Question about Tarasova | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Question about Tarasova

Kateri

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Thanks for posting those pics, kemy - they are so sweet!

I think Tarasova is wonderful, the Great Mother of figure skating.

k.
 

DivakawaFan

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Aww thanks for the great pics!! hehe I would love to see Tatiana skate!!

About Shizuka, I just watched her LP from GPF (which was still a really good skate, got the bronze) and I literally cannot believe the differences between then and Dortmund!!
In GPF she had 3lz-2t, 3f, 3s, 3lp, 3t, 2A. Only one combo and no 3-3s. Come the worlds she had the 3lz-3t-2l and the 3s-3t!! Also the quality of the jumps was not as good at GPF, esp. the last lutz and the toe-loop.

Changes were made to the circular step-sequence (much faster more difficult at Worlds) the Ina bauer at GPF was hardly held at all and was nowhere near as deep as at Dortmund. Also her finishing pose really finished off the program at worlds, like "take-that!!" kind of thing, left a really good impression on the whole program. Its similar to the finishes Yagudin used to have. IMO her spirals are much improved too, esp. the biellmann-type spiral. The program at worlds looked "polished" and clean, whereas before I have thought she's looked slightly rough around-the-edges.

The biggest difference though is her sheer confidence. At GPF she looked slightly nervous and tentative, come worlds she looked confident and assured, attacked the program, had so much speed and went for everything.

Obviously I think alot of this is down to TT (although praise should go to her other past coaches like Callaghan too). It's amazing how she can instill confidence in so many skaters and made such improvements to Shiz in such a short period of time!! :D

(sorry for going on!! :p )
 
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jesslily

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
T. Tarasova is a great coach. She knows how to bring out each skater's atistic pertiential. Too bad that Sasha and her can not work together for a long period of time even though they looked like a very good match. Tarasova has that motherlike power and charisma to motivate her students. Arakawa made a very smart move and what she needs is just what Tarasova has and can give.
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
TT has had minor but persistant health problems for years now. She was always talking about quitting when she was coaching Yagudin. I think that she overdoes it and then needs a rest. She's in her 60s I believe and obviously overweight.

In a recent interview, she said that her husband and Mother were ill around the time of US nats, which is why she went to Russia at that time.
 

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Joesitz said:
I like her and find her very colorful. she is everywhere and was so in Dortmund

Joe

Dose she hold any official position or title with ISU? I heard that during competetion no one is allowed to talk to the judge panel except her.

She did worked with S&Z, she choreographed S&Z's last year's SP. I was very impressed by their SP costume design, I first saw at web, but kind of dissapointed when I saw the SP. It looks like a half minded job, but given how many programs team TT choreographed last season it was understandable. No wonder S&Z ditched that SP this season, going back to their old SP. And I like the old one.
 

Longhornliz

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
TT is a master when it comes to choreography, I wish that sasha had stayed with her. Perhaps she will have someone other than Wagner work with her to choreograph her routines for the next season.

Did anyone else see similarities between Arikawa's SP at worlds and Sasha's GP version of her LP? I think it's the footwork that reminded me of it most, because SP and LP are fundamentally different... but It definately felt borrowed from the mood that she helped Cohen create for her LP.

Could the similarities and the switch arikawa made to TT have factored into Sasha and Robin's decision to make changes so close to worlds?
 

Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
Longhornliz said:
Could the similarities and the switch arikawa made to TT have factored into Sasha and Robin's decision to make changes so close to worlds?
Longhornliz, I wondered the same thing. Also, I noticed that Shizuka SP is a more upbeat version of Swan Lake and what about the costumes. Black & White, coincidence???

Dee
 

SusanBeth

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I think she is the best coach for developing artistry in skaters. She wins that hands down. However, give her a student with technical flaws and you will get a very artistic skater with technical flaws.

I am questioning the ethics of all of these last minute switches. It seems wrong to me that a coach could part with a student 2 weeks before nationals and go to her competitor a few weeks before worlds and get credited for the win. Are there any kind of standards for professional ethics among skating coaches? (Stop laughing! I know, skating and ethics in the same sentence????? :confused: ) It seems a horrible conflict of interests. Callahan, in particular, has every right to be really po'd. She could have waited till the season was over.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
You can't blame Tarasova. The Japanese Federation had a heavy hand in it, too.
 

Longhornliz

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Agreed! But they weren't holding her mink at knifepoint.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I feel the same way about the pressure put on Lu Chen in the 1998 olympics by the chinese camp. As she finished her LP she looked so relieved as though she had just earned freedom and unlimeted meals for her family at home, as if they would have been executed if she was to perform poorly.
 

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
SusanBeth said:
I think she is the best coach for developing artistry in skaters. She wins that hands down. However, give her a student with technical flaws and you will get a very artistic skater with technical flaws.

I am questioning the ethics of all of these last minute switches. It seems wrong to me that a coach could part with a student 2 weeks before nationals and go to her competitor a few weeks before worlds and get credited for the win. Are there any kind of standards for professional ethics among skating coaches? (Stop laughing! I know, skating and ethics in the same sentence????? :confused: ) It seems a horrible conflict of interests. Callahan, in particular, has every right to be really po'd. She could have waited till the season was over.

ITA what you said.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Well didn't the Japanese federation fire Richard Callaghan because he didn't accompany his skater to Japanese Nationals? If he felt the need to be with that loser Jenny Kirk rather than accompany Shizuka to her Japanese nationals, then it served him right that she switched coaches and TT gets all the glory. Plus TT did a fabulous job with Shizuka, Richard couldn't have gotten that artistic performance out of Shizuka.
 

berthes ghost

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
News to me. Last I heard, the Japanese Federation were begging RC to take Yoshie.

BTW, aren't Japanese Nats and US Nats like 2 months apart?

Answered it myself. Japan Nats were Dec 25-27. US Nats Jan 3-11.
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
she coached G&G in 1991... and then they turned pro and Katia said her father blamed TT even though it was Sergei who suggested they go pro! :laugh:
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
If he felt the need to be with that loser Jenny Kirk rather than accompany Shizuka to her Japanese nationals, then it served him right that she switched coaches and TT gets all the glory

Soogar,

Why so harsh on Jenny Kirk (here and in other threads)? Did she pee in your Cheerios? Granted she didn't have a good World's, but isn't calling her a loser a little mean spirited? Last year she had to withdraw because of injury. She seems to be a hard worker, has had a lot to deal with, and always has such great attitude. Even after a fall she still manages to smile and continues to sell her program. IMO that is not a loser.

Piel
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
SusanBeth said:


I am questioning the ethics of all of these last minute switches. It seems wrong to me that a coach could part with a student 2 weeks before nationals and go to her competitor a few weeks before worlds and get credited for the win. Are there any kind of standards for professional ethics among skating coaches? (Stop laughing! I know, skating and ethics in the same sentence????? :confused: ) It seems a horrible conflict of interests. Callahan, in particular, has every right to be really po'd. She could have waited till the season was over.

How is freedom of choice an "ethical" issue?? If a coach or a skater reaches a point where they feel it's not working, for whatever reasons, why shouldn't they make a change at whatever time they want too? Any significant decision like a coaching change involves risk (especially mid season) but ethics??? I just don't understand how a mid season change decision by a skater or a coach could be called out as unethical in a free country. Now judging is a whole 'nother matter.

I just think it would be naive of anyone to think that "Coach A did all the work for Skater X, and now Coach B steps in two weeks/months before World's and takes all the credit." We are all free to form our own opinions about who has had a positive or negative impact on results, and who deserves credit in our own minds. The skaters / coaches are the ones who really have to decide whether the changes are positive for THEM or not.

Just my 2 cents.

DG
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
I don't like Jenny b/c she seems like a waste of time. She always has an excuse, ie costume didn't fit right, I'm sick, blah blah. She should have been grateful that she made the world team and gave it all that she had. 3 Lousy performances, she couldn't even skate a clean short.

Plus if Richard takes money from both skaters, he needs to make more of an effort to be with Shizuka as he does Jenny. It's not fair to shortchange one for the other and if he can't be all there for one, then he needs to make a choice. Shizuka probably chose TT b/c TT didn't have Sasha anymore and could be there for her.
 
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Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Illness and injury are not really something she CHOSE. Are you saying that she didn't try to do her best? Who would you have placed on the world team instead of Jenny? I get the impression that you think someone else was more worthy?:confused:
 

SusanBeth

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Since we don't know what is going on behind the scenes, we can't say what happened in this particular instance. However, these switches can give the appearance of being unethical and can also actually be unethical. Before you dismiss the ''appearance'' part, consider how the ''slime factor made public'' has harmed figure skating. Lord knows, it's been slimy for years. It just didn't look so bad until recently.


Example of hypothetical unethical scenerio-

Coach sees her student is falling to pieces. She has no stomach for standing rinkside looking like a fur covered loser. Suddenly, she gets a better offer.(That could be- a better chance at winning, more money, a chance to symbolically kick skater A's rear etc) She dumps skater A just weeks before a major competition. In doing this, the coach could harm skater A's chances and through that influence the outcome of a competition.

Many, many professions have a standard for professional behavior. It's a way of protecting the clients and also the profession's reputation. I am wondering if there is a standard for skating coaches.

ETA- As far as credit for the win, I'm sure that credit can effect a coaches fees and opportunities.
 
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