This is sort of a technical question that interests me but may seem to have an obvious answer to those who are more familiar with elite skating.
I was wondering how coaches with many elite-level pupils (e.g. Orser, Carroll, Arutunian, Sato/Dungjen, etc.) and the pupils of those coaches manage the Grand Prix season. It seems to me that the coaches would basically travel non-stop throughout the Grand Prix series so they can be with their students when their students are scheduled to compete. It also seems like this constant traveling would significantly cut down on the amount of time that coaches could spend with all of their elite pupils during the series. For example, if Frank Carroll is in Beijing with Denis Ten this week, he probably isn't doing much work with Gracie Gold. If Brian Orser is in Saint John with Yuzuru Hanyu, it's likely that he isn't concurrently instructing Javier Fernandez.
How do skaters/ coaches manage these issues? Do elite coaches all have many assistants who work with their pupils while the main coach is away? Do the skaters just run through their programs by themselves? Or is it an unwritten rule in elite skating that many elite skaters don't make big improvements during the Grand Prix series because skaters don't see their coaches often enough to benefit from their insights?
I was wondering how coaches with many elite-level pupils (e.g. Orser, Carroll, Arutunian, Sato/Dungjen, etc.) and the pupils of those coaches manage the Grand Prix season. It seems to me that the coaches would basically travel non-stop throughout the Grand Prix series so they can be with their students when their students are scheduled to compete. It also seems like this constant traveling would significantly cut down on the amount of time that coaches could spend with all of their elite pupils during the series. For example, if Frank Carroll is in Beijing with Denis Ten this week, he probably isn't doing much work with Gracie Gold. If Brian Orser is in Saint John with Yuzuru Hanyu, it's likely that he isn't concurrently instructing Javier Fernandez.
How do skaters/ coaches manage these issues? Do elite coaches all have many assistants who work with their pupils while the main coach is away? Do the skaters just run through their programs by themselves? Or is it an unwritten rule in elite skating that many elite skaters don't make big improvements during the Grand Prix series because skaters don't see their coaches often enough to benefit from their insights?