Which skaters would have achieved more with less "involved" parents?

[Tutto]

No, I don't, but I also have not seen evidence of any reason for her to do so. Until then, I'd rather not speculate about someone's relationship with their mother.

I think Sasha's relationship with her mother was great, it was her mother's relationship with Tarasova that did not work out, unfortunately for Sasha's career. Parents need to recognise the moment when they should step aside.

 

[Thrashergurl]

I'm thinking Surya would have been a world champion if her mom had found her an amazing coach...

Michelle Kwan could have been an Olympic champion if Danny had agreed to let her be coached..

Sacha Cohen also underachieved, I believe her mom was never happy with the coaches

Lucinda Riu had a terrible time with her mom..

To me Pat Lipinski was a great skater parent, Tara always looked happy, huge sacrifices paid off but making it was all timing.

The Russian parents seem away more disconnected & from following interviews it seems they let everything to the coach... Maybe Western countries should learn from this.

Pat Lipinski—the same Pat Lipinski who reminded Tara that the long program at Nagano was on her birthday and told her not to fall on mommy’s birthday?

Yep. That’s level headed and no pressure.

 

[tafattsbarn]

Honestly i think Yuzuru Hanyu's parents (mother especially as she is who was and is with him at training and competitions) are excellent examples of good skating parents. They're very hands off about the training itself and trusts Yuzuru and his coaches in that department, but his mom seems very close by and like a strong pillar of support in other aspects of the sport. I think it really strengthens and builds confidence when the skater is left with a certain degree of autonomy over their careers, even at young ages, and you can see that very clearly with Yuzuru.

Then again, Yuzuru has enough passion and dedication to the sport for 30 skaters combined, and i think it would've been next to scary had his parents shared his obsession with it and his goals :'>

 

[theblade]

Yuzuru seems to push himself in an almost pure exploration of sport and it's boundaries. Few skaters have his discipline or his particular journey.

So much of high-level training (art, music, sport) has a "don't know what you got 'til it's go-oone" element to it. The kid who begged their parents to quit piano, only to regret it later with the passing of time. It can be hard for developing minds to put in the effort needed to be the best of the best. Raw physical talent is important, but only the most strong-minded make it to the end. (Luck/fate plays a role, too.)

 

[mrrice]

The bluntness of that ballet instructor is commendable and humane (although not everyone might think so). Ballet is a real grinder, and finding the right school for a dancer is key to their enjoyment of the sport. I've read enough stories online about studio dramas that almost makes figure skating look tame!

There are coaches (in any artistic sport) with a full slate of students - some of whom merely fill a slot in the schedule to maximize profits. If parents are okay with that, so be it.

When parents foot the bill, the transition from talented skater to elite-trained skater is difficult. There's a lot of mistakes that can be made, and coulda-shoulda-woulda thoughts after the fact. It's hard when a skater's needs change, and the coaching needs to change with it. Often, it's an emotional process, which complicates things further.

This is an absolute fact. As long as you're happy with your local studio, you'll be fine. However, once you go to a real ballet school, the price can jump 10 fold. The better you get, the more expensive it becomes. First, You'll need your own choreographer. Then you add costuming, travel, food, and Hotel costs to each competition and it adds up quickly. Even when I was young, a season could cost 5000 dollars. Not much by today's standards but, in the 70's when I started, that was a LOT of money. We had a big family and these expenses for a pre-teen were stressful on our family.