Mikhail Kolyada

[vorravorra]

Yes even we, the fans, not fully appreciate sometimes how difficult it was to break through for Mika, what a journey! Thank you for your thoughtful post Buton!
Looking forward to next week - a bit nervous though. I know Mika is numero uno and should remain so but ice is slippery and the home pressure sometimes plays havoc... Anyone knows is it his 'home' rink the Russian Nats are at?

Edit: by the way Mika came in first in Challenger Series this season - is there a prize money for the winner I hope so!

No, the Nats are in Yubileyny. I don't think they have big competitions at the Academy rink, there isn't enough space for spectators.
Yes, there is prize money, 4,000 Swiss francs. Stasya also is getting 3,000 for the second place in ladies.

 

[ejnsofi]

Edit: by the way Mika came in first in Challenger Series this season - is there a prize money for the winner I hope so!

According to Wikipedia 4000 CHF

RE: buton's post. I feel ashamed because the first time I truly appreciated Mika was 2016 RusNats. I realised he had quality many of top skaters don't posses any more: personality. He doesn't perform his choreo - he is his choreo. He is so genuine on and off the ice and he seems to be such a nice and humble young man. He got through long and difficult way - many would have given up long ago but he preserved and now he is GPF bronze medalist. Actually his story is a perfect movie material with all ups and downs.

BTW is too optimistic for me to think after GPF that Mika has a real chance to medal in Korea if he goes?

 

[vorravorra]

I can't believe that it's just less then one week before the Russian national championship already! Tonight I decided to look at the performances of Mikhail in this tournament for recent years. And I would like to share some highlights from the past: the first of the 2012-2013 season. It was in Sochi, and it was like in the kingdom of Evgeni Plushenko, The Tsar. There were a lot of posters with Evgeni, commentators talked mostly about Evgeni, crowd pationatly waited for Evgeni. You can see many hints of Evgeni in other skaters: someone had costume, other had hairstyle like Evgeni, or their music or some choreography would remind you about Evgeni. However, there were a lot of young talents, who performed there for the first time, like Aleksandr Samarin, Adian Pitkeev, Aleksandr Petrov, Andrei Lazukin who were 13-15 - and so on, and the one of the last was 17 y.o. Mikhail Kolyada. He didn't make big mistakes in his short, many elements were a bit inaccurate, but still he brought his playful, groovy, happy attitude, and made people smile a bit more. Valentina didn't forgot to care that he would cover his shoulders with jacket in K&C. The commentator, resuming opinions of the specialists of those day said "Everybody liked Kolyada."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarO_so4LPU

There is no way he looks 17 (in fact, close to 18) in the video! I remember the first time I saw a video of him in Juniors I had to recheck his birth date, twice It just didn't add up with what I was seeing on the screen. (I think he was sixteen in it, but looked about 13).

Even in this five-year-old video you already can see this is someone who can move. Also, a flip! With an obvious wrong edge, though this is not the best angle. There is a flip of his from behind in slow motion somewhere and you can see how bad it is.

However, he didn't have any Quad, and fell from both attempts of 3A in the Free.

Next year didn't bring him a quad too. He tried it, but after changing blades it was hard for him to feel it again. He turned 18, and was staying in juniors, but his results didn't make better, 15 years old guys became overcome him. He fighted with Quads, 3A, boots, blades and couldn't overcome them. Maybe it was a right time to change a coach for more experienced but Mikhail refused to do it. The Russian Nationals performance was dissapointing. He fell from 3A in the Short, the begining of the Free was Ok, but suddenly something wrong happend with his boot - commentators said, he lost a hook on his boots. Oh, that gaze at the 4.11 is just heartbreaking...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb8DRwppYS0

Misha obviously did a lot of growing up in 2013, he doesn't look like a kid any more. Still younger than his age though. You can see a 3S as the first jump, this is where the 4S was meant to go, he was already skating this LP with a 4S in practice. Why this jump became less convenient for him than even a 4Lz after breaking his leg is a mystery. The commentators are quite complimentary about his skating and keep mentioning how he does jumps without preparation, but Grishin also notes that he is plagued by inconsistency. Having to withdraw was unfortunate and led to him not having the best second half of the season.

 

[vorravorra]

According to Wikipedia 4000 CHF

RE: buton's post. I feel ashamed because the first time I truly appreciated Mika was 2016 RusNats. I realised he had quality many of top skaters don't posses any more: personality. He doesn't perform his choreo - he is his choreo. He is so genuine on and off the ice and he seems to be such a nice and humble young man. He got through long and difficult way - many would have given up long ago but he preserved and now he is GPF bronze medalist. Actually his story is a perfect movie material with all ups and downs.

BTW is too optimistic for me to think after GPF that Mika has a real chance to medal in Korea if he goes?

If he makes significantly fewer mistakes than others, why not? His PCS are close to 9s now.

In terms of movie material, I suppose you can use it - a young man from a family of limited means, whose coach virtually adopted him and paid his way, then he broke his leg etc. etc. Although the biggest thing that held him back wasn't either money or the leg fracture which took him out for less than a full season, but inconsistency (as well as a lack of commitment during his early teens).

 

[vorravorra]

I remember the first time I saw a video of him in Juniors I had to recheck his birth date, twice It just didn't add up with what I was seeing on the screen. (I think he was sixteen in it, but looked about 13).

I think this is the video, it's the Russian Cup Final 2011. Show it to anyone and ask to guess the skater's age, how many would say 16 (in my experience, not a single person)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZjhDV6NmpE

 

[Tutto]

I think this is the video, it's the Russian Cup Final 2011. Show it to anyone and ask to guess the skater's age, how many would say 16 (in my experience, not a single person)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZjhDV6NmpE

Yeah, about 11 or 12 at most
Why to look that far though, as recently as CoR 2016 Catherine (BESP) commented on the K&C scene - he looks about 14!
Maybe Mika is in possesion of a secret of eternal youth ... envious sigh...genes though the most probable explanation I think his mother looks young too and definitely not like a mother of 4...

 

[Tutto]

BTW is too optimistic for me to think after GPF that Mika has a real chance to medal in Korea if he goes?

Oh the way things are going at the moment anything is possible, any of top 7 could medal - 3 veterans+ 3 quadsters + Mika
But I prefer not to look that far, there is Nationals first to get through, I so hope Mika can relax and skate with freedom and abandon there - he surely knows that he needs to bomb completely not to win
the real test will be Euros - to be a serious Oly contender he needs to beat Javi I think

 

[vorravorra]

Yeah, about 11 or 12 at most
Why to look that far though, as recently as CoR 2016 Catherine (BESP) commented on the K&C scene - he looks about 14!
Maybe Mika is in possesion of a secret of eternal youth ... envious sigh...genes though the most probable explanation I think his mother looks young too and definitely not like a mother of 4...

I think he is just a late developer. I don't think he looks 14 any more though, this season he started to look like a proper grown-up.

On a somewhat different note, I only just got around to watching the GPF Gala (I still have a lot of GP material to catch up on) and was overjoyed to see Halellujah again, this EX lets him show off everything he doesn't get around to in competition programs. But seriously, camera people, the best way to film an Ina Bauer is from the front? At last Euros they had the right idea

https://media.giphy.com/media/xT1R9E6Cc3s1uI0Xo4/giphy.gif

 

[coldblueeyes]

Misha thinks of one competition at the time, and we should do it too. That he can, virtually, find himself in the podium I have no doubt. Even gold. The probability is very low, and I would be happy with him just doing a clean competition, or as close to it as he can. The rest is literally the rest.

 

[vorravorra]

A really nice fan video of Misha:

https://vk.com/video320495667_456239115

 

[Heleng]

I think he is just a late developer. I don't think he looks 14 any more though, this season he started to look like a proper grown-up.

On a somewhat different note, I only just got around to watching the GPF Gala (I still have a lot of GP material to catch up on) and was overjoyed to see Halellujah again, this EX lets him show off everything he doesn't get around to in competition programs. But seriously, camera people, the best way to film an Ina Bauer is from the front? At last Euros they had the right idea

https://media.giphy.com/media/xT1R9E6Cc3s1uI0Xo4/giphy.gif

:agree: His performance is beautiful, I've rewatched it several times. I'd love for him to do a long program with this kind of style and feel.

 

[buton]

It's already tomorrow:shocked:
He will skate 14th, the second after the ice resurface
http://www.fsrussia.ru/results/1718/rusnat1718_ENG/SEG001.HTM
Best luck!

 

[Tutto]

Okay it was not perfect but a very good skate! It is not easy to skate at home. I am strangely pleased that he is in second (though Samarin's PCS is a separate matter ) it is a better place for tomorrow I think. Fingers crossed. TAT is being suspiciously sweet?

 

[vorravorra]

Wasn't watching with TAT, but from what I've heard she was complimentary. Misha looked nervous. But no fall on the 4Lz - and it was clean in the warmup. Will see tomorrow, Samarin generally has trouble skating two good programs in a row because of stamina issues (according to his team) - but a good effort today on his part.

 

[coldblueeyes]

I don't think we should worry too much about Samarin, or any of the other guys. I said in the SP thread that Samarin needed 4 points in the SP to get that score, in comparison Misha seems lowballed, haha. But that's neither here nor there. I think a step out on the lutz is a good thing for now, he's coming together slowly, and we knew it was going to be like this.

Can we talk about the combo, though? He did it so easily, as he's been doing lately, it's promising to think that the quad lutz can become something like that in two seasons.

And yeah, TAT seemed absolutely complimentary of him, even in the step out.

 

[joanne129]

Go mikhail! Good skate today though i think his PCS shd be much higher than samarin's! Hope he can win tmr to defend his title!

 

[vorravorra]

I need videos of Misha's SP with no TAT's ramblings (or anybody's ramblings, preferably). I am too nervous on first watch to really take in the program. I know Telesport, who shut up during skates and that's why I now watch everything with them, only put theirs up tomorrow.

Impressions from people in the rink - Misha feels the music and skates a great program with great SS, but his skating is somewhat introverted (it's kind of an introverted program though). Generally, lots of compliments and lots of complaints about Misha's PCS vs Samarin's - although Samarin was complimented on the energy and drive of his performance. I think last season's music carried Sasha better than this one though.

 

[coldblueeyes]

I need videos of Misha's SP with no TAT's ramblings (or anybody's ramblings, preferably). I am too nervous on first watch to really take in the program. I know Telesport, who shut up during skates and that's why I now watch everything with them, only put theirs up tomorrow.

Impressions from people in the rink - Misha feels the music and skates a great program with great SS, but his skating is somewhat introverted (it's kind of an introverted program though). Generally, lots of compliments and lots of complaints about Misha's PCS vs Samarin's - although Samarin was complimented on the energy and drive of his performance. I think last season's music carried Sasha better than this one though.

I do believe this program for Misha doesn't reach the standings in the same way. For us, as an audience, it's like watching something self contained, we don't need to interact, and Misha doesn't feed off of the energy from outside. But there's nothing in that saying he should receive much more points in PCS compared to the others. And in the moment Samarin got that healthy bump in four marks, Misha would have been bumped up too.

All in all, though, the results were fair. Samarin skated well and clean, Misha didn't. This kind of result certainly wouldn't be replicated outside of Russia, but it's good for the russian men to have two guys that could challenge to gain those three spots.

 

[QueenOfTheRoad]

Bravo Mikhail for the NC title!

 

[vorravorra]

Misha said in an interview he was still not quite recovered after the GPF (Sergei too, likely). He had a worse than usual second half, probably started running out of steam. But the quad lutz is looking better, he landed them clean in both warmups and in the morning practice. Depressing competition, all in all, but congratulations on the title, nevertheless!