Varvara Abramkina

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just a few days after she finished her campaign at the Black Sea Ice Cup in Kranevo, Bulgaria, Varvara is already back in action today. This time it is at the Triglav Trophy in Jesenice, Slovenia.

The Advanced Novice Ladies SP is due to start at 16:15:00 CEST (14:15:00 GMT / 15:15:00 BST / 17:15:00 MSK). So 9 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 25th skater to start. So, fifth skater to go in Group 4 (and skater to go).

The Group 4 Warm-Up is due to start at 18:17:30 CEST (16:17:30 GMT / 17:17:30 BST / 19:17:30 MSK). So 11h 2m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 18:40:40 CEST (16:40:40 GMT / 17:40:40 BST / 19:40:40 MSK). So 11h 25m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95852

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 9th out of 49 in the SP, with a score of 37.10.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Dragon Trophy.

However, one of the Canadian members posted the following at the end of Group 4 in the competition thread:

@CaroLiza_fan The girl from Cyprus did really well… in fourth place​

To which I replied at the end of the segment:

Varvara ended up in 9th out of 49. But, I'm delighted, because she had a very quick turnaround after competing at the Black Sea Ice Cup in Bulgaria at the weekend. And although she was 2nd in both segments and overall, she had a disaster of a Free Skate on Sunday. So, I was worried that it might be praying on her mind.

True, her score today is a good bit lower than she got on Saturday (41.70 points), but it is only 0.81 points lower than her second highest SP score from the Sofia Trophy earlier in the season. And she is only 1 position and 0.39 points behind another skater that I rate, Alica LENGYELOVA (SVK).

Hope she has a good Free Skate tomorrow.

CaroLiza_fan​

MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara is currently 0.39 points behind 8th position, Alica LENGYELOVA (SVK), and 0.98 points ahead of 10th position, Anne-Sophie HEURTEBIS (FRA). All three of them are part of a group of 8 skaters covered by 5.56 points, stretching from Nicole de ROSA (ITA) in 7th position, 1.00 points ahead of Varvara, down to Emily BOSCARO (ITA) in 14th position, 4.56 points behind Varvara.

However, truth be told, apart from the leader, it is a very tight field where any gaps are negligible. I usually use a 2 point gap to mark groups, and there simply aren't any gaps that big. What we have is essentially one big group of 48 skaters covered by 24.18 points, stretching from Ornella MESSANA (ITA) in 2nd position, 6.42 points ahead of Varvara, to Chiara BELLATI (ITA) in 49th position, 17.76 points behind Varvara.

Absolutely anything could happen in the Free Skate. So, Varvara needs to put in a good Free Skate regardless of how anybody else does.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Advanced Novice Ladies FS is due to start today at 13:20:00 CEST (11:20:00 GMT / 12:20:00 BST / 14:20:00 MSK). So 6 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 41st skater to start. So, sixth and penultimate skater to go in Group 6 (and penultimate skater to go before the final resurfacing).

The Group 6 Warm-Up is due to start at 17:34:10 CEST (15:34:10 GMT / 16:34:10 BST / 18:34:10 MSK). So 10h 14m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 18:08:50 CEST (16:08:50 GMT / 17:08:50 BST / 19:08:50 MSK). So 10h 48m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/95852

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Triglav Trophy Advanced Novice Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 8th out of 48 in the FS, with a score of 69.03. This meant that she remained in 9th position overall, with a score of 106.13.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Triglav Trophy.


MORE TO FOLLOW


Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.55 points behind 7th position, Ornella MESSANA (ITA), and 0.99 points ahead of 9th position, Paula KASNAR (HRV). All three of them are part of a larger group where 6 skaters are covered by 3.42 points, stretching from Martina SANTIA (ITA) in 5th position, 2.09 points ahead of Varvara, to Lilou REMEYSEN (BEL) in 10th position, 1.33 points behiond Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 1.57 points behind 8th position, Nicole de ROSA (ITA), and 3.24 points ahead of 10th position, Remeysen.

Like she did in the Short Programme, Varvara achieved her second highest ever Free Skate score here. The difference is that in this case, it was only 2.28 points lower than her absolute PB, which was from the Sofia Trophy at the start of February. The Protocols don't give an indication as to what happened in the elements that got negative GOE and minus marks from the Judges, but it was unfortunate that she had these issues, because she might have got a few positions higher in the FS. That said, it wouldn't have made much difference to the overall results. There was only one skater ahead of Varvara that was within striking distance.

All in all, although I hadn't seen her before this season, and I didn't get to see her too many times this season due to events being behind the paywall, I have been impressed with how Varvara has got on in what is not only her first season competing on the international stage, but is also her first full season competing outside of her home city. (I'm using the phrase "full season" because of that domestic event she did in Bulgaria as a guest skater last season).

It'll be interesting to see what Varavara does next season. She will be age eligible for Juniors, but given that she has only done one season on the international circuit, this would be a big step. Especially when she would up against the experienced Stefania Yakovleva (due to the changes to the minimum age for Seniors, Stefania will still not be old enough for Seniors next season).

Personally, I think Varvara might be better staying in Advanced Novices to get some more experience under her belt. That said, I would not be surprised to see Olivia Bazlova move up to Advanced Novices next season. Although Olivia is a good bit younger, she is a lot more experienced than Varvara at competing internationally. I can imagine them being well matched, so having both of them competing at the same level would be very exciting.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I was not expecting to be making my first post since the posts about Varvara were moved into this thread just yet. But, here I am with a development.

With the entries for the Turkish Junior GP due to be released on Monday, I was expecting to be announcing in a couple of days time that Varvara would be making her Junior GP debut at the fourth Junior GP in Ankara in just over a month from now.

Except she's not. I am afraid that Stefania has withdrawn from the second Junior GP, Czech Skate. As a result, Varvara will actually be making her Junior GP debut in Ostrava in just over two weeks from now.

It still remains to be seen which of them will be down to go to Turkey.

EDIT (19th August 2024): It's Stefania. Varvara is the first substitute (there is also a second substitute, Vasilisa BOGOMOLOVA, who I hadn't come across before. Like Varvara, she is from Moscow).​

Although it means we don't have to wait as long before we see Varvara, I hope doing an earlier GP doesn't mess up her preparations for the new season.

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

The day has finally arrived, albeit a couple of weeks earlier than we were anticipating. Varvara will be making her Junior Grand Prix debut (and her international debut at Junior level) today at Czech Skate, in Ostrava.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start at 17:40:00 CEST (15:40:00 GMT / 16:40:00 BST / 18:40:00 MSK). So 10 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 31st skater to start. So, fifth skater to go in Group 6 (and penultimate skater to go before the third and final resurfacing).

The Group 6 Warm-Up is due to start at 21:14:30 CEST (19:14:30 GMT / 20:14:30 BST / 22:14:30 MSK). So 13h 34m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 21:45:00 CEST (19:45:00 GMT / 20:45:00 BST / 22:45:00 MSK). So 14h 5m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event forum:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/forums/1011

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Junior Grand Prix Czech Skate Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc-tOw83ve8

Varvara finished 24th out of 38 in the SP, with a score of 42.97.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch all of the Ladies SP LIVE, leaving at the end of Group 1. During the first group, a couple of members were commenting about being excited about the future of skating in their countries. To which I replied:

Actually, although there isn't much on the horizon at home, I am really excited for Cypriot Ladies. Marilena, Stefania, Varvara, new girl Vasilisa, and Olivia are going to make a very exciting team.

And Varvara will be the penultimate skater in Group 6 tonight. And I will be popping back to see her.

CaroLiza_fan

I come back about 10 minutes before Varvara was due on, so that I would have time to wind back and watch the Group 6 Warm-Up to see how Varvara got on in it. Here is what I comented:

I'm back!!! But only to see Varvara LIVE.

Just wound back and watched the Group 6 Warm-Up in preparation for her coming on. And was delighted to find that she was the first skater that the cameras focussed on!

Some nice warming up moves (little jumps, spins) to start with.

She's wearing the same costume as she did for her Advanced Novice SP last season. So, I wonder if she has re-worked that programme for Juniors. (I didn't know the music that she was skating to in her SP last season, so I can't work it out from what her ISU Bio says).

Unfortunately, apart they didn't focus on her again until near the end of the programme. By which stage she was winding it down. But, she did do a couple of nice spins.

Well, here she is!

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

Here is what I wrote at the end of programme:

Lovely Triple Toe Double Toe combination jump to start with.

Popped the next jump.

But lovely combination spin to follow.

Double Axel good. As were the spins that followed.

Nice sequence of choreography.

A great SP to start her Junior GP career.

But I have to issue a disclaimer. Last season in Advanced Novices, she was always good in the SP. And then she tended to have troubles in the FS. And it wasn't that she was tiring with the longer programme, because the mistakes were coming at the start of the programme.

Since the commentators haven't said it, and neither does her ISU Bio, she is originally from Moscow.

Andrei Lutay and wife Ina Demireva (Albena Denkova's sister) sitting with her. That explains a lot. The very first competition that Varvara did outside of Moscow (just two seasons ago) was in Bulgaria.

She goes into 20th position. And no reaction from any of the three of them!

Well, I'm going to react!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

During the programme, my fellow British member @FlossieH commented:

Nice layback.

And after the programme, my Sicilian friend wrote:

score box andnot too bad

To be honest, I'm not sure what she was referring to with regards the TES box. It had been playing up a lot during the previous Junior GP, so maybe it had been doing so again for the skaters on before Varvara. I don't know.

Anyway, @Jeanie19 wrote in her summary:

Varvara. Pretty blue dress. Good skate. Lovely spins.

Varvara is currently 0.03 points behind 23rd position, Kira BARANOVSKA (LAT), and 1.13 points ahead of 25th position, Sabina ALIEVA (AZE). All three of them are part of a group of 18 skaters covered by 10.04 points, stretching from Maria Eliise KALJUVERE (EST) in 12th position, 6.51 points ahead of Varvara, down to Jasmine COETZEE (ZAF) in 29th position, 3.53 points behind Varvara.

Honestly, when you have a group this big and close, anything can happen. Being realistic though, Varvara is unlikely to be able to climb as high as 12th. But 15th or 16th are possible if she has a good Free Skate and other things go her way.

Hopefully having a different Free Skate programme to last season will mean she will not suffer the same problems that she did last season.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Junior Ladies FS is due to start at 10:00:00 CEST (08:00:00 GMT / 09:00:00 BST / 11:00:00 MSK). So 3 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 15th skater to start. So, fifth and final skater to go in Group 3 (and fifth skater to go after the first resurfacing).

The Group 3 Warm-Up is due to start at 11:38:00 CEST (09:38:00 GMT / 10:38:00 BST / 12:38:00 MSK). So 4h 38m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 12:12:30 CEST (10:12:30 GMT / 11:12:30 BST / 13:12:30 MSK). So 5h 12m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event forum:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/forums/1011

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Junior Grand Prix Czech Skate Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Junior Grand Prix Czech Skate Ladies: Results

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiwVFdhNYuU

Varvara finished 19th out of 38 in the FS, with a score of 86.93. This meant that she climbed to 20th position overall, with a score of 129.90.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the Free Skate LIVE. However, I did pop in to watch the Group 3 Warm-Up LIVE, to see how Varvara got on. Here is what I wrote in the competition thread:

I decided to pop back and watch the Warm-Up to see how Varvara got on.

First thing to point out - she is so tiny compared to the others on the ice! (Imagine what it would be like if it was Olivia that was here! But, it'll be a couple of years until she is old enough for Juniors. She'll probably have grown by then).

Took a while for them to show Varvara. But when they did, it was worth the wait. A beautiful jump. And then she did a lap and did another!

Fall on the next jump, though.

She was wearing her team jacket for the whole Warm-Up, so we didn't get to see her outfit. But, she is wearing black tights / leggings.

Right, back to the bikes. Hopefully I'm be able to return for her programme.

CaroLiza_fan

As it turned out, I didn't get back to watch her programme LIVE. However, I watched the video of her programme the following morning, and wrote the sort of comment that I would have written for the competition thread if I had been watching LIVE:

Now I know why Varvara was wearing her jacket for the whole of the Warm-Up. She'd have got foundered twice otherwise!

Very daring dress for one so young. Mainly black with a red squiggle down the front and another down the back. The front and the skirt part are thick solid material, but the rest of it is see-through. (Tights material).

Oh, nearly forgot to mention the red gloves.

Choreography to start with.

First jump, the Triple Loop, looked fine.

Not a great landing on the Tiple Flip that she did next.

Landings weren't great on any of the three jumps of the sequence that followed. And very nearly a hand down on the first of them, the Triple Lutz.

Change Foot Combination Spin - spins were lovely, but the changing of the foot bit was messy.

Triple Toe-Double Toe combination was lovely, but not a lot of height. I think she was being cautious due to what had already happened.

Fall on Triple Lutz.

Triple Salchow-Double Toe combination lovely.

Layback Spin, Choreographic Sequence, and Triple Salchow done back-to-back were all lovely.

Lovely combination spin to finish off programme.

Talk about a mixed bag! The things that were done well were lovely. But so many landing problems.

And, as seems to be the trend with Varvara's Free Skates, the problems were all early on in the programme. Later on, everything was lovely!

Mmmm. There are three people sitting on the sofa (Andrei, Varvara and Ira), and they all have neutral faces and there is no interraction between any of them.

She goes into the lead.

CaroLiza_fan​

Varvara finished the Free Skate 1.68 points behind 18th position, Noelle STREULI (POL), and 0.56 points ahead of 20th position, Flora Marie SCHALLER (AUT). The three of them are the top 3 skaters in a group where 4 skaters are covered by 3.39 points, and which is completed by Gabriella GRINBERG (ISR) in 21st position, 1.71 points behind Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 1.82 points behind 19th position, Schaller, and 3.17 points ahead of 21st position, Grinberg.

Varvara is becoming a real enigma for me. I know that this is her first competition of the season, and her first international competition at Junior level, but it followed the same general pattern as her Advanced Novice competitions last season. She had a good Short Programme; then a difficult first half of her Free Skate; then a good second half of the Free Skate.

And the reason for Varvara climbing up despite having so many problems is that she is ambitious. The Base Value for her Free Skate programme is much higher than any of the skaters around her. The lowest placed skater in the Free Skate with a Base Value higher than Varvara was Angel DELEVAQUE (NED) in 9th position.

It is very early in the season. With more time, more practice, and more competitions under her belt at this level, Varvara will hopefully be able to pull it all together.

And when she does, she is going to be right up there.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara is one of a decent-sized contingent of skaters representing Cyprus that will be in action this week at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start at 12:00:00 AQTT (07:00:00 GMT / 08:00:00 BST / 10:00:00 EEST / 10:00:00 MSK). So 2 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 6th skater to start. So, sixth and final skater to go in Group 1.

The Group 1 Warm-Up is due to start at 12:00:00 AQTT (07:00:00 GMT / 08:00:00 BST / 10:00:00 EEST / 10:00:00 MSK). So 2 hours from now.

Varvara is due to start at 12:35:40 AQTT (07:35:40 GMT / 08:35:40 BST / 10:35:40 EEST / 10:35:40 MSK). So 2h 35m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event forum:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/forums/1024

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denis Ten Memorial Challenge Junior Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 4th out of 12 in the SP, with a score of 50.62.

Here is what I wrote about her in the competition thread during the Warm-Up:

This is fun. Keeping an eye out for two skaters, when you don't even know what one of them looks like!

Well, at least Varvara is easy to spot, since I've already seen her this season. White team jacket over a blue jumpsuit.

Aha! Vasilisa is wearing a black team jacket over a salmon coloured dress. I spotted the shape of the island on her back when she was getting up from a fall...

But she did a nice jump just before the end of the warm-up.

EDIT: During the break before the Junior Men's SP, I went back and watched the Group 1 Warm-Up again to check something that was bugging me. And I was right. They barely showed Varvara at all during the Warm-Up. Any time she was in shot, she was just in the background skating across the ice. We didn't see her do any elements.

Vasilisa, meanwhile, was in the back ground of shots quite a few times, and we even got to see her doing some elements. HOWEVER, the shots weren't great! For example, there was a time when she did a jump just at the edge of the shot. And another time when the camera was zoomed in on a skater at the far side of the rink, and then Vasilisa's blurred head popped up into the screen when she was doing a jump closer to the camera.

We saw Vasilisa fall twice. The first time, she took off in the background of a shot of Anastassiya ENGELGARDT (KAZ), and then the director switched to a camera pointing directly at Vasilisa mid-jump, and we saw her falling and getting up. The second time was a similar scenario. The camera was again focussed on the same skater. Anastassiya did a jump and fell, and then Vasilisa in the background jumped and fell. Then the director changed to a different shot of Anastassiya moving away, and we saw Vasilisa getting up in the background.​

CaroLiza_fan

Here is what I wrote when she was getting introduced:

Now for the second of my little jumping beans from Moscow via Cyprus.

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

I didn't think I would be saying this given that she is wearing royal blue, but Varvara's dress blends in too well with the ice! Well, the event logo on the ice, that is.

OK. It looked almost like the combination was added onto the first jump as an after-thought! But, she does normally start with a combination jump.

Individual jump good. As was combination spin that followed.

Next jump and spin good too.

Step sequence and ending section good too!

That was good. She should be right up there.

Yep, she goes into 3rd position.

But, I have to add in the caveat that for some reason she normally doesn't do as well in the Free Skate.

Hopefully she will break that trend this week.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

Here is what @auser wrote in reply to my post during the introduction:

She is darling with those long limbs.

To which I replied:

Yes. She may be tiny overall, but Varvara does have long limbs. And it does emphasise what she is doing.

CaroLiza_fan

Varvara is currently 3.94 points behind 3rd position, Veronika KIM (KAZ), and 2.22 points ahead of 5th position, Anna IUSHCHENKOVA (ISR).

Kim is just 0.04 points behind Valentina ANDRIANOVA (DEU) in 2nd position, 3.98 points ahead of Varvara. The leader, Vasilisa BOGOMOLOVA (CYP), is 6.73 points ahead of Varvara.

If ever there was a time for Varvara to break her trend of not doing as well in the Free Skate, then this is it. If she has a good Free Skate, she not only has the chance of claiming a Bronze Medal, but also a chance of claiming a Silver Medal.

What a day this could turn out to be for Cypriot skating. If everything goes the right way for Vasilisa and Varvara, we could end up with Cyprus winning two medals.

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Junior Ladies FS is due to start at 14:30:00 AQTT (09:30:00 GMT / 10:30:00 BST / 12:30:00 EEST / 12:30:00 MSK). So 4 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 9th skater to start. So, third skater to go in Group 2.

The Group 2 Warm-Up is due to start at 15:18:30 AQTT (10:18:30 GMT / 11:18:30 BST / 13:18:30 EEST / 13:18:30 MSK). So 4h 48m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 15:39:00 AQTT (10:39:00 GMT / 11:39:00 BST / 13:39:00 EEST / 13:39:00 MSK). So 5h 6m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event forum:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/forums/1024

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denis Ten Memorial Challenge Junior Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Denis Ten Memorial Challenge Junior Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 6th out of 11 in the FS, with a score of 78.13. This meant that she dropped to 5th position overall, with a score of 128.75.

Here is what I wrote about her in the competition thread during the Warm-Up:

How do you keep track of two daughters in the one group?!

Right, they've picked up Vasilisa. And then cut away as she was lining up a jump!

Now they're following Varvara, until she got hidden behind the box. (I told you she was tiny!)

Switched to Vasilisa. Very nice jump!

Just about saw Varvara do a nice jump way in the background of another skater's shot.

Another lovely jump from Vasilisa when the camera was focussed on her.

Ach, they were focussing on Varvara, and cut to another skater just as she was taking off!

But shortly afterwards we saw her landing a nice jump in the background of a shot.

Boys, this post was hard work! But, they both looked good, and that is the main thing!

CaroLiza_fan

And here is what I wrote about her programme:

What a jump for her first element!

Very nearly went too far on the second jump. It was massive!

Ach, messed up the landing on the second part of the combination jump.

Combination spin was impressive.

Ach, fall on next jump. Was she spooked thinking the boards were too close?

Not a great landing on next jump.

Fall on next jump.

There goes the chances of having two Cypriot flags above the podium.

Lovely combination jump near the end. But messed up the next spin.

It was clear that the first fall was praying on her mind. And she made more mistakes as a result.

Hopefully the lead she had over Sannikova from the SP will mean she doesn't drop any positions.

Nope. 4th in the FS and 3rd overall.

Well, I suppose we should take heart that when it is done clean, this programme will be really impressive.

Better luck next time, Varvara!

CaroLiza_fan

I should add, only the Top 2 had Free Skate programmes whose Base Value was higher than Varvara's. And they both had one fall.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 3.24 points behind 5th position, Jasmine COETZEE (ZAF), and 8.67 points ahead of 7th position, Veronika KOVALENKO (KAZ).

Overall, Varvara finished 6.18 points behind 4th position, Anna IUSHCHENKOVA (ISR), and 7.09 points ahead of 6th position, Coetzee.

This has become a running storyline. Varvara does great in the Short Programe, and then it all unravels in the Free Skate. It must be getting demoralising having so many mistakes every time she does her Free Skate. I do think it has got to the stage where it would be better to simplify the programme so that there is more chance of her getting the jumps. Although having to simplify things would knock her confidence in the short term, having regular clean skates would be a far bigger boost to her confidence in the long term. And then once this happens, they could start to re-introduce the harder jumps.

Just carrying on as they have been and hoping Varvara will get there eventually isn't really a viable option any more, now that Vasilisa Bogomolova has arrived in the team. When Vasilisa is consistently scoring much higher than both Varvara and Stefania, it's not rocket science to work out that Vasilisa is going to quickly become the default choice for assignments. And the other girls aren't going to have a look in.

We know Varvara is a very talented little girl. She just needs to be able to show it in both programmes. And when she does manage to do that, she may well be be able to put up a fight for the slots.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be back in action today as her club hosts the Denkova-Staviski Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start today at 09:30:00 EET (07:30:00 GMT / 10:30:00 MSK). So 2 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 22nd skater to start. So, second skater to go in Group 5 (and second skater to go after the second resurfacing).

The Group 5 Warm-Up is due to start at 12:08:00 EET (10:08:00 GMT / 13:08:00 MSK). So 4h 38m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 12:19:40 EET (10:19:40 GMT / 13:19:40 MSK). So 4h 49m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98532

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denkova-Staviski Cup Junior Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 3rd out of 38 in the SP, with a score of 53.24.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Denkova-Staviski Cup, as I was concentrating on the IceChallenge from Graz.

Varvara is currently 2.12 points behind 2nd position, Kira BARANOVSKA (LAT), and 2.36 points ahead of 4th position, Irina NAPOLITANO (ITA).

Napolitano is at the head of a group of 7 skaters covered by 3.92 points, stretching down to Giulia BARUCCHI (ITA) in 10th position, 6.28 points behind Varvara.

The leader, Elina GOIDINA (EST), is out of reach, being 11.63 points ahead of Varvara (and 9.51 points ahead of Baranovska in 2nd). But, if Varvara has a good Free Skate, she has a chance of finishing as runner up. However, she has to be careful, because if things do not go her way, there is the potential for her to get eaten up by the group behind her.

So let's hope she has a good Free Skate, and moves up!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Junior Ladies FS is due to start today at 08:00:00 EET (06:00:00 GMT / 09:00:00 MSK). So 1 hour from now.

Varvara will be the 28th skater to start. So, fourth and antepenultimate skater to go in Group 5 (and fourth skater to go after the final resurfacing).

The Group 5 Warm-Up is due to start at 11:10:00 EET (09:10:00 GMT / 12:10:00 MSK). So 4h 10m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 11:34:30 EET (09:34:30 GMT / 12:34:30 MSK). So 4h 22m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98532

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Denkova-Staviski Cup Junior Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Denkova-Staviski Cup Junior Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 4th out of 30 in the FS, with a score of 96.12. This meant that she remained in 3rd position overall, with a score of 149.36.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Denkova-Staviski Cup, as I was concentrating on the IceChallenge from Graz.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.13 points behind 3rd position, Alice SMITH (GBR), and 1.98 points ahead of 5th position, Khrystyna HALIARETA (UKR). The three of them are the top three skaters in a group of 5 skaters covered by 4.07 points, stretching down to Michaela MÁLKOVÁ (CZE) in 7th position, 3.94 points behind Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 4.42 points behind 2nd position, Kira BARANOVSKA (LAT), and 3.38 points ahead of 4th position, Smith.

A great result for Varvara at the big international event hosted by the club she belongs to. Not only did she win a medal, but she got new Absolute PB's for both segments and overall.



WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

For the third time in 2 months, and barely 3 weeks since her last competition there, Varvara will be in action at the Winter Sports Palace this week for the Sofia Trophy.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start tomorrow morning at 08:00:00 EET (06:00:00 GMT / 09:00:00 MSK). So 9 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 14th skater to start. So, fourth and penultimate skater to go in Group 4 (and penultimate skater to go before the first resurfacing).

The Group 3 Warm-Up is due to start at 09:04:40 EET (07:04:40 GMT / 10:04:40 MSK). So 10h 4m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 09:26:40 EET (07:26:40 GMT / 10:26:40 MSK). So 10h 26m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98721

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sofia Trophy Junior Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 11th out of 43 in the SP, with a score of 45.39.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Sofia Trophy.

Varvara is currently 0.39 points behind 10th position, Ariadna GUPTA ESPADA (ESP), and 0.08 points ahead of 12th position, Cayetana GONZALEZ (MEX). All three of them are part of a group of 38 skaters covered by 23.41 points, stretching from Alica LENGYELOVA (SVK) in 2nd position, 8.61 points ahead of Varvara, down to Milena VELCHEVA (BUL) in 39th position, 14.80 points behind Varvara.

That was using my usual guide of using a 2 point gap as defining groups. If we reduce it to a 1.5 point gap, then all three of them are part of a group of 13 skaters covered by 9.73 points, stretching from Lia LYUBENOVA (BUL) in 3rd position, 6.99 points ahead of Varvara, down to Zoja KRAMAR (SVN) in 15th position, 2.74 points behind Varvara.

When there are no gaps of more than 2 points between nearly the entire field, you have a situation where absolutely anything could happen in the FS. So, Varvara needs to have a good Free Skate to maximise her chances.

So let's hope she does just that!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Junior Ladies FS is due to start tomorrow at 08:30:00 EET (06:30:00 GMT / 09:30:00 MSK). So 9 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 29th skater to start. So, second skater to go in Group 5 (and second skater to go after the final resurfacing).

The Group 5 Warm-Up is due to start at 11:50:00 EET (09:50:00 GMT / 12:50:00 MSK). So 12h 20m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 12:02:30 EET (10:02:30 GMT / 13:02:30 MSK). So 12h 32m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98721

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sofia Trophy Junior Ladies FS: Results; Protocols
Sofia Trophy Junior Ladies: Results

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 4th out of 33 in the FS, with a score of 96.74. This meant that she climbed to 6th position overall, with a score of 142.13.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Sofia Trophy.

Looking at the Protocols, Varvara had issues with three of her individual jumps. First, she didn't have a clear edge on the Triple Flip that she did as her second element. But then she fell on both of the jumps in the middle of the programme - the Triple Toe, and then the Triple Lutz.

Varvara finished the Free Skate 0.97 points behind 3rd position, Lorna MACKOVÁ (SVK), and 0.63 points ahead of 5th position, Emma ČERKALOVÁ (SVK). The three of them are the top three skaters in a group of 11 skaters covered by 8.37 points, stretching down to Leilah PATTEN (GBR) in 13th position, 7.4 points behind Varvara.

Overall, Varvara finished 2.46 points behind 5th position, Eugenia SEKULOVSKI (CHE), and 0.19 points ahead of 7th position, Macková. Varvara is at the head of a group of 3 skaters covered by 0.77 points, which is completed by Flora Marie SCHALLER (AUT).

This is a strange one. Despite some pretty major issues, Varvara managed to achieve her highest ever score in the Free Skate, which in turn meant that she finished less than a point away from winning a medal.

I'm hesitant to say it, but it does make you wonder if there was a bit of home cooking going on, given that Varvara belongs to the host club. However, only the Technical Specialist and Judge 5 were Bulgarian, and the latter's marks were comparable to the other Judges. If there was home cooking going on for the host club's skaters, you would expect a whole clatter of IDS skaters to be near the top, yet the best one in the FS apart from Varvara was Leilah PATTEN (GBR) down in 13th. So, I don't think there was any funny business. Plus, Varvara's scores from the Bulgarian Championships at the same venue a few weeks earlier, where all the officials apart from one Judge were Bulgarian, were her worst scores of the season.

So, I suppose we can celebrate this being a great score without having doubts in our heads.



WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

After first going head-to-head at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, Varvara and Varsilisa are up against each other again today at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga, Latvia.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start today at 12:30:00 EET (10:30:00 GMT / 13:30:00 MSK). So 4 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 21st skater to start. So, sixth and final skater to go in Group 4 (and final skater to go before the first resurfacing).

The Group 2 Warm-Up is due to start at 14.30:00 EET (12.30:00 GMT / 15.30:00 MSK). So 6 hours from now.

And that is as much as I can tell you, because the Time Schedule PDF's are not working.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98529

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Although I didn't say it in this thread (I did in the event thread when the entries were released), as I expected, Varvara withdrew from the Volvo Open Cup.

It's never ideal competing on consecutive weeks. And after the good result in Sofia, she didn't really need to compete again straight away.

Looking forward to when we do see Varvara in action again.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Varvara will be back in action today at the Sonja Henie Trophy in Oslo, Norway.

The Junior Ladies SP is due to start today at 08:50:00 CET (07:50:00 GMT / 09:50:00 EET / 10:50:00 MSK). So 2 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 9th skater to start. So, fourth and penultimate final skater to go in Group 2 (and penultimate final skater to go before the first resurfacing). [The skater due to go after her, #10 Anna IUSHCHENKOVA (ISR), has withdrawn]

The Group 2 Warm-Up is due to start at 09:23:30 CET (08:23:30 GMT / 10:23:30 EET / 11:23:30 MSK). So 2h 33m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 09:46:30 CET (08:46:30 GMT / 10:46:30 EET / 11:46:30 MSK). So 2h 56m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98748

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sonja Henie Trophy Junior Ladies SP: Results; Protocols

No video uploaded yet

Varvara finished 6th out of 29 in the SP, with a score of 45.66.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the Sonja Henie Trophy, as I was concentrating on the Maria Olszewska Memorial.

Looking at the Protocols, Varvara had a dodgy start to the programme, with her first two elements both having all negative numbers beside them. In the opening combination jump, the Triple Salchow-Triple Toe, the Triple Toe was landed on the quarter. As a result, it got the second biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.43; and Judges marks of -2 from Judge 5; and -1 from the remaining four Judges.

Then the Triple Flip didn't have a clear edge. This resulted in the biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -1.59; as well as -4 from Judge 1; -3 from three Judges; and -2 from Judge 3.

The third element, the Change Foot Combination Spin, mustn't have gone smoothly, because it also had a few negative numbers. It had the fourth biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.10; as well as -2 from Judge 1; -1 from Judge 4; 0 from two Judges; and +1 from Judge 2.

The only other issue was with the penultimate element, the Flying Camel Spin. It got the third biggest GOE hit of the programme, at -0.38; along with -2 from four Judges; and -1 from Judge 4.

Everything else actually went really well, wih GOE ranging from +0.30 for the Step Sequence to +0.63 for the Layback Spin. All of the Judges marks were +1 or +2, with the excepton of two +3's which were given for the Layback Spin.

The interesting thing is that the Base Value and the Technical Elements Score for Varvara's programme are actually slightly higher than those for the two skaters that finished directly ahead of her, Darja TRUBITSON (FIN) in 5th position and Adéla VALLOVÁ (CZE) in 4th position. And they are significantly lower than the skater that finished directly behind her, Natasa JERMOLICKA (LAT). Which indicates that Varvara, and particularly Natasa, need to work on increasing their Programme Components Scores.

Varvara is currently 0.37 points behind 5th position, Darja TRUBITSON (FIN), and 0.20 points ahead of 7th position, Natasa JERMOLICKA (LAT). All three of them are part of a group of 22 skaters covered by 13.97 points, stretching from Nicole de ROSA (ITA) in 2nd position, 2.17 points ahead of Varvara, down to Tea Karolina MATESA ERIKSSON (SWE) in 23rd position, 11.80 points behind Varvara.

That was using my usual guide of using a 2 point gap as defining groups. If we reduce it to a 1.5 point gap, then all three of them are part of a group of 8 skaters covered by 4.55 points, stretching from de Rosa down to Alice WESTLING (SWE) in 9th position, 2.38 points behind Varvara.

When you have a group this big, anything can happen. If she has a good Free Skate, Varvara has a very good chance of finishing on the podium, potentially winning a Silver Medal. However, there are an awful lot of skaters right on her tail., with the three skaters directly behind her particularly close. So, Varvara needs to have good Free Skate to make sure they stay behind her.

So let's hope she does just that!

WELL DONE VARVARA!!!

---

The Junior Ladies FS is due to start at 09:35:00 CET (08:35:00 GMT / 10:35:00 EET / 11:35:00 MSK). So 4 hours from now.

Varvara will be the 24th skater to start. So, first skater to go in Group 5 (and first skater to go after the final resurfacing).

The Group 5 Warm-Up is due to start at 13:03:30 CET (12:03:30 GMT / 14:03:30 EET / 15:03:30 MSK). So 6h 28m from now.

Varvara is due to start at 13:10:45 CET (12:10:45 GMT / 14:10:45 EET / 15:10:45 MSK). So 6h 35m from now.

But, those times may change if somebody that is due on before her withdraws.

More information in the event thread:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/98748

Hope this helps

ALL THE BEST VARVARA!!!

CaroLiza_fan