Interview with Arutunian re. Chen, idea of Russia's Channel One Cup: "Arrange a jump tournament with men for the Tutberidze skaters."

[Sylvia]

In an interview with RIA Novosti correspondent Boris Khodorovsky, the coach of the reigning world champion Nathan Chen Rafael Arutyunyan spoke about the reasons for his student's defeat at the start of the Grand Prix series, about his plans for the Olympic season and the idea of holding a jumping duel between Russian figure skaters and American figure skaters at the Channel One Cup ...

"Комплексовать перед Трусовой Чен точно не будет": откровенное интервью тренера из США Арутюняна

В интервью корреспонденту РИА Новости Борису Ходоровскому тренер действующего чемпиона мира Натана Чена Рафаэл Арутюнян рассказал о причинах поражения своего... РИА Новости Спорт, 11.11.2021

rsport.ria.ru

Machine translated excerpt:

RA: I generally have a proposal to Channel One to organize jumping competitions between two teams - Russian girls and American guys. For greater competition, it is possible to collect a third, from Russian figure skaters, strengthening it with European legionnaires.
Q: But what about American girls?
RA: In such a tournament, they simply cannot compete. But a knockout tournament with the participation of men from North America and Russian girls will raise the ratings of TV broadcasts to unprecedented heights. Chen will definitely not be complex in front of Trusova.

 

[Sylvia]

Nathan-related machine translated excerpts:

RA: Before Las Vegas, Nathan was supposed to play at a tournament in Japan, but it was canceled. We were satisfied with the option with the rental of only an arbitrary [long] program at these competitions and a short one in demonstration performances. Only in the current realities, you need to be prepared for the fact that the first start will be immediately at the Grand Prix stage. In Las Vegas, Chen tried his crazy content with quadruple lutz and flip in the short program, as well as a rittberger [4Lo] in the free program. For the first start, this is a lot, but the athlete had such a desire, and did not discourage him. Even pluses are worth looking for in this defeat. It's good that this happened in Las Vegas and not in Beijing.

In Vancouver, Nathan changed the content, performing a [4T] instead of a quadruple flip in the short program. It's no secret that skaters are generally afraid to put a quad flip in a short program, where the cost of a mistake is very high, and Chen performs this jump in the second half. And he can do it! Any trainer knows that there are comfortable and uncomfortable jumps for his student. In this regard, Nathan is no different from others. He loves some jumps, but not some, but at the same time he tries to perform all the quadruples. Although no one gives additional bonuses for this.

Q: Why does Chen, with his incredible psychological stability, work with a psychologist?
RA: It just seems that Chen is an incredibly psychologically stable skater. Nobody knows what kind of work is behind this. And the work is long-term.
Q: Nobody should know ...

RA: Of course! This is the whole point. Nathan himself said very well at the press conference: "Everyone is convinced that I am a robot on the ice, and I am the same person as the rest." We have been working together for about 12 years, and now, at the stage in Canada, Nathan was able to perform the free program when I was not at the side. We could only exchange glances. Due to strict rules for the "bubble", I was not allowed to appear close to the ice. I had to stand in the aisle. Thanks to the local security guards who drove away the people standing in front of me. Thanks to this, one of the jumps was corrected.

RA: We plan to take part in three tournaments: the Grand Prix finals, the US Championship and the Olympics. I would not want Chen to reach the peak of his form ahead of time. This is also one of the reasons that he did not perform well at Skate America.

RA: ...In the USA, champions appear not because of, but in spite of.
Q: What about Chen?
RA: His parents sacrificed a lot for the sake of their son's sports career. When Nathan was ten years old, his mother brought the boy to our skating rink, leaving her husband and four children in another city [Salt Lake City]. It was clear how physically and technically gifted this guy is, how great his ambitions are. He himself told his parents that it was necessary to go to this particular coach, otherwise nothing would work. In ten years! At first they came several times a year to master classes, but Nathan himself chose me. And I hope I [he?] didn’t regret it.

 

[Sylvia]

Q: You have been quite critical in your interviews with the young champions from Team Tutberidze. The recent successes of Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who have won more than one season, did not force them to change their point of view?

RA: Just the opposite. Like many fans of figure skating, I would like to see champions throughout several Olympic cycles. Today, no one perceives Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva as active athletes. But they are still about twenty! Yes, and Trusova and Shcherbakova are stepping on the heels of Kamila Valieva, who is holding her first adult season and has already set two world records - in the free program and in the sum of two.
Trusova's injured foot, because of which she misses the Japanese Grand Prix, once again confirm that my pathetic attempts to draw attention to the need for careful treatment of young athletes did not lead to anything. But voices are already being heard that skaters need to be given bonuses for their age. And it is no coincidence that today a huge number of figure skating fans are eager to see Elizaveta Tuktamysheva at the Olympics with her truly female skating.

RA: A short program by [for Kseniia] Sinitsyna, which everyone liked very much, was directed by my wife. She [Vera A.] came to Moscow to visit her daughter and combined business with pleasure. As much as we can, we try to help Russian skaters if they make such a request.

Q: How do you assess the prospects of such skaters as Sinitsyna, in whose arsenal there are no quadruple jumps, but there is an abyss of charm?

RA: They cannot compete with the Tutberidze Team. This group contains such figure skaters that only internal competition pushes them to unprecedented heights. A good team (now we are not talking about coaches, choreographers, and physical training specialists, but about skaters) is the most important factor in progress. For Ksenia, the third place in the short program in Las Vegas and the overall fifth is a great success. Not everything in this life is measured only by the Olympic gold medal. In America, we have to work with all kinds of athletes. There is not even close to such as it is today in Russia, where support for high-performance sports is provided at the state level. In the USA, champions appear not because of, but in spite of.

Q: What about Chen?

RA: His parents sacrificed a lot for the sake of their son's sports career. When Nathan was ten years old, his mother brought the boy to our skating rink, leaving her husband and four children in another city [Salt Lake City]. It was clear how physically and technically gifted this guy is, how great his ambitions are. He himself told his parents that it was necessary to go to this particular coach, otherwise nothing would work. In ten years! At first they came several times a year to master classes, but Nathan himself chose me. And I hope I [he?] didn’t regret it.

 

[MacMadame]

RA says that Nathan is preparing for 3 comps. GPF, Nationals, and Olympics. Does that mean he's not planning to be at Worlds?

 

[Sylvia]

RA says that Nathan is preparing for 3 comps. GPF, Nationals, and Olympics. Does that mean he's not planning to be at Worlds?

Not necessarily. I assume Arutunian has been planning Nathan's season around and up to the Olympics.