Good luck at the World Championships!!

The girls are currently in Kiev competing at the World Championships!!  GOOD LUCK!!  UDACHI~!!

Top: Blizia, Nastia M, Nazar, Elena, Olga, Ksyu

Dmitri, Armina Zaripova, Rita & Yana K

It's really strange to see a world team without Zhenya, Dasha D or Dasha K though!
Before they left, Ul, Donechka, and Dasha Kukushkina went to Novogorsk to visit the group girls and wish them good luck.  How sweet!  (And of course they took some hilarious photos.)

Ksyu, Nastia M, Ul, Nazar, Blizia

Blizia, Nastia M, Ul

Ul, Blizia, Donechka

Blizia, Dasha Kukushkina, Ksyu

Makar: hero of Kalmykia!

Well, as I hinted, Makar ended up having a good reason for missing her beloved Ul's birthday party.  She went to her hometown (Elista) and received an award!

As she explains:

Hero of Kalmykia - the highest degree of excellence, the award of the Republic of Kalmykia - title granted for services to Kalmykia associated with making a heroic feat of labor heroism and outstanding contribution to the prosperity of Kalmykia. I want to thank you for this award R.K Orlov AM, mom, coaches and those who were involved! It's priceless!

And here is Makar shaking hands with the head of Kalmykia, Alexey Orlov.

The girls from her gymnastics club went nuts when she arrived...

...and they were so excited when she taught a master class.

I hope this encourages the badass brat to get her act together and get back into training!

Ul's birthday bash!

All kinds of people came out to celebrate our darling Ul's birthday--as they should!

Dasha D, Ul, Matya

Tusya Bulycheva, Ul, Nastia Kisse

?, Evgeni Malkin, Ruben Begunts, Ul

Kisa, Tusya, Ul, Sasha Patskevitch & boyfriend

Sasha Patskevitch & Ul

Ul & Dasha D

?, Ul, Karolina, Egor

Ul opening her present from Dasha D & Sasha Radulov

Donechka, Ul

Ul, Sasha Radulov, Ruben, Dasha D, Yulia G, Egor

Front: Artem Lyalin, ?, Ul, Karolina, Egor; Back: Yulia G, Dasha D, Matya, Kisa, Tusya

Yulia G, Egor, Sasha Radulov, Vitaly Fridzon, Zhenya Telysheva, ?, Ruben, Ul, Maxim Goncharov

Here are some collages...

Sadly, the group girls couldn't make it out because they're stuck in training.  But the really shocking absence was that of Ul's partner-in-crime/Siamese twin/BFF--Makar!!  UNACCEPTABLE!!  (Well, okay, maayyybe she had a good excuse, but we'll get to that in the next post.)
And here are some photos of the people at the party other than with Ul:

Donechka & Matya

Matya & Dasha D

Everyone had to take a photo with Evgeni Malkin!

Tusya, Evgeni, Kisa

Evgeni & Dasha D

Please caption me 2!

These photos totally need captions (as these photos did earlier)...what do you all think??

Olga, Nazar, Nastia M, Lena, Ksyu, Nastia B

 Perhaps more importantly, why are they carrying vases?  Urns??
Viner [offscreen]: These are the ashes of the girls that failed to win the World Championships!!" 
Ksyu: What??!! Nooo!!!

Ul & Nastia B

I totally wonder what Blizia is saying...

Happy happy birthday to our darling Ul!!

Our beloved and beautiful Uliana Donskova (Ul/Uli/Ulya/Ulyasha) turns 21 today (August 24)!  Hooray!!

Last year Ul got to celebrate her birthday in style--traveling on Alisher Usmanov's yacht to Sardinia/Monte Carlo/etc with the rest of the girls who competed at the Olympics.

Clockwise from top: Karolina, Dasha D, Blizia, Makar, Ul, Ksyu, Nazar

 

 

 And she even got a present from Daddy Usmanov~!  Lucky girl!!

Alisher Usmanov & Ul

I'm sure she and the other girls have some big party planned for tonight though!  :)

First taping of Ul on "Dancing with the Stars"! *UPDATED*

Looks like Ul finished taping the first episode of "Dancing with the Stars" today, but it won't be aired until September 14!

Here's Ul and her partner Artem Lyalin...

...here's Ul getting her hair & makeup done before the show...

...and here's how our darling looked after the taping! LOL!

**UPDATED** I found some more pics, so here they are!

And here is Ul doing her own little dance in the studio. LOL!