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Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Inna Goncharenko `The coach is the most vunerable link' for rsport.ria.ru
Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Inna Goncharenko `The coach is the most vunerable link' for rsport.ria.ru
EV: Inna, if I were asked to pick the most sensational skate of the current GP series I'd probably pick your pupil's Sergey Voronov skate in Japan. Did his victory come as a surprise?
IG: I truly believe if the person works hard it will pay off eventually. Sergey did. He was working a lot, very hard, understanding why he does it. Off the ice as well.
EV: What can you do about a 30y.o skater who for many years gave a reason to be called not choreographical?
IN: It's funny, but the most basic classical choreography, if you work hard every day, shows. The moves become different, the small muscles become stronger. Sergey always had troubles with his knee, it became chronical and the choreography lessons helped.
EV: I.e. Voronov's knees are fine now?
IG: There is no such thing a healthy top athlete. The question is how bad are things. Can you skate or not. If a person can work full force despite the pain, the problem is not major enough to talk about.
EV: I saw Voronov even started doing the problematic 3lz in a combo.
IG: We just worked on that. The lutz is mentally the hardest jump for the skaters.
EV: Why?
IG: Perhaps because a wrong edge is now penalized. Previously they were not judged so harsh. Sergey's additional problem was that he was always looking where he was going in that jump. You know how it is: a person does a move not even noticing, out of habit. So he turns, looks back, turns again and hello, border.
EV: Like driving: you lose attention for a second texting and you're a part of an accident.
IG: Exactly. But if you need to look back before jumping, something is not convenient, it means you're doing something wrong. Besides, previously you didn't need to do all those steps entering the jumps. We spent a while figuring it all out, but once we did it became easier. Hence now Sergey can easily do the combos with a 3lz, it is no harder for him than any other jump.
EV: Is it possible for a 30y.o. skater to learn a new jump and do you set such a goal?
IG: I think it is absolutely possible. More than that Sergey's 4loop is not bad. It's one of his favourite triple jumps and quite a comfortable quad. It's just too raw now. The quads are still quads and you need to work on them for a while - the risk to get injured is too high. Besides, I don't see a reason to necessarily integrate the quad loop into the programme. Sergey's knees are still problematic, hence we measure the stress.
The amount of the hard jumps it demands a certain body type, a certain genetics. I was listening to a programme a while ago where it was explained that the Africans have 16% more blood capillary, hence their muscles are supplied faster with the blood and are more 'explosive' and recover faster. It's the official scientific facts but they are not really advertised. I've been following for a while after the Asian skaters' jumps and see they are different. They have a different speeding momentum, a different body. Plus the mentality. Of course it's harder for our boys to compete with them. But I think the figure skating should not focus on one thing. It should be different and diverse. Voronov's win in Japan is a huge boost for the whole male figure skating. Because a lot started thinking of their chances, that they might win their lottery. You just have to work.
EV: When you accepted Voronov to your group a lot of your colleagues didn't understand what it was for. The only plausible explanation was a sparring partner for Elena Radionova.
IG: No, it was not the point. Of course Lena, at that point, was my main skater and we discussed Sergey's joining the group, but there were no talks about the sparring nor a competition.
EV: Excuse me, but I don't believe the coaching altruism.
IG: A shame. I don't look for the money but for the soul. Since figure skating is a huge part of my life the rule applies there as well. Sergey told me quite frankly he understands he is old, that he is not perspective enough for anyone else to accept him. But he wants to give it another try because he loves skating and feels he has something to give.
EV: And you said yes?
IG: I think it's the right thing. The person should work because they understand why, not because someone took them to the rink, made them skate and that's all they do. I work with a lot of kids. It's seldom they came to the rink on their will. Mainly it's the parents' decision or a coincidence. Sergey really loves skating. I think it's a big deal. It's a different skating, a different kind of work and a different relationship. Besides, I like challenges.
EV: Voronov once said he always need an additional motivator. He seems to find it in switching coaches. Hence he switches them as a terminally ill person switches doctors.
IG: It's not about wanting to switch coaches but exactly what you mentioned - finding the motivation. Sergey, perhaps, was looking for an additional input and thought a new person will give him that. Our relationship was not great to begin with. First he tried motivating himself through rage: go and tear everyone in the competition! I think the person should fine the motivation in the inner strength. If you don't have that strength the words `tear' `kill' `destroy' are just silly. The athlete is not a dog and can not be commanded. That's what I told Sergey: `Don't be a silly pup. You are a grown man who just has to be professional'. We spoke about it in length. I can see now he looks for a motivation in every move that he tries to fill with expression. He can feel the audience. You have no idea how the Japanese audience received him!
EV: Voronov was in an uneasy situation when it became clear Yuzuru Hanyu would not be competing.
IG: Hanyu was injured in front of our eyes. We were in the first warm up group, Yuzuru was in the 2nd and I offered to stay and watch him. There were carpets around the rink so it was convenient to cool down there. I just sat near the border where the doctors usually sit and he fell. Hanyu pulled himself on his arms and went down at once. It was clear the fall was not a good one.
EV: Did the other skaters panic?
IG: Like usually in such cases: when the `queue' is ruined many skaters start breaking down, being hysterical...
EV: Not Voronov though.
IG: Perhaps because we were not competing with anyone. We had a goal: to land 2 quads and try not to miss the spinning levels, show emotions on the steps. Am glad Sergey was able to do that twice. It's a different thing to be able to do that and to
EV: When everything worked in the SP was your pupil nervous of a possible win and perhaps making it to the GPF?
IG: I was worried about that in a way, hence told him not even think about it.
EV: How can you? The GPF is a huge money. For a person who works while training himself the financial aspect is very important.
IG: No one argues things are hard for Voronov. We never kid ourselves it would be easy. It never was. There is a situation and you take it. As for his working that's the reality: Voronov can only work with the kids after his own practice, because should he do it before he will not be able to skate himself. I try to help him as I can - release him 15 minutes earlier, but then he would have to work harder during the practice. If he does not have time to recover he tells me so and I let him rest more.
EV: What prevents your other pupil Maxim Kovtun from competing this season?
IG: We began the work well, created good programmes. But at the first day after we came back from Novogorsk to Moscow Maxim injured his leg. On nothing: he was braking and an old ankle injury popped. He was recovering for 2 weeks and once he was back on the ice his back hurt. For a while we could only practice for once or twice weekly. It's a dead end. For a skater Maxim is quite tall, his muscles are stiff and if he does not work they become heavy, he becomes a worse skater. The trouble is that when your back hurts you can't even work in the gym.
EV: Then why were you so eager to have Kovtun in SA?
IG: I think given the situation the competition is the best practice. Maxim is closed here and is really upset when something doesnt' work. He can't take things philosophically - he is not mature enough for that. Perhaps a competition will be something that will help.
EV: Now when the emotions are not so raw do you think it was possible preventing Elena Radionova leaving the group? They always say if the things went wrong between the coach and the skater it's both parties fault?
IG: There were no things that went wrong. I knew Lena was leaving. Just that at some point I realized I can't change anything. And, guess, shouldn't: she should go her own way. When she will go through a certain stage of her life she'll take things differently. Or not.
EV: It's still a painful subject for you?
IG: Lena was my kid. As a coach I walked the journey with her, came from the start, from the childhood to a level when Zhenya Medvedeva was saying `I want to skate like Lena Radionova'. A lot of coaches admitted we were an example and an inspiration: when they thought they had no chance to make it to the top of the coaching team they were looking at us and believing. Of course I was also to blame the relationship went wrong, but I know people live the way they want to live.
EV: I was talking not so long ago to Tatiana Tarasova of how Kulike left her during his Olympic triumph. Not so long he called her and said `I could not believe it that years later I would think of you daily and be so grateful'. Are waiting for your pupils gratitude?
IG: No, I don't. I have no illusions. Everything comes, no matter what you do, from your family and parents. The parents often talk to each other and know a lot of things better than we do. It was always the case and always will be. The parents are the ones who decide on everything. I once heard one of the moms answering why did they leave a certain coach `they did not have the right resources'. I.e. first they are looking for those resources and then the way not to share them. It's money, free training camps abroad, the salary from several places at once, super expensive costumes done by super expensive designers etc. It's something that happens and hikes up all the time and you can only sit and laugh at it. You can't even scorn them. But then the most vulnerable link in that chain is the coach.
It becomes absurd at the time: the athlete does not skate well at one competition and there are plenty of those who would tell them things about the coach hinting that the athlete and the parents must reconsider now, right now, today! and move to a different group. If the athlete skates well he is praised above everything on how talented he is. And then it's the athlete who thinks `if am so amazingly talented why is it not me, but someone else who earns millions? Guess Is should pack and run to where those millions are given'. What should the coach do in that situation? Of course am making fun of that now, but it is a problem that exists.
It's something we'll have to face one day. I was asked once why the ladies skating is so great in Russia. I answered it was thanks to the coaches. Tutberidze and I started working together a long time ago, we were even having the training camps together. then Anna Tsareva, Svetalana Panova joined. If you turn them down and having their skaters switch to the places with better resources some might rethink their working. Perhaps it's too late for me to rethink, but some might prefer to move to the USA, where at least they will be payed well enough for their work. Who could judge them?
EV: Tatiana Danchenko, whose sync swimmers won the Olympic gold the past 4 games in a row once said every time her girls win something she wakes up depressed the next morning. Because she understands the athletes will be praised endlessly but no one will ever recall the coach
IG: She is right.
Elena Vaytsekhovskaya's interview with Inna Goncharenko `The coach is the most vunerable link' for rsport.ria.ru
EV: Inna, if I were asked to pick the most sensational skate of the current GP series I'd probably pick your pupil's Sergey Voronov skate in Japan. Did his victory come as a surprise?
IG: I truly believe if the person works hard it will pay off eventually. Sergey did. He was working a lot, very hard, understanding why he does it. Off the ice as well.
EV: What can you do about a 30y.o skater who for many years gave a reason to be called not choreographical?
IN: It's funny, but the most basic classical choreography, if you work hard every day, shows. The moves become different, the small muscles become stronger. Sergey always had troubles with his knee, it became chronical and the choreography lessons helped.
EV: I.e. Voronov's knees are fine now?
IG: There is no such thing a healthy top athlete. The question is how bad are things. Can you skate or not. If a person can work full force despite the pain, the problem is not major enough to talk about.
EV: I saw Voronov even started doing the problematic 3lz in a combo.
IG: We just worked on that. The lutz is mentally the hardest jump for the skaters.
EV: Why?
IG: Perhaps because a wrong edge is now penalized. Previously they were not judged so harsh. Sergey's additional problem was that he was always looking where he was going in that jump. You know how it is: a person does a move not even noticing, out of habit. So he turns, looks back, turns again and hello, border.
EV: Like driving: you lose attention for a second texting and you're a part of an accident.
IG: Exactly. But if you need to look back before jumping, something is not convenient, it means you're doing something wrong. Besides, previously you didn't need to do all those steps entering the jumps. We spent a while figuring it all out, but once we did it became easier. Hence now Sergey can easily do the combos with a 3lz, it is no harder for him than any other jump.
EV: Is it possible for a 30y.o. skater to learn a new jump and do you set such a goal?
IG: I think it is absolutely possible. More than that Sergey's 4loop is not bad. It's one of his favourite triple jumps and quite a comfortable quad. It's just too raw now. The quads are still quads and you need to work on them for a while - the risk to get injured is too high. Besides, I don't see a reason to necessarily integrate the quad loop into the programme. Sergey's knees are still problematic, hence we measure the stress.
The amount of the hard jumps it demands a certain body type, a certain genetics. I was listening to a programme a while ago where it was explained that the Africans have 16% more blood capillary, hence their muscles are supplied faster with the blood and are more 'explosive' and recover faster. It's the official scientific facts but they are not really advertised. I've been following for a while after the Asian skaters' jumps and see they are different. They have a different speeding momentum, a different body. Plus the mentality. Of course it's harder for our boys to compete with them. But I think the figure skating should not focus on one thing. It should be different and diverse. Voronov's win in Japan is a huge boost for the whole male figure skating. Because a lot started thinking of their chances, that they might win their lottery. You just have to work.
EV: When you accepted Voronov to your group a lot of your colleagues didn't understand what it was for. The only plausible explanation was a sparring partner for Elena Radionova.
IG: No, it was not the point. Of course Lena, at that point, was my main skater and we discussed Sergey's joining the group, but there were no talks about the sparring nor a competition.
EV: Excuse me, but I don't believe the coaching altruism.
IG: A shame. I don't look for the money but for the soul. Since figure skating is a huge part of my life the rule applies there as well. Sergey told me quite frankly he understands he is old, that he is not perspective enough for anyone else to accept him. But he wants to give it another try because he loves skating and feels he has something to give.
EV: And you said yes?
IG: I think it's the right thing. The person should work because they understand why, not because someone took them to the rink, made them skate and that's all they do. I work with a lot of kids. It's seldom they came to the rink on their will. Mainly it's the parents' decision or a coincidence. Sergey really loves skating. I think it's a big deal. It's a different skating, a different kind of work and a different relationship. Besides, I like challenges.
EV: Voronov once said he always need an additional motivator. He seems to find it in switching coaches. Hence he switches them as a terminally ill person switches doctors.
IG: It's not about wanting to switch coaches but exactly what you mentioned - finding the motivation. Sergey, perhaps, was looking for an additional input and thought a new person will give him that. Our relationship was not great to begin with. First he tried motivating himself through rage: go and tear everyone in the competition! I think the person should fine the motivation in the inner strength. If you don't have that strength the words `tear' `kill' `destroy' are just silly. The athlete is not a dog and can not be commanded. That's what I told Sergey: `Don't be a silly pup. You are a grown man who just has to be professional'. We spoke about it in length. I can see now he looks for a motivation in every move that he tries to fill with expression. He can feel the audience. You have no idea how the Japanese audience received him!
EV: Voronov was in an uneasy situation when it became clear Yuzuru Hanyu would not be competing.
IG: Hanyu was injured in front of our eyes. We were in the first warm up group, Yuzuru was in the 2nd and I offered to stay and watch him. There were carpets around the rink so it was convenient to cool down there. I just sat near the border where the doctors usually sit and he fell. Hanyu pulled himself on his arms and went down at once. It was clear the fall was not a good one.
EV: Did the other skaters panic?
IG: Like usually in such cases: when the `queue' is ruined many skaters start breaking down, being hysterical...
EV: Not Voronov though.
IG: Perhaps because we were not competing with anyone. We had a goal: to land 2 quads and try not to miss the spinning levels, show emotions on the steps. Am glad Sergey was able to do that twice. It's a different thing to be able to do that and to
EV: When everything worked in the SP was your pupil nervous of a possible win and perhaps making it to the GPF?
IG: I was worried about that in a way, hence told him not even think about it.
EV: How can you? The GPF is a huge money. For a person who works while training himself the financial aspect is very important.
IG: No one argues things are hard for Voronov. We never kid ourselves it would be easy. It never was. There is a situation and you take it. As for his working that's the reality: Voronov can only work with the kids after his own practice, because should he do it before he will not be able to skate himself. I try to help him as I can - release him 15 minutes earlier, but then he would have to work harder during the practice. If he does not have time to recover he tells me so and I let him rest more.
EV: What prevents your other pupil Maxim Kovtun from competing this season?
IG: We began the work well, created good programmes. But at the first day after we came back from Novogorsk to Moscow Maxim injured his leg. On nothing: he was braking and an old ankle injury popped. He was recovering for 2 weeks and once he was back on the ice his back hurt. For a while we could only practice for once or twice weekly. It's a dead end. For a skater Maxim is quite tall, his muscles are stiff and if he does not work they become heavy, he becomes a worse skater. The trouble is that when your back hurts you can't even work in the gym.
EV: Then why were you so eager to have Kovtun in SA?
IG: I think given the situation the competition is the best practice. Maxim is closed here and is really upset when something doesnt' work. He can't take things philosophically - he is not mature enough for that. Perhaps a competition will be something that will help.
EV: Now when the emotions are not so raw do you think it was possible preventing Elena Radionova leaving the group? They always say if the things went wrong between the coach and the skater it's both parties fault?
IG: There were no things that went wrong. I knew Lena was leaving. Just that at some point I realized I can't change anything. And, guess, shouldn't: she should go her own way. When she will go through a certain stage of her life she'll take things differently. Or not.
EV: It's still a painful subject for you?
IG: Lena was my kid. As a coach I walked the journey with her, came from the start, from the childhood to a level when Zhenya Medvedeva was saying `I want to skate like Lena Radionova'. A lot of coaches admitted we were an example and an inspiration: when they thought they had no chance to make it to the top of the coaching team they were looking at us and believing. Of course I was also to blame the relationship went wrong, but I know people live the way they want to live.
EV: I was talking not so long ago to Tatiana Tarasova of how Kulike left her during his Olympic triumph. Not so long he called her and said `I could not believe it that years later I would think of you daily and be so grateful'. Are waiting for your pupils gratitude?
IG: No, I don't. I have no illusions. Everything comes, no matter what you do, from your family and parents. The parents often talk to each other and know a lot of things better than we do. It was always the case and always will be. The parents are the ones who decide on everything. I once heard one of the moms answering why did they leave a certain coach `they did not have the right resources'. I.e. first they are looking for those resources and then the way not to share them. It's money, free training camps abroad, the salary from several places at once, super expensive costumes done by super expensive designers etc. It's something that happens and hikes up all the time and you can only sit and laugh at it. You can't even scorn them. But then the most vulnerable link in that chain is the coach.
It becomes absurd at the time: the athlete does not skate well at one competition and there are plenty of those who would tell them things about the coach hinting that the athlete and the parents must reconsider now, right now, today! and move to a different group. If the athlete skates well he is praised above everything on how talented he is. And then it's the athlete who thinks `if am so amazingly talented why is it not me, but someone else who earns millions? Guess Is should pack and run to where those millions are given'. What should the coach do in that situation? Of course am making fun of that now, but it is a problem that exists.
It's something we'll have to face one day. I was asked once why the ladies skating is so great in Russia. I answered it was thanks to the coaches. Tutberidze and I started working together a long time ago, we were even having the training camps together. then Anna Tsareva, Svetalana Panova joined. If you turn them down and having their skaters switch to the places with better resources some might rethink their working. Perhaps it's too late for me to rethink, but some might prefer to move to the USA, where at least they will be payed well enough for their work. Who could judge them?
EV: Tatiana Danchenko, whose sync swimmers won the Olympic gold the past 4 games in a row once said every time her girls win something she wakes up depressed the next morning. Because she understands the athletes will be praised endlessly but no one will ever recall the coach
IG: She is right.
), but it's not like he left her for another coach.
