Denkova & Stavijksi leave their coach | Golden Skate

Denkova & Stavijksi leave their coach

Ptichka

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Jul 28, 2003
The following is a translation of their letter published here:

Why we parted ways with Alexei Gorshkov.

On April 17 2005, following 8 years of cooperation, we said good bye to our coach Alexei Gorshkov and his team. This sentence can sound like an eulogy, but this is indeed very painful. Obviously, eight years of working together brought disappointments, disalusionments, and much joy. All people who helped us along with Alexei Gorshkov (Sergei Petukhov, Sergei Chemodanov) became a real family to us. We grew together - we as athletes, and he as a coach. That's why it took us so long to take this step.

We started thinking of major changes after our disastarous fifth place finish at the World Championships in Moscow. We realized that something had to be done immediately in order to get back the judges' interest. However, we did not know what exactly we should change: Style? Choreography? Coaching principels? Hairstyles? Costumes?

For the past two years many specialists, coaches, journalists, athletes, and even fans suggested we go to another teacher, but we did not do it for emotional and moral reasons. We even avoided talking about it between each other. Besides a new person, it's also new a coaching base, a change in long established stereotypes, new place, and likely even a new country of residence. The time, however, has come to dot the i's.

It pains us to leave Alexei Urievich; to leave Odincevo which we will always cherish in hour hearts. However, we had to sacrifice something. We don't just want to participate in the 2006 Olympics. We are full of determination, will, and strength to work and to win any competition. To that end, we're willing to do everything that is possible and that is not.

At the end od last seasons we found ourselves at the edge of a deep precipice. Today, we made a decisive step forward. Only time will tell where it will lead us - to the sky or to the seabottom.

Albena DENKOVA
Maxim STAVIJSKI
April 19, 2005, Sofia
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
A very poignant letter. I hope they get a new coach and a new look on their skating. They definitely are on my 'wuzrobbed' list from Moscow.

Joe
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
They didn't pull any punches. Most skaters, especially Americans, when they change coaches give only the vaguest statement about how wonderful the last x years have been and how much they look forward to learning even more from their new coach.

Denkova and Staviyski were quite candid in saying that the coaching they are getting now is not adequate to their ambition and potential.

Mathman
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
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Jul 28, 2003
The question now is: who will they go to? If you look at who finished ahead of them or very close behind them in Moscow, it rules out: Zhulin, Morozov, Shpilband, Zazoui-Boucher, and Platov/ Tarasova. This means their only options are Skotnicky, Linichuk, and Dubova. If I had to guess, I'd go with the latter, but I am not sure what kind of ice/ coaching team etc. she has.
 

STL_Blues_fan

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
No surprise here. In one of the articles from the Bulgarian website that Paula had listed on the front page (it's gone now) - D&S were saying that they feel they do not get any support from their coach b/c the coach is Russian.

If that is the reason why they are switching coaches, I do not seeing them going to Linnichuk or Dubova. The options are rather limited.

YAna
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Why not Jane Torvahl? I believe she was the brains behind the team of T&D. D&S might enjoy living in London for six months.

Joe
 

Ptichka

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Record Breaker
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Jul 28, 2003
Joe, has she done any elite coaching lately? Whoever they get must be a CoP expert. If she isn't one already, it is too late to become one at this point.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Ptichka - I didn't think of that but D&S are very innovative themselves, and Jane could give them the flair they need to outskate the 'passions' of their competitors as well as checking on Dance basics. It's just a thought. I doubt D&S would even consider it.

Joe
 

boggartlaura

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Joesitz said:
Why not Jane Torvahl? I believe she was the brains behind the team of T&D. D&S might enjoy living in London for six months.

Joe
I don't think Torvill has any real coaching experience. Plus, there's the issue of the language barrier.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
boggartlaura said:
I don't think Torvill has any real coaching experience. Plus, there's the issue of the language barrier.
I read somewhere that she does teach skating maybe not coaching. I just don't know. I would think she knows a lot about dance skating. She was part of a team that turned Dance skating into a new sport.

Joe
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Joesitz said:
She was part of a team that turned Dance skating into a new sport.
I'm curious, Joe. Do you think it was for better or for worse? Critics say that Torville and Dean took the dancing out of ice dancing and replaced it by theatrics, characterizations, intertwining positions and illegal lifts -- trends that continue to this day despite the ISU trying to return to a sport based more on classical ballroom steps.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Mathman said:
I'm curious, Joe. Do you think it was for better or for worse? Critics say that Torville and Dean took the dancing out of ice dancing and replaced it by theatrics, characterizations, intertwining positions and illegal lifts -- trends that continue to this day despite the ISU trying to return to a sport based more on classical ballroom steps.

It was for the better. Their compulsories were text book.

Indeed! They did more on classical ballroom steps. The last competition, they did was a brilliant fox trot on ice a la Astaire and Rogers which brought comments of praise by Gene Kelly. They lost to a couple who did a dumb jitterbug which is a dance where the couple does not have to relate to each other, and that couple did not.

This btw, was the beginning of my distrust in dance judging.

Joe
 
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