The Knierims have switched coaches from Sappenfield to ... Aljona Savchenko!

Atreugal said:
Good move. I'm just curious about the training expenses. Is the US federation supporting this endeavor?
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Well, they announced it, so I'm assuming that they are on board. It's not like this pair has been thriving in the past year. The Kneirims basically had one great SP (timed beautifully, but still).
 
^^ That's a great interview. I like Aliona's infectious optimism. Aliona provided interesting insight into how their coaching partnership came about after Aliona gave the Knierims encouragement post their disappointing letdown at Worlds. It looks like they've been working together for awhile, already having new programs, and now working on costumes.

Congrats to the Knierims and their new coaches. Lots of good luck to them. It will definitely be interesting to see what transpires, re Aliona as a full-time coach, and the Knierims as they explore and discover a new direction and boffo inspiration for their partnership. As others have noted, great coaching, wow factor chemistry and stand-out programs are necessary, in addition to aceing the sbs jumps and other tech weapons consistently.
 
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skateboy said:
This may be the best thing we've heard about US pairs this century.
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Hyperbole. :p Maybe you could say over the last quarter-century, perhaps. Definitely not the last century. Check the history. U.S. pairs were the first North American pairs skaters to win gold at a World championship.* This happened of course post WW II in the aftermath of so much devastation in European countries. The late 1940s and early 1950s heralded a golden age for U.S. figure skating in all disciplines, but especially singles. (U.S. dominance was later impacted by the Sabena air crash, which led to the beginning of globalization of the sport).

* Of course Canadian pairs soon followed with World and Olympic championship wins and eventually surpassed U.S. pairs in overall success. And then there was the advent of Russian pairs in the 1960s, and they have largely dominated ever since, until recent years. But U.S. pairs also had notable success on the world stage in the 1970s and 1980s. And a few U.S. teams were at least competitive thereafter until the early 2000s.

genevieve said:
…

And I applaud anyone escaping Sappenfield.
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There's no need to look down on Sappenfield in the heady rush to congratulate Aliona and the Knierims.
 
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Wyliefan said:
New interview with Aljona where she talks about her coaching plans!

http://www.icenetwork.com/news/2018/05/17/276810168
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Holy Crap, that was a good interview..

And finally we get other a bit more how this partnership came to be at Worlds...

"At worlds, Alexa and Chris skated really bad. Alexa came back crying to the locker room as I was putting on my makeup. She was so sad and distressed. I wanted to tell her that they were good, that she shouldn't be so upset. In our sport, there are ups and downs, but life keeps going always. I felt it was not the best time to tell her, so after the exhibition I went to them and I said, "You guys are so good, don't give up!" Then she told me, "Yesterday, I dreamt that you were coaching us."

That would be cool if she could give facelifts to the pairs programs of USA and Germany kind of like what happened in China 20 yrs ago! :cheer::cheer:

I like too that she jokes if Bruno stops she will continue in ice dance...:rofl::rofl:
 
Aljona :encore:

And :rofl: at this introduction to the IceNetwork story, making it sound like the coaching switch was USFS's doing. I would be even more surprised if that was actually what happened.
U.S. Figure Skating sent shockwaves through the skating world Monday, when it announced that Alexa Scimeca-Knierim and Chris Knierim would train with Olympic and six-time world gold medalist Aljona Savchenko beginning this summer.
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What's interesting is that their German base will be Obertsdorf, not Berlin, which may mean her husband can go back to the work he was doing there when they met.
 
kwanfan1818 said:
What's interesting is that their German base will be Obertsdorf, not Berlin, which may mean her husband can go back to the work he was doing there when they met.
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Savchenko/Massot were based in Obertsdorf, so her husband would have been living there. Their coach has now moved back to Berlin, but I don't believe they trained there.
 
Am I the only one who thinks this is going to end terribly. I hope it doesn't I like them. Savchenko has never been a coach and she's all over the place with shows and potentially coming back and everything else. I also think not having one consistent home base is going to be a problem. Can she even go to nationals with them? I didn't think this was a good idea when USFS announced it and this interview made me even more skeptical. Then again Worlds was so bad for them it's not like it could get much worse. The US can't loose it's one spot can it?
 
skateboy said:
I didn't say the last century. I said this century = 21st Century.
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:duh: Ah, okay. That makes better sense. There's just so much 19th-century ridiculousness going on in the world these days, I forgot we're now in the early years of the 21st-century. :drama::eek:

Oh well then that's 18 years you're referencing. So it's less hyperbolic, and more gleefully enthusiastic. :D

Since nothing competitively substantive has yet actually happened to crow about, I personally prefer to cheer and jump up and down with fingers firmly crossed. :) I think it's wise not to place huge expectations on this latest gushing breath of fresh air for U.S. pairs figure skating. I plan to enjoy watching their progress and not get too far out in front with huge over-expectations.

Aliona is a boss lady and a phenomenal pairs champion. However, this is her initial foray into coaching a veteran team. Aliona acknowledges that she will be receiving assistance in her coaching duties, and that joining up with the Knierims is a mutual partnership. Just as with Bruno, and just as when she was part of the innovative and influential Three Musketeers of pairs figure skating, Aliona did not achieve her success singlehandedly. She's always known and acknowledged that reality, which is quite clear in her recent IN interview.

I would qualify and rephrase your observation: 'It's one of the more encouraging developments we've seen among U.S. pairs since Ingo Steuer was slated to become the coach of Denney/Frazier several years ago.' (As we know, Haven's unfortunate freak knee injury scuttled their plans, and D/F basically had to restart their career from scratch -- they lost time and momentum, but have never given up on each other; it's a miracle that Haven is even walking again, let alone regaining jumping ability).

Additional exciting developments in this century re U.S. pairs: The Knierims' quad twist; Inoue/Baldwin becoming the first ever pairs skaters to land a throw 3-axel; McLaughlin/Brubaker taking off as an exciting young team with an explosive throw triple twist, coached by Sappenfield; Evora/Ladwig and their amazing lifts, plus their great (albeit under-rewarded) showing at the 2010 Olympics, coached by Jim Peterson; recently, the inspiring and unexpected renaissance of Deanna Stellato as a pairs skater with Nate Bartholomay; the excellent showings by Kayne/O'Shea and Cain/LeDuc at 2018 4CCs; Marley/Brubaker were a promising (albeit short-lived) team, coached by Meno/Sand; the legendary Tamara Moskvina coached Ina/ Zimmerman to a 2002 World bronze medal; John Zimmerman has put together a skilled coaching crew in Florida (Fontana, Barrett, Kerr) who have created buzz with the success they have achieved for the veteran pair team from France, James/Cipres. Former British ice dancer, John Kerr, is also responsible for choreographing innovative programs for Olympic champions, Aliona Savchenko/ Bruno Massot.

Obviously, not much happens in isolation. Also, as Aliona herself emphasized: "First, there are so many good skaters in the U.S. ... Alexa and Chris can be a top pair..." I would add, so can many others. It takes time with the right elements coming together. Just as Aliona observed re the Knierims, "something [must] go right" for any promising U.S. pairs team to succeed. That's true for teams everywhere. Aliona should know. Despite her many accomplishments, she had many challenges and disappointments too. She took the bitter with the sweet, kept pushing forward, and never gave up. I also appreciate the fact that she has acknowledged fs fans' contributions to the success of her partnership with Bruno. :cheer:
 
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IIRC Aljona has already done some coaching in Germany, but she stopped doing that after a while (because she wanted to give it 100% and couldn't because at the time the she was still competing and was giving it 100%)
 
Japanfan said:
This.

A good coach needs more skills than simply having been a good or great skater.
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^^ Exactly, but I do understand the excitement, in that Aliona is one determined bad-ass pairs lady. So it will be fascinating to see what transpires with this new venture. The Knierims are showing grit, desire and courage with this move. Plus, Aliona clearly has vision and she is not taking this on lightly. Also, she is not known to give up when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge (as we've witnessed throughout her career, and most spectacularly this past February in Pyeongchang). :)
 
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Japanfan said:
A good coach needs more skills than simply having been a good or great skater.
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True. But it's also true that some top skaters transition into coaching international competitors from the get-go (though they may have done some coaching during their career). An obvious example is Savchenko's former partner Robin Szolkowy, who AFAIK was no more experienced than she is when he began working with Tarasova/Morozov. Other examples: Hongbo Zhao, Stas Morozov, Dubreuil/Lauzon (I think?), Fabian Bourzat, Greg Zuerlein, Massimo Scali. And before anyone points out that they started out as part of a team - Savchenko won't be working alone, either.

Also, past skaters such as Tomas Verner, KvdP, Brian Joubert and Florent Amodio have already shown up as coaches at GPs and ISU championships.

Savchenko aiming high as a coach is really not unprecedented.
 
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Anyasnake said:
And if we get programs like we got these last 2 seasons from S/M...
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Sure, but a lot goes into creating great programs. Read Aliona's comments in the IN article. Also note that the amazing John Kerr's creativity was a factor in S/M's boffo programs.

Spiralgraph said:
...if a few more US pairs show this kind of gutsy commitment to improve...
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It's not fair to imply that other U.S. pairs are not making "gutsy commitments to improve" unless they make a bold coaching move. Not everyone can be coached by Aliona, by Zimmerman, or by other perceived 'hot' coaches of the moment. A lot goes into achieving pairs success. Luck most of all. More has to go right than goes wrong...
 
aftershocks said:
Sure, but a lot goes into creating great programs. Read Aliona's comments in the IN article. Also note that the amazing John Kerr's creativity was a factor in S/M's boffo programs.
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Just a note - Christopher Dean did their long program, John Kerr - short
 
overedge said:
Aljona :encore:

And :rofl: at this introduction to the IceNetwork story, making it sound like the coaching switch was USFS's doing. I would be even more surprised if that was actually what happened.
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I think you were reading into the introduction statement. USFS announces lots of things they have no input into.
 
Interesting and refreshing news. I understand the concerns that this is Aljona's first foray into coaching, however, believe it or not, the Knierims really have fairly solid technique. Yes, they are horribly inconsistent with their SBS jumping, but the technique IS there.

I think Aljona in particular will be a huge asset to them in terms of building mental toughness and better choreography and packaging. The rest of the coaching team will also be helpful in terms of technical side of things.

For those who are concerned that Aljona's schedule will be challenging - keep in mind, as she's noted, her focus will be primarily if not fully on the Knierims. Yes, she will have shows and will travel here and there, but look at a coach with a full roster of students... they are often traveling to competitions, dividing time between other students, etc. They'll probably get more attention and time from Aljona than they did from Delilah.
 
kirkbiggestfan said:
It saddens me that Aliona and Bruno don't have zillions of shows booked for the next 12 months. They have a decent schedule but nothing like it used to be 20 years ago. I would have loved to see them in a North American tour this year. The skating fans all over the world would love to celebrate our goddess.
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With a baby on the way, I'm not sure Bruno wants to do a ton of touring.
 
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