If you have followed the careers of Johnny Weir and Ashley Wagner, you probably have noticed that Priscilla Hill has helped both of them to develop into not only technically competent but also artistically refined skaters. However, despite that accomplishment, Priscilla Hill hasn' t been able to attract many elite skaters. That's a shame because some of these skaters could really improve under her guidance. Perhaps the reason for her failure to make elite skaters consider her is her lack of name recognition. The other possible reason is that both of her top students have chosen to leave her for another coach.
Priscilla Hill
- Thread starter krenseby
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
She's coaching Armin Mahbanoozadeh now, who is an up and comer... except that he seems to be going downhill. What happened to him?
Priscilla is interesting as a coach. She has a tendency to be both a coach and a friend to her skaters. That can be good for some personality types who need less rigidity and structure and more nurturing. However, sometimes such an affable relationship structure can become too comfortable and lead to results that plateau. That was what I gathered was the situation with Johnny. They were together so long that things got stale and he was not growing. He needed a coach who could still be nurturing but could also be more of a taskmaster when necessary. I think he found that in Galina. In Ashley's case, she is such a free spirit and so flighty that she needs someone who can literally dictate ever aspect of her training to her. I think Mr. Nicks is a much better fit for that role. There was a time when she needed Priscilla's reassuring manner because she put so much pressure on herself. But I think she needs more now.
Ironically, Priscilla was very much the Ashley Wagner of her time as a competitor. She was always in the running at Nationals and medaled numerous times. She had a few chances to win, but always fell short. She had pretty decent jumps, but was an inconsistent competitor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioAg5bbd58M&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLE1028F790C42D821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHEz5iYrGhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ48XJutjm8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8jJ9qCjrM&feature=related
Ironically, Priscilla was very much the Ashley Wagner of her time as a competitor. She was always in the running at Nationals and medaled numerous times. She had a few chances to win, but always fell short. She had pretty decent jumps, but was an inconsistent competitor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioAg5bbd58M&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLE1028F790C42D821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHEz5iYrGhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ48XJutjm8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8jJ9qCjrM&feature=related
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
I thought the progress Ashley showed right after going to Priscilla was remarkable, esp. her Somewhere in Time program. And Armin's 2010-2011 breakout season was great. I'm not sure when he moved to Priscilla.
Priscilla's own experiences as an athlete, from what I recall, were so unique in many ways. If I recall correctly, she was the youngest to ever pass her senior tests (figures, free) and in being so exceptionally young (12?) had an atypical rise through the sport. Given how precocious she was, she probably did not achieve all of the competitive success that might have been envisioned for her originally. I recall she did make the 1981 World team, with Elaine Zayak, as Lise Marie Allen surprisingly crumbled at Nationals when it was finally her "turn."
As a coach, she does seem to have uniquely close relationships with her skaters. Ones which almost seem to blur the lines between athlete and friend, almost into the big sister type zone. In some instances, I can see how this can be very welcoming for a skater maybe transitioning from life "at home" with traditional parents, to one at a training center like the one in Delaware. That said, when it becomes time for a firmer hand and the discipline of a task master, this dynamic seems to have its vulnerabilities.
One thing that I always find remarkable actually, is when skaters spend almost the entirety of their careers with a single coach. That is rare and wonderful when it can evolve in parallel with the needs of the skater through each step. An exceptional example of this in my mind was Brian Boitano and Linda Leaver. With Priscilla Hill, I suspect she has a profoundly positive impact on skaters when they work with her, but the profile that she is most comfortable with and the dyanmic that comes naturally to her, don't seem to be ones which suit a majority of skaters, for an extended enough period of time for them to stay.
For Ashley, I love the no-nonsense dynamic that she seems to have with "Mr Nicks" Priscilla had her own influences which Ashley takes with her, as each of her athletes have.
As a coach, she does seem to have uniquely close relationships with her skaters. Ones which almost seem to blur the lines between athlete and friend, almost into the big sister type zone. In some instances, I can see how this can be very welcoming for a skater maybe transitioning from life "at home" with traditional parents, to one at a training center like the one in Delaware. That said, when it becomes time for a firmer hand and the discipline of a task master, this dynamic seems to have its vulnerabilities.
One thing that I always find remarkable actually, is when skaters spend almost the entirety of their careers with a single coach. That is rare and wonderful when it can evolve in parallel with the needs of the skater through each step. An exceptional example of this in my mind was Brian Boitano and Linda Leaver. With Priscilla Hill, I suspect she has a profoundly positive impact on skaters when they work with her, but the profile that she is most comfortable with and the dyanmic that comes naturally to her, don't seem to be ones which suit a majority of skaters, for an extended enough period of time for them to stay.
For Ashley, I love the no-nonsense dynamic that she seems to have with "Mr Nicks" Priscilla had her own influences which Ashley takes with her, as each of her athletes have.
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2011
I recall that Priscilla Hill, as a competitor, won the silver medal at the 1981 US Nationals and competed at the World Championships that year. She was an expert in the compulsory school figures but less talented as a free skater. Her skating tended to be somewhat "stiff" and not very expressive, at least compared to some of the other women who competed in her era. Priscilla turned professional after the 1982 US Nationals, in which she failed to make the US World Team, and she skated for Ice Capades as a featured skater for several years. I saw one of the shows she skated in, and she skated a solo number very well.
While I do not know whether or not she had an overly friendly coach-skater relationship, she did appear to be a supportive, caring person who truly had the best interests of her skaters. One of the posters commented that, perhaps, Johnny Weir, who had been a longtime pupil of Hill's, had reached a plateau where he just stopped improving and growing as a skater. That probably happened, and it's of no fault to anybody. It's just the way things evolve -- sometimes change is best avenue.
While I do not know whether or not she had an overly friendly coach-skater relationship, she did appear to be a supportive, caring person who truly had the best interests of her skaters. One of the posters commented that, perhaps, Johnny Weir, who had been a longtime pupil of Hill's, had reached a plateau where he just stopped improving and growing as a skater. That probably happened, and it's of no fault to anybody. It's just the way things evolve -- sometimes change is best avenue.
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