I rather expected it. Perhaps Yu-na and Michelle are getting a little too close?
Yuna Kim
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I rather expected it. Perhaps Yu-na and Michelle are getting a little too close?
- Joined
- May 15, 2009
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
*yawn* and the world went on as we knew it...
oh well, some will get better sleep at night knowing the outcome I'm sure. Good luck to Peter, hope he can keep her as sheltered at competitions as the last team did.
oh well, some will get better sleep at night knowing the outcome I'm sure. Good luck to Peter, hope he can keep her as sheltered at competitions as the last team did.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
We haven't had this much excitement since Lebron James orchestrated an hour long TV program to announce where he would play basketball next year.
Basically sums up how I feel.
Yeah, Tonichelle--whatever caused the breakup, Team Orser did a masterful job of sheltering and nurturing YuNa. He's a tough act to follow.
I have had good impressions of Oppegard. I know he coached the various Stieglers for awhile, and Tiffany and Johnnie had wonderfully promising skills until Johnnie just didn't grow enough to continue the pairing.
I was tickled that I had guessed the coach, though of course it was the most obvious possibility imaginable, so there were no smarts involved on my part. Nonetheless, I feel pretty chipper!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2009
Teehee...I'm a little excited. Some of it is nervous excitement (hmm, I'm not into the idea of doing business with friends/their relatives; plus, I personally wouldn't want to be in Oppegard's shoes because there might be too-big expectations of him) and some of it is curious excitement. I wonder if he will introduce YuNa to a fresh/different way of looking at and approaching figure skating? I remember getting mocked on here for even entertaining the thought of a coach switch-up right after the Olympics (yes, I know the "Power Gays" as Aunt Joyce refers to the duo were magical and successful and wonderful, etc.) but as far as growth goes--growth that won't necessarily amount to bigger records and more medals--change is generally a good thing. YuNa seems happy.
We haven't had this much excitement since Lebron James orchestrated an hour long TV program to announce where he would play basketball next year.
I hope Orser is doing OK. I remember being mad at him during the break-up, but it's hard not to have tremendous respect and affection for him.
I doubt Oppegard will be blamed if things go badly for Yuna this year unless he really pushes some strange course and she goes along for some reason. I think everyone will see this as Yuna basically coaching herself with Oppegard there to backstop her practices and give her tips and such. It's probably fine. Yuna probably could steer her own course at this point but I'm glad she is not choosing to go coachless.
It's not surprising that she didn't reach out to one of the more recognized single coaches.
Maybe another poster with more knowledge of the inside world of skating can speak to this: But after her awkward and messy break up with Orser, would it have been uncomfortable for someone like Rafael Arturian coach her? Or would any coach jump at the chance to coach her because she's the world's top skater?
I know skater-coach break ups happen all the time but somehow this one seems more messy and awkward than most.
It's not surprising that she didn't reach out to one of the more recognized single coaches.
Maybe another poster with more knowledge of the inside world of skating can speak to this: But after her awkward and messy break up with Orser, would it have been uncomfortable for someone like Rafael Arturian coach her? Or would any coach jump at the chance to coach her because she's the world's top skater?
I know skater-coach break ups happen all the time but somehow this one seems more messy and awkward than most.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
The worst thing about this break-up is that we still really don't know why it happened.
well, that's usually the case isn't it? I mean, nobody know what REALLY happened with Carrol and Goebel, no? But somehow, I can't put my finger on it, but this break up seems especially ... bad.
Maybe it's because things had seemed to be going WELL with the Yuna-Orser team. With Carrol and Michelle too. However, that break up, while much criticized, at least had some modicum of grace to it.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2009
I totally agree, but you know...you're thinking rationally. Are all skating fans rational and fair?
I have no idea. But articles seem to cite YuNa as saying one of the reasons she chose Oppegard is because she felt some good vibes from a learning session with him ~10 years ago. Plus, there is the Kwan connection.
Oh yes, how terrible. Fans being privy to all the decision-making factors of skaters and coaches = oh-so-important.
I honestly don't know how a break-up like the Kim-Orser one can be smoothed over at a later date. It would take a tremendous amount of work, at best. By contrast, when Kwan left Carroll, a lot of people wondered why on earth Michelle would do such a thing right before the Olympics. But as weird and maybe unreasonable as it seemed, she still initiated the parting as an adult. Both participants conducted themselves in a civilized way. There were no public recriminations from either one, and they seemed to part, if not on good terms, at least with the hope of resuming good terms someday--something that seems to have happened. Neither Kwan nor Carroll burned any bridges when they parted company.
As for Oppegard, I guess he could be expected just to keep an eye on YuNa's jumps and not really interfere with her own vision of her skating right now. But I haven't gotten the impression that he's a pushover. It'll be interesting to see what the expectations are on both sides of this new relationship. I hope for the best! As for the Kwan connection, I guess the rink seems like a safe and protected environment to Kim, and maybe it will give her some time to renew herself. I hope so. Whoever was at fault in the departure from Orser, Kim is a treasure, and I'd love to see her skate at her peak for a long time to come.
That sums up how I feel exactly.
About the Holy Alliance, Kwan and Kim, if they had the inclination they could take over the US ice show scene.
If only the US ice show scene existed for them to take over.
With the fanboyism in these threads, they could probably create one.
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- Jul 26, 2003
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R.D., definitely you should edit to add "and fangirls!" Possibly also (for folks like me) "fan old ladies".
YuNa probably isn't going to Oppegard for a critique of her jumps. Peter was a pair skater, and he and Jill never were known for their jumps. He has produced some interesting choreography, though, from time to time.
And he has coached a lot of the West Coast pairs: he was Naomi Nari Nam & Themi Leftheris's coach, and he coached Inoue and Baldwin their best year (2006).
His relative inexperience on the world stage in single's may not be a negative to Yu Na. After, Brian was a relatively new coach when she started with him. She may prefer that?
His obvious pluses IMO: He's Michelle's brother in law. He's cute (or used to be cute). He's in LA, where she wants to live.
YuNa probably isn't going to Oppegard for a critique of her jumps. Peter was a pair skater, and he and Jill never were known for their jumps. He has produced some interesting choreography, though, from time to time.
And he has coached a lot of the West Coast pairs: he was Naomi Nari Nam & Themi Leftheris's coach, and he coached Inoue and Baldwin their best year (2006).
His relative inexperience on the world stage in single's may not be a negative to Yu Na. After, Brian was a relatively new coach when she started with him. She may prefer that?
His obvious pluses IMO: He's Michelle's brother in law. He's cute (or used to be cute). He's in LA, where she wants to live.
That's the vibe I'm getting, with the additional "She's not really digging competition at the moment, but..." Yu-na has not peaked - nope, not just yet. She has yet to transcend her performance and send shivers up my spine. Roxanne & Danse were very, very close, which gives me hope that she can fulfil my abnormally high expectations for her. She's getting off the Olympic high & needs time, but she knows the limit's the sky. Technically, she's almost flawless, her jumps are effortless and she said her technical arsenal will not undergo major change. She's in a unique position. Thus, she can focus more on artistry, connection with the audience and choreographic details. I wish her only the best.
