Russian State!?! (Spoilers)

[thumbyskates]

I had to post as no one else had - a post of shock. Not bashing, totally not intended for bashing. I also can't remember number totals to qualify for next years worlds, so please correct.

Dance: 5th and 8th = 13. Okay, so I'll give it to them here. This is three teams for next season, but no medal. Can someone provide statistics in how long it's been since they haven't medaled?

Pairs: WD, 9th and 11th = 20. So two teams. They lose a team for next season. Statistics?

Men: 19th and 20th = 39. So is this one man for next year? I miss Alexei. And even Evgeni.

Women: 13th and 16th. Just one woman for next season then - need to be in the Top 12 to send two. Wow!!! Irina, we miss you!

So the grand total? The gained a dance team spot, lost a pairs spot, lose a man's spot, and stay the same for women.

I'm honestly just in shock - when is the last time that no Russian has gotten a single medal at the World Championships? For real!!!

[thumbyskates]

Additional Post to Add:

Canada for next season:
Pairs: 6, 7, 10. Three for next season. (Same)
Dance: 1, 6, 20. Three for next season. (Same)
Men: 6, 11, 16. So two next season. (Loss of one)
Ladies: 24, 10. So two again (barely!) (Same)

USA for next season:
Pairs: 8, 12 = 20. Is this two? I believe so. (Same)
Dance: 3, 7, 10. Three. (Same)
Men: 5, 8, 15. So three again next season by the 5 + 8, right? (Same)
Ladies: 4, 9, 15. So three again next season, barely!!! (Same)

Japan for next season:
Pairs: Not applicable. Though they should get on it!!! Powerhouse future!
Dance: 15. One for next season. Close though!! (Same).
Men: 2, 7. So three next season. (Addition of one)
Ladies: 1, 2, 5. They should be able to send four :) (Same)

Other notables (excluding Ladies):
--> All countries remain the same for numbers in dance for next year (as far as I can "quickly" tell).
--> France still qualifies three men for next season.
--> Tomas Verner gains another men's spot for next season for Czech Republic, as does Bellarus (? BLR) with Sergei Davydov, and Germany.
--> Ukraine gains another spot in pairs.
--> Does Switzerland not have another woman they could send?

Feel free to correct!!!! Will add Ladies tomorrow, just for fun!





Just my train of thought right now :) All good, no bash!!!

[VGL]

Russia didn't medal in dance last year.

[thumbyskates]

Hahaha, how blonde. I knew that. Before that?

[thumbyskates]

"The world championships ended without a skater representing Russia or the former Soviet Union winning a medal, the first time that has happened in 47 years." -MSN Sports

Seems I answered my own question.

[Sessy]

And yet, the Russian school is impacting the world of figure skating like never before, with Russian coaches now teaching all over the world and not just in the soviet union, and Russian skaters spread out over the world, taking on different nationalities for easyer world- and european places. And how many skaters from other nations are actually practicing in Russia? The Russian school of figure skaters is there, and talents will follow suit.

Besides, this is a temporary setback if anything, Mishin, Plushenko's and Jagudin's coach, has already got a new young pupil waiting to be the 4th olympic champion Mishin will make.

The problem right now are the post-perestrojka 90's. Plushenko, Slutskaya, they all started skating with the soviet union still intact and the skating sport relatively cheap and when it got difficult to live after the soviet union collapsed, they were already good, thus getting help from the skating federation etc. After that, 1991, 1992, were literally hunger years and I don't think many people got their kids into skating young enough then. And until 1996 or so things were financially extremely difficult in all of Russia anyway. I'm guessing that has something to do with the drop in quality right now.

[loveskating]

I noticed.

I hate it.

Domina and Chabalin got robbed.

But it is true, the wonderful Russian influence in skating is all over the place, even Mao Asada's and Miki Ando's coaches are Russian, and many of the current medalists or top 5 were Russian trained.

[Lark]

I guess it is karma for all of the 5/4 splits in the past, no?

I do agree that the Russians in Ice Dance should have probably medaled over B&A. But that is really untrained, personal opinion.

I do like America winning though! 8-)

[Schmeck]

And yet, the Russian school is impacting the world of figure skating like never before, with Russian coaches now teaching all over the world and not just in the soviet union, and Russian skaters spread out over the world, taking on different nationalities for easyer world- and european places. And how many skaters from other nations are actually practicing in Russia? The Russian school of figure skaters is there, and talents will follow suit.



Well, I seriously doubt that any North American skaters will go anywhere near Russia to train. We can get the coaches to come here in a snap, why go there? And with such low results at Worlds, I would think that any Eastern European skaters would think twice this week about packing up and moving to Russia. I think they'd try harder to get to the US instead.

[LTM]

And yet, the Russian school is impacting the world of figure skating like never before, with Russian coaches now teaching all over the world and not just in the soviet union, and Russian skaters spread out over the world, taking on different nationalities for easyer world- and european places. And how many skaters from other nations are actually practicing in Russia? The Russian school of figure skaters is there, and talents will follow suit.

Besides, this is a temporary setback if anything, Mishin, Plushenko's and Jagudin's coach, has already got a new young pupil waiting to be the 4th olympic champion Mishin will make.

The problem right now are the post-perestrojka 90's. Plushenko, Slutskaya, they all started skating with the soviet union still intact and the skating sport relatively cheap and when it got difficult to live after the soviet union collapsed, they were already good, thus getting help from the skating federation etc. After that, 1991, 1992, were literally hunger years and I don't think many people got their kids into skating young enough then. And until 1996 or so things were financially extremely difficult in all of Russia anyway. I'm guessing that has something to do with the drop in quality right now.


Financial difficulties in Russia I would think have alot to how the Russians did. Along with the reality that other people skate well too.
I don't think this is a temporary "slump", I think it's a sea change in skating.

Japan has a flourishing skating program obviously. China has one. They certainly have got their heads around CoP.
While yeh, fine, Russian coaches, choregraphers, have a lot of students...nobody's hanging a medal around the coach's neck.

Russia wasn't the only "powerhouse" to come up short. Canada and the US were in tough as well this week, only picked up a medal each respectively. Media spun some of this as not so bad but really...the former
skating powerhouses came up short this week.

Will things change again. Probably but I think we've seeing the beginning of the end of long term dominance of the sport by any one or two nations. We're too international now...coaches and skaters can pretty much go where they can work and skate. CoP has managed to take a percentage of the politics out of the sport...which I suspect might be another reason the powerhouses had more difficulty. It's just a little bit harder to hold this or that skater up than it used to be. And a little bit was all that was needed.

Guess we'll have to see if the "powerhouses" of the sport get the message they need to do things a little differently and step up.

If they don't they deserve to go down.

[loveskating]

Well, you have a point: and perhaps this Worlds is a powerful show of success in popularizing figure skating in the world?

The successors are often better than their teachers.

I understand that the first country on planet earth which mass produced figure skates at a reasonable price (for the purpose of helping factory workers achieve good health viz tuberculosis) was America.

Viewed from that perspective, figure skating has gone a long way, baby, literally around the world!!

[Sessy]

You're definately right about Japan and China.
Do you happen to know if China is employing the same formula the soviet union did, where elite sporters hold ranks in the military and are paid for out of the defense budget, their pay varying from ok to excellent depending on how well they do in championships?

[Scarlett21]

Yes,Russian skating is not on the top as usual now. But it doesn't mean that skating in Russia is dying. It's just changing of generations. Our leaders are gone and at this moment we have nobody for their places. Our coaches are abroad helping American and Canadian skaters to win:cry: :cry: :cry:
But to pell the trut6h i am so happy that Plushenko is out.................:lol: :lol: :lol:

[AlexeiLover]

In my estimations, the Russians have been on a downward sprial for the past few years. With losing many of their great skaters to retirement they have no where to go because they depended on them. Take for example in the 2002 Olympics, the were Russians on the podium in all four diciplines. Other than those and a few others in the top ten, you didn't really hear anything about any up and comers. Now, almost all of their skaters have retired or have become injured. Simply the Asian skaters are squeezing them out of the ranks. Don't get me wrong, I love Russians (look at my username! I LOVE Alexei Yagudin), but these are just the facts. I do believe that Russia may once again be on the top of that podium some day... However I really don't think that this Asian invasion will end any time soon.

As for the Canadian skating, if you look at the coaching staff of many of the Canadian skaters now, there tends to be a Slavic/Russian influence in there.

Scarlett21- I too am glad that Plushenko's out! (sorry to all the Plush fans out there, but his skating has never made me feel anything unlike Alexei's... but I believe that topic's for a different discussion)

[Scarlett21]

I absolutely agree with you that Russian champions are out and there is nobody to come to their places. Unfortunately there are no talented and hard-working skaters in Russia now:giveup: :giveup: :giveup: :giveup:
I hope that they will appear.
I agree that the Asian invasion in everyting now will never end. They really want to work and this is the reason of their beeing the first.
I am Yagudin's fan for many years and nobody is able to become as he was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bow: :bow: :bow:

[dbny]

Unfortunately there are no talented and hard-working skaters in Russia now

I don't think they don't exist, it's that they can't afford the training and there is no system to pick them out and chaperone them along the way as the Soviets used to do. The Chinese are indeed choosing their skaters at a very young age and putting them through rigorous training at the state's expense.
I don't know what's driving it in Japan, but possibly the population there is more affluent than in the US and Canada and skating is cheaper or subsidised. Does anyone know?

[AlexeiLover]

I am Yagudin's fan for many years and nobody is able to become as he was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bow: :bow: :bow:

AMEN SISTER!!! Come the 2008 Worlds, I can proudly say that I've been an Alexei fan for 10 years!

Ok that was kinda off topic :lol: :oops:

Asian skaters aare definately coming up at what seems to be a younger and younger age each year. Personally I don't know if Japan subsidises their skaters expenses as Canada doess but many of them have some of the finest coaching in the world. Again, personally, I think the right combination of talent and great coaching can make a huge difference. Heck, I even thing that minimal talent and great coaching can make a difference in someone's skating.

[Scarlett21]

Yes,i agree that coaching is almost the most important now. But i stiil think that without talent it's possible to become a champion but not a great skater. All the Asian skaters are the strongest technically but they can't be actors on ice. Sometimes i think that maybe good actors are only for galas and shows........Who knows..........:?: :?: :?:

[AlexeiLover]

The thing that I find lacking with the Asians is the artistry. Some skaters have it, but with others it looks like they have to work for it. Meanwhile you have other skaters who draw you in by the story that they're telling on the ice.

[Sessy]

Yes,Russian skating is not on the top as usual now. But it doesn't mean that skating in Russia is dying. It's just changing of generations. Our leaders are gone and at this moment we have nobody for their places. Our coaches are abroad helping American and Canadian skaters to win:cry: :cry: :cry:
But to pell the trut6h i am so happy that Plushenko is out.................:lol: :lol: :lol:

Privet Scarlett!
I didn't know you were Russian too!

I used to live on a sidestreet of the Mozhaiskoie shossee in Moscow, better known as the Mozhaika. Maybe you know it. There's a skating rink nearby as well. :lol:

[Scarlett21]

Privet! Yes i know Mozhaika and a skating-rink there. I couldn't expect that you are Russian:lol: :lol: :lol:
I am happy to meet you:D

[Scarlett21]

Yes, i agree. Asian skaters can't be those who can make people watching their performance without taking their eyes from the screen. They just do their work perfectly but they are not able to impress the audience8-) 8-) 8-)