Which skaters would have achieved more with less "involved" parents?

[Momtoiceprincess]

I'm thinking Surya would have been a world champion if her mom had found her an amazing coach...

Michelle Kwan could have been an Olympic champion if Danny had agreed to let her be coached..

Sacha Cohen also underachieved, I believe her mom was never happy with the coaches

Lucinda Riu had a terrible time with her mom..

To me Pat Lipinski was a great skater parent, Tara always looked happy, huge sacrifices paid off but making it was all timing.

The Russian parents seem away more disconnected & from following interviews it seems they let everything to the coach... Maybe Western countries should learn from this.

 

[ladyjane]

It all turns back to what one considers to be 'involvement'. I don't believe Russian parents are more disconnected at all, they just don't try to be a better 'coach' than the real coach. There could be a lot of home support by just ensuring their kids are at practices on time, that they give a cuddle when there's been a bad practice, and all those things. That's also involvement with the skating, just not with the coaching as such. Also, some coaches just don't accept these busybody parents who think they have better knowledge about what needs to be done.

With regard to Michelle Kwan, I have always heard that it was her own decision to be coachless for a while, and that her father just tried to help out in that situation. But I may have remembered that wrongly. Sasha, a similar situation in the sense that it was Sasha herself who wanted to change coaches all the time - and perhaps her mum supported her in that. Just like Alexandra Trusova's father supported her back and forth last season. But I don't think any underachievement was caused by that.

And Surya? I think Surya coped with a lot of issues in her day, not least that her type of skating wasn't considered aesthetic enough at the time, and for sure her mum wasn't helping with the going along with the made up stories about her birth place, but I don't think if she had an amazing coach it would have changed things. She did open up the way for more appreciation of athletic type skaters as well as for more inclusion in figure skating.

 

[Momtoiceprincess]

Great reply thanks. I totally agree that parents can be supportive with hugs, cuddles, ensuring school work is done etc... Figure skating is like gymnastics & gets its fair share of pushy controlling parents but looking back on US Olympic champions like Tara Lipinski & Sarah Hughes their parents seemed very balanced & maybe that had a factor in their achievements..

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Surya Bonalay 100%.

Maybe Daniel Samohin (in regards to consistency a lot of pressure coached by parent) - although he may never have got quads under different coaching so who knows?

Alysa Liu potentially, but too early to make a judgement. All I know is that she's lost a lot of fun/desire within the sport because of parents decisions.

 

[Lzbee]

Veronika Zhilina. Although she's doing okay at the moment it seems, she had a rough time of it last season with her mum so involved.

 

[Momtoiceprincess]

I was thinking Alyssa Liu also but didn't want to mention her yet as it's early days potentially. I'm gathering her dad is fairly intense & has taken on a very active role in her career.
I didn't realise Zhilina's mom was very involved. It doesn't seem the norm for the Russians.

 

[Imagine]

In her book, Sasha Cohen never mentioned anything about her mom being overbearing. She had other issues that prevented her from reaching her full potential. Of course, that book was poorly written by some terrible ghostwriter, so maybe one day she'll reveal more.

Caroline Zhang's mom immediately came into my mind when I read this post's title.

And Yulia too...probably. Later in her career though.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

I didn't realise Zhilina's mom was very involved. It doesn't seem the norm for the Russians.

Zhilina is a different case because she is coached by her mum (née Alferova) and Plushenko. The issue last year was partly to do with 'too many cooks', but now they seem to be coordinating roles better.

 

[MiraiFan]

The Russian parents seem away more disconnected & from following interviews it seems they let everything to the coach... Maybe Western countries should learn from this.

Really? I don't think so--most of them travel to every competition and attend all the practices.

 

[Placebo11]

Btw does anyone know what happened to Surya's Mom? It's she still alive?

 

[bytheriver]

Btw does anyone know what happened to Surya's Mom? It's she still alive?

I’m not sure about now, but I know that Surya moved with her to Vegas in the mid-2000’s. Surya then moved to Minnesota, got married, and now is back in Vegas again. So maybe she is taking care of her mother (or maybe she just loves the city).

 

[mrrice]

Tiffany Chin! Remember that interview she was doing and her Mom just hovered over her the entire time. I think she might have even interrupted the interview. I'll look for it.

 

[Joan1940]

I always thought Ann Patrice McDonugh's mother - who had wanted to be a skater herself - put too much pressure on her daughter to suceed,

 

[moonvine]

Tonya Harding. I honestly think she was abused.
(That doesn’t excuse what she did at all.)

 

[CoyoteChris]

I’m not sure about now, but I know that Surya moved with her to Vegas in the mid-2000’s. Surya then moved to Minnesota, got married, and now is back in Vegas again. So maybe she is taking care of her mother (or maybe she just loves the city).

I have a friend who skates at Surya's rink. She says Surya seems happy....Dont know if she is still married or Mom is still around....

 

[Alchamei]

Anna Dušková. She skated with Martin Bidař and were once junior world champions, but her parents didn't want her to train abroad and wanted her to go to med school and focus on that. She retired some while ago and Bidař is nowhere near the succes he had with Anna.

I'm still mad and sad about it, Czech Republic could have finally got some medals, but never mind...

 

[CoyoteChris]

Alysa Liu potentially, but too early to make a judgement. All I know is that she's lost a lot of fun/desire within the sport because of parents decisions.

I think Arthur pretty much makes all the skating/coaching decisions in the extended family and is very hands on. I at least try and find sourses I can believe in and I do believe Alysa has had some issues with those choices. In other sports, sadly, I have seen parents who are too involved and aggressive, killing the sport for the kid....but they have to have their finger in the pie at least alittle in the US. If Coach Frank C. is causing too much stress and unhappiness for a child, then perhaps coach Tom Z. might be a better choice. Some parental choices have unintended consiquences that end up positive. US Ice dancer now coach Jennifer Wester was rocketing up the ladder of competitive target shooting when her dad suggested she take up skating to help her balance...balance being critical in her sport of metallic Sihouette shooting. She fell in love with skating, married her partner Daniil Barantsev. (As a side note, when she was skating in Delaware, a Pennsylvania team needed one more shooter at the state match. She went and set 17 records in one day. Didnt get the state title cause she was from Delaware.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

I think Arthur pretty much makes all the skating/coaching decisions in the extended family and is very hands on. I at least try and find sourses I can believe in and I do believe Alysa has had some issues with those choices. In other sports, sadly, I have seen parents who are too involved and aggressive, killing the sport for the kid....but they have to have their finger in the pie at least alittle in the US. If Coach Frank C. is causing too much stress and unhappiness for a child, then perhaps coach Tom Z. might be a better choice. Some parental choices have unintended consiquences that end up positive. US Ice dancer now coach Jennifer Wester was rocketing up the ladder of competitive target shooting when her dad suggested she take up skating to help her balance...balance being critical in her sport of metallic Sihouette shooting. She fell in love with skating, married her partner Daniil Barantsev. (As a side note, when she was skating in Delaware, a Pennsylvania team needed one more shooter at the state match. She went and set 17 records in one day. Didnt get the state title cause she was from Delaware.

For me, the big red flags with Alysa stemmed from her live streams. She clearly had friends before they recently moved, friends she misses. And she was doing alright with her other coach (yes not restored 3A, but the programs etc were getting more consistent).

 

[Momtoiceprincess]

Yes I am thinking about alyssa too. I wonder if Danny backed off a little would things be different for her. She doesn't look happy in her live streams...

 

[anonymoose_au]

Zhilina is a different case because she is coached by her mum (née Alferova) and Plushenko. The issue last year was partly to do with 'too many cooks', but now they seem to be coordinating roles better.

Indeed. I think Veronika's situation was more a question of whether coaches should coach their own kids rather than parental meddling.

But...I'm not sure it's such a bad thing for parents to be involved. After all, using gymnastics as an example, a lot of bad things have happened when parents are locked out. I don't have kids, but if I did I'd honestly be calling it a red flag if a coach refused to let me be involved at all in such a big part of my kid's life. Obviously, not telling the kid how to jump or whatever, but just keeping an eye on them.

I'd certainly want my kid to know I'm in their corner and ready to support them if they're having trouble.