quiqie
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http://www.championat.com/other/article-245986-intervju-lichnogo-trenera-julii-lipnickoj.html
Alexey Urmanov: Lipnitskaya’s character is not difficult, it’s a champion’s character
In the write-up the journalist mentions that when he was typing Urmanov’s interview, the radio started playing “Non, je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf, and it felt like a keynote of the interview.
Q: It’s been some time since you moved to Sochi; was it a right decision?
A: Absolutely. At the moment, everything about the training process suits me completely. I have no complaints neither about the conditions I have to work in, nor the quality of ice or ice time.
Q: There are probably less distractions for young athletes in Sochi compared to the two capital cities.
A: Fortunately, I am quite satisfied with my pupils' work ethic. They are all very good kids, completely focused on sports. Big thanks to them for that, by the way. Speaking about the distractions of big cities – believe me, if a person wants a distraction, he will manage to find something even in a deep forest.
Q: Have you increased the level of medical control in your group because of the mildronate story?
A: I hope as a teacher I set a good example for my students. We definitely discuss these things, and they know perfectly well that I've never used any kind of prohibited drugs or stimulators. We don’t have anyone taking anything illicit in our group. So we didn’t have to increase the level, everything was fine by default.
Q: You often give master-classes in the "Sirius" educational centre. Do you plan to find a new Plushenko or Urmanov?
A: I don’t rule out that it can happen.
Q: What is your opinion about the role of such centres in preparation of young athletes?
A: I think it is very important. These centres are essential, I wish there were more of them. "Sirius" was Vladimir Putin's idea, and I think it was a genius idea that was realized. To host the Olympic Games is half work, it’s important that the Olympic infrastructure is used after the Olympic games are over. Thanks to the centre, now they work full force. Children from all over the country can benefit from that, they get to work with the best specialists, best teachers, there are master-classes, etc.
Q: And it’s not only sport.
A: Yes, it’s also arts and science. One of the goals is to find the most talented among talented kids. They will be noticed anyway, but thanks to "Sirius" it can happen more quickly. Life is not that easy, there is a possibility that a talented person will quit sport, science, or art before he gets noticed and before he gets any help. The mission of our centre is to prevent that.
Q: And how long does it take to notice the potential of a young figure skater?
A: It depends on their age. When they are just starting out, at age 4 or 5, of course, you can’t tell yet. It’s easier to understand with older children.
Q: During a master-class, when do you start to notice that one or two of the skaters are superior to the others?
A: Almost at once. The picture is more or less clear after 30-45 minutes.
Q: And if you have a pupil in your group who is perhaps less talented but is very hard working and very motivated? Would you continue working with such skater hoping that hard work will help him catch up with others?
A: Firstly, I have to say that usually less naturally talented kids by certain age either quit skating or switch to other discipline. I’m not very strict in this sense. But anyway, at some point in time a skater, his coach, and his parents have to realize whether he has any future in single skating or not.
Q: Do you think that in Russia in the nearest future there might appear such talented jumper as Boyang Jin?
A: I think so, yes. Some kids already land quad Lutzes in practice. But so far, I don’t know any Russian single skater who does three different quads.
Q: Do you think that tano jumps overload in ladies skating can negatively affect the program composition? Doesn’t it take away from the beauty of the program?
A: I don’t think so. It’s a way to increase technical difficulty. In ladies skating, there are two ways to increase complexity: it's either tano jumps or quads and triple axel. But at the moment, there are extremely few who perform such jumps consistently. So you have to take another approach.
Q: You’ve been working with Yulia Lipnitskaya for almost six months. Did the rumors about her difficult character have any substance?
A: You know, I discussed this subject with my colleagues a lot, and we are of the same opinion: you won’t find a single outstanding athlete who is an easy person. There are no goody-goody boys or girls on this level. Yulia has a normal character for an athlete that is perfectly suited for achieving success. We are on the same wavelength, we established a good rapport. Yes, there is a lot of work to do, but I see that Yulia is going in the right direcrtion.
Q: Is Lipnitskaya the kind of skater who does what coach says, or do you have to explain her how it’s going to work?
A: It’s a good question. Yulia tries to do everything that she is told to do. But as an educator and as a new coach, I always explain why we do this or that. An athlete always has to know what he is doing and why. And in our group, we do not like to make skaters do dumb work that they don’t understand.
Q: Last season you put the jump combinations in the second half of the program. What was the purpose of that?
A: I don’t think you should consider that too deeply. The season is over, the next season is looming, there will be new programs and new layout. As for the past, there wasn’t anything too difficult, and we had too lttle time to prepare.
Q: When Lipnitskaya started struggling with jumps post-Sochi, many people thought she would have to change her technique completely.
A: We work on jumps a lot, but we don’t change anything totally. The basics are the same.
Q: I can’t help asking this questions: if something goes wrong, is Yulia mentally prepared to skate for herself and her huge army of fans, not thinking about medals, like for example Misha Ge?
A: It is an awfully provocative question.
Q: That’s what I’m here for.
A: Then I’ll answer simply. There is more that enough competition in ladies skating in Russia at the moment. But Yulia is a professional and she wants to skate. Figure skating is her passion, she is a very determined person. And I am 100% sure that she will do everything to be competitive and to win.
Q: Speaking about competition, do you think that the minimum age should be increased?
A: You are posing the right question, but, unfortunately, it does not depend on me. But I personally think that 15 years is too early. We have to understand that it’s very difficult for a 25 year old to compete with a 15 year old.
Q: In conclusion, an unoriginal question: what are your and Yulia’s goals for the next season?
A: The goals are very simple: to get back on team for European and World championships, and the main goal is to make the team at the Olympic Games in Korea in two years.
Alexey Urmanov: Lipnitskaya’s character is not difficult, it’s a champion’s character
In the write-up the journalist mentions that when he was typing Urmanov’s interview, the radio started playing “Non, je ne regrette rien” by Edith Piaf, and it felt like a keynote of the interview.
Q: It’s been some time since you moved to Sochi; was it a right decision?
A: Absolutely. At the moment, everything about the training process suits me completely. I have no complaints neither about the conditions I have to work in, nor the quality of ice or ice time.
Q: There are probably less distractions for young athletes in Sochi compared to the two capital cities.
A: Fortunately, I am quite satisfied with my pupils' work ethic. They are all very good kids, completely focused on sports. Big thanks to them for that, by the way. Speaking about the distractions of big cities – believe me, if a person wants a distraction, he will manage to find something even in a deep forest.
Q: Have you increased the level of medical control in your group because of the mildronate story?
A: I hope as a teacher I set a good example for my students. We definitely discuss these things, and they know perfectly well that I've never used any kind of prohibited drugs or stimulators. We don’t have anyone taking anything illicit in our group. So we didn’t have to increase the level, everything was fine by default.
Q: You often give master-classes in the "Sirius" educational centre. Do you plan to find a new Plushenko or Urmanov?
A: I don’t rule out that it can happen.
Q: What is your opinion about the role of such centres in preparation of young athletes?
A: I think it is very important. These centres are essential, I wish there were more of them. "Sirius" was Vladimir Putin's idea, and I think it was a genius idea that was realized. To host the Olympic Games is half work, it’s important that the Olympic infrastructure is used after the Olympic games are over. Thanks to the centre, now they work full force. Children from all over the country can benefit from that, they get to work with the best specialists, best teachers, there are master-classes, etc.
Q: And it’s not only sport.
A: Yes, it’s also arts and science. One of the goals is to find the most talented among talented kids. They will be noticed anyway, but thanks to "Sirius" it can happen more quickly. Life is not that easy, there is a possibility that a talented person will quit sport, science, or art before he gets noticed and before he gets any help. The mission of our centre is to prevent that.
Q: And how long does it take to notice the potential of a young figure skater?
A: It depends on their age. When they are just starting out, at age 4 or 5, of course, you can’t tell yet. It’s easier to understand with older children.
Q: During a master-class, when do you start to notice that one or two of the skaters are superior to the others?
A: Almost at once. The picture is more or less clear after 30-45 minutes.
Q: And if you have a pupil in your group who is perhaps less talented but is very hard working and very motivated? Would you continue working with such skater hoping that hard work will help him catch up with others?
A: Firstly, I have to say that usually less naturally talented kids by certain age either quit skating or switch to other discipline. I’m not very strict in this sense. But anyway, at some point in time a skater, his coach, and his parents have to realize whether he has any future in single skating or not.
Q: Do you think that in Russia in the nearest future there might appear such talented jumper as Boyang Jin?
A: I think so, yes. Some kids already land quad Lutzes in practice. But so far, I don’t know any Russian single skater who does three different quads.
Q: Do you think that tano jumps overload in ladies skating can negatively affect the program composition? Doesn’t it take away from the beauty of the program?
A: I don’t think so. It’s a way to increase technical difficulty. In ladies skating, there are two ways to increase complexity: it's either tano jumps or quads and triple axel. But at the moment, there are extremely few who perform such jumps consistently. So you have to take another approach.
Q: You’ve been working with Yulia Lipnitskaya for almost six months. Did the rumors about her difficult character have any substance?
A: You know, I discussed this subject with my colleagues a lot, and we are of the same opinion: you won’t find a single outstanding athlete who is an easy person. There are no goody-goody boys or girls on this level. Yulia has a normal character for an athlete that is perfectly suited for achieving success. We are on the same wavelength, we established a good rapport. Yes, there is a lot of work to do, but I see that Yulia is going in the right direcrtion.
Q: Is Lipnitskaya the kind of skater who does what coach says, or do you have to explain her how it’s going to work?
A: It’s a good question. Yulia tries to do everything that she is told to do. But as an educator and as a new coach, I always explain why we do this or that. An athlete always has to know what he is doing and why. And in our group, we do not like to make skaters do dumb work that they don’t understand.
Q: Last season you put the jump combinations in the second half of the program. What was the purpose of that?
A: I don’t think you should consider that too deeply. The season is over, the next season is looming, there will be new programs and new layout. As for the past, there wasn’t anything too difficult, and we had too lttle time to prepare.
Q: When Lipnitskaya started struggling with jumps post-Sochi, many people thought she would have to change her technique completely.
A: We work on jumps a lot, but we don’t change anything totally. The basics are the same.
Q: I can’t help asking this questions: if something goes wrong, is Yulia mentally prepared to skate for herself and her huge army of fans, not thinking about medals, like for example Misha Ge?
A: It is an awfully provocative question.
Q: That’s what I’m here for.
A: Then I’ll answer simply. There is more that enough competition in ladies skating in Russia at the moment. But Yulia is a professional and she wants to skate. Figure skating is her passion, she is a very determined person. And I am 100% sure that she will do everything to be competitive and to win.
Q: Speaking about competition, do you think that the minimum age should be increased?
A: You are posing the right question, but, unfortunately, it does not depend on me. But I personally think that 15 years is too early. We have to understand that it’s very difficult for a 25 year old to compete with a 15 year old.
Q: In conclusion, an unoriginal question: what are your and Yulia’s goals for the next season?
A: The goals are very simple: to get back on team for European and World championships, and the main goal is to make the team at the Olympic Games in Korea in two years.
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