I did the same as my mother would have done me in a situation like that. |
If they had come in eighth we would have been tickled to death. They have the talent. They were the most talented pair team in the competition, it's just that with them being young and inexperienced, you never know what's going to happen under stress. And with young teams, the judges tend to not give out good marks. But they skated brilliantly. They were sort of the talk of the competition. |
Kids get to that sort of Y in the road where if they are ready to go to college, they have to make some decisions. It's whether their skating offers them a future or whether they should go to college. |
The judge told me I should have hit him harder, but that I was guilty because I smacked him, but granted me an absolute discharge, so there's no record of it - it's over and done with. It was a deterrent. If I wouldn't have done that, others would have thought it was OK. |
The only thing about it is that the pressure is now on them. Now, next year they gotta win. But they certainly have the capabilities. |
The worst position to be in at any skating school is the best. There's no motivation, and everybody's taking a run at you. The smart ones realize (having competition) is going to make them better. |