Oda goes back to Lee Barkell | Golden Skate

Oda goes back to Lee Barkell

Ren

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Oh, so this is his old coach? I'm not that familiar with Oda's history. What was their relationship like before?
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
:biggrin::biggrin: Hurray ! I'll be so glad to see him looking happy again , and we're sure to see more innovative choreography for him.
 

Lilith11

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Good for Oda! Though I have to echo Ren's sentiments; could someone tell us what it was like between Oda and Lee Barkell (FS newbie here...)
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Barkell and Oda separated peacefully and Barkell ensured that he could come back whenever he wanted to.

Their relationship would be good and he would be a good coach.

But I doubt if this would work. Is he going to bring his family to Canada? He has started attending school as the Senior at Univ. What is he going to do with the internship at primary/secondary school and other credits to get at university? The biggest advantage for his attendance at the current university is that he does not have to pay for the ice time. It also takes to rent two apartments in both countries and go back and forth between them. It might be doable for a year or so, but the next four years? Where does all the fund come from? He does not have a sponsor yet.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Wow, very surprising that Nobu is taking a new coach outside of Japan and seems to be planning on competing next year. I guess he and his financee will live in Canada once he starts training full-time for next season. I wonder who he will go to for choreography then?
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Maybe he won't rent apartments in both countries, maybe he'll stay somewhere rent-free, like with family, in Japan.
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
No, they have started to live in a new household in Japan.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20100424-00000012-dal-spo

I feel that Nob may be thinking too easily. He's going to be a husband, father, student, and skater and lead a dual life in Canada and in Japan without a major sponsor. It seems extremely difficult in a number of ways for Nob and possibly even more so for his new wife who is going to have a first baby in Oct. His wife would most likely give birth and take care of the baby in Japan and Nob would not be much of help being abroad and with GPs coming in. I just do not find it a mature, well-thought-out decision.

Who pays those coaches, such as Morosov, TAT, and Lee? I had an impression that Morosov came to Miki and Nob through JSF. Is it the JSF or the skaters themselves who pay the coach?
 
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yunasashafan

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
No, they have started to live in a new household in Japan.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20100424-00000012-dal-spo

I feel that Nob may be thinking too easily. He's going to be a husband, father, student, and skater and lead a dual life in Canada and in Japan without a major sponsor. It seems extremely difficult in a number of ways for Nob and possibly even more so for his new wife who is going to have a first baby in Oct. His wife would most likely give birth and take care of the baby in Japan and Nob would not be much of help being abroad and with GPs coming in. I just do not find it a mature, well-thought-out decision.

Who pays those coaches, such as Morosov, TAT, and Lee? I had an impression that Morosov came to Miki and Nob through JSF. Is it the JSF or the skaters themselves who pay the coach?

Correct me if I am worng but didn't Nobu train with Lee before while splitting his time between Japan and Canada? Anybody knows how that worked out?

Although I agree that the current situation is far more challenging. There is a baby to take care of (financially and otherwise). What about his wife? Does she have a job? What about family support? I think this can work if the family can help with the baby and his wife has a good job that would support them financially. However, I not see how he'd be able study at the university on top of all this!
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Correct me if I am worng but didn't Nobu train with Lee before while splitting his time between Japan and Canada? Anybody knows how that worked out?

Although I agree that the current situation is far more challenging. There is a baby to take care of (financially and otherwise). What about his wife? Does she have a job? What about family support? I think this can work if the family can help with the baby and his wife has a good job that would support them financially. However, I not see how he'd be able study at the university on top of all this!

It is likely in the Japanese culture that your own parents or parents-in-laws would help you with taking care of the baby, although I obviously do not know their specific case.

I do not know what his wife does, either. But they were classmates in junior high, which means that she is still 23 or so. Furthermore, she will not be able to work while giving a birth and nursing the baby. I doubt if her income would be a lot of help. FS generally costs very much, and leading a dual life between two countries adds up a lot more costs.

As he wants to become a teacher, he needs to do internship at a primary/secondary school and get a decent number of credits at the Univ, too.

Lee and Nob had a good relationship and split peacefully.

But what Nob needs to enhance most are not technical strengths, but the mental strengths: like performing like a champion rather than a junior skater, selling his programs, and not making sloppy mistakes. If he can hire David Wilson for a significant amount of time along with Lee, maybe. Regardless of the greatness of the Canadian team, however, I am afraid that I am skeptical to see such a transformation of Nob, with the said challenges in the dual life in Canada and in Japan.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Maybe Nobu thinks he can earn a lot of money through sponsorship deals and ice shows but only once he redeems himself on the competitive stage. If this upcoming season is as dissapointing as the last one, I don't see him continuing skating beyond that.
 

koheikun90

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
what makes everyone think Oda is poor or can't afford skating? Let's not be judgmental about his decision unless you know him personally.
 

Wrlmy

Medalist
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
I thought top skaters were reimbursed for coaching fee and various training costs by Japanese federation. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for JSF to assign the skaters to certain coaches, sometimes against the skater's will. Also, isn't Nobu supposedly from a prominent family? I wouldn't be surprised if he has enough family money to support his new living arrangement. In any case though, the baby was not planned, and this would significantly complicate his training situation.

Still, I'm happy about Lee Barkell. Now that he's parted from Morozov, I'd be able to appreciate him again!
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
I thought top skaters were reimbursed for coaching fee and various training costs by Japanese federation. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for JSF to assign the skaters to certain coaches, sometimes against the skater's will.

I don't know. But Suguri announced earlier than she had been out of sponsor and needed $200,000 per year. Suguri has been a top skater who had had a potential to make the Oly team considering that she made the World team previous year.
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
what makes everyone think Oda is poor or can't afford skating? Let's not be judgmental about his decision unless you know him personally.

Well, it's not just the finance, but the decision to split the major life projects in two countries (i.e., raising family and getting teaching license in Japan while skating in Canada) that's worrisome. Being a husband/father/student/skater is already difficult enough for anyone. And it is not that he has no choice but to go to Canada. Indeed, he is so privileged as to have free ice time at his Univ. His Univ built a rink for Dai and Nob and Japan has a number of good coaches. Although he may find his ex-coach most comfortable to work with, I wonder how far ahead he has thought about the practical problems that would be complicated by going to Canada and problems that could be avoidable or lessened by staying in Japan. Nob has already missed a number of chances in his career by making immature decisions and I am afraid that this one looks quite worrisome again.
 
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yukisnowflake

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Nobu coming back to train in Canada makes me one very happy skating fan.

Can't wait to see him skate in person again.
 
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