Статья от icenetwork, интервью с Жубером. Послесловие Мастерс 2015
Интервью от Берло. Наконец, хоть что-то подробное. Про новые приобретения в домашний зоопарк понравилось :))
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/10/19/154927972
Резюме.
О дипломах; гала; о золотом поколении-2006; о тренерстве Романа; об августовской стажировке детей в Пуатье; о ТАТ и Морозове как об учителях; о тренировочном центре в Пуатье; о поездке с Романом в США к Николаю Морозову для постановки программ; о практике FFSG к возмещению расходов спортсменам; о правилах ИСУ; о помощи Гийон в тренерстве Понсара; о японской Time to Say Goodbye; о новых домашних питомцах.
Career path takes Joubert to other side of boards
Former world champion now overseeing career of countryman Ponsart
19.10.2015
Brian Joubert opened the French skating season in Orléans in his usual way: by winning. Except this time, for the first time in his extensive career, Joubert was not a skater but a coach. His first pupil, Romain Ponsart, won his first French Masters. Joubert discussed his new role with icenetwork, in his own open and friendly way.
Icenetwork: You told us several years ago that you would skate in exhibitions and start coaching once your eligible career was over. Is that what you're doing now?
Joubert: Absolutely! I am quite busy, I must admit. I am currently en route toward my national coaching diploma. Also, I'm doing many galas and participating in many tours, from Russia to Japan, Israel to Armenia. It will be just as busy until December.
When I was a competitor, I did not enjoy skating in exhibitions. Now I love it. It allows me to do what I like in a different way and to remain in close contact with worldwide audiences and with the ice. I still feel the pressure, because I want to skate well, of course, but it's not the same as before.
After 12 years skating at a high level, I was really feeling the constraints of competition, both mentally and physically. It was really the right time for me to stop competing.
Also, I must say that my competitors of yesteryear and I have become good buddies. Tours are great for that. Evgeni [Plushenko], Tomáš [Verner], Stéphane [Lambiel], Johnny [Weir], Daisuke [Takahashi] -- all of those I call "the Class of 2006" (the time when they competed for the biggest medals) -- we now form a great group, and we spend hours together at cafés or restaurants. We recall memories and talk of our life, both private and on the ice, each time we can see one another. We share our vision of skating. We remind ourselves of the events we lived together as competitors, why we made such and such choices -- and how foolish some of those choices we made then were! We have a lot of fun. Skating in tours creates new bonds. We are really happy to meet.
Icenetwork: And on top of it, you are now coaching -- apparently with great success?
Joubert: Romain and I have been working together since August. I have a lot to learn as a coach, obviously, but that's not a deterrent for me. You never get bored as a coach. Actually, it's an extremely difficult job! I need two more years to get my national coaching diploma.
Romain is my only student. I am also giving some hours to the club, teaching kids. I will help any child whenever I can. Last August, we did a whole training session for kids in Poitiers (Joubert's home city). When you see a kid finally mastering a flip or a loop, it's an intense emotion. A child's smile is really fantastic.
I know some things about skating, and I like to share them. Coaching children is very gratifying for me. You really need to spend time and be patient with children, but as you are starting from scratch, you can teach them the way you love your sport.
It's not the same with Romain. I had to adapt my own methods to him. At first, for instance, I wanted to have him perform his triple axel the way I was performing mine. I had to admit that he did learn differently than I did, and that he had to skate his own way, not mine.
I'm still in the learning process. I had several coaches during my career, and each one of them taught me something. I've taken a lot from Tatiana Tarasova, from Nikoli Morozov and many others. It's very useful for me today. I will have my own style as a coach, of course. The point they have in common is the fact that they had that passion to share. They gave me that passion, and I want to transmit it to my own pupils.
Icenetwork: Do you intend to remain in Poitiers?
Joubert: Yes, definitely. The conditions there are excellent. The staff of the rink is very helpful, and the city is quite supportive. They will help me when I decide to create my training center there. You know, Poitiers is a rather small city. You can find everything you need there, but it's not what I would call a city of excess. It's the best for a sports competitor.
Icenetwork: When do you foresee the opening of a real training center there?
Joubert: It could happen soon. I am working on my diploma right now; I should pass it in two or three years. By that time, I will not get as many galas and shows, I suppose. The "Class of 2006" is still high in demand, but new champions are on their way, and they will bring a new charisma to the ice.
Icenetwork: How did you start to coach Romain, who competed against you two years ago? And how is it going now?
Joubert: I never considered Romain as my competitor, actually. I still see him as the 8-year-old he was when I first met him, some 15 years ago. I followed him throughout his career. He was never really supported the way he should have been. Last season, I gave him some advice. During the French team tour last April, he was selected to the World Team Trophy, and I kept helping him during rehearsals. I told him that I would be there for him, should he need my help. Last summer, he told me he had made up his mind and was willing to work with me.
That was not simple, however. Romain had sustained a big injury to his ankle two years ago, and he could not skate for one full season. He had lost trust in himself. He did not have the workload he should have. We had to change his schedule and training habits. Skating more meant more fatigue and, hence, more failure. Yet he never doubted what I asked of him.
I called Nikoli Morozov right away, and we had an appointment with him three days later to work on Romain's programs. Nikoli gave him that passion and drive he is so good at. Nikoli was very supportive and helpful right from the start. If you want to hit the highest level, you should have a top-notch choreographer. Nikoli is one of the very best. Romain went to him with Tchaikovsky's violin concerto; Nikoli said it would fit him very well. He did all the cuts to find the right arrangements. I'm grateful I can rely on someone like him, whom I fully trust.
The French federation pays back a part of your expenses if you reach a certain level and meet certain targets, which are decided up front in the season. But each skater has to pay for his own bills up front. So I decided to pay Nikoli myself, with my own money. I did not want the financial burden to add pressure on Romain's shoulders. Also, I must say that Nikoli helped us financially. That's an investment for me, but Romain is working a lot. He had to relocate to Poitiers, which was not obvious to him. But he is now 23 years old, and there's no time for him to waste anymore. Things are going really well now.
Coaching Romain has allowed me to know him better. I can tell just from his look if he is in good shape or not. That allows me to adjust his workload for the day. I am learning different ways to make him work, via joking or playing together, whenever it's needed.
Icenetwork: During the French Masters, Romain was rather tense and told you he had not slept the night before. You smiled at him and answered, "That's excellent!" Why?
Joubert: The most important thing for him is that he keeps his trust. We are friends off the ice, but there is a lot of respect between us on the ice. We know how to have fun together, and we know also how to work.
Icenetwork: How do you cope with learning the ISU rules as a coach?
Joubert: You, of course, need to know the rules when you are a coach. I'm not too happy with the international judging system (IJS), as you know. As you can see, the rules are changing all the time, and that shows that the system is not satisfying! Otherwise, it wouldn't change so much. The system is far too constraining for skaters. For instance, why do you have to define only four levels to a given element? Why would you not have Level 6 spins? Only four levels result in having the same positions for everyone. One could go far beyond, if such constraints were taken away. Similarly, why can't we skate a combination of quads? They can be so spectacular.
At the same time, I must admit that skating is advancing in the right direction now. Today's skaters are just magnificent. Actually, I'm glad I'm not competing anymore!
Icenetwork: How do you maintain a balance between skating tours and coaching?
Joubert: Véronique Guyon, who was my own coach for many years, can take over when I'm away. Véronique and I are on the same page technically, so it works smoothly. It's so much easier when your coaches get along well!
I must say that coming back to skating after I quit was quite difficult for me. I participated in Dancing with the Stars last year (Joubert was a finalist, alongside his former teammate, Nathalie Péchalat), and I had to stop skating completely for 3 1/2 months. I then joined Evgeni Plushenko's tour right after. I respect show promoters and audiences tremendously, and I can't show anything mediocre.
I set my programs myself. In some cases, organizers tell you what musical piece to skate to. In Japan, they asked me to skate to "Time to Say Goodbye." The music was very beautiful, but at first I thought it was not my style. After a while, I liked it a lot. I must say that the title of that song did disturb many fans; they wondered if the message was for real! I said there was no autobiographical character to it whatsoever.
Icenetwork: You disclosed to Icenetwork some years ago that you had some pet animals at home. Do you still? What are the last ones you welcomed?
Joubert: Oh yes, more than ever! I even have to restrain myself; otherwise, the place would soon look like a zoo. I purchased some Persian cats from the Himalayas for my mom and a boa for me.
Icenetwork: A boa? Where do you keep it?
Joubert: At home! I keep it in a terrarium. I put it right in my bedroom...for safety reasons, as you could imagine! (laughs)
by Jean-Christophe Berlot, special to icenetwork
Что за фигня и стенания по Time to Say Goodbye от фанатов? Уж нельзя ничего лиричного откатать парню, чтобы сразу не поднялся вой! Да никто никогда не проецировал Time to Say Goodbye с дословным переводом названия этой песни на фигурное катание! Это же чистой воды лирика, лиричная песня - и всё! Японцы предложили - он и откатал, причем отменно! Сколько раз фигуристы катали Time to Say Goodbye и сколько раз еще скатают! но никто из фанатов не рвал на себе волосы и не лез с подобными глупостями к своим фигуристам. Только Брайана расстроили, он теперь будет думать, катать или не катать под неё, он и так ранимый...