"One, Two, Whose Coach Are You?" | Page 2 | Golden Skate

"One, Two, Whose Coach Are You?"

mpal2

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
soogar,

I know the story. That's why I said Michelle was working on other 3/3 combinations. She still had a very short training time between the cast and Olympics and I don't think she felt comfortable enough to do them in competition.

I also read some quotes from Lori Nichol that they (meaning her and Carroll) were more worried about Michelle getting through the LP more than training a 3/3 because of having to be off the ice for so long.

I think Michelle's Nationals experience was out of this world, but I think it had more to do with her being so happy to be back in competition and it showed. By Olympics, everything was back to normal competition pressure and then some. I just don't think she had enough confidence in her programs to deal with the pressure.

That's one of the reasons why I don't think Michelle choked during 98. I think she had an amazing comeback from a very tough year.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Coaching Chris Bowman was such a stressful job that Toller referred to it on the air as a 'car wreck every day'. Apparently, the first day Chris arrived at Toller's, they were in a real car wreck, and it did not get better. In fact Toller felt Bowman was a real part of Toller's developing a number of mental and personal problems. If interested, you can read all about it in Toller's books.

Nancy Kerrigan never changed coaches. She always had the Scotvolds.

And Jenny has changed to Callaghan recently.

Vika has been the European poster child for coach changing recently.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
MK didn't choke in 1998, she choked in 2002. She skated great in 1998 so I don't think she had anything to be ashamed of.

I too read Toller's books and I really had to laugh about the incident with Chris, the hooker and Toller's old campy costumes. However Toller exaggerrates a lot and you can only take what he says with a grain of salt. Toller is a drama queen so we can't be too sure what happened between those two.
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Evgeny Plushenko has had only one coach- Alexei Mishin.

So has Alexei Urmanov.

Gordeeva-Grinkov actually changed coaches a few times (may not have been their decisions).

Mishkutenok-Dmitriev were always coached by Tamara Moskvina, after they came together as a team. In fact Artur Dmitriev was coached by Tamara (that is, after he came into her camp he never left). Same with Bechke & Petrov.

OTOH Kulik changed from Kudriatsev (sp?) to Tarasova and the change worked for him.

Maria Petrova was always coached by the Velikovs, with both her partners. She had positive and negative results.

Angela N. changed coaches a few times. The only change that really worked for her was Elena Tcherkaskaya, although her earlier work with Oppegard may have built the foundation with solid jumps.

Bourne & Kraatz moved to Tarasova and won the world championship.

So I don't think there is a direct correlation between a skater's success and how many coaching changes he/she makes. Sometimes the changes work. In Nicole Bobek's case they never worked. For Chris Bowman they did not work. However, there might have been other issues in both cases.
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I think when skaters and coaches stay together a long time, mutual trust tends to develop, and that's good for everybody. A long time coach is more likely to know how much they can and should push their skaters. A newer partnership can be more business-like IMO.

Note about Bourne & Kraatz. First, they won Worlds with Morozov, not TT. Second, I think they would have won had they stayed with Dubova.
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Yes, my mistake (re: B&K's world title). I forgot that they had left TT, but she did put them on the right track after their off year.
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Thanks, I'll have to sew those names on the inside of my underware now! Now, if I could just memorize the names of the Bulgarian Ice Dancers and Zhulin's wife. :laugh:
 

Olenska

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Both Brian Orser and Elvis Stojko stayed with Doug Leigh for their entire amateur career, I think?
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Soogar: "MK didn't choke in 1998, she choked in 2002. She skated great in 1998 so I don't think she had anything to be ashamed of."

'Choking' in my estimation is when a skater makes a mistake mid-program and completely unravels, so that the rest of the program is a disaster. Sandhu's SP at 2004 Worlds is a classic example of a "choke". Sandhu came out of the QR in first place in his group, in excellent medal position. In the SP, he bailed out of his first jump, and from that point on all of his jumps followed suit. He managed only to get through the footwork and spins, and finished 13th, ending his medal chances.

Kwan had one fall in her FS at 2002 Olympics, but she got right up and went on skating with great fire and determination. If anything, she skated better AFTER the fall than before it. That is NOT choking. And she had nothing to be ashamed of in 2002, either. She DID win a bronze medal.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
chuckm: The point was that she needed to skate great throughout the program.
 

euterpe

Medalist
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
soogar said:
chuckm: The point was that she needed to skate great throughout the program.

If 'not skating great throughout' is choking, then Sasha CHOKED at Olympics '02, Worlds '02, Worlds '03 and Worlds '04 and every US Nationals FS since 2002.

Irina Slutskaya CHOKED at Olympics '02 when she flubbed her 3F, and she CHOKED at Europeans '03 when she fell on her FS.

Sorry, but making one mistake is not MY definition of choking.
 

CartDi

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I don't have much knowledge of coaches and things, reading this thread really helped me lots. Thanks guys. :)

All the talk about Frank Carroll and Michelle got me thinking, though. I am now torn between liking him and thinking he's a poop-head. Kidding, lol. :p

But really, Frank was estactic when Tim won his Olympic bronze medal, wasn't he? I know Tim hasn't always been with Frank, but I think I'd be heartbroken if Tim switched coaches. :\
 

Linny

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Staying with coach

Although Oksana Biuel was mentioned as staying with only one coach (Galina), she did, actually, skate as a youngster with a different coach, and she skated with several other coaches as a professional.

Linny
 
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