Pechalat/Bourzat left Zhulin

[Asli]

Well, good athlete does not equal good coach. Sometimes just the opposite.

More than half of the points above are about coaching.
Zhulin has proven that he is a good coach, including for I/K.

Morozov would be the wrong coach for them at this stage, I am almost sure. Maybe in five years, when they have solved all technical issues and need some packaging, he might do. But now? Morozov has NEVER improved his ice dance students' technique.

Zhulin has done wonders with both P/B and I/K. The fact that these skaters sometimes make mistakes doesn't change that.

[SLIVER]

I/K are very young and what they need at this point is to improve all aspects of their skating. Morozov has never improved the technique of any of his ice dance students. Actually, at their young age both Ilinykh and Katsalapov are already much better ice dancers than Morozov ever was. They should teach him.

Also, Morozov has been out of the loop for five years as far as ice dance is concerned. That is a long time with the rules changing all the time.



If this rumour is true, would it be a bad move? Hmm. Let me think.

On the one hand, you have Zhulin:

- A legend as far as ice dance technique is concerned. U/Z's compulsries are still considered the reference.
- Two olympic medals, five World medals, six European medals.
- Tons of first hand competition experience.
- Coach of olympic champions N/K, unbeatable for many seasons.
- Coach of this year's European champions.
- Coach of last year's Junior World Champions.
- The coach who made I/K a sensation from almost nothing.
- Head coach of a small group of ice dance teams.
- Teamed up with the respected and experienced ice dance coach Oleg Volkov.

On the other hand, you have Morozov:

- Crappy ice dancer, crappy technique.
- One 10th place at Worlds and one 10th place at Euros.
- Coach of olympic bronze medalists Grushina/Goncharov, the slowest team in the history of ice dance, with the worse male ice dancer ever to have climbed that podium.
- Coach of World Champions B/K, to whom he successfully taught how to hold themselves straight and how to angst, the rest was already there when they switched to him.
- Hasn't coached a world-class ice-dance team for five years.
- Doesn't have an ice dance team in his group.
- Has many singles skaters to divide his time.
- No experienced assistant coach to look after I/K while he is busy.

Also given that I/K are already used to Zhulin and have said that they want to continue with him, I am really having a hard time deciding between the two coaches. It is such a tough, tough decision, honestly!

Lol Asli, that was hysterical but I have to say I agree. Morozov has worked miracles on the figure skating side, his progs may be pretty conveyor belt but I think he is very aware what they lack. He choses the no choreo, no transitions route because it is easier physically and mentally. The judges dont reward these aspects too much if the jumps are missing. So while he was has done some amazing things to Amodio, Ando, Shiz's careers etc etc, hes not as good in dance.
I doubt it will be Morozov. If they are leaving Zhulin, Im sure they have a good reason, no one ups and leaves for no reason. Same thing with Yankowskas/C split, easy to say it was a stupid move but we dont know the daily ins and outs.

They are the Golden couple of Russia, so obv the Fed has massive say in their choice, I just hope its not another Pech/B scenario where they are literally forced to leave Zhulin.

P/B are prob cryin now if I/K do leave Zhulin..The only thing that made their move a little bit less perturbing is that I/K were going to become his numb 1 team at some stage, if I/K leave P/B are so going to want to stay with Zhulin even more!

[aka_gerbil]

Ugh. I thought Zhulin was doing a good job with both P/B and I/K, so I'm going to be peeved if both of them are forced to leave him.

I think the expectations for I/K this season maybe were a bit out of hand, and then everyone got twitchy when the Shibs did better right out of the gate. I've equated that situation (sort of) to The Tortoise and the Hare, with I/K being the Tortoise. The Shibs did better out of the gate this season, but I think I/K have the potential to be the better team in the long run.

The thing I don't understand is this: P/B were forced to leave Zhulin since the Russian Fed wanted the focus to be on Russian skaters. In this case, that would be I/K. But, now, they want I/K to leave Zhulin? It seems a little unfair, if they were going to force I/K to leave, for the Russian Fed to also say that P/B and Zhulin couldn't continue to work together as they wished.

[Cherub721]

What other brilliant choices can the Russian fed make on behalf of I&K? Tchaikovskaya? Linichuk?

[aka_gerbil]

What other brilliant choices can the Russian fed make on behalf of I&K? Tchaikovskaya? Linichuk?

I don't know. Zhulin seemed like he was being very careful with them regarding injuries, etc. My big fear is that rather than becoming ice dance greats, they're going to be broken as a result of meddling by the Russian Fed. This horrible image of them skating all broken down with injuries and mental fatigue keeps going through my head. I don't want the same thing that happened to DomShabs--mainly his knee--to happen to I/K.

[Taso]

I don't know. Zhulin seemed like he was being very careful with them regarding injuries, etc. My big fear is that rather than becoming ice dance greats, they're going to be broken as a result of meddling by the Russian Fed. This horrible image of them skating all broken down with injuries and mental fatigue keeps going through my head. I don't want the same thing that happened to DomShabs--mainly is knee--to happen to I/K.

Your post made my blood run cold

[aka_gerbil]

Your post made my blood run cold

I'm sorry.

The thought is nothing short of frightening though, and I think there are an army of people in Russian figure skating who would have pushed Nikita with that back injury if they hadn't been with Zhulin.

COP has allowed for more fluidity in ice dance rankings and the ability for new teams to move to the top more quickly. That said, there's nothing wrong with taking one's time, either, particularly in dance. There is nothing wrong with finishing 7th at World's during one's first season. It's about the place that V/M and D/W debuted at, along with many, many other teams over the years.

[millipied]

Obviously, Rus Fed thinks that I/K will not be able to beat S/S under Zhulin. And I do not blame them, look at the Worlds results.

[Taso]

Whatever happened to style? WHAT HAPPENED TO IT? Why doesn't it matter? It's ice DANCE!

DANCE.

If you watch anything else in the entire freakin world with the world DANCE in it, you are at least aware of style. Technique too, yes, absolutely 100%. AND STYLE

Ugh....this is why, unless rules and the politiks of dance swing, I'm not bothering to watch anymore. Seriously, I couldn't watch most of the programs from this season a second time, they were so dull.

Big exception being those from the Zhulin school

[risto1803]

Obviously, Rus Fed thinks that I/K will not be able to beat S/S under Zhulin. And I do not blame them, look at the Worlds results.

And any better choice for a coach than Zhulin? If they leave Zhulin, I don't see them making even the top 10 at Worlds next year.

Maybe the solution is not to change the coach but provide for I/K and Zhulin specialists from Cirque du Soleil for lifts, great choreographers for help and consulting, ice time without limitations, money, and many other things. I am sure if the RF pay Zhulin enough he won't need to do shows like Ice Age and dedicate himself completely to 100%. The RF has done nothing to show that they believe in I/K. Instead they BS about them in newspapers and constantly criticizing them. They were even thinking to send the pretty boy and the ice dancer Khokhlova to Euros. Were they out of their mind?

I/K are young team, this is their third season together; give them a chance.

[millipied]

Whatever happened to style? WHAT HAPPENED TO IT? Why doesn't it matter? It's ice DANCE!

DANCE.

If you watch anything else in the entire freakin world with the world DANCE in it, you are at least aware of style. Technique too, yes, absolutely 100%. AND STYLE

Ugh....this is why, unless rules and the politiks of dance swing, I'm not bothering to watch anymore. Seriously, I couldn't watch most of the programs from this season a second time, they were so dull.

Big exception being those from the Zhulin school

I so feel your pain. There will never be another U/Z, K/P, K/O, G/P, B/B, D/D, R/K in ice dance. The time of S/Z came. We just have to deal with it.

[fanof]

On the other hand, you have Morozov:

- Crappy ice dancer, crappy technique.
:

This is not true.Navka-Morozov worst than Kostomarov?

[fanof]

Whatever happened to style? WHAT HAPPENED TO IT? Why doesn't it matter? It's ice DANCE!

DANCE.

If you watch anything else in the entire freakin world with the world DANCE in it, you are at least aware of style. Technique too, yes, absolutely 100%. AND STYLE

Ugh....this is why, unless rules and the politiks of dance swing, I'm not bothering to watch anymore. Seriously, I couldn't watch most of the programs from this season a second time, they were so dull.

[millipied]

The RF has done nothing to show that they believe in I/K. Instead they BS about them in newspapers and constantly criticizing them. They were even thinking to send the pretty boy and the ice dancer Khokhlova to Euros. Were they out of their mind?

I/K are young team, this is their third season together; give them a chance.

That's probably the smartest decision they made.

[Asli]

Obviously, Rus Fed thinks that I/K will not be able to beat S/S under Zhulin. And I do not blame them, look at the Worlds results.

I/K have already repeatedly beaten S/S under Zhulin.

The expectations from I/K for their first worlds were crazy. Bobrova/Soloviev were junior world champions too, but when they were 13th in their first senior worlds, nobody called it a failure. Now I/K are 7th and it's a failure. Why is that? Because they are an exceptional team. Zhulin has coached them exceptionally well.

[millipied]

I/K have already repeatedly beaten S/S under Zhulin.

The expectations from I/K for their first worlds were crazy. Bobrova/Soloviev were junior world champions too, but when they were 13th in their first senior worlds, nobody called it a failure. Now I/K are 7th and it's a failure. Why is that? Because they are an exceptional team. Zhulin has coached them exceptionally well.

That has nothing to do with their talent, but the pressure that's on. They may have beaten S/S before but they did not do it whyen it actually mattered. There was every opportunity to do so in Moscow and judges could have easily put on the podium anyone but 3rd S/Z team. However obviosuly something is wrong. 7th place vs. 3rd

[risto1803]

No official statements yet, but it's been widely discussed over at Vaytsekhovskaya's blog after she hinted the news first. I don't think we can hear anything official until the new coach is finalized.

Can you provide a link of the blog please?

[millipied]

Can you provide a link of the blog please?

http://blog.sport-express.ru/users/v...post165424267/

[Asli]

That has nothing to do with their talent, but the pressure that's on. They may have beaten S/S before but they did not do it whyen it actually mattered.

So according to you the Junior World Championships do not actually matter.

There was every opportunity to do so in Moscow and judges could have easily put on the podium anyone but 3rd S/Z team. However obviosuly something is wrong. 7th place vs. 3rd

The way the SD was judged, I seriously don't believe I/K had a chance for the bronze medal. I/K could have been 4th in the SD with their performance, but they were 6th with quite a points difference with S/S.

However, if they had skated the free dance well, they could have finished 5th above Bobrova/Soloviev and that would have been a good result. Shame about their bad free skate, but they are so inexperienced! Did you see Nikita attempting to stop when he couldn't hear their music had started? Maybe he thought the referee would let them start again! Awww. The shock seemed to sap all the energy out of him. If they had been competing pre-novice, novice etc. all those years, they might have been able to handle these situations better. It's all a learning process.

[risto1803]

http://blog.sport-express.ru/users/v...post165424267/

I don't see any word about I/K in the blog. Hopefully is just wishful thinking some ....