Mira Leung fired her coach Mcleod

It is widely rumored that Mira Leung has fired her coach Mcleod. It is now hotly discussed at

FSU forum: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38532

This may be true since Skate Canada has taken Mcleod's name off Mira' bio.

Any update on this?

I wonder -- was it Mira's decision or Mira's mom's decision to do so?

It's the term that bothers me. "fired"! Couldn't she just have left her coach for another?

Joe

Mira and her mom might just make the right decision. Mira's jumping technique and stroking all look weired. I doubt that her coach had been seriously coaching her to correct these problems.

Apparantly "Mom" does lots of coaching & disregarding what the REAL coaches have told Mira to do (no skating background or training, btw). Thus the screwy technique.

Well, you can fire your coach, but you can't fire your mom.

There is no confirmation as to "who left who," only that Mira & Joanne McLeod are no longer student and coach. Mira's Skate Canada bio has had two recent changes: the coach's name is now blank, and the choreographer no longer has Mark Pillay's name, only Joanne McLeod's.

Mira's "unorthodox technique" has been very obvious ever since 1996 when she was Pre-Juvenile. Until the past couple of years, Mira wore a Cooper hockey helmet, as well as knee, elbow and hand pads on every practice session. I've often wondered if the reason she entered her jumps in such a unique position, including tilting her face up to the ceiling, was a conseqence of limited vision due to the helmet.

Since the news surfaced I've noticed many people on the net, for example:

jesslily said: Mira and her mom might just make the right decision. Mira's jumping technique and stroking all look weired. I doubt that her coach had been seriously coaching her to correct these problems.

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suggesting Mira's list of coaches over the years have been negligent in correcting her technique idiosyncrasies. It is a pretty difficult thing for any coach to do when Mira is only in a professional lesson situation perhaps 30 - 60 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Every coach, Joanne McLeod included, has had to contend with the coaching interference of Mrs Leung. Mira is on the ice pretty much non-stop, 7 days a week, and every moment the coach is not there Mrs. Leung is instructing Mira on how and what to do. IMO, Joanne McLeod has done a great job in cleaning up Mira's deficiencies. When Mira first began with Joanne every one of her triples were hugely cheated, she had spent next to no time developing skill in any field movement, her spins were mediocre at best, and she frequently aborted her choreography to include additional jumps that she may have missed or just because she thought it was a smart thing to do. The Mira you see today continues to have a serious problem with her 2Axel, but beyond that basically has her triples cleaned up, her spins are generally good, and she sticks to the program (for the most part). I'd say Joanne did a lot for Mira's technique and general skill package, as well as get her a ton of exposure, television appearances, exhibition skating opportunities and sponsorship deals (e.g. the Vancouver Board of Trade). I am not convinced there is anyone out there who would offer Mira a better or more comprehensive coaching package, or would be more determined to see that she succeeds. :yes:

It will be interesting to see where Mira goes to for coaching.

Maybe, it is not McLeod and her ability as a coach per say. It could be that she is thinking 2010 Vancouver now. She could be looking for a coach that can be more one-on-one with her. If Emmanuel chooses to stay on until then, her duties will be split with him, her and others. Just thinking out loud.

Mira is a very dedicated, hard working young lady. I am sure a coaching change will not be a bad idea. She needs some new influence. Joanne McLeod played a part in her early training and competing life, but now she needs to broaden her horizons. It's not unusual for a skater to change coaches. I wish her the best for her future skating.

Go Mira!!

Good Luck to her. I hope she can find a coach that she really likes and can work with her and her mother. I hear through the grapevine that she (Mama Leung) is more of the problem than is Mira. I really think that she has come a long way but to me she just looks awkard attempting some of those triple jumps. Her tecnique is terrible and someone is going to have to help her fix that before she is going anywhere. Just my opinion.

backspin said:

Apparantly "Mom" does lots of coaching & disregarding what the REAL coaches have told Mira to do (no skating background or training, btw). Thus the screwy technique.

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Well, there is now an article in the Province that states that it was Joanne who dropped Mira, AND her funding. That definitely sounds like Joanne dropping Mira and not the other way. Two main reasons cited were 1) Mira is not following the coach's training plan, and 2) she was warned several times not to skate on sessions that she is not allowed. From what I do know of her, that seems like very Mira things to do. Withdrawing funding and scholarship money, ouch! That would hurt.