Here we go again!
After the success of KSB (Kiev Slalom Battle) (French version here) of last 4-5 of July 2009, and after the general craze triggered by this event, the Ukrainians organized a nearly-last minute second battle to close the season. The second Kiev battle of the year took place on the 14-15 of November, and was called “Battle Dream Town”.
Dream Town
Why Dream Town? Simply because it’s the name of the brand-new shopping mall in which the Battle was held (more precisely: …in which the Rollerdrom was in which the Battle was held).
In order to give you an idea of the Complex: next to the Rollerdrom there was an ice-rink (a real ice-rink) with an adjoining part for curling only (you read well), a little further you could find a mini-golf and archery stands, and dispatched everywhere in strategic corners there were inflatable games for children…and all this was just bonus in addition to all the shops that could be found on the three floors of the mall.
But the ultimate bonus was the set: each lift shaft/stairwell/escalatorwell was decorated in the style of world-top-cities: Athenes, Paris, Beijing, Hollywood, etc. there were restaurants from every culture (Arabic, Japanese, fast-foods, etc., even a saloon!) And at the very end of the alley of the third floor a huge scale model of the World was being constructed (around 15*15m), with relief and great monuments – the Chinese Great Wall, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, etc.
Dream Town is all-in-one, the one that gathers all the differences… a philosophy well reflected thanks to its logo: the Rainbow =P
H1N1…
Quite a lot of regular competitors were missing the roll call. On what ground? Flu A. Indeed, facing the global panic and according to the news concerning Ukraine (supposedly facing an epidemic), a good bunch of Russian skaters had asked for a refund of their plane tickets a couple of days before the event. After risking my life in being on the spot: apart from a slightly higher rate of people wearing masks… I’m afraid I have nothing much to report…
• To be deplored: the absence of Lika Babiy (#5 Women) and Denis ‘Disa’ Islamov (#33 Men), Olya ‘Fercha’ Fadina (#20 W) and Andrey Shitov (#8 M), and Georgiy Kresman (#40)… Xuan Le (FRA, #9) too was away due to problems of timetable.
• And Nadezhda Zelenova (#4 W) and Dmitry Milyokhin (#17 M) – for a very different reason: retirement! According to some sources they might, in not-so-far a future, replace the cones with baby’s bottles (nb: please note that this piece of information is to be taken with as much caution as the people magazines’).
The Cast
• Enough with the absentees! The most important thing was that these were present – not just a few (68 on the whole) and not the bad ones: the regular rest of Russians, including Dmitry Shevarutin (#18), Viktor ‘Generator’ Meleshkevich (#21), Kirill ‘ReKiL’ Ryazantsev (#24), Roman Gordin (#26), and Misha Gurevich (#31) who brought along his German fellow-skaters (including, and especially, Martin Sloboda (#1)); And then if you add to all this cream of freestyle Igor Cheremetieff (FRA, #3), Alex Shulhan (BRS, #36), Viacheslav ‘Slava’ Sinyushko (#43), Olivier Herrero the Dark Latin Lover (FRA, #210), and so on… you will obtain a mouth-watering explosive cocktail (Vodka-Wheeling, rings a bell?)
• As for the Women, there were two Russians (Polina Semenova (#3) and Kristina Lysenko (#30)), one French (Chloé Seyrès (#1))… and loads of Ukrainians – including Maryna Boyko (#14), Sabina Ismailova (#38), and Sveta Komissarzhevskaya (#54).
The Schedule
The Speed Slalom, the Mens Battle qualifiers, and the Slide took part on the Saturday, in order to set free the whole Sunday for Mens and Womens Battles – and the event ended up with a Free Jump contest.
Trailer Battle Dream Town by Slavka
Speed Slalom
Womens Speed Slalom
The womens category was quickly set and done: ten skaters, qualifications, the best four went on with the semi-finals of the KO-Systems, then with the Co-final and Final.
Qualifications
Chloé Seyrès (FRA, #1) and Kristina Lysenko (RUS, #6) are on top of the qualifications with pure times in 5,27 and 5,39, one second ahead of the two other qualified, the Ukrainians Maryna Boyko (#21) and Sabina Ismailova (#82).
KO-System
• The semi-finals were a mere formality for the first two qualified who sorted out their rounds in two winning runs.
• In Co-Final, the victory for the third place is played out according to the penalties. Indeed: Sabina Ismailova and Maryna Boyko are at even speed (around 6,8)… it goes to the cleanest of the two. Sabina Ismailova wins the round after three runs.
• A nice Final with suspense, between the French Chloé Seyrès and the Russian Kristina Lysenko. The same finalists as last July in Kiev – where the victory was Russian. Here is the revenge of the French: after the first two runs, the two skaters are tied – the runs are close (around 5,9) and the mere cone is fatal – on the third run, Chloé gathers the last glimpse of energy remaining in her and wins the final with a 5,67, against Kristina – steady with a 6,00.
Results of the Womens Speed Slalom:
1-Chloé Seyrès (FRA)
2-Kristina Lysenko (RUS)
3-Sabina Ismailova (UKR)
4-Maryna Boyko (UKR)
Mens Speed Slalom
Qualifications
There were 17 registered and only the first eight (whose pure times stood between 4,68 for Kirill ‘ReKiL’ Ryazantsev (RUS, #5) and 5,39) were to go to the KO-Systems.
KO-Systems
• In Quarter-Final, ReKiL (RUS, #5), Sébastien Laffargue (FRA, #7), Igor Cheremetieff (FRA, #2) and Alexey Tsokolov (RUS, #31) (in the qualification order) respectively knock out Viacheslav Sinyushko (UKR, #23), Maksim Lavrik (RUS, #195), Grégoire Pinto (FRA, #25) and Dimitry Shevarutin (RUS, #305).
• The Semi-Finals are fratricidal: Two Russians in the first group, and two French in the second. ReKiL makes up for a small mistake on his first run and wins the round; As for the second group, Sébastien Laffargue cracks up, strikes four cones and offers the round to Igor Cheremetieff.
• The Co-Final is won in two winning runs by the Russian Alexey Tsokolov, steadier than Sébastien Laffargue who “did it again” (the 4-cone strike-thing) on the second run.
• The Final is somewhat muddled. ReKiL and iGoR running around 5,4. iGoR is ahead on the first run but kicks too many cones to win it; On the second run, the two finalists kick two cones but iGoR is three tenth ahead… third run… ReKiL speeds up to run around 5,3 like his opponent, and kicks three cones… but iGoR strikes five! The last run, and the Final goes then to ReKiL!
Results of the Mens Speed Slalom
1-Kirill ‘ReKiL’ Ryazantsev (RUS)
2-Igor Cheremetieff (FRA)
3-Alexey Tsokolov (RUS)
4-Sébastien Laffargue (FRA)
Slides
The Slides took part on the Saturday at the end of the day. Twelve registered, a pretty good level… Especially with the participation of some local skaters who know how to slide.
• Men: It was a Russian, Maksim Fominov (UKR), who won the Mens category in front of the current WSSA World Champion Kirill ‘ReKiL’ Ryazantsev (RUS). The third place goes to –surprise! Martin Sloboda (GER) who’s found, in sliding, a new time-killer since september – and he learns pretty fast! The fourth finalist, Vladimir Luboyanov, was Ukrainian.
The Co-Final is won by Igor Cheremetieff (FRA), followed by Roman Gordin (RUS), Dmitryi Mironov (UKR), and Grégoire Pinto (FRA).
• In the Womens Category, a resounding victory of Anna ‘Fisa’ Vasilieva (RUS), the only 100% slider amongst the three registered, followed by Maria Sedova (RUS) and Maryna Boyko (UKR).
Free Jump
• In the Womens Category – they were 6 of them – Chloé Seyrès (FRA) wins, at 95cm, followed by Kristina Kysenko (RUS) and Valeria Romanova (UKR).
• In the Mens Category, another resounding victory, that of Dimitry Podgorniy (RUS) the Novorossiyskian, who leaves behind eight out of his nine opponents at 125cm, and goes on climbing up to 145cm. Sergey Fisenko (UKR), the second, hauled himself up to 130cm – which he didn’t pass. As for the third, Kirill ‘ReKiL’ Ryazantsev (RUS), he was tied with Roman Kharitonov (UKR) after having both missed at 125cm and they had to take an extra jump at 123cm.
Freestyle Battle
Womens Freestyle Battle
Qualifications
• There were 16 of them participating: the two Russians, the French, and the Ukrainians – including three non-ranked for whom it was their first battle.
• The Quarter-Final Groups are won by Chloé Seyrès (FRA, #1), Sabina Ismailova (UKR, #38), Maryna Boyko (UKR, #14) and Polina Semenova (RUS, #3). The second-place qualified for the semi-final are: Daria Shatyrko (UKR, #NC), saved by a back footgun ; Kristina Lysenko (RUS, #30), not as clean as Sabina, the first of the group, but a notch higher than the rest of the group; Sveta Komissarzhavskaya (UKR, #54), and Ksenya Komarchuk (UKR, #58).
Semi-Finals and Co-Final
None of the second qualified for the semi-finals will go through to the final. They meet in Co-Final – won by Sveta Komissarzhavskaya thanks to technically varied runs (with a strong Korean-spin-esque tendency) followed by Kristina Lysenko, who gives us two wonderful falls on this round (although she was the favorite, her rate of success happened to be too weak), Dari Shatyrko who copes pretty well for a first go at battle, and Ksenya Komarchuk.
Final
• As for the Final, it holds a few surprises in store and promises to be tough given the final cast (Chloé Seyrès, Maryna Boyko, Sabina Ismailova et Polina Semenova) and the preview of the preceding rounds (cf. a front-back wheeling 5x15 by Maryna Boyko in semi-final, a nearly-three-line wheeling marathon for Chloé Seyrès in quarter-final, and technical combos each more convoluted than the one before…)
• But in the end, huge disappointment for everybody (skaters and public): a final made of strikes and systematical misses. Polina Semenova wins this Battle, followed by Maryna Boyko (whose technical improvement has been dazzling these last months), Chloé Seyrès, and Sabina Ismailova.
Flash-Interview of Chloé Seyrès
What could explain such a general failure?
I’ve got the explanation from one of the finalists at least, whom I took the liberty of (auto-)interviewing: Chloé Seyrès (myself, just to be sure you’re following) “I’m currently trying to adapt to new skates, and I didn’t intend to perform feats. But seeing that the others were doing mistakes after mistakes – contrarily to the preceding rounds, I said to myself that I could salvage something… And it was at that very precise moment that the unpredictable last-minute stress took hold of me… added to tiredness, that was not the best of mixes.”
Reactions of the finalists on the spot:
Polina: “But… how come I am first?”
Maryna: “I would have seen Chloé ahead of me …”
Chloé: “Yeahh, Polina you’re first, that’s greaaat, congratulations!! [to Maryna] Given your super-tech combos I’m not surprised you’re ahead…”
I love battle with women: “Come, get ahead – You do the honors! – I won’t – I insist – You flatter me… – Please do: the pleasure is mine, frankly…”
Results of the Womens Freestyle Battle:
1-Polina Semenova (RUS)
2-Maryna Boyko (UKR)
3-Chloé Seyrès (FRA)
4-Sabina Ismailova (UKR)
Final
Pt.1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0RREMyr5HQ
Pt.2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJnvmc9vZE
Pt.3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5NUcqZze-c
Pt.4 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e16rAjuyORI
Pt.5 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6rSJYiKYc
Pt.6 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE_uOM6PHvE
Pt.7 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP12P26akPs
Mens Freestyle Battle
The qualifications unfolded the day before – no surprise.
Quarter-Finals
In quarter-finals, the charts are already a little mingled:
• In Group 1, Martin Sloboda (GER, #1) the favorite qualifies only second behind the Byelorussian Alex Shulhan (#36). As a consequence, he goes to the bottom-half of the chart for the next round and will then be in the second group of semi-finals. Remember that point, it’s of the utmost importance for the following.
• In Group 2, Viktor 'Generator' Meleshkevich (RUS, #21) ends up at the head, followed by Kirill 'ReKiL' Ryazantsev (#24), with Viacheslav 'Slava' Sinyushko (#43) high on his heels who ends at this stage. Generator thus remains in the top-half of the chart and will be in the first group of semi-finals.
• In Group 3, the two Russians Dimitry Shevarutin (#18) and Roman Gordin (#26) make short work of the two Europeans Misha Gurevich (GER, #31), who showed some good improvement in wheelings, and Olivier Herrero (FRA, #210), the Dark Latin Lover. Dimitry Shevarutin, the winner of the group, remains in the bottom-half of the chart, and will be in the second semi-final group.
• Group 4, fourth and last group. The coup de theatre. Igor Cheremetieff (FRA, #3) is knocked out… he was the favorite, though…
Back to the the round… as the runs unfold it seems inevitable that Alexey Tsokolov (RUS, #65) should qualify in first position: despite a somewhat messy general impression, he manages an eight-cone special one foot (minus two kicked), a front-to-back 4x5 wheeling, sitting tricks, butterflies and cobras, heel-toe back crossed compasses…
Igor Cheremetieff, apart from a wonderful seven-cone toe seven, obviously doesn’t bank enough tricks: a blind whiper-to-toe-wheeling combo, crossed-to-uncrossed spins, a nearly-four-cone-special-one-foot, and Power Style. As for Ivan Misevra (RUS,#157), he counts on variety and trendy Russian tricks (cobras, butterflies) added to the syndical wheelings.
So Igor and Ivan find themselves in a best trick dual: Ivan begins with a complex wheeling combo made of special one foot and front-to-back, unbalanced but really technical. Igor chooses to start with a wheeling marathon… but fails after only one line and a half! The judges are inflexible.
iGoR Flash-Interview
“I wanted to be tactical, and I stupidly missed a wheeling. I really wanted to end up second in this group, to go to the top-half of the chart in semi-final [nb: and then avoid meeting Martin Sloboda and Dimitry Shevarutin in the second semi-final group]. But I hadn’t foreseen that it could’ve been so close. Ivan did lots of tricks I just can’t do [nb: cobras, butterflies, etc.] which gave him bonuses compared to me, and the judges asked for a best trick to decide between us. I should’ve done a harder trick. I still can’t figure out how I could miss a wheeling.”
Semi-Finals
• The first group is made of Alex Shulhan, Viktor 'Generator' Meleshkevich, Roman Gordin, and Ivan Misevran ; the second of Martin Sloboda, Kirill 'ReKiL' Ryazantsev, Dimitry Shevarutin, and Alexey Tsokolov.
• The qualified for the final are: (no real surprise) Generator, Roman Gordin, Martin Sloboda, and Dimitry Shevarutin.
Co-Final
The knocked out of the semi-finals meet in co-final: Alex Shulhan wins the round, with stylish, original and varied runs. In second position is Ivan Misevran, really promising (he’s not even two-year old in the slalom-skating world). Alexey Tsokolov and ReKiL respectively end up third and fourth.
Final
• This is the point to which I come with the joke of the Vodka-Wheeling cocktail!
Three Russian wheeling-hysterics: Roman Gordin, Dimitry Shevarutin, and Viktor 'Generator' Meleshkevich encircling a poor little German (not that small and not that defenseless in fact): Martin Sloboda, just as hysterical about wheeling.
I would have done a short summary of the finals with great pleasure, but at this stage of wheeling-esque complexity, I have difficulties in re-reading my notes: it goes from multiple front-back-front-back…, to special one foot to front-back (or back-front) combos, not forgetting back sevens and combos alternating front ‘basic’ seven with back external seven from one cone to the other (this is for the simplest combos).
• What you need to know is that Roman Gordin spent almost all of his runs on toe, and that Dimitry Shevarutin was less steady than during the preceding rounds – indeed he managed only sixteen cones doing special one foot whereas in semi-final he did the twenty… he also did a ten-cone seven, and butterfly-to-jumped-wiper and external-seven-to-korean-spin combos; You also need to know that Generator showed some variety alternating between wheelings and sitting tricks: front-to-back wheeling to back Christie, sevens, spin footgun, cobra, stylish effects when entering the lines, wheeling games… And that Martin Sloboda was less steady too: special one foot managing only seven cones (against fourteen in semi-finals), wheelings shorter than usually, but nevertheless a nice six-cone seven, and a few sitting tricks (kasakchoc and back footgun) – but he was the more varied and the smoother of the four…
• As for the last tricks, here we go again with wheeling knitting:
Roman Gordin does a wheeling combo which I can possibly neither explain nor describe;
Generator does one of the above-mentioned alternated sevens (front internal to back external) managing ten cones and back doing wheeling knitting;
Martin tries his well-known back wheeling 50s marathon but only manages one line and two cones coming back;
As for Dimitry (the last trick I found the most impressive): four cones doing special one foot and the sixteen remaining cones doing toe seven (as if simply just to finish the line).
Results of the Mens Freestyle Battle:
1-Martin Sloboda (GER)
2- Dmitry Shevarutin (RUS)
3-Viktor ‘Generator’ Meleshkevich (RUS)
4-Roman Gordin
Flash-Interview of the Finalists
Martin: “I really wasn’t figuring out I could win the final. In fact I couldn’t even hope for it, given the level here!!”
Generator: “[Proud] Hey, you’ve seen my last trick?”
In the End…
Afterparty
The traditional afterparty… on the Sunday evening, after the competition. In the backroom of the 112 Club in the center of Kiev. Good memories engraved (forever?) in our minds and in Slava’s camera!
Epilogue
It was the last important competition of the 2009 season. Two other followed: Battle Buenos Aires in Argentina, which took place on Saturday, November 22; and the second edition of Battle Africa, in Dakar (Senegal) on December, 5 and 6.
Useful Links
• Website of the Event Battle Dream Town
• Organizers
Kiev City Independent Federation of Roller Sport
Russian Federation of Roller Sport
World Slalom Series Association (WSSA)
Close Yr E’s
December 6, 2009
closeyres.jimdo.com