Mikhail Kolyada

[vorravorra]

I was thinking about why not going for 2 quad-toes - I mean, not that Mika needs to run crazy around for a solution, the 3A is a reliable jump after all. I think it was a fluke competition. Had he landed the two 3As he'd have won over Kovtun, but hypotetics doesn't matter for us. I think he needs to go home, see what working, see what's not, and move on. PCS' wise it was a good competition, because in both programs he went full on until the end, and that matters a lot to me.

Instead of what?

 

[coldblueeyes]

Instead of what?

Instead of a 3z - although, it's his money jump. I think his stamina is getting better, and putting the quad lutz, plus 2 quad toes would push his BV up by a lot. I know this might sound like running like a headless chicken towards the finish line, but they already said it's time to up his BV, and instead of "losing" time on working on the quad sal, they could work on the toe. I mean, they could even scrape the quad lutz if it would give him a another stable quad, but given his BV on the quad lutz in Euros I doubt they will. It was just a suggestion, though. However, it would be important to actually lose one of his 2As at the end.

I mean, looking at that, his planned content could be 4lz, 4t-2t, 4t, 3A-3t, 3A*, 3lz-2t-2l*, 3S*, 3l*, quite the respectable program. BUT, I have no problem if he stays with the same content for the next year if it makes him land the jumps. I just want him to get better.

 

[vorravorra]

Instead of a 3z - although, it's his money jump. I think his stamina is getting better, and putting the quad lutz, plus 2 quad toes would push his BV up by a lot. I know this might sound like running like a headless chicken towards the finish line, but they already said it's time to up his BV, and instead of "losing" time on working on the quad sal, they could work on the toe. I mean, they could even scrape the quad lutz if it would give him a another stable quad, but given his BV on the quad lutz in Euros I doubt they will. It was just a suggestion, though. However, it would be important to actually lose one of his 2As at the end.


I mean, looking at that, his planned content could be 4lz, 4t-2t, 4t, 3A-3t, 3A*, 3lz-2t-2l*, 3S*, 3l*, quite the respectable program. BUT, I have no problem if he stays with the same content for the next year if it makes him land the jumps. I just want him to get better.

I gather they have put 4S on the back burner for now, Misha only does it 2-3 times per practice session (presumably so that he doesn't forget how to do it), so I don't think they are wasting time on it as such. And he already has only one 3Lz in the program right now. The two 2As certainly need replacing, but I am sure they'll get to that once they sort out the quads.

 

[coldblueeyes]

I gather they have put 4S on the back burner for now, Misha only does it 2-3 times per practice session (presumably so that he doesn't forget how to do it), so I don't think they are wasting time on it as such. And he already has only one 3Lz in the program right now. The two 2As certainly need replacing, but I am sure they'll get to that once they sort out the quads.

Yeah, I totally forgot about the 3z, they took it out once he started with the quad. But I do think it would be a good idea to focus on these two quads, and add the third for the free. In fact, with the way they scored his 4lz in the free, he might as well put it in the short in the next season. But I know, he needs to focus on cleaning up these programs for Worlds right now. In fact, I would like him to be less pressured to run after the quads, but alas, he does what he needs to do.

 

[liv]

I thought his 4lz attempt was really good. He gets great spring into the air, more I think than Nathan, so I think he will get it done one of these days. I can hardly wait!!!

 

[vorravorra]

On rewatch in HD I have realised Misha was actually crying in the K&C, and he is not someone who is prone to getting emotional in there, normally he just looks stunned after unsuccessful skates. Poor guy, seriously, it wasn't that bad!

 

[sallycinnamon]

On rewatch in HD I have realised Misha was actually crying in the K&C, and he is not someone who is prone to getting emotional in there, normally he just looks stunned after unsuccessful skates. Poor guy, seriously, it wasn't that bad!

No, really? I will rewatch it in HD too. I am really happy that he got a medal, even if he is not satisfied with his two performances. He said in the press conf that winning the Nationals didn't put pressure on him, and he felt ok during Euros so he has to analyse what happenned there. It may have to do with pressure after all, maybe unconsciously... I also think they should work with him on the 3A because he lost so many points on that element today. On the other hand the PCS should be higher. The judges don't like this program or what?

 

[vorravorra]

No, really? I will rewatch it in HD too. I am really happy that he got a medal, even if he is not satisfied with his two performances. He said in the press conf that winning the Nationals didn't put pressure on him, and he felt ok during Euros so he has to analyse what happenned there. It may have to do with pressure after all, maybe unconsciously... I also think they should work with him on the 3A because he lost so many points on that element today. On the other hand the PCS should be higher. The judges don't like this program or what?

Yes, there were tears running down his cheeks and he was trying to hold them back. Nearly made me cry too. And I am sure Misha will get higher PCS when his program is clean and he doesn't feels like the world has ended in the last section of it because that can't not reflect on performance.

 

[coldblueeyes]

This is all stepping stones. Let's face it, he might wanna say he doesn't feel the pressure, but everything about this season was pressuring him. First it was the preparation for the season and its problems, then the quads, then disappointments during the GP, then competing as Russia's number one after winning Nationals. I mean, for him to flub the same jump in the same way twice in a row, it's not just something out of nowhere. But it's better it's happening in a competition where he got the chance to fail and medal, so it's less bitter, in a way.
They'll work on that, and Worlds still two months away, there's a lot of time to prepare. I mean, from Nats to now he already evolved a lot - just see the last half of the program besides the pop. I think he's on the right track.

 

[vorravorra]

This is all stepping stones. Let's face it, he might wanna say he doesn't feel the pressure, but everything about this season was pressuring him. First it was the preparation for the season and its problems, then the quads, then disappointments during the GP, then competing as Russia's number one after winning Nationals. I mean, for him to flub the same jump in the same way twice in a row, it's not just something out of nowhere. But it's better it's happening in a competition where he got the chance to fail and medal, so it's less bitter, in a way.
They'll work on that, and Worlds still two months away, there's a lot of time to prepare. I mean, from Nats to now he already evolved a lot - just see the last half of the program besides the pop. I think he's on the right track.

Yes, the quality of his jumps had improved since Nats, he was ready - if not for that axel. I can understand his tears, he must have felt angry at himself first of all - when you know that you could and should have been able to do it is failure the hardest to take.
This has made it obvious that Misha needs competitions to field-test his programs, I hope they participate in some before Worlds.

 

[vorravorra]

As for pressure, I think he may be overly prone to pushing such thoughts out of concious awareness because as he says he finds them distracting and ruminating on them does him little good, but they may fester. And he has discussed problems with self-confidence on several occasions - I don't think those just disappear because of a couple of successes. He is not entirely unaware or in denial though, and at least he has a psychologist he talks to. I respect that he never blames external factors for his failures, it's always himself, but this may mean he can be too hard on himself sometimes.

 

[Alchamei]

I feel so sad watching Misha in the K&C. He probably thought he lost the medal with that skate but he didn't! He won Bronze! I'm so proud of our little Misha, he got that medal and that's all what matters now. No one will take that medal from him! :hap57:

By the way, he was subpar in Euros last year, too and we all know what happened at Worlds, so don't worry.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

As for pressure, I think he may be overly prone to pushing such thoughts out of concious awareness because as he says he finds them distracting and ruminating on them does him little good, but they may fester. And he has discussed problems with self-confidence on several occasions - I don't think those just disappear because of a couple of successes. He is not entirely unaware or in denial though, and at least he has a psychologist he talks to. I respect that he never blames external factors for his failures, it's always himself, but this may mean he can be too hard on himself sometimes.

That is what I think too... there is no way he doesn't feel the pressure, and quite often, when you push things into unconscious territory, they can mess with you even more. It was sad to see him cry, but I'm not too worried - probably in big part because I don't think Euros are that important right now. Javi has the gold locked up and Mika never really was a candidate to take it away from him (as of now), and there isn't that much competition overall (although I like a lot of these guys). And he couldn't have done much better medal-wise anyway. I hope they use that to learn from it and that it gives him more fire for WC. It might also help that Max did so well here, as it might take some of the pressure off of Mika.

 

[ejnsofi]

On rewatch in HD I have realised Misha was actually crying in the K&C, and he is not someone who is prone to getting emotional in there, normally he just looks stunned after unsuccessful skates. Poor guy, seriously, it wasn't that bad!

When I saw it I actually started crying. :sad21: I think popped Axel made him more upset than fallen 4Lz because he basically repeated his mistake from SP.

Also you're all guys right. Just because he says he doesn't feel pressure doesn't mean that his mind doesn't do it. Let's face it: Russian men field isn't too good and every National Champion is expected to be next Evgeni. Not to mention Misha was some kind of discovery during last Worlds and many commentators and journalists started giving him their attention. Mikhail was upset because he thought he lost his medal and he didn't give perfect performance.

But he is still improving and that's important! He know that it's not the ice or other competitors. He is the one who has to sit down, analyse his skating, find the mistake and try to eliminate it. :agree:

He is a fighter. He didn't lose after the first fall and popped axel. To be honest Misha and Deniss were my favourite skaters yesterday because they didn't give up and had wonderful performances.

Now I'm waiting for Worlds and I know that Misha will improve even more :luv17:

Also look at him how happy he is https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/273100212434894854/275054284993855499/unknown.png
And here http://68.media.tumblr.com/cc4f5e77e613caa76d29ce88bc2076c9/tumblr_okik0fSvCk1qedt84o1_1280.jpg

 

[vorravorra]

To be fair, Misha has never said he doesn't feel pressure, in fact he has admitted the opposite, what he has said is that he tries not to think about it. It's just that simply not thinking about it may not always be enough.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Also look at him how happy he is https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/273100212434894854/275054284993855499/unknown.png
And here http://68.media.tumblr.com/cc4f5e77e613caa76d29ce88bc2076c9/tumblr_okik0fSvCk1qedt84o1_1280.jpg

These pics are so adorable! seems these 3 guys had fun together too :luv17:

 

[Tutto]

Okay, first of all congratulations to Mika on winning his first major medal and let it be first in a long line of many!
This medal will probably always be bitter sweet for him but I hope he's already put the disappointment of not skating cleanly behind him. Russia won 6 medals in total in Ostrava which is a great success and Mika is a part of this. There is every reason to be proud. Yes it could have been silver so what? It was good to see Maxim doing well though I am not a fan but no skater deserves to struggle like that. And the silver lining of this is that the Fed will probably focus on Maxim again, so less pressure on Mika. Had Maxim done badly again I can imagine the pressure going into Worlds when spots for Olympics are at stake. At least now Max & Mika will carry that burden together. For the Fed the outcome of Euros must be a happy one becouse it is sealed the World team without any doubt - no difficult decisions to make!
Here is a small interview with Mika:
http://www.fsrussia.ru/news/2779-mikhail-kolyada-priedem-v-piter-budem-razbirat-i-analizirovat.html

He is saying that after 4lz, 4T and big combination 3A-3T were done he kind of relaxed and was sure he would do solo 3A no problem but rushed a little not keeping shoulders in check. His assessment is that he did badly in both programs. I think he is too hard on himself and judges seem to agree with me.
MIka please do not beat yourself up! After a bad fall you skated a program with only one big mistake and with so many excellent elements, with good speed and I am surprised he didn't even look tired at the end. Either his anger gave him extra energy or they work on the stamina and it is paying off.
But I still think that his LP is not a great vehicle. I wasn't the biggest fan of Nightmare before Xmas but I think it did inspire him and carry him over. Not this one.

 

[beki]

It might also help that Max did so well here, as it might take some of the pressure off of Mika.

Hmm, in my opinion it's a problem. It's important to be #1 in your country to get proper credit from the judges. And he and his coach are not the most powerful in Russia. That said, it's one competition; it doesn't have to be an emergency.

I was watching with my husband, a casual fan, and he greatly admired the beauty of Mika's jumps. It's something anyone can see, even if they don't know anything about figure skating.

 

[vorravorra]

Hmm, in my opinion it's a problem. It's important to be #1 in your country to get proper credit from the judges. And he and his coach are not the most powerful in Russia. That said, it's one competition; it doesn't have to be an emergency.

I was watching with my husband, a casual fan, and he greatly admired the beauty of Mika's jumps. It's something anyone can see, even if they don't know anything about figure skating.

If Maxim stops unravelling in his programs and starts skating to his potential he is going to do better at some competitions, it just can't be helped. Currently Maxim has more difficult jump content and Misha can't always skate perfectly.

 

[vorravorra]

Okay, first of all congratulations to Mika on winning his first major medal and let it be first in a long line of many!
This medal will probably always be bitter sweet for him but I hope he's already put the disappointment of not skating cleanly behind him. Russia won 6 medals in total in Ostrava which is a great success and Mika is a part of this. There is every reason to be proud. Yes it could have been silver so what? It was good to see Maxim doing well though I am not a fan but no skater deserves to struggle like that. And the silver lining of this is that the Fed will probably focus on Maxim again, so less pressure on Mika. Had Maxim done badly again I can imagine the pressure going into Worlds when spots for Olympics are at stake. At least now Max & Mika will carry that burden together. For the Fed the outcome of Euros must be a happy one becouse it is sealed the World team without any doubt - no difficult decisions to make!
Here is a small interview with Mika:
http://www.fsrussia.ru/news/2779-mikhail-kolyada-priedem-v-piter-budem-razbirat-i-analizirovat.html

He is saying that after 4lz, 4T and big combination 3A-3T were done he kind of relaxed and was sure he would do solo 3A no problem but rushed a little not keeping shoulders in check. His assessment is that he did badly in both programs. I think he is too hard on himself and judges seem to agree with me.
MIka please do not beat yourself up! After a bad fall you skated a program with only one big mistake and with so many excellent elements, with good speed and I am surprised he didn't even look tired at the end. Either his anger gave him extra energy or they work on the stamina and it is paying off.
But I still think that his LP is not a great vehicle. I wasn't the biggest fan of Nightmare before Xmas but I think it did inspire him and carry him over. Not this one.

They have definitely been working on stamina and he obviously is in a better form. This time even his last jumps in the FS had good landings unlike at Nats. He didn't look like he had barely managed to finish it.

https://vk.com/video-24618099_456239214

According to this interview (3.49) Misha would have preferred to be fourth, but with a clean skate (of course then he wouldn't have been fourth, but I get the sentiment). He knew he could do the second 3A in the FS, he wasn't tired, so nothing was wrong, but... I think the fear of making the mistake was still there and such fears have an unfortunate tendency to materialise. As Valentina has said, he needs more experience of major competitions so that he has better idea/control of where his head is at.

Falling on 4Lz is still expected. With his height and speed on 4Lz it's hard to stop the momentum, he needs to develop better control of the jump. That fall unfortunately still seems to affect his 4T - I wonder if something could be done about the latter at least. Doing 4T first is not really an option since 4Lz requires too much energy to do it as a second quad.

I still wonder if he might have let his attention drift away from 3A a bit in training since it is a good jump and according to Valentina he does it in practice easily, and that might have played a role.

I understand him wanting to rehabilitate himself by doing a 3A in the EX, but why try to go for a 4T after that? That EX wasn't even meant for three jumps. No wonder he couldn't rotate it and almost hit the boards.