Was it wise for Sotnikova to skip Worlds?

[cooper]

^^^I don't understand this cavalier attitude certain fans have with regards to the cyberbullying against Adelina. Just because cyberbulling happens elsewhere online, it means it's OK for Adelina to have death threats and insults personally sent to her social media accounts?

Look at it this way--many people around the world get murdered. Does that make murdering people OK?

It's OK to question the results in Sochi and why the judging happened the way it did. But questioning what happened in Sochi does not necessarily entail personally sending death threats and insults to a teenager, or alleging some vast conspiracy with participants as wide-ranging as Yuri Balkov, the New York Times and Vladimir Putin.

who says i'm not against cyber bullying?? and that is ok?? heck yuna also had her own shares of hatred online even worst a defamation/assassination of her character just like the made up sex video when yuna won her ogm in Vancouver.. and worst it was even printed in the newspaper..

i'm just saying that these trolls are everywhere.. they are despicable trash that existed when the internet is invented.. no matter what kind of explanation you give THEY don't care!

and please.. don't generalize that most fans of yuna are sending death threats of adelina.. they are others who are civilized.. they argued with results by using their own understanding about the cop.. etc..

My post was directed at those who EXPECT Adelina to just take whatever you are all dishing out to her - and berating her for being rude when she fights back, for giving interviews, protesting against the online harassment/death threats and defending her win. You can attack her but you expect her to keep quiet and not fight back? That is of course completely absurd and the greatest hypocrisy. The same absurdity and hypocrisy in declaring there's no conflict of interest when the KSU official was a judge during Vancouver 2010 but reversing position for Russia and Adelina.

Caro's medal was also affected by Adelina's win, but the Italian fans and Caro are being gracious. Until it is proven with evidence that fraud took place, the allegations, campaigns, online insults, threats and mass mobilization are hurting rather than helping. This civility in treating Adelina is also a form of social etiquette. Just saying....

carolina can speak russian.. she's european.. she's not close to yuna.. she's still competing at the worlds when this whole mess took place.. there are fans of carolina also questioned the results.. they may not be as aggressive but they also had doubts..

it's funny imagine if yuna will say to the korean media that she deserved that gold.. that her competitor's program is weak.. YOU will be the first to post and say that she's a sore loser.. disrespectful..and arrogant..

 

[AliceInWonderland]

Carolina speaks Russian?

 

[anyanka]

Carolina speaks Russian?

According to Wiki she speaks Italian, English, German, Laden and French, but it doesn't say Russian. Perhaps she picked it up? She seems pretty chummy with Adelina at the OG medal ceremony. Maybe Adelina speaks one of the other languages Caro speaks?

 

[jiggs]

She has been learning Russian recently. Anna P mentioned it in an interview that she can understand really well and can speak it a little.

 

[qwertyskates]

it's funny imagine if yuna will say to the korean media that she deserved that gold.. that her competitor's program is weak.. YOU will be the first to post and say that she's a sore loser.. disrespectful..and arrogant..

*IF* the shoe were on the other foot, and it was Yuna who won, and Adelina's fans and the Russian Fed were to launch a mass campaign to allege fraud, defacing Yuna's social media sites, sending death threats, internet mobilization claiming that Adelina skated better, then of course I would expect Yuna to do THE SAME when questioned by the Korean media, saying how her program was better than Adelina's, and delineate how she deserved the Gold, etc. And of course I would also likely opine that Adelina and her fans are sore losers by making allegations without proof!

If there's evidence and proof of fraud, then by all means submit them to the appropriate authorities.

Strange how you completely lack the ability to place yourselves in the shoes of others.

 

[cooper]

*IF* the shoe were on the other foot, and it was Yuna who won, and Adelina's fans and the Russian Fed were to launch a mass campaign to allege fraud, defacing Yuna's social media sites, sending death threats, internet mobilization claiming that Adelina skated better, then of course I would expect Yuna to do THE SAME when questioned by the Korean media, saying how her program was better than Adelina's, and delineate how she deserved the Gold, etc. And of course I would also likely opine that Adelina and her fans are sore losers!

Strange how you completely lack the ability to place yourselves in the shoes of others.

oh please..

 

[qwertyskates]

oh please..

I think we should end this "conversation" Like I said, you can dish out to Adelina with zero civility or consideration for her feelings but call her rude for defending her win. This is a very strange way of critiquing Adelina's social etiquette.

 

[msadot]

Carolina speaks Russian?

Adelina can understand English and Caro can understand Russian. I think the whole skating community surely knows how to communicate. 99,99% of them can speak English, even if not extra fluently.

 

[gettinglow]

Anyway, we can all agree that Sotnikova is basically doomed to be followed by the sour feelings associated with the judging controversy in Sochi. My guess is she'll try to do something very lyrical and obviously beautiful next season in order to prove she can legitimately earn high PCS. I don't think it will work. Adelina is not an elegant skater and, based on her demeanor and overall presence, she doesn't seem to be the classiest lady out there. I think she just needs to focus on making sure she lands her jumps well and improving her posture coming out of her first triple in combinations. Her jumps are her strong suit...everything else, not so much.

 

[ILuvYuna]

^^^I don't understand this cavalier attitude certain fans have with regards to the cyberbullying against Adelina. Just because cyberbulling happens elsewhere online, it means it's OK for Adelina to have death threats and insults personally sent to her social media accounts?

Imo, the way to combat cyber bullying is by contacting state representatives about the issue, and putting your support behind the proper organizations to deal with it. Any modern democracy should have a legislative and criminal justice system to deal with those who harass and threaten innocent people, and a free press to raise public awareness of important, current social issues. I can only hope that the Russian media is putting a spotlight on the fallout that she's endured, as I'm sure she is not the first and only person in Russia to be, or have been, a victim of cyber-bullying.

Although I feel terrible that Adelina has been the target of such insane vitriol over the result at the Olympics, I know better than to invest my time and energy trying to fight them personally over the internet. I don't care how good of a comment warrior you are, you are still powerless to protect the girl from a legitimate threat, because no one who seriously intends to physically harm her is going to give a flying hoot what some random user has to say to them in a vk/instagram comment. Remember that remorseless sack of **** on trial right now for the Boston Marathon bombing? Imagine if he had been posting threats beforehand - do you really think you could have stopped him by engaging in a comment war? What about the guy who shot up the movie theater in Colorado? I think people underestimate just how disturbed those individuals were, and the kind of impenetrable state of mind they were in when they committed those acts.

Also, when you look at examples of kids who have been emotionally traumatized, or even committed suicide over bullying & cyber-bullying, the parents are often unaware of how bad the situation is, and the school systems often fail to protect and support them. Not so in Adelina's case because she's not your average small-town high schooler, she's a public figure on a world stage, and her parents & coaches are fully aware and involved in protecting her from all of this crap. It's heartening that she laughed about it in that interview - it's a good sign that she is getting the support she needs from her family, coaches, friends, and fans.

Look at it this way--many people around the world get murdered. Does that make murdering people OK?

Of course not! But does that mean that anyone who isn't a crime-fighting vigilante hero is being cavalier about it? What Adelina is going through is not the same as what a hypothetical daughter of mine might be going through at school, because my daughter is my responsibility and part of my every-day life. She can name names, and I can take legal action against the school and the other parents if they don't take it upon themselves to address and remedy the bullying behavior from the other children. And with Adelina? Well, I've never met her in my life I don't know the names and addresses of the people who are threatening her. I live on the other side of the world from her, and probably from any crazies who might try to hurt her, as well. I cannot protect her any more than I can protect my favorite actors and actresses from stalkers and bullies. I think the best that a fan can do is lend words of support and encouragement to the public figures they admire (that is the proper role of a fan, anyway; boosting Adelina's self-esteem will help her be more resilient to the vitriol & criticism).

It's OK to question the results in Sochi and why the judging happened the way it did.

Which I honestly feel is what most people here are trying to discuss...

But questioning what happened in Sochi does not necessarily entail personally sending death threats and insults to a teenager

to my knowledge, nobody here has done that, and I hope you're not implying that merely being opinionated and judgemental is as bad as being a bully, and issuing the death threats. I think anyone who wants to lump critics in with crazies is being unreasonable and unfair (not saying that you are doing this - I'm just making a general statement -- we are not a bunch of teenagers who see each other face-to-face day-in and day-out at school, and Adelina is not a fellow student we take classes with, and see face-to-face every single day. It's not fair to pretend that Adelina's critics are guilty of doing nothing to stop the bullying, when there is nothing in reality that they can do to stop it).

or alleging some vast conspiracy with participants as wide-ranging as Yuri Balkov, the New York Times and Vladimir Putin.

I think it's totally fair to discuss Yuri Balkov. I think bringing Putin into the discussion is laughable and far-fetched. I think big media articles like NYT are practically irrelevant as they're simply reporting after-the-fact (they had nothing to do with the event itself).

 

[neraiselle]

I think Adelina is simply getting defensive. Which is fair enough when you consider the non-stop abuse, death threats, petitions trying to strip her of her medal.

And remember Yuna has not been totally blameless...she did say she was confused by the scores. That has got to sting. Adelina could well consider that insulting or hurtful and it would be fair enough.

Yuna never directly mentioned Adelina or her program in any of her interviews.

I think you are applying a very Korean cultural attitude to Adelina. She is not Korean, she doesn't have to answer to a Korean home crowd, she is not obliged to kowtow to Yuna or her fans, especially to a crowd who immediately declared her win illegitimate. In fact, to her, Yuna is simply a competitor for the OGM, there are no "elders" and she has to do whatever she can to beat Yuna, that is all she is obliged to do for herself and her home crowd.

This doesn't have to be age-based respect that predominantly exists in Korea, but there is something called respectful manners towards colleagues and seniors in the western society too, probably across the globe.
I can understand why she gets defensive about it as the legitimacy of her win is being questioned by many skating fans NOT LIMITED TO Korea. I too believe the Sochi result was beyond belief, and I don't think anyone would have guessed that the judging panel would be able to do such a horrible job that they did in Sochi at the time of the announcement of the panel. It was beyond belief. Anyway, that was judges & ISU's fault, and I don't blame Adelina for the results.

However, her interview disappoints me indeed and I hope she learns how to give interview more in the future. It should also come with experience.

 

[Park Yuna]

I'm not criticizing her, but I think she was just afraid to face the whole audience.Most people said she robbed Yuna Kim's gold medal.

 

[neraiselle]

I'm not criticizing her, but I think she was just afraid to face the whole audience.Most people said she robbed Yuna Kim's gold medal.

Sotnikova did NOT rob Kim's gold. It was the judging!!!!!
I hope it was your language issue that made things get lost in translation.

 

[Barb]

I'm not criticizing her, but I think she was just afraid to face the whole audience.Most people said she robbed Yuna Kim's gold medal.

Most of people, I mean, The common people did not care about The results or even The performances, if it were yuna Vancouver programs, ok, I would believe it, but no, Adelina and Yuna did not gave so great performances for people care enough for them, I mean, outside korea and russia

 

[Jewels]

Most of people, I mean, The common people did not care about The results or even The performances, if it were yuna Vancouver programs, ok, I would believe it, but no, Adelina and Yuna did not gave so great performances for people care enough for them, I mean, outside korea and russia

How do you know if 'common people' did not care about the results or Yuna's and Adelina's performances? Just because you didn't care for them doesn't mean everyone else except their fans didn't care about them either. Actually IMO aside figure skating fans, don't 'common people' usually care for the medalists unless they're supporting their own country's skater?

 

[Ophelia]

@I<3Yuna - your entire post deserves

 

[aa456]

I haven't read the vast majority of this thread (and am glad I haven't) so I will stick to the topic. I think it was wise of her to skip the world championship. In general, it's hard to replicate your career best performance so soon and with all the Sochi controversy and rumors going around, any mistake by her would've been extra scrutinized and fueled the rumors. It's best to wait it out and focus on the next season.

Also, regarding Adelina's interview, cut her some slack. She's just a 17 year old getting defensive. If she feels she deserved to win, then she can say so. Could she have not mentioned Yuna specifically? Yes, she could've avoided that. But I personally don't see her as someone who's very PC. She may learn with time.

And on Yuna's comments regarding Sochi, yes she also has the right to state she was "baffled" by it (it could mean anything, she never specified). Yuna and her "people" never outrightly said she deserved to win over Adelina (at least I haven't read it). They're not the ones stirring the controversy. She has moved on with life and I wish people would too.

 

[wannahockachewie]

Skipping Worlds was the best decision for Adelina, but not because of the controversy. It's simply because training for the Olympics is excruciatingly painful and tiring for figure skaters. And once you attain that ultimate goal of an OGM, there's no reason to continue the training for a lesser tournament, even one as prestigious as Worlds. And in all honestly, she has more to lose than gain by attending the Worlds, and the judges probably wouldn't have been as generous as they were at Sochi. However, I have heard some talk that judges may try and stay consistent with her overscoring to preserve the illusion of integrity in figure skating judging, which would be a huge tragedy.

There have been enough documented analysis done by ICU-certified specialists, former officials, and figure skaters to convince me that Adelina did not deserve the gold. But at this moment, both Yuna and Adelina should be kept out of the picture and the focus should remain on how to improve how figure skating is judged so this type of controversy isn't repeated.

As for Adelina's interview, yes it was immature and classless, but still understandable considering the hate she's received these past few months. Still, she may only be 17, but I've seen far more grace and restraint from past 17-year-old skaters in interviews. She has a lot to learn from the veterans that came before her.

 

[gettinglow]

Skipping Worlds was the best decision for Adelina, but not because of the controversy. It's simply because training for the Olympics is excruciatingly painful and tiring for figure skaters. And once you attain that ultimate goal of an OGM, there's no reason to continue the training for a lesser tournament, even one as prestigious as Worlds. And in all honestly, she has more to lose than gain by attending the Worlds, and the judges probably wouldn't have been as generous as they were at Sochi. However, I have heard some talk that judges may try and stay consistent with her overscoring to preserve the illusion of integrity in figure skating judging, which would be a huge tragedy.

There have been enough documented analysis done by ICU-certified specialists, former officials, and figure skaters to convince me that Adelina did not deserve the gold. But at this moment, both Yuna and Adelina should be kept out of the picture and the focus should remain on how to improve how figure skating is judged so this type of controversy isn't repeated.

As for Adelina's interview, yes it was immature and classless, but still understandable considering the hate she's received these past few months. Still, she may only be 17, but I've seen far more grace and restraint from past 17-year-old skaters in interviews. She has a lot to learn from the veterans that came before her.

I agree. Sure, most people aren't exactly PR mavens when they're 17. It's understandable that she spoke without thinking through exactly what she was saying and how it would be received by the skating community. However, there are many other skaters that, I imagine, would never have said what she said had they been in her position. While grace and humility are traits that can be taught to a certain extent, they are also naturally more or less a part of someone's character. Adelina, based on her demeanor and her words, does not appear to have a very graceful, thoughtful soul. It doesn't mean she's a bad person. She's just not inherently a refined, introspective person. Her skating reflects that. It is certainly brash and aggressive but obviously lacking in charm or subtlety. Anyway, I hope she will continue to improve as a skater and choose not to rest on her laurels.

 

[moviechick]

Why are there like a dozen pages dedicated to this topic even. She may have some PR issues but PChan says dumber s--t than this on a bi-monthly basis.