#anna frolova

[certainkoalawombat]

Anna Frolova

[figurney-kataney]

Great to see Anna Frolova make her triumphant return to competitive ice this weekend after 15 months off. She wasn’t perfect (especially in the free), was probably underscored (probably the perils of skating the same competition as Sasha), and it’s maybe a toss-up whether she deserved the bronze over Ksenia Gushchina, but she was in second after the short, and good to at least see her get her feet under her after all that time off. She’s always been a good PCS skater, and I’ve always liked her.

[sashas4t]

Purple Costumes in Figure Skating

Rika Kihira - Baby God Bless You

Mao Asada - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2

Alexandra Trusova - Love Story, Appassionata

Anastasiia Gubanova - Lieberstraum

Adeliya Petrosyan - Tango

Anna Frolova - Mathilde

Alena Kostornaia - Twilight

Eunsoo Lim - Capriccio Espagnol

[figureskatingcostumes]

Anna Frolova competing in the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Egna, skating to Notre-Dame de Paris.

(Source: Alessia Eletta Coppi)

[we-will-die-young]

Anna Frolova

[swan-lutz]

Final scores!

I’ll have to say, Maiia did very well! I enjoyed her fs so much!

I think it was a rough day for a lot of skaters but Alena seemed to do better in the fs than in practice 👍

[kittyprincessofcats]

I’m just never watching Russian domestic competitions again - sorry not sorry.

Yup, any enthusiasm I might have felt for the Russian Cup Series is out of the window after whatever that was. Let’s get into it:

- How the hell did Maiia Khromykh somehow end up ahead of Anna Frolova with that messy skate? HOW? What is she getting that PCS for? WHAT??? Anna was so clearly so much better here that it seriously just baffles me? The Eteri bonus just really isn’t funny anymore. It’s ruining chances for other athletes, in this case for Anna F.

- 82 points for Anna Shcherbakova... where do I even start? This was the moment I decided to stop watching this entire series of comps. Sorry, I’m out, that’s a joke. I expected her to be overscored, but that’s beyond good and evil. 82 points with no 3A and uncalled URs on both jumps in the combo, high 9s for all the PCs categories... no way anyone can take that seriously. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again: If Rika Kihira, for a flawless skate with a 3A, way better skating skills than this, way better choreography than this, etc. gets only 81 points, then no one else except for Aliona Kostornaia has any business even being in the high 70s.

- Basically, at this point it doesn’t matter what actually happens on the ice or how they skate; the scores have already been decided in advance. They’re going to keep scoring Anna like this, heavily overscore the other Eteri girls as well (see Maiia here), Evgenia is suddenly going to get scores in the 80s again, while Aliona and Sasha are suddenly going to get lower scores for no visible reason. And I just don’t want to watch that. There are a few Russian ladies I like (Aliona, Evgenia, and Sasha has also started to grow on me) and I might tune in for them, but otherwise this circus isn’t worth it.

- Also, these commentators (I think it’s Yagudin and some other guy??) are the absolute worst. Seriously, Ted Barton is an impartial professional in comparison. (Which is why, when given the choice, I will still always go with Ted’s commentary despite my problems with him.)

- Just to give you an idea of what their commentary today was like: When I first tuned in to the Ladies event, they were currently talking about how “Russian skaters are the best in the world”. They talked about the last European chamionships and how “the entire podium in Ladies’ and Men’s was only Russians.” When the other guy corrected Yagudin and said that it was only two medals in Men’s, as bronze went to Morisi Kvitelashvili of Georgia, they ended up agreeing that Kvitelashvili “is basically Russian as well; he just doesn’t officially represent us.” Now, I don’t know Kvitelashvili’s family history or whether he considers himself Russian, but that struck me as a rude thing to say.

- Then there was the moment where the commentators talked about Evgenia Medvedeva and how it’s “so great” that she’s “finally back home” and how the “tandem” between her and Tutberidze can “hopefully resume their great work from before”. 🤢🤢 Not only is this shitty because they’re basically celebrating a young woman being forced back into an abusive environment (with a side of nationalism to it); it also sounds like they’re already spreading propaganda for Zhenya’s impending higher scores. Just not good all around.

- They also made a remark about how “Our girls can’t be stopped by some silly virus!” (Don’t know if that was the exact wording, but it was something along those lines.) Do I even need to explain why that’s awful and super dangerous to say?? Or is that self-explanatory?

- And then, here’s the real kicker: They actually pointed out the UR on Anna’s combo, and when they saw it didn’t get called they just laughed and said “Well, even better if it doesn’t get called!” They seriously just don’t give a f*ck about fairness. Not even when the skaters getting hurt by these unfair judgements are other Russians.

- I’m just done with this. It’s depressing to watch. All summer I missed watching figure skating, and now one SP later I already never want to see it again. This just doesn’t spark joy. I’ll skip the Russian stuff and stick to watching competitions like the Nebelhorn Trophy and Japanese Regionals (speaking of which: Does anyone know how to watch those from outside of Japan? Is that even possible?).

[figure-skating-confessions]

“All of the Russian ladies are so gorgeous, and they could all have modeling careers after retiring.”

[figureskatingfanblog]

Anna Shcherbakova had a dominanting performance to win the Senior Ladies competition at the first stage of the Russian Cup to win by over 40 points. Anna Frolova came up from third to finish second and Maiia Kromykh finished third.

[certainkoalawombat]

Anna Frolova

[myladyviola]

Russian Cup Syzran - Ladies FS

1. Anna Scherbakova - 164.27 (90.03, 74.24)

Jumps: 4F (full blade takeoff, borderline under-rotation, but landed!), 3F3T, 2A (step out), 2A, 3Lz3Lo (Lz edge?, under-rotated Lo), 3FEu3S (stationary landing on 3S, step out), 3Lz (edge?)

Performance: She had some problems outside of her jumps. Her Medvedeva spiral didn’t carry any speed after the turn, the beginning of her spin after the second 2A travelled, and she had a slight trip in the middle of the ice before her final 3Lz. She looked happy when she finished the program. I think making the 4F outweighed the other mistakes for her.

Program: I really like the dress, and I don’t mind the first music, even though I’m not usually a fan of Philip Glass. The second music was not to my taste - pop songs don’t translate well instrumentally when the melody consists of lots of repeated notes, and that’s what this sounded like. There was also some Beethoven 5 in there? It built to a soundtrack-like climax with drums for the step sequence, which... hey at least the step sequence was musically differentiated. Kinda. 

Overall: It feels like she’s running on willpower alone, and I worry for her.

2. Anna Frolova - 137.82 (71.58, 66.24)

Jumps: 2A, 3F2T (with a lovely transition out), 3Lz (edge?), 3Lo, 3Lze3T (Lutz edge, very deep knee bend on Lz landing, managed 3T nonetheless), 2AEu3S, 3F (tight landing)

Performance: She interprets and accents the music nicely. No big issues here.

Program: This is what Danny G programs wish they could be. All I would change is the dress - something dark with long sleeves would be nice.

Overall: I have a new skater to root for!

3. Maiia Khromykh - 123.34 (61.02, 64.32)

Jumps: 4S (downgrade, fall), 3F2T (tough connection), 3Lo, 2A (step out), 3Lz (fall), 3LzEu3S (low forward landing on Lz, not much speed out of 3S), 3F3T (tricky landing)

Performance: She never gave up. She seems like a better skater than some of the other Tutberidze girls - as a performer I certainly prefer her to Anna Scherbakova - but the jumps are not working. 

Program: The information on screen says her music is “Agony Suite” but I think that’s just the second part. The first part (and the very last phrase) is from John Corigliano’s Red Violin suite/concerto/soundtrack. I think either music would have been fine on its own, but both together are not a good match. Plus the edit is jarring.

Overall: I'm getting an Anna Pogorilaya vibe - capable of mature performances and big jumps, but plagued with falls. 

[icudoucmetoo]

Nice performance Anna! You had some exquisite moments at the beginning. I’m watching you.

[sashas4t]

Russian Nationals: Ladies

Argh. The most stressful competition of the season really was very stressful. There was some triumphs and some disappointments but overall, the Russian ladies again proved that the Russian lady field is insanely deep. Also, while the 3A were very overscored, I would say everybody else’s score was tolerable, and some were even underscored. Please stop trying to push forward the idea that at RusNats all skaters are overscored and that level 4s, 9s in PCS and +5 GOEs are handed out like candy, that’s completely untrue. 

1. Anna Shcherbakova

Wow!!!! Anna’s jumps really were the best they’ve ever been. Her quads had attack, speed and power, and her triples were completed with wonderful quality.  Her lutz edge is getting increasingly worrying, but on the other hand, her 4Lz might be the most consistent quad in Russian ladies or men! A lot of people said her short was the best she’s ever performed it but I have to disagree. The beginning was just wonderful, elegant, yet eerie in the best possible way. The spins were on point and her 3Lz+3Lo combo might be the best one I’ve seen from her ever, but the step sequence was very off. Perhaps the choreography was changed, but the positions that were supposed to be on musical accents (like the one where she jumps and then pushes her hands forward) were before the music. It looked like Anya didn’t expect it either, since she held the aforementioned position a lot longer than she usually does. I’ve rambled about how nothing is on musical accents in Anya’s free so I’ll avoid that topic today. Her first 4Lz+3T combination was truly magical. Definitely the best one I’ve seen her do. The 4Lz just flew! I thought the second 4Lz was borderline UR, but the 4F is looking pretty good. She’ll definitely get it in time for Euros or Worlds. The score... yeah. Um, I would’ve given her performance 170-172 max. I love Anya to death, but in the performance aspect I know she can do better. The jumps were very impressive though.

2. Alena Kostornaia

Just WOWWWWWW. Her triple axels are just a thing of beauty. They fly across the ice, and cover HUGE distance. They’ve really gotten insanely better from Finlandia and it’s only been two months! Her short was a masterpiece and while I would’ve given it 86-87 points, I honestly don’t even mind the fact she got almost 90. She’s that good. Not only do her triple axels fly, her 3F+3T combination covers literally half of the rink. And it gets so much height! Alyona’s jumps do not only have height, distance and a slight delay of rotation, they are always fully rotated. I did not see a single jump that was even questionable in the sense of URs. The SP was a delight, and the FS was so entertaining! The 2A and 3F+3T were very shaky, and she should’ve gotten lower GOEs for those two elements but the rest of the program was glorious. As cheesy as the FS is, it’s really grown on me! Alyona performs it so well! I feel like she was also kind of overscored here, but the FS score was at least within reason. I’ve heard she’s going for 4S, and I really hope she can get it clean and landed soon. 

3. Alexandra Trusova

Today was not her day but you know what? It’s okay! Everyone has off days, even queens like Sasha. She had clean practices so I know she’s 100% capable of performing clean and I know she will work hard to get a clean four quad program by Worlds. She has such amazing potential and even if the first three quads didn’t work, the 4T+1Eu+3S was a thing of absolute beauty. The height! The distance! The flow! The extension on the 4T! She’s still the quad queen no doubt! Also the 3Lz+3Lo was beautiful! Sasha’s been struggling on that jump for quite a while, but I still think her 3Lz+3Lo is the best one there’s ever been. There’s ease, effortlessness, flow, height, distance and the rippon on the lutz is sublime. Her performance wasn’t really there today too, but her step sequence in the SP showed improvement from the GP stages. Speaking of the SP, I love how Sasha didn’t let the dress bother her and she did the best 3Lz+3T I’ve seen her do despite the black dress getting suck. I’m glad she didn’t go for 3A, but I know she’ll get the 3A once and for all soon. With Sasha’s work ethic and her sportsmanship she’ll bounce back in no time. I love how everyone is saying Sasha is done for when she landed the best quad of the night (no hate to Anya, but like, technique is an objective thing). 

4. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

The SP was really good, but the FS... what happened? I feel like Liza is getting better artistically. She moves faster, with more poise and her step sequence is actually really good. I’m glad she’s taking risks with the 4T, since her 4T is really just textbook, and it’s a shame it didn’t work here. Despite the 3A not working here either, I’m glad Liza pulled through and performed some wonderful combinations in the back half. I really respect Liza though, she clearly loves figure skating and she’s working hard to catch up. Her quads are textbook, and her 3As are effortless. When people started to say her 3A had too longer of a setup she decided to add difficult transitions in. When people noticed her flip edge getting to be flat, she worked hard on getting it back inside. Today wasn’t a good day for Liza, but a fourth place finish at RusNats is very good nonetheless.

5. Kseniia Sinitsyna

OH YES!!! Redemption skate!!!!! Even with the hard fall on her 3Lz in the SP, her performance as still stunning and her step sequence was just sublime. I used to dislike this program since it was almost too creative for me, but with Kseniia’s wonderful interpretation I’ve really come to appreciate her SP and now it’s one of my favorites. Kseniia has all the goods, good SS, good musicality and artistry, good spins, and good jumps. I believe that she can achieve great things! The FS was just amazing. Everything was landed, and landed with great quality and confidence. The step sequence was delivered patiently, but that’s good. A common mistake juniors make is they rush, but not Kseniia. She follows the music and the rhythm and never rushes. Her spins... literal perfection. Especially the layback... like how can it be so fast, yet so centered and so flexible? GIVE HER TWO GP ASSIGNMENTS RUSFED!

6. Anna Frolova

Wow!!!!! While I liked Anna at her JGP assignments, I often crossed her out as a big competitor since she was always so inconsistent... but NOT TODAY! Two clean programs! I really like her SP, but I don’t know how to feel about her costume change. I feel like her old costume (the one for her FS now) fits the music more. Anna’s SP requires, elegance, patience and poise, and Anna delivers all three in her delicate performance. I really love the music, especially in the step sequence. Her jumps are textbook (minus the shaky lutz edge) and her landings are beautiful. Her FS is borderline boring honestly, and I hope she gets some better choreo next season since she has so much potential. With two great skates here, I hope RusFed gives her at least one GP. Also, did she change coaches to Davydov? 

7. Anastasia Guliakova

Anastasia is really out here trying to seal Alina’s title of Most Used Warhorses in one season. But honestly I don’t mind since her interpretation of Carmen is rather good, and I love the music to Swan Lake. Anastasia’s SP was quite a nice surprise for me, since I didn’t really like her programs prior. She had a very different approach to Carmen in comparison to Alina, and her’s had much more power and attack. My favorite moment in her SP has to be the beautiful 3Lz with the spread eagle exit out right on the music! What can I tell you? I’m a sucker for movements on musical accents! Her FS was less surprising, but her jumps were quite good today! She pulled herself through the entire program! I’m glad that even though she entered as second alternate she gave performances worthy of GP assignments!

9. Sofia Samodurova

Argh. Sonya is as charming and wonderful as she was last season, but I guess she’s been demoted. The judging panel really went all out on her URs and PCS. Her performances are still enjoyable and full of charisma, but I do feel like she was a little hesitant in her SP. The step sequence didn’t have quite as much energy as it should have had. 

10. Anastasiia Gubanova

Whoever choreographed Nastya’s programs this season clearly either hates Nastya or has no idea about how artistic Nastya is. When you have someone who is as passionate and emotional on ice as Nastya, you can’t give her such boring music and choreography. The SP is pretty good, and Nastya is able to perform it well enough for me to like it, but the FS is just.... I can see Nastya trying her best to make it work, but the music is so boring and monotone that it’s impossible. Her jumps are still kind of scary at takeoff, and the UR issues seem to be getting worse. I hope Turenko works on the URs and gets a better choreographer, but Nastya is one of the most artistic skaters ever, and we need to see her showcase that ability.

12. Serafima Sakhanovich

I really like her programs this season. There’s nothing too flashy, but they are classy and elegant and Sima performs them well. I don’t know how I missed this before, but Sima’s flying camel spin is SO GOOD! +5s across the board for me! It’s fast, but also crazy centered and the positions are really pleasing. Really, it’s CRAZY fast. Shame about the jumps. You all know I love elements on musical accents so it’s no wonder I love Sima’s Ina Bauer to death. Argh! So beautiful!

13. Stanislava Konstantinova

The SP was really great. The Stasya that could hold her own against Liza, Zhenya etc. was back. I have to say, Stasya has wonderful artistry. She skates with maturity, elegance and poise. She can hold some really wonderful lines since she’s so tall, and she’s quite expressive as well. There were small problems in her SP, but as a whole, it was pretty good. This SP is definitely her best SP so far. The music is beautiful, the choreography is very good, and the costume is stunning, and when Stasya performs it well, it’s truly a delight. The FS... it’s also a pretty good program, but when will Stasya perform it well? But hey, at least she skated a good SP, that’s the second time this season!

14. Elizaveta Nugumanova

I love Liza’s SP! So much! She has so much charisma and personality, and it’s all expressed perfectly in her SP. If she could get the jumps rotated she would just be unstoppable. Her spins are so underrated too, they’re fast, centered and flexible. I love the step sequence so much, mostly because there are so many elements on musical accents, and also because Liza performs with such joy and charm. Like how can you not love it? Strangely enough, even though Nutcracker Pas de Deux is one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, I don’t really like Liza’s FS. She performs great, and her good posture and almost balletic skating style is beautiful, but the fact that the choreographer doesn’t utilize the many musical accents in the back half of the program pains me. Liza is so flexible and can easily hold a beautiful spiral to a crescendo in the music, and yet she only does one second spirals that have no correlation to the music. Why?

WD. Evgenia Medvedeva

Despite boot problems, Zhenya still skated a wonderful SP that really showed how strong she was. Her SP is really a thing of beauty, both in terms of choreography and in terms of how Zhenya performs it. The combination was definitely UR, but everything was else was great! Especially the step sequence! Zhenya is really one of the most artistic skaters out there. While I’m sad she withdrew it was a good thing to do. Better withdrawing than risking injury right? 

[figureskatingcostumes]

Anna Frolova competing in the 2020 Youth Olympics.

(Sources: Sandro Halank and OIS)

[mothermishy]

Shoot for Sintezía

Idea, makeup and nails by Katya Bodrova

Photos taken by Katya Frolova

Mua assistant Tanya Trushina

Production Anna Tsarkova

Model maryamfitch on instagram

[daily-mercedes-varnado]

Sasha Banks by Anna Frolova