Evgeni Plushenko

[CrazyKittenLady]

Oh Moose, don't take it so hard.
As Plushy fans we need a thick skin and some immunity to drama. Let's wait how the new season plays out and keep our fingers crossed for Plushy and his students to make some impressions in the novices and juniors.
Don't let other people spoil the Plushy fandom for you!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Don't let other people spoil the Plushy fandom for you!

Is there even a fandom to enjoy? I don't even know anymore. I'm asking myself do I want to watch the next Russian Novice competition? What for? To see how many comments it takes for someone to say "Wow they're so talented, I hope they escape the Academy before it's too late"? Or "Wow, they're really good, obviously Plushenko doesn't coach them at all." Or if Plushy's at the competition how long before someone complains that he is or vice versa if he isn't?

And Seniors next season? Forget it. Not even Ted Barton could put a positive spin on things. Plushy's going to be an utter laughing stock.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Arrgh, this is so unreal, but it looks like Liza Berestovskaya joined AoP now?



It's like the skaters are playing a game of musical chairs. What a crazy start to the off-season.

 

[chasingneverland]

Arrgh, this is so unreal, but it looks like Liza Berestovskaya joined AoP now?



It's like the skaters are playing a game of musical chairs. What a crazy start to the off-season.

Yeah there are reports she didn't pass Eteri's "probation" period.

 

[chasingneverland]

Also, moose don't take it so hard.

 

[Sweet Dream]

Since we are completely in the dark about the inside stories, I don't know how to comfort you, anonymoose. However, a spring camp of the AOP is to start on May 10th and end on May 22nd, where some nice surprises might be waiting for us! Very much looking forward to it!

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Moose, try to look on the bright side There's still Sofia Muravieva, Valeria Shulskaya, Sofia Titova...

I don't think the younger coaches will be going anywhere, at least not Mikhailov-Alexeev. They were happy to join well before all the big events happened and probably didn't expect to be coaching any super-high-profile skaters. Also, maybe Rafael Arutunian didn't know Sasha Trusova would leave so soon, but from a recent long interview his general impression of the rink and coaches was quite positive. Raf is very frank (brutally so at times ) so I believe that counts for something.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Moose, try to look on the bright side There's still Sofia Muravieva, Valeria Shulskaya, Sofia Titova...

Sigh I find that difficult to do because as I said, pretty much everyone is taking bets about how long it will take for them to "see the light" and find a "real" coach.

Also, maybe Rafael Arutunian didn't know Sasha Trusova would leave so soon, but from a recent long interview his general impression of the rink and coaches was quite positive.

Well everyone loves the rink and the facilities, it's just Plushy they hate. In a perfect world the oh-so-deserving coaches of the world would get them.

Maybe that's Plushy's mistake, he should be a charity and give Sambo his rink. They're the only school that matters right?

 

[Sweet Dream]

anonymoose, Plushy is not alone in this world. Many people you just don't know are feeling sorry for him in this case. They are always standing behind him just like us. For Plushy, I think he has gone through many different pains of loss at different stages of life. In a sense, they can be seen as some very precious life experiences. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and we all should learn how to move on with our own beliefs at heart.

BTW, something unusual will happen whenever Plushy was picking flowers. Just a reminder.

 

[chasingneverland]

Awe, moose, it's a setback. It's not a career sentencing. I think in this case his ambition might have betrayed him a bit BUT that's what made him the great skater that he was!! It's also why he will succeed! He's not the only one to have struggles. ALL coaches have and have had star pupils leave them.

He will learn from it and emerge stronger!

 

[anonymoose_au]

He will learn from it and emerge stronger!

Sadly I'm unconvinced of this and for a very important reason.

It's not just how many people hate Plushy it's WHO these people are.

It's not just Joe and Jill Bloggs calling Plushy a fake and/or utterly incompetent coach.

It is - in order if importance:

The Russian Figure Skating Fed, who after Rostelecom publically released a statement about Plushy that can be summed up in two words "You suck." They had never ever done this before, to ANYONE.

T Tarasova - Infamous backstabber and extremely powerful on the Coach's Council who decides who the 3rd spot for Worlds or Olympics will go to - two years ago she egged Plushy on, now that she's decided Crystal is the temple of ladies skating she has joined in. On Sasha's departure, she basically said flat out "Plushenko is no coach." https://sport24.ru/news/figureskati...l-ne-privnes-ne-vlozhil-v-neye-nichego-novogo

Eteri - Coach of the Year 2020 and the Goddess of Russian Ladies skating - Who began this whole sorry thing, by declaring for the World to see that Plushy was a fake coach. She destroyed his reputation in one Instagram post because he dared to say that Alina Z, who was struggling badly at the time,might need a new approach. At that time there was no indication whatsoever he was trying to coach her himself. And since then Sambo 70 has participated in a sustained attack not just on Plushy as a coach but as a person.

Alexei Yagudin - The founding member and Grand High Priest of the Plushenko Hate Club. He is a commentator for Channel 1, where all of Plushy's compatriots get their information. He has publically and shamelessly trashed Plushy since the day he showed up at Mishin's rink in St Petersburg all those years ago. The icing on the cake, he was recently quoted as "hoping Plushy will continue coaching" Why? So he can say more hateful things and revel in Plushy's failures? He is the lowest of the low.

So as you can see from this long list Plushy's promising skaters - Kirill Sarnovsky, Sofia Titova among them will soon see that they have no choice. If they want to reach the top they need a "real" coach, one that has the backing of the Federation, which Plushy does not have and I doubt he'll ever have it.

Basically his future is as one of those "starter" coaches, who gives baby skaters their fundamentals so proper coaches like Eteri, Mishin and the rest can make them amazing.

And perhaps if he's lucky one of those skaters will become a champion in the far off future and when talking about all the people who helped them might namedrop Plushy and the Academy.

ETA: Liza B has decided to go back to CSKA.

 

[Idiote]

Hey @anonymoose_au , I seldom post in the forum, especially not in these parts, but it pains me to see you so brokenhearted. I'm joining the others in saying that Plushenko isn't alone. I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of him but I often come in his fanfest to read about him, your posts are such a treat ^^ So even if you aren't many to write in here, doesn't mean there aren't many people coming around and supporting him and his attempts at expanding the horizon of Russian FS coaching.

As for the whole situation, it may look grim at the moment, but he's only started really investing himself in the coaching business pretty much this season. Setbacks are bound to happen when you begin something, especially with such high hopes for your pupils and yourself, and under such scrutiny due to his star status and goal to become a real competitor to Tutberidze. She herself hasn't always been this powerful, it took years. If Plushenko really means business, and I sincerely think he does, then it will take some time, and it won't be an easy road ; but I think he has all the goods to seal every haters' mouths shut in the end.

He, just like his fans, need to be patient, endure and keep working. I know it's way easier said than done, but all that can be done to help is to keep supporting him, no matter what. He seems to be an extremely ambitious person, I appreciate him for not faking modesty and being bluntly honest about his goals and his pride - not many people find this likable, haters gonna hate, but ultimately everything is a learning experience. I think he learned a LOT this season, and wether for his academy and for him as a person, it's truly only for the better.

 

[chasingneverland]

Sadly I'm unconvinced of this and for a very important reason.

It's not just how many people hate Plushy it's WHO these people are.

It's not just Joe and Jill Bloggs calling Plushy a fake and/or utterly incompetent coach.

It is - in order if importance:

The Russian Figure Skating Fed, who after Rostelecom publically released a statement about Plushy that can be summed up in two words "You suck." They had never ever done this before, to ANYONE.

T Tarasova - Infamous backstabber and extremely powerful on the Coach's Council who decides who the 3rd spot for Worlds or Olympics will go to - two years ago she egged Plushy on, now that she's decided Crystal is the temple of ladies skating she has joined in. On Sasha's departure, she basically said flat out "Plushenko is no coach." https://sport24.ru/news/figureskati...l-ne-privnes-ne-vlozhil-v-neye-nichego-novogo

Eteri - Coach of the Year 2020 and the Goddess of Russian Ladies skating - Who began this whole sorry thing, by declaring for the World to see that Plushy was a fake coach. She destroyed his reputation in one Instagram post because he dared to say that Alina Z, who was struggling badly at the time,might need a new approach. At that time there was no indication whatsoever he was trying to coach her himself. And since then Sambo 70 has participated in a sustained attack not just on Plushy as a coach but as a person.

Alexei Yagudin - The founding member and Grand High Priest of the Plushenko Hate Club. He is a commentator for Channel 1, where all of Plushy's compatriots get their information. He has publically and shamelessly trashed Plushy since the day he showed up at Mishin's rink in St Petersburg all those years ago. The icing on the cake, he was recently quoted as "hoping Plushy will continue coaching" Why? So he can say more hateful things and revel in Plushy's failures? He is the lowest of the low.

So as you can see from this long list Plushy's promising skaters - Kirill Sarnovsky, Sofia Titova among them will soon see that they have no choice. If they want to reach the top they need a "real" coach, one that has the backing of the Federation, which Plushy does not have and I doubt he'll ever have it.

Basically his future is as one of those "starter" coaches, who gives baby skaters their fundamentals so proper coaches like Eteri, Mishin and the rest can make them amazing.

And perhaps if he's lucky one of those skaters will become a champion in the far off future and when talking about all the people who helped them might namedrop Plushy and the Academy.

ETA: Liza B has decided to go back to CSKA.

Oh moose..

After Rostelecom, the Fed didn't say entirely bad things. They were overall pleased with Aliona and only wanted her 3A to be "restored". Which you must remember, that she didn't have under Eteri when she left either. (And with Plushy she actually was landing it some in practice!) As for Sasha, if she had that skate under Eteri they would have blasted that consistency too. (If she falters (especially if it happens more than once) in the lead up to the Olympics they won't hesitate to replace her with one of the million other girls even though she's back with Eteri. That's not unique to her though, it applies to everyone else, even Anna.)

Regarding Tarasova, ooooh. She says harsh things about EVERYONE, depending on who is her current BFF. *ugh* She's egged Eteri on too in the past and has been absolutely vile about Eteri and some of her skaters. Remember a lot of the drama with Eteri and Plushy actually started with Tarasova's comments about Alina. (And remember when Alina was still skating in the past and she would bring up Evgenia during Alina's performances?) And ended with Tarasova basically telling everyone to go to Hell. And that coaching drama is at least with adults. It's a completely different thing to bully skaters (most of whom are minors) and she does it ALL the time. It's best to pay her no mind. She just likes the drama and wants to still be relevant. If anything, it's a sign you've arrived to a level of status when Tarasova starts talking about you LOL. But seriously, moose, ignore her. She talks about everything and everyone and is incredibly fickle.

As for Eteri, Tarasova actually started the whole mess again it wasn't actually Eteri. Not that Plushy and Eteri didn't jump in immediately. Although, I disagree that Alina was "struggling at the time" - she was actually "taking a break" which she's well within her rights to do so and I wish she could without endless speculation. She's been under so much scrutiny and negative publicity her whole career - even what should have been the pinnacle of success for her - OGM - was wrought with negative publicity and she was sooo young. That said Eteri definitely wasn't innocent with what transpired after Tarasova's comments but neither was Plushy to be fair. Plushy, definitely didn't need to jump in following Tarasova's remarks and say that he thought Alina took a pause to also consider different coaching arrangements. There was NO way Eteri was going to take that without responding to both him and Tarasova. (Although to be fair, Plushy would have responded too.) So Eteri responds with telling Tarasova that she's been critcal of Alina during her greatest achievements and that she wishes that she'd show the rest her her skaters less of her "love". And Tarasova responds to Eteri by telling her to go to hell haha.(So moose, it's clearly not just Plushy that Tarasova has criticized and had conflicts with.) As for Plushy, Eteri responds to Plushy by saying that he can't be called a coach and he tried to lure Alina. Now that one is interesting because we DO know that the year after you could interpret Yana's contact with Alina as him trying to "lure" her. Alina herself interprets it as that because she says she's staying with Eteri. Now Plushy responds with telling Eteri that you should listen and accept Tarasova's opinions and criticisms. (Now, Tarasova can fight her own battles haha.) He also goes on to call her a "sports manager" and not a coach because Sergei D is in charge of jumps, and that Alina's "break" from skating is a loss of income for her. He also says he never tried to "lure" Alina (which definitely might be true at the time!) but wasn't true later when Alina and Eteri "kept receipts". And then he also said that she's never brought up a skater from scratch (and no one lures skaters as well as she does) and only takes children with triple jumps and mentions Sasha, Kamila, Aliona, Anna, Yulia, and Alina. Now that's also interesting in that several of those skaters actually DIDN'T have all their triples when they came to Eteri and the last three in particular were with Eteri for a while and definitely weren't complete or polished skaters when they arrived. I mean Anna was only 9 when she moved to Eteri and Yulia was only 11. And regardless, the first 4 all learned their "ultra-c" elements under her leadership. (And conspicuously absent in mentioning was Evgenia who joined Eteri when she was only 8 and was there with her all the way to the Olympics. And she didn't have any of her jumps then. So it's probably not fair to say that Eteri has never "brought up a skater".)

All this to say, Plushy himself criticized Eteri for a lot of what he's coming under fire for now. Maybe it's a sign he's finally made it haha. But also it shows that he's definitely not the first to be criticized (and won't be the last). (And it wasn't just him saying this.) And she's shut up a lot of that criticism this year. If you remember, at the beginning of the year people were saying she only had Anna left (and she would lose her quads) and her next generation (Kamila, Daria, and Maiia) were untalented, inconsistent, and much less good then the one before (Anna, Sasha, and Aliona). If fact, people were saying it was the beginning of the end for her and her school. (All sounding familiar? haha) But obviously Eteri has come under the exact same criticisms he has and through the girls results mostly shut her critics up. He needs to respond through his coaching prowess too!

As for Yagudin, well they've been rivals for years. I certainly wouldn't expect him to have an unbiased opinion.

Finally moose, you have to remember that this is Plushy's first "generation" of high profile skaters. Eteri didn't succeed with her first generation. She's now on arguably her fourth or fifth "generation", each one more polished than the one before - she's learned each time. Like others before him, Plushy WILL also learn! It's super unfortunate that his lessons and failures have been sooo public but that was always going to be a risk when taking two of the top three skaters in the World and 2 of the top 4 frontrunners for the Olympic team - everything would be magnified and scrutinized so much more because they and the Fed couldn't afford mistakes.

Eteri (and soo many others) took YEARS to get to where they are but . And if his drive is what I think it is - you don't achieve what he has without it - his coaching and his school WILL grow! And he HAS learned and I for one am excited to see what happens for him next!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Thank you for your response @chasingneverland...

I wrote a whole essay here, but it's too depressing for a Fan Fest.

Thank you for all your thoughts, I'm just a real downer .

I think I mentioned before...I used to think I was a cheerful person, but I'm obviously a big old pessimist.

Sorry for bringing the mood down...again.

I'm glad you're all so positive though...I can't seem to do it. I have tried, but then when something goes wrong it's like a physical blow, so I don't want to hope for success.

 

[chasingneverland]

Thank you for your response @chasingneverland...

I wrote a whole essay here, but it's too depressing for a Fan Fest.

Thank you for all your thoughts, I'm just a real downer .

I think I mentioned before...I used to think I was a cheerful person, but I'm obviously a big old pessimist.

Sorry for bringing the mood down...again.

Haha I was actually replying to it. But it was too depressing for a Fan Fest. So we'll leave it at that haha.

I don't think you're a big old pessimist - I just think you're overly focused on the negative.

You are also an incredibly passionate Plushy fan. That's NOT a bad thing my dear moose.

I LOVE your passionate support and fandom of Plushy. I just think you need to not hyperfocus on the negative. You can't allow it to deafen all other comments.

So, here are some good things Plushy did:
1. Sasha's technique improved under him! Her 4Lz in particular looks more beautiful than ever! Also, to me at least, her technique seems to rely more on her legs now which I think will definitely help her in maintaining her beautiful jumps!
2. Sasha's artistry also improved under him! (Now, I wish she had kept that improvement at World's but I do understand that after the SP it was kind of a hail Mary and she needed to rely on her quads to have any hope of medaling. And she DID!)
3. Both Sasha and Aliona seemed happy! (Maybe not always with their results but certainly their demeanour as people.)
4. Plushy did not hesitate for one second to bring in whatever help he throught they needed. I DO ADMIRE that SO much!

I also do NOT hold Aliona getting ill against him. Pretty much the entire Russian National team was ill so that was certainly not a result of Plushy. And none of them were in better shape than they were before getting ill. At best, they managed to return to roughly the same shape as before.

And don't be sorry! Just realize it's just a setback. And how he responds will be what's important. And at least from his public persona he seems to be responding well!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Haha I was actually replying to it. But it was too depressing for a Fan Fest. So we'll leave it at that haha.

Sorry about that, I hope you didn't spend too much time on it

I'm still having trouble processing Sasha leaving... I think deep down I really thought it was going to work out. And now it hasn't I'm really sad...I know there will be other students, but they won't be Sasha.

Plushy seemed so excited to be working with her and now she's gone.

 

[chasingneverland]

Sorry about that, I hope you didn't spend too much time on it

I'm still having trouble processing Sasha leaving... I think deep down I really thought it was going to work out. And now it hasn't I'm really sad...I know there will be other students, but they won't be Sasha.

Plushy seemed so excited to be working with her and now she's gone.

All good haha.

I actually think Sasha herself was happy with Plushy! At least from a complete outsiders point of view haha, it did seem like he understood her and her motivations. He understood her passion and love of jumping quads.

I just think there were other factors and forces behind the scenes, not the least of which is her own father. I also think potentially if it was any other year but an Olympic year or if Sasha was still a junior they might have waited. The stakes are just sooo high rn (for everyone). I don't think her father was willing to wait and be patient. I think it was a trial for a year and unfortunately World's was the nail in the coffin. (I even think they could handle Rostelecom - she was injured after all and she had good skates after that - and they could handle her losing to Anna (there are 3 places on the Olympic team after all) but losing to Liza T I think was viewed as unacceptable. ) (I am a bit concerned that Plushy probably knew that the year was a trial the entire time and that's why he let her continually jump 5 quads and push boundaries even when she was injured. After all it's what Sasha's complaint about Eteri was so he wouldn't want to make the same mistake. But unfortunately that's also why I think he ultimately lost her. She couldn't afford to lose to Liza T twice - not with her talent.) I think her father saw that Olympic spot slipping away especially with reports that Aliona was getting her 3A back and Daria was practicing a 3A and Maiia landed two quads not to mention Anna and Kamila and he panicked. (For the record her father would have panicked no matter who was coaching her at the time.)

So cheer up moose, that's not a negative against Plushy. Sasha certainly wasn't consistent last year either and Eteri lost her. I think it's more Sasha needed to be virtually perfect and unfortunately she wasn't. But that wasn't a new thing with Plushy.

But I think it's important to note that it did seem like from Sasha at least, she liked Plushy. (I actually thought she really really liked Dmitri - their camaraderie was so fun to watch and seemed genuine. And Plushy seemed to try to help her feel at home with his entire family.)

And we don't know what Sasha will do or where she'll go next. Furthermore while there might not be another Sasha she's not alone in continually challenging boundaries. And in the future, Plushy will have more experience and hopefully a better reputation. (And it's a situation where as a more experienced coach he would be able to handle it. For example, with a better reputation a bad skate will be looked as an anomaly rather than the rule. Furthermore, with more experience he will be able to reign in competitive eager skaters who just love jumping for the fun of it and help them balance risk and reward. For example, allowing Sasha to practice a 4Lz before her SP was a mistake, directly leading to her over-rotating the 3Lz and missing the combo.) But he will learn from this!!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Alright..time for a reset.

Hello fellow Plushy fans, hope you're all well.

As previously mentioned in the thread Plushy is holding a Spring Camp starting this Monday

https://www.instagram.com/p/COZ9jocD3ur - Here's a video advertising it, it does look boss. I hope it goes well.

Blast from the the past

https://www.instagram.com/tv/COa7ZqWI7lJ - This is Plushy practicing Swan Lake a while back at his old rink (whatever happened to those big banners they're not in the new rink, I miss them!) But look at this boss. Other coaches could never

Last Sunday was Orthodox Easter

https://www.instagram.com/p/COX7vDXgBc2 - Yana with Sasha and Little Arseniy

https://www.instagram.com/p/COX-ZCZKPjQ - Aww, Arseniy is adorbs

https://www.instagram.com/p/COXV87FnIRL and https://www.instagram.com/tv/COcdoo3nt_x - Easter at Casa Plush. Who misses Easter Eggs?

Right better wrap this up, I still have to do my Duolingo and leg exercises before bed.

Until next time!

 

[chasingneverland]

The sun will come up again moose and I have FULL confidence that Plushy will succeed!!!

 

[LRK]

Indeed.

I think Plushy is simply constitutionally incapable of backing down from a fight or a challenge, giving up or despairing.

He'll just go on following his own path, come hell or high water.

That's just who he is.