- Joined
- Apr 21, 2009
Thank you so much for sharing this precious article with us!
It sounds like Elena is ultra-traditional and that she is a good first major coach for Denis. She is polishing a diamond that may still be rough around the edges. But if Denis wants to go out with guns blazing and become a serious contender, I think he will need a top technical coach like Mishin. Denis' jumps, as beautifully postured they are, do suffer from some underrotation and are less powerful than some of the top guys. He is also not as fast as his peers. His Worlds LP, however, absolutely floored me and he was the best surprise to me in a long time, not just in skating, but anything from life.
Unfortunately, I must say Elena does sound a bit bigoted. Any time a person makes generalizations that state a certain group of people (i.e. race, gender, nationality, organization) is a certain way, I cringe. It tends towards bigotry. I think her interview makes her sound like some kind of diva with loads of experience, knowledge, and technique, but her competitive record does not show she is exceptionally talented or that she's coached champion after champion. I can see that she has influenced Denis' gorgeous line, however.
If I can read anything substantial into her comments, could she mean that girls are just more adverse to high-risk jumping and doing the revolutions than boys?
It sounds like Elena is ultra-traditional and that she is a good first major coach for Denis. She is polishing a diamond that may still be rough around the edges. But if Denis wants to go out with guns blazing and become a serious contender, I think he will need a top technical coach like Mishin. Denis' jumps, as beautifully postured they are, do suffer from some underrotation and are less powerful than some of the top guys. He is also not as fast as his peers. His Worlds LP, however, absolutely floored me and he was the best surprise to me in a long time, not just in skating, but anything from life.
Unfortunately, I must say Elena does sound a bit bigoted. Any time a person makes generalizations that state a certain group of people (i.e. race, gender, nationality, organization) is a certain way, I cringe. It tends towards bigotry. I think her interview makes her sound like some kind of diva with loads of experience, knowledge, and technique, but her competitive record does not show she is exceptionally talented or that she's coached champion after champion. I can see that she has influenced Denis' gorgeous line, however.
If I can read anything substantial into her comments, could she mean that girls are just more adverse to high-risk jumping and doing the revolutions than boys?
