Kim Yu-Na Can Switch Figure Skating Coaches and You Can Too
I've been reading with interest about the controversy regarding the recent announcement that Kim Yu-Na, the 2010 Olympic Figure Skating Champion, has left coach Brian Orser.
Ice skating fans want to know the facts. Some people say Yu-Na's mother must be the selfish one, and others say Kim is jealous of another skater Orser might teach. Then there's another group that say Orser is the bad guy.
When it comes down to it, figure skating is a business. Although figure skating coaches put in long hours and go above and beyond for their students, skaters have the right to make coaching changes. Kim Yu-Na has followed the guidelines on how to make a coaching change. She did not begin lessons with someone else before notifying Orser. As far as I know, all bills have been paid.
I wonder who Kim Yu-Na's new coach will be. Do you have any ideas? Do you think she'll stay in Canada to train?
- How to Switch Figure Skating Coaches
- When Is It Time to Make a Figure Skating Coaching Change?
- What It's Like to Lose a Skating Student
- Orser breaks cardinal rule
- Kim Yu-na fan's plea: I just want them to stop fighting
Kim Yu-Na - Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images
Comments
1. Soothing rhetoric –> “It is a fantastic program, by far the best one I’ve seen. It is beyond even her Concerto in F (the Olympic long program to Gershwin.) It’s a complete departure.”
Actually he did –> Opeing the music ‘Arirang’ of Yuna’s new program to the press without kim’s prior consent.
2. Soothing rhetoric –> “I’m sure you have heard the rumors, but I want you to know my loyalty is to you, and your skating is my priority.”
Actually he said –> “I have to say that I was flattered she has an interest, but your skating comes first. let me know if you any concerns or thoughts.” He had a foot in both camps.
3. Soothing rhetoric –> “Financial issues had nothing to do with the split.”
Actually he said –> “I’m the lowest paid coach at this level in the history of figure skating,” Orser said. “I get $110 an hour, and that is what I charged her. I did make something from Korean commercials…. blah,blah,blah….
4. Soothing rhetoric –> “I wish her all the best as she moves forward in her skating career.”
Actually he did –> He broke the news on the same day as the first ticket sale day of Yuna’s US show.
5. Soothing rhetoric –> At the CTV, he respected Yuna as an adult in classy manner.
Actually he did –> In other articles, he used a word “Kid” and “girl” like that “Kid who cares of their mom” or “19 years girl whose emotion up and down sometimes.”
2, CONTRACT BETWEEN ORSER AND IMG
http://news.nate.com/view/20100827n08979
It is a Korean Article dated on Aug 27 titled “Orser made a contract with IMG last May 2010 and so he coached junior skaters of Japan”. It stated that;
…. Orser brought with the junior skaters of Japan to his club during Yuna’s practice and also persons belong to Japan figure skating league come in and go out with them in May. For Yuna, this circumstances seemed not be pleasant.
3, ORSER SAID THAT HE SENT SEVERAL EMAILS TO A MEMBER OF KIM’S MANAGEMENT TEAM AND YUNA BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE
According to many articles from Orser’s side, it seemed sound like that Yuna had never replied him back.
Let me say, Orser sent email to Yun as she stayed in Korea in April and July for her Ice Shows.
In April, however, he was saying at the Korean TV interview that Yuna replied to his email.
….Please note the below link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xdLQJ6lrX4&feature=player_embedded
In July, Yuna stayed in Korea for a week for her ice show. A week was short of time. Yuna, her mom and her small agent were tightened with her schedules only for a week (for examples, ice show (July 23-24, 4 times performance), filming lots of commercial ad, attend Korean TV show, lots of press conference and various events, in charge of several roles as a public reprehensive such as ‘G20’ etc.,)).
For your reference, there were Korea articles stated that “Yun was extremely busy so she stayed at he hotel instead of family’s house and did not have a time to have a meal with family. Her father finally met his daughter just once at the airport when she departed to Canada.
I’m sure Orser must know these how she was terribly busy through his experience whenever he visited Korea with her for several ice shows for last 3 years in limited time line. You can image how she would be extremely busy for a week in Korea?
Didn’t he might generously understand that Yuna may not reply to his email, instead of making rapid progress like Yuna insults or disrespects me.
Even though he didn’t know her schedule because of no communication between them, he can possibly enough contact her when Yuna returns to Canada after a week. Or if his email would be extremely urgent not to waiting a week, he could directly call her instead of email. Or were there some difficulties between them to directly talk to her face-to-face as Yuna back?
4, THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FROM ORSER WHAT HAPPEND FROM MAY TO JULY.
At the CTV interview, Orser said Yuna mam told him not to make any time for her daughter because they were unsure of their plans for the off-season in April.
The Contract between Yuna and Orser ended in April.
FYI, here is the timeline according to AT Sports- (quoted from universal sports article).
http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=gofigure/postid=490058.html#orser+says+what+does+kim
……May 2010 – The relationship between Brian Orser and Kim’s agency is strained
(Note: Orser said at the CTV and articels, there was no problem until he knew through the internet that yuna’s plan to skip the GP series and attend World Championship in Tokyo 2011 and got a call from shae Lynn Bourne in July.)
……June 2010 – Kim begins practicing without a coach
……Early August 2010- Kim’s agency and Orser agreed to Kim and Orser taking some unofficial time off
……August 23, 2010 – Orser informs AT Sports he will no longer be able to care for Kim, which AT Sports understands as Orser stepping down.
8. I WONDER WHY HE DID NOT TRIED TO ASK YUNA AND HER MOM EXACTLY THE REASON WHY HE FIRED
According to Chicagotribune’s recent article:
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/
…. For all that, Orser said nothing for the three weeks after Kim’s mother, Park Mee-hee, and an agent, Helen Choi, told the coach and Tracy Wilson, who also helped coach Kim, in an Aug. 2 meeting at the Toronto Cricket & Skating Club that they were no longer the skater’s coaches…
…. Orser and Wilson had a final conversation with Kim last Thursday. They told her they still were confused by what had happened. According to Orser, Kim replied that she was confused as well and “had no idea what is going on, either.”…..
I wonder why he didn’t ask Yuna exactly the reason why he was fired instead of ‘confuse.. what had happen’ on Aug 20 (Thursday), if he thought he was fired, before he determined to go public on Aug 23. Last Thursday, When Yuna meet Orser without her, she must think that both of them have the ‘time-off’ for a while as like her mom said to Orser on Aug 2.
Didn’t he want to know the reason or not? And then Orser was going to make public and said I was fired without reason?
1. Oser’s inconsistency on the Japanese skater
He denied the fact at the CTV interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e0408BNRoM&feature=player_embedded
……Quote, 4minute on the video
(Orser) And then there were rumors swirling in April about Mao Asada.
(Announcer) Did she make you an offer?
(Orser) No, absolutely they did not
(CONTINUED:)
However, according to the Orser’s email in April at the Korean Air SBS on Aug 25 (starting 58 minutes on the video link), his email contained that there was connections with Mao:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGs0LOPdMTE&feature=player_embedded
……Her agency did inquire about me (and team) working with her
……Have to say that I was flattered she has an interest
5, THERE WERE ARTICLES THAT ORSER, FULL TIME COACH OF YUNA, SEEMED TO BUSY
It is a Koeran article interviewing Ms. Bang who is a figure skating brodcaster of SBS.
http://sports.chosun.com/news/ntype2.htm?ut=1&name=/news/sports/201008/20100827/a8774138.htm
……She said: Yuna and her mom didn’t want to spoke out the reason on their split. However, Last World-Champinonship 2010, I met her mom and she said that “I told yuna to go out but she didn’t accept her opinon, but she decided to go out before 1 week of the World-Champinonship after listenting of Orser’s”. I think that little by littley from the small things seems to be grew up to conflicts.
……..Even though Yuna side did not directly say to her, I think that Yuna side might consider that ‘Orser did not with Yuna when she need him’ and ‘he seemed not take fully reponsibility’.
(CONTINUED;)
5, THERE WERE ARTICLES THAT ORSER, FULL TIME COACH OF YUNA, SEEMED TO BUSY
It was an interview with Adam Ripon on Feb 20th 2010, it stated that:
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100220&content_id=8103770&vkey=ice_news
“…. It was the first time since being with Brian that he hadn’t been able to come to a competition (4 continent) with me,” said Adam. “Brian had been in Spokane for two weeks, with me and Christine Gao. It wouldn’t be fair to Yu-Na if she had to go three weeks without him before the Olympics.”
I can’t find the article but remember that he paid $650 a week ($110 per one hour for five days).
(I don’t know exactly how many hours full-time coach teaches his/her pupil. But is it enough to coaching one hour a day at the Olympic season?)
6, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMG AND YUNA
There are long stories between them from 2007.
I just post two Korean articles.
Firstly, titled “ Started (rooted) from IMG” on Aug 27.
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/08/27/2010082701082.html
(CONTINUED;)
Secondly, titled “Kill Yuna, Again? Who? Why?” on Aug 26.
http://news.nate.com/view/20100826n16404
7, ORSER’S PLAY TO MEDIA
……Opening the music ‘Arirang’ of Yuna’s new program to the press.
(You may not impossible to understand the meaning of the folk song. It is not just like other Korea folk song. It is far beyond of that. It contains so many meanings and emotions to Korean, especially for Korean who resident in abroad and old generation. It has more meaning than a national anthem. Can you imagine how Korean would be overwhelmed, touched and delighted as Yuna spoke out ‘Arirang’ to us? Orser must know that he stole Korean’ and Yuna’s the ‘moment’ and hurt all of us. )
……Orser’s comments in the last paragraph:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/article/852218–korean-gold-medallist-distraught-as-coaching-controversy-swirls
……“She’ll be fine. I know she’ll be fine,” he said. “I know that they will grow from this and maybe they’ll learn something from this, because coaches are people and costume designers are people and you have to be kind of prepared to make changes.
(What the exact meaning of that?)
(CONTINUED;)
7, ORSER’S PLAY TO MEDIA
……At the CTV interview, he said that both of Tracy Wilson and himself fired by Yuna mam. However, Tracy is a part of coaching system of Cricket club, so if Yuna would come out of the club, Yuna does not receive her coach anymore. Therefore, it seemed unnecessary for Orser to say like that way.
……Contract between Orser and Yuna was officially ended in April 2010 and there was no renewal. Therefore, the word “fire” seems not appropriate. It is just “split” not “fire”.
……At the CTV, he respected Yuna as an adult in classy manner. However, in other articles, he used a word “Kid” and “girl” like that “Kid who cares of their mom” or “19 years girl whose emotion up and down sometimes.
And consistently wish to believe in his nuance that Yuna seems to being dragged by her mom even though she clarify whatever it was she made decisions in her Twist and Face-book.
(CONTINUED;)
http://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/article/853079–music-leak-adds-sour-note-to-figure-skating-soap-opera
And then let the press allow treat Yuna like that “In the words of one sage coach, Kim’s age in the real world may be 14, given the insular orbit these athletes inhabit.”
Also, I wonder whether or not he remembered his interview to the Korea broadcasting SBS right after Olympic that Yuna, at 16 age, the one who choose Orser as her full-time coash.
7, ORSER’S PLAY TO MEDIA
……Orser said financial issues had nothing to do with the split. He denied reports of having received a $1 million bonus after KIm won the Olympics.
“I’m the lowest paid coach at this level in the history of figure skating,” Orser said. “I get $110 an hour, and that is what I charged her. I did make something from Korean commercials, but there was no deal between us for that.”
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2010/08/kim-orser-split-olympic-champions-coach-feels-insulted-and-disrespected.html
In other articles Orser said that “a coach in his levels earns 30% of skater’s income. But I paid $630 per week and no bonus”. (I’m sorry that I can’t find the link)
However, he received a reward when Yuna wined the competitions.
He earned income when he was a director of her ice shoes from 2007 to 2010. (FYI, “he said at the CTV, he performed at her show without pay”. Let me clear that , just once, he was on her Ice shoe on April 2010, as a role of James Bond about 3minutes. It was that he mentioned he was not paid. BUT he paid as a ice-show director.)
(Continued;)
He earned money from air-conditioner advertisement of Samsung with Yuna who a model of Samsung. But he insisted that it was not relevant with Yuna at the CTV interview and articels. He published his book in Korea so he earned money two. Also, there were Korea articles that Korea Government will reward him as a coach who dedicated to win the Gold medal.
ü Orser is trying to show his fire was due to the overeager skating mom and so Yuna dragged by her mother even though Yuna denied that.
( And it looks like wedge between Yuna and her mom.)
7, ORSER’S PLAY TO MEDIA
……http://news.sportsseoul.com/read/sports/869528.htm
It is a Korean article on Aug 26 titled “Orser said that he doesn’t want further issue through his lawyer”, it stated that:
As Oser received telephone, he showed sensitive reaction like “who let you know my phone number”. After a while, his lawyer answered phone through the continued phone again, and sent his message on behalf of him that Orser received 100 phone call a day at the his office, home and mobile phone, even 2AM, so he will not receive the telephone anymore.
……Finally Orser began this issue and ended it by himself even though Yuna didn’t consistently want to open their personal issues to media.
……If he wants to be respected by Yuna, why he didn’t respect her especially in public.
……In addition, in other articles, Orser said that “he want Yuna to leave the Cricket Club because the tension swirling was not good for other skaters and Yuna”.
Yes, he was right. But Yuna is a member of Cricket Club so she can practice there until the membership will be expired.
And he aware exactly that there were a few places for the skaters to practice in Korea. That’s the main reason why Yuna lives in Canada for her practicing and she cannot return to her country when Orser asking to leave in the media.
It sounds kind of cruel because he was a person who very well understands her situation, and he also knows that Yuna is not ready to leave the club right now because she works with David wilson for her new program.
Find a place to practice takes a long time for Yuna.
Here is another articles from Japan Times dated on Aug 28, titled “ORSER SAYS HE WAS ASKED TO COACH MAO”
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20100428f1.html
The only source for the “Asada offer” is Brian himself.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2919642
“Yonhap” reports on April 28, 2010:
[Quote] In a telephone interview with Yonhap, the Canadian admitted that
Asada¹s agent had offered him the job at the World Championships last month,
when the Japanese figure skater reclaimed her world title from Kim, the 2009
champion.
But Orser, who has coached Kim since 2006, said that he is not considering
coaching Asada and that he is devoted to Kim. [End Quote]
Regardless of which side you are on, I have a horrible feeling that if Ms. Kim stays as an Olympic eligible skater, her reputation has been ruined. Unfortunately, she didn’t break the story first, Brian Orser did and of course he painted himself in a most favorable light. I do think that the firing of Orser could be have been handled a bit better on her part. However, I for one don’t subscribe to the opinions that I have read in several blogs suggesting that Orser “made” her, etc. He did fine tune the God given gift that she had but he didn’t make her. Interesting, if she had not won the gold medal in Vancouver, where would the blame lie? Would it be on Orser, or Kim’s inability to seize the moment? I vote for the latter. It’s interesting and sad that if someone succeeds in figure skating it’s because of the coach but if someone fails it’s the skater’s fault.