Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin | Page 195 | Golden Skate

Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin

chameleon said:
I think Platov just really wanted to work with I/K. But he's been nothing but complimentary of both Ruslena and Ruslan, saying he did a great job skating under pressure at worlds, and he congratulated them after their SD at CoR.

They seem really happy with Kustarova, though, and she's done a lot for them. I'm excited to see what their programs look like this season.
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Yeah, his response after worlds seems more born from the frustration of losing 3 spots, that Nikita didn't have the will to keep the old partnership going for the results, not an attack on what I/Z were doing at all.

I'm not suggesting they leave Kustarova! Just that Platov could be a good person to spend some time over the summer with now he doesn't have a top team of his own - just because G/P had in some ways a similar dynamic as I/Z & it's always good to have a fresh pair of eyes on things. I remember Lena saying when she worked with Grishuk & again when she started with Kustarova how good it was because she had always been coached by men before & it brought her a whole new perspective - Ruslan has been in Kustarova's group for years & years and obviously in many ways it's great for him, but sometimes freshening things up or getting a different opinion helps or pushes you further, the way working with Antonio obviously did. & Platov has been hinting / openly pleading for the Russian Fed to let him work with a good team - I just think there's a big opportunity here.
 
Platov working with them would be all levels of cool. But what happened with C/B seems I am out of the loop on that one?
 
I actually love Kustarova a lot, always did. Even when people thought teams don't deliver cause it's her fault, mainly fans that is,but I guess her drawback is that she's not a former champion, male and on TV.
So I really admire her for that, really and she knows how to work with I/Z.What they managed to do in such a short time is remarkable. Y/M also were presentable really early in their partnership so they know how to do stuff there, and how to pair their teams.
I bet that had they seen I/Z were incompatible they'd never have gone along with that, and seeing they are really an almost perfect match, they knew what to do.
Their levels were excellent, their only problem was them being new, but noone could have hoped for a better debut. And I'm sure they have a plan set for this season and they have set this plan early on
 
alithia said:
I actually love Kustarova a lot, always did. Even when people thought teams don't deliver cause it's her fault, mainly fans that is,but I guess her drawback is that she's not a former champion, male and on TV. So I really admire her for that, really and she knows how to work with I/Z.What they managed to do in such a short time is remarkable. Y/M also were presentable really early in their partnership so they know how to do stuff there, and how to pair their teams. I bet that had they seen I/Z were incompatible they'd never have gone along with that, and seeing they are really an almost perfect match, they knew what to do. Their levels were excellent, their only problem was them being new, but noone could have hoped for a better debut. And I'm sure they have a plan set for this season and they have set this plan early on
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ITA. They have given up and comers some great technical skills. I feel this camp of coaches is extremely underrated.
 
It would be interesting to see Platov working with I/Z, especially his choreographers. I think as time goes on and they become stronger and bigger contenders, more choreographers and coaches will want to work with them. I really hope they do a ballet program at some point, I think working with a ballet specialist would be great for them. And I would also like them to work with Klimova and Ponomarenko, they had some similarities to Ruslena. And if Shanti Ruchpaul ever feels like doing another dance program, I would love for her to do something with them.

I really hope I/Z decide to stick around till 2022, in 2018 they'll have just properly gelled, and will only then begin to reach their artistic potential. There are so many types of programs I want to see from them, and many skaters don't reach their artistic peak until their late twenties. So I'd love to see them continue after 2018.
 
I think people often blamed Kustarova for things that may have not actually been her fault. For instance, people often say her skaters have bad posture, but while S/Z's posture improved considerably since 2012, Monko and Bobrova still have bad posture, and skaters like Stepanova and Popova who have never trained under her also don't have good posture. I feel like Elena's posture has actually improved since going to Kustarova as well. Kustarova is also a very young coach, and just when she started to become successful her top teams(B/S and M/K) left her. And then when S/Z were starting to get somewhere, they split. So I think she has kind of gained the reputation of a coach that you leave when you are ready to move up to the next level.
 
The thing is, IMO of course, that Kustarova never had really good female dancers. She had great males but not females, and yet she had very good results with her couples. They left soon, once they became seniors, and it's not like they've become champions except for B&S in Europe while still having a lot of issues. As for Elena's posture, well, I never thought she needed improvement tbh.
 
I wasn't saying that Elena's posture needed improvement, it was always pretty good, but now it's a bit better is all.

Because most of the teams she coached she had been coaching for many years, some thought that it was Kustarova to blame for sub par skating or posture in her skaters, especially the female ones. I personally think that there is just an odd shortage of really talented female ice dancers at the moment, but I don't think Kustarova has ever really had a chance before now to really show off what she can do. She finally has a really talented senior team that she has done a really good job of putting together.

Also her packaging isn't the best, but she clearly allows skaters to choose their own costumes if they wish, so that's not a big deal to me.
 
The packiging was a problem for me to, but as you said she allows skaters (I'm thinking Y&M too) to choose their own costumes. In the case of I&Z they're also working with the choreographers they choose, so that's great. The posture thing tbh was always an enigma. Don't know why Bobrova and Monko had that kind of problem. :think:
 
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MK's Winter said:
ITA. They have given up and comers some great technical skills. I feel this camp of coaches is extremely underrated.
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People like great names and often forget that those names had to start somewhere before becoming great.
Kustarova and Co are the team that has produced as many junior champions lately as I don't know who else. And the Federation seems eager to keep them as junior champions incubator. And when a 17-18-19-20 old champions are offered a stellar coach instead of a team only known for junior-level success, whom do they choose? (Especially when they're asked after the first year in seniors when couples usually drop from 1st to much lower and aren't happy with it.) It's a vicious circle.
Sure, Kustarova has little experience of working with top pairs, but she never got a chance. Maybe she does some costly mistakes... but maybe now it's her time to grow.
 
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Tanka said:
People like great names and often forget that those names had to start somewhere before becoming great.
Kustarova and Co are the team that has produced as many junior champions lately as I don't know who else. And the Federation seems eager to keep them as junior champions incubator. And when a 17-18-19-20 old champions are offered a stellar coach instead of a team only known for junior-level success, whom do they choose? (Especially when they're asked after the first year in seniors when couples usually drop from 1st to much lower and aren't happy with it.) It's a vicious circle.
Sure, Kustarova has little experience of working with top pairs, but she never got a chance. Maybe she does some costly mistakes... but maybe now it's her time to grow.
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Absolutely agree with this. :thumbsup:
 
Alba said:
Absolutely agree with this. :thumbsup:
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Me as well. What she has done with her mother with Ruslena in less than a year is absolutely incredible. One think I notice about Lena with Ruslan is that they have more holds, difficult ones at that. I hope it's their time.
 
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