- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
Rumours, rumours.
Even if Mishin tried to have Kolyada as a student I doubt that anyone can suppose that Mishin's bitter about not having him. I think that Mishin can appreciate a loyal student. And he tried to not raise expectations on Kolyada when he said that he didn't think that he was being able to do a clean long. And he said that Kolyada is a difficult student, maybe he's even happy about not having him in his group. Who knows. But the figure skating clubs/coaches in St. Petersburg seem to be close, so I don't think that there's bad blood between them. Mishin complimenting Chebotareva says everything I think.
And to a man like Mishin every guy below the age of 30 is a boy I think. You shouldn't hold that against him.
Well, Mishin didn't call Kovtun a boy, didn't he?
But I agree this doesn't matter - Mishin is known for his 'peculiarities'. I recently read an interview with Alexei Urmanov and he was recalling how Mishin used to address him: You, boy, come here (something to this effect I must dig it out again) and Urmanov after suffering in silence for a long time eventually exploded and said: 'I have a name! I am Alexei.' Mishin was stunned but called him by name since then.You are wrong though on other point. Mishin has always preferred his students from difficult backgrounds. He circled the provinces looking for prospective students (wasn't it how he met Plushenko & Liza Tukt?) Here is his very recent interview:
http://mir24.tv/news/sport/14178477
'The biggest successes I have achieved were with hooligan boys who violated the regime, sometimes behaved terribly. Because the boys and girls who till 15 years old walk holding their mother's hand, can not go to the arena and confront the world. The element of hooliganism and disobedience is a testament to the strong nature and strong soul that not easily influenced. Such people are the richest arsenal of coaching.'
And I agree that the figure skating community of St Petersburg is small and appears to be close. That's why I felt that Mishin's comments were out of place. He could have said something like: well done Misha for saving 2 spots. Considering how important Mika's success is to to St Petersburg's FS.
BTW I am not saying that Mika is difficult student but he did go through the usual teenage phase of being disobedient and even rude. He was very open & honest about. Please see Vorravorra's post above with a link to his interview. But it was what it was - the phase he grew out of. Valentina has nothing but praise for him both as a student and a person.
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I've been following him since COR and was so happy he was chosen to go to worlds. I made sure to get there in time for the start of the men's SP since he was 2nd to skate, lol! He exceeded all my expectations...the fact that his SP scores held up the entire evening and put him in the last group is a testament to how brilliantly he skated. The judges had no choice but to reward him! He's very charismatic live, and his style stands out - not balletic at all, yet he has a unique combination of graceful (and powerful) athleticism and artistry. I would definitely have had him in third - Mikhail's FP was so superior to Jin's as a complete package, but I guess the judges felt compelled to reward Jin's multiple quads. I had a good view of the K&C for the FS and saw when his coach kissed him on the cheek - it was adorable, they were both so happy! I hope the new attention and pressure doesn't get to him, and that he continues to focus and do what clearly has been working for him!:luv17:
) that he doesn't like pampered students and that the best students have a strong will and that they don't back down. That "hooligan" translation doesn't sit well with me. I don't know if you understand Russian, I don't and I think that sometimes the translations, even the non-automatic translations aren't very good. 
