Mikhail Kolyada

[coldblueeyes]

Oh god, skating to the soundtrack of TLA would be amazing. I cannot understand why they decided against it. I hope it doesn't affect Misha, because he has the goods. It seems like the fed doesn't think is a bad move for him to skate two similar programs, otherwise they wouldn't let him keep the old SP. Alas, now it's done, and I just hope he gets to perform well this year.

 

[vorravorra]

Thank you vorravorra for all the news - I hope that fan support is making Mika happy. He deserves it
(I'm not sure I'd personally want him to work with Averbukh though... no, scratch that, I wouldn't want that. But it's nevertheless lovely a fan suggested to talk to him on Mikas behalf )

The Last Airbender OST has some pretty nice pieces IMO (Flow like water for example). Obviously this still doesn't tell us which exact songs Mika had chosen, but it sounds like a way better contrast to his new LP than his old SP. Ugh. I'll never be over this. Rus fed

Averbukh was suggested solely as a last resort after Misha's SP was thrown out. As a more long-term solution, I don't think anyone really considers him the best choice.

 

[Tutto]

The one upside of this competition - this colour looks great on Misha.

I am afraid there is no upside for me - not only I don't like electric colours intensely but the shirt is, unintentionally I am sure, like our Ryanair's logo (and I hate this company and never fly if I can help it)
The LP's costume is not too bad but the proportions are all wrong alas... whoever makes costumes for St Petersburg's skaters should be shot! Except for Maria Artemieva she always dressed well.

Ok, it was not a great comp for Mika. But it is better that mistakes happened here and not at more important events. Secondly his jumps are already better than at St Pet's comp. It will be yet better at CoR. It is only a start of the season. I don't like the LP, however there are some very nice moments, plenty of opportunities for audience to clap along and most of all Mika himself likes it. When all jumps are there I am sure the program will look totally different and all those critics will shut up.
The SP has become a sad story ironically as it such a bright positive number. Damn the Fed. Now when the big secret is out and we know the music of his new sp, my suspicions that it was a 'TSKA plot against Mika' turned into certainty (in my own mind of course!)
However after a rocky start to the season I believe that Mika will be able to turn the tide. His interview shows a presence of mind and understanding of what's to be done. Good. I believe in you Mika ! And lastly is it my imagination or his SS improved? He was simply gliding, there was a softness in his knee I never seen before, what do you think?

 

[Tutto]

I wish that meant that jumps came with a bird's ease to him but alas it isn't so. He can certainly make them look that way, but after a lot of work and trial and error. It took him at least two seasons to get his 3A right, and his 3Lo still starts causing problems the moment he takes his attention off it (happened last season too, but they fixed it afterwards). And I am pretty certain his 4T didn't get so much better over the mid-season by magic.

I know, it is hard work, after all a human body is not supposed to soar in the air and rotate there 3 or 4 times! But you know what I meant - Mika's jumps have that WOW factor...

Somebody on FSO, I think, gave a timely reminder that before we complain about the things Misha and his team don't do, we have to pause and think what they can afford financially and what the Fed is prepared to pay for. Nobody on that team is rich and I seriously doubt the Fed gave Misha a blank cheque. They probably have to limit themselves to the budget end of things for now. Which, for instance, means no big-name choreographers from abroad. They could probably have gone with someone like Misha Ge, who was in SPb anyway in the mid-season. And we'll have to see how the situation changes by next season.

TBH I think after Boston the Fed would help to fund the choreo IF asked. But did they ask? I get an impression it is more to do with what's going on inside the team. Of course it is only a guess work but Olga strikes me as a strong domineering character and Valentina & Mika are maybe less so ohh I don't know. I equally don't understand why the team could not have said NO to the fed and use a new sp - is it not a done thing?

 

[vorravorra]

I am afraid there is no upside for me - not only I don't like electric colours intensely but the shirt is, unintentionally I am sure, like our Ryanair's logo (and I hate this company and never fly if I can help it)
The LP's costume is not too bad but the proportions are all wrong alas... whoever makes costumes for St Petersburg's skaters should be shot! Except for Maria Artemieva she always dressed well.

Oh yes, that jacket makes him look about 1.5 times the size. It's especially obvious when contrasted with his new SP costume which shows how thin he actually is. It would be nice for him to get something better but it'll still have to go with the character, so just any pretty shirt won't do.

Ok, it was not a great comp for Mika. But it is better that mistakes happened here and not at more important events. Secondly his jumps are already better than at St Pet's comp. It will be yet better at CoR. It is only a start of the season. I don't like the LP, however there are some very nice moments, plenty of opportunities for audience to clap along and most of all Mika himself likes it. When all jumps are there I am sure the program will look totally different and all those critics will shut up.
The SP has become a sad story ironically as it such a bright positive number. Damn the Fed. Now when the big secret is out and we know the music of his new sp, my suspicions that it was a 'TSKA plot against Mika' turned into certainty (in my own mind of course!)
However after a rocky start to the season I believe that Mika will be able to turn the tide. His interview shows a presence of mind and understanding of what's to be done. Good. I believe in you Mika !

Yes, we have to remember that Misha wasn't doing great at this time last year either (although he didn't pop jumps and didn't have a problem attaching a 3T to things ), it's just nobody was watching. He improved slowly over the course of the season and only really produced two flawless skates at Worlds. What I don't particularly like is where he seems right now mentally, the lack of self-confidence that he referred to in his interview really shines through. But then Misha has shown that he does better with high stakes. They flip him into a "do or die" mode and remove unnecessary ruminations from his head. He can grit his teeth and find for every jump. That's how he got silver at last Russian Nationals, and I believe he's not just going to let it slip away. As for the SP - well, we all, Misha included, will have to live with it for now. Maybe they should have fought for it harder, but then we don't know how exactly it went down.

And lastly is it my imagination or his SS improved? He was simply gliding, there was a softness in his knee I never seen before, what do you think?

Yes, I believe they have. Misha said he was going to work on this part of his skating over the mid-season and he evidently did. Not that they were terrible to begin with anyway, I've generally heard positive things about his SS from specialists. Of course he is no Patrick Chan, but then nobody is other than Patrick. I think a different program could showcase these strengths better, but then maybe he is better off with a program he finds convenient to skate for now. This reminded me, I wish he somehow could put that beautiful outside-to-inside spread eagle he did in the Magic on Ice show in a program but alas it's too long and held for a short duration it doesn't have the same effect.

https://youtu.be/_JLR9B8nVrM?t=108

 

[vorravorra]

Someone who's talked to Misha has confirmed the obvious - he is bored with his old SP and visibly upset and frustrated that the new one wasn't accepted. I honestly wish they would have allowed him to keep it, however imperfect it was. It is not anyone in the Fed that's going to have to skate it over and over, after all.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Someone who's talked to Misha has confirmed the obvious - he is bored with his old SP and visibly upset and frustrated that the new one wasn't accepted. I honestly wish they would have allowed him to keep it, however imperfect it was. It is not anyone in the Fed that's going to have to skate it over and over, after all.

Poor Misha
And there is no chance of changing the SP still? Skaters have changed their programs right in the middle of a season before, and this one did barely begin...

 

[vorravorra]

Poor Misha
And there is no chance of changing the SP still? Skaters have changed their programs right in the middle of a season before, and this one did barely begin...

There was talk that going back to the old SP had at least as much to do with putting two quads in as with artistic merit, and now they have gone back to one quad anyway, one would think why not bring back the new one... But we don't know exactly what happened and whether Misha's team is in a position to put their foot down. Someone else who has seen the new SP has commented that it wasn't any good - but then keeping the old one has about a million downsides, the main one being that Misha doesn't want to skate it and it's not a program that works when skated by the numbers.

 

[cathlen]

Poor Misha
And there is no chance of changing the SP still? Skaters have changed their programs right in the middle of a season before, and this one did barely begin...

I guess they would have to get a negative feedback form judges in GP series, maybe then Fed would accept new program. It's sad to hear that Mika is not enjoying skating to a program any more, but is made to

 

[Li'Kitsu]

There was talk that going back to the old SP had at least as much to do with putting two quads in as with artistic merit, and now they have gone back to one quad anyway, one would think why not bring back the new one... But we don't know exactly what happened and whether Misha's team is in a position to put their foot down. Someone else who has seen the new SP has commented that it wasn't any good - but then keeping the old one has about a million downsides, the main one being that Misha doesn't want to skate it and it's not a program that works when skated by the numbers.

Well I love love love his old SP, but I'd rather see a weaker new one that he really likes... also, I'm not putting that much stock into people saying a program isn't any good this early in the season (even though I respect their opinion). They might have still made something really good out of it...
Oh well, I just hope things will work out as good as possible for Mika at this point. I'm obviously still going to root for him, and I still love his skating. It's just so hard not to rage about it all the time because I feel so sorry for him.

@cathlen, I guess you're right about the judges feedback... but that would make the change unnecessarily late. And tbh, the judges might not care. As long as he skates the old SP well, I think he'd get good PCS (as he would with the new SP, very likely).

 

[cathlen]

Yeah, but will he really skate as well as at Worlds? If he's heart is not into it, it will be reflected on the performance. Even if the new one wasn't great, they could just change some of it, like Shibs last year with their FD after getting some negative feedback at Ondrej Nepela (and they made it in time for Skate Canada). I hope it will work out some way or another for Mika this season.

 

[vorravorra]

On the other hand, of course, Misha cannot afford to spend the entire season sulking at the Fed and going out every time with "Why am I doing this?!" written all over. People who have seen Misha's new LP live at the Finlandia Trophy have said he can make it work - through sheer charisma, if nothing else, but he has to feel the program himself to be able to project it. And it just didn't come across the same way with his SP, though those who really loved it were still able to enjoy it.

 

[Tutto]

Yeah, but will he really skate as well as at Worlds? If he's heart is not into it, it will be reflected on the performance. Even if the new one wasn't great, they could just change some of it, like Shibs last year with their FD after getting some negative feedback at Ondrej Nepela (and they made it in time for Skate Canada). I hope it will work out some way or another for Mika this season.

Yeah it is like a spark, a joy of skating gone from Mika and it is so sad. But here hoping things will work out in the end - they normally do!
Still I cannot understand why of all the options:
1) to tweak a proposed sp a bit to please the Fed after all it could have been changed again in a course of the season
2) to choreo another one - it is not like they had to go elsewhere and pay again, there is a in-house choreographer, surely they could put together a sp in a week or so
3) to keep the old one and pretend it was planned all along - why not - Javi did this season, Yuzuru - kept Chopin last season, it is not a big deal

So of all the above the worst IMHO decision was made. I personally loved his sp and would have enjoyed for another season but after all this drama I hardly can watch it now and a new costume seems to me a bad idea too because the old one was such a signature look inseparable from the program.

There was talk that going back to the old SP had at least as much to do with putting two quads in as with artistic merit, and now they have gone back to one quad anyway, one would think why not bring back the new one... But we don't know exactly what happened and whether Misha's team is in a position to put their foot down. Someone else who has seen the new SP has commented that it wasn't any good - but then keeping the old one has about a million downsides, the main one being that Misha doesn't want to skate it and it's not a program that works when skated by the numbers.

Well someone else who saw that sp commented that it was a good, well made program and that we will see it eventually. So the drama goes on. At least we, fans, have a lot to talk about!

@cathlen, I guess you're right about the judges feedback... but that would make the change unnecessarily late. And tbh, the judges might not care. As long as he skates the old SP well, I think he'd get good PCS (as he would with the new SP, very likely).

I agree with you I think judges don't care that much about re use of programs - look at Ashley's lp last - I thought it was a bad idea but it worked. The main problem is not the re-use of his sp but that the sp & lp are so similar, but if he skates both well I think judges above all reward consistency. We all know how PCS are manipulated and really tied to the tech

 

[vorravorra]

Yeah it is like a spark, a joy of skating gone from Mika and it is so sad. But here hoping things will work out in the end - they normally do!
Still I cannot understand why of all the options:
1) to tweak a proposed sp a bit to please the Fed after all it could have been changed again in a course of the season
2) to choreo another one - it is not like they had to go elsewhere and pay again, there is a in-house choreographer, surely they could put together a sp in a week or so
3) to keep the old one and pretend it was planned all along - why not - Javi did this season, Yuzuru - kept Chopin last season, it is not a big deal

So of all the above the worst IMHO decision was made. I personally loved his sp and would have enjoyed for another season but after all this drama I hardly can watch it now and a new costume seems to me a bad idea too because the old one was such a signature look inseparable from the program.

It was Misha's teammate Stanislava Konstantinova who first let it slip about the axed new SP. She ended up deleting her ask.com account because someone obviously wasn't pleased (more drama ). I am not sure if the team had ever been planning to pretend it was their own decision, but that option was gone once the cat was out of the bag. And it likely would have come out eventually in any case, these things do.

ETA: Actually, the very first person to mention that there was a new SP for Misha was Valentina in the August interview, but they still could have said that they had changed their mind. The information that came from Stasya was that it was the Fed who axed a fully ready new SP two weeks before the test skates.

 

[vorravorra]

I am more interested in what exactly Misha meant what he said they were not going to change the programs. Obviously he cannot keep the FS layout he skated at the Finlandia Trophy, so that has to change one way or another. And whether they decide to finally go for the 4S or take it out and rearrange the jumps, it would be prudent to test it at least once before the Rostelecom Cup. The Panin Memorial on 19-22 October seems like the logical place, it is a home competition and Misha has taken part in it before, but it looks like they decided not to go for some reason.

 

[Tutto]

It was Misha's teammate Stanislava Konstantinova who first let it slip about the axed new SP. She ended up deleting her ask.com account because someone obviously wasn't pleased (more drama ). I am not sure if the team had ever been planning to pretend it was their own decision, but that option was gone once the cat was out of the bag. And it likely would have come out eventually in any case, these things do.

ETA: Actually, the very first person to mention that there was a new SP for Misha was Valentina in the August interview, but they still could have said that they had changed their mind. The information that came from Stasya was that it was the Fed who axed a fully ready new SP two weeks before the test skates.

Okay maybe it was a little unkind of me to say that, I am sorry if it sounded so but it all stems from a sheer frustration over the situation

I am more interested in what exactly Misha meant what he said they were not going to change the programs. Obviously he cannot keep the FS layout he skated at the Finlandia Trophy, so that has to change one way or another. And whether they decide to finally go for the 4S or take it out and rearrange the jumps, it would be prudent to test it at least once before the Rostelecom Cup. The Panin Memorial on 19-22 October seems like the logical place, it is a home competition and Misha has taken part in it before, but it looks like they decided not to go for some reason.

I was thinking the same re the Panin Memorial! Last year Mika was competing probably every fortnight and this season they obviously go with a different approach. Maybe he yet will be at Panin's - I understand that there are still no list of entries confirmed?
I also was surprised that Mika said that the most important competition is Russian Nationals (which of course it is) but did not even mention GP. He actually has a very good chance to medal in both his assignments and GPF is within a reach for him whereas Kovtun for instance has much more tricky SA and CoC. But it seemed like Mika was not particularly excited about it. ??
My hopes at the moment are: 1) the impossible one - they change their minds and choreo a new sp - mad as it sounds, it is still possible. One of things I learnt that there are way too many things in life we can not change and have to endure so when there is something you are not happy about and it can be changed - then just go for it!
2) Mika reignites his liking for the old sp and has a very good showing at CoR - he loved the atmosphere there last year he said it was the most memorable competition for him of all the season thus rating it above even Boston - so fingers crossed...

Edit: I looked up the interview again and Mika actually mentioned CoR and not Nationals. But I must have read it somewhere - maybe on sports.ru they sometimes 'deviate' from the source of info

 

[sammyott]

I honestly think the ISU should just get rid of the ability to reuse programs. That way this drama couldn't happen. Like ice dancers don't do that, at least keep the choreo and jumps and change the music or something. It's really not that hard.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

I honestly think the ISU should just get rid of the ability to reuse programs. That way this drama couldn't happen. Like ice dancers don't do that, at least keep the choreo and jumps and change the music or something. It's really not that hard.

No. If they'd just change the music but kept the choreo, how much connection could the program actually have to the music? Pretty little.

Also, this would be really unfair to the skaters. There are a lot of reasons why some of them keep their programs - quite often, factors like money are playing a part. There are simply skaters who can't afford to get new choreo every year.

 

[cathlen]

It's not even true that Ice Dancers never keep the programs. They can't do that with SD because the rythms are changing, but Penny Coomes/Nicolas Buckland had same FD for two seasons. The first season due to illness they couldn't perform it neither at Europeans nor Worlds, so they decided to keep it. And they ended up with 7th place at Worlds, their career highest.

 

[Tutto]

I am more interested in what exactly Misha meant what he said they were not going to change the programs. Obviously he cannot keep the FS layout he skated at the Finlandia Trophy, so that has to change one way or another. And whether they decide to finally go for the 4S or take it out and rearrange the jumps, it would be prudent to test it at least once before the Rostelecom Cup. The Panin Memorial on 19-22 October seems like the logical place, it is a home competition and Misha has taken part in it before, but it looks like they decided not to go for some reason.

Mika is on the list of Panin Memorial:
http://www.fskating.spb.ru/images/spisok_panin_2016.pdf
Stanislava is also there.

Hope we'll get some videos!