who's up for some tl;dr skating articles?
Tomas to train overseas in summer
"It's time to try something new" he said to himself. The olympic season wasn't exactly succesfull for Tomas and that prompted him to some radical changes.The European Champion of 2008 decided to at least temporarily cancel the cooperation with trainers Vlasta Koprivova and Michael Huth.
Instead of going to Oberstdorf to prepare himself for the upcoming season, Tomas decided to have a look overseas.
"I decided, that I want to try out the system of training they use overseas. I don't know if this will be good or bad for me, that's why I first want to try it. I will go to a couple of places and try it out" said Verner
The main difference will be that he won't have a trainer all to himself. Untill now he always had 100% attention from the trainer.
"Canadian/American attitude is that there is a trainer, but just supervise and make appropriate cofrrection when they see a problem. For the rest the girls and the boys just skate and focus by themselves." said the 23 year old figure skater about the difference between Europe and the USA.
His trainers Mrs. Koprivova and Mr. Huth are at peace with his decision. "They understand me and we didn't part in a bad way. With Mrs Koprivova I anyway still work together. I will be on ice with her in May and June and then I will fly away" said Tomas.
However he does not know yet if he will stay there or return to his trainers here in Europe.
"I don't know if I will like it overseas or not. When I will like it there, I will stay there. If not, I will come back here and train with my old team. " said Tomas
He will come back from training in the US and Canada at the beginning of september. The exact program now is that he will try out in Toronto, New Jersey and Detroit.
"I will be at every location for about a week or 10 days. I want to try out everything, so I can see even off the ice, how everything works." said Verner, who at one point even train with legendary coach Brian Orser, coach of Olympic gold medalist Yu-na Kim.
Verner also decided to work on the psychological aspect, which failed him already a couple of times.
"I am taking more extreme steps than I ever did. I didn't wanna tell everyone about it though untill now. I started to work with a person now who doesn't really have the classical approach to this problem" said Tomas.
The new method will involve training, not sitting, or so he heard. "We will see what it will bring me. I still have a month and a half and I have really high expectations of this" Said Tomas. His new psychologist otherwise devotes his time to boxers and wrestlers.
In summer tomas will work on his new programs. "I want to enter the new season with a new SP and LP. I don't want to keep anything for last season and it will be like a whole new beginning." said Tomas.
Original from here. Translated article from here.
Awww Tomas, I hope you fix your headcase issues!
Evan Lysacek's mom tells her story of his journey
Amy Rosewater May 08, 2010
Tanya Lysacek’s philosophy on her son’s skating has been the same from the time he first laced up skates when he was 8 until now, when he is 24 and an Olympic gold medalist.
“This has been my philosophy since Day One,’’ Tanya Lysacek said, “And I have told Evan about this so, so many times. It’s about the journey. You are the one who has to love the journey and the daily grind, and Evan truly does.’’
Although Tanya Lysacek never could have forseen that she would become the mother of an Olympic champion, she has been her son’s source of support throughout his journey to the top. Evan began skating after his grandmother bought him a pair of skates for Christmas. Tanya Lysacek signed him and his older sister up for group lessons.
You could say that the rest is history, but that history was anything but restful.
“We’ve had lots of joys on this journey, but I always felt a little lost along the way, too,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “I had to figure out a lot of things on my own and it was kind of learn-as-you-go for me. There were many times I wanted to throw in the towel. Evan would get hurt, we had coaching difficulties, financial problems.
“But at the end of the day, this was Evan’s dream and he never deviated from it. He really did sacrifice a lot of things. He would be invited to the Governor’s Ball on New Year’s Eve or to be in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day and he would say no because he had to train. Some people would say, ‘But it’s New Year’s, take a day off,’ but Evan never deviated from his ultimate dream.’’
And, as Tanya Lysacek readily points out, it was Evan’s responsibility to wake up at 4:30 in the morning for a practice.
“It was never us waking him up,’’ Tanya Lysacek said.
“Skating was such a passion for him that we could love the journey with him,’’ she added.
Even if it meant early-hour wake-up calls from her son.
When Lysacek first began competing, he did well. Very well. He won the Junior Olympics title at the juvenile level back in 1996, and by 1999, he was the U.S. men’s novice champion. The following year, he claimed the U.S. junior crown.
But making the transition to the senior level, the top echelon of figure skaters, was not so smooth. He placed 12th in his first trip to the U.S. Championships as a senior competitor. The following season, he was 12th again. In his first four years at the senior level at nationals, he never finished better than fifth.
At one point, Tanya Lysacek fretted that it might be too late for her son to quit. He had devoted so much of his life and the family’s life to the sport and maybe things wouldn’t work out the way he had hoped. Tanya called a longtime friend who is involved in collegiate athletics.
She told Tanya: “It’s not too late. It’s only too late if he can’t breathe.’’
Evan could breathe all right. And he breathed skating. So the Lysacek family marched on, allowing Evan to continue while trying its best to stand on the sidelines.
“He is such a hard worker, and no matter how things are going for him, he still keeps at it,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “I’m almost in awe of him.’’
The hard work paid off and by 2005, he earned a bronze medal, landing him on the podium for the first time as a senior-level skater. The following year, he was the silver medalist and qualified for the Torino 2006 Olympic Games. He finished fourth there, a disappointment for Lysacek since his goal was to earn a medal but a courageous rally considering he had placed 10th in the short program.
It wasn’t until 2007, six years after making his senior-level debut at nationals, he was crowned the U.S. champion. He defended his title the following year. In 2009, after making three previous trips to the World Championships, he became the world champion.
Competitions were so nerve-wracking for Tanya Lysacek, however, that she and Evan made a pact that she wouldn’t watch him skate live. Even though she would go to practices and eventually watch his programs on TV, she couldn’t bear to watch him compete live. She wasn’t going to tempt fate at the Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Instead, she said she watched Evan compete on a TV screen in the Procter and Gamble house. The company, which produces a variety of products, ranging from Tide to Charmin, provided each mother of an American athlete $3,000 to use any way they chose for the Vancouver Olympic Games.
“That company did so much for us,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “They made me feel relaxed. They had a beauty salon, a massage therapist. It felt like a safe house.’’
In this safe spot, she watched her son skate a clean routine en route to the ultimate prize: The Olympic gold medal.
Even months after his golden moment, Tanya Lysacek continues to be there for her son. She has been traveling back and forth from her home in suburban Chicago to Los Angeles to watch him compete on the ABC-TV hit “Dancing With The Stars.’’ She missed two weeks of the show taping but had a good excuse for one absence. She had spent part of a week in Pittsburgh visiting college friends and she caught up with Evan while he was performing with the Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour.
As for a Mother’s Day gift this year, Tanya Lysacek said, “He doesn’t have to do anything. He’s already covered Christmas, Valentine’s Day, everything as far as I’m concerned.’’
The Lysacek story ended like a perfectly wrapped present, but Tanya Lysacek stressed that parents of elite athletes need to be there for their children for the good times as well as the bad.
“You have to remember that everything has to come from the athlete,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “It’s their mission, their goal. I did not want to be a second coach. I was just there to be a great listener and to give them love and support.’’
Amy Rosewater is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.
Source
Well she seems like a sane skating mom :P
"It's time to try something new" he said to himself. The olympic season wasn't exactly succesfull for Tomas and that prompted him to some radical changes.The European Champion of 2008 decided to at least temporarily cancel the cooperation with trainers Vlasta Koprivova and Michael Huth.
Instead of going to Oberstdorf to prepare himself for the upcoming season, Tomas decided to have a look overseas.
"I decided, that I want to try out the system of training they use overseas. I don't know if this will be good or bad for me, that's why I first want to try it. I will go to a couple of places and try it out" said Verner
The main difference will be that he won't have a trainer all to himself. Untill now he always had 100% attention from the trainer.
"Canadian/American attitude is that there is a trainer, but just supervise and make appropriate cofrrection when they see a problem. For the rest the girls and the boys just skate and focus by themselves." said the 23 year old figure skater about the difference between Europe and the USA.
His trainers Mrs. Koprivova and Mr. Huth are at peace with his decision. "They understand me and we didn't part in a bad way. With Mrs Koprivova I anyway still work together. I will be on ice with her in May and June and then I will fly away" said Tomas.
However he does not know yet if he will stay there or return to his trainers here in Europe.
"I don't know if I will like it overseas or not. When I will like it there, I will stay there. If not, I will come back here and train with my old team. " said Tomas
He will come back from training in the US and Canada at the beginning of september. The exact program now is that he will try out in Toronto, New Jersey and Detroit.
"I will be at every location for about a week or 10 days. I want to try out everything, so I can see even off the ice, how everything works." said Verner, who at one point even train with legendary coach Brian Orser, coach of Olympic gold medalist Yu-na Kim.
Verner also decided to work on the psychological aspect, which failed him already a couple of times.
"I am taking more extreme steps than I ever did. I didn't wanna tell everyone about it though untill now. I started to work with a person now who doesn't really have the classical approach to this problem" said Tomas.
The new method will involve training, not sitting, or so he heard. "We will see what it will bring me. I still have a month and a half and I have really high expectations of this" Said Tomas. His new psychologist otherwise devotes his time to boxers and wrestlers.
In summer tomas will work on his new programs. "I want to enter the new season with a new SP and LP. I don't want to keep anything for last season and it will be like a whole new beginning." said Tomas.
Original from here. Translated article from here.
Click to viewAwww Tomas, I hope you fix your headcase issues!
Evan Lysacek's mom tells her story of his journey
Amy Rosewater May 08, 2010
Tanya Lysacek’s philosophy on her son’s skating has been the same from the time he first laced up skates when he was 8 until now, when he is 24 and an Olympic gold medalist.
“This has been my philosophy since Day One,’’ Tanya Lysacek said, “And I have told Evan about this so, so many times. It’s about the journey. You are the one who has to love the journey and the daily grind, and Evan truly does.’’
Although Tanya Lysacek never could have forseen that she would become the mother of an Olympic champion, she has been her son’s source of support throughout his journey to the top. Evan began skating after his grandmother bought him a pair of skates for Christmas. Tanya Lysacek signed him and his older sister up for group lessons.
You could say that the rest is history, but that history was anything but restful.
“We’ve had lots of joys on this journey, but I always felt a little lost along the way, too,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “I had to figure out a lot of things on my own and it was kind of learn-as-you-go for me. There were many times I wanted to throw in the towel. Evan would get hurt, we had coaching difficulties, financial problems.
“But at the end of the day, this was Evan’s dream and he never deviated from it. He really did sacrifice a lot of things. He would be invited to the Governor’s Ball on New Year’s Eve or to be in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day and he would say no because he had to train. Some people would say, ‘But it’s New Year’s, take a day off,’ but Evan never deviated from his ultimate dream.’’
And, as Tanya Lysacek readily points out, it was Evan’s responsibility to wake up at 4:30 in the morning for a practice.
“It was never us waking him up,’’ Tanya Lysacek said.
“Skating was such a passion for him that we could love the journey with him,’’ she added.
Even if it meant early-hour wake-up calls from her son.
When Lysacek first began competing, he did well. Very well. He won the Junior Olympics title at the juvenile level back in 1996, and by 1999, he was the U.S. men’s novice champion. The following year, he claimed the U.S. junior crown.
But making the transition to the senior level, the top echelon of figure skaters, was not so smooth. He placed 12th in his first trip to the U.S. Championships as a senior competitor. The following season, he was 12th again. In his first four years at the senior level at nationals, he never finished better than fifth.
At one point, Tanya Lysacek fretted that it might be too late for her son to quit. He had devoted so much of his life and the family’s life to the sport and maybe things wouldn’t work out the way he had hoped. Tanya called a longtime friend who is involved in collegiate athletics.
She told Tanya: “It’s not too late. It’s only too late if he can’t breathe.’’
Evan could breathe all right. And he breathed skating. So the Lysacek family marched on, allowing Evan to continue while trying its best to stand on the sidelines.
“He is such a hard worker, and no matter how things are going for him, he still keeps at it,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “I’m almost in awe of him.’’
The hard work paid off and by 2005, he earned a bronze medal, landing him on the podium for the first time as a senior-level skater. The following year, he was the silver medalist and qualified for the Torino 2006 Olympic Games. He finished fourth there, a disappointment for Lysacek since his goal was to earn a medal but a courageous rally considering he had placed 10th in the short program.
It wasn’t until 2007, six years after making his senior-level debut at nationals, he was crowned the U.S. champion. He defended his title the following year. In 2009, after making three previous trips to the World Championships, he became the world champion.
Competitions were so nerve-wracking for Tanya Lysacek, however, that she and Evan made a pact that she wouldn’t watch him skate live. Even though she would go to practices and eventually watch his programs on TV, she couldn’t bear to watch him compete live. She wasn’t going to tempt fate at the Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Instead, she said she watched Evan compete on a TV screen in the Procter and Gamble house. The company, which produces a variety of products, ranging from Tide to Charmin, provided each mother of an American athlete $3,000 to use any way they chose for the Vancouver Olympic Games.
“That company did so much for us,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “They made me feel relaxed. They had a beauty salon, a massage therapist. It felt like a safe house.’’
In this safe spot, she watched her son skate a clean routine en route to the ultimate prize: The Olympic gold medal.
Even months after his golden moment, Tanya Lysacek continues to be there for her son. She has been traveling back and forth from her home in suburban Chicago to Los Angeles to watch him compete on the ABC-TV hit “Dancing With The Stars.’’ She missed two weeks of the show taping but had a good excuse for one absence. She had spent part of a week in Pittsburgh visiting college friends and she caught up with Evan while he was performing with the Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour.
As for a Mother’s Day gift this year, Tanya Lysacek said, “He doesn’t have to do anything. He’s already covered Christmas, Valentine’s Day, everything as far as I’m concerned.’’
The Lysacek story ended like a perfectly wrapped present, but Tanya Lysacek stressed that parents of elite athletes need to be there for their children for the good times as well as the bad.
“You have to remember that everything has to come from the athlete,’’ Tanya Lysacek said. “It’s their mission, their goal. I did not want to be a second coach. I was just there to be a great listener and to give them love and support.’’
Amy Rosewater is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.
Source
Well she seems like a sane skating mom :P