If you could have a conversation with a coach, who would it be?

[mrrice]

If I had the chance to speak with one of the many coaches I've seen over years, it would be Kori Ade. As a dance coach myself, I have often wanted to know what coaches say to their skaters. Not just when they're at the boards but, during their long practice sessions. Two of my favorite skaters are Jason Brown and Mariah Bell because they really exude joy when they skate. Smiles can be faked but joy comes from within and her students seem to have it almost every minute of every performance.

 

[Mathman]

Lori Nichol (choreographer). I would ask how she goes about choosing music for each client, whether she likes to tailor the music to the skater's pre-existing technical capabilities, on-ice personality and performance skills, or whether she starts with the musical conception then challenges the skater to perform up to it. When she creates several programs for the same skater, does she have an overall plan or does each piece stand alone.

 

[Watermelondrea]

Morozov bcs I wanna know why he feels the need to date like every female skater he has -.-

 

[silverfoxes]

Alexei Mishin, because

1. he's a legend
2. he's a genius
3. he's been around forever and has seen it all
4. he's absolutely hilarious

Ideally I would like to visit him (and Mrs. Mishina) at his dacha, sample his wine and learn his secrets.

 

[slider11]

Marina Zoueva because I think she is brutally honest and would say how fabulous Tessa and Scott were in 2010 but how, perhaps due to Tessa's leg condition, Meryl and Charlie surpassed them in determination and sheer effort to excel in 2014. No conspiracy, no favoritism...just the way it was.

 

[mrrice]

Morozov bcs I wanna know why he feels the need to date like every female skater he has -.-

True!!!!!!!

 

[lilshorty]

Frank Carroll. I wanna know what is his recipe for producing so many successful skaters over the years. Is he the same with all of them, or does he tailor his instruction to fit each skater.

 

[noskates]

I think I'd go with Kori Ade and Rohene Ward. They have such well-prepared skaters and it seems like they "coach" the whole person....not just the figure skater.

 

[theskatingbutterfly]

John Nicks because he coached my coach and coached my 2 all-time favorite figure skaters (and the 2 skaters that are the reason I am still a figure skater), Sasha Cohen and Ashley Wagner.

 

[Krunchii]

Alexei Mishin, because

1. he's a legend
2. he's a genius
3. he's been around forever and has seen it all
4. he's absolutely hilarious

Ideally I would like to visit him (and Mrs. Mishina) at his dacha, sample his wine and learn his secrets.

I would probably choose him too, I have so many questions about jumps that I would love to ask him, I find biomechanics so interesting and I really want to pick apart his brain to learn about this stuff. If I actually met him I would probably just word vomit right there and overwhelm him with all my questions

 

[karne]

Add me to the crew picking the Professor's brain. Give us your knowledge, oh mighty Mishin!

 

[TheGrandSophy]

Tatiana Tarasova and get her to caption each frame of this.

 

[Pepe Nero]

I would ask Jason Dungjen and Yuka Sato why they did not advise Alissa Czisny and Jeremy Abbott (the best two singles skaters in recent years from the US, in my view) to either quit while they were ahead or respect their physical limits before they passed them (Abbott)/injured themselves (Czisny).

(Maybe they did. What do I know about it? I guess I would be still be curious about what a coach says to a skater who has no likely prospects of greater success in the future, but wants to go on, believing that they do.)

 

[Sophie-Anna]

John Nicks because he coached my coach and coached my 2 all-time favorite figure skaters (and the 2 skaters that are the reason I am still a figure skater), Sasha Cohen and Ashley Wagner.

I would love to talk to him as well for the same reasons you wrote. He coached Sasha who is my all time favorite and Ashley who is my current favorite. I would also love to talk with Eteri Tutberidze.

 

[Sandpiper]

Can I sneak into St. Petersburg and talk to Mishin and Moskvina together?

 

[iluvtodd]

Tamara Moskvina!

 

[FSGMT]

So many different choices! And I'm going to add another one: I'd choose Eteri Tutberidze, because she's so incredibly fascinating and intriguing, I would really love to talk to her about technique and mental toughness. Then my second choice would be of course Tarasova

 

[randomfan]

Lori Nichol counts, right? I'd ask her about how she choreographed Mao and Carolina's 2013-2014 programs.

 

[SimplyAFan]

I'd like to have a chat with Kori Ade. Her skaters always seem to have fun when they skate and they seem like they do some unique training exercises. Also, I'd like to hear about coaching a skater from a young age to a national title and worlds/olympics.

 

[QuadThrow]

Ingo Steuer, great how he managed 10 years with S/S
Eric Wilson, legendary Yuna Kim Programms
Brian Orser, today´s best coach
Nina Mozer, great how she managed all Russian pairs
Nikolai Morozov, best choreographer i know