Ekaterina Bobrova: "Eteri Tutberidze can say humiliating things during training" | Golden Skate

Ekaterina Bobrova: "Eteri Tutberidze can say humiliating things during training"

Status
Not open for further replies.

GuyFromCanada

Spectator
Joined
Mar 29, 2016
An Olympic champion Ekaterina Bobrova talked about Eteri Tutberidze training methods.

"Eteri Georgievna can be sharp-tongued and some parents may not like what their child is hearing from her during practice. She can humiliate a person, but in her mind she is doing it for the greater good. Her system must be working, though, because she has had so many champions. The girls that leave her return back to her because they don't know how else to train."

"When people talk about her training methods they seem to forget about Stanislav's Zhuk training methods. Some of his students went on to become champions, but the stuff that went on the ice during practice, let's just say that it was best to stay far far away from it. Only we have something like this, due to our mentality. In USA, if you touch an athlete's leg the wrong way, you could end up in jail."

"When I was a child I was also beaten big time during practice and I even was scared to show up to practice. This has helped me to achieve the things I've achieved. You may like or dislike Tutberidze's training methods, but they are working, and this is the main thing".

Source https://sportmail.ru/news/figure-skating/45745707/ (in Russian).
 
Last edited:

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
[
Bestemyanova, Zhulin and Yagudin have already called it nonsense.

Of course they have. No one in the establishment likes it when people tell the truth about abuse in their organization. It was very brave of Bobrova to tell the truth. Abuse is sadly common around the world in all artistic sports. Bobrova will get a lot of pushback for telling the truth. But, I respect her! Good job, Bobrova.
 

Decoder

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 5, 2019
[

Of course they have. No one in the establishment likes it when people tell the truth about abuse in their organization. It was very brave of Bobrova to tell the truth. Abuse is sadly common around the world in all artistic sports. Bobrova will get a lot of pushback for telling the truth. But, I respect her! Good job, Bobrova.
How do you know she's telling the truth about Eteri? I'd like to hear your reasoning,
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
How do you know she's telling the truth about Eteri? I'd like to hear your reasoning,
Is the majority of the interview about Eteri? I thought the truth telling was related to the abuse she experienced as a child. I don't think Eteri is worse than other coaches. I have a problem with the culture of abuse throughout the sport. About Eteri, I have no opinion. I am not in the rink with her day in day out. Some of us have opinions about skating that aren't related to Eteri. Knowing this forum, I should have put a disclaimer saying this on my original post.
 

Decoder

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 5, 2019
Is the majority of the interview about Eteri? I thought the truth telling was related to the abuse she experienced as a child. I don't think Eteri is worse than other coaches. I have a problem with the culture of abuse throughout the sport. About Eteri, I have no opinion. I am not in the rink with her day in day out. Some of us have opinions about skating that aren't related to Eteri.
Sure, I was only asking about the Eteri part.
 

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Australia
Of course they have. No one in the establishment likes it when people tell the truth about abuse in their organization. It was very brave of Bobrova to tell the truth. Abuse is sadly common around the world in all artistic sports. Bobrova will get a lot of pushback for telling the truth. But, I respect her! Good job, Bobrova.
Except...she also said it didn't matter because in the end Eteri has champions, she even excused the physical abuse she got herself for the same reason.

So she's going to get it from both sides, from those who think she's lying about Eteri and also from those who might believe it, but see her excusing it and think that's almost as bad as doing it yourself.
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
[
Except...she also said it didn't matter because in the end Eteri has champions, she even excused the physical abuse she got herself for the same reason.

So she's going to get it from both sides, from those who think she's lying about Eteri and also from those who might believe it, but see her excusing it and think that's almost as bad as doing it yourself.

True. But, I think many people are aware that those who have suffered often excuse the abuse because it has been normalized for them. We can still applaud her honesty in sharing her personal experience.

I would prefer to not talk about the Eteri part because that brings out the worst discussion both from those who support and oppose that camp and I am not sure if Bobrova has personal knowledge of what goes on there.

Bobrova's personal experiences are just more evidence that the culture of the sport needs to change.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
"Only we have something like this, due to our mentality. In USA, if you touch an athlete's the wrong way, you could end up in jail." - Ekaterina Bobrova

That's a very flattering and idealistic opinion of the US. We've had plenty of our own American coaches physically and sexually abuse their students, not only in figure skating, but in gymnastics, swimming, tennis, etc. In the case of figure skating, none of the coaches have gone to jail, as far as I know.
 

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Australia
That's a very flattering and idealistic opinion of the US.
I don't think Katia meant it as a compliment unfortunately. In the context of the rest of what she said it sounded more like "The skaters in the US aren't tough enough, that's why they don't have as many champions as us. Because they're weak." :(

It's rather depressing really.
 

Scott512

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
[

Of course they have. No one in the establishment likes it when people tell the truth about abuse in their organization. It was very brave of Bobrova to tell the truth. Abuse is sadly common around the world in all artistic sports. Bobrova will get a lot of pushback for telling the truth. But, I respect her! Good job, Bobrova.
Did I miss something when did Ekat train with TT?

Bobrova is talking hearsay. She was never there at sambo or any of TTs training classes in Novosibirsk.

I guess to some people when Eteri scolds one of her students and says move your lazy a** that's abuse. That's quite different than what happened to the United States ladies gymnastics team. Now that's abuse at an epic level.

When I played baseball in high school and 2 years of college the coaches were vicious to us maybe because we were guys. Move your lazy a** would have bedn a soft criticism for me.
Coaches are wired differently and there are some badd abusive coaches in all sports.

Everyone knows what EG is as a coach. There is no abuse if you're concerned about your child getting scolded or yelled at or told the move your lazy a** then don't take your child there.

Always smiling Liza B just went to TT. What could her mother have been thinking? ;) Why didnt they talk to Bobrova first?

New ladies world champion and 3 time 3 time Russian ladies national champion is just so abused. She seems like a great perfectly behaved girl to me. Anna has been at that rink for more than 13 years. How has she survived?
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
I don't think Katia meant it as a compliment unfortunately. In the context of the rest of what she said it sounded more like "The skaters in the US aren't tough enough, that's why they don't have as many champions as us. Because they're weak." :(

It's rather depressing really.
Oh, then that is not as nice ...
 

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Australia
Did I miss something when did Ekat train with TT?
No, but she is very good friends with Zhenya Med, it's not outside the realm of possibility they discussed how they train. Especially since at least to me, Katia doesn't see it as a problem, she didn't say "I became a champion in spite of the treatment I got" she said "I'm a champion because of it."

I remember reading an article by a Russian gymnast that was basically the same thing: "Other countries are too PC and soft. Here in Russia we're strong and don't run to our parents when our coaches scream at us."
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Did I miss something when did Ekat train with TT?

Bobrova is talking hearsay. She was never there at sambo or any of TTs training classes in Novosibirsk.

I guess to some people when Eteri scolds one of her students and says move your lazy a** that's abuse. That's quite different than what happened to the United States ladies gymnastics team. Now that's abuse at an epic level.

When I played baseball in high school and 2 years of college the coaches were vicious to us maybe because we were guys. Move your lazy a** would have bedn a soft criticism for me.
Coaches are wired differently and there are some badd abusive coaches in all sports.

Everyone knows what EG is as a coach. There is no abuse if you're concerned about your child getting scolded or yelled at or told the move your lazy a** then don't take your child there.

Always smiling Liza B just went to TT. What could her mother have been thinking? ;) Why didnt they talk to Bobrova first?

New ladies world champion and 3 time 3 time Russian ladies national champion is just so abused. She seems like a great perfectly behaved girl to me. Anna has been at that rink for more than 13 years. How has she survived?
Not sure why you quoted my post when I have made it very clear my comment had nothing to do with Eteri. As I said, I have no opinion about that situation and was not commenting on that. I am commenting on Bobrova's own experience and abuse within artistic sports which goes far beyond, " get your a** out there and do your job. That comment is fine, especially because you were an adult in college. Physical abuse, sexual abuse and the types of unhealthy behavior that occur in artistic sports are far more harmful.
 

Scott512

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
[

True. But, I think many people are aware that those who have suffered often excuse the abuse because it has been normalized for them. We can still applaud her honesty in sharing her personal experience.

I would prefer to not talk about the Eteri part because that brings out the worst discussion both from those who support and oppose that camp and I am not sure if Bobrova has personal knowledge of what goes on there.

Bobrova's personal experiences are just more evidence that the culture of the sport needs to change.
Bobrova has no knowledge of TT and Sambo. Other than what her friends tell her.

If Ekat wants to talk about her experiences with her coaches that's one thing.. But to bring the best coach in the sport into this discussion right after Russia had an incredible unbelievable world championship winning 3 of the 4 disciplines and doing respectable in the men's is basically throwing up on all that success and the great athletes saving Russian sports which is severely damaged is ridiculous.. There was no need for this. WTF.
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Bobrova has no knowledge of TT and Sambo. Other than what her friends tell her.

If Ekat wants to talk about her experiences with her coaches that's one thing.. But to bring the best coach in the sport into this discussion right after Russia had an incredible unbelievable world championship winning 3 of the 4 disciplines and doing respectable in the men's is basically throwing up on all that success and the great athletes saving Russian sports which is severely damaged is ridiculous.. There was no need for this. WTF.
So, Bobrova being hit and abused as a child is fine. Her talking about it isn't? Ok, well we have different values and won't agree.
 

readernick

Medalist
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
"Only we have something like this, due to our mentality. In USA, if you touch an athlete's the wrong way, you could end up in jail." - Ekaterina Bobrova

That's a very flattering and idealistic opinion of the US. We've had plenty of our own American coaches physically and sexually abuse their students, not only in figure skating, but in gymnastics, swimming, tennis, etc. In the case of figure skating, none of the coaches have gone to jail, as far as I know.
It wasn't meant as a complement. But, yes abuse is widespread.
 

anonymoose_au

Insert weird opinion here
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Australia
There was no need for this. WTF.
Hello she didn't do it to "throw Eteri under the bus" considering she was physically beaten and turned out to be a champion. As far as Katia's concerned Eteri is probably 50,000 times more impressive than her own coach was because she can motivate her students with words.

And I disagree with the idea that saying "Move your lazy a**" isn't abusive, it sure as Hell is..it's one thing to say "If you're not going to take this seriously, leave the ice because you're disrupting those who want to work." That's harsh, but fair.

But swearing and shouting, especially at young children is extremely damaging.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top