Vaitsehovskaya's Tuesday interview - Morozov

[TAHbKA]

Morozov: I would put Pluschenko on the pedestal now

He is one of the most successful and fruitful coaches in figure skating. He choreographed for ladies and men, for dancers and pairs. He was one of the authors of the famous `Winter’ for Yagudin and `Dark Eyes’ for Sasha Cohen. He won the Olympic Gold with Shizuka Arakawa and the gold at worlds 2007 with Miki Ando. During the last 2 years he pulled up the Japanese skater Takahashi from the 20th places to the silver medal at worlds. Right now he holds the position of the best coach of the current Grand Prix series thanks to Oda’s gold in Paris and Ando’s in Moscow. Except for all that he is completely sure of himself. When in the best tradition of the Japanese federation the representatives tried to take part in the training process of `their’ skaters he chased them out of the ice rink.

The common goal
The amount of the Japanese journalists in the mixed zone of Moscow Megasport centre after the end of the ladies competition broke all the possible records. They were bombarding the winner – the world champion of 2007 Miki Ando - with the questions, were investigating Mao Asada and her coach Tatiana Tarasova and the only one who was left unnoticed was Morozov. Though the second I took him aside and started asking questions a huge microphone that was held by a Japanese operator appeared above our heads. Realizing he was noticed the operator disappeared. We went on discussing the competition.

NM: I did not set any goals for Ando in Moscow. After all it’s our first start and we just needed to skate the programme. It was obvious taking the roster she would either win or come second. Which was not particularly important right now. I can not comment on the other’s skating – except for Ando and the men competition I haven’t seen anything in Moscow.

EV: As someone who works with a very good male skater your opinion on the male skating in Moscow competition would be interesting.
NM: I was blown by Evgeni Pluschenko’s skating. So far it’s the strongest impression of the season. I would build a statue for him. It’s hard to give a score for what he had done.

EV: I.e. you didn’t even consider the possibility of his comeback?
NM: No, why? At the time I was deeply involved in Yagudin/Pluschenko rivalry when they both were getting ready for the SLC games. I know the guys well and I know what are they capable of. When Yagudin considered coming back to the sports before his hip surgery he came to train with me in New Jersey, skated for a couple of days and even attempted to land a quad. Those are the skaters of a different level. Not like any others. In Pluschenko’s plans to come back I didn’t see anything impossible, but I was overwhelmed in Moscow not by his triple and quad jumps, but by the fact that he looks better on the ice now than he was at 2006.

EV: Many are mentioning that. As well as the fact it would be hard for Pluschenko to accommodate to the new system as far as the non jumping elements go.
NM: I don’t want to talk about it. The last world championships were won by the skaters who can’t even perform a quad. I don’t consider it normal.

EV: I remember our conversation half a year prior to the Turino Olympics. Back then you said the value of the quad should be higher. But it still haven’t happened. Is an attempt for a hard element justified when it is not scored particularly high?
NM: I think those who are capable to land the quads will attempt them in Vancouver. That is if they want to win, of course. Take Joubert: he meant to jump 3 quads them in Grand Prix in Paris and it was not because Pluschenko came back. And it doesn’t matter that he was unable to land them: after all the goal is the same: to win in Vancouver.

EV: At the time Miki Ando was the first female skater in history who landed a quad jump at a competition. That was 7 years ago. Will you attempt to include the quad in the programme?
MN: Miki landed a quad salchow many times. The new scoring system, however, meant the jump was never counted. It was not counted in the last Grand Prix final, although the jump was performed with the same underotation as it was at 2002. We are still training the quad. We’ll have to see whether the odds the jump is consistent and how the competition in Vancouver will go. It will also depend on what will we be fighting for.
It’s obvious that in Moscow Ando could have performed just a 3/2 combo and still be the first. But we took a risk as we did throughout the whole last season – performing a 3/3 combo in every short programme. The high expectations make the skater stronger.

EV: I know that your other student – Nobunari Oda is not bad at his quads. Why didn’t he include it in his programmes in Paris Grand Prix?
MN: It was calculated. Oda is not yet ready to perform his LP to the best if there is a quad included. We still have plenty of time to the Olympics, there is no need to push things. We came to Paris ahead of time, spent there altogether two weeks, got over the jetlags. It was important for me that the guy’s training process goes on. Hence Ando, who did not participate the Grand Prix there came with us.

Medals for Japan
EV: Are you satisfied with Miki’s skating in Moscow?
NM: Very. During the last several years she either skated very well or, if she did any mistake at the beginning of the programme – she would give up. In Moscow I finally saw what I was heading to for a long time – Miki did some mistakes but she pushed herself to the maximum: held the positions in the spins, controlled her emotions. She is much more professional now than she used to be.

EV: What caused those changes?
NM: Probably the age. The experience. I like the working process this year a lot. I noticed that I don’t even have to say much to my students – it’s as if they understood exactly what I want them to do and just do it.

EV: You are an unusual coach. Normally everyone who works with the Japanese are whining about their weird eastern mentality when talking about their skaters.
NM: Cant’ say that about my students. Including Takahashi with whom I didn’t have any problems for a long time. As far as the federation representatives or the press goes - I don’t mind them and some I don’t even talk to.

EV: I heard that there was a conflict between you and the federation?
NM: There still is. And is going on for a while. At the time I told them: figure skating is not your sports. Your sport is sumo. Japan doesn’t have the traditions in figure skating like Russia, USA or Canada do. Hence any coach, even not the very known one from those countries knows better than all your organization combined.

EV: Why did you have to confront them at all?
NM: I didn’t have a choice. I don’t want to be interrupted in my work. I don’t want to be advised all the time. That was the exact reason for parting with Takahashi – he started listening to the people from the federation who don’t know a thing about the sport, don’t understand where is it developing, don’t even remotely imagine what and how will things happen in the future.
Oda listened to those people in the exact manner a year ago. It was getting to a situation when they would write him in a piece of paper which elements to do at the competition. The talks of what he should or should not jump…
The only Japanese skater who had never listened to the federation is Ando. Shizuka Arakawa stopped listening to them as well when she was training under me. But it was easier back then: Arakawa was skating at the times of different federation clerks. After the Turino games the people in the federation have changed and it became much worse. Her win turned the figure skating into a much more popular sport than it was before. Now the Japanese need an Olympic gold in Vancouver. What has to be done to achieve it no one really knows, but everyone is trying to rule the process according to their abilities.

EV: Does the confrontation make your skaters life harder?
NM: It is not related to them at all. I’m actually quite glad you brought that up. I tried to talk about it while in Japan, but the local journalists would just cut out everything that doesn’t seem `needed’ to them before publishing. It’s something else I can’t understand. As a coach I won more medals for Japan than they had in figure skating in their whole history. Miki Ando became a world champion at 2007, Takahashi won silver in the same competition, prior to that was Shizuka’s Olympic gold, the last world Ando became 3rd. After all that I come to Japan, get to an ice rink and they are telling me what I have to do on the ice!
In Moscow I was training at nights with my skaters on Vodorezova’s rink in CSK. Everyone were happy to see us, no one was annoyed.

Favourite skaters.
EV: Why did Takahashi decide to part with you? Was it initiated by you?
NM: After Daisuke became second at worlds in Tokyo his adoptive parents insisted he should sign a contract with a Japanese manager. The one who used to work with Arakawa. And then the problem began. For example, previously I would order the skates for my students. The manager decided he would do it from now on. To begin with he got the sizes wrong. At the beginning of 2008 Takahashi came back from the 4CC competition in Korea where he included 2 quads in his LP and broke Pluschenko’s record. I noticed he has a broken toe nail. Of course I asked how did that happen. Daisuke admitted he had to skate in the boots that were half a size smaller than should.
The same problems came in numbers, one dragging another. This is why at the worlds in Goteborg Daisuke was left without a medal.
After that I declined working in such a way. Either Takahashi stays with me or he leaves the manager. Under the pressure of his parents and the federation he left me.

EV: Were you sorry about it?
NM: Of course. Daisuke was one of my favourite skaters. He is very talented and is a good boy. It was interesting working with him, choreographing unusual programmes for him.

EV: In other words, you invested too much in this skater to forget about him?
Nm: You could put it that way

EV: Who of your current students is especially important for you?
NM: Probably Miki. I work with her for the longest time. We overcame many things. There were unsuccessful skates, injuries. Because one of them Ando even had to withdrow from the worlds at 2008. But she managed to overcome everything.

EV: As far as I know there were attempts to make her leave your group?
NM: Yes. It is normal for the Japanese skaters to switch coaches often. After the worlds in Goteborg when Ando couldn’t skate the federation insisted Miki leaves me. She declined.

EV: Would you be surprised if she left?
NM: Probably not. After all the Japanese skaters are not particularly predictable

EV: Why do you think she haven’t left then?
NM: Probably because she wanted to gain the failure experience as well as success. She became wiser. The girls are not often thinking about serious matters. First the parents are controlling them, trying to solve all their problems. Usually the sportsmen start thinking themselves only when things don’t work in their favour.
One of those hard periods was last year when Ando was skating at the first Grand Prix in the USA and became third loosing 4 points to Ukari Nakano. I was very satisfied with the way she skated, especially since the previous season included an injury. The representative of the federation came straight to the dressing room telling Miki she has to change her programme immediately because in their point of view there aren’t enough transitions.
I was shocked when I found out. What transitions? We had a clear goal – to land the jumps. It was the first competition! And they are explaining my student that if she won’t change the programme she won’t even go to the worlds in LA.
Then Miki showed them who is the boss. And became the only Japanese skater who was medaled in LA.

EV: Do you have language problems with your students?
NM: I was lucky. Ando and Oda have been living for years in the USA and speak English. Nobunary was skating in Canada under Barkell (Battle’s coach) before switching to me.

What to expect?
EV: How many of your students will participate the Olympics in Vancouver?
NM: Except for Ando and Oda I also coach the Japanese dancers and the Spanish single skater Xavier Fernandes.

EV: What about your work with the 2006 world champions Pang/Tong?
NM: I only choreograph for them. For the last 3 sasons.

EV: What do you think will happen in the male skating at the Olympics?
NM: That’s a hard question. I can only tell that it would be the most interesting competition of the last several years. Even now it’s possible to name at least ten skaters who can win. It’s Pluschenko, Joubert, Lambiel, Verner, Chan, Lysacek, Abbot, Oda. Somehow I think the SP marks will be so close that the LP will decide.

EV: The Ladies event in Turino comes to one’s mind where Cohen, Slutskaya and Arakawa had a margin of a point after the SP. Even less – 0.71. By the way, are you still in touch with Shizuka?
NM: We only talk at the competitions. Arakawa came to Paris – she was with on of the Japanese TV companies. That is another thing I don’t understand – Shizuka is a huge star. The only Japanese Olympic champion. Yet no one sees her anywhere. She doesn’t participate any shows – she is in a great shape but only skates in Japan. And even there her celebrity status goes down. Although in my point of view Shizuka could compete with the best skaters in the amateur sport even now. Her technical ability would allow it.

EV: Why didn’t you hold her?
NM: I tried. Tried to convince her for a year. But the Japanese decided differently. New Olympic games require new names. Now all the attention is set on Mao Asada.

[Marco]

Boy did he have a lot to spill

[inskate]

Thank you TAHbKA, that was a very interesting article.

It was interesting to read about Miki's training and goals. I like it that she seems not to be pushing too much this season. I found it weird that JSF tried to get MIki to switch coaches after withdrawing from Worlds... It's not like a different coach would magically cure her injuries. Even surgeon admited that here was little that could be done (without risk of making Miki unable to compete at all).

EV: I know that your other student – Nobunari Oda is not bad at his quads. Why didn’t he include it in his programmes in Paris Grand Prix?
MN: It was calculated. Oda is not yet ready to perform his LP to the best if there is a quad included. We still have plenty of time to the Olympics, there is no need to push things.

Oda listened to those people in the exact manner a year ago. It was getting to a situation when they would write him in a piece of paper which elements to do at the competition. The talks of what he should or should not jump…

Yikes! As if he needed more reasons to be nervous and uncertain about his jumping layout...

And I would love it if Shizuka came to perform in Europe... I would love to see her live, but I don't have enough money to go to Japan. :

[Finnice]

Thanks, Tanbka!

[allezfred]

NM: There still is. And is going on for a while. At the time I told them: figure skating is not your sports. Your sport is sumo. Japan doesn’t have the traditions in figure skating like Russia, USA or Canada do. Hence any coach, even not the very known one from those countries knows better than all your organization combined.

Amazing how a country with supposedly no tradition or expertise in figure skating managed to produce Midori Ito, Yuka Sato, Takeshi Honda, Shizuka Arakawa, Fumie Suguri, Miki Ando, Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi.

EV: The Ladies event in Turino comes to one’s mind where Cohen, Slutskaya and Arakawa had a margin of a point after the SP. Even less – 0.71. By the way, are you still in touch with Shizuka?
NM: We only talk at the competitions. Arakawa came to Paris – she was with on of the Japanese TV companies. That is another thing I don’t understand – Shizuka is a huge star. The only Japanese Olympic champion. Yet no one sees her anywhere. She doesn’t participate any shows – she is in a great shape but only skates in Japan. And even there her celebrity status goes down.

Shizuka has skated in Art On Ice in Switzerland and some galas in Italy. Japan (and Korea) is where the money is in figure skating is now. Why on earth would she kill herself travelling around the world to skate in shows where she would be paid less than at home?

Anyway, Daisuke is still represented by his manager and isn't coached by Morosov any more. I think that says it all really.

[Zemgirl]

Thanks, Tanbka!

Originally Posted by TAHbKA

NM: After Daisuke became second at worlds in Tokyo his adoptive parents insisted he should sign a contract with a Japanese manager. The one who used to work with Arakawa. And then the problem began. For example, previously I would order the skates for my students. The manager decided he would do it from now on. To begin with he got the sizes wrong. At the beginning of 2008 Takahashi came back from the 4CC competition in Korea where he included 2 quads in his LP and broke Pluschenko’s record. I noticed he has a broken toe nail. Of course I asked how did that happen. Daisuke admitted he had to skate in the boots that were half a size smaller than should.
The same problems came in numbers, one dragging another. This is why at the worlds in Goteborg Daisuke was left without a medal.
After that I declined working in such a way. Either Takahashi stays with me or he leaves the manager. Under the pressure of his parents and the federation he left me.

EV: Were you sorry about it?
NM: Of course. Daisuke was one of my favourite skaters. He is very talented and is a good boy. It was interesting working with him, choreographing unusual programmes for him.

OK, let me get this straight: Takahashi failed to medal at 2008 Worlds because his skates were too small and because he had an unprofessional manager? Surely neither is to blame for the Zayak violation that cost him the bronze? Why would a skater stay with a manager who's nto doing a good job? I'm not buying any of it.

Also, I like Daisuke's non-Morozov programs so much better.

[RunnersHigh]

Originally Posted by TAHbKA

Morozov: I would put Pluschenko on the pedestal now

and translation.

TAHbKA, Thank you very much!
I enjoyed it very much.

[TAHbKA]

Originally Posted by allezfred

Amazing how a country with supposedly no tradition or expertise in figure skating managed to produce Midori Ito, Yuka Sato, Takeshi Honda, Shizuka Arakawa, Fumie Suguri, Miki Ando, Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi.

Ito - the 80s, Sato - the 90s, the rest skated in the last 10 years, which I would call the present and the future of figure skating, but not necessarily a tradition. Think that's the point Morozov is making. How exactly the great skating traditions are helping nowdays skaters from, say, Norway or Switzerland or Sweden or Netherlands - beats me, but I guess Morozov KNOWS.

Originally Posted by allezfred

Shizuka has skated in Art On Ice in Switzerland and some galas in Italy. Japan (and Korea) is where the money is in figure skating is now. Why on earth would she kill herself travelling around the world to skate in shows where she would be paid less than at home?

Obviously because the figure skating exists only where Morozov is. I.e. the USA / Canada/ Russia. As far as Japan goes they have no figure skating tradition, so they surely don't even know what figure skating is and they must be only going to sumo fights.

Originally Posted by Zemgirl

Also, I like Daisuke's non-Morozov programs so much better.

I like ANYONE's non-Morozov programmes much better. Ugh.

For what it's worth Morozov is not the first Russian coach to complain about the way the Japanese federation works and about the Japanese mentality in general. Think Tarasova was bitching about it several years ago as well. Why on earth do they insist working with people they can't understand - beats me.

[bek]

While the Japanese have several great coaches. And so Morozov should shut up about "traditions.'

This being said, If I'm a coach I'd absolutely be angry if some official who may or may not have EVER coached a student in their life (and doesn't have the success I have) is sitting there telling me how to do my job. It would drive me nuts.

There are tons of bad things that can be said about Morozov. BUT, the man does know how to get his students ready for big competitions and is fairly good at training his students to peak at those competitions. So because of this, let the man to decide what elements his students are ready for.

If federation officials were really ordering Oda what elements he should do, and his coach was telling him as well, well no wonder Oda was having counting issues.

[allezfred]

The JSF are difficult to work with. There is no denying that. But by the same token that does not make Morosov an easy person to work with either.

As evidenced by his sweeping statement that Japanese coaches know nothing about figure skating.

[IRIS1975]

I have already read this interview in Russian. I think Nikolai is a great coach. Though he is young (only 33) he achieved much success with his students and he CAN pass his opinion on figure skating. We should respect his point of view.
When I read this interview in the morning I thought that it would be soon translated by ТАНЬКА and to my regret would cause another wave of hate against Morozov here.

[stillalive]

Originally Posted by Morozov

The representative of the federation came straight to the dressing room telling Miki she has to change her programme immediately because in their point of view there aren’t enough transitions.
I was shocked when I found out. What transitions?

Ahahahahahahaha! That's pure comedy gold!

[bek]

Originally Posted by allezfred

The JSF are difficult to work with. There is no denying that. But by the same token that does not make Morosov an easy person to work with either.

As evidenced by his sweeping statement that Japanese coaches know nothing about figure skating.

Well I agree Morozov shouldn't have made THAT statement...Seeing as the Japanese skaters have some of the best skating skills around too.

[Gil-Galad]

Originally Posted by stillalive

Ahahahahahahaha! That's pure comedy gold!

It's nice to know that he isn't delusional and knows what he does.

And he kind of proved his point, when Ando completed a flawless performance of said program at Worlds and snatched a medal.

[TAHbKA]

Originally Posted by IRIS1975

When I read this interview in the morning I thought that it would be soon translated by ТАНЬКА and to my regret would cause another wave of hate against Morozov here.

Awwww, bad, bad FSUers! Stop hating our nice guy Morozov!

[IRIS1975]

ТАНЬКА! I don't know what kind of guy Morozov is:nice or bad. We should speak about coach.

[mrinalini]

Thanks, TAHbKA, for the translation. Is it true that Daisuke is adopted, or was Morozov spouting off non-facts as usual?

[SLIVER]

Well I liked one thing about him, which confirms what many thought before. He couldn't care less about constructing masterpieces; he probably could very easily if he wanted to, because love him or hate him he has done some beautiful programmes a very long time ago. In fact, the direction skating has taken in the last 7/8 years has been down to his influence. To me tons of the skaters look a bit Morozovied, the str8 line o.t.t step sequences, lack of transitions etc.

My point is he couldn't care less about anything but the jumps, the consistency and getting the medals. Frankly until the judges start using the PCS properly there is no point bothering, I do see his point. Look at Abbott, most difficult prog construction of the year in 2009 (by far!) but he missed his jumps and was no where near a podium. Stroke jump, stroke jump from Lysacek and Joubert and they get 1st and 3rd.

Same thing in the ladies at COR, Wagner had insanely difficult transitions in both the short and long but her transition score was just a slight variable of the other PCS, when it should have been sky high. Point is why bother when you are achieving the results and making money? Hate his progs but good for him.

[Okami]

I actually thought it was a really good interview and I don't see what is there to "hate". The points that Morozov makes have been brought up multiple times by other people.

I don't think Morozov has said anything bad about the Japanese coaches. He cooperates with some of them - Noriko Oda, Yuko Monna. In another interview he praised Japanese skaters for having excellent basics.
What he has a problem with is JSF sticking their noses into the skaters' training regime and telling them what to do. Asking a skater to jump a quad will not help any if that skater just can't do it at that point.

(However, even Nobuo Sato mentioned that there are things that Japanese coaches can't help their skaters, and that's why so many Japanese skaters study with foreign coaches.)

I knew the sentence about transitions will give some "fans" a reason for easy amusement, but is there anything the coach can do when the skater's condition is deteriorated by injuries?
In the LP practice clips Miki popped/skipped all of her jumps in the LP run-through; she later said that she was frustrated because she just couldn't get the timing on her jumps right. They were mostly fine when done solo, though.

I can imagine Miki's frustration with JSF's request back in 2008. In the off-season she was so frustrated with her injury that she wanted to retire. She wanted to have a surgery, but the doctors told her that there's no guarantee that she will be able to skate after the surgery. She had to take time off skating, and the process of getting back to the competitive form was long and painful. I can imagine that medalling at SA 2008 was a big personal victory for her. Which the officials promptly spoiled; just because she got lower PCS than Yukari, which wasn't even surprising considering Yukari was coming off from an awsome season and a great placement at Worlds, while Miki was written off by many after a disappointing season and another injury/withdrawal at Worlds.

I think Miki and her team are doing their best to turn her into an all-around skater. They are searching for music that Miki can connect to, they requested help from Miki's former choreographer Lea Ann Miller. Miki openly admits that she's shy and needs to work more on her ability to perform. She will never be Jeff Buttle - if she were given too choreographically complex program, she would most probably bomb on her jumps instead. However, in the boundaries of her physical limits as an athlete, she is doing a great job. I love her programs this season, and I hope that, like in the previous season, she will peak just at the right time and deliver a standing-ovation worthy program.

Originally Posted by SLIVER

My point is he couldn't care less about anything but the jumps, the consistency and getting the medals.

I disagree with this. In other interviews - both his and done with his students - you can see the effort he puts into his programs. He sends his students to dance lessons, watches movies with them to get the ideas for the choreography, sometimes he lets them choose their own music. He can change his approach when he sees it's not working - last season he mentioned that he no longer choreographs as many programs as he used to, because he wants to concentrate on his own students. This season he invited Lea Ann Miller to help with Miki's choreo.
But, as I mentioned before, in the particular situation mentioned in the interview, the jumps had to take the priority. The program could be changed later, the non-jump element could be improved, but without jumps Miki would lose her status as an elite skater - she just would not be competitive. As I mentioned (about 100 times ) in the Mao/TAT threads, sometimes it's wiser to take things step by step.

[Markulliz]

That IS obvious JSF writes to " him ( Mao Asada) in a piece of paper which elements to do at the competition. The talks of what he (she) should or should not jump…”

Poor girl could be killed with those 3A, or agenda to keep her till 2014, and now everybody blame Tarasova for jumps lay out.