From www.sovsport.ru
Irina Rodnina: What Our Figure Skating lacks is Smart Leadership
24 April
"The aim of the federation's work is to plan and not allow situations where
a sport dies or limps on both legs. Every federation should have plans -
good prospective work, development of coaches, and the implementation of
seminars and sports competitions. We can now observe the results of our
federation's work. The current crisis had to happen, everyone said it 6-8
years ago. There were calls, warnings, statements and articles - but none of
them were heard. Russian figure skating lacks mostly of all smart
leadership. There are more than enough rinks, the government completely
meets its obligations regarding coach and athlete salaries. The only thing
missing is the main thing - a solid plan and concrete work. To blame all of
this on coaches now, is in my view, indecent. Coaches performed their
duties, and athletes showed the result for which they were trained. But no
coach can resolve 18 problems at once! He is working with concrete athlets
and aiming for a specific
result. The resolution of the sport's problems is the purpose of the
federation's existence.
"The federation is a non-governmental organization and the decision as to
its makeup are determined only by its members. You cannot have orders from
above. Now ehter are athletes and coaches, who work with them. The other
issue is that the majority of coaches are pension-age, but the athletes are
very young. It's necessary to find a worthy replacement of such a
distinguished generation of coaches and it will be very difficult. You
cannot realistically make a conveyor of persons. Probalby we wouldn't be so
worried if we knew that there were new young talents coming up. but
unfortunately, today, we don't see much potential." - Irina Rodnina
Maureen ADDS:
In addition, Rodnina criticized Moskvina for teaming Kawaguchi with Smirnov.
"Such a beautiful Russian man should have a Russian partner"... but
"probably Japanese parents pay more for lessons" than Russians could. She
also was pessimistic about Kawaguchi's chance to attain citizenship in time
for Vancouver, "unless she gets married... What's a girl to do?"
BTW, Rodnina is head of a group called "Athletic Russia". It's an NGO, but
intimately connected with Putin's parties. For example, I read in "Gala"
magazine where she said "we gave Sikharulidze" to the United Russia party
and he got the spot on city council. In return for athletes who enter
government, there should be guarantees of government support for sport that
will be lasting after Putin leaves presidency....
Piseev Responds to Rodnina's Comments
24 April
"What else can you expect from Rodnina? One gets the impression that Irina
Konstantinova just was counting down the days for this moment. First she
left for the USA and for some reason thought that without her, our figure
skating would fall apart immediately. It didn't. We held the leadership for
decades. I believe that in coming years we'll return to the pedastal - after
all, Russia has a wonderful school of coaches.
"It's upsetting to me when our coaches here unfair accusations from
Rodnina's lips. In her latest attacks, she even didn't avoid criticizing
Stanislav Zhuk and Tatiana Tarasova. She is trying to make a wedge between
the coaches and federation leadership. I can assure Irina Konstantinova that
it won't work.
"Yes, and she even knows it herself. I respect Irina as a wonderful figure
skating. But sometimes I feel pity for her, really. Her attempts at
administrative, organizational and leadership careers failed. Whatever she
tried, wherever she went, practically nothing ever worked. So how has she
helped this sport? She is just trying to attract publicity for herself
through provocative statemetns. But I am used to them. Yoiu can't expect
anything else from Rodnina. I feel a condescending irony toward many of her
actions."
- Valentin Piseev
Irina Rodnina: What Our Figure Skating lacks is Smart Leadership
24 April
"The aim of the federation's work is to plan and not allow situations where
a sport dies or limps on both legs. Every federation should have plans -
good prospective work, development of coaches, and the implementation of
seminars and sports competitions. We can now observe the results of our
federation's work. The current crisis had to happen, everyone said it 6-8
years ago. There were calls, warnings, statements and articles - but none of
them were heard. Russian figure skating lacks mostly of all smart
leadership. There are more than enough rinks, the government completely
meets its obligations regarding coach and athlete salaries. The only thing
missing is the main thing - a solid plan and concrete work. To blame all of
this on coaches now, is in my view, indecent. Coaches performed their
duties, and athletes showed the result for which they were trained. But no
coach can resolve 18 problems at once! He is working with concrete athlets
and aiming for a specific
result. The resolution of the sport's problems is the purpose of the
federation's existence.
"The federation is a non-governmental organization and the decision as to
its makeup are determined only by its members. You cannot have orders from
above. Now ehter are athletes and coaches, who work with them. The other
issue is that the majority of coaches are pension-age, but the athletes are
very young. It's necessary to find a worthy replacement of such a
distinguished generation of coaches and it will be very difficult. You
cannot realistically make a conveyor of persons. Probalby we wouldn't be so
worried if we knew that there were new young talents coming up. but
unfortunately, today, we don't see much potential." - Irina Rodnina
Maureen ADDS:
In addition, Rodnina criticized Moskvina for teaming Kawaguchi with Smirnov.
"Such a beautiful Russian man should have a Russian partner"... but
"probably Japanese parents pay more for lessons" than Russians could. She
also was pessimistic about Kawaguchi's chance to attain citizenship in time
for Vancouver, "unless she gets married... What's a girl to do?"
BTW, Rodnina is head of a group called "Athletic Russia". It's an NGO, but
intimately connected with Putin's parties. For example, I read in "Gala"
magazine where she said "we gave Sikharulidze" to the United Russia party
and he got the spot on city council. In return for athletes who enter
government, there should be guarantees of government support for sport that
will be lasting after Putin leaves presidency....
Piseev Responds to Rodnina's Comments
24 April
"What else can you expect from Rodnina? One gets the impression that Irina
Konstantinova just was counting down the days for this moment. First she
left for the USA and for some reason thought that without her, our figure
skating would fall apart immediately. It didn't. We held the leadership for
decades. I believe that in coming years we'll return to the pedastal - after
all, Russia has a wonderful school of coaches.
"It's upsetting to me when our coaches here unfair accusations from
Rodnina's lips. In her latest attacks, she even didn't avoid criticizing
Stanislav Zhuk and Tatiana Tarasova. She is trying to make a wedge between
the coaches and federation leadership. I can assure Irina Konstantinova that
it won't work.
"Yes, and she even knows it herself. I respect Irina as a wonderful figure
skating. But sometimes I feel pity for her, really. Her attempts at
administrative, organizational and leadership careers failed. Whatever she
tried, wherever she went, practically nothing ever worked. So how has she
helped this sport? She is just trying to attract publicity for herself
through provocative statemetns. But I am used to them. Yoiu can't expect
anything else from Rodnina. I feel a condescending irony toward many of her
actions."
- Valentin Piseev
