Kim's representatives end Orser's coaching relationship threads merged

[brownfox]

I agree! The fact that Brian, David, Tracy, and Yuna didn't know what was going on is just unbelievable! I don't know much about Yuna's mother...but it seems to me that she is acting very much like a stage mother. Very sad :disapp:

It looks like it would be best if Yuna moves from the club ASAP so everyone can start to move on...

I think she will leave Toronto after her programs are done.

 

[prettykeys]

I agree! The fact that Brian, David, Tracy, and Yuna didn't know what was going on is just unbelievable! I don't know much about Yuna's mother...but it seems to me that she is acting very much like a stage mother. Very sad :disapp:

It looks like it would be best if Yuna moves from the club ASAP so everyone can start to move on...

I read excerpts from a book she wrote, and I know for a fact she's both loving and very protective of YuNa. I am not excusing her behaviour, but I know she would not have done this unless she felt it was better for YuNa. Now the question nagging my mind is: WHY? How could all this be better for YuNa? Not just now, but going forward into the far future, even when YuNa officially, truly retires from skating competition and Orser and the others retire from coaching. It's hurting so many people, it seems.

There are many skating/sports Moms, and there are the Asian ones. (I remember reading some here and there about Michelle's dad.) I am trying hard not to generalize, but while it's true many Asian parents care deeply for their children, they also often take more control than they should. And yes, if this is a case of just that, it's selfish. The parent isn't the only one important to the almost-adult child.

 

[Wicked]

If Yu-Na is retiring, why not just announce that? Why go to the trouble of firing Brian, and doing it rather badly at that? Brian is very popular in his own right, especially in Korea. This murky firing of him risks making Yu-Na look bad.

 

[Cerulean]

If Yu-Na is retiring, why not just announce that? Why go to the trouble of firing Brian, and doing it rather badly at that? Brian is very popular in his own right, especially in Korea. This murky firing of him risks making Yu-Na look bad.

I agree. Something just doesn't make sense but at the end of the day, Ms. Park should have handled things more diplomatically.

 

[i love to skate]

I read excerpts from a book she wrote, and I know for a fact she's both loving and very protective of YuNa. I am not excusing her behaviour, but I know she would not have done this unless she felt it was better for YuNa. Now the question nagging my mind is: WHY? How could all this be better for YuNa? Not just now, but going forward into the far future, even when YuNa officially, truly retires from skating competition and Orser and the others retire from coaching. It's hurting so many people, it seems.

Thanks for the information on her Mom! I too am wondering why? There have been so many articles, so I can't remember where this came from but one article suggested that Yuna's team was not happy that Brian was focusing on other students and they believed that Yuna did not seem to be his top priority anymore. That certainly could have ruffled some feathers. However, with Yuna not doing the Grand Prix and with rampant rumours of possible retirement, it is pretty unrealistic to expect a coach to focus all of his time on just one skater who may or may not be heading into retirement. It simply could not have been handled a million times better from Yuna's team.

Another big question I have is, why is Kwak leaving Brian as well???

There are many skating/sports Moms, and there are the Asian ones. (I remember reading some here and there about Michelle's dad.) I am trying hard not to generalize, but while it's true many Asian parents care deeply for their children, they also often take more control than they should. And yes, if this is a case of just that, it's selfish. The parent isn't the only one important to the almost-adult child.

This is an interesting point as it is similar to the way Patrick Chan left Don Laws. I believe his father was the one to call Don and offer the part time coach idea or whatever it was, I can't remember. Either way, it seems that some skaters let their parents do their "dirty work" so to speak. Many skaters appear to be a bit coddled and I wish they would act like the adults they are in these types of situations.

ETA: I just found this article: http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=gofigure/postid=490058.html
This paragraph certainly made me shake my head. It appears that she does have some stage mother qualities. Poor Aera as well. :disapp::

According to the New York Times, Park monitors Kim's training, records her mistakes, and has forgot her husband's birthday and skipped her older daughters graduation because it conflicted with Yu-Na's competitions.

In the same article, Park acknowledges she suppressed Kim's sister Aera's dreams to be a singer because she wanted to focus the families finances on Yu-Na's skating career

 

[prettykeys]

Thanks for the information on her Mom! I too am wondering why? There have been so many articles, so I can't remember where this came from but one article suggested that Yuna's team was not happy that Brian was focusing on other students and they believed that Yuna did not seem to be his top priority anymore. That certainly could have ruffled some feathers. However, with Yuna not doing the Grand Prix and with rampant rumours of possible retirement, it is pretty unrealistic to expect a coach to focus all of his time on just one skater who may or may not be heading into retirement. It simply could not have been handled a million times better from Yuna's team.

Yup...I must admit I was getting concerned with Brian taking on a lot of students, but I totally understood his point of view: YuNa needed rest, and he's been in high demand. I am so grateful for his loyalty to YuNa for so long: he turned down Carolina Kostner and Mao Asada because they were YuNa's competitors. I do not believe he was trying to give "everyone a fair share of their time"; I truly believe YuNa has always been his top priority. Even when she was his main skater, he was getting requests on coaching.

Another big question I have is, why is Kwak leaving Brian as well???

Now that skater, I am pretty sure she was with Brian mostly to be around YuNa. Sounds bad to put it that way, but that's how I always saw it.

This is an interesting point as it is similar to the way Patrick Chan left Don Laws. I believe his father was the one to call Don and offer the part time coach idea or whatever it was, I can't remember. Either way, it seems that some skaters let their parents do their "dirty work" so to speak. Many skaters appear to be a bit coddled and I wish they would act like the adults they are in these types of situations.

ETA: I just found this article: http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=gofigure/postid=490058.html
This paragraph certainly made me shake my head. It appears that she does have some stage mother qualities. Poor Aera as well. :disapp::

I don't know Patrick Chan too well, so perhaps that was a case of him getting his Dad to carry out his message...but in YuNa's case, the jury is still out about who decided on the message for the Mom to deliver.

The article puts a very negative slant on the mother. The passage where she described Aera's singing ambitions said that the mother was concerned and told Aera that "there are many good singers." (i.e. she did not think it was very feasible to succeed, whereas YuNa was already establishing herself in skating.) Then she wrote about going into a karaoke room with Aera one day, and being shocked at how good Aera's singing was, and wondering, horrified, whether she had too much neglected Aera. Other than that, she did once forget her husband's birthday, missed Aera's graduation, sometimes forgot to cook the rice in the rice cooker, even. Hmm, I don't think these things on their own make for a "bad, skating-obsessed mother".

And trust me, the coddling is ANNOYING. It took me until my 20's to convince myself that I knew more than my parents (mom) about where I wanted to go and how to get there. Up until that time, the whole concept of familial hierarchy is very strong, especially since I was naturally a very passive child (a little surprising when you read some of my posts here, no? ) I had to learn to be assertive, which required me to pretty much turn my known world upside-down.

"I know better." That is HARD, especially when you've been raised being told your elders know best.

Imagine YuNa, whose success truly is in large part because of her mother, and whose life has mostly been around skating. How does one expect her to rebel against her now? She has probably almost always deferred to her Mom.

 

[SailorGalaxia518]

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Check this out

 

[prettykeys]

A. At that time there was no one who cared (about) Yuna. (Choreographer) David Wilson was the only one with whom we can discuss this matter. We had to make a decision by ourselves.

That is SUCH a dirty lieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Who would believe such a thing? Give us a break. Shut up, agent. And it makes me mad that they are suggesting Brian is a liar. Oh sure, he didn't care about YuNa...

 

[i love to skate]

The article puts a very negative slant on the mother. The passage where she described Aera's singing ambitions said that the mother was concerned and told Aera that "there are many good singers." (i.e. she did not think it was very feasible to succeed, whereas YuNa was already establishing herself in skating.) Then she wrote about going into a karaoke room with Aera one day, and being shocked at how good Aera's singing was, and wondering, horrified, whether she had too much neglected Aera. Other than that, she did once forget her husband's birthday, missed Aera's graduation, sometimes forgot to cook the rice in the rice cooker, even. Hmm, I don't think these things on their own make for a "bad, skating-obsessed mother".

Again, I don't know much about the mother but missing your daughter's graduation is pretty bad, I have to say. There are a lot of competitions in a skater's life but a graduation is so very important as it is a mark of accomplishment and success. One competition could have been missed as Yuna has (had) a great team behind her. Family should be present at a graduation.

I always feel for siblings who have a very talented sister or brother, as they are often tossed to the side and in some cases, forced to fend for themselves. If I was Aera, I think I would feel major resentment.

Imagine YuNa, whose success truly is in large part because of her mother, and whose life has mostly been around skating. How does one expect her to rebel against her now? She has probably almost always deferred to her Mom.

Yes, this is a bad situation for Yuna to be. Hopefully she will be able to take control and make some of her decisions in the future. Growing up is very hard!

Just read the interview with agent and I am not at all happy about this part:

Q. He thinks that it would be better for everyone if she no longer trains at the Cricket Club. Will she be leaving?

A. No decision has been made. We don't want to leave in a quick manner. We just focus on Yuna's schedule

I think it would be beneficial for everyone involved to leave the Cricket Club. Honestly, if she does not have a coach at the Club and the majority of the coaches and choreographers feel disrespected, I can't see any good coming from her staying there. It also places more unneeded distractions on the younger skaters who are competing this coming season.

 

[janetfan]

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Check this out

Not exactly the most impressive interview.
Wonder why they agreed to it if they wouldn't give more forthright (or believable) answers?

Choi claims Yuna knows the reasons and leads one to believe Yuna wanted to split.
I wonder if Yuna is even allowed to discusss it since she may have not been permitted to even answer Orser's emails.

Every skater has the right to change coaches and hope this will work out for the best for everyone involved. It would be ashame for a four year relationship, often described as "magical" to end on such a low note.

 

[aftertherain]

That is SUCH a dirty lieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Who would believe such a thing? Give us a break. Shut up, agent. And it makes me mad that they are suggesting Brian is a liar. Oh sure, he didn't care about YuNa...

Oh yeah, he sure neglected her for four years.

I'm guessing he started to devote more time to his other students, but would it be so wrong for him to do so? Yuna's already Olympic Champion; it would be terrible to neglect his (other) developing skaters ...

 

[prettykeys]

Oh yeah, he sure neglected her for four years.

I'm guessing he started to devote more time to his other students, but would it be so wrong for him to do so? Yuna's already Olympic Champion; it would be terrible to neglect his (other) developing skaters ...

I'm very bothered about the cold terms of the disengagement...and how hurt Brian sounds. If YuNa or her mother were concerned about an issue, such as too many students...I find it extremely hard to believe Brian would not have accommodated them if their concerns were voiced. Something seems lost in translation. And I hate how the agent replied. It looks dishonest and sounds accusing.

 

[miki88]

I saw this at ontd_skating. Apparently Yuna updated her Twitter with a new comment about Brian. http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_skating/754513.html It's so shocking that I am not sure if she really wrote it. It seems so out of character.

 

[i love to skate]

Is this her real twitter??? http://twitter.com/yunaaaa

Would you please stop to tell a lie, B? I know exactly what's going on now and this is what I've DECIDED.

If so, I just lost a lot of respect for her...

 

[stevlin]

Yuna leaves Orser

Is it because Orser wanted Yuna to learn the triple axel? Yuna is a great skater but her layback spin is of low quality. Her leg off the ice just hangs there like a capital L . After all he has done for her, she is leaving him. Shame.:disapp:

 

[prettykeys]

Oh, WHAM. I just got knocked in my face.

So it was her decision.

 

[PolymerBob]

If YuNa or her mother were concerned about an issue, such as too many students...I find it extremely hard to believe Brian would not have accommodated them if their concerns were voiced.

Brian has students in the Senior Grand Prix, and the Junior Grand Prix, which starts in 2 days. Yu-Na's next event is Worlds next March. I am sure Yu-Na will understand why Brian would spend more time with other students.

Is this her real twitter??? http://twitter.com/yunaaaa

If so, I just lost a lot of respect for her...

Oh, WHAM. I just got knocked in my face.

So it was her decision.

I am not sure if that is Yu-Na's Twitter. And if it is, it may not be Yu-Na at the keyboard.

 

[dorispulaski]

well, PChiddy is definitely Patrick Chan--and some of the other twitterers she's talking to are reall skaters. It could well be Yu Na.

 

[SerpentineSteps]

Brian has students in the Senior Grand Prix, and the Junior Grand Prix, which starts in 2 days. Yu-Na's next event is Worlds next March. I am sure Yu-Na will understand why Brian would spend more time with other students.





I am not sure if that is Yu-Na's Twitter. And if it is, it may not be Yu-Na at the keyboard.

I'm just hoping that her management (i.e. her mother) will realize how much of a PR disaster this is becoming for her, and will step away from her position. Knowing Asian parents' pride, though, this is unlikely (or maybe that's just me being pessimistic after facing my Asian parents' pride... *sighs*)

 

[Mrs. P]

well, PChiddy is definitely Patrick Chan--and some of the other twitterers she's talking to are reall skaters. It could well be Yu Na.

I'm still skeptical. Yuna has barely used her Twitter account in the last months and suddenly she decides to post today? And does Brian Orser have Twitter? If not, then why bother?

I wouldn't be surprised if her mom (or her agent) knew her password and just wrote it FOR her and trying to make it like it came from her.

This whole thing just seems so out of whack.