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Q and A - The pursuit is on
Kurt Browning and Tracy Wilson provide their insight on Jeffrey Buttle, Skate Canada and the dominance of the Japanese
| Source: |
CBC Sports |
| Date: |
November 2, 2007 |
| Author: |
Tony Care |
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison gave Canada a big boost to start the
figure skating season by capturing the pairs title at the
season-opening Skate America event in Reading Pa., last
Saturday.
Now, with CBC Sports's coverage of the Skate Canada International
commencing Friday in Quebec City, we'll find out how the rest of the
team matches up against some of the best skaters in the world.
Men's world champion Brian Joubert of France will take part in the
competition, along with Japan's Mao Asada, who earned a silver medal
at the 2007 world championships in Tokyo.
With the Grand Prix season already under way, CBC figure skating
analysts Kurt Browning and Tracy Wilson spoke to CBCSports.ca
regarding Jeffrey Buttle's medal chances this year, the state of the
Canadian program and if Japan's dominance in the sport will
continue.
Q: Jeffrey Buttle is returning from a back injury that sidelined
him for all of last year's Grand Prix season. He says his training has
gone well, but is he ready to challenge the top skaters in the
world?
Browning: Jeffrey is still one of most recognizably great
skaters on the planet. We're all waiting for the power to show in his
jumps and the quad to happen. If he does, it's like, 'Wow, welcome to
the ring.' The guy is already one of the best skaters in the
world. His jumps are just really beautiful. They're seamless, so when
he executes them it doesn't really matter that they're an inch and a
half lower than the other competitors because they're so perfect and
eloquent. This allows him to get positive marks. Then there are the
spins, his footwork, musicality and presentation. I mean, there are a
lot of things to add up.
Q: He also places a high premium on conditioning. Why is that
important?
Wilson: Because he builds himself a very strong foundation and
very high base to build on. He's in terrific shape and has only been
really limited by injuries in his training. To watch his work ethic
and the way he pays attention to detail - every edge, every nuance -
is quite remarkable.
Q: Montreal's Joannie Rochette finished 10th at the 2007 world
championships. What does she need to do in order to take the next
step?
Wilson: She needs to [increase] the technical degree of
difficulty and that means a triple-triple combination. She can do
them. She can do them in practice. What I love about Joannie is the
combination of her power and grace.
Q: There is talk, not just with the Canadian media but around the
world, that Canada's ice dancing pair of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
are stars in the making. Why are they creating such a
buzz?
Browning: They're shooting up the ranks so fast. Last year at the
world championships, they did something on the ice and I found myself
unable to think of anything else but what they were doing during a
dance event. That's a huge compliment and it wasn't because they are
Canadians. I think it was in their long program [where] they performed
a waltz and they just nailed it. It was classic [1988 Olympic bronze
medallist] Tracy Wilson Rob McCall stuff. It was so well done I just
went, 'Oh my God that is what the sport is missing right now.' I just
sat there and understood why people like to watch figure skating after
I watched them. I have a really sneaking suspicion that these kids
\u2013 I hate to say it \u2013 have serious potential to wear some
hardware around their necks in Vancouver [site of the 2010 Winter
Olympics].
Q: They're preceding the Canadian team of Marie-France Dubreuil and
Patrice Lauzon, who retired last season following a highly successful
run. What are your thoughts when you look back at their
careers?
Wilson: I thought what they were able to do was to combine all
the technical requirements of the new [judging] system with the
theatre and the drama of their program. I believe they were most
successful at that. Although they had some difficulty in their program
with the footwork and the turns, they were able to weave it into the
music that made you forget [about their weakness] and get carried away
with the rest of routine. When you pulled yourself back, you
appreciated what they did with the technical aspects.
Q: How do you view the Canadian figure skating program as a
whole?
Wilson: I see Skate Canada as an organization which is building
a new attitude and new approach. You've got a new group [of people] in
now running Skate Canada and the feeling from me is that they've got a
strong vision and they're going to be more aggressive and I think
that's what had to happen.
Q: What are some of the key story lines or issues that you see
coming for this upcoming season?
Wilson: You're getting close now to the [Vancouver] Olympics
and this season is kind of setting the tone. This season will probably
dictate who the players are and who will be left behind. That's what
we will be watching, who is going to be able to step up. Will the
American ladies be able to compete with Korea's Yu-Na Kim or the power
Japanese skaters Miki Ando [the world champion] and Mao Asada? And so
we're just now kind of looking to see how the landscape is changing
and building going into the Olympics.
Q: Jeffrey Buttle admits world champion Brian Joubert of France
will be the man to beat this season. You choreograph his short and
long programs, what makes him so good?
Browning: I've spent some time with him and he's in a great
mental place. He's so level-headed and he just loves to compete. He
wants to do three quads in all his programs. He's as healthy as you
can get, he's strong as an ox, and wants to improve his artistry. He
presents himself well and then he's got fantastic jumps. There is a
weakness [with his artistic marks] but unfortunately [for the rest of
the field] in the next three years before the Olympics, that weakness
is going to keep getting stronger.
Q: As a nation, Japan has been a force for the last few years,
especially the duo of Ando and Asada. Do you expect that to
continue?
Wilson: I do. The Japanese are very deep and powerful. You have
some fantastic skaters. The bar has been definitely raised for someone
like Joannie Rochette and the American women to measure up to. The
Japanese women have really set the bar high with their
jumps. Sometimes it can be a cycle, but it's also the current
champions who motivate the young skaters.
The [Japanese] association will also send these skaters anywhere in
the world to get the best training and it also promotes
competition. If you're a skater and three other kids are doing triple
lutzes, it will push you. They also have large numbers and very
dedicated, serious athletes at a young age.
Q: There was a time when the Russians dominated almost every figure
skating event. What happened to their stranglehold on the
sport?
Wilson: The fabric of their training just started to fall
apart. A lot of the coaches started leaving and [finding work] in
other countries around the world - meaning young Russian skaters
suffered. Also, the [financial] support and the way the system was run
is not the same.
Q: Can they regain their place among the elite countries?
Wilson: Yes they can. The great coaches have returned. So if
the coaches go back, it helps the development. But they have to go
back to the grassroots and fund it. They need to go back to the local
programs and build that sort of sports machine concept. The hunger
factor also comes into play.
Q: Do you think the American program has dropped off a bit?
Wilson: I wouldn't say totally. I say for sure for the women,
ice dance and even the men. Their weakest area right now is with the
pairs. It's like everything still is in a state of flux and change. It
looks like there's going to be a new world order [with Japan]. I think
Skate Canada and the U.S. perhaps are to a degree, rebuilding.
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