Has Sotnikova finally learned how to control her nerves?

[Krislite]

Actually I think the opposite is true; if you make two mistakes on one element you only get penalized once. She would get -2 for the UR, or -2 for the "e", or -2 for both a UR and an "e". This keeps her 3F with +GOE.

I was thinking more along the lines that she has a better chance of avoiding the UR on the Toe if she combines it with the Flip instead of the Lutz. Her take-off edge on the Flip is wonky but she lands it better than her Lutz. That way, she'd get +GOE on 3FLip+3Toe (with no UR) and only a minor deduction on an edge call on the solo Lutz.

 

[Skater Boy]

Nope Adelina will have to show more consistency before we can say has conquered the nerves. She needs to be like Yuna - skate with perfection several times. russia is a mess in ladies with Liza skating so badly again. Liza and her poor pcs. Adelina not strong enough or consistent. I just don't understand why no one can skate all the triples reasonably clean. Not Mao she has edge issues especially on the flip, Yuna is missing the loop I think, Carolina well she isn't consistent yet on the lutz she has the flip back I guess. Osmond is still learning her triples. Gold and Wagner are the best but not consistent enough.

 

[koatcue]

I still think that she is a wild card. Tukt is the other case..She never skates a clean short. I think Gracie has the biggest potential due to her jumps.

 

[hanca]

Nope Adelina will have to show more consistency before we can say has conquered the nerves. She needs to be like Yuna - skate with perfection several times. russia is a mess in ladies with Liza skating so badly again. Liza and her poor pcs. Adelina not strong enough or consistent. I just don't understand why no one can skate all the triples reasonably clean. Not Mao she has edge issues especially on the flip, Yuna is missing the loop I think, Carolina well she isn't consistent yet on the lutz she has the flip back I guess. Osmond is still learning her triples. Gold and Wagner are the best but not consistent enough.

Gold and Wagner are the best You managed to find flaw on everyone but with Gold and Wagner you are looking through some uncritical glasses... Gold and Wagner have as many issues as anyone else you named in your post.

Wagner hasn't managed the whole season (apart now in the SP) to even try 3-3 in the competition. How can you criticise that Yu-na is missing loop and not notice that Wagner is missing triple-triple?
And Gold? she has had ups and downs throughout the season. She keeps messing her SP. Maybe a bit more consistency wouldn't hurt.

 

[sky_fly20]

I can guarantee 100% she will not lead in the FS and will not win also.
Sotnikova has never made a clean FS. done.

Throws rocks at me if she ever podiums at at a World Championship
which is very unlikely imo, Zijun and Gracie will have better chances.

 

[koatcue]

I can guarantee 100% she will not lead in the FS and will not win also.
Sotnikova has never made a clean FS. done.

Throws rocks at me if she ever podiums at at a World Championship
which is very unlikely imo, Zijun and Gracie will have better chances.

It's not unlikely for her to BE on the podium someday. The thing is, she was considered to be on top of the podium very soon after her move to seniors..

 

[Mirunna]

But their non-mistake elements are significantly stronger than hers. For her to have a fighting chance, she can't afford any mistakes, on top of improving from her best.

Actually her other elements are very strong, she got huge GOE on everything besides the combo at WTT, higher than Mao. Spins, steps and spirals are very good. And she can still improve them. I agree she has issues with her jumps but she is young and can fix them. She had good height and good rotation, so already a good base. She has issues with her landings, that's why her 3T at the end of the combo is Ured. I think this is a bit easier to fix than Mao's jumps, for example. Or Kanako's. Had she rotated that 3T she would have been close to 70 in the SP. And she already posted a score above 125 this season. I think she had a fighting chance if other ladies make some mistakes.
Also, the title is quite amusing, it's like we are talking about a 25 year old Adelina "has she finally worked on her nerves issues". She is 16, remember? We can say Kostner "finally" learnt how to deal with the pressure. She's been the most inconsistent skater I can remember (from the top ones of course). Not only Adelina is just finishing her second season as a senior, she got a medal on every international competition since she debuted as a senior, except from 2013 Worlds and 2012 Rostelecom Cup.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

But their non-mistake elements are significantly stronger than hers. For her to have a fighting chance, she can't afford any mistakes, on top of improving from her best.

Her TES in the SP was only 0.26 below Yuna's outstanding SP at Worlds. Think about it; Adelina (with an "e" and a UR) is on par with Yuna (with an "e") technically, and gives up < 3 points on PCS to Yuna. Of course, in the LP where the jumps factor in to the score to a greater extent Yuna will widen her lead but by next season a clean Adelina with a 3/3 is going to be capable of scoring 70+ in the SP. I don't think anyone outside the top 3 can do this.

 

[hanca]

It's not unlikely for her to BE on the podium someday. The thing is, she was considered to be on top of the podium very soon after her move to seniors..

She has been on podium in her first senior season at Europeans. I do think it is pretty likely that she will get on podium at worlds within a few years.

 

[hanca]

Her TES in the SP was only 0.26 below Yuna's outstanding SP at Worlds. Think about it; Adelina (with an "e" and a UR) is on par with Yuna (with an "e") technically, and gives up < 3 points on PCS to Yuna. Of course, in the LP where the jumps factor in to the score to a greater extent Yuna will widen her lead but by next season a clean Adelina with a 3/3 is going to be capable of scoring 70+ in the SP. I don't think anyone outside the top 3 can do this.

I hope that with a better free program she will have more successful FS at competitions. How awful it must have been for her to do the run throughs the whole season!

 

[FlattFan]

Her TES in the SP was only 0.26 below Yuna's outstanding SP at Worlds. Think about it; Adelina (with an "e" and a UR) is on par with Yuna (with an "e") technically, and gives up < 3 points on PCS to Yuna. Of course, in the LP where the jumps factor in to the score to a greater extent Yuna will widen her lead but by next season a clean Adelina with a 3/3 is going to be capable of scoring 70+ in the SP. I don't think anyone outside the top 3 can do this.

The problem is this is the best she can do. Do you see her ability to rotate the 3T any time soon with the way she lands her 3Flutz and 2A? No, not even in Russia.
Another the thing is PCS, in the SP, sure, she's 3 points behind the top girls. In the LP, where things double, she will be another 6 points behind. So almost 10 points behind in PCS right out the gate.

I don't see her fixing her flutz, I also don't see her rotating her 3T.
I don't see her potentially doing anything better than what she's done here. This is why I don't think she's a medal contender. At all.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I hope that with a better free program she will have more successful FS at competitions. How awful it must have been for her to do the run throughs the whole season!

I agree. I absolutely HATE her free program music. I think she might have even won Euros with better choreography in the free program, because the PCS gap between Carolina and Adelina was much wider in the long, even accounting for the difference in scaled PCS between the SP and the LP.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

She has been on podium in her first senior season at Europeans. I do think it is pretty likely that she will get on podium at worlds within a few years.

I agree, especially with the efflux of top skaters after Sochi. It's unfortunate though that she hasn't maintained her original consistency, like Tuktamysheva, with all her 3-3 combos. I was really hoping they would blow away the competition technically and force Asada/Kostner to step up their game again. Thankfully, Kim's done that.

 

[FSGMT]

The problem is this is the best she can do. Do you see her ability to rotate the 3T any time soon with the way she lands her 3Flutz and 2A? No, not even in Russia.
Another the thing is PCS, in the SP, sure, she's 3 points behind the top girls. In the LP, where things double, she will be another 6 points behind. So almost 10 points behind in PCS right out the gate.

I don't see her fixing her flutz, I also don't see her rotating her 3T.
I don't see her potentially doing anything better than what she's done here. This is why I don't think she's a medal contender. At all.

No, she's not a Sochi medal contender, but I think that she can fix her flutz, it's already a lot better than last season, with some more months of training she can have a real lutz, I think. And, I don't know about rotating her 3T: this season, she was actually able to rotate her 3T in the 3T+3T (Nebelhorn+both GP+Nationals+Euros) and in the 2A+3T (Nebelhorn+Nationals+Euros), but the only time when she rotated her 3T in the 3Lz+3T was at the 2012 SA (and it was really a good combo) but I saw her at Euros practices and I can tell you that she landed many 3Lz+3Ts and most of them looked clean...

 

[hanca]

The problem is this is the best she can do. Do you see her ability to rotate the 3T any time soon with the way she lands her 3Flutz and 2A? No, not even in Russia.
Another the thing is PCS, in the SP, sure, she's 3 points behind the top girls. In the LP, where things double, she will be another 6 points behind. So almost 10 points behind in PCS right out the gate.

I don't see her fixing her flutz, I also don't see her rotating her 3T.
I don't see her potentially doing anything better than what she's done here. This is why I don't think she's a medal contender. At all.

Oh dear, you speak such a rubbish! It is not a problem that this is the best she can do. It is much higher than any of the youngsters (Gold, Osmond) received. She is doing pretty well!

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I don't see her fixing her flutz, I also don't see her rotating her 3T.
I don't see her potentially doing anything better than what she's done here. This is why I don't think she's a medal contender. At all.

I understand you opinion but I disagree with it. The lutz was very close to being on the correct edge, and I think a generous caller would have given it to her. I also think if Mao did the same lutz she wouldn't have gotten an "e"; it was that close to me but I didn't have a great angle to see it. As FSGMT said, she did rotate the lutz combo at SA, so while it may not be reliable she can do it.

As far as being a medal contender, she will obviously have to be much more reliable on the jumps and hope for mistakes from the top skaters, because you are right about her having to make up that PCS margin. But she is as capable as anyone in that second-tier group of taking advantage of mistakes from the skaters at the top.

 

[kwanatic]

I think she's slowly gained confidence all season and is getting a better handle on her nerves which is great.

With the Big Three in the picture (Yu-Na, Mao, Carolina) Adelina's chances are very slim for a medal in Sochi. However, past Sochi when most of the Vancouver hold-overs retire, I think Adelina's chances for a world medal will improve greatly. I see her among the top 5 who will headline the sport for this next quadrennial.

Adelina is solid across the board. She has good speed and easy flow across the ice, she has nice and difficult spins and footwork, she's gorgeous to look at (flexibility, extension, lines plus she's a pretty girl) and she does a good job of performing and giving energy to her performances.

She can do all 5 triples even though her lutz is a bit flutzy, but it has gotten better this year. Adelina is a natural jumper: great spring, big air, nice coverage...all she needs is a technical coach who can tweak her jumps to make them more stable. She's not in a boat with Caroline Zhang where her technique is so deplorable that it needs to be stripped down to nothing and built back up. I look at it more as an Ashley Wagner situation: prior to Nicks Ashley two-footed the majority of her jumps. The jumps were nice but the landings were flawed. It's the same thing with Adelina where her landings are sometimes unstable. Ashley said Nicks adjusted her technique which helped get rid of the problem and that's what Adelina needs; a technical coach who can look at her technique and make adjustments to help correct her landings. It might take a year or so but this is only Adelina's 2nd year senior so it's not like she's against the clock or anything.

It seems like people are talking about her like she's Carolina or Akiko's age. She's only 16/17 years old which means she could be at the Olympics in Sochi, Pyeongchang and even beyond that. To say she'll never reach a world podium in her career is rather myopic IMO. As long as she continues to work she will get better...she's really good already. She has a few issues that need to be addressed (just like Gracie, Kaetlyn, Zijun, Julia, Liza T and the rest of the newbies) but I definitely see her in the mix in the coming years.

 

[sky_fly20]

Sotnikova will be the New Kiira Korpi a skater who can NEVER skate a clean FS
I too used to be her fan but I gave up on her last year, her inconsistency is really a turn off
she needs to be more stable like Gracie Gold who she has never beaten this season.

Gracie has a true lutz and Flip is more reliable
Sotnikova has a Flutz and her Flip is 50/50 either lands them of pops them
her technique and nerves are making her too much of a headcase.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Sotnikova will be the New Kiira Korpi a skater who can NEVER skate a clean FS
I too used to be her fan but I gave up on her last year, her inconsistency is really a turn off
she needs to be more stable like Gracie Gold who she has never beaten this season.

Um, you mean the Gracie Gold who lost to Kiira Korpi at Cup of Russia this season?

As for "never beaten this season" -- they only competed ONCE against each other, at Worlds! And at Worlds she was actually ahead of Gold after the SP.

Also, Sotnikova's Euros performance would have easily beaten Gold's 4CC performance (which were at the same time essentially).

 

[kwanatic]

Sotnikova will be the New Kiira Korpi a skater who can NEVER skate a clean FS
I too used to be her fan but I gave up on her last year, her inconsistency is really a turn off
she needs to be more stable like Gracie Gold who she has never beaten this season.

Gracie has a true lutz and Flip is more reliable
Sotnikova has a Flutz and her Flip is 50/50 either lands them of pops them
her technique and nerves are making her too much of a headcase.

It's weird that you are so confident in her lack of ability that you are predicting her inability to skate a clean FS NEVER just two years into her career which, as I pointed out in my last post, has the potential to span the next 8 years or so. Maybe a better statement would be "in her current state (ie. shaky technique, sometimed headcasey-ness) she is very unlikely to skate a clean FS." That I'd be more inclined to agree with.

You've given up on Adelina but that doesn't mean everyone has or will so there's no need to grind everyone else's hopes or optimism into a dust just because she annoyed you by not skating cleanly in her first year senior or her first year coming off of a growth spurt. Again, she's 16 years old...ease up a little.

Gracie does have a true lutz but her flip is a lip. I don't think she got credit for a correct edge flip all season long so, to be fair, she and Adelina are in the same boat. Adelina's flip isn't 100% reliable but neither is Gracie's loop. Again, same boat.

And just in case you aren't up on current events, Gracie is as much a headcase as Adelina is. She falls, pops and succumbs to nerves just as much as Adelina does so again, those two are relaxing in the same boat.

They are both young skaters and it's way to early to be making huge predictions about their futures. Why not chill on the animosity and ill will and give Adelina a few years before you declare her a lost cause?