Adam Rippon Makes a Coaching Change | Golden Skate

Adam Rippon Makes a Coaching Change

Sylvia

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=45978&type=media
(No, this is not an April Fool's joke.)
(4/1/11) - Adam Rippon, a two-time World Junior champion and the gold medalist at the 2010 International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, announced today that he has ended his two-year professional relationship with coach Brian Orser and will train with Ghislain Briand, who has served as a member of his coaching staff for the past two years.

"At this time I need a change in the way I've been training," Rippon said. "I've been working with Ghislain for more than two years, so the transition is natural and makes sense."
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I thought this was a joke at first but in a way I'm not surprise. I try not to read to much in body language in the kiss n cry but something seem off for me.

Good luck to Adam. I hope this move brings him continued success especially with the 3axel.
 

parma

On the Ice
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Mar 31, 2010
We all saw how cold Orser was with Adam at KC, and perhaps that explains the breakup. He seems to be a difficult person to deal with.
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
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Dec 28, 2006
wow. but not exactly surprising considering the apparent tension between Orser and Adam lately. Seems like Gao is the only one left. Funny how Yu-na really made Orse, more than the other way around. Now that she is gone his world dosen't look so rosy anymore.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
If skaters have more than one coach as Adam had, I don't completely know who does what to bring their skating to the podium.

From the 4CC LP, I thought Adam had a well laid out routine which he skated to with fine finesse. Unfortunately, he screwed up the 3A. Was he hit hard for that Fall? I would not have put him on the podium, but should he consider leaving his coach because of not placing above the Japanese power house and Abbott??

He's now had Morosov, Orser, and now Briand. I do wish him all the best, but imo, 3 strikes you're out.
 

SkatingAnalyst

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
wow. but not exactly surprising considering the apparent tension between Orser and Adam lately. Seems like Gao is the only one left. Funny how Yu-na really made Orse, more than the other way around. Now that she is gone his world dosen't look so rosy anymore.
It is not Brian's fault that Adam cannot master the 3 Axel and get the better records as a senior. Adam should know that.
It is a problem of relationship between the two... as was in the case of Yuna.
Who better can teach the 3Axel than Mr. 3Axel ?

Adam just need a more warm-hearted coach who can take care of him mentally.
Remember? Brian didn't even realize there is a huge rift between him and Yuna.
He thought all the problems started from Yuna's mom.

Brian is just a straight, reasonable guy that nobody can blame him for anything.
 

CARA

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Oct 16, 2009
Country
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Brian is just a straight, reasonable guy that nobody can blame him for anything.

Here are my questions to Brian Orser as a coach:

What would you do when your career highlight is at the very beginning of your career?
What would you do your very first student was the once-in-a-generation talent, who practically broke all the records?, i.e., highest COP SP score, FS score, highest combined score, career grand slam (GP, World, 4CC & Olympic champion), being on the podium throughout her competitive career. Yes, Yuna was never off the podium on every competition she entered!

How do you keep going when you sense that the rest of his coaching career would likely be a downhill at least in terms of his students achievement? Remember such a legendary coach as Frank Carroll have had his first Olympic champion student in 2010.

How would you deal with an impossibly high expectation that's set by his very 1st student? I know full well that Orser is intelligent enough to realize that its an unrealistic expectations, but it is hard not to feel being emotionally let down. We are only human.

It's a paradox - his first student gave him the fame and satisfaction, but he also have to deal with the aftereffects.

Please note: I'm not blaming neither Orser, Adam, nor Yu-na.
 
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CARA

Final Flight
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Country
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Oops! My apology. This is a Rippon thread. I wish him the best luck! ;)
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
^^^Nor is it Rippon's though it seemed like it was going to be. Both he and Kevin Reynolds started the season with a bang and proceeded to go downhill from there.

I suspect there is a mental issue and there is a compatibility issue between coach and student. I am in no position to judge and there is not necessarily a fault to assign or either of their careers to condemn.

Life goes on. Best wishes to both.
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
wow. but not exactly surprising considering the apparent tension between Orser and Adam lately. Seems like Gao is the only one left. Funny how Yu-na really made Orse, more than the other way around. Now that she is gone his world dosen't look so rosy anymore.

He's had quiet the successful skating career himself, though as a coach it's becoming more questionable. We'll see what (and how) Christina Gao does going forward.

Good luck to Adam.
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I haven't seen Orser smile or laugh really since Yuna. It's sad really.
 
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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
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Dec 28, 2006
I haven't seen Orser smile or laugh really since Yuna. It's sad really.

yes, he seemed very upset by the whole situation around her departure. He seems to have taken a long time to get over losing the olympic gold, now it is taking him a long time to come to terms with losing the student who brought him his proxy gold.
 

bekalc

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
It is not Brian's fault that Adam cannot master the 3 Axel and get the better records as a senior. Adam should know that.
It is a problem of relationship between the two... as was in the case of Yuna.
Who better can teach the 3Axel than Mr. 3Axel ?

Adam just need a more warm-hearted coach who can take care of him mentally.
Remember? Brian didn't even realize there is a huge rift between him and Yuna.
He thought all the problems started from Yuna's mom.

Brian is just a straight, reasonable guy that nobody can blame him for anything.

I don't know if I agree with this. I mean there are two sides of it. One is that no matter how good the teacher is, the talent of the student plays a definete factor. Adam clearly had 3axel issues long before Brian.

This being said I'd also have to disagree with the concept of who better to teach the 3axel than Mr. 3axel. For that I'd suggest how about someone with an actual documented history of teaching the 3axel successfully. Just because Brian has a great 3axel, doesn't mean Brian is great at explaining the 3axel to his students. They are two different skills. (Doing and explaining). This being said even Mishin wasn't able to get Lambiel a consistent 3axel. Although in fairness, Lambiel never trained with Mishin full time, and Mishin did help him get at least an inconsistent one, and a quad. This being said we know Mishin can teach great triple axels because so many of his students had great ones. Priscilla Hill is also clearly a good 3axel teacher. Neither Mishin and Priscilla were doing 3axels as students. :lol:

As for none of its Brian's fault. I'm not sure I agree with that. It may be that its not Brian's fault, but Brian's job was for Adam to improve, and did Adam improve. I'm not so sure he did. I know that Verner made similar comments that Kim has made about Brian not having a lot of time for his students. This being said Kim is an Olympic champ under Brian.

As for Brian already having a career high. Perhaps Brian will have more Olympic Champs, and even ones he's trained since they were kids. You never know.
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I can't make any assumptions about whether Orser is cold with his students. Before YuNa left him, many of us were complimenting him on how well he protected YuNa during her run-up to the Olympics, and what a nurturing environment he and David Wilson had created for her. It couldn't all have been Wilson. I have no way to know what went on behind the scenes, but the break-up with YuNa must have been such a kick in the stomach for him. Maybe you're right, Mavy, and he's still nursing that injury. Whether that has influenced his relationship with Rippon or with any other skater probably isn't evident to outsiders.

Rippon will move on and find another good coach, I suppose, but I feel really bad for Orser this year.
 

Tonichelle

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Jun 27, 2003
so is this "Brian Orser is the Devil part 2"? Because I think we could really do without rehashing that bit of discussion, don't you?
 

bekalc

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Joined
Nov 1, 2006
so is this "Brian Orser is the Devil part 2"? Because I think we could really do without rehashing that bit of discussion, don't you?

I don't think Orser is the devil. I think its somewhere in between Brian is a horrible coach, and Brian is the best coach in the world and its not his fault at all that its not working with his students...

I really think Gao for example has improved greatly under Orser, and Yu-na won OGM.
 

parma

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
I don't think Orser is the devil. I think its somewhere in between Brian is a horrible coach, and Brian is the best coach in the world and its not his fault at all that its not working with his students...

I really think Gao for example has improved greatly under Orser, and Yu-na won OGM.


I still don't know how much Orser has to do with Yuna's win though...

One problem I see is that Adam is still struggling with his 3A after two years of training with Orser. If anything, it was one area in which Orser had a chance to shine as a coach by demonstrating his coaching skill because he is supposedly the master of the jump.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
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Jun 27, 2003
you can have all the training in the world and still go back on bad technique when you're nervous. Adam reminds me of Johnny Weir when he first hit the big leagues: SCARED TO DEATH.
 
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