Mikhail Kolyada

[coldblueeyes]

Raf's interviews began to irk me a little he was very decent & respectful at the start, now he criticises this and that, and it all looks like "yes I'd sure do better given a chance'

I agree with Raf on a lot of stuff, but acting the same way Urmanov, TAT and even Yagudin do regarding Misha irks me too. Which is why I respect Valentina so much in that regard. Never raised her voice to criticize anyone, especially when she has the biggest horse on the race, tbh.

 

[rachno2]

Raf's interviews began to irk me a little he was very decent & respectful at the start, now he criticises this and that, and it all looks like "yes I'd sure do better given a chance'

I get the sense that Raf is frustrated because they keep asking him about somebody who is not his student. He said in the last interview, "It's not my job." It's probably especially frustrating if he does want to train Misha, but the federation won't allow it, the money situation is impossible, and/or Misha himself doesn't want it. The feeling I'm getting from him is, "either stop asking me about Kolyada or send him to me full-time."

Regarding team selection, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic today looking at the SB list. The Grand Prix is done, and Misha's Nepela scores are still way up there, even though the free he did there was neither clean nor technically demanding. He's a big risk, but aren't all the Russian men? And the potential reward of sending him to Euros/Worlds is huge. :yes:

I do wonder if he'll do Golden Spin so we can see a Russian Toreador battle before Nats.

 

[Tutto]

I agree with Raf on a lot of stuff, but acting the same way Urmanov, TAT and even Yagudin do regarding Misha irks me too. Which is why I respect Valentina so much in that regard. Never raised her voice to criticize anyone, especially when she has the biggest horse on the race, tbh.

Ever since the Olympics she kept out of the media way altogether - I think we can understand why. At the same time I wish sometimes she did say something re recent difficulties.
At least Stanislava had a great LP to cheer her up, after totally bombing SP ...sigh... I wonder how coaches find the motivation to go on - two so talented students and both totally unpredictable, one has to have the nerves of steel to endure that rollercoaster!

I was thinking about Mika's most successful LP to date - Boston, trying to figure out what was different and came to a conclusion that he always overthinks. In Boston, by his own admission he was skating (at least the second half) on autopilot, letting the body do what needed. We know the result. Of course there were several factors at play but one was that the layout was unchanged for a whole season, that was what 13th or 14th competition that season, but since then they always change things around, maybe it is at least partly a reason for his inconsistency?

 

[Tutto]

I get the sense that Raf is frustrated because they keep asking him about somebody who is not his student. He said in the last interview, "It's not my job." It's probably especially frustrating if he does want to train Misha, but the federation won't allow it, the money situation is impossible, and/or Misha himself doesn't want it. The feeling I'm getting from him is, "either stop asking me about Kolyada or send him to me full-time."

Regarding team selection, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic today looking at the SB list. The Grand Prix is done, and Misha's Nepela scores are still way up there, even though the free he did there was neither clean nor technically demanding. He's a big risk, but aren't all the Russian men? And the potential reward of sending him to Euros/Worlds is huge. :yes:

I do wonder if he'll do Golden Spin so we can see a Russian Toreador battle before Nats.

Well, actually I think you might be right about Raf, it must be annoying for him - fair enough

The entries deadline for Golden Spin long past so it is impossible, he must have meant some domestic competition

 

[rachno2]

The entries deadline for Golden Spin long past so it is impossible, he must have meant some domestic competition

Ah, and there’s no opportunity for late entries? There was talk of Medvedeva doing it in her fan fest, so I was just wondering.

Speaking of Med, she and Misha really should commiserate over a drink come Russian Nationals, the poor little bears

 

[SnowWhite]

Ah, and there’s no opportunity for late entries? There was talk of Medvedeva doing it in her fan fest, so I was just wondering.

Speaking of Med, she and Misha really should commiserate over a drink come Russian Nationals, the poor little bears

There can be late entries - Gilles/Poirier were just added after missing out on the GPF.

 

[coldblueeyes]

In any way there's already three russian guys, don't know if there can be more.

 

[rachno2]

Misha is now listed for Golden Spin, going against Maxim and Sasha. Let the battle begin! I’m a little scared, but happy he gets the practice—and always thankful to see Carmen. :luv17: Jason Brown is also there, so this will be very, very interesting.

Just hope he isn’t burning himself out.....but he and Valentina know best

 

[malya]

Really happy to see Misha at another competition, I think this helps him more than any other training for Nats!

 

[Tutto]

Well, it can either backfire or boost his confidence -hope for the latter of course. Also hoping this means he recovered from his sinusitis/colds sufficiently.
For us something to look forward to next week: SP - Thursday, LP - Friday.
A dress rehearsal for Russian Nats it seems though knowing the guys, it means nothing whatsoever: they can do well in Zagreb and be crushed by pressure of RusNats.

Just had a sneak peep at Tallinn Trophy and you know Maxim despite the mistakes looks really much better PCS wise - good job!

A question, is Golden Spin normally well attended...after looking at depressingly empty arena in Tallinn...

 

[rachno2]

A question, is Golden Spin normally well attended...after looking at depressingly empty arena in Tallinn...

Not sure.....but maybe it will be this year, considering all the famous skaters going? Just watch Misha set another world record in front of a tiny crowd in poor video quality I just want to see these programs performed to their potential in hi-def, dammit!

 

[coldblueeyes]

Not sure.....but maybe it will be this year, considering all the famous skaters going? Just watch Misha set another world record in front of a tiny crowd in poor video quality I just want to see these programs performed to their potential in hi-def, dammit!

I'm not that picky, though. If he wants to set world records there, I'm all for it.

 

[Tutto]

It looks the battle of Carmens is being postponed - Kovtun is out of Zagreb, remains listed as a sub though, Shulepov is in, so it will be Mika vs Samarin

 

[rachno2]

It looks the battle of Carmens is being postponed - Kovtun is out of Zagreb, remains listed as a sub though, Shulepov is in, so it will be Mika vs Samarin

Does this mean Kovtun isn't trying to make the Euros/World team? You would think he would want more than one international competition under his belt. :think:

Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best at Golden Spin

 

[coldblueeyes]

Does this mean Kovtun isn't trying to make the Euros/World team? You would think he would want more than one international competition under his belt. :think:

I don't see why he wouldn't? He just won in Tallinn, but it wouldn't do him much good to go to Zagreb and lose to two of the guys also trying for a spot on the team - and it would get even worse if Sergei did a good competition at the GPF. Maybe he's just preserving himself for Nats.

 

[malya]

Agree, Kovtun got a win & high SB to secure GP spots next season he does not need the second event.

Misha still has some competition next week

Tbh I just want him healthy and not bombing...

 

[rachno2]

Tbh I just want him healthy and not bombing...

Apparently that’s too much to ask for this season honestly, if he isn’t ready for the big competitions, then he isn’t ready and that’s OK. Maybe time off to fully come to terms with what happened in PyeongChang is what he needs, even if it would be a hard pill to swallow. He’s still relatively young, his basics and technique are fantastic, the field isn’t too terribly deep. He may not be #1 after this season, but he can come back strong on the GP circuit next year. This short program phobia is really concerning and makes me wonder if going to Worlds with the added pressure of being a reigning medalist is in his best interest. Obviously I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I’m preparing myself for the worst in the next couple of weeks.

One day I’m optimistic, the next day I’m cynical

 

[vorravorra]

Well, even without GPF qualification, I think the Fed is definitely going to push Samarin. Maybe Kovtun, too. And why wouldn't they? Samarin has delivered this season where Misha and Dima have not, so it's only fair. I think Misha will need to skate perfectly or near-perfectly to save his title. And with Samarin, Kovtun, Aliev, Voronov, and Gumennik in the mix, getting on the podium might be hard, too. Now that the judges know that Samarin will get high PCS comparable to Kolyada internationally, there is no need to prop up Kolyada with high PCS relative to Samarin on the national level.

Sorry for the pessimism; everything just seems to be going wrong this season (Boyang ) Even Aliev outscored Misha today. I hope our tiny tsar is training hard and will show us something special in a month, but things are looking bleak

Did I miss something and Samarin got 9s in PCS internationally? He is never going to get comparable PCS to Misha if the judges are not high on those mushrooms.

 

[rachno2]

Did I miss something and Samarin got 9s in PCS internationally? He is never going to get comparable PCS to Misha if the judges are not high on those mushrooms.

Maybe not, but a guy who gets mid to high 8s (now that I’m looking, somebody did give him a 9 in performance at IdF) and is technically rather consistent is a good person to bet on. That’s all I’m saying. Misha’s 9s won’t be there forever if he keeps on this technical downward spiral, no matter how deserving his non-technical elements are. You know how the PCS game works.

Also that post was written in the heat of the moment; I'm embarrassed to see how dramatic I was there

 

[vorravorra]

Maybe he's just doing new drills? But since he's updated his social media, I do hope he gets some chances to do shows, if he's willing to. Also, I think putting his mind to other things, even if it's just IG, can be something to release the tension. I don't like to see him so secluded and mulling over stuff - but then, we don't really know how he is in real life, so...

I get the impression he is actually quite sociable, and he has good people skills. He only comes across as shy when surrounded by people who he can't understand or communicate with. He is private and keeps himself out of the figure skating "high society" which strengthens the impression that he is some sort of a recluse, but the world is not limited to figure skating socialites. Before anyone cared about his social media he actually posted quite a few activities and friends.