Adrian Schultheiss is uncertain about his future in figure skating

siberia82 · Jan 23, 2011

snowflake said:
I hope the federation and/or someone else helps him through. What strikes me is that he sounds so sad and a bit lost. He needs lots of support and attention.

I was sad at how discouraged Adrian seemed.

Every athlete goes through rough periods, of course, but it shocked me that the thought of quitting actually crossed his mind. He's still young and has tons of talent, so it's not right that his mindset has dipped to this point. I don't really know anything about Adrian's social network, but he seems to be lacking emotional support. You get the sense the he feels very much alone in the pursuit of his figure skating goals.

snowflake said:
Figure skaters are so forgotten in Swedish media between the big events. No reports on how they practice, or about their thoughts and lives.

Yeah, it doesn't help that the sport is struggling to find funding, an audience, media coverage, etc. I can imagine that figure skaters like Adrian would probably feel that the country neglects them a lot of times.

siberia82 · Jan 24, 2011

A Swedish blogger shared an excerpt from the latest issue of a magazine called Filter which had an article on "Ice Loneliness": http://mymarkup.se/2011/01/konstakning_och_akvariefiskar.html I must say that Adrian sounds miserable based on the interview.

He reveals to the magazine that he has been feeling low since the 2008 Worlds (which I'm sure some of you remember was hosted by his hometown of Gothenburg).

This is the English translation from Google Translate: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=sv&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmymarkup.se%2F2011%2F01%2Fkonstakning_och_akvariefiskar.html

siberia82 · Jan 26, 2011

I managed to find a more accurate translation of the magazine excerpt:

- I'm very confused right now. Lately I haven't been happy, I think I'm depressed. It's been like this since the 2008 Worlds: first it was really a lot of things happening, then I was depressed during the summer and couldn't find any happiness in my skating. And this year it's all been crap. I have goals, big goals, but sometimes I have stopped dreaming. If I can't find the joy in skating again, I'm going to quit after this season.

Adrian is leaning forward, sitting on his bed.

- Sometimes my girlfriend comes to watch my practices. That helps. I don't feel so lonely then. I land the harder triples and do nicer spins then.

Adrian's life is totally evolved around figure skating. He practices in the morning, then he goes home and rests a few hours before he's back at the rink for the next session. He sometimes spends the evening with his girlfriend, who studies at the university and lives with her parents. His busy schedule has made sure he has no other friends left in Gothenburg. Mostly he meets up with a group of foreign skaters that he meets at competitions. When he's at home, he mostly sits on his bed and watches his aquarium. He loves his fishes and can watch their behaviour for hours and hours.

And as if all his other problems wasn't enough, the fishes seems to have caught an illness. He shows me a note that is the result of hours of studying in front of the aquarium, where he has made thorough notes of what the fishes are doing. It says things like: "coughing up food" and "body shivers". He has also calculated their breath: 80-110 breaths per minute instead of 60, which is normal. Adrian is taking his list to a zoo-shop to get help finding the right diagnose and buy the right medication. He suspects they are suffering from gill parasites.

Nadine · Jan 26, 2011

I have to be totally honest here, my very first thought when I read about all this unhappiness a couple of day ago was to say "Man Up"!

But today, after reading the latest (thank, siberia82), I just have to say it's his life, he knows what's best for him personally. If he's that unhappy, quit, nobody but himself is forcing him to stay by all accounts? And Adrian, count your blessings, there are a ton of people that would love to be in your place. Maybe it's time you stopped feeling so sorry for yourself and went outside your glass bubble to see all the suffering that goes on around the world on a daily basis; get involved in some charities, which imho would make you appreciate your life more. Or get a new passion, something that brings you pleasure, like your fish! Why not take a course in becoming a fish veterinarian, there are such things. Or go back to school, get a degree in something you love or are interested in, it's never too late to learn.

Either way I honestly wish him the best. He's been at the top in his country for a long time now, why not take a break? He's more than earned it! See what else life has to offer other than skating, and I bet he would be surprised.

He could always come back later on or just skate for the joy of it, not results.

GOOD LUCK, ADRIAN, GOD BE WITH YOU ALWAYS!

blue_idealist · Jan 26, 2011

siberia82 said:
I managed to find a more accurate translation of the magazine excerpt:

- I'm very confused right now. Lately I haven't been happy, I think I'm depressed. It's been like this since the 2008 Worlds: first it was really a lot of things happening, then I was depressed during the summer and couldn't find any happiness in my skating. And this year it's all been crap. I have goals, big goals, but sometimes I have stopped dreaming. If I can't find the joy in skating again, I'm going to quit after this season.

Adrian is leaning forward, sitting on his bed.

- Sometimes my girlfriend comes to watch my practices. That helps. I don't feel so lonely then. I land the harder triples and do nicer spins then.

Adrian's life is totally evolved around figure skating. He practices in the morning, then he goes home and rests a few hours before he's back at the rink for the next session. He sometimes spends the evening with his girlfriend, who studies at the university and lives with her parents. His busy schedule has made sure he has no other friends left in Gothenburg. Mostly he meets up with a group of foreign skaters that he meets at competitions. When he's at home, he mostly sits on his bed and watches his aquarium. He loves his fishes and can watch their behaviour for hours and hours.

And as if all his other problems wasn't enough, the fishes seems to have caught an illness. He shows me a note that is the result of hours of studying in front of the aquarium, where he has made thorough notes of what the fishes are doing. It says things like: "coughing up food" and "body shivers". He has also calculated their breath: 80-110 breaths per minute instead of 60, which is normal. Adrian is taking his list to a zoo-shop to get help finding the right diagnose and buy the right medication. He suspects they are suffering from gill parasites.

If he's that unhappy, maybe he should at least take a break. I read this other article that said he didn't have the time/cooking skill to eat properly. Maybe that was in this article too. That could really be contributing to his depression. I know students who don't have the money or time to eat properly end up getting depressed (me included - not now but in the past).

FlattFan · Jan 27, 2011

I would be depressed too if I live in Sweden. I saw that Sweden vampire movie, and everything looks so bleak and dark and depressing. :disapp:
Poor Adrian. He should move to sunny California and train here if he can afford it. A change of scene helps.

aemeraldrainc · Jan 28, 2011

siberia82 said:
I managed to find a more accurate translation of the magazine excerpt:

- I'm very confused right now. Lately I haven't been happy, I think I'm depressed. It's been like this since the 2008 Worlds: first it was really a lot of things happening, then I was depressed during the summer and couldn't find any happiness in my skating. And this year it's all been crap. I have goals, big goals, but sometimes I have stopped dreaming. If I can't find the joy in skating again, I'm going to quit after this season.

Adrian is leaning forward, sitting on his bed.

- Sometimes my girlfriend comes to watch my practices. That helps. I don't feel so lonely then. I land the harder triples and do nicer spins then.

Adrian's life is totally evolved around figure skating. He practices in the morning, then he goes home and rests a few hours before he's back at the rink for the next session. He sometimes spends the evening with his girlfriend, who studies at the university and lives with her parents. His busy schedule has made sure he has no other friends left in Gothenburg. Mostly he meets up with a group of foreign skaters that he meets at competitions. When he's at home, he mostly sits on his bed and watches his aquarium. He loves his fishes and can watch their behaviour for hours and hours.

And as if all his other problems wasn't enough, the fishes seems to have caught an illness. He shows me a note that is the result of hours of studying in front of the aquarium, where he has made thorough notes of what the fishes are doing. It says things like: "coughing up food" and "body shivers". He has also calculated their breath: 80-110 breaths per minute instead of 60, which is normal. Adrian is taking his list to a zoo-shop to get help finding the right diagnose and buy the right medication. He suspects they are suffering from gill parasites.

Wow. Seriously?
That sounds pretty bad. I suffer from depression myself and I can see how depressed he is. I have new respect for him because I know how it feels and for him to accomplish what he has accomplished is really hard to do when you're depressed. You really have to push yourself. And I admire him for the fact that's he's been able to pull it together as much and as long as he has.
What about his family? His parents? Siblings?
I really hope the best for him. It would be nice if he could move somewhere where there's other skaters to motivate him. Like everyone has said..he needs a strong support team. A sponsor would be nice.
Anyways, just my 2 cents.

seniorita · Jan 28, 2011

I liked his sp even if he didnt do well, he is a very interesting skater, i hope he stays.

siberia82 · Jan 28, 2011

FlattFan said:
I would be depressed too if I live in Sweden. I saw that Sweden vampire movie, and everything looks so bleak and dark and depressing.

I haven't seen "Let the Right One In", nor have I visited Sweden, but I doubt that entire country is bleak. My sister has vacationed in Stockholm and Malmö, and she told me that Sweden is a beautiful country.

FlattFan said:
He should move to sunny California and train here if he can afford it. A change of scene helps.

I think what Adrian needs first is a break from the sport. He has too much negativity built up, so that has to leave his system first before he makes any major decision related to his figure skating career.

aemeraldrainc said:
I have new respect for him because I know how it feels and for him to accomplish what he has accomplished is really hard to do when you're depressed. You really have to push yourself. And I admire him for the fact that's he's been able to pull it together as much and as long as he has

It's very odd that a talented athlete like Adrian is left to suffer in silence. You'd think the Swedish skating officials would do more to protect their investment.

I don't know much about the inner workings of the Swedish fed, but it doesn't sound like he has access to a sports psychologist (or if he does, that person is doing a terrible job finding the help he needs :rolleye:

).

siberia82 · Jan 31, 2011

In case anyone was curious about the Filter magazine which appeared in the Swedish blog, I've discovered that the blogger was referring to Issue #18. This is what the cover looks like: http://www.magasinetfilter.se/artiklar/filter-18.aspx

The 22-page article focuses mostly on Sweden's current top 3 male figure skaters (Schultheiss, Berntsson, Majorov), plus there are mentions of Filip Stiller. I've been told that there are incredible photos of Adrian, Koffe and Sasha, including snapshots taken at the 2010 Swedish Nationals.

If you have an iPad or an iPhone, you can buy Filter here: http://qiozk.com/paper/filter/-18-2011

Adrian Schultheiss is uncertain about his future in figure skating

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating

Nadine

blue_idealist

FlattFan

Match Penalty

aemeraldrainc

seniorita

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating

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