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It’s unusual to announce a coaching change without having settled on where you’re going (especially if there’s no bad blood involved).
Shoma Uno to change coaches
- Thread starter Interspectator
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No surprise there. I think after the struggles he had with some of his technique this season this was about to happen. Will be interested to see who he will switch to.
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I agree, very odd.
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I think maybe because so many skaters and coaches were on holidays during April and May so he maybe didn't have the opportunity to try different summer camps? As they will start now in several locations. Idk. Still very odd to not have decided where he wants to go. Season starts in a few months, so he will have less time to prepare for it if he still has to search for a coach.
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Just an odd, crazy whimsical idea... he is about to perform at All that Skate in Korea, where Javi will also perform. And Javi has expressed an interest in coaching... putting two and two together.. just a coincidence? :think: 
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Just an odd, crazy whimsical idea... he is about to perform at All that Skate in Korea, where Javi will also perform. And Javi has expressed an interest in coaching... putting two and two together.. just a coincidence? :think:
I think Javi is currently busy with his new shows. I don't think he has the time currently to coach full time
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Oh, I don't think the issue would be Nathan himself - he seems a nice enough young man. I just think Nathan is Rafael's Chosen One and he'd be unlikely to take on a direct rival.
Talking about coincidences: this week summer camps of both Team Tutberidze and Mishin start and this can - but doesn't need to - be in relation to the date of Shoma's statement…. The gossip (?) of a Japanese skater moving to Eteri was discussed here a while ago. Mishin however is the one who is experienced in having Japanese skaters at a camp. And Benoît Richaud is a second coach for the camp, which could be also interesting for Shoma.just a coincidence? :think:
Hope he makes the best decision.
Anyway, I will miss Shoma and Mihoko Higuchi in K&C...
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Waking up to this astonishing news! A perfect example of "never say never"! So glad that he will continue to work to fulfill his great potential and will not stand still. He has always been a fighter and will continue to be. I envision him trying out Team Raf for part of his summer camp and am having fun entertaining thoughts of a Nathan-Shoma permanent training environment -- although how much of that time would Nathan be at school rather than at the rink? I have talked about him using Tom Dickson or Benoit for choreo for awhile now so am excited about those possibilities (and others)...I have been cheering him on for 4 years now and certainly will continue to do so. I admire his courage. Ganbatte Shoma!
Oh I like the idea of Mishin!!And I see a choreography of Benoit Richaud quite interesting/fitting for Shoma!!!! I hope that is the case!
Mishin is too old. What about fairy tale: Issunboshi escapes wicked witches of East and goes to Glinda Tutberidze. It is such a pity that in real life, he'll go to Orser or Zakrajsek.
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Mishin is too old. What about fairy tale: Issunboshi escapes wicked witches of East and goes to Glinda Tutberidze. It is such a pity that in real life, he'll go to Orser or Zakrajsek.
Oh, I must disagree with you there.
Not a fairy tale, but an odyssey; a young man strikes out on an adventure
What a lovely ending it would be if Shoma and Yuzu were to train together at TCC, and Shoma reunited with Jason for real instead at every comp
But because it would be the most perfect ending, I fear it will not happen.
Very curious about the announcement that he is leaving before deciding; I don’t think I’ve seen a skater do that. Best of luck in your journey, Shoma:hap85:
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Since someone mentioned Javier, I thought of Takahashi. Is Dai interested in coaching or still wants to compete ?
Though in terms of jump technique improvement, I can only think of Ghislain, Rafael, Mao's former coach(the one who helped her rework her jumps).
Though in terms of jump technique improvement, I can only think of Ghislain, Rafael, Mao's former coach(the one who helped her rework her jumps).
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Plenty of coaches do this all the time, taking on direct rivals. Eteri, Orser, Mishin, Dubreuil/Lauzon. Coaches likely have their faves, but they are also professional and are invested in the success of all their students (even direct rivals), especially a veteran like Rafael.
Sometimes a direct rivalry doesn't work out but it isn't necessarily a reflection of the coach. e.g. I don't think anyone is saying Jin bailed on going to Toronto because Orser already has his Chosen One with Hanyu, and wouldn't have devoted himself to Jin's success.
I doubt Shoma is going to Rafael but clearly given the success Nathan has and the competitive consistency, it wouldn't hurt Shoma either. They could push each other a la Hanyu/Fernandez -- although currently Chen is on a much higher level than Uno.
FWIW, Michal Brezina is also Rafael's student and Rafael was still devoted to coach him to one of his most successful seasons in years with 2 GP silvers and 4th at only his second GPF (which he hadn't been to in 8 years, when he came 6th).
Look at Tursynbaeva -- people could have dismissed her with Zagitova being Eteri's fave but Eteri was committed to improving her and helped fuel Elizabet's breakthrough 4CC and World silver.
Whoever is taking on Shoma will surely be a carefully thought out decision and I look forward to more great skating from him and maybe even a new version of him depending on the coaching environment.
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Mishin, as others have mentioned, would also be a candidate if you’re talking about top jump specialists. I’m sure he’d love to have a top man again. Though Shoma has quite a different style than your typical Mishin skater.
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Hey el, what about Shoma and Rohene?! :eeking: :agree:
Carolina Kostner also works with Mishin. So maybe it is OK.
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There's a few places he can go I think, but not that many. The switch itself is pretty risky, so he will likely work with known coaches in the international circuit. I don't think its that unseen to have him leave one coach without having another coach. I remember Jason Brown doing something similar, but I might be wrong. I feel like I might have also seen it happen with some other skaters but I can't recall offhand. In any case its good for him to really try out being with different coaches to figure out where best would suit him, rather than jumping straight first to find out he might not vibe well with the team later on.
1. My first inclination is to say Raf, mainly because he seems to match what Shoma is looking for most which is jump techniques – he's had phenomenal success with Nathan's jumps. And there's also Mai who is there, so at the very least it will be less of an adjustment with someone who speaks Japanese and can communicate with him, shares the same culture as him. But also while Shoma and Nathan have seemed to get along well (and Nathan seems like an all round chill guy), athletes are ultimately competitive about their sport and Shoma is also a direct competitor to Nathan. Also, ultimately Nathan is going to be Raf's number 1 priority, even if he's off in college, and Shoma himself may decide he wants somewhere that focuses on him a little more, caters to his specific needs.
2. I don't think TCC is very likely, so long as Yuzuru is there at the very least. I don't think Brian himself would be inclined to take on Shoma with Yuzuru there; if anyone recalls, the whole split with Yuna was caused by something similar. Yuna found out that Brian and Mao had been in correspondence, and Mao had been looking to see if Brian would be keen to work with her. And even though it was later played off as a miscommunication issue, the damage was done then and Yuna left acrimoniously. That experience itself may serve as a deterrent for Brian. With Yuzuru and Javier, it wasn't quite this case; when Yuzuru came onto TCC he hadn't even won his first World's champion or GPF and Javier himself wasn't even really that well known in the international circuit. Right now I don't know how Yuzuru himself would take it; in all honesty they get along really well, Shoma's been babied by Yuzuru since he was a baby skater lmao. But you can't really predict how relationships may go when the grab for gold gets in the mix. After all, see Evgenia and Alina for how badly a relationship can sour due to medals.
3. Team Tutberidze. Sambo-70 one of the biggest clubs in the world, like them or hate them, and their ladies are great jumpers, even doing better than some of the men with their quads. They have a specific jump coach – Sergeii Dudakov – who breaks down jumps and is a technical specialist of sorts. But a downside AND an upside is that they don't really have any prominent male skaters. A downside in that they may not know how to work best to maximise men's jumps, but the upside is that he will get the attention he needs as the 'flagship' male skater of the club. Then again they have A LOT of ladies skaters and have their work cut out for them. Tbh to me its kind of a longshot? But then there was also the rumour a while back about a Japanese skater going to train with Eteri so I don't think we can write it off yet. Communication might be an issue, but then Eteri is fluent in English and I believe Daniil speaks some English (not too sure how much). Shoma isn't that much but then again skaters have made do with much less common in language anyway.
4. Mishin. Somehow I personally feel like its less likely? Mainly because Shoma himself actually hasn't seemed to be exposed very much to Mishin as a coach or his skaters in this era. I'm not that sure but I don't think he's coached any prominent male skaters of late, and the last one I recall is Yagudin/Plushy back then. He hasn't had much success with male skaters of late. I do think Mishin can cater to him; he's very good with jumps and technique, and he hasn't had any major male skaters to potentially compete with Shoma for attention. I think its plausible he goes in for a training camp and then decides he works best with Mishin, but I don't really think its the first place he may think of at the moment.
Shoma's one of my favorite male skaters. His choreographic style is something that's always distinguished him from the others, and this season has been good for him in terms of medals, but the defeat at Worlds on home ground also seemed to crush him plenty. He's seemed to struggle a lot with himself this season, so I really hope that wherever he goes will be able to best meet his needs. He's pretty great as he is, but he still also has so much potential to grow and I hope that the coaching change will really make him a Prince of Golds, instead of Silvers. He certainly has what it takes to get there. I'll be rooting for him, wherever he may decide to go.
1. My first inclination is to say Raf, mainly because he seems to match what Shoma is looking for most which is jump techniques – he's had phenomenal success with Nathan's jumps. And there's also Mai who is there, so at the very least it will be less of an adjustment with someone who speaks Japanese and can communicate with him, shares the same culture as him. But also while Shoma and Nathan have seemed to get along well (and Nathan seems like an all round chill guy), athletes are ultimately competitive about their sport and Shoma is also a direct competitor to Nathan. Also, ultimately Nathan is going to be Raf's number 1 priority, even if he's off in college, and Shoma himself may decide he wants somewhere that focuses on him a little more, caters to his specific needs.
2. I don't think TCC is very likely, so long as Yuzuru is there at the very least. I don't think Brian himself would be inclined to take on Shoma with Yuzuru there; if anyone recalls, the whole split with Yuna was caused by something similar. Yuna found out that Brian and Mao had been in correspondence, and Mao had been looking to see if Brian would be keen to work with her. And even though it was later played off as a miscommunication issue, the damage was done then and Yuna left acrimoniously. That experience itself may serve as a deterrent for Brian. With Yuzuru and Javier, it wasn't quite this case; when Yuzuru came onto TCC he hadn't even won his first World's champion or GPF and Javier himself wasn't even really that well known in the international circuit. Right now I don't know how Yuzuru himself would take it; in all honesty they get along really well, Shoma's been babied by Yuzuru since he was a baby skater lmao. But you can't really predict how relationships may go when the grab for gold gets in the mix. After all, see Evgenia and Alina for how badly a relationship can sour due to medals.
3. Team Tutberidze. Sambo-70 one of the biggest clubs in the world, like them or hate them, and their ladies are great jumpers, even doing better than some of the men with their quads. They have a specific jump coach – Sergeii Dudakov – who breaks down jumps and is a technical specialist of sorts. But a downside AND an upside is that they don't really have any prominent male skaters. A downside in that they may not know how to work best to maximise men's jumps, but the upside is that he will get the attention he needs as the 'flagship' male skater of the club. Then again they have A LOT of ladies skaters and have their work cut out for them. Tbh to me its kind of a longshot? But then there was also the rumour a while back about a Japanese skater going to train with Eteri so I don't think we can write it off yet. Communication might be an issue, but then Eteri is fluent in English and I believe Daniil speaks some English (not too sure how much). Shoma isn't that much but then again skaters have made do with much less common in language anyway.
4. Mishin. Somehow I personally feel like its less likely? Mainly because Shoma himself actually hasn't seemed to be exposed very much to Mishin as a coach or his skaters in this era. I'm not that sure but I don't think he's coached any prominent male skaters of late, and the last one I recall is Yagudin/Plushy back then. He hasn't had much success with male skaters of late. I do think Mishin can cater to him; he's very good with jumps and technique, and he hasn't had any major male skaters to potentially compete with Shoma for attention. I think its plausible he goes in for a training camp and then decides he works best with Mishin, but I don't really think its the first place he may think of at the moment.
Shoma's one of my favorite male skaters. His choreographic style is something that's always distinguished him from the others, and this season has been good for him in terms of medals, but the defeat at Worlds on home ground also seemed to crush him plenty. He's seemed to struggle a lot with himself this season, so I really hope that wherever he goes will be able to best meet his needs. He's pretty great as he is, but he still also has so much potential to grow and I hope that the coaching change will really make him a Prince of Golds, instead of Silvers. He certainly has what it takes to get there. I'll be rooting for him, wherever he may decide to go.
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