Mitchell and Johansson: Finding Success on Their Terms - Article

I thought this was a very interesting article with a lot of insight into how Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson run their innovative skating school. It will be interesting to see if other US venues adopt a similar system.

https://adivinesport.com/2019/06/19/mark-mitchell-and-peter-johansson-finding-success-on-their-terms/?fbclid=IwAR3Bt3mtf3s8b4kbHbsZGT2Ps-G3o_Y-8Pxuo7R8l7BH6vYVSLHfSKOXrWg

this is really interesting. i've never heard of a club with that kind of schedule/way of doing things, at least in the US. i like the comparison to Russia who is on top of the world doing similar things. i can see how it would be a big advantage to skaters and i'm interested to see how/if their success grows in the coming years.

a couple things that sparked questions-

are there different kinds of tuition rates depending on what level you are/if you compete internationally? i really want to know what an elite level skater pays per month if it includes coach's travel fees as well.

how do they work with kids who are in school all day? do they miss out on certain sessions if they can't be there during the day?

the Next Generation program is also interesting, i've never heard of a "feeder" program before. i'm assuming this comes between LTS and deciding to pursue skating competitively? is this a newer thing USFSA has developed?

on that same note, it's really cool some of the older, elite skaters teach help teach those classes. that has to be really beneficial to learn from active international skaters.

ALSO, for those of you who didn't check out the link in the article about the new SCOB facility, check it out. that's gonna be one heck of a building.

https://adivinesport.com/2019/05/16/the-skating-club-of-boston-breaks-new-ground/

Thanks for posting the article. I've been wondering about their school since I saw so many of their competitors at nationals. Sounds like it's a really neat place.

macy said:

this is really interesting. i've never heard of a club with that kind of schedule/way of doing things, at least in the US. i like the comparison to Russia who is on top of the world doing similar things. i can see how it would be a big advantage to skaters and i'm interested to see how/if their success grows in the coming years.

a couple things that sparked questions-

how do they work with kids who are in school all day? do they miss out on certain sessions if they can't be there during the day?

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To answer this question, my understanding is that each student at MJM typically skates a certain number of sessions per day, but they choose which sessions. On most days, I believe, the program has the ice all day, so there are a number of sessions to choose from. The coaches work around the kids' school schedules, repeating tasks or lessons in multiple sessions if necessary. Apparently quite a few students attend school in the nearby Newton school district, where they are able to do a half day of school in the morning and then train in the afternoon.

macy said:

… how do they work with kids who are in school all day? do they miss out on certain sessions if they can't be there during the day? …

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clairecloutier said:

To answer this question, my understanding is that each student at MJM typically skates a certain number of sessions per day, but they choose which sessions. On most days, I believe, the program has the ice all day, so there are a number of sessions to choose from. The coaches work around the kids' school schedules, repeating tasks or lessons in multiple sessions if necessary. Apparently quite a few students attend school in the nearby Newton school district, where they are able to do a half day of school in the morning and then train in the afternoon.

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If anyone is interested: IIRC, Milly Murdock and Indi Cha made a video a while back about "A Day In The Life …" (their lives), which gave a sense of how they scheduled both school and skating.

(No promises , but perhaps I will come back later and add the link to this post.)

macy said:

… ALSO, for those of you who didn't check out the link in the article about the new SCOB facility, check it out. that's gonna be one heck of a building.

https://adivinesport.com/2019/05/16/the-skating-club-of-boston-breaks-new-ground/

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General thank you to Claire for your in-depth reports -- not only these two articles, but also others that you have written.