The offseason that the pandemic coronavirus was spread over six months, was a period of colossal change, both in the global and Russian figure skating. In the International skating Union (ISU) is used in order to adjust the rules (it was, however, not entirely successfully). And some athletes — including the first numbers of the teams aiming for the Olympic games in Beijing, decided to change coach. The number of such transfers, most of which came as a surprise, turned out to be almost a record for recent years.This year due to the epidemiological situation, the figure skating season ended much earlier than planned: the last tournament was successful for the Russian team the January European championship in Graz. Since then, despite the fact that the competition was not conducted and the athletes at the time were forced to suspend training, there have been many changes. One of them is associated with calendar and regulations of the competitions, the other with multiple transfers of athletes.The change of coach was announced several leaders of their teams — Russians Alexander Trusov and Mikhail Kolyada, they are acting in a pair of compatriots Anastasia Mishin and Alexander Gallyamov, Japanese Rika Kihira. Naturally, they all focused on the Olympics in 2022, and therefore to delay the change over is not possible. Now athletes have the time and conditions to exercise, if necessary, moving and adjusting to a new system of training.The greatest excitement was caused by the transition — perhaps one of the most controversial — the double world champion among juniors Alexandra Trusova. In early may she announced that she was leaving the group Eteri Tutberidze. The motives of Trudovoy in principle is clear: the Russian woman, having the most complex hopping set among women, the key starts over the past season periodically scattered and all the time was third. And inferior to it Alyona Kostina and Anna Shcherbakova, who also train under the guidance Tutberidze. Although athletes who left her group, the previous successes from the other coaches usually do not achieve, the case of Trusovo may seem to be in trend and not to fit in.First, she went in peak form, not on the decline like its predecessor. And one of the evidence of this video in early March Trusov has published in Instagram. She flawlessly performed a free program with five quadruple jumps just before the start of a pandemic and on the eve of the cancelled world Championships in Montreal. Secondly, Trusova has gone before in her life came the so-called puberty (the body of the athlete begins to change, and she herself — to rise sharply). And third, in the group of Evgeni Plushenko, which passed, Alexander Trusov, no doubt it will enjoy the status of prima. Among the coaches, “angels Plushenko” — strong technicians who have recently worked in the headquarters Tutberidze, Sergei Rozanov and Alexander Volkov. They both previously worked with Trusovo and, among other things, put her hopping technique (with Volkov at the age of 12 Trusova began to study the element of ultra-si triple Axel, with Rozanov worked closely over the past years).As for Evgeni Plushenko, who as an elite coach yet unproven, is a real challenge. And if in the case of other skaters failures can be attributed to a number of external factors (one — character nacanieli, the other doesn’t want to jump), now such a possibility is practically excluded.To push in pursuit of the Russian figure skaters before the Olympics and decided Japanese Rika Kihira. For several seasons she is hardly the only athlete able to resist the Russians. Have trained by mie Hamada, she decided to follow the example of Evgenia Medvedeva and work in Canada under the guidance of Brian Orser. Kihira is one of the few skaters performing triple Axel in both programs. But from time to time is not enough to win. The last tournament in which the Japanese managed to get around the Russian leaders, was the Grand Prix final in December 2018 (when Rick Kihira ahead of Alina Sagitova and Elizabeth Tuktamysheva). The point in transition is to stabilize the triple Axel, Quad Salchow and tighten the second assessment is definitely there.To fight the Russians, still at the Junior level, 13-year-old American and reigning US champion Alice Lew also decided on the transition. Pour that is able to execute a triple Axel and quadruple Lutz (the most expensive figure skating jump), throughout the season, lost the domestic Junior Camille Valieva, even if the programs do without elements ultra-si. The fact that direct riding Alice Lew is evaluated very low but the jumps she periodically makes netocracy. So an American who trained under the guidance of Laura Lipetski five years, will begin to work with Lee Barcelos — one of the best specialists in the technique.Not without transitions, and the singles: Russian figure skater Mikhail Kolyada, who from an early age was trained under the guidance of Valentina Chebotareva, will begin to engage in the group of Alexei Mishin. Mikhail Kolyada — one of the three Russian skaters, who managed to score more than 100 points in the short program. Jumping carols impeccable from a technical point of view, they are always of enormous height, the components of the skater gets deservedly high. Lacking skater one psychological fing�� in major events.Alternating good starts with failure, Mikhail Kolyada from time to time it gives the audience surprises — pleasant and not. In addition to the drops, Russian figure skater often allow so-called butterfly — premature disclosure in the air during a jump. That is, for example, instead of the planned Quad a Salchow right there athlete throws double or single. Will Alexei Mishin to help the skater is an open question, but even a short training with Rafael Arutyunyan in the summer of 2018 (when he called Kolyada talent) positively affected the results of the athlete.In early may, the ISU reported changes in the underlying value of some of the jumps. The same weight — 11 points — would be to have a quadruple Lutz (formerly of 11.5), Quad flip and Quad loop (formerly of 10.5). This decision is in principle possible to find an explanation: among the quadruple Lutz jumps, and considered to be the most easy sheepskin, skaters perform more often than other jumps. While a Quad loop jump in the world unit — American Nathan Chen, the Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu and Sam UNO, Italian Daniel Grassl, Russian Sergei Voronov. But because the increase in the cost of rittberger could be an incentive to explore this jump.It was planned to reduce the cost and triple Lutz: from 5.9 to 5.3 (the same price has triple flip). This leap — it needs to be enforced with exterior ribs — many athletes are jumping or flat ribs, or even internal, which entails a reduction of points. For this reason, skaters with Lutz problems, try to minimize its unit weight in programs. For example, the Russians Evgeny Medvedev and Alyona Kostina limited to only one such jump, performing it only in any program. In the world of figure skating, the news is met with understanding: typically a relatively important innovations are accepted at the beginning of the Olympic cycle. Traditionally, the season opens the Junior Grand Prix series: the first steps have at the beginning of August. Now, when the epidemiological situation in the world is free to roam the athletes can’t, the series may have, or to postpone, or cancel altogether. Presumably, the first stage will be held in Budapest (9-12 September), the second in Yokohama (September 16-19), third in Ostrava (September 23-26), fourth in Tashkent (from 30 September to 3 October), the fifth in Ljubljana (October 7-10) and the final, sixth in Riga (from 14 to 17 October). Usually spend seven stages plus the final, but the upcoming season will only have up to six. However, even this calendar cannot be called definitive. “In the near future there will be a meeting of the Council of ISU, on which, in particular, will discuss a calendar of the Junior Grand Prix. While the main problems remain the road, visa and borders”— quoted by TASS Vice President of the ISU Alexander Lakernik. About when exactly will be the adult Grand Prix series will be known not earlier than August.Ekaterina Remizova
