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I took forever to decide on a title for this some of the options were:
- Why Seda WHY?
- Why do I even bother with this shit
- If actually bother to write a post for you, you can stay on the beam, deal?
- Enough with the young angst, grow up and be the champion I know you can be
- *insert any song with "i believe" in the lyrics*
- To quote the rich bitches on Laguna Beach: Dunzo
- Not done with you but done with your drama
- *insert every bad word in your vocabulary*
- Please, Seda, PLEASE!
- *uncontrollable sobbing*
Can you feel my frustration combined with partly irrational wild hope and air desperation? I should bottle that up, it would be the perfect wine or perfume for... I don't know, blind dates? Bachelor/ette parties?
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But this post is about Seda Tutkhalyan. Russian gymnast, new senior this year, born in 1999. And one of my personal faves and future hopes for Russia. Because Russia needs some hope. They were actually quite deep this year, but that had a lot to do with the returners from last quad, and they won't stick around forever. There are plenty of excellent juniors, but about 97% of Russian great junior talent doesn't hold up in senior level. But I'm hoping Seda will, even if it looks like... well, what it looked like at Worlds.
I see many people are completely counting Seda out after these Worlds, but I continue to be stubborn. Just give her time. She needs more time. We don't have that much time left. Get it together Seda. Sorry, got sidetracked there. But the fact remains, that she has all that potential, this is still her first year as a senior (remember Gabby's first year?) and if she finds the right routines and right state of mind for competing, I think she will be a competitive all arounder. As competitive as anyone can be with Simone Biles dominating the scene. The Olympics are coming really fast, but I think what she could do is continue straight after Rio and take advantage of the scattered field of the post Olympic year and win a world medal on AA then.
Now when it comes to this Worlds. Her DTY is solid, consistent and powerful even with that questionable technique. She'll learn to control the landing in a year or two, it's difficult to rush that. By next year she might have an amanar with even more questionable technique, she's been already training it and if it's anywhere near consistent she'll need it to make the Olympic team. Her uneven bars need upgrading. Russia doesn't need her bars, but it's for the AA. She doesn't have that Russian swing like a lot of her teammates, but her routine is very consistent and she has gotten even that dismount figured out, so they could try the same magic they did for Paseka's and Sosnitskaya's bars, which is combinations after combinations. I'd also like to the the bhardwaj back. I will skip the beam for now for reasons... Floor. It's been out of control all year, but her last year's endurance issues are all gone and she's been trying out upgrades all year. Ideally she'd have a double layout, whip+whip+piked full in and which ever two passes are consistent. Her turns are a mess and they require time to perfect, so maybe some more difficult jumps? What I was really positively surprised at was that she delivered her best floor routines of the year after her mistakes in the AA and TF. That shows character and competitive spirit and I loved it. Now if only she could channel that to beam...
And there it is, beam. The problem is, that she's now had the same beam routine for years and she still misses it more often than not. Taking out the full doesn't work because then she falls on easier skills. So what will work? Sport psychologist? I don't know, but she can't go like this to the Olympics, it's less than year to get it to work. And I have no suggestions. Is it the headcase syndrome or too difficult routine? I think it's the former, but you are free to disagree. It's just that she falls on different skills and tends to be really steady after the fall. And when she looks confident, the routine is beautiful.. Maybe taking out the big skills and moving to easier ones and combinations is the way, but I doubt it. It drives me crazy that she has a routine capable of gold but it always comes with falls. She hit thrice this year that I can remember, in Baku, Russian Cup (AA) and that Friendly meet in Torino. That's something like 3 routines out of...10? Something like that.
But the main reason I still root for her and hope, is because I like her. She wants it and wants it a lot. I can see that, there's so much ambition and passion, and bitterness and disappointment and it reminds me a bit of Aliya. I think it will make her a champion if she channels it right. She's not the most typical Russian long legged bar worker. But there's more power, and her power comes with a certain elegance to it too.
And don't forget her great bitchface, only rivaled by Aliya, the Queen herself.
So please Seda and the Russian coaching staff, figure it out. It's time for the Olympics and babies have to grow up fast.
The Winter Is Coming.
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I you don't know what Laguna Beach is, you are too young for this world and need to climb back into the womb. Or I am too old for this world and need to go to a retirement home. You know what, the retirement homes here have really long waiting lists, so I might as well sign up now...
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