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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Elena Buyanova `Sotnikova can overcome everything' for sport-express.ru
EV: We once spoke about the sports psychology and you said you never needed the services of such specialists. How hard is it keeping working with an athlete who obviously experiences such problems?
EB: I wouldn't say it's just the psychology. First and most of all the athlete needs to understand what is he training for, why he takes all these practices. Maksim, for instance, when he became the national champion for the first time, I was trying to explain it's that state of being on the edge that has to be fed all the time. That it will not go on forever. That the sports life is short. That with the age he will probably feel it himself, but the benefit of the doubt will no longer be given. And so is the ability. At the beginning of the previous season I offered Kovtun working with a shrink, I know he met the specialist, spoke to him and was planning to start sessions. These plans remained just that.
EV: As a coach couldn't you control it?
EB: As a coach I always let the skaters decide their destiny. I don't think making someone work is needed. My job is to help and teach the athlete when they are interested. I would not write off a possibility Maksim decided he can deal with his problems himself without any help from the shrink. He is a smart, thinking, old enough guy - after all 20 y.o is not a young age for an athlete.
EV: I always liked Kovtun's approach never hiding from the press when things go wrong. But, frankly, I did not expect him to go out and talk to the press after the LP in Boston.
EB: We spoke quite a lot about that at the time. Including in Boston while sitting in Kiss and Cry. I like it that Maksim takes responsibility. I think the athlete needs to be able to explain the result not only his coach, but the audience. How deeply he feels about it is a different question.
EV: As a coach do you understand the reasons for such a failure?
EB: The thing is that the high result demands a high level of devotion. I don't need to tell you that. The athlete needs to live and breath the sport. When they are simply not organized gaining the result is much harder.
EV: So Kovtun is not well organized?
EB: Exactly. That's why he can't concentrate well enough on what he is doing. Maksim is a very talented person, he learns fast, understands things on the fly. But as all the talented people he can't stand the routine and gets bored. He must be kept interested all the time, which is not easy.
EV: In such a situation, it seems to me, the coach has 2 choices: accepting the challenge and keep working or just expel the skater and stop wasting their nerves. Excuse me for being blunt, but how close are you to the second option? You must have considered that.
EB: Every coach has such moments. Just that I put so much hard work in Maksim that I can't just write it off with a wave of the hand. Besides, we've been working together for a while now and I see some features in him which I love. We spoke a lot after coming back from Boston and, I think, the next season should be the deciding for both of us. In many ways. Including keeping working together.
The most annoying thing is that I know that in a year or two Maksim will understand a lot of things he refuses to understand now.
EV: And, like many of his predecessors, who left the sports and became no one will be so sorry understanding that the time is gone?
EB: Exactly. That's what am most afraid of. This is not the destiny I want for him. But the problem is severe. When am asked to help the young coaches with the kids I see in some of them - even at the age of 7-8 true athletes. I was like that - understood very early what were my goals.
Kovtun, who joined my group at the age of 16 didn't have such understanding at all. He was a guy from the street, who has decent jumps, can think and that was more or less it. Even skating with Morozov's group and having an opportunity to travel to the USA the thing Maksim enjoyed the most was not the practices, but having Amodio and Fernandez skating with him in the group. There was no goal to win anything in his scale of preferences. Neither an understand that sport is first of all a hard work.
Now you can see what happens: on one hand we are `ahead' of the situation setting a goal performing 5 quads in 1 programme, on the other hand we missed it - Maksim only manages to land all these jumps in the practices.
EV: Should Kovtun become consistent next year will the next step be to take over? And what will it be?
EB: We are not talking about making the programme more complicated. If Maksim does all he is capable it would be enough to remain competitive for the next 2 years. I.e. till the Olympics in Korea. Am not thinking further than that.
EV: When we were talking before the Sochi Olympics you said two single skaters of Sotnikova and Kovtun level were your limit as a coach. Now you accepted first Adian Pitkeev and then Maria Sotskova. Does it mean Sotnikova is not coming back?
EB: We were planning the come back last season, but it didn't work. As for today Adelina is training and we completed working on the short programme, which, I think, turned out great. She herself wants to skate, but I have a feeling that deep down Adelina has some doubts which prevent her from diving into the work completely. As for Maria she would be a great sparring for Sotnikova, besides I like the skater a lot. I wouldn't have taken her otherwise.
EV: Yet you declined taking Anna Pogorilaya a year ago.
EB: Because I understood how hard it would be for Adelina to come back and how much it will take from both of us. At such situation I couldn't afford focusing on anyone else.
EV: Did Pitkeev join the group for sparring as well?
EB: Not only. He interests me as an athlete, it's interesting working with him. Adian is light, fast, gifted and despite the obvious shyness he has an inner `craziness'. He is capable becoming a very interesting skater. Though we haven't really started working yet.
EV: Why do you think Sotnikova was unable to make it to the team last season?
EB: I think she was shaken so badly by the GPF where all our girls, the juniors included, skater so well. It could create the doubts and in such a level it's enough to make everything go wrong. I'd say we were lacking the spirit a bit. Why - I don't know. More than that it was news for me Adelina would be lost before an important competition.
She holds all the cards, not me. I'm very curious to see how will Adelina deal. It's not just the hard practices, but the whole routine with watching the weight, giving up a lot of things and even more strictly than before the Olympics. Should Sotnikova decide she wants it she will overcome anything, am quite certain
EV: What if you press on her and make her?
EB: The skaters of the certain age should make such decisions themselves. Should she decide to continue, I, as a coach, will be near and will help. Adelina knows that. Just that it's indeed a complicated situation. Being an Olympic champion and coming back only makes sense if she is still competitive on a high level. Working in order just to make it to the team is not interesting nor for her, neither for me.
EV: What would be Adelina's perfect season?
EB: We can start talking about it after the summer training and after the base is done.
EV: I meant do you plan any earlier competitions just to recall what competing is like?
EB: I don't think Sotnikova will need a lot of competitions. It's a good thing for the little girls. Afte a certain age recovering after the competition becomes harder. And the competitions demand a different approach.
EV: I wouldn't envy you now: Kovtun, whose future is not clear depending on whether he learns to control himself at the competitions, Pitkeev with a back injury, Sotskova, who is not yet through the puberty and Sotnikova - with no promise keeping skating. Are you afraid to be left alone?
EB: That's what I'm a coach for - to deal with such situations as well. Of course some things don't depend on me, but I see so much more pros rather than cons working with these skaters.
EV: Do you work with the kids at all?
EB: Not anymore, though I do help the other coaches when asked. I think with the current development of skating each age should be handled by a specialist.
EV: When you first started working and you, as a young coach, were left by your students for the favour of more experienced colleagues, did you think it was the right thing to do?
EB: Now after climbing that `ladder' many times I think so. I know for sure I can work with anyone if needed. Just that when you coach the adults for many years working with the kids becomes slightly less interesting. Kids give the emotions, the feeling of being needed. Working with the adults is different. It's a hard physical job where the coach needs to control the tiniest details.
If you want to have the results you must become the manager of your skater, the teacher and the problems solver. And why should I expect anyone to help me with the training process? In the sport no one owes anything to anyone.
EV: I reckon many of your colleagues might disagree.
EB: Yet this is what I think
EV: We once spoke about the sports psychology and you said you never needed the services of such specialists. How hard is it keeping working with an athlete who obviously experiences such problems?
EB: I wouldn't say it's just the psychology. First and most of all the athlete needs to understand what is he training for, why he takes all these practices. Maksim, for instance, when he became the national champion for the first time, I was trying to explain it's that state of being on the edge that has to be fed all the time. That it will not go on forever. That the sports life is short. That with the age he will probably feel it himself, but the benefit of the doubt will no longer be given. And so is the ability. At the beginning of the previous season I offered Kovtun working with a shrink, I know he met the specialist, spoke to him and was planning to start sessions. These plans remained just that.
EV: As a coach couldn't you control it?
EB: As a coach I always let the skaters decide their destiny. I don't think making someone work is needed. My job is to help and teach the athlete when they are interested. I would not write off a possibility Maksim decided he can deal with his problems himself without any help from the shrink. He is a smart, thinking, old enough guy - after all 20 y.o is not a young age for an athlete.
EV: I always liked Kovtun's approach never hiding from the press when things go wrong. But, frankly, I did not expect him to go out and talk to the press after the LP in Boston.
EB: We spoke quite a lot about that at the time. Including in Boston while sitting in Kiss and Cry. I like it that Maksim takes responsibility. I think the athlete needs to be able to explain the result not only his coach, but the audience. How deeply he feels about it is a different question.
EV: As a coach do you understand the reasons for such a failure?
EB: The thing is that the high result demands a high level of devotion. I don't need to tell you that. The athlete needs to live and breath the sport. When they are simply not organized gaining the result is much harder.
EV: So Kovtun is not well organized?
EB: Exactly. That's why he can't concentrate well enough on what he is doing. Maksim is a very talented person, he learns fast, understands things on the fly. But as all the talented people he can't stand the routine and gets bored. He must be kept interested all the time, which is not easy.
EV: In such a situation, it seems to me, the coach has 2 choices: accepting the challenge and keep working or just expel the skater and stop wasting their nerves. Excuse me for being blunt, but how close are you to the second option? You must have considered that.
EB: Every coach has such moments. Just that I put so much hard work in Maksim that I can't just write it off with a wave of the hand. Besides, we've been working together for a while now and I see some features in him which I love. We spoke a lot after coming back from Boston and, I think, the next season should be the deciding for both of us. In many ways. Including keeping working together.
The most annoying thing is that I know that in a year or two Maksim will understand a lot of things he refuses to understand now.
EV: And, like many of his predecessors, who left the sports and became no one will be so sorry understanding that the time is gone?
EB: Exactly. That's what am most afraid of. This is not the destiny I want for him. But the problem is severe. When am asked to help the young coaches with the kids I see in some of them - even at the age of 7-8 true athletes. I was like that - understood very early what were my goals.
Kovtun, who joined my group at the age of 16 didn't have such understanding at all. He was a guy from the street, who has decent jumps, can think and that was more or less it. Even skating with Morozov's group and having an opportunity to travel to the USA the thing Maksim enjoyed the most was not the practices, but having Amodio and Fernandez skating with him in the group. There was no goal to win anything in his scale of preferences. Neither an understand that sport is first of all a hard work.
Now you can see what happens: on one hand we are `ahead' of the situation setting a goal performing 5 quads in 1 programme, on the other hand we missed it - Maksim only manages to land all these jumps in the practices.
EV: Should Kovtun become consistent next year will the next step be to take over? And what will it be?
EB: We are not talking about making the programme more complicated. If Maksim does all he is capable it would be enough to remain competitive for the next 2 years. I.e. till the Olympics in Korea. Am not thinking further than that.
EV: When we were talking before the Sochi Olympics you said two single skaters of Sotnikova and Kovtun level were your limit as a coach. Now you accepted first Adian Pitkeev and then Maria Sotskova. Does it mean Sotnikova is not coming back?
EB: We were planning the come back last season, but it didn't work. As for today Adelina is training and we completed working on the short programme, which, I think, turned out great. She herself wants to skate, but I have a feeling that deep down Adelina has some doubts which prevent her from diving into the work completely. As for Maria she would be a great sparring for Sotnikova, besides I like the skater a lot. I wouldn't have taken her otherwise.
EV: Yet you declined taking Anna Pogorilaya a year ago.
EB: Because I understood how hard it would be for Adelina to come back and how much it will take from both of us. At such situation I couldn't afford focusing on anyone else.
EV: Did Pitkeev join the group for sparring as well?
EB: Not only. He interests me as an athlete, it's interesting working with him. Adian is light, fast, gifted and despite the obvious shyness he has an inner `craziness'. He is capable becoming a very interesting skater. Though we haven't really started working yet.
EV: Why do you think Sotnikova was unable to make it to the team last season?
EB: I think she was shaken so badly by the GPF where all our girls, the juniors included, skater so well. It could create the doubts and in such a level it's enough to make everything go wrong. I'd say we were lacking the spirit a bit. Why - I don't know. More than that it was news for me Adelina would be lost before an important competition.
She holds all the cards, not me. I'm very curious to see how will Adelina deal. It's not just the hard practices, but the whole routine with watching the weight, giving up a lot of things and even more strictly than before the Olympics. Should Sotnikova decide she wants it she will overcome anything, am quite certain
EV: What if you press on her and make her?
EB: The skaters of the certain age should make such decisions themselves. Should she decide to continue, I, as a coach, will be near and will help. Adelina knows that. Just that it's indeed a complicated situation. Being an Olympic champion and coming back only makes sense if she is still competitive on a high level. Working in order just to make it to the team is not interesting nor for her, neither for me.
EV: What would be Adelina's perfect season?
EB: We can start talking about it after the summer training and after the base is done.
EV: I meant do you plan any earlier competitions just to recall what competing is like?
EB: I don't think Sotnikova will need a lot of competitions. It's a good thing for the little girls. Afte a certain age recovering after the competition becomes harder. And the competitions demand a different approach.
EV: I wouldn't envy you now: Kovtun, whose future is not clear depending on whether he learns to control himself at the competitions, Pitkeev with a back injury, Sotskova, who is not yet through the puberty and Sotnikova - with no promise keeping skating. Are you afraid to be left alone?
EB: That's what I'm a coach for - to deal with such situations as well. Of course some things don't depend on me, but I see so much more pros rather than cons working with these skaters.
EV: Do you work with the kids at all?
EB: Not anymore, though I do help the other coaches when asked. I think with the current development of skating each age should be handled by a specialist.
EV: When you first started working and you, as a young coach, were left by your students for the favour of more experienced colleagues, did you think it was the right thing to do?
EB: Now after climbing that `ladder' many times I think so. I know for sure I can work with anyone if needed. Just that when you coach the adults for many years working with the kids becomes slightly less interesting. Kids give the emotions, the feeling of being needed. Working with the adults is different. It's a hard physical job where the coach needs to control the tiniest details.
If you want to have the results you must become the manager of your skater, the teacher and the problems solver. And why should I expect anyone to help me with the training process? In the sport no one owes anything to anyone.
EV: I reckon many of your colleagues might disagree.
EB: Yet this is what I think
. Hope this coach change will be successful for both of them.
