Vaytskekhovskaya's interview with Arutyunyan

[LarrySK8]

Not listening to your coach, constantly changing your routine up to the last minute and being bullied into trying the impossible against better judgment was a set up for failure.

Hey, at least you did as your mother said

 

[hanca]

Not listening to your coach, constantly changing your routine up to the last minute and being bullied into trying the impossible against better judgment was a set up for failure.

Hey, at least you did as your mother said

I guess if it was his decision, at least he won’t have to live with ‘what if’. Even if he skated as his coach said, he would never know whether he could place better skating the harder program, which means that even with bronze or silver medal he could have regrets that he didn’t risk it. Now he may have regrets that he didn’t listen, but it was his choice so no reason to feel resentful.

 

[Loves_Shizuka]

Raf delivers again.

 

[kirkbiggestfan]

I am having Suzanne Bonaly flashbacks. She is the one that decided to go for broke when Didier and Annick were having panick attacks.

 

[shine]

Not listening to your coach, constantly changing your routine up to the last minute and being bullied into trying the impossible against better judgment was a set up for failure.

Hey, at least you did as your mother said

Raf he himself has openly said in a recent interview that being able to decide which layout to go for last minute is part of their strategy and he seems proud of both Nathan's ability to do that as well as his ability to teach that. I don't agree with this strategy personally, but there is no reason to blame this on Nathan alone or whoever that's "bullying" him into it.

 

[Meoima]

Raf he himself has openly said in a recent interview that being able to decide which layout to go for last minute is part of their strategy and he seems proud of both Nathan's ability to do that as well as his ability to teach that. I don't agree with this strategy personally, but there is no reason to blame this on Nathan alone or whoever that's "bullying" him into it.

So I am puzzled now. Who exactly thought the idea to suddenly decide which layout should be decided almost right before the skate?
Was it Raf’s idea in the first place.
Or it’s Nathan’s parents? Or it’s Nathan himself and Raf couldn’t do much with that?
I have heard that Nathan’s mom is a bit ... decisive? I don’t want to use the word helicopter or tiger though.

 

[Rafter]

Nathan is quoted as saying his mom encouraged him to go for the hardest stuff

Omg wow. That’s insane. His mom should stay away from the coaching.

It seems to me that students with intense skating parents usually end up not doing too well.

 

[casken]

Blaming everyone but yourself, including God (?!!), doesn't come off as honest and refreshing to me.

 

[feraina]

Such a shame about the SP. Had Nathan just gone for the easier layout (4F & 4T) that he had been practicing all along, I think he had a good chance to get at least an Olympic medal.

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. Had he had a little more maturity, in terms of knowing his own capabilities and limits better, and his parents' ultimate desires better, he might've instead decided that the best way to thank his parents would be to achieve the best possible realistic outcome at this Olympics, which is getting a medal, and not risking everything to chase that elusive gold, and also that going against their wishes sometimes would actually help him achieve a final outcome that makes everyone happier. As it is, so what if he followed all their wishes all season long, only to end up with 5th at the Olympics? Are his parents going to be truly happy that he was an obedient son this year, or are they going to be disappointed he didn't do better?

 

[shine]

Omg wow. That’s insane. His mom should stay away from the coaching.

It seems to me that students with intense skating parents usually end up not doing too well.

I saw that interview. It sounded more like he was making a general comment about how his mom always encourages him to push himself and do the best he can, instead of her literally telling him to do the hardest content every single time he skates. Maybe to him, doing the best he can this time meant going for 6 quads in the LP.

 

[Spun Silver]

I am most baffled at how Nathan could think it was a good idea going into his first Olympic season to take his family rather than his coach as his primary guide. Not to mention why his family would pressure him to do that.

Very interesting comparison of Adam, Ashley and Nathan. Adam comes off the best as being the skater who listens, trusts and obeys his coach, works hard, and if anything overachieves. Nathan is cutting his own foot off, so to speak, by not trusting his coach. And Ashley too thought she knew better than Raf.

It's a dog's life for US-based coaches! (According to Raf.)

 

[Sylvia]

I saw that interview. It sounded more like he was making a general comment about how his mom always encourages him to push himself and do the best he can, instead of her literally telling him to do the hardest content every single time he skates.

Do you remember which interview it was and when? Link?

I just posted an article that touches on the some of the issues raised in this thread ("For many U.S. Olympic figure skaters, immigrant heritage yielded a champion’s mind-set"): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...eritage-yielded-a-champion’s-mind-set.103455/

 

[shine]

Do you remember which interview it was and when? Link?

I just posted an article that touches on the some of the issues raised in this thread ("For many U.S. Olympic figure skaters, immigrant heritage yielded a champion’s mind-set"): https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...eritage-yielded-a-champion’s-mind-set.103455/

I believe this is the interview Nathan gave which is causing many to speculate it was his mom who told him to do the 6th quad: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/nathan-chen-historic-skate-i-had-nothing-lose

 

[misskarne]

EV: Why doesn’t your `bonus' do the quad jumps?

RA: Because he is an adult - he is 28. He is heavy - that's the way he is built.

Jesus fcuking Christ. This man has no business being anywhere near anybody if he's going to call someone like Adam "heavy".

 

[dinakt]

Jesus fcuking Christ. This man has no business being anywhere near anybody if he's going to call someone like Adam "heavy".

Not as in "overweight", that was not the meaning, the talk was of body structure. Of course Adam's body structure at 28 is "heavier" than, let's say, Vincent Zhou at 17.
Even if I go on a starvation diet, my bone/body structure will never be as light as Medvedeva's.

 

[skatfan]

Jesus fcuking Christ. This man has no business being anywhere near anybody if he's going to call someone like Adam "heavy".

I don't think he means fat, I think he means not as narrow a body line. Adam is bulkier (more like Boitano), whereas Jin, Chen and Hanyu are extremely skinny body types (weight aside).

 

[sk9tingfan]

I don't think he means fat, I think he means not as narrow a body line. Adam is bulkier (more like Boitano), whereas Jin, Chen and Hanyu are extremely skinny body types (weight aside).

Adam is more of a mesomorph and has a tendency to build muscle which is heavy. Back in 2011 when Adam was injured and Jason Dungjen send him to the gym while he was healing, Adam bulked up considerably, almost beyond recognition.

 

[Nadya]

Rockin' translation!!

 

[Nadya]

I don't think he means fat, I think he means not as narrow a body line. Adam is bulkier (more like Boitano), whereas Jin, Chen and Hanyu are extremely skinny body types (weight aside).

Yeah, that exactly. "Heavy" in Russian doesn't mean "fat" per se, it just means heavy like a stone is heavier than cottonwool. If Raf meant fat, he would say fat.

 

[cheremary]

Since Nathan's family has been brought up here, here's an article from the Salt Lake Tribune about Nathan's mother, with quotes from her and his sister Alice. It sounds like she's expecting Nathan to be more independent after this season.

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2018/...ives-salt-lake-olympian-nathan-chen-to-excel/

 

[kittyjake5]

Thank you so much for the translation. That was quite an eye opening read.

 

[IceAlisa]

I effing love Rafael. I take back all the bitching I've done thinking it was his idea to change the jumps in the SP. Parents should stay the eff away from strategy. Guilted Nathan into failing the short, I hope they learned.

One of the best interviews I've read in a while.

 

[Anita18]

Yeah...Nathan has not learned how to be a strategic competitor yet. Knowing how Asian parents are, I would say that listening to his family is one of worst decisions he could have made. He would've been better off taking advice from FSU posters.

Having been raised by "lenient" Asian parents (meaning nobody made me go to medical school) and seeing what my cousins went through with their hardcore "get all the graduate degrees!!!" tiger parents....this is 100% accurate.

From what I've seen, tiger parents who go beyond supporting and start dictating, it never ends well. Maybe they're successful on paper, but they're always mentally held back (or worse) even through adulthood. My cousins are in their 30's (one even has a kid now) and I don't think they've made a single decision all on their own, in their entire lives. Mama always has to have her say.

Nathan's still young though, hopefully his family will start backing off since he's had that first Olympic experience. Hopefully now there's room for him to breathe.

I don't understand why his family would care which quad he did. I mean, I'm not doubting Raf's thoughts on the subject. He's a heck of a lot closer to the situation than I am -- and I liked the interview, and I think I understand and respect him (Raf) more than I did. But I just don't understand WHY they would feel that way. I know how skating parents can be, but I don't know why they would get that hot and bothered about the details of a program layout.

I would bet someone $1000 that they gave him the idea that he SHOULD go for everything he can do, meaning all the hard stuff, strategy be damned.

 

[olympic]

Did snyone catch his sarcastic answer early in the interview that being overly insistent or aggressive is worrisome for the American pupil? I thought that was interesting in the context of his commiserations with another Russian

 

[IceAlisa]

Did snyone catch his sarcastic answer early in the interview that being overly insistent or aggressive is worrisome for the American pupil? I thought that was interesting in the context of his commiserations with another Russian

He is allowed to let off the steam with one of his own, no? Unless you mean another the methods of another Russian coach--no, that approach would never ever fly here, not even close

 

[MAXSwagg]

I love the honesty. Never sugar-coating things.
Chen treats him as a consultant.
I wonder if the skating mom already made contacts with Orser.

Brian would not take him. And even if he did, and the mom is the person we are speculating her to be, Brian will not put up with that.

 

[IceAlisa]

Brian would not take him. And even if he did, and the mom is the person we are speculating her to be, Brian will not put up with that.

Two words: Tursy's mom

 

[MAXSwagg]

Two words: Tursy's mom

And we see that she has no significant result on her resume since her senior career began.

 

[Polaris]

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.

 

[MAXSwagg]

I also doubt it would be good or easy for Nathan to just "switch." I'm sure Rafael's technique, on jumps and overall coaching, is drastically different to that of Brian's.