Robin Wagner's Comments on Sasha Fluff Piece

[Rgirl]

During the fluff piece on Sasha Cohen, Robin Wagner was shown saying she while she feels a skater needs to feel comfortable with her coach, OTOH a skater must be committed to do what her coaches say, that once a skater chooses a coach she has a obligation to stay with that coach, etc. [My paraphrasing.]

Comments?

Rgirl

 

[rain]

Skaters need to listen to their coach, but the coach has to listen to their skaters as well. It's a partnership. And I don't think a skater has any obligation to a particular coach. Why should a skater stay if the relationship is not working out for them and they are not getting the skating results they want? Sounds to me like more evidence these two were not at all compatable.

 

[dlkksk8fan]

It sounds like sour grapes, her wishing that Sasha stayed with her so she could have the Olympic glory again. No skater has a obligation to stay with a coach, especially if the coach they are with just isn't working out.

I give Robin Wagner a :disagree:

 

[Ptichka]

I agree with the Russian coach Victor Kurdyavtsev. He says that it's all right for a student to leave their coach if three conditions are met:
1. All financial issues are settled (this burned many Russian coaches I think).
2. An explanation is given to a coach (he only found out Butryskaya left him for Tchaikovskaya once she started actually training there!).
3. An explanation is given to the media. Otherwise, media starts guessing, rumors fly about, and ugly things are often "guessed" about the coach.

I would also add a 4th - don't badmouth you former coach needlessly. The same, BTW, goes for the coaches - I can't stand it when they start badmouthing their former students!

To me, the example of gracious parting of ways is the way Denkova & Stavijski left Gorshkov (the latter of course wasn't too gracious...). I think Sasha tried to be gracious and polite in both of her coach jumps.

A different issue is how much a skater should listen to a coach while they are together. By all accounts, Sasha's rift with TT started when she took place in the cheesefest against TT's explicit wishes. There, I think that if we're talking about truly elite coaches, if you are with them then perhaps you should listen.

 

[Ogre Mage]

2. An explanation is given to a coach (he only found out Butryskaya left him for Tchaikovskaya once she started actually training there!).

I didn't know that. Bad!

 

[Mathman]

I agree with 1 and 2, but not 3. "Never explain, never complain."

 

[Tonichelle]

Robin's still pissed that Sasha left... I remember when Sasha first severed the ties and Robin was all "she'll never get back to the top with her attitude."

Robin seems like such a total mother hen who must be obeyed... she got REALLY upset when Sarah "ruined" her life by leaving skating and going to school (ok she didn't actually say that but she as much as implyed it as she was so disappointed that Sarah "just left" the sport)

Robin is just a very passionate intense person who seems to have loved her time in teh spotlight and is desperate to try and gain that feeling back

 

[FreeKatie]

I agree with the Russian coach Victor Kurdyavtsev. He says that it's all right for a student to leave their coach if three conditions are met:
1. All financial issues are settled (this burned many Russian coaches I think).
2. An explanation is given to a coach (he only found out Butryskaya left him for Tchaikovskaya once she started actually training there!).
3. An explanation is given to the media. Otherwise, media starts guessing, rumors fly about, and ugly things are often "guessed" about the coach.

I agree and there should be no badmouthing on either part. Let bygones be bygones. I don't agree with saying a student has to listen to everything the coach says, after all at this stage of skating, the Olympic skater is paying the coach, right? So its their job - its not like they are coaching for free and the skater should have some input since its their career and their life. From Sarah's old coach (I already forget her name even though I just read it a minute ago) it sounds like sour grapes.

 

[attyfan]

I think that Robin Wagner and one other coach are clear examples to other coaches on how to handle splits with students. Robin Wagner spoke publicly about how she didn't get a phone call from Sarah, and, has repeatedly gone public about her split with Sasha. Since that time, the closest thing she has gotten to a "big name" is Sylvia Fontana. The other coach "Silent Frank" (aka "Class Act Carroll") not only never spoke about his split with Michelle; he also never spoke about his split with Tim (if Tim hadn't gone public, we probably still wouldn't know that Frank fired him) Since that time, every US man on a World or Oly podium from 2002 has been a Frank Carroll student.

 

[Ptichka]

I agree with 1 and 2, but not 3. "Never explain, never complain."

When a lady skater leaves a male coach and no explanation is given, there are often rumors of sexual abuse or harassment. Once those accusations are made, it's exceedingly hard to prove one's innocence. So really, expalantion to the media at the minumum is "I needed a change, he ain't a monster, good bye".

I think that Robin Wagner and one other coach are clear examples to other coaches on how to handle splits with students.

ITA!

 

[Piel]

I wonder why Hughes II did not train with Wagner?

 

[rob43]

Wagner does seem to be quite the publicity who**. She did somethings well with Hughes and seems to be a wiz at getting her skaters into mental shape. But her choreo always looked half-stolen and she didn't seem to help Cohen a bit with edges.

I also remember in '02 when she said all the skaters on tour really wanted to marvel at Hughes but couldn't because of Kwan??? Kwan toured with Irina, Maria, Tara and Nicole & it never stopped anyone from speaking highly of them.

 

[Ptichka]

I wonder why Hughes II did not train with Wagner?

I believe Wagner didn't want her.

 

[Tonichelle]

I wonder why Hughes II did not train with Wagner?

by the time Emily hit the big time Sarah was still in the thick of it... around that time it was said that Robin was a "one skater coach"

 

[Sylvia]

I wonder why Hughes II did not train with Wagner?

Bonni Retzkin has been Emily's coach from the beginning (I believe she pre-dates Robin Wagner working with Sarah). From what I can tell, having watched Emily compete since 2000 when she was at the Novice level, Emily is very much her own person and skater, and so having a different coach from her older sister is consistent with how her family does things, IMO.

 

[jesslily]

Emily's jumping technique is a lot better than Sarah's. Over the years, Robin Wagner could make Sarah's in-betweens gettting better, but she could not fix Sarah's strange flip and lutz.

 

[kyla2]

Robin

There is alot to admire about Robin as a coach. She is totally committed for one thing. But I do not think she should be talking publicly about her relationship with a former student. If I was a skater's parent, I would think twice about letting her coach my kid because of this type of indiscretion. It's somewhat unprofessional in short.

 

[ladysarahchatto]

I agree and there should be no badmouthing on either part. Let bygones be bygones. I don't agree with saying a student has to listen to everything the coach says, after all at this stage of skating, the Olympic skater is paying the coach, right? So its their job - its not like they are coaching for free and the skater should have some input since its their career and their life. From Sarah's old coach (I already forget her name even though I just read it a minute ago) it sounds like sour grapes.

A few years ago I remember reading a quote by Michelle Kwan-it was something like you pay a coach to coach you not to be your friend.

That being said-never burn bridges. Sasha went back to her first coach-they clearly parted ways amicably the first time around.

 

[mzheng]

I thought this was from a clip year and half ago when they were split?

 

[attyfan]

A few years ago I remember reading a quote by Michelle Kwan-it was something like you pay a coach to coach you not to be your friend.

That being said-never burn bridges. Sasha went back to her first coach-they clearly parted ways amicably the first time around.

I read somewhere that Sasha parted amicably from TT, also, Michelle and Frank have never said a bad word about each other, either.