I haven't ranted in a while
There has been a looming elephant in the room and I'm in the mood to address it. For one it's no secret that Yulia has been thru stress and there has been speculation here and in the media for a while that she could quit the sport altogether. Well.....here I go.
After all she has given to the sport I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to quit. Especially when you see some of the drama that has befallen her. I've been following her since before Sochi and it's apparent a change is brewing in her. Whether that change is in the direction of renewed spirit or of lost interest only she can tell us. I am patient and right now as her fan I am more content than ever to just sit and allow her the time to figure it out. You aren't going to see me in the other threads saying her scores are too low and being dismissive to other skaters. She has already given us more than what most skaters will accomplish in their careers and more than any fan can ask for. Maybe she isn't looking to be in her 20's and still competing. It isn't required and maybe not even normal to do so. Maybe she would like to move back to Yekaterinburg and raise horses. Although I think as long as she pursues her career she will be amongst the best in the field the choice is hers.
On a personal note I believe she is rekindling a flame that went out with the torch in Sochi.
I'd compare it to love. The first few years were fun and exciting filled with adventures, discovery, and carried a sense of freedom . Last season was the engagement and with it all the meticulous planning and coordinating to work toward the wedding. A bit of a squeeze was felt. So much work, so much stress, and all the hoops she needed to jump thru just to make the wedding day happen. Well...the wedding took place in Sochi and the ceremony had beautiful moments and she will always look back with fond memories on this day. She had a quick honeymoon in Saitama. Now.....the marriage starts. Fully committed with little other options to explore. The sense of wonder has escaped and been replaced with one of reality. She has seen it all and the innocence of a new experience can not be found. Can she find the beauty in this? I can't answer that. Will she blossom into a young lady who grows from this and uses these feelings to redefine her reality into positive things. Only time will tell. It is a tall order to ask of a 16 yr old with little life experience outside of figure skating. But this is figure skating. It's what she knows and has worked so hard to achieve. All of the work she has done to this point is to create this road. It is a road that was made out of nothing and it goes where she decides it goes. It could simply become a road to home. No matter what she decides I will back her 100% and after all she has given it's the least I feel I can offer as a fan. My heart says she is going to continue to skate and mostly because the reason she continues to train and show up to competitions is the reason she committed in the first place. This is who she is and was meant to be. I believe most things happen for a reason and she is on the path that she should be on.
Now I will rant a bit more with less focus
This is the first competition I watched that made me 100% sure that she is something special and very unique. I work with a few Russian coaches and they shared this with me a few years back. I was floored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsO8AxKQnsE
http://www.odnoklassniki.ru/video/1908147643
I knew I was in for a challenge when I started posting on forums and I began to point out how great her
2a was especially in the
SP To me.....It's one of the best ever. The flow in and especially out is amazing and the way she dips and exits is amazing. She has a certain posture that just isn't common. Its strong! So then I realized that people were calling it "Junior" to do it this way. Well none of the Juniors at my rinks can do it this way but whatever. What they really meant.....our seniors are incapable of such things and therefore.....it should be disparaged and of course it should be scored less. They then proceeded to hedge certain bullet points to hold more weight than others in an attempt to discredit her jumps and ignored the fairness of such practices. Oh but her jumps are low. Hmm...ok but what about the other 7 bullets. Five of which she absolutely define. Of course you can see where this is leading. I'm beginning to learn to ignore the ignorable. I've created my own little.....unthinkable pile. My ignore list is staggering these days.
I guess the point in all of this is....just stay strong and trust in Yulia. I see people are even holding it against her that she is fully rotating her jumps and it's only because she is so small. Lol and Lol. Well maybe one day she can pack on the pounds and start UR'ing her jumps....not retire....and then you can be her fan.
I haven't posted as much lately and now I've gone overboard. It seems every month or so I just let out one of these rants.
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