Frank Carroll | Golden Skate

Frank Carroll

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Here is a nice article about Frank Carroll.......

http://olympicfanatic.com/2010/02/1...rroll-finally-gets-his-olympic-gold/#comments

"I celebrate Frank Carroll, who finally got his gold medal skater. It’s a reminder to us all that these Games, which celebrate sport and the beauty of competition, aren’t just about the athletes. They are also about the coaches and trainers who—just like their athletes—never give up, keep persevering, and along with their students, live by these words: Swifter, Higher, Stronger."
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
A lovely article. I was thinking the same thing. The minute Costas blurted out Lysacek's name in happy astonishment, I thought of Carroll, just as my mind was filled with thoughts of Brian Orser when YuNa won. Carroll has given so much to skating. He's been coaching for nearly half a century. I'm fairly sure that for all Michelle's talent, he's the one who gave her the potential to tap that unique musical creativity in herself--didn't she aspire merely to jump like Tonya Harding before he showed her tapes of Janet Lynn, whom she had never heard of? (Keeping in mind that such an aspiration could not have been carried out by just any old skater--Kwan contributed immeasurably to her own growth.) Certainly it was Carroll who imbued her with that marvelous precision and consistency of technique. One has only to look at the also-artistic Caroline Zhang to see how a lack of superb technical training can betray a skater.

It would have been nice if Maribel Vinson Owen's name had been spelled correctly, but it's great that the article mentioned her. And isn't that picture of Carroll comforting Kwan sweet.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
A lovely article. I was thinking the same thing. The minute Costas blurted out Lysacek's name in happy astonishment, I thought of Carroll, just as my mind was filled with thoughts of Brian Orser when YuNa won. Carroll has given so much to skating. He's been coaching for nearly half a century. I'm fairly sure that for all Michelle's talent, he's the one who gave her the potential to tap that unique musical creativity in herself--didn't she aspire merely to jump like Tonya Harding before he showed her tapes of Janet Lynn, whom she had never heard of? (Keeping in mind that such an aspiration could not have been carried out by just any old skater--Kwan contributed immeasurably to her own growth.) Certainly it was Carroll who imbued her with that marvelous precision and consistency of technique. One has only to look at the also-artistic Caroline Zhang to see how a lack of superb technical training can betray a skater.

It would have been nice if Maribel Vinson Owen's name had been spelled correctly, but it's great that the article mentioned her. And isn't that picture of Carroll comforting Kwan sweet.

Frank grew up in the Boston area in the era of Dick Button and Tenley Albright and of course Maribel, Laurance and "little Maribel." At the time Boston was one of the great figure skating meccas of the world. I bet if one was lucky enough to have a conversation with Frank he could share some fascinating stories..............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIHJIZLOqcg
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I loved watching Frank watching the ceremony from the boards. he looked so quietly proud like a grandfather watching his grandchild growing up. seeing Frank and Evan interacting was one of the high points of the event for me.
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
I think he holds skaters back technically and then promotes them as being super artisitc so that they get higher points there. I read something where he said " i wouldn't want any skater of mine to be the "triple axel girl" and then with lysacek not doing quads anymore-it is clear what his poltical coaching strategy is.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I think he holds skaters back technically and then promotes them as being super artisitc so that they get higher points there. I read something where he said " i wouldn't want any skater of mine to be the "triple axel girl" and then with lysacek not doing quads anymore-it is clear what his poltical coaching strategy is.

Carroll also coached the quad King, Tim Goebel at the 2002 Olympics. :think: :)
 

olympicfanatic

Spectator
Joined
May 17, 2010
Thank you, Olympia, for the note on the misspelling of Maribel's name. I will see to it that this is corrected. I am usually writing under a time constraint, but nevertheless I cringe when I overlook mistakes like these! Thank you.

Janetfan, I appreciate you posting a link to my blog. I welcome any exposure, especially from the figure skating community. For any of you that have blogs you'd like me to add to my blogroll, please contact me at [email protected] .
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
No problem, Olympicfanatic. It was a lovely article, and it was so great to see Carroll in the spotlight. Believe me, I've put up stuff online with whole words missing, and I once worked as a copyeditor!

I'll be interested to see more writing from you. It's always great to get insights into this sport we all love so much. (And that so few of our real-life friends know anything about!) Along with others on GS, I'm also a general Olympics buff, so I look forward to reading your posts about other sports as well.

By the way, like one of the commentators, I really enjoyed your comparison to Sam Moussabini. Chariots of Fire is one of my favorite films anyway, but it really brought out the close relationship between a coach and an athlete, and you used that element to great advantage in your article.
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
-it is clear what his poltical coaching strategy is.

I wouldn't say that this is a political strategy -- after all, a coach or skating federation could politick on behalf of a big quad jumper, too. It is true that Carroll values the performance aspect of skating, though.

I think Carroll also values a clean program. He does not encourage his students to put elements into their competitive programs until they can land them 90% of the time in practice.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
I think Carroll also values a clean program. He does not encourage his students to put elements into their competitive programs until they can land them 90% of the time in practice.

Exactly. Carroll was never a coach to advise his students to just go out and try to land an element that they weren't very successful doing in practice. Michelle was rumored to have tried various 3/3s and even trained the 3ax in training during her career, yet Carroll only advised her to do what she could do and part of that was to go for 7 triple LPs. At that time, 7 triple LPs were considered a huge feat. Likewise, Tim could consistently land quads, it was important in hopes of Tim reaching podiums, therefore they were included in his LPs.

I'm so over people bashing Michelle for not doing anything other than a 3t/3t in competition when, during her reign, she completed many 7 triple, clean LPs.

Anyway...when Evan won, as happy as I was for him, I was ecstatic for Carroll. He's a class act and very deserving!
 

gmyers

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Goebel went to carroll after he was already the quad king. He went to him in 2000-maybe it was just to get a repulation for being some kind of artisitc and to improve his artistic mark. he certainly did not go for any kind of jump coaching.

I just can't ignore the fact that Kwan was always supposed to win because of her superior artistry at the olympics. Not having a 3/3 was not supposed to matter if you could do a lot of triples but had great artistry. Then lysacek comes into the 2010 olympics with no quad but all of a sudden carroll and the pro carroll sports reporters talking about his amazing artistry. what never worked in womens all of a sudden worked in mens skating. Also with Nagasu in the 2010 us championships-tons of people saying that she should have won because she was so artistic over flatt who actually had the jumps!!
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I think Carroll also values a clean program. He does not encourage his students to put elements into their competitive programs until they can land them 90% of the time in practice.

In Michelle's biography I think she mentioned he had an 80% rule...she had to land the jump 80% of the time in practice for it to be in the program. I like to see skaters "go for it" but I totally understand the strategy and smarts behind this rule.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
RRRiigghhhtttt...Evan won with a few triple toes but superior artistry held him up..Insert rolling eyes icon...Evan may not have landed a quad at the Olys. But he did land 8 triples, a gorgeous 3lz/3t, 2 3ax, complimented by a complete program that milked all the points under COP that Evan could muster. Plushy may have done a quad but he was a shadow of himself jump wise, and had very little to surpass Evan. IIRC, Evan beat Plushy on the TES mark, and the two tied on the PCS mark. Daisuke was amazing, showed superior artistry, with a fall. So, the right man won that night, without the quad. No need for Carroll to politic artistry Vs technical ability.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Tinymavy15 said:
n Michelle's biography I think she mentioned he had an 80% rule...she had to land the jump 80% of the time in practice for it to be in the program. I like to see skaters "go for it" but I totally understand the strategy and smarts behind this rule.

Especially under 6.0 where clean programs with all triples held more weight than difficult, poorly landed combos/jumps.
 
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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Especially under 6.0 where clean programs with all triples held more weight than difficult, poorly landed combos/jumps.

Exactly. and as we have seen, things have not changed all that much under CoP.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Goebel went to Carroll after he was already the quad king. He went to him in 2000-maybe it was just to get a reputation for being some kind of artisitc and to improve his artistic mark.

If Frank Carroll had done nothing else in his career than improve Tim Goebel's posture, the skating world should be grateful. :) However, I think Lori Nichol deserves the most credit for trying to get Goebel to improve his presentation. IIRC he started working with Nichol a full year before he went to Carroll for coaching. Tim will never be an artist, but there was a thousand percent improvement in that year, even before Carroll came on board (if i am remembering the sequence of events correctly).

I don't think it is correct to say that Goebel came to Carroll in order to get a reputation for being some kind of artist. But yes, to improve his second mark, absolutely. And it worked, although he never became anything like a silk purse.
 
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