- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
"The Way to Yourself" translated from Russian by Marina Khevkh, repost with the translator's permission.
A Russian journalist interviewed Brian Orser yesterday in Barcelona GPF 2015.
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When Hanyu broke his record again, Javier Fernandez was the last competitor of the event. When he finished the program, I waited for Brian Orser. As I have known him for a long time, I sincerely confessed to him about what I was absolutely sure two weeks ago. I thought the performance Hanyu delivered at NHK would stay as the best performances in the life of Olympic Champion; he just couldn’t do any better.
I thought so too, smiled Orser. As you can see, we’re wrong.
Q: The feeling that the coach has when his student is skating like this?
Orser became thoughtful…. Then he said this with amazing tenderness:
A: This boy…. you know, he always finds in a program the details that can be improved. His performance in Japan was not happy circumstances or luck. He was precisely going for this at each training session step by step, We changed some small details of the program to find the perfect rhythm, to make skating perfect, to incorporate every detail in it. And I’m not the one who is pushing Hanyu, but rather, he does this to me. He is generally very independent. I can say that between the final and Nagano, we did not have any joint training - I was in Canada, Yuzuru chose to stay in Japan. Nevertheless, I can only repeat today: the short program in Barcelona is not a matter of luck or coincidence. It is a result of hard and painstaking work.
Q: I saw how delighted you looked at Hanyu after both performances in Nagano. It was part of the coaching -to show the student the full extent of his greatness?
A: Not at all. I actually almost went crazy. It was such a complex feeling: on the one hand, I could not believe to my eyes; on the other hand, I was bursting with pride as a coach. The fact is that in training we have such run-through happening. There were good jumps, for sure, nothing extraordinary. Also I have to mention the fact that we usually work in quite closed environment, with no extra viewers. It of course leaves its mark - reduces emotional tension. Also there were run-throughs where Yuzuru even failed all three jump elements (combos), and I was very close to tearing all my hair from my head.
And then suddenly I saw in front of me him coming into shape. You know, it’s like whipped cream: first you just see some vague liquid substance, which is mixed, and suddenly at some point in front of you rises the meringue. This I mean that Yuzuru became different, now he knows how to set up, how to control himself.
Q: When did this happen?
A: Not so long ago, by the way. Besides, he grew up in all respects. He changed and become stronger, his body, I think it is evident; his mental is stronger too.
Q: You remember we talked a year ago, and you said that you do not know how correct the decision was that Hanyu made to skate with injury at his head during CoC. And now it seems to me that that this has become to some extent a turning point for him. For understanding how important what he was doing is to him.
A: It may be so. I also thought about this. Now I can honestly say that I was in some kind of trance when the collision happened. Calmed down only for the GPF – when I saw Yuzuru begin to resemble his former self again, and the weakness in his skating has disappeared, there is the old excitement. In general, I can only repeat: he has become stronger. Now I’m glad that he, as an athlete, has passed through all the challenges of the past season.
Q: In Nagano, Hanyu won the short program with 106 points. Now, four and a half points higher. This result can be improved?
A: To be sincere I do not know. Probably I have to say yes, but I start to evaluate the elements of the program and I am lost: jumps were perfect, the spins - the same, as all the steps at a good speed, and the music, “tens” in components. What can we improve? As for the result – in any case, where the athlete is gaining more than a hundred, we can safely assume it is outstanding. One hundred and ten…. I really have not yet realized what it is.
Q: As at this level, how can he keep his motivation?
A: Probably this season we are lucky. Yuzuru is deeply in love with both of his programs. It is important. In this case, the motivation is his every possibility to skate them again. Believe me, I know what I say. I had a program that I skated hundreds of times per season - and did not get tired of them. So I very much hope that Yuzuru will be able to surprise us all again.
Translated by Marina Khevkh [in YH International Fan Gp on FB]
Original article: http://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skating/reviews/946758/
A Russian journalist interviewed Brian Orser yesterday in Barcelona GPF 2015.
----
When Hanyu broke his record again, Javier Fernandez was the last competitor of the event. When he finished the program, I waited for Brian Orser. As I have known him for a long time, I sincerely confessed to him about what I was absolutely sure two weeks ago. I thought the performance Hanyu delivered at NHK would stay as the best performances in the life of Olympic Champion; he just couldn’t do any better.
I thought so too, smiled Orser. As you can see, we’re wrong.
Q: The feeling that the coach has when his student is skating like this?
Orser became thoughtful…. Then he said this with amazing tenderness:
A: This boy…. you know, he always finds in a program the details that can be improved. His performance in Japan was not happy circumstances or luck. He was precisely going for this at each training session step by step, We changed some small details of the program to find the perfect rhythm, to make skating perfect, to incorporate every detail in it. And I’m not the one who is pushing Hanyu, but rather, he does this to me. He is generally very independent. I can say that between the final and Nagano, we did not have any joint training - I was in Canada, Yuzuru chose to stay in Japan. Nevertheless, I can only repeat today: the short program in Barcelona is not a matter of luck or coincidence. It is a result of hard and painstaking work.
Q: I saw how delighted you looked at Hanyu after both performances in Nagano. It was part of the coaching -to show the student the full extent of his greatness?
A: Not at all. I actually almost went crazy. It was such a complex feeling: on the one hand, I could not believe to my eyes; on the other hand, I was bursting with pride as a coach. The fact is that in training we have such run-through happening. There were good jumps, for sure, nothing extraordinary. Also I have to mention the fact that we usually work in quite closed environment, with no extra viewers. It of course leaves its mark - reduces emotional tension. Also there were run-throughs where Yuzuru even failed all three jump elements (combos), and I was very close to tearing all my hair from my head.
And then suddenly I saw in front of me him coming into shape. You know, it’s like whipped cream: first you just see some vague liquid substance, which is mixed, and suddenly at some point in front of you rises the meringue. This I mean that Yuzuru became different, now he knows how to set up, how to control himself.
Q: When did this happen?
A: Not so long ago, by the way. Besides, he grew up in all respects. He changed and become stronger, his body, I think it is evident; his mental is stronger too.
Q: You remember we talked a year ago, and you said that you do not know how correct the decision was that Hanyu made to skate with injury at his head during CoC. And now it seems to me that that this has become to some extent a turning point for him. For understanding how important what he was doing is to him.
A: It may be so. I also thought about this. Now I can honestly say that I was in some kind of trance when the collision happened. Calmed down only for the GPF – when I saw Yuzuru begin to resemble his former self again, and the weakness in his skating has disappeared, there is the old excitement. In general, I can only repeat: he has become stronger. Now I’m glad that he, as an athlete, has passed through all the challenges of the past season.
Q: In Nagano, Hanyu won the short program with 106 points. Now, four and a half points higher. This result can be improved?
A: To be sincere I do not know. Probably I have to say yes, but I start to evaluate the elements of the program and I am lost: jumps were perfect, the spins - the same, as all the steps at a good speed, and the music, “tens” in components. What can we improve? As for the result – in any case, where the athlete is gaining more than a hundred, we can safely assume it is outstanding. One hundred and ten…. I really have not yet realized what it is.
Q: As at this level, how can he keep his motivation?
A: Probably this season we are lucky. Yuzuru is deeply in love with both of his programs. It is important. In this case, the motivation is his every possibility to skate them again. Believe me, I know what I say. I had a program that I skated hundreds of times per season - and did not get tired of them. So I very much hope that Yuzuru will be able to surprise us all again.
Translated by Marina Khevkh [in YH International Fan Gp on FB]
Original article: http://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skating/reviews/946758/
