tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post7489747627909000183..comments2023-07-06T04:55:31.144-07:00Comments on Axels, Loops, and Spins: The Op-Ed: How Dangerous are the RussiansAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12064343000309585083noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17428443.post-17472627057371593872009-07-12T09:07:25.291-07:002009-07-12T09:07:25.291-07:00As a Russian and a big pairs fan [typical], I look...As a Russian and a big pairs fan [typical], I look forward to Vancouver with a mix of excitement and dread ... and while I've had this feeling before, this time around there's a bit more dread in the mix. The anemic results for Russian pairs in the last few years (speaking relative to the past, of course)are due largely to the economic crisis that chewed through Russia throughout the 90s, where the pairs world champions of today would have been struggling with rink closures and other financial impossibilities. It is especially bittersweet that Russian prospects for 2014, what would be 50 years of the reign, in Sochi no less, are actually quite bright given that Mukhortova & Trankov fit a nice age groove to peak at those games and that Russians have again come to dominate the junior ranks in pairs. A final thought: If the Soviet sports machine were still around (well everything would be different, wouldn't it), Totmianina & Marinin would be co-favorites going into 2010.Shame On Bush IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12745642489809031792noreply@blogger.com