The Future of the Russian Skater

[slutskayafan21]

hmm...maybe...I am not sure...have to check 98s first

But, she doesn't have the greatest technic, so WELL DONE to her doing that jumps...

I agree she doesnt even have the greatest jumping technique, but when she is fit and focused she still gets them around and does them very well.

 

[soogar]

I am not crazy. I do like Elena Sokolova, and she has occasionally skated a bang-up performance, but it is a mistake to interpret energy and pleasing personality as passion. She consistently gets lower PCS scores than other skaters partly because she doesn't give that extra edge of passion that we see from Irina Slutskaya and Michelle Kwan.

I think Elena's biggest problem is that she doesn't quite trust herself technically, and that makes her skating a lot "smaller" emotionally than it could be.

Cupcake gets low PCS scores b/c a) she's not favored like Irina and b) her skating isn't as neat as Kwan's. In terms of passion, Cupcake is a much more emotionally engaging skater than either of those two, esp when she was a teenager. I still remember her very expressive face and pure enjoyment from when she skated in Nagano at 16. I also think that her R&J program from last year (not this year's techno version) was also skated with a lot of emotion.

 

[slutskayafan21]

Irina is not the most polished skater but her command of the ice, her presence on the ice, her standout basic skating seperates her from somebody like Sokolova in PCS.

 

[JonnyCoop]

IMHO, a huge percentage of Sokolova's success has to do with the fact that all over the world, people just love to watch PRECIOUS LITTLE RUSSIAN GIRLS. She certainly was one when she first came along and she has been lucky enough to remain so. I have NEVER liked her skating, tho when she made her comeback in 2003, I did notice she'd gotten a bit of a clue, which she has since lost again. She pays NO attention to the music, she uses choreographic nuance like an afterthought; she's one of the most consistent offenders in the Only Have The Music On Because They Told You You Had To Bring A Tape category. And she is certainly no technician.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

...
Again, sorry all of you, I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad, just want to say what I think...As English isn't my first language next time I'll pick better words.

Dont' worry about it A-4-S. We all love you anyway.:thumbsup:

Joe

 

[Kasey]

...
Again, sorry all of you, I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad, just want to say what I think...As English isn't my first language next time I'll pick better words.

Thanks AFS...that is really nice of you. :agree:

 

[krenseby]

R & J

R & J at Euros was a pretty energetic program that drew me in... Elena does though have weak spins and spirals. Those two elements are really killing her score even when she gets all her jumps right. Has she been trying to upgrade her spins and spirals? I have no idea....

 

[anything_for_skating]

I agree she doesnt even have the greatest jumping technique, but when she is fit and focused she still gets them around and does them very well.

That's what I tryed to say. She does them so powerfull and great...

 

[anything_for_skating]

Dont' worry about it A-4-S. We all love you anyway.:thumbsup:

Joe

...

 

[~Muffin~]

The Russian dynasty shall never die. There will always be a champion, and even if they might not be as great as their predecessors they will be held up because they are Russian believe me!

 

[R.D.]

they will be held up because they are Russian

Yes, you bet they will be. Tanith agrees, too.

 

[chuckm]

I would think skaters would prefer to place high at competitions based on their talent and skill, not on their nationality (and the politicking that gets them placed too high---thinking here of Mikailova/Sergeev's silver medal at JW).

 

[slutskayafan21]

Skaters that place high based on their nationality though, particularly quite a few Russians in pairs and dance over the years(not the truly great ones, but some of the others), dont neccessarily think that they are though. So it is not as if it would bother them, when they often dont believe that is the case in the first place.

 

[curious]

Yes, you bet they will be. Tanith agrees, too.

Like Tanith was not held up in Turino with a subpar performance

 

[Dennis]

For me, there are 3 kinds of figure skating fans:

1. Fans who love the sport and look for the best in figure skating from everywhere regardless of their nationality.

2. Fans who only consider Russian skaters worthy of winning medals because of their nationality.

3 Fans who are obsessed with one skater and give total praise for that skater, but will give cursory comments about a few others.

Am I correct?

Joe

 

[bogie]

There are so many American skaters of Russian extraction coming up the ranks and getting great results. There are also many Russian coaches here in America now. Perhaps they will create a new dynasty!

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

There are so many American skaters of Russian extraction coming up the ranks and getting great results. There are also many Russian coaches here in America now. Perhaps they will create a new dynasty!

There will never be a truly American skater while ethnicity runs amok.

Joe

 

[Kasey]

Let´s not forget the Olympic champions Urmanov and Kulik from the list... In my opinion with four Russian Olympic gold medals and a mass of World medals, Russian skaters that don´t manage to rise on the podium in those competitions, can be seen as failures. The standard those four skaters left, is really high.

Sorry Jaana, and anyone else, I didn't mean at all to slight Urmanov or Kulik. It's just that, since 1998, Yagudin and Plushenko have so dominated the international circuit, from GP events to "the big ones" such as Worlds and Olys...the tag team consistancy was just amazing.

It's all in perspective. Supposing it is Klimkin and Dobrin, or Dobrin and Griazev, or Klimkin and Uspenski who go to worlds next year.....and both place in the top ten. Is that a success? Or, based on the huge expectations of Russian skaters brought about by Urmanov/Kulik/Yagudin/Plushenko, is anything out of the medals a failure? Based on how the two Russian men at this year's worlds did, it would of course be a success, in that it's a great improvement....but still, many would consider it a failure based upon what has come before it. That was my point.

 

[soogar]

With the way the results have been going, Klimkin and Dobrin both placing in the top 10 is a miracle. Klimkin is barely making the top 10 right now. The impression that I've gotten from his transalated interviews is that the he has the Federation's support (though where was the money when it came to fixing his body in a proper manner?) despite his ranking. Klimkin skated very well this season in terms of hitting his jumps. He just needs to add the rest of the choreography and get his stride and he could be back in the medals.

My concern is with the 2nd and 3rd guy. Piseev has been playing musical chairs with his skaters that past two years and I think that it has caught up with him. You have to give these guys a chance to get over their failures and learn to compete. Replacing Lezin with Dobrin at Worlds was a huge mistake. Replacing Dobrin with Andrei who finished 8th at Russian Nats at this year's worlds was a mistake. Piseev has been spoiled by his Russian triumverate of Abt, Yagudin and Plushenko. He needs to deal with the fact that most likely the 3rd Russian guy isn't going to finish 5th like Abt or even be a spoiler for a medal.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Soogar - With Klimkin back, he is the top one for Russia, imo. Hopefully, he finds a choreographer who can bring back that creative talent that he has.

I don't remember Dobrrin at Calgary? I did see him in Moscow. He looked a bit uneasy with his presentation. I don't think he will make a 'cossack'.

Griazev gets to me in spurts but nothing overwhelming. He has a high jump when he makes them.

I've never seen Lezin or Uspenski. Just don't know. I am looking forward to Varnoff.

How different the Russians are from the Americans. I can't imagine who ever it is at the head of the American team would interfere with the progress of a team member.

Joe