Irina Slutskaya: Falling Presentation?

[Breakdown787]

Slutskaya will not medal at Worlds! Or atleast untill she gets her skating together. Besides her technical problems this year, her FP is probably the worst out of all seasons in my opinion. Her La Travista program is filled with.......nothing! Ok, It has some intricate choreography but it's overall empty and the expressions are all the same. I feel it's like Irina out there doing the same types of program from year to year. Watching NHK last week, Irina presentation was weak compare to the other ladies like Arakawa, Suguri, and Maniachenko. However, I'm please to see that some judges noted this and gave her 5.4 and 5.5 for a poorly constructed program.

True, maybe with some time the program can develope more, but I don't think this one will win me over. It's the same as her Carmen, Don Q., and Tosca program. All the same moves in the same order. Why can't she have the same creativity in the LP as her SP. Her Bond SP is one of my favorite this season. It's new, filled with nice footwork and moves, and actually is fun to watch. Her Serenade last year was excellent by Olympics, and her Culture and Apposonata from previous years were all well done.

Irina top notch programs came in the 99-00 season with her AMAZING Falling Leaves SP and absolutely intricate Signes FP. Those were world-champion like programs, not this melo-dramatic rubbish she is skating too. I always enjoy her fun and energetic Phanthom on the Ice programs which made be a huge fan of hers. But now, I feel like taking a bathroom break everytime she gets on to skate.
Maybe it's just me, what do you guys think?

[duane]

well, it really doesnt matter what we think, but the 10 judges on the panel.

having said that, i must agree that so far, irina's skating has come across as rough at best. however, irina (i assume) will be competing at Russian Nationals and Europeans, so she still has time to smooth out the edges before Worlds. and, like many champions, the more prestigious competitions often bring out the competitive fire and best in them, so irina may come out smoking at Worlds.

[LAVENDER]

It's not over until Worlds is over and Irina still has a chance. She could be in 5th in short and vault to 1st place these days so anything is possible.

[Badams]

breakdown...i totally agree with you. she needs to up the presentation ante this year if she wants to compete with all the up and comers. and with her technical lacking (she always does the same moves in the same order) she won't be able to depend on that to win, as she has done in the past.

[nits]

Has Irina lost her motivation to skate? Or has she just been resting on her laurels? One things for sure, she needs to IMPROVE her presentation and up her tech. ante this season. Last season she was very mediocre, yet managed to win major events. This season there are skaters that are technically superior to Irina, and can match her presentation. She needs to go back to the drawing board, and start training. Maybe she was overconfident with Kwan and Hughes out? If so, that was a huge mistake.

[adrianchew]

Didn't Irina mention she was sick for quite a while after the COI tour, on the NHK interview during the ABC coverage on Sunday? She certainly seemed still not up to full steam yet.

[Louis]

I think Slutskaya probably has lost her motivation. The Olympics aren't for another four years, she achieved her longstanding goal of winning Worlds, and she has been at this for eight years now. It's bound to be getting old.

Presentation is something that Slutskaya needs to actively work on-- she is capable of earning marks in the 5.8-5.9 range, but they don't come easily. This season, I think some judges have been cutting her perhaps too much slack and marking her on the level of presentation that she has last year rather than her current level of presentation.

Sadly for her, Slutskaya no longer has an advantage over competitors like Onda, Cohen, and Volchkova. It typically takes a "slam dunk" performance to dethrone a World Champion, but Slutskaya's mediocre level of skating opened the door for these ladies. They're on equal playing ground now. Once you've knocked off the World Champion, the judges are generally less afraid to allow you to do it again.

[Twizzler]

Nits: I agree that Irina has seemed to lose her motivation. THat was the sense I got from the interview on ABC. She's done the Olympics. She's world champion. I think she has lost the drive to work at her skating. I don't mean this in a negative way. I love Irina. I just think she has to either dig down deep for the drive or move on with her life in other directions.

[maruko]

Breakdown787, as much as I love Irina, I totally agree with your post. I think Irina has been pretty great with her short programs for the past 4 year. I don't know why she and her choregraphers couldn't come up with more interesting stuff in her long programs. This year's LP most defintely is a big step back and a big disappointment. I can't believe she did only crossovers to connect at least 2 or 3 of her jumps. Yes, I think she might want place her jumps order a little differently for each LP. Her double Beillman(sp?) spins are terrific but she probably want to do some other spin combo for a change.

[Scott]

Irina could pull it all togehter by the time worlds rolls around but she is going to face on of the strongest teams that the USA has ever fielded in the ladies event. She hasn't performed that strongly during the Grand Prix season and my guess is that she is tired and will probably be lucky to place in the top five at worlds. I wonder how she will do at her national competition and Europeans. Those two competitions will be good indications if she has her head together or is headed toward the pile of has beens.

[loveskating]

I like Irina's program, its a move forward for her, as this music requires a bit more whole body fluidity than she has managed in the past. However, she is not skating it up to her level.

Its not the best program this season, however.

She explained why herself...she came off the COI tour and then was sick, had little time to train, and she said that she was having fun just skating.

[AxelAnnie22]

I finally watched the LP's from COR last night. From what I had read, I expected Irina to be utterly awful. I thought she was wonderful. She is using her body in a wonderfully new, smooth way. Does she need to keep working to get back up to where she needs to be-----yep! But what happened to all of you people with whom I had that "spririted" ;)discussion about the "peaking myth"? What happened to "it's early in the season?" Oh Gasp! Don't tell me that only applies to skaters whom we like! :D

I saw such a difference between VV (who skated, arguably, her best) and Irina. (I didn't watch the tape from the beginning). VV's jumps were fabulous, but the rest of the skating was quite (IMO) second rate. She always looks so tense. Her arms really bother me, and she lacks fluidity. I was prepared to tense up as Irina took the ice, but I realized, as she began to skate, that it was relaxing to watch her. She skates without the "tension" of VV, and has a much more fluid and musical presentation.

Does the program need work---Yep
Does her skating need work---Yep
Is she planning to peak for Worlds ---nope - that is just a myth;)

Hey - this is my 400th post! Applause:lol:

[kayskate]

IMO, Irina's programs have always had breaks in the choreography befor eher jumps. She has "telegraphed" her jumps for years. There have been some exceptions, but she seems to have reverted to this habit. However, her spirals look better and she did a traditional layback that was very nice. I wish she would do a different spin combo too. Otherwise, she needs to hold the second Beillmann position longer. The last time I saw it (NHK?) she was lucky to get one rev.

Kay

[BigB0882]

Poor Irina, now people are going to start doing to her what they have been doing to Michelle for a few years. Irina can win Worlds and something tells me she will this year, even though I want Michelle to. Irina is just getting started this season and has plenty of time to get comfortable. Her jumps made a big improvement from CoR to NHK and I think will continue to progress. We'll see a 3/3 from her this year, most likely at Russian Nationals and Worlds.

[Excidra]

I think it's too early to say that Slutskaya will lose her world title.
I will bet money that she will come strong, when time to defend her world title comes. If Yoshei and others think Slutskaya will skate the way she has been skating through the GP, then they are sadly mistaking.
Irina's coach is already seeking new choreographers to work on her programs, so by the time GPF and worlds come around, she will be ready.

People use to say the same thing about kwan, but kwan comes back strong at worlds to prove all her critics wrong. Don't write-out Slutskaya yet, she migth just come back strong.

[donnamarie]

I like both of Irina's new programs. However, she has been sick, she has been on tour, etc. She obviously hasn't trained enough yet, and she seems almost too happy and relaxed :) It takes a lot of drive and ambition to compete, and she doesn't seem to have that ambition back yet. It's nice to see her looking relaxed and happy, I'm sure she's enjoying being married and all. It remains to be seen if she will get her competitive spirit revved up in time for the 2nd half of the season. Either way, I wish her the best.

[Skatingsarah]

I think the moral of this story with Irina is that all skaters are human! Sometimes as much as we dont want them to be they are! At the Olympics Sarah Hughes became the Super-Human and it the last couple of competitions Irina has proved shes just a normal as you and me.
I personally dont think her long program works to her advantage its somewhat chopping and little rough on the edges. But thats what the ISU competitions are for! Who knows maybe Irina smoothed out those edges and will dazzle us all to eating our words at Europeans! I hope so she has a wonderful talent!
-Sarah