Patrick Chan Parts Ways With Christy Krall

phaeljones said:

How to express this?

Being from Toronto, I have always felt a connection to Patrick Chan and I am really proud of this kid. He is only 21 and it has to be tough for anybody, let alone someone his age, to hold up under all the pressure and all the crap, through which no fault of his own, gets constantly thrown at him. Despite this, he has always been amazing both on and off the ice. I can't imagine how horrible it must have felt to him to have been booed at Nice. Here is someone who gives everything he has and is booed. (Only 21, remember?) As well, I don't think that the Toronto newspapers or the Canadian media really support him. With all due respect to our papers, it barely got mentioned here that he won the worlds. So after the booing, nothing back home.

I have no doubt that Patrick will not have a coach problem, wherever he goes. More than the coach issue, he needs more of Toronto, AND CANADA, to give him a hug, a lot of thanks and a Hell of lot more support. And all those people who are in the business who basically attack these skaters of being unworthy, and everyone in a crowd who boos a skater, I hope that they remember that most of these skaters, even the ones in their twenties, are really just kids and no person, let alone a kid, should be treated that way.

I also think Toronto and Canada owes Patrick Chan a hug and more support, and, even secondary to his performance in the future, I just hope he feels some warmth. That will be more determinative of how well he does but more importantly how he feels about himself.

IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS PATRICK: WE LOVE YOU.

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:thumbsup:

I really feel for Patrick, too.

The way the audience reacted to the final result by booing all the way thru the medal ceremony, I did not like it at all (though I still believe that booing was directed more to the judges and the system, than a specific skaters).

And your post, mentioning Patrick not getting enough support from local media and/or people, reminds me the old Miki from 2005-06 season. Miki was only 18 y.o. at that times. Same thing happened to Shizuka 1997-98 season when Japan hosted the Olympic Games, and to Racheal last season, Alyssa this season... I understand people were just disappointed with the results of their favorite skaters, but these kids were only in their teens to mid twenties. It was so heartbreaking to see media and people (seemed to) get in the bandwagon and bash them.

Sad to say, but it happens with this sport sometimes. It happened before, it is likely to happen again in future.
That breaks my heart.
I hope Patrick will get enough support from his family and his team during this difficult time.

And if we talk about today, phaeljones, you can count on me: I will cheer for Patrick this afternoon on behalf of you and his other fans in Canada! :agree:
(My hubby's jaw shall be dropping if he sees me cheer for Patrick )

Boeing787 said:

One bold suggestion: Is a coach necessary when Patrick has mastered almost everything needed for a champion(Note: He has got his 4S). If Roger Federer can(could) make do without a coach, why not Patrick?

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I haven't read this whole thread, but to say Patrick "Falling a bit " Chan does not need a coach is crazy. Because MK did it after 4 world championships and right before the Olympics was foolish, and she was a more consistent jumper than anyone in the world for females (or would Irina have tied her by 2002?). MK thought she could go it alone and she did not skate her LP very well at all and she was more accomplishd and mature than Pat at 21. Perhaps later in this thread more info as to 'why' comes out but Chan's ubers do him a huge disservice. Hee is not superman. It does seem strange to demote a coach who helped you win two championships. Must be a family unity thing. If Toronto is the city, then Orser is the guy. Kristy is so nice and motherly, I think he needs a butt kick to concentrate, as without clean programs, he has several who could beat him at Sochi. I'd hate to see 'sloppy' Chan win on PCS while falling. We deserve a great, clean Oly Champion. He has enough artistry for the judges. He needs jump consistentcy. Whatever jump coach is known for improving reliability is what Chan needs.

One only need watch "Elegy" to see how elegant he is when he is not skating a maxed out the point CoP program. Whoever can help him get that consistency is who he needs.? Ideas? He takes all season to get consistent. This change might help, but easily could knock him back a peg given the adjustment. I'm surprised, but he has a goal, and apparently Kristy wasn't thought so important as others on his team. The Chan's too nice to fire? How about 'demote?'

Srin Odessa said:

Wait, did our posts just converge for a moment? Should I go see a doctor?

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Sorry about that. I clicked on the wrong button. :

In all seriousness, Patrick's Take-Five isn't one my favorite performances of that song but Lori's design of the program is something to behold. Everything from the varied locations of the technical elements to the high-speed straightline step sequence down the length of the rink is great. You could take the skeleton of that program and make it work for a lot of the other odd ball songs Brubeck performed.

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I wish someone would try Blue Rondo a la Turk in 9/8 time. (Might be too fast, though.

phaeljones said:

As well, I don't think that the Toronto newspapers or the Canadian media really support him. With all due respect to our papers, it barely got mentioned here that he won the worlds. So after the booing, nothing back home.

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Well...to be fair to newspapers/Canadian media, I don't think the lack of media coverage is necessarily indicative of their lack of support for Patrick, but more like the lack of interest for figure skating at this time in Canada in general. In the newspaper I read, Patrick's win in Nice received more or less the same attention as Virtue/Moir's win....that is, half a page of coverage on page 3 of the sports section (pages 1, 2 and the other half of 3 dedicated to hockey, hockey and more hockey as usual). Moreover, Worlds occurs around the end of the NHL's regular season, precisely the time when Canadian sports newspapers/media are very much fond of printing endless NHL playoff speculation-type articles. Newspapers and the media generally focus on what they think people want to read, and as such, in Canada, this means that figure skating takes a backseat to hockey, especially when the NHL playoffs are rearing its head.

People can be cruel, intentionally or unintentionally, especially in the cyber world where we don't show our faces to say whatever we say. On skating boards, there are fans and there are antifans because some people can't be a fan without being an antifan on their idol's behalf. Sometimes people are being smart and discussing with other purposes in mind other than those for the skaters and unfortunately some of them sometimes also forget these skaters are human beings, hard working dedicated talented young people with feelings.

Many skaters are dismissed or ridiculed for their failures, often temporary as they are inevitable along the way, and sometimes in spite of their long hard struggles and fights. Patrick Chan, one of the very favorite targets relentlessly criticized and slandered with false accusations and malicious myths, is extremely successful. Yet it's exactly his success that gets so much derision and dismissal and attracted so many detractors. While other fans declare undying love, adoration for every part of their idol's body and mind, and orgasmic reactions to their skating and mere presence, Chan supporters are often called names and their fandom regarded as marginal, guilty, and necessarily defensive.

Welcome, phaeljones from this other unabashed Chan fan and thank you for championing the public support for Patrick and the "WE LOVE YOU".

And thank you deedee for helping to bridge a language barrier by translating and bringing much information about the much loved Japanese skaters here, and for being always classy. You are a true skating fan, not just a skater fan. Welcome again.

skateluvr said:

I haven't read this whole thread, but to say Patrick "Falling a bit " Chan does not need a coach is crazy. Because MK did it after 4 world championships and right before the Olympics was foolish, and she was a more consistent jumper than anyone in the world for females (or would Irina have tied her by 2002?). MK thought she could go it alone and she did not skate her LP very well at all and she was more accomplishd and mature than Pat at 21. Perhaps later in this thread more info as to 'why' comes out but Chan's ubers do him a huge disservice. Hee is not superman. It does seem strange to demote a coach who helped you win two championships. Must be a family unity thing. If Toronto is the city, then Orser is the guy. Kristy is so nice and motherly, I think he needs a butt kick to concentrate, as without clean programs, he has several who could beat him at Sochi. I'd hate to see sloppy Chan win on PCS whilee falling. He has enough artistry for the judges. He needs jump consistentcy. Whatever jump coach is known for improving reliability is what Chan needs.

One only need watch "Elegy" to see how elegant he is when he is not skating a maxed out the point CoP program. Whoever can help him get that consistency is who he needs. He takes all season to get consistent. This change might help, but easily could knock him back a peg given the adjustment. I'm surprised, but he has a goal, and apparently Kristy wasn't thought so important as others on his team. The Chan's too nice to fire? How about 'dmote?'

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Please put yourself in their shoes. If you are the one paying the bills (in the range of $160 -200K), if you have only two more years to get prepared for the Olympics, if winning a Oly gold medal is something you have been working on since you were a kid, if Patrick is your son, what will you do? Plus, if Patrick is in fact spending more time with Kathy, if she is the one that helps Patrick the most, is it fair not to let her be the primary coach?

We don't know everything that led up to the split and there are quite a few players in the drama. Patrick, at the centre of it, just wants to skate as best he could and keep improving by putting in the hours and the work. This has obviously been painful for him and not a light decision or even his decision. He has gone through a relentlessly tough season and is still motivated to continue with a tough road ahead. As a fan, I can only trust him and his parents for their excellent records of decisions that have worked out well for Patrick, and support him with best wishes for continued success.

Mathman said:

The Mission Impossible theme has the same odd-ball 5/4 rhythm as Take Five. In fact, these are the only two songs I know that have that one-two-three-FOUR-five beat. He's got the program ready-made.

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He's got the costume ready-made as well:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls524vwqeC1qkoueyo1_500.jpg

skatefiguring said:

unfortunately some of them sometimes also forget these skaters are human beings, hard working dedicated talented young people with feelings.

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^Exactly!

SkateFiguring said:

WHOLE POST, especially the following part:

[/B]Welcome, phaeljones from this other unabashed Chan fan and thank you for championing the public support for Patrick and the "WE LOVE YOU".

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:agree:

phaeljones, please accepct a "hearty WELCOME" from me, too!

And, SkateFiguring, thanks a million for welcoming me again.

Now, I am off to Yoyogi! Have a great day, everyone!

Changing coach is always very uncomfortable, especially when it is done toughly as it is with Krall and Patrick ( though officially they parted friendly with best wishes) - she sounds offended and Patrick is clearly hurt..( remembering his moral condition before and in time of WC).

Anyway I do hope he will find a good coach ( not only Kathy) - with all my respect, a champion should have an ice and jump specialist to progress and to loose technique along with a dance teacher.

Wish he will have FUN in Japan and forgets all the pressure and hate remarks. Hope we will see his sweet sparkling personality and trade mark smile very soon !

Welcome to the board, phaeljones!

Mathman--that song is way too fast. Not even the former Israeli ice dancers, Chait/Sakhnovsky could skate that fast!

SF--it's not that Patrick gets ridiculed for his success. Many of us enjoy his skating. It's when uberfans collide that these arguments can get testy. And we're all human; in the end, it's not really the skaters we idolize that we're defending, but our own "ideas."

I love Patrick. But I love Dai, Jeremy, Brian...all 30 of those gentlemen who skated at Worlds taught me something in my own skating. I thank them all for trying, in their own way, to make this sport better than ever.

blue dog said:

it's not really the skaters we idolize that we're defending, but our own "ideas."

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:agree::thumbsup:

skatinginbc said:

his inability to match all choreographed finesse with musical nuances due to timing issues,

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Oh, are we starting this thread all over again?!

Coach Change Evolutionary Process:
Mar 26, 2012: Chan seemed to have been searching for motivation since he easily defeated his toughest rival Daisuke at 4CC. “Things have been pretty up and down since Four Continents,” Chan said. “It’s that time of the year where we’re all looking forward to the season coming to an end.” Yet he found himself having to dig at the task every day. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-finds-motivation-in-us-rival/article2382439/)
Mar 31, 2012: "I’d kind of lost the motivation to train and do this program and ... I almost wanted to quit,” said Chan (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/patrick-chan-parts-ways-with-coach/article2403867/)
Apr 3, 2012: Patrick Chan said, “I’m pretty tired of [training in Colorado Springs]. I want to go somewhere, I want to go away.” (http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/04/03/patrick-chan-using-victories-as-learning-experiences/)
Apr 16, 2012: Skate Canada announced that “Christy Krall and two-time World Champion Patrick Chan have concluded their coaching relationship, following Krall’s indication of her decision to resign from Chan’s coaching team.” (http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012...pion-patrick-chan-is-looking-for-a-new-coach/)
April 19, 2012: Patrick Chan upbeat after coach change (http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Patrick+Chan+upbeat+after+coach+change/6484202/story.html); Patrick Chan says split with figure skating coach Christy Krall part of evolutionary process (http://www.thestar.com/sports/figur...ch-christy-krall-part-of-evolutionary-process)

Christy Krall saw all the signs that Chan wanted a change, just as Brian Orser witnessed Yuna Kim's motivation problem after the Olympics.

So, what exactly is Chan's motivation problem?

1. Winning failed to bring recognition:
Mar 26, 2012: Kurt Browning said, "Chan's victory at the world championships last year in Moscow—an event that was postponed and then moved following the Japan earthquake and tsunami—went largely unrecognized". (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-marvel-at-patrick-chan/article2381507/print/)
Mar 31, 2012: Chan booed as he wins World Championship in Nice. (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/01042012/58/chan-booed-wins-world-championship.html)
"I want to bring more attention to the sport and hopefully, with winning another title, people will pay attention a bit more to how hard we skaters train and how difficult it is to become successful," Chan said. "It's a big motivation for myself in order to change figure skating and put it back on the map." But he didn't. He got booed instead.

2. Winning failed to equate self-actualization:
"Every time I walk on to the ice for a competition, my goal is to do a clean program and to perform my heart out. I get goosebumps..." "Yet he has failed to show off two clean programs in any of the four international competitions he has taken part in." "Rather than experiencing goosebumps, Chan has had to get used to suffering a multitude of bumps and bruises." (http://m.torontosun.com/2012/03/26/chan-to-lead-way-in-quad-fest). The scoring system demands skating smart more than clean and values little details more than holistic impacts. And he has been trained to do just that. ''I skated smart this week,'' Chan said at the Worlds, ''I made sure the little details added up and I still ended up on top.'' “I knew I just had to put out a good strong opening". Despite the botched Axel, and finishing behind his music, Chan wasn’t worried as he skated off the ice.''I knew when I got off the ice, I had won," Chan said. ''I felt like I had won anyway.'' (http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/patrick-chan-wins-2nd-world-172135159--oly.html) Collecting points here and there was neither challenging nor intrinsically motivating for him. Even worse was the tedious daily training to become a point-getting machine.

Interesting stuff. Thank you.

I'm surprised Chan still wants to train in Colorado Springs. The World arena really has a cut throat, unfriendly vibe for singles skaters-no matter who their coach is. (at least that's the reputation it has had)

Please remember to not claim things as fact if you do not have a reputable source to back it up. This is a guideline of GS that has been in place for a very long time. Posts will be unapproved.

From the profile video interview:

Interviewer: Women love you!

True.

Patrick: Mmmmm....And I love them back.

True.

Patrick: Simple as that.

Not so true. Especially if these women, in his personal and professional lives, don't love each other.

Power struggle is very common among people close to a very successful person.

From what I can see, Patrick is going through an emotionally tough time. But it's his life path. There is no wrong or right but how he reacts to events and what he does with them that matter. If he stays the winner that he is, he will rise from difficult experiences and tests to be a better skater and a more mature person.

I wish him strength and positivity for his continued success.

I hope he finds a solid coaching situation and a motivating environment soon. I don't think it's good for him to be adrift without a real skating coach. He needs a good technical coach to keep his quads and 3A under control, so that he can work on other aspects, like performance/music that he craves to improve on so much. I hope that the loss at WTT is going to motivate him and help him find a clear direction, rather than demoralizing him. He's such a talented skater, the most talented man skater I've ever seen. I feel like if he could find the right coaching/choreography/packaging, he could turn into the kind of champion that not only wins over the judges' but also the audience's hearts.