Adam Rippon Makes Coaching Change - NOT an April Fool's thread

[ProgramerUSFS]

That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen or read. Orser coached the reigning Olympic champion to World and Olympic titles. He's more than a capable coach. So what if it isn't working with Adam, or stopped working with Yu-na. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Now is Brian the bestest coach ever? I'm not so sure about that. Just as I'm not sure that Yuka and Jason are the bestest of coaches ever either. I don't think the success of one student proves that. It takes time and practice to be great at anything.

Its a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on Christina to say she proves whether or not Brian's a great coach. Talent matters too. You could be the best coach in the world but if the other coach has the better or more driven skater, well...The only thing Brian or Christina can control is Christina's skating. They can't control how good someone like Adelina is going to be.

Nicely said

[ros01]

Orser could be the worst coach in the world and he would still have been an Olympic gold medalist's coach, not to mention a double silver medalist himself, and well loved in the skating community. If he ends up not having a big coaching career, I'm sure he'll be fine, as he wasn't looking for one when Yuna and her mother showed up. Anyway, Adam's statement was very gracious, and I hope things work out for him. I don't want him to be one of those skaters who gets constant if-onlys and might-have-beens.

[amaro]

That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen or read. Orser coached the reigning Olympic champion to World and Olympic titles. He's more than a capable coach. So what if it isn't working with Adam, or stopped working with Yu-na. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

Now is Brian the bestest coach ever? I'm not so sure about that. Just as I'm not sure that Yuka and Jason are the bestest of coaches ever either. I don't think the success of one student proves that. It takes time and practice to be great at anything.

Its a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on Christina to say she proves whether or not Brian's a great coach. Talent matters too. You could be the best coach in the world but if the other coach has the better or more driven skater, well...The only thing Brian or Christina can control is Christina's skating. They can't control how good someone like Adelina is going to be.

Really? FOA, I am not sure what you mean by "Bestest". Best among the best coaches perhaps? No one is putting any pressure on Christina. She was one pumped up lady ready to work her butt off last time I read her interviews and I hope she doesn't go through a coach change since transition takes a lot of costly effort. It is Brian who probably feels pressure because he couldn't have missed critics of his coaching ability doubting how much contribution he actually made toward Yuna's win at the Olympics given that Yuna was already a star with all her technicality (Brian repeatedly acknowledged that she was already technically complete before he became her coach) when she picked him as his coach. Now Adam does not have a consistent 3A after having been coached by Brian for two years, he dropped Brian and now seeks a full technical assistance from his former assistant coach. That surely doesn't send a rosy signal to those outside the club about how Adam perceives of Brian's coaching ability. Now Christina has been under Brian's tutelage for a while, but still no sign of significant improvement on her 3 Lutz and jump consistency. If he wants to be taken seriously as a technical coach to his critics, he should be able to demonstrate his ability to guide a skater to making a significant technical improvement on his/her weak skills, and I haven't seen him accomplishing that so far.

[overedge]

No I think it would be still uncomfortable no matter what the reason for Adam's dropping Orser was. There would be very few cases in which having to watch his former student consulting a junior coach full time for jumping techniques is not awkward.

You talk like you know a lot about how relationships between skaters and coaches work. What you actually say shows that you really don't know much about it at all. There are many coaches who get along just fine with their former students and with their former student's new coach. Until you have some reliable information (and not just speculation that you are pulling out of your *ss) about Orser and Rippon's feelings toward each other, maybe you should just leave this topic alone.

[amaro]

Maybe Brian and Adam parted on good terms, with a clear understanding of why Adam was moving on, and both are being mature and professional about the change. And Brian would feel OK watching Adam having productive sessions with another coach at the same rink.

And this is a novella you pulled out of your a*s. Where did you get the information that backs your speculation? I am just following the herd. Look, if a bit of speculating from others gets to you so much, perhaps you should stop reading the posts and leave the thread.

[overedge]

Where did you get the information that backs your speculation? I am just following the herd.

"Following the herd" that blindly believes everything Camp Yu-Na said about Orser and inferring from that (alleged) scenario that Orser is mean to all his skaters and a terrible coach, hence Rippon leaving him as well

In case you haven't noticed, Rippon is not Yu-na, and the fact that Yu-na left Orser means that....Yu-na left Orser. Nothing more, nothing less. The *factual* information that I'm basing my suggestions on is that many coaches and skaters break up with no bad feelings, and there certainly wasn't any exodus of skaters from the Cricket Club once Yu-na took her single tear down to LA. Both these facts seem to have escaped you, but then they wouldn't help you paint Orser as the villain you think he is.

[os168]

Well given both parties belong to IMG, it is hardly surprising the PR side would work out much more smoothly this time round. (Although lack of kind words or best wishes from Brian's side would seem to indicate something else.)

Adam is a young gifted skater with wonderful potentials, and I am glad he is courageous enough to take new directions to try to fix whatever that is not working.

Best luck Adam, I hope to see you next year represent the US along with Jeremy. (& please grow back your gorgeous magic golden curls, love them to bits!)

[reese]

Best luck Adam, I hope to see you next year represent the US along with Jeremy. (& please grow back your gorgeous magic golden curls, love them to bits!)

I agree. And Adam's hair at 4CC was the real tragedy of this season, imo.

[lowtherlore]

I have a feeling that Rippon might be headed to another club and coach soon, regardless of how the split went. It would be better for him to have a change of scene.

Speaking of Gao, given her growth spurt, I think she actually had a decent season, though it was not up to the expectations of many. She could have done better at JWC, had she had a better warm-up before the final skate. She took a couple of really hard falls during the warm-up, and looked like it knocked the wind out of her and she was the first to skate in the final group. She seems to be in rapport with Orser, has big jumps, and when she get her axels stabilized she would be a contender for US title and Worlds podium for many seasons to come. But that’s if she overcome further growth spurt. Judging from her upper and lower body proportion, she seems still growing.

wow, so many Yunabots in here.

No matter what you want to call them, they are the fans. Be prepared to see more and more after each season, as you would expect the same with your favorite skaters. Isn’t it great?

[pinky166]

Speaking of Gao, given her growth spurt, I think she actually had a decent season, though it was not up to the expectations of many. She could have done better at JWC, had she had a better warm-up before the final skate. She took a couple of really hard falls during the warm-up, and looked like it knocked the wind out of her and she was the first to skate in the final group. She seems to be in rapport with Orser, has big jumps, and when she get her axels stabilized she would be a contender for US title and Worlds podium for many seasons to come. But that’s if she overcome further growth spurt. Judging from her upper and lower body proportion, she seems still growing.

I agree with this and hope she stays with Orser at least through next season when she finally makes her senior debut. Also, it's possible that Christina might just be very long legged naturally. Yuna's lower body is much longer than her upper body, and she stopped growing a while ago.

[amaro]

I saw this a while ago and now a post at GSF brought my attention back to this: Adam said in an interview w/ Universal Sports that he called Ghislain Briand after his LP at 4CC 2011 and Ghislain talked to Adam about his skate and gave him words of encouragement. Taking it together with the interaction between Brian and Adam seen at the K&C zone, Adam's decision of leaving Brian for Ghislain makes sense to me now.

http://www.universalsports.com/video...a44314d8f.html

[kittyjake5]

I agree. And Adam's hair at 4CC was the real tragedy of this season, imo.

I hear ya. I loved Adam's curly hair.

[lakewood]

You talk like you know a lot about how relationships between skaters and coaches work. What you actually say shows that you really don't know much about it at all. There are many coaches who get along just fine with their former students and with their former student's new coach. Until you have some reliable information (and not just speculation that you are pulling out of your *ss) about Orser and Rippon's feelings toward each other, maybe you should just leave this topic alone.

Wasn't it you who talked like you know a lot about what happened to YuNa and Brian?

they wouldn't help you paint Orser as the villain you think he is.

I remember how you tried to paint YuNa as the bad girl you think she is.

[berthesghost]

Orser could be the worst coach in the world and he would still have been an Olympic gold medalist's coach

Oh, I thought this title was owned by Robin

[Leeedward]

Yeah, when Kwan left Frank, his coaching career went kaput and he hasn't had another good skater since.

Hmmm! I thought the reigning Olympic men's gold medalist was Frank's skater! In fact Lysacek represents Frank's FIRST--and only--Olympic gold medalist.....Hardly a career gone kaput!!!

[DickButtonFan]

Hmmm! I thought the reigning Olympic men's gold medalist was Frank's skater! In fact Lysacek represents Frank's FIRST--and only--Olympic gold medalist.....Hardly a career gone kaput!!!

They were being sarcastic.

[amaro]

"Following...

No, last time I checked "follow the herd" it has different meanings depending on a given context and what I meant was I follow what others do here, which is to speculate based on available information. You might want to check your dictionary or read more books before you throw a cheap shot.

I don't know where to start but let me try. You said "*factual* information that I'm basing my suggestions on is that many coaches and skaters break up with no bad feelings." How in the world do you know for *fact* that the general *impression* you have, which you call *fact* but it isn't, about coach-skater breakups applies to the breakup between Orser and Adam? How do you know many breakups between coaches and top skaters are done with no bad feelings? Did you take surveys, or are you basing it naively on what they say in public? The way I see it is that you will very rarely find out what truly caused breakups unless you are in it. Can you even see what you said is based on your gut feeling and not on a fact? And yes, I can distinguish Kim from Rippon.

You are speculating as much as I am and in a way many who posted here are doing the same. Like I said, you might not want to read posts here if a bit of speculating from others bother you so much. And if I remember correctly, and also as lakewood pointed out, you were a master of speculation when Orser and Kim parted ways.

[itsartemis]

No, last time I checked "follow the herd" it has different meanings depending on a given context and what I meant was I follow what others do here, which is to speculate based on available information. You might want to check your dictionary or read more books before you throw a cheap shot.

Following the herd is hardly something positive.

In Norwegian the expression is "a herd of sheep" meaning people who do not think for themselves at all and are known as highly unintelligent.

[allezfred]

Following the herd is hardly something positive.

In Norwegian the expression is "a herd of sheep" meaning people who do not think for themselves at all and are known as highly unintelligent.

Same meaning in English. I've never heard "following the heard" used as a positive.

[rfisher]

Following the herd is hardly something positive.

In Norwegian the expression is "a herd of sheep" meaning people who do not think for themselves at all and are known as highly unintelligent.

Same meaning in English. I've never heard "following the heard" used as a positive.

Or for it to be self-acknowledged.