Nobunari will be coached by Morozov

Nobu will be coached by Morozov this coming season:

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080426-00000027-mai-spo

ETA - Summary of this:
Oda left for US on 26th for training.
In his press conference at the airport he spoke of his eagerness as "I'd like to be able to perform with joy."
He apologized anew for the incident, and said that he "wanted to be in competitions" while he was out of the scene.
Oda will train in US for about 2 weeks and then participate in a show in Korea, and will make his comeback in Japan in the "Dream on Ice" this June.
Mr. Ito showed expectations as "We'd like to see him in 2 GPs. We hope he works hard to have results in the high ranks."

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080426/oth0804261143016-n1.htm

ETA - Summary of this: (The same information omitted)
Morozov is the new coach for Oda. This was revealed by Mr. Ito on 26th.
Mr. Morozov has been coaching Takahashi, but Ito said whether Takahashi will still have him as his coach is to be determined.

ETA - On 27th came this news on NikkanSports; extracted and again repetition omitted:
Oda signed contract with his rival's coach. ...He left yesterday for NJ where Morozov has his camp.
This indeed is something we've never heard of and unrealistic, Oda and Takahashi are rivals competing to get the ticket for the Olympics.
Oda said at the airport "To be the top runner heading for Vancouver Olympics, I'd like to absorb new things from the new coach."

Takahashi side couldn't hide being perplexed by this unprecedented situation of the rival signing contract with his own coach.
A person on his side said "(We) can't imagine such sharing of the coach with his rival in Takahashi's mind. If thing go on as they do now, (we think) he'll have an end (to the relation with Morozov)."
According to him, the talk came from the JSF two weeks after the Worlds '08, but no approach from Oda's side nor from Morozov's, but was followed by the rumour about Oda practicing with Morozov.

This is weird. Yes it will be good for him but doesn't Takahashi also take from Morosov for at least part of the year. This would be like Evan and Johnny both taking from Frank...............

Daisuke and Nobunari are very close friends. A few weeks ago, when Daisuke was asked at his graduation ceremony what is his goal, he replied:"I want to go to Olympics together with Oda-kun. If one of us takes gold, and the second - silver, that would be great."

They often credit each other for the improvements in their own skating (Daisuke praised Nobu's hard work, jumps and spins, and said it motivates him to work harder as well; Nobunari said the same about Daisuke's steps, maturity and the ability to land the quad.

Here's a cute photo: http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7538/nobudaicourmayeurwy0.jpg

However, from what I've read on Ballerina on Ice, the article doesn't specify whether Morozov will be Nobu's main coach or just work on his steps or something. Also, Daisuke feels a bit in a slump right now after his poor performances at Worlds and Japan Open and he is considering a coaching change (although it's not certain right now, he might stay with Morosov).

I am nor sure if Morozov's style is a good fit for Nobu, but I am happy to hear that he is coming back and that he and Takahashi are good friends. I really like watching Nobu's style...very much like Patrick Chan in my opinion. I hope that he makes a good comeback next season.

Tinymavy15 said:

I am nor sure if Morozov's style is a good fit for Nobu (...)

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At Nobunari's manager (AK, http://www.ak-global.com/clientprofile/nobunari_oda.html) webpage his choreographer is still listed as Lori Nichol. Unless something has changed, I think that probably Morosov will be Nobu's technical coach.

IMO, Morosov is CoP saavy -- and since Nobu lost a world bronze; a Nat title (and a trip to Olys) for lack of that (too many combos), Morosov might be good for him. Also, a competitive training partner might not be too bad -- Yags and Plushy (IMO) only got better as a result of their competing against each other during training with Mishin as well as during formal competitions. .

Yeah, it is true that Morosov is very good at CoP. But it is not that his original coach Mr. Lee Barkell is not good at CoP, either. On the contrary, Jeff and Lee team have been extremely good at CoP. I am afraid it appears to be Nobu's own thing, so to say But having done it three times already, I am sure that he'd know it by now.

It's an interesting decision. According to Lee's interview on the icenetwork article, Nobu already has had programs ready. Will he make another program with Morosov or will he keep Nichol's programs?

I don't think Morosov's style best match with Nobu's either, but Morosov is good at emotionally engaging with the skater. So it may work well with Nobu who may need emotional support considering the difficulty coming back after a year's off.

Bennett said:

Yeah, it is true that Morosov is very good at CoP. But it is not that his original coach Mr. Lee Barkell is not good at CoP, either. On the contrary, Jeff and Lee team have been extremely good at CoP. I am afraid it appears to be Nobu's own thing, so to say But having done it three times already, I am sure that he'd know it by now.

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Nobu had had extremely CoP-smart programs. But Nobu himself said that sometimes while skating he felt so nervous that he couldn't even hear his own music or feel his muscles. He didn't make mistakes in less important competitions, but he seemed to fell apart at seams when a World medal or an Olympic berth was at stake. I think more than a CoP-savvy coach he needs a coach who could help him with his confidence. And I think Morosov can do that.

It's an interesting decision. According to Lee's interview on the icenetwork article, Nobu already has had programs ready. Will he make another program with Morosov or will he keep Nichol's programs?

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Both his official fansite and his sport manager's website list Lori Nichol as a choreographer.

I think Morosov could help Nobu greatly. He is a specialist in those two areas that Nobu could use improvement in: step sequences and fully using the skaters' abilities.

I felt that Nobunari's latest two LP's were choreographed as if with intent to hide all of Nobu's strenghts but speed and jumping... I wish his new programs would take advantage of Nobu's superb transitions, excellent spins, ballet-like quality and ability to engage the audience emotionally, like New Cinema Paradise and Around the World (both not choreographed by Wilson). Don't get me wrong, I think some of Wilson's programs for Nobu were masterpieces, but I think David sort of burned out when it comes to ideas for Nobu. A change will be good for Nobu, I think.

Plus, I think it might be good for both Nobu and Dai from an emotional point of view. When JSF's Ito and KanDai officials treated Nobu like trash, Daisuke (and Miki) were not afraid to stand up and protect Nobu's good name. And Daisuke said he always felt motivated by Nobu's hard work and strenght of personality, so perhaps working together could help him get out of the mini-slump he seems to be in right now. After the Torino Olympics there was a program about Dai and Nobu... there was a moving scene when after his programs Daisuke apologized to Nobu for his bad performance and said "now I'm going to work really hard, so that we can go to the next Olympics together."

Here's a clip (link borrowed from Mao's forum) with Daisuke giving his graduation speech. Again, he mentioned that he wants to go to Olympics together with Nobu.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=J7EUuxXrP-0
And almost the same speech, but with Dai wearing a student robe:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhp4sF28AGs

It would be grat if Miki recovered and could join them. According to the interviews, she felt lonely sometimes in the USA and worked the best when she could feel that she was a part of the team.
Another nice clip: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rGLI0w7Ao0U

There's a new interview with Nobu available on YT:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=icZmcZSYo2I

it was a bit encouraging to see him smiling at the airport, but Dear God, my heart broke when I heard how badly his voice trembled after his apology (01.39). Just barely keeping himself from crying... God, how could anyone hurt a gentle person like that...

This was such a good press conference. It was also a good timing as well in a sense that it is not right before a competion so that Nobu can be more relaxed with less media attention. It is nice to see JSF officials there to support Nobu, which is indeed greatly helpful. It sort of makes this come back official with a good legitimacy. I personally never felt that they or the university treated Nobu like trash. The JSF officials also attended the previous press conference right after his DUI sitting besides him. Although JSF did suspend him from participating competitions for several months, it was the conventional treatments based on norms held in society at large. They also tried to give him a chance to attend Nationals and Worlds. JSF recovered his special reinforcement skater status in early winter and keeps it for the coming new season as well despite the lack of records this past season so that Nobu can receive funds to train without financial concerns. IMO, funds are always one of the most essential issues in any projects, and organizational budges tell much of the story about where they are getting at. Not all funding agencies could make a special case when the investiment doesn't go well for whatever reasons. So I think JSF values Nobu very highly and expects a lot, which is truly wonderful for him.

I am very excited to see Nichol's programs. I hope Morosov doesn't mind if Nobu keeps them.

BTW, wouldn't it be cool if he comes back with a quad? He had a long time to practice. So it may be possible!

ETA:
Mr. Ito the head of the figure skating reinforcement division: "We would like to have him participate in two GP events. We hope he does well aiming at good placements." (Mainichi News)
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080426-00000027-mai-spo

So despite the lack of records last season that has affected his ISU ranking (Nobu is 28th now, lower than Kozuka and Mura from the same country), it seems that Nobu would be able to get two assignments. That's really wonderful for him.

attyfan said:

IMO, Morosov is CoP saavy -- and since Nobu lost a world bronze; a Nat title (and a trip to Olys) for lack of that (too many combos), Morosov might be good for him.

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Didn't Daisuke also lose a bronze medal at Worlds just a month ago with "too many combos" like Nobu, with Morozov being one of his coaches?


As for the news, it may turn out to be good for Nobu, or bad for him. Ditto for Daisuke. Only time will tell.

Right.

I feel that the possible pros would be the newer environment that gives some excitements by itself, newer techiques and newer strategies that he could learn, the possible help with his confidence, and having Japanese skaters that would give him peer support etc.

But a possible con may be that Morosov team is getting very crowded. He is a very popular choreographer and has multiple big students already.

I'll restrain myselfr from speaking about JSF in general, and Hidehito Ito in particular, because only very impolite words come to my mind. . He treated Nobu like a malfunctioning robot, not like a gentle person that has always gone out of his way to try and please others. Ito's venom-dripping words were printed nation-wide on first pages, while only dedicated figure skating fans knew about Nobu's personality. What Ito has done might have ruined Nobu forever. If he gave Nobu all the fortune in the world, that will not make up for the damage he did.


More news form Ballerina on Ice, quoted with permission:

Oscilla said:

More news...

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2008042702006920.html
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20080427-353053.html
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20080427-OHT1T00029.htm

Some of these newspapers tend to post unreliable and sensationalist material, so the news should be taken with a grain of salt. But it looks like JSF Chairman Ito has not informed Daisuke's managers, who were very surprised with this news. They feel that having two rivals work together might not be practical. Meanwhile, Ito is being vague as usual and says that it is not decided yet whether Takahashi will continue working with Morosov.
I wonder why he did not inform Daisuke's managers about the possible coaching change. But perhaps considering other people's feelings, or at least conforming to the rules of basic courtesy, is not something he finds necessary.

ETA: Morosov praised Nobunari's skating ("he's a wonderful skater") in TV news report, accoriding to a fan's blog post. I haven't actually seen the news, though.

Click to expand...

http://maoasada.logu2.com/other-skaters-f8/nobunari-is-going-to-work-with-morozov-t154.htm

Another news clip, including Morosov interview and Nobu's practice with Nikolai:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4wow77990

Gorgeous 3Lz-3L and 3A so easy it looked like he could have done a quintuple! SO light!

ETA: I just noticed that the address contains the word "wow"... Wow indeed.

I haven't have much time for reading and posting lately; I could not resist catching a glimpse of Goldenskate today on a hunch, and here is happy news!

I am a Nobu fan, and I am very glad that Nikolay Morosov will be working with him in any capacity in the coming season. I look forward to Nobu and Dai both doing well. Thanks for the good news.

I agree; it's good news. Catastrophizing wouldn't help Nobu move forward in life. Nobu doesn't believe that his life is ruined forever. He has all the financial and moral support from JSF and technical and emotional support from his new coach. He seems to be just moving onto the next stage in life utilizing all the support resources available, which is truly wonderful for him. I am really glad to see his light smiles like that. He is a courageous young man. I am glad that he seems to be in high spirit and motivated.

I hope he'd be back with a quad. That'd be cool.

I love Nobu! I really hope he will make the most of this season. He didn't get to go to Olympic, so I'd love to see him in his best in Vancouver.
Does anyone know how he's doing with quad lutz?

Wasn't Lee Cucumber Barkell his coach before?

Yes, he was. I am a bit sad that they seem to split.

You mean Lee Barkell "as cool as cucumber"? I liked that comment, too.

so Takahashi's leaving Morozov then?