- Joined
- Apr 9, 2016
I believe there is also a physical issue with boys, though you could attribute it to lack of patience as well in a way. Eteri's method is if a skater makes a mistake on a jump, they get to repeat it over and over till they get it right. It seems that once it comes to boys and quads, this stands a good chance of overloading one's back. The load requires a more careful dosing and distribution. Eteri also seems to prefer making skaters work really hard on jumps on the ice to more intensive off-ice training. Which also might not be as well-suited to boys and quads.Survival of the fittest, sink or swim, etc. If you're weak, you leave. It's the same system Soviet pairs skaters had, and in other Soviet sports during the Cold War era, now being applied to ladies in this one coach's rink. Eteri uses the state-funded system to its maximum potential, whereas other top Russian coaches have, at least in the past few decades, tended more towards smaller camps with more individualized treatment (thinking now of Moskvina and Mishin).
This, in combination with Eteri's maximization of the system as CanadianSkaterGuy already described above, makes it happen. You can be a points genius all you want, but if you're coaching in the US or Canada, you won't have the dozens of children whose families can afford it (and who you as a coach can afford to turn away if they sink instead of swim) with grit + talent to fill your rink.
Eteri's system doesn't work with men because men take more time to cultivate, and Eteri just flat-out doesn't have patience for it. Girls mentally mature faster. For whatever reason (it would be interesting if someone can explain why), younger-than-senior boys are just plain not capable of hitting level 4s on their steps and spins, whereas for girls it is necessary to win, as well as to make it in Eteri's camp. Junior men look awkward and sloppy, but junior girls are tiny and fast and confident - they hit those levels, even if they look sloppy or awkward doing it.
I think if Eteri had more patience she could make her system work for boys.