Eteri Tutberidze interview on Russian TV

[Draculus]

Not wanting to hear this now is one thing having to cover it as a fan is another. This would be like a television news reporter not wanting to hear a big story of news but then the big story breaks and not covering it. Of course he's going to cover it. So am I.

Hm, are you enforced by some contract to do this (like reporter in your example)? And if you do not - you loose your income/pay a fine/go to jail?

She also said said something about Alina who won everything for her not wanting to work and train 12-hour days anymore. Whaaaaaaat? Whyyyyyyyy? No one needs to hear this now.

This is obviously wrong. If no one is interested in it (you included) - we won't have this thread, won't have so many comments praising and thanking Eteri under that interview. You may think it is awful and world be a better place without it (you are free to have your subjective opinion), but that statement ('no one needs') is objectively wrong.

Why would Alina want to work 12-hour days anymore 6 days a week when she's won everything and has that schlatters syndrome condition in her left knee?

Dunno. It's up to her, she is free to decide, nobody keeping her under the locked door.

I still like Eteri. Just not quite as much as I used to. She has overcome a lot in her life including a terrorist bombing in 1995 in Oklahoma City. But she sometimes needs a filter and she certainly has needed a PR firm to handle her affairs for several years now.

I hope she won't do it and won't turn into a bland speaking official, that is so praised by many as a 'modern polite standard'.
She looks alive comparing to those modern day PR-approved talking heads.

 

[flanker]

I just can't help. This is a screen from 1tv instagram...

 

[LiamForeman]

I'm failing to understand how this eliminates training for junior competitions, training in preparation for the first senior competition (which really starts at the age of 10-11).

Me too. ISU forces competitive underage junior girls to have to perform a 3axel-3toe in the SP instead of just a solo 3axel that is done in the Seniors. The juniors will be doing quads starting at 12 and just burn out and get injured before turning the "safe" age of 18 to compete as a Senior. That makes NO sense to me.

 

[Hyena]

This is something that often surprises me on our figure skating forums and especially on this one - as if I am at a gathering of kindergarten moms who are discussing a teacher who dared to shake her finger at their beloved child. It's like I'm in some world of pink unicorns. I keep asking myself the question - where does such a perverted worldview come from? So far, my working version is that they incorrectly perceive the relationship of skater-coach in Russia as a rock star and his manager.

I see this kind of argument a lot. There is a gulf between "don't you dare say anything bad about a skater/student/child" and "coaches shouldn't have unhealthy training environments." People are arguing the latter (you can argue Eteri's coaching isn't unhealthy, others will disagree) but then people like to pretend it's the former.

 

[flanker]

God, the lengths some people on this forum will go through to defend anything and everything Eteri and her cohorts do is disgusting.

This post clearly shows why absolutely no reasonable conversation is possible if the final response to any opposite opinion is as this one.

I think that people who do not see Eteri as the devil personified should not be apollogetic to the opponents anymore. There is no moral high ground nor any authority to which one should justify his stand. Let anyone has the world he wishes to live in.

 

[fabienne1996]

Well, if she is not winning - probably she would not continue with her methods. She continues with her 'methods' BECAUSE she sees that it's working. If it isn't, if a very careful/delicate attitude to a teen skaters would get better results - I'm 100% sure she would switch to different methods, she is practical.
And so her 'defenders' (and skaters) - they see that 'it's working', this is a damn good reason to 'defend' her (or want to be trained by her).

But her mehtod isnt working for girls over 18+ , and she refuses to try and adapt to the changing bodies of her students,

 

[Draculus]

But her mehtod isnt working for girls over 18+ , and she refuses to try and adapt to the changing bodies of her students,

2nd part of your statement is just objectively wrong, they told about this issue many times.
1st part - is questionable. Whos methods are working for a girls over 18+ in Russia (other countries do not count because of different competition level)? We have only 1 example - Liza and it's hard to take her as a rule. And Mishin btw is not a nice guy too.

Actually, (with the exception of Liza) Eteri has 'oldest' skaters.

 

[alexocfp]

Just because a culture of abuse is so normalized doesn‘t make it right. Of course skaters will stay there if it gives them a chance to win medals. To give you a more extreme example: gymnasts stayed with the Karolyis for years! Would you seriously claim that this means there was nothing wrong with their methods? Now, I‘m not saying Eteri‘s group is close to that. Just showing that your argument is a strawman and doesn‘t work.

And neither does the second one, btw. Alena Kostornaya - reigning GPF and Euros Champion, world record holder in the SP and total score and clearly number one after 2019-20 - left her that very off-season.

Don’t watch gymnastics, don’t care to watch gymnastics so I have no idea what goes on there training wise.

So if the skaters are willing to stay there, what’s the problem? Let them make their own choices, not us.

Describing skating as a “culture of abuse” is an opinion, not a fact. That countless skaters want to do this as a profession shows me that they don’t see it as abuse either. If the athletes want to sign up for it, I will support them. They know their lives better than I do.

Being a champion in any sport requires super human effort, and super human qualities.

No offense, but I’m glad the fans don’t run sports. The fans want to run sports according to some code that is not conducive to top level athletics. It’s also the reason why the coaches and skaters don’t think like fans.

It’s laughable that fans want skaters to have positions for life too. In sports, you get rid of an underperforming player or if you can get someone better. Somehow it’s a sin if Eteri does it. Eteri has replaced Aliona, nothing wrong with that. Aliona wanted to replace Eteri when she had a chance remember.

Bottom line is that those that find fault with everything Eteri does or hate her for just existing makes me like her more.

 

[alexocfp]

I have a question for the Eteri defenders, would you still be so adamant about defending her if she was not winning?

Well, if she didn’t win we would not know about her.

Do we know Jose Mourinho or the manager of Navra Trans in Estonia? Haha

Also, do you criticize the coaches that are operating under the spotlight with the same fervor you do Eteri? No because you don’t know them.

And yes, I would defend her if the criticisms were ridiculous. Someone slips on a banana peel and it’s her fault somehow.

This is what top level coaching looks like sometimes. They are arrogant, egotistical, results driven, etc. Those are a few of the reasons they are successful.

Not letting the athletes run the asylum isn’t a bad thing.

People are free to go to another coach. But those that do somehow always return.

 

[kan01]

Those that find fault with everything Eteri does or hate her for just existing makes me like her more.

This is not the point of the discussion. I, for one, criticized her now, but I actually kinda liked her before he started to blame the skaters for everything wrong. I especially found it annoying when people would make her into this monster based on facial expressions and if she smiled, if she didn't, and complete nonsense superficial things like that. And it did make me want to see her succeed more, but now it's different, the concerns are not because of wanting to find "fault with everything Eteri does or hate her for just existing." She herself admitted to her ways.

 

[alexocfp]

This is not the point of the discussion. I, for one, criticized her now, but I actually kinda liked her before he started to blame the skaters for everything wrong. I especially found it annoying when people would make her into this monster based on facial expressions and if she smiled, if she didn't, and complete nonsense superficial things like that. And it did make me want to see her succeed more, but now it's different, the concerns are not because of wanting to find "fault with everything Eteri does or hate her for just existing." She herself admitted to her ways.

In that interview, she went to great lengths to praise other people. But that gets ignored. All her positives get put to the side or mimimized.
That is why she also has fans.

But, her taking as less as blame as possible just means she has a big ego. OK, fine. People at that level I’ve big egos, coaches and skaters. Don’t see why that is so bad.

It’s will be shorter to list top level coaches and players that don’t have egos. That list probably has no names on it anyway. Haha

 

[kan01]

In that interview, she went to great lengths to praise other people. But that gets ignored. All her positives get put to the side or mimimized.
That is why she also has fans.

But, her taking as less as blame as possible just means she has a big ego. OK, fine. People at that level I’ve big egos, coaches and skaters. Don’t see why that is so bad.

It’s will be shorter to list top level coaches and players that don’t have egos. That list probably has no names on it anyway. Haha

Not the ego is the problem, her blaming the skaters and admitting her ways around eating, encouraging training while in pain, separating children from parents so she would be able to mold them as she sees fit (creepy) and the like.

This is the best I can explain it not being a native English speaker, it's not like she makes them do it and they're not free to walk away, it's more complex than that.

 

[Pereiro]

separating children from parents so she would be able to mold them as she sees fit (creepy)

This is complete lie. She doesn't "separate" anyone. She dont want Alina mom in her training because she mess with process, so instead Alina was with her grandmother. I dont see how this is "separate". Also i find it really funny how you try to ignore all those facts about Alina grandmother being with her all time in training.
And it is actually well known that Eteri prefer to have family members in training, as long as they dont try to meddle in it.

 

[kan01]

She dont want Alina mom in her training because she mess with process, so instead Alina was with her grandmother.

That's not what she said. The parent doesn't need to go live in another city away from the child, you can have a discussion with the parent about not messing with the process without them being in different cities. That seems a bit extreme and raises a red flag. And again, it's more complex than that, and I probably did not express myself well.

 

[alexocfp]

Not the ego is the problem, her blaming the skaters and admitting her ways around eating, encouraging training while in pain, separating children from parents so she would be able to mold them as she sees fit (creepy) and the like.

This is the best I can explain it not being a native English speaker, it's not like she makes them do it and they're not free to walk away, it's more complex than that.

Ok, do your parents come to your place of work? Do the parents of an U-17 football team go to training and tell the coaches how to coach?

That’s what I mean about Eteri getting blamed for innocuous things.

We all know what it takes to be trained by Eteri by now. So you can choose to go to her, or you can choose to go elsewhere. It’s not rocket science. Haha

That’s why we defend her.

 

[Pereiro]

That seems a bit extreme and raises a red flag.

Because she started being lazy. At that moment she lived in Moscow with her mother. I tried to teach her mom the process, told Alina isn't working. I forced her but it didn't work. Her mom didn't help the process. I was worried because I knew they moved to Moscow from Izhevsk, they're renting an apartment, spending money on life in Moscow, that's why I decided to kick her out.
Then, Alina's grandma came and promised that she will be responsible for Alina and will help. We had a condition that her mom won't live in Moscow and won't visit Alina until Olympic medal. And her mom withstood this

I dont see how exactly Eteri is bad in this situation.

 

[alexocfp]

I dont see how exactly Eteri is bad in this situation.

Because Eteri is always wrong in any situation. Haha

Here is double standard 1001: when a parent interferes with their kids training, they are called pushy parents in most cases. But if that parent is at Eteri, the parent is right and the Eteri is wrong.

And the phrasing is always extreme. It wasn’t “separation”, it was a condition for being trained. They could have refused those conditions after all.

Everyone agreed to the conditions and it worked out in the end for everyone.

Eteri had a knack for bring out the hysteria. For or against her.

 

[alexocfp]

Who bring more fans - Dasa Grm (who have that "longevity"-thing) or any of Eteri girls (who have medals instead)?

Even better eye opening metric:

In this English language forum of hard cores, who are the most commented on skaters in the fan fests?

 

[Scott512]

I thought this part was very interesting



Eteri Interview

That was interesting and disturbing. It sounds like this coach grew up in a very cold environment where women were not respected or thought highly of. If that was the case that's too damn bad. But it may explain some of EGs get the job done or get lost attitude.

 

[Scott512]

I'm failing to understand how this eliminates training for junior competitions, training in preparation for the first senior competition (which really starts at the age of 10-11).

That is why the age limit should not be raised to 18. Unless figure skating thinks they can change how novice and junior training goes for youngsters.

We have to remember American Alysa was doing ultra jumps at 13.

If they bump up the age limit to 17 or 18 we will never see a miracle like Valieva again or an Alina or Tara or Michelle all of whom were great by 15 or 16. Tara even won senior worlds at 14. But there is a major control issue going on in the world and though and I expect the age limit to go up. Hopefully it will only be 16.

People say Tara retired at a young age or others retired at a young age that's only because we knew them. We don't know the thousands of other figure skaters that retired at 16:17 or 18 because of failures or failures or injuries or both.