UPDATED/CONFIRMED: Evgenia Medvedeva leaving Tutberidze for Orser

[Carolla5501]

I don’t believe or think that too many (if any) coach/skater splits can be compared to one another. However, I do feel the coach, under these circumstances, will nine out of ten times find themselves on the outs and not necessarily receiving a lot of support which falls typically in favor of the athlete.

When Yuna did leave Brian, I remember the fallout he had to deal with. I also remember reading and hearing people discuss Brian in miserable terms. Suddenly, Brian Orser became public enemy number one which was surreal, ridiculous and unfortunate, to say the least, because we all know what a great guy Brian is. However, that didn’t stop Yuna’s die-hard fans from raking him over the coals…

Frank C. definitely knows a thing or two about it, and while it’s not easy to be an athlete, it’s definitely not easy to be a coach, but then again, they’ve all signed on.

The big difference. Brian didn't drag Yuna over the coals. He showed some class. Something Frank C apparently doesn't have any longer!

 

[ximianKernel]

I think that was a very classy statement, especially considering the dumpster fire that Eteri started. It reminds me of Daenerys Targaryen's double-edged compliment, "Thank you for teaching me this lesson."

And then went ahead and locked Xaro and one of her handmaidens inside a vault

 

[alexikeguchi]

And then went ahead and locked Xaro and one of her handmaidens inside a vault

Indeed. However, I hope Zhenya slays only in the metaphorical sense!

 

[Sylvia]

TASS has published 2 articles in English:

Russian figure skater Medvedeva is ‘amazing athlete’ and needed changes — Canada’s Orser: http://tass.com/sport/1003745

Figure skater Medvedeva’s new Canadian mentor praises her previous coach Tutberidze: http://tass.com/sport/1003750

 

[Tavi]

Two Time World Champion Evgenia Medvedeva’s new coach, Brian Orser, who (like Evgenia) has won Olympic silver, told Elena Viatsekhovskaya why he didn’t hesitate to take the Russian skater in, compared Medvedeva with Yu Na Kim and admitted that he is very happy that Zhenya’s mom is coming to Canada
Setting up the interview was quick. The only thing the coach asked, in response to my SMS, is to contact him at an exact time early in the morning, so that we could have enough time for a chat. Which is what I did.

The first to call from Russia was Tatiana Tarasova

• I guess this is definitely not the first time you are getting a call from Russia?
• The second time. I just had a brief talk with Tatiana Tarasova, and I had a feeling that in her heart she supports Medvedeva’s decision, although she did not tell me so directly. I really hope she does. I would like to be able to to ask Tarasova for advice sometimes. She is an incredible, very intelligent coach
• I read your words about how shocked you were by Medeveva’s request to take her into your group. Did you need a lot of time to answer “yes”?
• When I first got a message from Zhenya at the beginning of April with a request to meet in Korea, where she was doing a show at the time, I told her that it may be possible, but I need some time (to answer). I needed time to first discuss with Tracy Wilson, since we work as one team, and then with the rest of the team members, including choreographer David Wilson. It was important to clearly understand how she would fit into the team and to assess the whole picture: who is still skating, who is leaving, how busy is each specialist, will I be able to give her as much time as she needs, and so on. As soon as we figured out it’s realistic, a decision was made.
• Could you tell me in more detail about how coaching at your club works? How many hours of ice time, for example, does an elite skater get and how long are practices?
• Our club in, in a way, unique, because every skater has their own individual coaching plan, created just for them. In general terms, it’s about 3 hours of pure ice time and other training. Of course, we will need some time to understand how to work with Medvedeva, what to focus on the most. It’s possible that we won’t be focusing on jumps, but on other things such as skating skills, since this always requires much more time compared to training jumps. To be able to talk in more specific terms, we would have to wait until Zhenia arrives in Canada, comes to the rink and I see her on the ice. The most important thing at this stage – is to get her body in shape. This means a large variety of off-ice training, in order to heal the injuries she has, as well as back issues. In order to move forward, an athlete has to be physically strong first.
• 
  
• Tarasova: Tutberidze should not have talked about Medvedeva as if she was a traitor.
• 
  
• Did you ever have to deal with effects of stress fractures (in athletes)?
• Of course, I cannot say that stress fractures are an ordinary thing. When Yu Ni Kim first joined my group, she had many different injuries. Mainly joint and spine problems. Less serious ankle and heel… For a long time, we focused exclusively on resolving those injury issues. Yu Na had treatments, she had an individual regimen of exercises tailored to her, thanks to which she healed so well that the pain she had experienced during skating was completely gone. The last two years of her career, she had no serious injuries, but if you remember the first 2 years, she was a walking injured wreck, that’s how bad her back and joint pain were. So now it’s not easy to scare or shock me. It’s just that at first we will have to be very very patient. Fortunately, we have a lot of specialists who can help skaters with any problems
• Medvedeva won the World Championships twice in a row. What, in your view, can allow her to move forward and to become an even stronger skater?
• Most importantly, her body. The body is the main work tool of every athlete. It has to be strong and well prepared. Do you know what the most important thing is? Zhenia is a very young athlete, she is only 18. But at that age, an athlete should have the right to their own views and should be considered an equal team member alongside with any of the coaches. I understand Mevedeva’s goal very well – to win the Olympics. On the way to the Olympics, we will have 3 World Championships. Will she win all of them? I don’t know. I don’t have a crystal ball. The only thing I know is that Medvedeva is now at crossroads, and my team will do everything possible to help her get past it.
• 
  
• She is very well taught, first of all in the jumps area. She has an excellent head, in a sense you can say she is “thick-skinned”. She also knows and loves to compete. Such a competitor is not a walk in the park for others. In this way, Medvedeva really reminds me of Yu Na Kim.
• 
  
• At the same time. I see lots of room to make certain aspects of Zhenya’s skating even stronger. Yes, this will require time and physical and intellectual effort, but what makes me happy is that Zhenya is ready to go on this journey. She has the desire, and as you can understand, that’s the most important thing.
• 
  
• Tatiana Tarasova, who you mentioned earlier, one day said that she never takes on an athlete without finding out he or she had left their previous coach. Did you raise this subject with Medvedeva?
• 
  
• No. Zhenya spoke about her old coaching team with great respect and made it clear right away that she was not going to make a negative assessment of their past work. I think that makes sense. If a skater becomes the best in the world twice in a row, then, overall, the training program was a success, no? I don’t think I will be incorrect to state that all the coaches in the world would like to understand who Eteri Tutberidze continues to bring up new athletes of such a level. How does she do it? What does she do in her training?
• I prefer adult skatng
• 
  
• At the same time, you were not too positive about the current World junior champion, Aleksandra Trusova, calling her (that is someone with 2 quads!) a “not-so-long-term project”
• It was not quite like this. The conversation was about possibly raising the age limit in ladies skating. I was saying that young girls and adult skaters, like Carolina Kostner and Yu Na Kim, are in two very different categories. I have nothing against 13-year-old girls jumping quads. If you remember, at Worlds in Milano you asked me if I wanted ISU to raise the age limit and I said “No”? I can only repeat the same thing again. In my group, there is a thirteen year old boy, jumping quads. Longevity for each athlete is a very individual thing. Some mature later, some younger. I personally prefer adult skating, but at the same time I’m not prepared to say that quads in 13 or 14 year olds (regardless if it’s boys or girls), is something bad. The other issue is that we, coaches, should be careful with athletes’ bodies, when they are growing and while joints are developing
• The question is about something else: do you think quads have a place in ladies skating? Should they be a goal?
• I don’t have an answer to this question. And, as I said, earlier I don’t have a crystal ball. Fortunately. So we will have to wait and see how women’s skating will develop and if the same trends we are observing in men’s skating will be repeated. The only thing I cannot say for sure is that female bodies are different from male. Therefore, complexity does not increase at the same pace. Are quads in ladies skating a goal - I cannot answer this either. As a coach, my first goal is to develop ladies skating. The best examples of ladies skating in my view are Kaetlyn Osmond, Gabby Daleman, Carolina Kostner and Yu Na Kim. These are names that will be remembered.
• Does Medvedeva’s move to your group mean that David Wilson will choreograph all her programs?
• We are incredibly lucky in Toronto that we have several amazing choreographers with different styles. There are probably specialists of this level in Europe, in Japan and in Russia – places that are not easy to get to from Canada, but we don’t need to – we have Wilson, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Lori Nichol , Jeffrey Buttle. Yuzuru (Hanyu) mainly works with Shae-Lynn and Jeff. Javi – only with David, as Yu Na did before him, and at this stage I would like to use the same choreographic methods that were successful with Kim’s skating.
• How does it usually work – you give specific recommendations to skaters or wait for the skate to tell you which choreographer he or she wants to work with?
• In each case, it depends on the situation. When we first started working with Hanyu, David did all his choreography. Some time was needed before Yuzuru came to an understanding that he wanted to try something new choreographically. That’s when Shae-Lynn appeared, and it worked – they had amazing creative chemistry. Javi has great chemistry with David Wilson – they always found some wonderful things. At the same time, I take an active role in the process - help with picking the music, costume design, work with the choreographer by setting the steps and transitions, explain entrances into jumps. You cannot create a program without understanding what entrance allows to best incorporate an axel or a lutz
• 
  
• Zhanna Medvedva – “number one” mother
• 
  
• Excuse me in advance if this question is off limits , but can you explain how the financial side works - does the skater pay you for everything (the full suite of services) or does each specialist get paid individually?
• At our club, we charge by the hour. This is more of a North American, than a Canadian approach. I have a set rate that I charge, Tracy has her own, as does David Wilson. So it is well understood how much a short or a long program costs. Lori and Jeffrey also have a rate. At the same time, ice time for our athletes is unlimited, a skater can skate for 8 hours a day if they want. This is important because a lot of kids go to school, and they need to have flexiblility when it comes to practice times – some prefer days, some evenings.
• Who creates the costumes for your skaters?
• Good question. I don’t know. I know that David has his own contacts, and, when he creates his programs, he can explain to the designer the program concept. Some skaters have their own designers, not necessarily Canadian ones. The most important thing is that everyone is comfortable, most importantly, the athlete him/herself.
• Did you already have time to think about what events you want to see Medvedeva at?
• I can’t say my views on this are really different from everyone. I want to see how our summer will go and then make a decision. I would like Zhenya to go to a Senior B event in the fall, maybe the Autumn Classic or Finlandia Open or something else. After that, two grand prix events, and the Russian Nationals of course. That’s to say, the same as in previous years. The only difference will be that it will be with me now at the boards.
• Do you plan to go to Russia with Zhenya?
• Of course. I understand that we don’t live in a perfect world, because they are other skaters whose events might be at the same time when myself , Tracy and David will be travelling, but ideally, I would like to be by Medvedeva’s side.
• I forgot to ask – is Zhenya’s mom coming to Canada?
• To be honest, I’m really hoping that this will happen. It’s very important. From what I saw Zhenya is very close with her mom, and nobody knows her better than Zhanna. As we say she is the Number One mother. For a coach it’s very important to have that help. I think we will be successful.

That is a great interview. Thank you so much for your very readable translation.

 

[canbelto]

Javi has acknowledged Yuzu as being the best, but he knows that Yuzu is not going to be "on" every time which is where he can capitalize. And while they do compete against each other their aims aren't totally the same. Javi, for instance, said he'd be satisfied with an Olympic medal of any color. He would have been over the moon with a silver, while Yuzu would have been devastated with the silver. If both wouldn't be satisfied with anything but gold I don't know what their dynamic would be like.

While I'm sure Zag definitely wanted to be Olympic Champ, I think she would have been more satisfied with a silver than Med is with hers considering it was Zag's first senior season.

Hmm. I don't think it was unethical for Eteri to coach both Zag and Med. If so, then the Montreal team would have a serious breach of ethics for coaching both Gabby/Guillaume and Tessa/Scott. Moskvina would have had a breach of ethics as she coached both Kazakova/Dmitriev and B/S at the same time. And so on.

Med isn't saying much about Eteri's group but my guess is that after the Olympics, a serious injury, and years and years of harsh training methods (which Eteri makes no bones about) she needed a change. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[mag]

Med isn't saying much about Eteri's group but my guess is that after the Olympics, a serious injury, and years and years of harsh training methods (which Eteri makes no bones about) she needed a change. Nothing wrong with that.

This, and maybe also skating with adults. My understanding is that Med is one of the oldest, if not the oldest at Eteri’s rink. She may also be feeling the need for a different social environment. Maybe alone one of these reason wouldn’t make her move, but together it all makes sense.

 

[Cachoo]

It feels like she has matured and is ready for university and Brian represents that next step in the skating world. Eteri is good with the young phenoms but many of us find that many skaters become even more interesting on the ice in their later years. For once I'm so glad our world champ is a woman with years of practice and experience.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

I don’t believe or think that too many (if any) coach/skater splits can be compared to one another. However, I do feel the coach, under these circumstances, will nine out of ten times find themselves on the outs and not necessarily receiving a lot of support which falls typically in favor of the athlete.

When Yuna did leave Brian, I remember the fallout he had to deal with. I also remember reading and hearing people discuss Brian in miserable terms. Suddenly, Brian Orser became public enemy number one which was surreal, ridiculous and unfortunate, to say the least, because we all know what a great guy Brian is. However, that didn’t stop Yuna’s die-hard fans from raking him over the coals…

Frank C. definitely knows a thing or two about it, and while it’s not easy to be an athlete, it’s definitely not easy to be a coach, but then again, they’ve all signed on.

I totally felt for Richard Gauthier when Sale/Pelletier left before the big O...

 

[aftershocks]

^^ How did you feel when D/R parted ways with Gauthier for their final Olympic season run?

 

[Coco]

The big difference. Brian didn't drag Yuna over the coals. He showed some class.

That's not quite how I remember it. He revealed her music, then flat out lied, pretending he had no idea skaters liked to keep their music private and reveal it at a time of their own choosing.

And I don't think he's exactly taking the high road here. He's quite skilled at pursing his agenda via passive aggressive sound bites. He's getting his digs in at her prior coach, (and really, all of Russian Skating), by claiming that the skaters have no input to their programs.

I prefer my mudslingers to be straightforward, lol.

And I have to say...I wonder what Kaetlyn Osmund thinks of all of this.

 

[Vash01]

It feels like she has matured and is ready for university and Brian represents that next step in the skating world. Eteri is good with the young phenoms but many of us find that many skaters become even more interesting on the ice in their later years. For once I'm so glad our world champ is a woman with years of practice and experience.

University? I don't remember her saying she is going to a university in Canada. What I read was she wants a long skating career. She has always been a very mature young lady and her behavior has been classy during the coaching change, while the grown up (Eteri) has been less so. That's what I gleaned from the interviews and comments in this thread,

 

[mag]

University? I don't remember her saying she is going to a university in Canada.

I think it is a figure of speech.

 

[danibellerika]

Hmm. I don't think it was unethical for Eteri to coach both Zag and Med. If so, then the Montreal team would have a serious breach of ethics for coaching both Gabby/Guillaume and Tessa/Scott. Moskvina would have had a breach of ethics as she coached both Kazakova/Dmitriev and B/S at the same time. And so on.

Med isn't saying much about Eteri's group but my guess is that after the Olympics, a serious injury, and years and years of harsh training methods (which Eteri makes no bones about) she needed a change. Nothing wrong with that.

I wasn't suggesting it's necessarily unethical. I'm just saying I don't know if they'd be quite as friendly as they are if they wanted the exact same things.

 

[Inessence]

I wasn't suggesting it's necessarily unethical. I'm just saying I don't know if they'd be quite as friendly as they are if they wanted the exact same things.

I just can’t see how having the same coach as your biggest competitor wouldn’t bring about some tension. I think she’s made a good decision.

 

[Meoima]

That's not quite how I remember it. He revealed her music, then flat out lied, pretending he had no idea skaters liked to keep their music private and reveal it at a time of their own choosing.

And I don't think he's exactly taking the high road here. He's quite skilled at pursing his agenda via passive aggressive sound bites. He's getting his digs in at her prior coach, (and really, all of Russian Skating), by claiming that the skaters have no input to their programs.

I prefer my mudslingers to be straightforward, lol.

And I have to say...I wonder what Kaetlyn Osmund thinks of all of this.

While I think Brian also made mistake with Yuna, he did learn from that. Hence you see Yuzuru sticks with him after all.

BTW I am not sure Brian dig at Eteri team. What's the problem with saying that at Eteri team, everything Zhenia did was decided for her? If that was what Zhenia told Brian, it was not throwing dirt at her previous coach, it was just fact. Also, some people tend to think the skaters are children who have not grown up enough, that they should listen to their coaches who are more experienced etc. Some people think this way is better as the skater has less to worry about the package and layout. Some think it shows the lack of freedom etc. It's overwhelming for all the kids to choose everything on their own, heck it is even difficult for the adults. But at the same time, do you want everything chosen for you without your input? Some people might prefer that to be honest. I'd say there are pro and cons to all of this approaches.
But I do not see this comment as some kind of digging.

 

[quiqie]

Yes, am sure Gorshkova and Butikov really WANTED to skate to that shit they did.

On a more serious note think it depends - Bobrova said in the interview she had no say on the programmes/costumes/make up in Kustarova's group and if she was told to put a feather in her hair and skate to a tango she did. She had more freedom in Zhulin's group. Am wondering whether there is no freedom for the juniors and then when they end up switching coaches there is some on the seniors level. Though looking at Popova/her previous partner's last programme am thinking I'd rather give juniros a bit less freedom of choice....

On the other hand, I remember Zhulin saying that B/S were diligent and hardworking, but offered very little in terms of creative input, even despite him pressuring them to be more involved in the creative process.

On yet another hand, I distinctly remember that Lipnitskaya used to get her way with Eteri (she didn’t like working with Morozov and their collaboration lasted for only one season, she chose Schindler’s List despite everyone else being not a fan of her choice, she bossed Aveebukh around saying “that’s not where I want the spin” or something like that). I don’t want to call anyone a liar yet, but something might have been lost in translation.

 

[skatepixie]

The only thing that concerns me is his saying they'd like to keep the same choreographic approach they used with Yuna Kim. I was never a fan of Yuna's programs, I must admit (shocker, I know)...

Zhenya also has more personality and depth of expression on the ice than Yuna does/did, so I hope they allow her to show that.

Unless approach just means same people involved, etc...

I did always like David's choreo for Sasha Cohen...

 

[berthesghost]

Zhenya also has more personality and depth of expression on the ice than Yuna does/did, so I hope they allow her to show that....

different strokes different folks I guess

But I will say people telling all Asians that they lack sufficient expression and projection of emotion is getting very dull. Just saying. Especially here when compared to someone who, even by Russian standards, really OTT projects all the way up to the cheap seats like a silent film star to the point that her tv camera close ups are worthy in their outdated mugging.

 

[Miki89]

From the interview, I am most confused by him mentioning Daleman as one of the best examples of ladies skating. Osmond, I could somewhat understand, considering she is World Champion and a olympic medalist. Daleman is still fairly young and her results haven't been all that impressive. If he wanted to include a Canadian skater, why not Joannie Rochette? A great skater and also a World and olympic medalist.

 

[barbarafan]

While I think Brian also made mistake with Yuna, he did learn from that. Hence you see Yuzuru sticks with him after all.

BTW I am not sure Brian dig at Eteri team. What's the problem with saying that at Eteri team, everything Zhenia did was decided for her? If that was what Zhenia told Brian, it was not throwing dirt at her previous coach, it was just fact. Also, some people tend to think the skaters are children who have not grown up enough, that they should listen to their coaches who are more experienced etc. Some people think this way is better as the skater has less to worry about the package and layout. Some think it shows the lack of freedom etc. It's overwhelming for all the kids to choose everything on their own, heck it is even difficult for the adults. But at the same time, do you want everything chosen for you without your input? Some people might prefer that to be honest. I'd say there are pro and cons to all of this approaches.
But I do not see this comment as some kind of digging.

Alina has also confirmed that she has no input on her programs in an interview.

 

[muffinplus]

From the interview, I am most confused by him mentioning Daleman as one of the best examples of ladies skating. Osmond, I could somewhat understand, considering she is World Champion and a olympic medalist. Daleman is still fairly young and her results haven't been all that impressive. If he wanted to include a Canadian skater, why not Joannie Rochette? A great skater and also a World and olympic medalist.

Well... he works with her, so I guess he is going to mention her.

 

[Wyliefan]

different strokes different folks I guess

But I will say people telling all Asians that they lack sufficient expression and projection of emotion is getting very dull. Just saying. Especially here when compared to someone who, even by Russian standards, really OTT projects all the way up to the cheap seats like a silent film star to the point that her tv camera close ups are worthy in their outdated mugging.

I didn't know Yuna was all Asians.

 

[Miki89]

Whenever I hear criticism about Asian skaters lacking projection, the response to that is always: Daisuke Takahashi.

 

[berthesghost]

I didn't know Yuna was all Asians.

I didn’t know YuNa was the first Asian skater ever to be accused of lacking projection and emotion. (Ps she’s not. This cut and paste generic complaint is a half decade old)

 

[hanca]

On the other hand, I remember Zhulin saying that B/S were diligent and hardworking, but offered very little in terms of creative input, even despite him pressuring them to be more involved in the creative process.

On yet another hand, I distinctly remember that Lipnitskaya used to get her way with Eteri (she didn’t like working with Morozov and their collaboration lasted for only one season, she chose Schindler’s List despite everyone else being not a fan of her choice, she bossed Aveebukh around saying “that’s not where I want the spin” or something like that). I don’t want to call anyone a liar yet, but something might have been lost in translation.

I think Lipnitskaya was in a different situation than Medvedeva was. When Lipnitskaya was on the top, there wasn’t anyone from Tutberidze’s skaters competing against her in seniors. She was the star and as such she could say it if she didn’t like something. The nearest competitor in Tutberidze’s group (Medvedeva) was two season’s younger, and in her first junior season she was one of the top of her age, but not the completely best one. Additionally, I think also Lipnitskaya’s personality is more straightforward to say when she wants something or doesn’t want something, e.g. when she wants Schindler’s list, she would be stubborn enough to make sure she is heard). Unlike Lipnitskaya, Medvedeva had constantly someone stepping on her heels. Tsurskaya looked very promising in her first junior season and it seemed just matter of the time when she will be in seniors and catch up. A year later it was suddenly Zagitova who was catching up. That means that Medvedeva probably didn’t want to appear too difficult, she didn’t want to annoy Tutberidze, and possibly their close relationship at that time would also make it hard for her to disagree with whatever Tutberidze wanted. So the fact that Lipnitskaya had some input into her programs (relatively speaking) doesn’t mean that Medvedeva had the same, even though they had the same coach.

 

[babayaga]

On the other hand, I remember Zhulin saying that B/S were diligent and hardworking, but offered very little in terms of creative input, even despite him pressuring them to be more involved in the creative process.

On yet another hand, I distinctly remember that Lipnitskaya used to get her way with Eteri (she didn’t like working with Morozov and their collaboration lasted for only one season, she chose Schindler’s List despite everyone else being not a fan of her choice, she bossed Aveebukh around saying “that’s not where I want the spin” or something like that). I don’t want to call anyone a liar yet, but something might have been lost in translation.

When Lipnitskaya left Tutberizde, Tutberizde was telling in every interview that her results dropped because Yulia started to see herself as a star and stopped listening and trusting the coach and was questioning Eteri's decisions. At the same time, Medvedeva was giving interviews where she very enthusiastically was saying that she trusts her coach completely and this is part of the reason of her success. Those words felt very much like a response to Tutberizde's criticism of Lipnitskaya and an attempt to distinguish herself from the previous student. And now this is the first thing Evgenia complains to Brian about.

 

[Fairuza]

I think Lipnitskaya was in a different situation than Medvedeva was. When Lipnitskaya was on the top, there wasn’t anyone from Tutberidze’s skaters competing against her in seniors. She was the star and as such she could say it if she didn’t like something. The nearest competitor in Tutberidze’s group (Medvedeva) was two season’s younger, and in her first junior season she was one of the top of her age, but not the completely best one. Additionally, I think also Lipnitskaya’s personality is more straightforward to say when she wants something or doesn’t want something, e.g. when she wants Schindler’s list, she would be stubborn enough to make sure she is heard). Unlike Lipnitskaya, Medvedeva had constantly someone stepping on her heels. Tsurskaya looked very promising in her first junior season and it seemed just matter of the time when she will be in seniors and catch up. A year later it was suddenly Zagitova who was catching up. That means that Medvedeva probably didn’t want to appear too difficult, she didn’t want to annoy Tutberidze, and possibly their close relationship at that time would also make it hard for her to disagree with whatever Tutberidze wanted. So the fact that Lipnitskaya had some input into her programs (relatively speaking) doesn’t mean that Medvedeva had the same, even though they had the same coach.

Actually, Eteri did everything in her power to claim later on that Schindler’s List was her idea too, they just promoted it as Julia’s wish during the Olympic season. Julia never contradicted.

 

[Meoima]

When Lipnitskaya left Tutberizde, Tutberizde was telling in every interview that her results dropped because Yulia started to see herself as a star and stopped listening and trusting the coach and was questioning Eteri's decisions. At the same time, Medvedeva was giving interviews where she very enthusiastically was saying that she trusts her coach completely and this is part of the reason of her success. Those words felt very much like a response to Tutberizde's criticism of Lipnitskaya and an attempt to distinguish herself from the previous student. And now this is the first thing Evgenia complains to Brian about.

Isn’t that normal for kids to grow up and develop different ideas on their own? Isn’t it easy and nice to have kids who listen to you always? Once the kids start growing up and knowing more, they develop their own selves and own visions, that’s when the conflicts start. Isn’t teenager phase is the most difficult for both parents and their children?

 

[aftershocks]

I just can’t see how having the same coach as your biggest competitor wouldn’t bring about some tension. I think she’s made a good decision.

Not that we haven't seen this before quite often in many disciplines. Tension exists of course, but they seemed to work it out in Canton, and in Gadbois, also in Wheaton re ice dance teams. It has worked at the Cricket Club for Hanyu and Javi, and also under Raf between Nathan and Adam. There are probably benefits and disadvantages, depending upon the circumstances.

ITA re Evgenia's decision. Obviously, Evgenia did not want to weather the situation further, especially with more young rivals on the horizon in the same camp. No matter what Evgenia may have said in private to Eteri, in public, especially at the Olympics, Evgenia carried herself with a tremendous amount of grace and courage. This, despite her obvious anguish in not standing atop the singles podium.