Nikolai Morozov cheer thread?

[skateboy]

Okay, I figure this will raise some eyebrows around here. But seriously...

What is with the EXTREME hate for this man? Yes, I get that some question his choreography at times, so have I. But he's not the first and won't be the last to provide questionable choreography. Even Lori Nicol and Camerlengo, to name just two others, have put out some not-so-great stuff. Christopher Dean didn't do MK any favor with Bolero. And in the big picture, Morozov has created some very good choreography, too.

I also get that he's likes his women. Skaters often date/marry one another, so that's not uncommon. From what I've observed, it's not like he's going after underage girls and, frankly, it takes two to tango. So I really don't get the fuss about that and I don't know why anyone would particularly care.

Probably most importantly, he's a damn good coach! His students have very good technique and he appears to be incredibly dedicated to his pupils. And you have to admit, he's got a terrific track record when it comes to producing winners. I've seen interviews where he seems nice enough. Maybe some of you have seen otherwise but, let's face it, Frank Carroll (to name another elite coach) isn't always exactly bursting with sunshine.

So what's with all the hate?

[shine]

His choreography is not just bad. It's cheap.

[AndyWarhol]

I love him. Hot mess. He is so greasy in person. I was hoping id see him drunk in Paris. Unfortunately he appeared to be on good behaviour.

[orbitz]

Christopher Dean didn't do MK any favor with Bolero.

Actually it was Michelle that didn't do Chris Dean any favor by giving him credit for the version of Bolero that the public saw at 05 Nationals and Worlds. Love MK, but she really shouldn't have done that to Dean.


Morozov did brilliant work for Zag with Winter and Race Car driving SP. He injected new life into Michelle's skating for the 03 season and gave her the gorgeous Spartacus SP at at Nationals. And then there was hip-hop Swan for Dai. So yes, he has done some really innovative and inspiring choreography in the past.

[Vash01]

Morozov helped Shizuka Arakawa win the OGM in 2006 by using the right strategy. I have liked some of his work, including that with Miki Ando. She started being more expressive in her routines. I don't approve of his numerous involvements with female skaters he is coaching, but he never committed a crime. I will leave it at that. I don't hate him because I mainly focus on his skating related successes, and he has had many.

[skateboy]

His choreography is not just bad. It's cheap.

I wouldn't call these programs "cheap":

Michelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwr4zH53-bo

Michelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDTYqmcDFpM

Michelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq06Pd5EXe8

Dai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-UxKhsJdZs

Oda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSmFqlFXa3s

Sasha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELFerA2QZX8

...and there are lots of other terrific ones.

[Zemgirl]

What is with the EXTREME hate for this man? Yes, I get that some question his choreography at times, so have I. But he's not the first and won't be the last to provide questionable choreography. Even Lori Nicol and Camerlengo, to name just two others, have put out some not-so-great stuff. Christopher Dean didn't do MK any favor with Bolero. And in the big picture, Morozov has created some very good choreography, too.

Very little of it, and mainly under 6.0. This, compared to a vast body of cookie cutter (at best) and dreadful to vulgar (at worst) programs. Also, he's ruined Florent Amodio artistically.

I also get that he's likes his women. Skaters often date/marry one another, so that's not uncommon. From what I've observed, it's not like he's going after underage girls and, frankly, it takes two to tango. So I really don't get the fuss about that and I don't know why anyone would particularly care.

Define underage. Soon his daughter will be older than his girlfriends.

Probably most importantly, he's a damn good coach! His students have very good technique and he appears to be incredibly dedicated to his pupils. And you have to admit, he's got a terrific track record when it comes to producing winners. I've seen interviews where he seems nice enough. Maybe some of you have seen otherwise but, let's face it, Frank Carroll (to name another elite coach) isn't always exactly bursting with sunshine.

He does seem very dedicated, and his at-the-boards antics are quite entertaining. However, it seems to me that his skaters' greater consistency is achieved by constructing programs in such a way that jumping passes are reeled off in a row, with long breaks in between and plenty of posing and lazy choreography. His students do not all have very good technique, and even if they do, he is not a developmental coach, so they would have learned much of it (for better or worse) from someone else.

Javier Fernandez is so much better now than he was with Morozov, both in terms of technical content and in how he's packaged.

[skateboy]

Define underage. Soon his daughter will be older than his girlfriends.

Come on, now. His daughter is eleven.

Oda was at his very best under Morozov, so much so that lots of FSUers thought he would challenge the gold medal in Vancouver. I believe Dai digressed after leaving Morozov and is skating much better now that he's returned to him. A skater could do much worse than having him as a coach.

But I agree that Javi has flourished under Orser's tutelage.

Which of his students have poor technique? (Not that I don't believe you, but I've noticed that his students tend to have fully rotated jumps, correct edges, good spins, etc.)

It's not like I love Morozov or anything, I don't have a feeling one way or the other, really. I just don't understand the obsessive hate, especially when he really has done some very good work. (Although a fellow poster here has told me about an unfortunate incident involving a drunk, mouthy Morozov and some FSUers at a skating event from a few years ago, so I can understand that being a real deterrent from liking the guy.)

[Zemgirl]

Come on, now. His daughter is eleven.

That's why I said soon and not now

I thought she was 12 or 13, though?

[skateboy]

She was born in 2001, so unless she was born in January or the first week of February, she's 11. Nafka and Shae-Lynn are the same age as Morozov (37). Miki is now 25, so there is a 12-year age difference. It's not that weird.

[Zemgirl]

Come on, now. His daughter is eleven.

I believe Dai digressed after leaving Morozov and is skating much better now that he's returned to him. A skater could do much worse than having him as a coach.

He did not. Takahashi was seriously injured a few months after leaving Morozov (torn ACL) and this had long-term implications that had nothing to do with his coaching. Things got better over time and Takahashi was in great form last season; he was magnificent at the WTT and has not improved technically since. Artistically, this season has been a solid step back for Dai.

Leonova hasn't got great technique on some of her elements and her endless step sequences can be painful to watch. Morozov wasn't able to help Rippon with his 3A (to be fair, I'm not sure anyone can). Amodio has not improved technically, only in terms of consistency. This returns to my main point, which is that Morozov is not a developmental coach, and he isn't the one I would credit or hold accountable for good or bad technique. What he can do is help skaters become more consistent. I believe he accomplishes this by dumbing down their programs; you can disagree, of course. Unfortunately, the judges appear to do so as well, so there's no incentive for his skaters to get better programs. Look at Amodio, or Volosozhar and Trankov. They can do so much better, but why should they bother, when they get the PCS that they do for skating blah programs?

Also, how old is Morozov's current gf?

[misskarne]

Also, how old is Morozov's current gf?

Seventeen.

Which, if we are holding his daughter to be eleven, is only six years older than his daughter.

Gross.

[skateboy]

Seventeen.

Which, if we are holding his daughter to be eleven, is only six years older than his daughter.

Gross.

Is his girlfriend REALLY 17? If true, then yes, that is gross.

[morqet]

Seventeen.

Which, if we are holding his daughter to be eleven, is only six years older than his daughter.

Gross.

18, actually. Age of consent in Russia is 16, so whilst you may find it "gross", he's not technically doing anything wrong.

[Zemgirl]

Seventeen.

Which, if we are holding his daughter to be eleven, is only six years older than his daughter.

Gross.

I think she was 17 when they hooked up but has since turned 18?

Regardless of the age of consent, if you girlfriend is a teenager who is less than half your age, that's just wrong.

[skateboy]

18, actually. Age of consent in Russia is 16, so whilst you may find it "gross", he's not technically doing anything wrong.

Fair enough.

I do find it odd that Morozov seems to be, arguably, the most hated figure on FSU, when someone like Staviski got drunk as a skunk and actually killed someone as a result. Even he still gets a fair amount of respect. Not trying to start up a new topic here, but I feel the priorities are somewhat misplaced.

[Marco]

Actually it was Michelle that didn't do Chris Dean any favor by giving him credit for the version of Bolero that the public saw at 05 Nationals and Worlds. Love MK, but she really shouldn't have done that to Dean.

That was a huge disservice to the legacy of both legends.

[Marco]

What I hate most about Morosov is that he gets his skaters to focus solely on jumps. Ando, Leonova, Oda, Amodio were all just stroking from one end of the ice to the other, jumping, jumping, jumping, and then a minute long step sequence, rest spot, and then more stroking and stroking, and then more jumping and jumping. They have become consistent but there's no more life to their skating. Ando was no longer light on her feet like in 2004, Leonova was no longer perky like in 2009, Oda was no longer doing complex choreography like in 2006, and Amodio now skates like he is practising.

[TAHbKA]

Where is that throwing up gremlin when you need it?

[rayhaneh]

Fair enough.

I do find it odd that Morozov seems to be, arguably, the most hated figure on FSU, when someone like Staviski got drunk as a skunk and actually killed someone as a result. Even he still gets a fair amount of respect. Not trying to start up a new topic here, but I feel the priorities are somewhat misplaced.

I actually liked the start of your thread, but you just got -65938768357 GOE for dragging Staviski into the discussion

More seriously, I tend to seperate personal issues and professional issues: there are people I admire greatly professionally but whom I don't have any affinity with as persons, as far as I can judge them anyway. The reverse happens too.

So while I absolutely condemn Staviski for drunk-driving and am so sad for the tragic loss of life that occured as a result, that doesn't take away from the fact that he is, imo, one of the greatest ice dancers to ever grace the sport. These are seperate things

Likewise, what Morozov makes of his private life, as long as he doesn't break any law, really is none of my business. Also, I don't feel like it's my place to judge or label their relationship wrong, especially since I really don't know either of them - happiness is scarce enough as it is, if this makes them happy, then more power to them I'd say

Personally, I hope Morozov stays around FOREVAH: as someone who writes a blog on Figure Skating, he's a great escape whenever you lack inspiration to write serious stuff. Plus you can blame EVERYTHING on him - he's a godsend for all struggling FS writers out there, believe me