Evgenia Medvedeva | Page 797 | Golden Skate

Evgenia Medvedeva

My impression she gets criticized not for going to Brian, but how that all happen. And for few words she carelessly dropped for the press. She needs to be smarter in the future.

Can you give an example of some of the careless things Zhenya said to the press? I’m curious b/c she usually seems pretty thoughtful with her comments,.
 
"I think she just made another amateurish mistake when she climbed that soapbox and officially accused people being mean to her on social networks. C'mon. Rookie mistake. She really needs to be more thoughtful and careful about her PR things, and to use press and to do things publicly only in her favor."

Hmmm I never thought of it that way. I think she could benefit from some PR help, however that is another expense so I could see why she wouldn't invest in it. In the end what she does on the ice is most important.

She does a lot of interviews. It could be best to stop for a little bit, besides post competition press conferences.
 
I think she just made another amateurish mistake when she climbed that soapbox and officially accused people being mean to her on social networks. C'mon. Rookie mistake. She really needs to be more thoughtful and careful about her PR things, and to use press and to do things publicly only in her favor.

In my opinion, she did the right thing by calling them out because cyber-bullying is not ok. So many famous actors/actresses/singers etc. always speak up about what is happening to them and ask people to stop.
I think she has a lot of influence because she caused so many people who were keeping quiet about the whole situation to speak up. & can you even read Russian? because I don't think you realize how much dirt was thrown on her.
 
Typical click-bait headline. Have not you seen those before on many other occasions? I think they did not lie about everything else or misquoted Serafima in their article. You really can't get upset about every silly attempt to sell news by some small media source. Clickbait headlines are often a casual tools for a low-tier massmedia with a small amount of audience. Why not? They want people to click on their article and read (..and meanwhile they sell some advertisements on the same page). It is typical modus operandi of some journalists. Be it either in Russia or anywhere else in the world. Like I said at least they did not lie about everything else inside this article. Well, let the journalists do their job. Some of them are more respectful and well-known for their strong ethics, some are just no-names who are trying to use this hype and to make a name for themselves or bring traffic to their small media source. They can't censor anyone. Even in Russia. At least in sports they are enjoying full (and too wild) freedom of speech. At times a bit too free to my taste, lol.

My advice - let them talk. Anyone. All of them. Press, retired skaters, experts/commentators and etc. The more talks the better for figure skating. The more drama the merrier. The more hype the sweeter will be redemption. Zhenya just need to train hard and skate better. She was obviously under-trained and unprepared for competing recently. This will make her next competition (if successful) even more triumphant. I think she just made another amateurish mistake when she climbed that soapbox and officially accused people being mean to her on social networks. C'mon. Rookie mistake. She really needs to be more thoughtful and careful about her PR things, and to use press and to do things publicly only in her favor.

Let me remind you all. People hated her before that too. That is not something new to complain about it. Especially right now. Especially after unsuccessful competition. Not the right moment. Well, she has been seeing a lot of negative comments under her instagram posts and youtube videos for the recent 2-3 years. Because she was winning. And winning a lot. Dominating. Not everyone likes that. And sometimes people as well don't like when their favorite skaters dont have a chance of winning, when Zhenya was dominating the fields like she had. She was unbeatable for 2 years before Olympics. She allowed herself no more than 2-3 falls for the last 3 years. This year she felt more time than in most of her junior and senior career. And she had a lot of major competitions which she dominated unquestionably. Although a lot of people complained. Usual things form usual suspects. I remember even here on this forum a lot of our fellow North Americans complained about her lack of artistry, poor skating skills, shallow edges, being over the top theatrical, gimmicky choreography and even saying a lot of mean things like, pardon, "gaping mouth" and etc. (this is very American slang, btw). So the hate from social networks is not something new for Zhenya. Every successful person is experiencing that. There is no conspiracy her. It is not just Zagitova's uber-fans, many others who was critical about Zhenya for the last 3 years now have a legit chance to speak up. One just need not to pay attention to that. Well, at least Zhenya did not quite played that card as an excuse to her poor performance or blame all this pressure to explain her unpreparedness, but it was not a wise move for her at all to play victim card and complain about silly negativity from internet. Well, take any successful athlete and you will find negative vibes in their social networks and under their videos on youtube too. And coming from all over the world, we are living in globalized world after all. Zhenya first started to receive a lot of negativity 3 years ago. So speaking now about negativity in social networks or in some low-level media sources is making her look a bit weak and like she really is reaching for an excuse. And she just should not have any reason to do that. Just keep training. And prove her worth on ice. No much value in emotional words. Sport is a cruel world, that's why we like it. It is always a drama and overcoming difficulties and injuries. Public don't like excuses in general. ;)

I hope she can make it. I really would love that.

I think it‘s great Zhenya is speaking up about the hate she‘s getting. Why should athletes just tolerate it and not say anything about it? And to my mind, she said very clearly that she was used to “regular“ hate but not the kind of hate she got after moving to Brian Orser. Being called a traitor was what bothered her most. And can‘t you understand it? Her who did so much for her country. Who won so many medals for them, always sings the national anthem proudly on the podium, went to advocate so that the Russians would be able to participate in the Olympics even though she wasn‘t even sure she would be able to take part herself due to her injury. Why should she just endure everything quietly? Because every athletes gets hate? Does that make it right? I don‘t think it does. We also shouldn‘t forget that Evgenia‘s case is a rather unusual one for a Russian ladies singles skater. She went from the crushing of what was essentially her life long dream of Olympic Gold to pick herself up, make a decision and move forward. She made a big change. She is still young, has been training only with one coach for her entire career. And now she moved to another country, away from her home and friends and family. She risked everything to stay competitive for her country, to earn more medals for them. And now they call her a traitor? It‘s not right. Speak up about that, Zhenya! To me it‘s not an excuse at all. She clearly blamed only herself for the bad competition in France.


I hope she shows a good performance at Nationals. For herself, not anyone else. I think, mentally, she needs a great competition to boost her confidence again.
 
In my opinion, she did the right thing by calling them out because cyber-bullying is not ok. So many famous actors/actresses/singers etc. always speak up about what is happening to them and ask people to stop.
I think she has a lot of influence because she caused so many people who were keeping quiet about the whole situation to speak up. & can you even read Russian? because I don't think you realize how much dirt was thrown on her.

It is the right thing, just not the right time. Imho, she should have done it from the podium with a gold medal on her neck. Otherwise now she could be seen as weak from some perspectives.

I am bilingual. I can read Russian. We have seen a lot of dirt thrown at her before. About her techniques, edges, theatrical gimmicks, "too much widely open mouth", etc etc. We have seen it all. Usual hate, nothing really new. Fandom -vs- fandom. Journalists are just reporting quotes by opinion-makers. And so far all big names of Rus FS are very supporting. Just one long-time FS publicist made a bit honest comments he really should have keep to himself for at least the year. I call his words brutal honesty, not throwing dirt.
 
Can you give an example of some of the careless things Zhenya said to the press? I’m curious b/c she usually seems pretty thoughtful with her comments,.

I really dont want to get involved into that fandom -vs- fandom pissing contest. :) So, I'm just gonna refrain from that for a now. If someone is happy to use her words out of context or miss-translate or quote her inaccurately, she should be aware and think about right words on some particular subjects to be in question during interviews.
 
In my opinion, she did the right thing by calling them out because cyber-bullying is not ok. So many famous actors/actresses/singers etc. always speak up about what is happening to them and ask people to stop.
I think she has a lot of influence because she caused so many people who were keeping quiet about the whole situation to speak up. & can you even read Russian? because I don't think you realize how much dirt was thrown on her.

I agree, cyber bulling or any kind or bulling is absolutely not ok. And yes, she was used to 'regular' hate, but this time it's not the case at all. Any article, like any (with one line about, for instance, her picture outside in park) gets 400+ comments and, to put it mildly, not kind ones. And not even about her technic, just how awful of a person she is.It wasn't like this before at all. Honestly, I just wish all the comments from skating community would stop, good ones, bad ones... But of course it's impossible, there are a lot of people who haven't commentated yet, like the whole team of synchronized skating...
 
She should speak her truth and not coddle to the feelings of those looking to hate her for any reason. No matter what she does those people will still hate her and try to tear her down. I think she's been tactful enough in interviews. There's nothing she can say to please those people. I think we should all try to move forward from those people and not let them define the narrative, as I'm sure she's also trying to do.
 
Hmmm I never thought of it that way. I think she could benefit from some PR help, however that is another expense so I could see why she wouldn't invest in it. In the end what she does on the ice is most important.

She does a lot of interviews. It could be best to stop for a little bit, besides post competition press conferences.

Yes. Thank you.

The best way and time to speak up and mock all the hatred is when you are on top. When you are down your complains about casual negativity from social networks will be seen as an excuses and a sign of weakness. They will kick you when you are down, even the judges subconsciously can do that. Zhenya needs to be smart about that. No reason to hire a dedicated PR-agency here, but she can receive few tips how to handle press and when to say all the right words. I hope people around her who are a bit older and wiser than her due the experience with our mad cruel world would give her a friendly advice.

In general, public don't like athletes to complain about unfair judging, conspiracies, injuries, negativity from social networks and etc. A simple quote by Zhenya like: "We are trying new things, and I will just keep training hard. Oh, the hate from social network you are saying? And what do they say there? Probably something funny, right? Well, I hope I will improve my skating and will find something new in me to make them my fans too." Period. That would be enough. elegant and worthy of the 2-times world champ and 2-times Olympic silver-medalist. Because subconsciously no one likes a vocal and constantly complaining athlete. Russians and Japaneses especially. People worldwide usually respect bushido way. Way of the the warrior of honor. :) You keep your poker face and dignity strong. You can hint a complain in the metaphorical way in your memoirs only after you long retire. Or if you are a successful coach. Lol. ;)
 
Not sure if anyone has posted about this, but there is a video on youtube where reporters ask Eteri about Zhenya.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDAU4yko0LM

I know that Zhenya and Eteri didn't end things on "best terms"...but I like how in the video, Eteri refuses to trash talk her. Basically, the journalist is asking her about what she thinks on Zhenya's latest "outing" (competition), and she basically says "no comment". Then when he asks her why she thinks Zhenya is being talked about so much, she looks at him and states, "Maybe it's because she is a two time world champion."
 
I also get the feeling that her new rule of having social media run by her agent only recently started. She must have seen a lot of comments already.

Yes having her agent control the social media accounts is a very smart thing to do especially during the season.
 
In my opinion, she did the right thing by calling them out because cyber-bullying is not ok. So many famous actors/actresses/singers etc. always speak up about what is happening to them and ask people to stop.
I think she has a lot of influence because she caused so many people who were keeping quiet about the whole situation to speak up. & can you even read Russian? because I don't think you realize how much dirt was thrown on her.

I agree, cyber bulling or any kind or bulling is absolutely not ok. And yes, she was used to 'regular' hate, but this time it's not the case at all. Any article, like any (with one line about, for instance, her picture outside in park) gets 400+ comments and, to put it mildly, not kind ones. And not even about her technic, just how awful of a person she is.It wasn't like this before at all. Honestly, I just wish all the comments from skating community would stop, good ones, bad ones... But of course it's impossible, there are a lot of people who haven't commentated yet, like the whole team of synchronized skating...

Any kind of bullying is not ok. But we have seen such things before: Plyushenko vs Yagudin, Yuna Kim vs Yulia Lipnitskaya/Adelina Sotskova, Yuna Kim vs Mao Asada. Etc. Our globalized world and modern ways or communications are helping to all FS stans to get united faster and to be offended easier. Throw in the casual intrigues and lost in translation things in the mix and you get all of the over-reactions of uber-fans from all over the world possible.

Let me just to point out that Zhenya is currently not on the mission to change the world, but she is working on one simple and only task to adjust her skating to her changing body so she can have a longer career. She can return to the holy task of saving the world a bit later. Like in 2 years (or less) with a another GP or Worlds gold medal.
 
Or maybe she isn‘t trying to save the world or anything but just spoke up to say that the comments from adult people who have families and children that called her traitors shocked her. I don‘t understand how it makes her look “weak“. Because well, I was raised to believe that weakness and strength are both essential and natural parts of life. Does being an Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion make you immune to weakness? I don’t think so. And I don‘t think people should expect her to be either. For you simply cannot always be strong, sometimes you need help, sometimes you need just time to get up from the ground. So, for Zhenya to say: “Okay, this was harder than I expected, it affected me more than I thought and it hurt a lot. When I failed in France I’ve realised that my team and I now have to work on my mental health, too“ is absolutely reasonable. Maybe it shows weakness. To me it shows an intelligent young woman who is human and realised that not everything in life will go smoothly, that some things hurt more than you expect and that yes, sometimes you‘re just a bit overwhelmed in a particular moment. But then you can stand up again, analyze the situation and work specificall on what went wrong. Which is exactly what she did. She spoke honestly, admitted her weaknesses and didn‘t only make tongue-in-cheek comments about hate. I don‘t see anything wrong in that.
 
Not sure if anyone has posted about this, but there is a video on youtube where reporters ask Eteri about Zhenya.

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDAU4yko0LM

I know that Zhenya and Eteri didn't end things on "best terms"...but I like how in the video, Eteri refuses to trash talk her. Basically, the journalist is asking her about what she thinks on Zhenya's latest "outing" (competition), and she basically says "no comment". Then when he asks her why she thinks Zhenya is being talked about so much, she looks at him and states, "Maybe it's because she is a two time world champion."

They tried to bait Eteri she did not fall for it. Zhenya does not need people piling on.
 
Evgenia handles the press really well. And her practice sessions were good in France, nerves got to her at this competition.
Let's get back to talking about her SP dress. I want her to back to her ACI one.
 
Evgenia handles the press really well. And her practice sessions were good in France, nerves got to her at this competition.
Let's get back to talking about her SP dress. I want her to back to her ACI one.

I don't. She clearly didn't like that dress based on her comments, and it was slapped together by her and Tracy.
 
I would be thrilled if she wore two NEW dresses - not that I do not like the FS dress, but maybe a new one could help her have a "fresh start" but I know two new dresses is asking for too much.
 
I don't. She clearly didn't like that dress based on her comments, and it was slapped together by her and Tracy.

https://goo.gl/images/azHwqW

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqxGBnBgkb8/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=v79c75piqefb

I think something like this would look great on her. I also like Eunsoo’s current free skate dress.I think the dress issues she is having are all a part of the new city and knowing where to go growing pains. I think so there may be better dressmakers in Montreal.
 
I think the dress issues she is having are all a part of the new city and knowing where to go growing pains. I think so there may be better dressmakers in Montreal.

If all four dresses were made by Elite Xpressions (Yuna’s costume maker), I would be concerned tbh, neither fit the theme of the programs very well at this point I think her ACI FS dress should be her SP dress and honestly just buy a Brad Griffies dress like this for the free: https://www.bradgriffies.com/1932.html

She’s already stressed, I can’t imagine they will have time to make another dress for her though
 
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