Abusive coach is in Hall of Fame

[Lemonade20]

There was some sort of shocking report about Hough that came out during her time with Stars on Ice...mid-90s. It may have been on TV...in the midst of the skating boom. I remember because Hough/Ladret were special faves of mine at the time, so I was especially saddened. It’s in my tapes/DVDs but I don’t have time to go through them now. May have even been on a tape related to SOI.

She did admit to an eating disorder. But she is also super tough, which is why people call her Tuffie. They were such a great pair to watch skate. My Sharona was one of my faves.

 

[Frau Muller]

She did admit to an eating disorder. But she is also super tough, which is why people call her Tuffie. They were such a great pair to watch skate. My Sharona was one of my faves.

Ok, so I wasn’t imagining things. She did talk about the eating disorder. Thanks for confirming my recollections. Sad.

 

[fan]

Barkell seems to have gone the opposite way with his coaching - kind, quiet, professional. Thank goodness

 

[mackiecat]

Hmm wonder who the older skater in the story could have been.

The timeline is wrong though. This girls says it was 20 years ago. Eisler would have been more than 35 years ago with Leitch.

 

[mackiecat]

Where was that Nationals? Or do you have a link?

1991 in Saskatoon but can’t find it. I still remember her eyes rolling to the back when the program was over. They mention it during the 1991 worlds long.

 

[tony]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCy-WrguQc0&t=4215s

Courtesy of @Erin

 

[overedge]

IIRC Leitch was suspended as a coach in Canada for hitting that student (the story in the newspaper clipping posted above).

This thread from another board about his coaching in Florida is interesting too

Can Anyone Confirm--Kerry Leitch removed As Skating Director At JP Igloo? [Archive] - skatingforums.com

[Archive] Can Anyone Confirm--Kerry Leitch removed As Skating Director At JP Igloo? Skating News & Articles

skating.zachariahs.com

 

[overedge]

She did admit to an eating disorder. But she is also super tough, which is why people call her Tuffie. They were such a great pair to watch skate. My Sharona was one of my faves.

I'm not sure it's an admirable thing to be called Tuffy for continuing to skate through having an eating disorder and continually being injured. Some skaters are super-dedicated, yes, but sometimes responsible adults also need to step in and focus on the skater's long-term well-being.

 

[MacMadame]

What was spinned as "brave" back then just looks unsafe now.

Except a lot of it is still being spun as brave, dedicated, etc.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Eisler isn't as tall as she described.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Eisler isn't as tall as she described.

I am reminded of the time I saw Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy in person.

For some reason I always imagined him being over 6 feet tall, and he is actually my height. It's just that she is really tiny.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCy-WrguQc0&t=4215s

Courtesy of @Erin

That was scary to watch.

I'm reminded of the time I attended the 2009 US Championships, and one of the ladies was dropped during a lift in the senior pairs' short program. How she managed to continue after such an awful fall left me speechless.

 

[Wyliefan]

Except a lot of it is still being spun as brave, dedicated, etc.

Ashley Cain-Gribble, anyone?

 

[meggonzo]

The timeline is wrong though. This girls says it was 20 years ago. Eisler would have been more than 35 years ago with Leitch.

Yeah, I re-read and saw that she was 15 in 1995. Eisler is still awful though.

 

[olympic]

Trying to find a way to link it, but there is a different abusive event I found discussed on Slutskaya's Instagram feed: A parent filmed a Russian trainer picking up a young girl by her neck and throwing her a distance of maybe 5-10 ft. The parent reported it to the rink management. Tatiana Volosozhar picked it up and wrote about how it's never appropriate to touch a child in that way ...

 

[Erin]

There are so many sad things in that story and much of it not a surprise, as these things have been know about Leitch for years, although maybe not some of the specific details about this particular person's story. But one thing that really struck me about the story about the fellow skater is that by this time period, Leitch's school was past its prime and even its "most successful skater" wasn't even really that successful. To be clear, even if this person was the Olympic champion, what happened was 100% wrong and in no way should he have been protected from consequences of his actions. But it just shows the extent to which the school would have had to be grasping at straws to retain its former glory if it was protecting a skater that was a long shot for the Olympics at best.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Here is his Hall of Fame info. https://skatecanada.ca/corporate/kerry-leitch/

There is a picture of him and Nicole Bobek I know she had plenty of coaches, was he one of them?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

That was scary to watch.

I'm reminded of the time I attended the 2009 US Championships, and one of the ladies was dropped during a lift in the senior pairs' short program. How she managed to continue after such an awful fall left me speechless.

Holy moly these are so scary to watch. I still remember Tatiana Totmianina, Jessica Dube and Ashley CG

 

[Scott512]

Leitch is my guess

Good guess.

What is it with men involved in pairs skating? Do they think they're God's gift to women or something?

 

[Sylvia]

There is a picture of him and Nicole Bobek I know she had plenty of coaches, was he one of them?

Yes, her last one in 1999, according to Bobek's wiki.

 

[overedge]

What is it with men involved in pairs skating? Do they think they're God's gift to women or something?

There are so few male pairs skaters, compared to the number of women that are or want to be pairs skaters, that the men are in high demand. And they know it. If a female pair skater acts like a diva or is abusive to her partner, she can easily be replaced. The women know that too. It can set up a very unhealthy dynamic.

 

[Vagabond]

Goog guess.

What is it with men involved in pairs skating? Do they think they're God's gift to women or something?

I can think of a couple of American women Pairs coaches whose conduct can be said to be abusive and/or to have enabled and protected abusers. Let's not pretend that the problem is limited to the men.

 

[fan]

I can think of a couple of American women Pairs coaches whose conduct can be said to be abusive and/or to have enabled and protected abusers. Let's not pretend that the problem is limited to the men.

A couple? I can think of one in partiCOlar

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

There is a picture of him and Nicole Bobek I know she had plenty of coaches, was he one of them?

I think he coached her for a little bit when she had turned pro.

 

[Vagabond]

A couple? I can think of one in partiCOlar

There is a FLaw in your thinking if you cannot come up with the other.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Holy moly these are so scary to watch. I still remember Tatiana Totmianina, Jessica Dube and Ashley CG

I'd forgotten about Jessica Dube, and how similar it was to Elena Bereznaja's head injury from her former partner's skate blade.

 

[4rkidz]

I listened to the coaches where my daughter skated talk about Leitch and the abuse both verbal and physical. I always wandered how he was able to coach in Florida and cross the border when he had criminal charges.

 

[Sonata]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCy-WrguQc0&t=4215s

Courtesy of @Erin

Wow. I don’t think she would even be allowed back on the ice nowadays, due to concern for concussion. Same for when Doug Ladret skated with a helmet - not sure they would allow him to skate, period. I read he took it off during competition and the crowd applauded.

 

[Scott512]

There are so few male pairs skaters, compared to the number of women that are or want to be pairs skaters, that the men are in high demand. And they know it. If a female pair skater acts like a diva or is abusive to her partner, she can easily be replaced. The women know that too. It can set up a very unhealthy dynamic.

Interesting point. I did not know there were so many more lady pair skaters available than male pair skaters available.

It sounds like the men pair skaters or some of them anyway no they are in high demand and can be demanding in more ways than one.

 

[Frau Muller]

Interesting point. I did not know there were so many more lady pair skaters available than male pair skaters available.

It sounds like the men pair skaters or some of them anyway no they are in high demand and can be demanding in more ways than one.

Isn’t that why the whole “rent-a-Russian” trend started, in the ‘90s, among rich American girls hoping to find pairs/dance partners?