Vaytskekhovskaya's interview with Arutyunyan

MAXSwagg said:
And we see that she has no significant result on her resume since her senior career began.
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To be fair, she did not have significant results even with Tutberidze. No coach can make miracles - every skater has some limits up to where they can get with hard work, but from certain level one needs also to have enough talent. Considering what I heard about Tursy’s mother, I am pretty sure she works hard (mum would make sure of that), but if there is only ‘average’ talent as opposed to being ‘super talented’, hard work may not bring the results one hopes for.
 
Reading Raf’s interview makes me even admire Nathan that much more.

The guy skated that historic FS with a leg injury, a flu (if Raf was told to take antiviral, it must not be a cold), and a few hours of sleep after that disastrous SP (going straight to bed to think all out by himself without talking to his coach and family). That’s the mind and heart of a champion!

As for the 4Lz and 4F SP layout, if they worked in the FS in less than 24 hrs later I kind of feel he must felt he could do them in the short. I tend to believe him as he said in a few interviews that the failed SP was due to he skated too tentatively and worried too much of making mistakes.

He’ll be alright in future competitions if he could consistently put out 100+ short and 200+ long.
 
eternitygoddess said:
I don't think Tsury's mom meddles though?

Agreed that chances of Orser taking him is low. After what happened with Yuna Kim and her mom, Orser is probably not touching any tiger Asian parents with a 10 foot pole. Orser would probably ask Hanyu on his thoughts about whether or not to take Chen.
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Orser fired Nam because his father was a tiger parent who controlled too much of the training.
 
jlai said:
Quote in the interview: She encouraged Nathan to "push myself to the limit, try the most difficult program"
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Stupid. You pay a gazillion dollar's for advice from one of the best coaches
..and them you ditch that and take advice from your mother about what elements to include.
Crazy. I wonder if Nathan was not honest with his family about Raf's assessment.
 
Nathan should've listened to the coach. There's a difference between being driven and being stupid. Hanyu may be driven in what he wants, but he 100% trusts and listen to Brian...because Brian is the damn coach! If it is true, I bet Nathan's mom doesn't even realize that it's partly her fault for this mess. I hope Rafael is not blamed. But we will never know the situation fully.
 
jlai said:
Quote in the interview: She encouraged Nathan to "push myself to the limit, try the most difficult program"
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It's one thing to encourage, it's another to insist that he does it. Also, quoting the Salt Lake Tribune article regarding his mom:
Before the tremendous free skate program that captivated these Olympics, Hetty told the family here in attendance to back off. She knew her son needed a break after the short program that eliminated hopes of a medal, after the pressure caved. A break from everything and everyone. Family members wondered if they should call or text him. Hetty said no.

“He had to do what he wants, not what everybody else wants,” she said. “If Nathan needs us, he will call us.”
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Sounds like no one actually initiated any conversation with Nathan after that disastrous SP where he went straight to his room and went to bed. So how could we know it's Nathan's mom who told him to do what he did?

Also, throughout the article Raf mentions his family several times and hints at possible conflicts but the actual point of contention was never discussed. I'd be interested to hear what kind of things they actually disagree on and whether it's really Nathan's family/mom wanting him to go for the most difficult content despite injuries. But maybe not, because it's always more fun to be stereotyping Asian tiger moms.
 
shine said:
It's one thing to encourage, it's another to insist that he does it. Also, quoting the Salt Lake Tribune article regarding his mom:

Sounds like no one actually initiated any conversation with Nathan after that disastrous SP where he went straight to his room and went to bed. So how could we know it's Nathan's mom who told him to do what he did?

Also, throughout the article Raf mentions his family several times and hints at possible conflicts but the actual point of contention was never discussed. I'd be interested to hear what kind of things they actually disagree on and whether it's really Nathan's family/mom wanting him to go for the most difficult content despite injuries. But maybe not, because it's always more fun to be stereotyping Asian tiger moms.
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I never said she did or didn't. I think she likely influenced his decision making process (as in going for every thing in your program), I don't know she necessarily made decisions in any specific layout.

As someone with Asian parents, I think parents make mistakes all the time; the mistakes of parents of celebrities just get magnified in the press. Most parents learn from mistakes and make adjustments accordingly.
 
shine said:
It's one thing to encourage, it's another to insist that he does it. Also, quoting the Salt Lake Tribune article regarding his mom:

Sounds like no one actually initiated any conversation with Nathan after that disastrous SP where he went straight to his room and went to bed. So how could we know it's Nathan's mom who told him to do what he did?

Also, throughout the article Raf mentions his family several times and hints at possible conflicts but the actual point of contention was never discussed. I'd be interested to hear what kind of things they actually disagree on and whether it's really Nathan's family/mom wanting him to go for the most difficult content despite injuries. But maybe not, because it's always more fun to be stereotyping Asian tiger moms.
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Thanks for reminding me to read that article. I think it's a really good sign that Hetty is backing off now, no matter how involved she might have been before. Especially if she insisted nobody bother him between the SP and LP. I hope we get to see a more self-assured Nathan in the years to come, once he's more on his own.

I still know some awful Asian tiger moms though. :shuffle: If my cousin had been in Nathan's place, his mom would have talked his ear off about her strategy the night before the LP! :rofl:
 
This has nothing to do with Rafe or Nathan's mother, but I will always admire Nathan for his keen response skills to the obsessively intense questions and methods of NBC's Andrea Joyce pursuing him both before and after he skated all aspects of these Os (especially as compared to Adam Rippon who seemingly was celebrated for mocking her by calling her "Andy.") Nathan was incredibly mature, thoughtful and pleasant considering the situation of the two shorts. However, I thought surely Andrea overdid things and must have thrown more pressure on him. I mean really, it was almost as if she was saying, So how does it feel that you effed up? Tell us how you are and what you will do next to try to WIN WIN WIN because winning is all there is, after all.

Another US Network, ABC, used to scream about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, as if the ups and downs of competition were the whole story, as if that reflected life, not bad, not good, just reality.
 
feraina said:
I do think think it shows a lack of maturity when he decided that dedicating the Olympic season to his family means following all their wishes throughout the season.
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It shows more than a than lack of maturity; it shows lack of competitive killer instinct. It boggles my mind that he would choose Olympic season out of all seasons to dedicate to his family. Dude, the Olympics aren't the time and place to make a showcase out of filial piety.

If I was competing for an Olympic medal, NOTHING would come between me and that medal, least of all my family. I would probably block my parents numbers.
 
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IceAlisa said:
Tursy's mom acts crazy in the K&C, mortifying Tursy and there are rumors she interferes with her training. But you know all this, what's your point?
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Tursy's mothers reaction in the K&C was very opposed to her normal behaviour.
 
eternitygoddess said:
It shows more than a than lack of maturity; it shows lack of competitive killer instinct. It boggles my mind that he would choose Olympic season out of all seasons to dedicate to his family. Dude, the Olympics aren't the time and place to make a showcase out of filial piety.

If I was competing for an Olympic medal, NOTHING would come between me and that medal, least of all my family. I would probably block my parents numbers.
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I see nothing wrong with dedicating the season to family. But doing what the family wants.

You pay tons of money for coaches trust them. Reward your family with a medal.
 
rfisher said:
Note he also said she wasn't training very well. He's commented before that her work ethic left something to be desired in his opinion. He actually expected her not to make the team as a consequence.
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I find these comments to be interesting because I got the impression from past interview with Ashley that she was working her butt off. If the "not training very well" isn't recent, it could explain a lot of her inconsistency.
 
mackiecat said:
Tursy's mothers reaction in the K&C was very opposed to her normal behaviour.
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I know how she acts in K&C. It's OTT and Tursy always seems uncomfortable. I don't know how she acted in Pyeonchang, she was cut out of the frame by NBC.
 
eternitygoddess said:
It shows more than a than lack of maturity; it shows lack of competitive killer instinct. It boggles my mind that he would choose Olympic season out of all seasons to dedicate to his family. Dude, the Olympics aren't the time and place to make a showcase out of filial piety.

If I was competing for an Olympic medal, NOTHING would come between me and that medal, least of all my family. I would probably block my parents numbers.
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Maybe it's because you come from a different background and you don't share the same values as Chen. That said though, while I thought it was sweet that he wanted to dedicate this season to his family, I did find the part where Raf said Nathan told him he would follow all of his family's wishes beyond strange. I can't help wondering if there's something lost in translation. If that was the case, why even bother having a coach?!
 
shine said:
Maybe it's because you come from a different background and you don't share the same values as Chen. That said though, while I thought it was sweet that he wanted to dedicate this season to his family, I did find the part where Raf said Nathan decided he would follow all of their wishes beyond strange. I wonder if there's something lost in translation?
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Sotnikova dedicated her medal to her parents. So no problems there. But following all of their wishes due to training. Good for Mom to realize after short family should let be.
 
Not relevant, but we are sure Turnsy is injured. Major slide backwards the past few months, but glad she's now able to call herself an Olympian.
 
shine said:
Maybe it's because you come from a different background and you don't share the same values as Chen. That said though, while I thought it was sweet that he wanted to dedicate this season to his family, I did find the part where Raf said Nathan told him he would follow all of his family's wishes beyond strange. I can't help wondering if there's something lost in translation. If that was the case, why even bother having a coach?!
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You sound like you've never heard of a skating parent interfering with coaching.
 
IceAlisa said:
You sound like you've never heard of a skating parent interfering with coaching.
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No, I have. What I find baffling is the way this was presented to Raf. From Raf: "First of all his family. Chen announced before the Olympics he will be doing this season all that his family will decide. He told me that flat and square. Explained how much he owes his family for all they have done for him. Hence he decided to dedicate the Olympic season to his family and follow every wish of his beloved ones. We'll see next season whether he'll change his mind. Then we'll decide how to continue working."

It sounds like he feels such a deep sense of indebtedness to his family that to pay them back he felt he had to let them decide his life this season. If all this is what he really said it's way more extreme than just having an overbearing mom calling shots - it sounds very unhealthy to me if that's how he's viewing his career. He can't be in this because he feels obligated to his family.
 
shine said:
Maybe it's because you come from a different background and you don't share the same values as Chen. That said though, while I thought it was sweet that he wanted to dedicate this season to his family, I did find the part where Raf said Nathan told him he would follow all of his family's wishes beyond strange. I can't help wondering if there's something lost in translation. If that was the case, why even bother having a coach?!
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Or maybe because I've dealt with tiger Asian parents and know that they exemplify the saying "the path to hell is paved with good intentions."
 
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