Patrick Chan announces new coaching team

[Meoima]

Skate Canada Press Release

OTTAWA,ON: PatrickChan, 25, Toronto, Ont., will be working with a new coaching team thisseason. Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein and Johnny Johns will make up Chan’scoaching team. He will train in Canton, Michigan at the Arctic Edge Arena.

“Iam excited to be working with Marina, Oleg and Johnny. They each bring so muchto the table and have such a rich history of coaching world and Olympiccompetitors in all the disciplines. I am looking forward to the season aheadand my first event the Finlandia Trophy in just a couple weeks,” said PatrickChan.

InAugust, Chan and his previous coach Kathy Johnson ended their skater-coachpartnership after four years working together.
Chan’sfirst grand prix of the season will be SkateCanada International and it will also be his first event on Canadian soil thisseason. The event takes place from October 27-30, 2016 in Mississauga at theHershey Centre.

 

[tulosai]

Interesting news indeed...

 

[Meoima]

Interesting news indeed...

I wonder what Zueva will say in interviews about Patrick. He doesn't have "deep blue eyes" like SinKat...

 

[HanDomi]

well... what to say, hmm, ehm ? hmm , I don't know

 

[Mrs. P]

And I guess the Shibutanis will learn how to do triple Axels by season's end? Sorry couldn't resist.

Also he's going back to Detroit? After all the work to move AWAY from Detroit? Is the school in Vancouver not happening anymore?

 

[Violet Bliss]

You go boy, Patrick! Continue with you unconventional choices of coaches in congruence to your skating objectives. Disappoint and surprise those with ready advice to go for the hot coach du jour or the jump coach that they think you desperately need.

I've long thought he's almost an Ice dancer with jumps as his partner.

 

[tulosai]

Had Marina actually ever coached or choreographed for men??

 

[Crossover]

I wonder what Zueva will say in interviews about Patrick. He doesn't have "deep blue eyes" like SinKat...

He has "bright brown eyes" instead.

 

[tulosai]

I wonder what Zueva will say in interviews about Patrick. He doesn't have "deep blue eyes" like SinKat...

Comically enough I think she'll say similar things about him as she said about SinKats minus the eyes...

'The fastest in the world today'
'The deepest edges in the world today'

etc etc

 

[Mrs. P]

Had Marina actually ever coached or choreographed for men??

She's choreographed programs for Takahiko Kozuka and a few other men.

ETA: She choreographed his FS from 2011, when he won the silver World medal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZb1gr5g61g

 

[solani]

I'm sure his SS aren't going to decline in the near future. And Marina in the coaching zone with him? Priceless. :agree:

 

[Sydney Rose]

well... what to say, hmm, ehm ? hmm , I don't know

Don't say anything. Trust me on this.

 

[jcoates]

TSL hinted at this in last week's This and That. It'll be interesting to see if Marina has any measurable success with Patrick. If so, will other men move to her? She's coached or choreographed Olympic champs in pairs and dance. Can she eventually do the same in singles?

 

[Mrs. P]

TSL hinted at this in last week's This and That. It'll be interesting to see if Marina has any measurable success with Patrick. If so, will other men move to her? She's coached or choreographed Olympic champs in pairs and dance. Can she eventually do the same in singles?

Getting over my "What?" reaction, I'm quite interested to see how this partnership will work.

FWIW: I do think there are singles coaches at Arctic Edge. Patrick can always go and work with a technical coach if that's needed, either at Arctic or somewhere else (Toronto/Montreal isn't that far, relatively speaking).

I would also be interested to see what sort of training dynamic Patrick will bring to a stable of Ice Dancers. It's not foreign to him given that he was at DSC with Weaver/Poje et. al., but there were also a lot of elite singles skaters there, which I don't think is the case at Arctic Edge.

 

[mcq]

I actually think this is a good arrangement considering the circumstances.

 

[tulosai]

Yes I honestly do think this will be interesting... after all who could really have anticipated her success coaching ice dancers, until she had it? (Though of course I do imagine Igor helped, you know, a little )

 

[Chemistry66]

I saw "Patrick has announce his.." on the "Last Post" column on the main forum page and my brain filled in "Retirement" and then I got really confused. Whoops.

 

[Krunchii]

Isn't Yuka Sato still at the Detroit Skating Club? Couldn't he have worked with her or is she not coaching?

Casually optimistic for now, honestly for w while I expected him to go coachless in Vancouver.

 

[StitchMonkey]

I just love this. He picks a dancer as a coach, his fans say he needs a "real coach"... he parts way with dance coach... gets a "real ice dancing coach" I just love this.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Isn't Yuka Sato still at the Detroit Skating Club? Couldn't he have worked with her or is she not coaching?

Casually optimistic for now, honestly for w while I expected him to go coachless in Vancouver.

He probably liked the environment at Canton and got along with the coaching staff when he trained there over the off-season. Maybe they're all on the same page as to how he should train. Plus having multiple coaches work on individual things is probably what Patrick wanted all along.