Russian Test Skates 2014

[tulosai]

New partners worked out for both. Bazarova really needs to land her jumps, it's not as one might have thought - Larionov doesn't go nowhere without Bazarova.

Yes, seeing both videos I start to think their skating styles may have been fundamentally incompatible. I always suspected he looked much more 'truck driver' like because she so VERY much didn't look like that, but I think Mozer has also been working with him on it.

He also has to land his jumps. People tend to think he was a much stronger jumper than Bazarova but that's not really true- he was stronger than her but was an indifferent jumper. In any case she seems to be doing better with the jumps without him. The split overall seems to be a blessing for both.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Yes, seeing both videos I start to think their skating styles may have been fundamentally incompatible. I always suspected he looked much more 'truck driver' like because she so VERY much didn't look like that, but I think Mozer has also been working with him on it.

He also has to land his jumps. People tend to think he was a much stronger jumper than Bazarova but that's not really true- he was stronger than her but was an indifferent jumper. In any case she seems to be doing better with the jumps without him. The split overall seems to be a blessing for both.

Yeah, it's nice to see them doing well with their new partners. I always thought B/L was held back by Vera's small jumps and their incompatible "look". Deputat I've heard of, but I've never heard of Yuri's partner... what's her story?

 

[[email protected]]

The Russian girls are all doing so well...Nationals will be SCARY!

Unfortunately, they will not take place in Moscow, St. Petersburg or even Sochi. Such a poor judgement to make this event in Saransk!

 

[hanca]

New partners worked out for both. Bazarova really needs to land her jumps, it's not as one might have thought - Larionov doesn't go nowhere without Bazarova.

Apparently she landed her jumps in the closed test skates, and she did land it in the FS open test skate. So it seems to be much better than last season.

"it's not as one might have thought - Larionov doesn't go nowhere without Bazarova" - I suggest that we make judgement whether he is going anywhere only after they actually compete. It is great that he is looking ok now, but they have to sit out a season or two and the current level of competition in Russian pairs means that he may not be going anywhere anyway... Age will go against him and who knows whether in two years time they will still be together.

 

[hanca]

He lost weight also, quite a lot.

I am sorry but I don't see it. Zabijako looks much thinner than she did last year and he looks to me the same. Luckily she is not very balletic so they look better together than he looked with Bazarova, but for me it is still quite mismatch. Look at the photos from the test skates.

 

[lcd]

I'm rooting for the veterans to be strong as well. With maturity and experience will hopefully come health and strong performances.

The 'baby ballerinas' are thrilling, and such amazing athletic talents, but I am a HUGE proponent of variety and diversity and range. I don't want to see an entire flight of skaters who are all 'the same' doing the same amazing tricks and jumps. Artistry and choreography can take on so many attractive forms and I hold out hope for the veterans to be technically solid but have more horsepower from a performance perspective.

The competitive dynamics in Russia are SO INCREDIBLE but I think if veterans can also be strong and not discouraged, this can only help the discipline overall.

 

[LuisRollerArg]

Sot and Tuk are still very young. Actually they're closer to Yulia an Radionova age rather than with Leonova.

Yeah, liza and Adelina still youngers tha Alena , but they are in senior circuit since 2011. Adelina and liza are stronger jumpers, and Alena is working so hard for comeback to elite, she has now a true lutz and tries new jump combo, with her high PCS Ithink she still can beat Radionova at least!

 

[Rhodium]

Unfortunately, they will not take place in Moscow, St. Petersburg or even Sochi. Such a poor judgement to make this event in Saransk!

It would be a good thing if it takes place in Saransk. It is a nice place reachable from Moscow by train.

Unfortunately it will take place in Sochi

 

[hanca]

Yeah, liza and Adelina still youngers tha Alena , but they are in senior circuit since 2011. Adelina and liza are stronger jumpers, and Alena is working so hard for comeback to elite, she has now a true lutz and tries new jump combo, with her high PCS Ithink she still can beat Radionova at least!

Alena beating Radionova? Come on! When did she managed to do that last time? 2 years ago? Or three? Alena's weakness are her edge jumps. Last year she did not do any program where she would manage 3Salchow and 3 loop. She always either pops one of those or doubles or falls. So the result is that she can't do seven triples program, and she is not consistent. Radionova can do seven triples program and is consistent. No PCS can make up for it. Besides, now Elena has reputation, she gets decent PCS too. You do the maths!

Radionova's scores from last season were 183.02 the lowest and 202.01 the highest; the highest at an international competition 194.29.
Leonova's scores from last season were 161.94 the lowest and 187.48 the highest; the highest at an international competition 178.15.

Even if Leonova is fighting to keep up, her lowest score is 20 points lower than Radionova's lowest score, her highest score is 15 points lower and highest score at international competition is 16 points lower. Leonova may have improved in comparison with the last season, but she could not improve that much.

 

[Alba]

I am sorry but I don't see it. Zabijako looks much thinner than she did last year and he looks to me the same.

What can I say if you don't see that.
He has lost lots of weight, and it's so obvious to me. Of course, he's not slim and never will be. I think.
Also, there is still a big difference between the two. As you said, Zabijako is very thin. So maybe that could be also a reason why you don't see his change.
I confess, I was watching him only in the videos (the show as well) because some of my friends who went to see Mozer's camp in Italy, in August, already had told me that they were surprised by how much weight Larionov had lost.

 

[tulosai]

Alena beating Radionova? Come on! When did she managed to do that last time? 2 years ago? Or three? Alena's weakness are her edge jumps. Last year she did not do any program where she would manage 3Salchow and 3 loop. She always either pops one of those or doubles or falls. So the result is that she can't do seven triples program, and she is not consistent. Radionova can do seven triples program and is consistent. No PCS can make up for it. Besides, now Elena has reputation, she gets decent PCS too. You do the maths!

Radionova's scores from last season were 183.02 the lowest and 202.01 the highest; the highest at an international competition 194.29.
Leonova's scores from last season were 161.94 the lowest and 187.48 the highest; the highest at an international competition 178.15.

Even if Leonova is fighting to keep up, her lowest score is 20 points lower than Radionova's lowest score, her highest score is 15 points lower and highest score at international competition is 16 points lower. Leonova may have improved in comparison with the last season, but she could not improve that much.

This all is true as things stand now but I do have to say I think there is a real question of whether Radionova is going to be able to keep her jumps. Her triple triple is starting to look very iffy, and I think that is a fact.

With that said, as things stand now, these two are light years apart IMO. It's far more likely that Leonova could pass Liza (in fact, last year, one could make a case that she DID) than Radionova.

 

[kwanatic]

This all is true as things stand now but I do have to say I think there is a real question of whether Radionova is going to be able to keep her jumps. Her triple triple is starting to look very iffy, and I think that is a fact.

With that said, as things stand now, these two are light years apart IMO. It's far more likely that Leonova could pass Liza (in fact, last year, one could make a case that she DID) than Radionova.

People keep saying they look iffy but I don't think Elena's jumps look any different than they did last year. In her SP test skate she didn't land the first jump in her 3-3 as cleanly as she could have, that's true...yet she still tacked the 3T to the end and it looked rotated to me. The other two 3-3s she did in her FS looked fine. She's never been a power jumper like Adelina or Liza T but she's able to rotate her jumps without much issue. From what I've seen so far it doesn't look like that's changed. I may be wrong but, based off of what I saw in the test skate, her jumps look the same. Just my opinion.

As for Alena catching up to/surpassing Elena, I don't see it happening unless people are right and Elena's jumps become unstable. Elena is a very consistent competitor. She and Julia are what-and-what when it comes to knocking out clean skates on a consistent basis. That may change for both of them this season but, assuming it doesn't, I don't think Alena will have enough fire power to catch up to Elena. On top of that fresh, new and cute factor, Elena also has level 4s and tech content stacked to the ceiling.

Alena's running to catch a train that already left the station...and on top of all that, the train is full of passengers. Not only does Alena have to try to match up to the technical level of Julia, Adelina, Elena, Anna and Liza T, if she wants to make it into that top ring of competitors she's going to have to knock several people out of the way and I'm not so sure she's capable of doing that.

I kinda feel like Alena missed her chance to shine in Russia. After winning that world silver medal in 2012 everything wide open for her to maintain her footing in Russia but she tanked and all of the newbies ran right by her.

 

[Alba]

And let's not forget Anna P. If she skates like at worlds.

 

[Ophelia]

^Sotnikova, Radianova, Tut(however you spell her last name) were not at Worlds 2014, so it's a different ballgame this time around.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Tuktamysheva !!

 

[Ophelia]

I always read it as Tutankhamun.

 

[Alba]

I always read it as Tutankhamun.

Use the short version: Tuk.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I always read it as Tutankhamun.

Somehow thinking " Tucked all my shoes in" helps me to remember

 

[Meoima]

I've always called her Liza Tuk, couldn't spell all of her name right.

 

[tulosai]

Alena's running to catch a train that already left the station...and on top of all that, the train is full of passengers. Not only does Alena have to try to match up to the technical level of Julia, Adelina, Elena, Anna and Liza T, if she wants to make it into that top ring of competitors she's going to have to knock several people out of the way and I'm not so sure she's capable of doing that.

I kinda feel like Alena missed her chance to shine in Russia. After winning that world silver medal in 2012 everything wide open for her to maintain her footing in Russia but she tanked and all of the newbies ran right by her.

I don't know, I think Alena did the best she could with her level of talent and actual abilities. By most measures she's had a successful (I'd go so far as to say VERY successful) career, one that most skaters, even elite ones, would be very very happy with.

She's been to an Olympics and to 5 World Championships. She has a World Silver Medal. She's made the GPF twice and has 6 GP medals not including her GPF medal. She won Junior Worlds. She's been to 5 European Championships. She has medaled at and also won SEVERAL B-competitions. I think if Liza T or Anna P end up being as successful as her they will be lucky.

I basically just don't think she 'missed her chance' or is a big fat nobody like some people do, even if she never manages to do anything good competitively ever again. While I don't think she is or ever was a skater at the tier-one tippy-top of the sport, she was for several years a very high tier two skater and very few skaters (relatively speaking) will be able to equal what she has accomplished in their own careers.