this is a one week old program. The changes Gorshkov have made are just lovely. Yes, Anton needs more time, but Lena is just a genius. I don't know when I've ever seen her skate this beautifully, finally she's been given some choreography worthy of her talent. I don't know much but I'll say this I'm looking forward to watching them develop.
Katsalapov never really managed to fix his twizzles, Zhiganshin's lifts were often worrying. True that everyone make mistakes, I am just trying to gauge how reliable some elements might be in the future. I think Shibnev has some problems that takes long time to overcome. Anyway, only time will tell. I, just as anyone else, also hope for the best.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
I mean, they have 4 years to work if they are committed to the partnership. Like I said above, the goal obviously has to be 2022. I agree he's not yet really at her level but
1. Who really is, at least that could be an actual viable partner in Russia? The fed will never release her this late in her career and there aren't many high-level Russian men who aren't already (seemingly happily) partnered, so she's limited in her choices.
2. They never had any chance of going to the Olys this year anyway, so even if he was at her level the fundamental situation would be the same- they need to work, and work, and work, and begin to slowly put themselves into position for next year and then beyond.
- Joined
- May 4, 2015
Ruslan isn’t as tall and as powerfully-built as Anton. Nevertheless I’ve never seen him drop Elena the way Nikita did Viktoria at NHK in their first year. Even when Elena accidentally cut Ruslan with her skate at their first and only Europeans, while he was in the spread eagle position, he wasn’t startled and put her down safely. So I have nothing but admiration for him.
Yes, everybody is human, and everybody makes mistakes. But I wouldn’t try to gauge which elements Anton is good at and which might present a long-term problem for him, based on one skate of a week-old program. Actually, the fact that he did the twizzles well in the SD and in both programs at the test skates makes me very hopeful for this partnership.
It's precisely your point 1 that makes me sad, there is obviously no better partner on the market in Russia right now. Even with recent coach switch and last minute change of choreography, Elena's outing was quite good, she was fit actually. But it showed that he needed much longer time. I agree that the real test comes next year, really hope she can stay motivated.
Their program is very ambitious, they need to build up their form. The three lifts are actually done back to back, then the spin followed by the diagonal step sequence and culminating in the twizzles which he fought for. But they interpret the music beautifully, even with the flaws they drew me in from the opening pose. I am hopeful for these two.
Edit: No photo or video from the victory ceremony?
Well, Nikita is surely no role model
. I was sitting in the arena during the competition you mentioned, it was very enjoyable despite the mistakes, although I was hoping so much that they would medal going into the FD. Anyway, that's history now.I am also wishing the best for this new partnership. At least I am happy that Elena did not retire.
I could easily see them dancing to this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43SpMl-OYnA. I think it's Ella Fitzgerald, the Man I Love performed by G/G, the only thing is would the rhythm requirements permit it? I don't know what other piece could be blended cohesively with it. Annoying.
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2014
100% this. :thumbsup:
And please, stop with the "grand" boring programs. Spartacus is one of them, for me.
I would like smth less "big". Smth they can work and show partnership, connection and fluidity in their skating.
I have to agree to disagree with you there, the program IMHO, has a more intimate feel than the big bombastic interpretation that D/S were going for in 2009. It also has a bit more grit than the flat interpretation W/P originally gave at the Autumn Classic to start the season. The genre didn't suit them. Lena and Anton actually look the part and I actually love the music and had hoped for a long time that someone would skate to it. So imagine my surprise when they actually chose it. All in all a two week programme isn't enough to really gauge what it could become. But as they say to each their own.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
It looks like they withdrew https://data.tallinntrophy.eu/2017/Tallinn_Trophy/Challenger/SEG007.HTM
What does that mean for Nationals?
What does that mean for Nationals?
