Evgenia Medvedeva

[Metis]

I always assumed that you could send fan mail to the skating club and they would screen it appropriately. If I recall correctly that’s what they do at Lakewood. But I just read that a Russian fan tried to send something to Evgenia at Sambo 70 last year and it got bounced back so I’m not sure. So maybe clubs have different rules

I’d go with her agent. I recall reading that Yuzu gets an insane amount of mail and it’s handled by his agent, who responds to everyone? Craziness.

Well, it´s not a full blade anymore. Clearly visible on the gifs(I watched it also frame by frame)
(3Lz)
https://media.giphy.com/media/3Mhq6OxpYfxkcEbnpP/giphy.gif and her (3F3T)
https://media.giphy.com/media/fxyU3SUIwuIHuOxD9K/giphy.gif

https://www.imagebanana.com/s/1231/6YWXXUkx.html
your pic

Ofc her toe-pick technique is not perfect but there is an improvement in comparison to last year.

I agree! It’s still not quite the kind of pick technique that I’d like to see, but it’s already an improvement from past seasons, as I said. (I also didn’t have GIFs or the wherewithal to make them, which is why I flagged which jumping passers the caps were from, as a few fractions of a second sooner or later when taking a screenshot could change the picture.)

I would say the big majority of the current ladies field has a prerotation close to 180 degree. It´s an issue but as long as the other girls are not been santcioned...

Medvedeva doesn’t PR to quite 180 degrees, so it’s not going to be called as a downgrade, but it’s also much more noticeable on the toe jumps (which have less inherent PR than the loop, ironically) and combined with the relative lack of height versus her Salchow and loop, it concerns me. That being said, I wasn’t trying to say that this is a problem only Med has... look, if I were ever on an ISU judging panel for ladies singles, I’d set some kind of record for lowest total positive GOE awarded. [emoji38]

How many girls have the correct toepick technique? There should be a study but I would say at least 70% of the current ladies field use "the full blade technique". I´am for minus GOE if a skater use this technique or even BV deduction but you can see at the moment, ISU judges just ignore (or can not see it in real time) the poor take-off and do not lowering the GOE.

Agreed. Though my point wasn’t really about the judging but about why I think putting the Lutz in the bonus jumping passes to try to offset a ! or e call is a bad idea — toe jumps are really not where Med excels, and while she has the same technique as many others, when the technique isn’t ideal, you’re seriously gambling by putting a Lutz in the bonus. Better to keep the most stable jumps and combinations capable of earning high GOE for the bonus so the performance isn’t lost while focusing on an element.

The problem is the judging, you can already recieve 3F +4/5 GOE with full blade takeoff and close to 180 degree prerotation. (see junior grand prix or even this weekend- GP Finland.

Agreed, with a sigh.

 

[eaglehelang]

I always assumed that you could send fan mail to the skating club and they would screen it appropriately. If I recall correctly that’s what they do at Lakewood. But I just read that a Russian fan tried to send something to Evgenia at Sambo 70 last year and it got bounced back so I’m not sure. So maybe clubs have different rules

Well, you can try sending to TCC. Yuzuru gets gifts, banners, cards,etc esp during his injury last year. For big items like banners, the fans appointed a representative(Canada resident) to hand deliver it to TCC reception.

 

[NoviceFan]

I’d go with her agent. I recall reading that Yuzu gets an insane amount of mail and it’s handled by his agent, who responds to everyone? Craziness.


I agree! It’s still not quite the kind of pick technique that I’d like to see, but it’s already an improvement from past seasons, as I said. (I also didn’t have GIFs or the wherewithal to make them, which is why I flagged which jumping passers the caps were from, as a few fractions of a second sooner or later when taking a screenshot could change the picture.)



Medvedeva doesn’t PR to quite 180 degrees, so it’s not going to be called as a downgrade, but it’s also much more noticeable on the toe jumps (which have less inherent PR than the loop, ironically) and combined with the relative lack of height versus her Salchow and loop, it concerns me. That being said, I wasn’t trying to say that this is a problem only Med has... look, if I were ever on an ISU judging panel for ladies singles, I’d set some kind of record for lowest total positive GOE awarded. [emoji38]



Agreed. Though my point wasn’t really about the judging but about why I think putting the Lutz in the bonus jumping passes to try to offset a ! or e call is a bad idea — toe jumps are really not where Med excels, and while she has the same technique as many others, when the technique isn’t ideal, you’re seriously gambling by putting a Lutz in the bonus. Better to keep the most stable jumps and combinations capable of earning high GOE for the bonus so the performance isn’t lost while focusing on an element.




Agreed, with a sigh.

Guys, thanks for this exchange. I bet I am not the only one who appreciates this intelligent and passionate discourse about Evgenia's programs.

Someone mentioned previously that with a clean skate (for which we are assuming she will get 73), in IdF, she will (only) need silver and score of 141+. Considering the "trend" in her FS scores, from ACI (133.91) to SC (137.08), 141+ is clearly within reach - wherever this fits in the grand scheme of things for Evgenia and her team.

 

[melgirl25]

Do you think the beginning part of the short program should stay as is - with the hip shakes? I feel it is awkward for her to be doing that for so long? Maybe a little more movement non stationary would help her "break the ice" a little more with that program?

 

[MedoLove]

guys, calm. Most likely, Brian decide to go to France with the same layout as Autumn Classic (they played to experience in Canada with the 3lz combo, but Zhenya needs to win at all costs in France, so it will be better to opt for a layout safer):


Autmn Classic, with 3F-2t-2t (I had not noticed that zhenya got the same score as with 3lz combo= 9.17 !!!, so it's safer), and one only 3lz ,BV (if she achieves all levels 4) = 62.69. It's a bit lower than SC, but she could still score at least 143 if she skates without serious mistakes, Kaori has a similar design, so the TES scores should be similar, probably Zhenya gets around 72 pcs.

EDIT: Zhenya's BV is still higher than Kaori, so she can got more TES if she skates clean




* By the way,sorry I was wrong with the Scate Canada BV, it was 63.40 with the 3lz combo.

 

[SnowWhite]

Anybody know how I can send the letters or sth to Zhenya? This month is her birthday, I would like to send her my good wishes:luv17: So, could I just send the letter to TCC?

Conrad Orzel said in one of his live streams that people can send gifts to The Cricket Club and they'll be given to the skaters.

 

[DeeDee18]

Do you think the beginning part of the short program should stay as is - with the hip shakes? I feel it is awkward for her to be doing that for so long? Maybe a little more movement non stationary would help her "break the ice" a little more with that program?

I think doing a shake is less awkward than yelling ‘spasibo’ during your performance to the judges lol

 

[Fluture]

Do you think the beginning part of the short program should stay as is - with the hip shakes? I feel it is awkward for her to be doing that for so long? Maybe a little more movement non stationary would help her "break the ice" a little more with that program?

It looks akward because she‘s not fully confident doing it yet. I think the choreography at the beginning is fine - it‘s supposed to be sassy and sexy. Ironically, the best she‘s ever shown her SP was at test skates were she looked like she had lots of fun doing it. In competitions she is still too stiff, probably nervousness. But she‘s getting better and I hope she develops a feel for this program as the season goes on.

 

[melgirl25]

I think doing a shake is less awkward than yelling ‘spasibo’ during your performance to the judges lol

haha!

 

[carmina]

What about her spins?
Is it because of her back problem or she just lost them?

 

[melgirl25]

I thought of some other gift ideas for Zhenya. The last time I was in Canada (it was Vancouver) the food prices were insane, especially produce. So I was thinking a whole foods gift card (there is one in Toronto) since she is on a path to eating healthier or an amazon gift card where you can buy everything now - to help with cost of living.

 

[yoloaxel]

What about her spins?
Is it because of her back problem or she just lost them?

Atm she's not doing layback spins because she had back problems. As for the other, I think the lost levels in the last 2 spins in the FS are due to stamina.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

Yeah no joke I clicked on this knowing I would cry and still did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxO1csWNKmg

also, about the layout from a couple of pages back, in the post about her layback being back, I think she should switch the 3Lz and 3F to become 3F-2T-2Lo and 3Lz rather than 3Lz-2T-2Lo and 3F. It's risky to put the combo on the second jump and not the first in terms of Zayaking, so if she was shaky on the landing of the second 3F and switched to 3S-3T and 3Lo-3T right then, she'd get +REP for the flip. But doing 3F-2T-2Lo or 3F-2T-2T fixes that.

 

[Mrs. P]

I'm finally going through my videos and photos from Skate Canada and I found a video of Zhenya's SP from the warm-up practice last Friday. Enjoy.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gcbgocbh0dj43dz/IMG_8596.MOV?dl=0


I promised I share some thoughts and I know they're super late, but you can take them for what they're worth.

Anyway, the first thing, which I mentioned in my Skate Canada recap, is that I almost didn't recognize her at first. I want to be careful how I say it, but I'll say that she looked good. She looked healthy and strong and I noticed more power in her skating from when I saw her several years ago (2016 Worlds/Team Challenge Cup).

But the girl is not soft, not by a bit. I think people think because she's still getting used to the transition and because she's so personable that she's suddenly lost her competitive chops. Pretty much at every practice I went, she was all business and focused. She would wave and smile at fans once in a while, but she didn't take any time to take gifts or do autographs afterward.

Her double axel looked great, as everyone noted (you can hear the woo-hoo from the audience member in the video above, lol). Her lutz was right where I was sitting (3rd row) so I had a good look at the edge. It's definitely not out of the woods, but it was definitely more ! than (e) at times. You can tell she's still getting used to the new technique, but I do believe it's starting to click. Her 3F-3T looked good and she consistently hit several of them in the ladies warm-up --- it was frustrating to see her miss it the one time she needed it -- in the competition. It's going to take some time for the muscle memory to take hold for the new technique, but there was a lot of small wins, like the good 2A and the overall better skating.

The audience was LOUD for her, as you guys heard. It was not just Canadians though, I heard quite a bit of Russian in the rows around me, so there are likely Russians living in Canada or Medvedeva fans who traveled to Canada to see her. She has plenty of international fans, such as the cute 20-something fans who made the flower crown for her. I met one of them -- he sat with me and another GS-er during the pairs/men free skate. There was another group of Canadian skating fans that made signs in Russian and wave them at her when she skated past them. She waved and smiled when she saw the.

I wish I got to meet with some of you who were there, but I had a good time texting with Novicefan during the ladies free skate! Man I was so nervous for her! But she did so amazing. As I said, her determination and anger made that tango work. But I hope they'll keep working on the feel of the tango. I really love the dress for the FS -- I think it looks better in person.

I really enjoyed her interactions with Brian during the practices and warm-up. Brian is very much have taken her under her wing and it's quite endearing. And she seems quite comfortable with Brian, which is great! I also really loved seeing her interact with Liza during the medal ceremony. It was like they both realized they had an opportunity to prove that you can have a long-term career as a Russian ladies skater. In a sense, I think Liza's win was motivating to her because it was like she could see the future for her if she was willing to put in the work and endure the tough times.

I think she's definitely still a work in progress, but I expect she'll do even better at IdF.

 

[melgirl25]

Yeah no joke I clicked on this knowing I would cry and still did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxO1csWNKmg

also, about the layout from a couple of pages back, in the post about her layback being back, I think she should switch the 3Lz and 3F to become 3F-2T-2Lo and 3Lz rather than 3Lz-2T-2Lo and 3F. It's risky to put the combo on the second jump and not the first in terms of Zayaking, so if she was shaky on the landing of the second 3F and switched to 3S-3T and 3Lo-3T right then, she'd get +REP for the flip. But doing 3F-2T-2Lo or 3F-2T-2T fixes that.

So beautiful. I was listening to Regroso al amor (from current free) on my walk yesterday on headphones and it is amazing. When we hear it on the videos the sound system does it no justice!

 

[MedoLove]

thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Mrs.P!!. I would have loved to be there and see those new jumps live, I have all my hopes and savings put in going to Beijing 2022 (and to be at least a World champ..), all we could be Zhenya's squad GS.

Yeah no joke I clicked on this knowing I would cry and still did https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxO1csWNKmg

also, about the layout from a couple of pages back, in the post about her layback being back, I think she should switch the 3Lz and 3F to become 3F-2T-2Lo and 3Lz rather than 3Lz-2T-2Lo and 3F. It's risky to put the combo on the second jump and not the first in terms of Zayaking, so if she was shaky on the landing of the second 3F and switched to 3S-3T and 3Lo-3T right then, she'd get +REP for the flip. But doing 3F-2T-2Lo or 3F-2T-2T fixes that.

I think the idea of a 3f-2t-2lo is perfect, it has the same Bv as the 3lz combo, so she would not lose anything and would add much more (bv : 63.32)
Just yesterday I was thinking about her strategies if she fails a 3-3 and must apply a REP, she has her faithful 3Loop-3T, I remember when she lost the combo in Worlds 2016 and she quickly saved the program with that combination, what a smart girl.
---
The music of my favorite FS, Zhenya could go back to skating it like an Ex, who knows

 

[Fluture]

Thank you for your thoughts Mrs. P it was wonderful reading them and I guess it was even more wonderful to experience this event live and seeing all these talented skaters perform!

@MedoLove: Tacking a 3T onto a 3Lo is really hard, though. We just saw what It can do in Helsinki with Kaori Sakamoto. I don‘t say she can‘t do it, just that it probably was a bit easier in 2016, her body was in a different condition then. And she already URed the loop in the FS two times (one fall, one just ured landing) so it could be fatal if she misses the combo abd has to tack it onto the 3lo when she’s already got tired legs. But she still has that competitive fire and quick mind, that‘s always been her talent. 3F-2T-2Lo sounds good in theory but there must be a reason why neither with Eteri nor with Brian she‘s done it. It seems like a relatively small change since it‘s just a double but her current three jump combo is timed perfectly with the music, no idea whether it would work with a 2Lo instead of 2T. Also, 2Lo has often the risk of looking akward. Maybe her success rate with 2T is just so much higher that it always looks better and they assume the higher GOE on a well executed 2T-2T combo ends up being worth more points than with the loop. I don‘t know. I‘m really curious for her layout at IdF. I don‘t think they should change too much, it‘s not good for her either, might make her less confident. Only the second 3Lz is urgent and has to go. The rest can, imo, stay as it is.

Worlds 2016 is also one of my favourite competitive programs from her. It‘s just special. :luv17:


And here a quick throwback to Zhenya‘s ex in 2015. Gotta love that costume!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpElBj7h8Ru/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1ap97jw9qh245

 

[Jeanie19]

thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Mrs.P!!. I would have loved to be there and see those new jumps live, I have all my hopes and savings put in going to Beijing 2022 (and to be at least a World champ..), all we could be Zhenya's squad GS.




I think the idea of a 3f-2t-2lo is perfect, it has the same Bv as the 3lz combo, so she would not lose anything and would add much more (bv : 63.32)
Just yesterday I was thinking about her strategies if she fails a 3-3 and must apply a REP, she has her faithful 3Loop-3T, I remember when she lost the combo in Worlds 2016 and she quickly saved the program with that combination, what a smart girl.
---
The music of my favorite FS, Zhenya could go back to skating it like an Ex, who knows

I was in the audience at Worlds 2016 and she did that combination right in front of me. I literally screamed! I was so nervous when she missed the combo. I have rewatched that performance probably 500 times.

 

[NoviceFan]

I finally had the courage to sort of go back to the scene of the crime so to speak (ok, I am being dramatic), and re-watch the SP at SC. One thing that stuck out to me was that I thought her costume looked great in person, but that it did not translate well onscreen. I think it looks like it did not fit her well. Upon closer inspection of the photos I took from my phone, the sleeves were a little loose, and they look longer than intended. But in person, she just looked so gorgeous and had so much star power it was hard to pay attention to what she was wearing.

I know this is the last thing she should think about at this point; and honestly if she wore a sack, I would not really mind , but I hope her costume could be altered somehow, to fit better.

 

[TGee]

I thought of some other gift ideas for Zhenya. The last time I was in Canada (it was Vancouver) the food prices were insane, especially produce. So I was thinking a whole foods gift card (there is one in Toronto) since she is on a path to eating healthier or an amazon gift card where you can buy everything now - to help with cost of living.

Food prices in Canada...

Not sure where you were shopping or what for in Vancouver. There are some things (fish and seafood) that are so much less expensive, even as compared to US cities.

Zhenya's mum likely has found some good places in their area in Toronto to shop.

Some basics like dairy and eggs are under supply management, which means Canadians pay at the cash register as opposed to through taxes (agricultural subsidies aren't a thing in Canada).

Imported fresh produce can be dear due to shipping. The Canadian growing season is short.

Whole foods does have a store not too far away in Toronto terms. Not sure about public transit there from the TCC area. But I can't say their quality here is what I knew in the US.