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Is this it? By Phil Hersh:
If so, it was @skatfan:
Nathan Chen credits Massimo Scali for finishing touches on gold medal routine
Nathan Chen is in good hands with his coach Rafael Arutunian, but he credited the expertise of Italian skater Massimo Scali, the former coach of teammate Alysa Liu, for adding soul to his Elton John free skate. The results are undeniable.
www.nbcolympics.com
Scali began this recent collaboration with Chen at the end of November. They worked together two or three days a week for several weeks. During the two weeks before Chen left for the Olympics, Scali was at the practice rink in Irvine, California, every day.
"We started working on the things I felt I was lacking," Chen said. "Rafael (Arutunian, his coach of 11 years) covers a lot of my bases, basically everything I need in competition. But I did feel having an extra set of eyes such as Massi’s would help in the weeks before the Olympics."
...
One area Chen said Scali focused on was making sure the skater smiled during the upbeat final section of his free skate to show everyone he was enjoying the program.
"It’s really important to have your soul connected with what you’re doing," Scali said. "I think he had lost a little of the intensity of that connection. We gave the long (program) the soul he wasn’t feeling."
"We went through a lot of moments getting his movement and expression and emotion to do what the music was saying."
Scali was delighted to see Chen in the Olympic long program doing the things they had worked on. Some were subtle, some as striking as Chen executing both the quadruple flip and triple toeloop of his big initial jumping pass on consecutive powerful beats in the music.
"He hit every accent we were working on," Scali said. "That connection with the music on the right beat helps the program make sense, and it all goes into the eyes of the people watching and, of course, of the judges. It gives the feeling, 'I know what I’m skating to, and I bring my soul and emotion to the movement.'"
Scali admitted to some trepidation about tinkering with the skating of the three-time reigning world champion so close to the biggest competition of Chen’s life. It was reassuring, Scali said, when Arutunian would ask every day, "You’re coming back, right?"
"There is always in the back of your mind, 'Am I doing the right thing?'" Scali said. "I always go back to the feeling the skater is giving me. I could feel we were on the right track."
Scali said he absolutely does not want people to think he deserves substantial credit for Chen’s brilliant skating at the Olympics. Yet it was Chen who revealed Scali’s contribution.
"I was just happy and proud I could help him with anything he needed to feel ready for the Games," Scali said.
If so, it was @skatfan:
Article and interview about Scali’s work with Nathan. No wonder I liked Rocketman more here in Beijing:
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