She had lots of teary-eyed kiss and cries... for somebody who is enjoying skating.
It is just alarming that one day it is talked how she is injured, then she skates her gala program with all the jumps (did nobody tell her "it's okay Alina, leave out at least some of the jumps). Then she skates a messy skates on national championship, looks in pain... then again skates in gala and all of sudden she is training quads? And if this massive step out was posted on social media... there were probably lots of splats that have not been posted (she looked like she was going to splat despite the harness, tbh).
I both agree and disagree with this post.
About the teary-eyed... Alina seems like a more sensitive and shy girl, I think she takes things more to heart and shows negative emotions more easily. Alina just appears to me to have this kind of character and she was already looking very, very sad when she failed last season, this didn‘t only appear this year. I don‘t think she doesn‘t enjoy skating or is necessarily unhappy and I don‘t think we can judge solely from competitions where nerves are running high and everyone responds differently to pressure.
However, I do agree with the rest of what you wrote because it clearly seems strange. I’m trying to look at it with logic but I simply can’t find any. I know many say she had these tapes on her knees already last year and that‘s definitely true but if we look at that spiral in her choreo sequence at Nationals and how she dropped it after one second, looking as if she was in pain... What is going on there? She always looked like she’s having fun in the gala, both at GPF and Nationals despite being injured at the first competition and looking as if she was in great pain in the latter. If it was just “a bad day“ why does she look as if something hurt her? She could have easily skipped Nationals and prepared for Euros.
She is human and is allowed to have a rough skate. That doesn‘t mean she is done. But that‘s not what I‘m getting at all. I‘m just confused by this whole injured, then suddenly not, then fit enough to do quads thing that‘s going on, like you. The quad was certainly a PR move, nothing more, nothing less. They put it on social media to answer any questions about her health after Nationals. I doubt they even trained it seriously. It was probably more like: ”You thought she is injured? Well, foolish you, she‘s doing QUADS now!“
I am more than willing to give Alina time. I really like her and she seems like a dedicated yet sweet girl who is immensely talented at the same time. I‘m just worried that it‘s her team who doesn’t want to give her time or simply doesn’t know how to because it doesn’t fit into their training plan. I mean, why else would they have given her such difficult and transitions filled programs when she’s going through growing pains and puberty instead of telling her: “Okay, you‘ve had such a hard season last year and this is a four year process... let‘s take it a bit easier until you‘ve adjusted to your new body.“ It would have been completely normal. She could still have been competitive and won her GP medals. She still would have easily been the best Russian lady this year. But she might not have looked as stressed out and in pain as she is now.
Yes, juniors are moving up next year. And so what? She‘s already won the biggest prize there is. So, who cares if they surpass her for a season or two? She doesn‘t have to medal in every competition she enters, she doesn‘t even have to enter every competition! She could have sat out Nationals and worked on things quietly and in peace and improve her skating and jumps while the others fight there. She is the OGM, why not let her breath for a change? She has won everything already, yet her team drives her as if it was the Olympic season. She would have been on the team easily anyway. To me it looks like they are trying to force something when it doesn‘t need to be like this. You can be a top competitor and still listen to your body. And maybe some will say: “But Alina wants this herself! She would never have wanted to skip Nationals!“ Well, true. She is a fierce competitor and an athlete after all. But that‘s what coaches are there for and if not them, then the federation. She‘s their best bet for a gold at Worlds this year, they had better look out for her!
I wish I could just wait and trust in the process. But I have unfortunately seen too many things that aren‘t explainable and I‘m now sceptical.
But of course I truly wish Alina all the best. I‘d really like to be wrong, believe me. I know “I, with Zhenya’s avatar“ will be titled a hater now but I frankly do not care about that. I‘m simply worried and confused and I just can‘t see any reasoning in the decisions of her team so far. I hope she is fine and I wish her all the best at Euros regardless, though.
