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Post by Katis on Dec 13, 2008 15:30:49 GMT 1
He still doesn't have a psychologist? I thought he was already talking about getting one several times. So it only stayed as a plan? 4th place definitely doesn't look bad as a result, but competitions with more than 5-6 contestants are coming up so I hope he can put it together. It makes me sad seeing the popped axels and silly footwork mistakes. And these programs would be so amazing skated clean!
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Post by ninadel on Dec 13, 2008 18:41:42 GMT 1
He still doesn't have a psychologist? I thought he was already talking about getting one several times. So it only stayed as a plan? I have no idea... I heard in interviews that he was interested in doing it, but no confirmation that he has actually done it for sure. The whole Oberstdorf group has been a mess of inconsistency so far this season, so either they are not devoting enough time to it or they need to get someone better. If this were an American skater, coaching changes would be made at this point (but maybe that's because Americans are high maintenance :-P). That's really the huge missing piece to the puzzle, isn't it? It isn't like he has consistent problems with specific jumps, and he can land jumps and combinations towards the end of the programme. Tomas seems like a very smart person (at least, that's the feeling I get from his jokes and remarks which are very witty) with all the makings of a top champion. We're waiting for him to have the turnaround-breakthrough moment that will make people stop asking "which Tomas has shown up today?" Other skaters like Joubert, Daisuke, and Abbott have shown that it can be done... but it's not an overnight process. And maybe he will peak at Euros/Worlds. We'll just have to wait and see.
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Post by deedeelocks on Dec 13, 2008 19:02:18 GMT 1
I don't know why he doesn't have one, I wish I did! there was a period after worlds where he said he would get one, and suddenly for some reason he changed his mind... In Oberstdorf in the summer he was still looking out for one. I do worry about it, and comments like (paraphrasing) "well the only meltdown I had was at worlds 2008" frustrate me, because I can think of a lot more... I hate to see Tomas self destruct for one reason or another, because I know very well he's capable of much, much more. Just here at GPF I had the idea he was ill or something like that. So I don't want to pull any conclusions too early. I want to wait and see what he says in interviews about this...
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Post by ninadel on Dec 13, 2008 19:12:42 GMT 1
I was also wondering if there was a cultural attitude against the use of psychologists (maybe our Czech friends can shed light on this). Like, if Carolina, Annette, and Martina Navratilova use them that's fine... but male athletes are warriors and shouldn't need them! p.s. And yeah, maybe I'm thinking the sky is falling a little too early. There is a history though.
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Post by ninadel on Dec 13, 2008 19:17:09 GMT 1
I do worry about it, and comments like (paraphrasing) "well the only meltdown I had was at worlds 2008" frustrate me, because I can think of a lot more... And about this, what he tells the Czech media and what he knows in his heart may be completely different things.
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Post by deedeelocks on Dec 13, 2008 19:25:05 GMT 1
yeah I do have the feeling Tomas has some aversion like "If I work with a psychologist, it means I'm weak". Just from what I gather from the press. he does acknowledge there is or was a problem. Just doesn't get outside help for it and thinks he can solve it with the help of the current team. Just during the Beijing olympics, there was an interview with a sportspsychologist and some athletes and how they benefitted from working with him. (on Dutch tv right) I really thought and think that Tomas could defenitely benefit from working with a person like this. What the athletes were saying there how it affected them was pretty amazing to me. It's in interesting subject, but I am slightly afraid of writing down too many of my conclusions, because I don't want to sound like I stopped believing in him or something like this.
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Post by deedeelocks on Dec 13, 2008 19:26:15 GMT 1
I do worry about it, and comments like (paraphrasing) "well the only meltdown I had was at worlds 2008" frustrate me, because I can think of a lot more... And about this, what he tells the Czech media and what he knows in his heart may be completely different things. that's very true though and I know he tries to be very aware of what he says in the press
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Post by ninadel on Dec 14, 2008 3:53:28 GMT 1
Just here at GPF I had the idea he was ill or something like that. There's also a rumour that many of the skaters had food poisoning from reception food. It's in interesting subject, but I am slightly afraid of writing down too many of my conclusions, because I don't want to sound like I stopped believing in him or something like this. I don't think anyone here would ever think that. It's just that you care, that's all.
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Post by brandy on Dec 14, 2008 9:26:43 GMT 1
Tomas's gala was awesome as usual. I think his performance was much better than his short or free program. It looked like he enjoyed the show very much and the audiences were very pleased about his performance.
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Post by xelah900 on Dec 14, 2008 10:59:44 GMT 1
Uhm, when Tom popped his LP at worlds my father said “the fall is affecting his self-consciousness, it looks like he is afraid to do other mistakes, and he is trying to arrive to the end of the program alive, but with no feeling”. So my mother, being a Psychologist, said that she could volunteer to help him in case of need. ;D ;D Then we read an article in which he looked quite disturbed by the idea, suggested by the journalist, of consulting one and he said that he felt OK on the psychological side. Mummy was a little disappointed..... Anyway, it's quite obvious that falling on 4T (for example) it's not a technical problem, otherwise he couldn't land it in LP and I guess we can state that the fact that everything works in practise and not as well in competition could depend from the fact that there is less pressure, and this bring us again on the psycological side! Not to mention that knowing that everybody wants to know if your EC title was deserved or just a lucky chance is not the best feeling to cope with . About changing coach, well I'm not that sure that it is a good idea when the technical aspect is OK, and if he really has a problem of self-confidence a change can make the things worse (you know working and talking with someone that knows you well and understand what you say and above all what you don't say....) Btw, even if I know that doing Nats could be tiresome and even useless for his “career”, I think it could have been good for his self-consciousness, somethig like a “High Level” practise, since his best adversars were not ther (well I haven't seen Kaska skating yet, so I don't know how “dangerous” he is!!! ). Well I think all this just express how much we care for him!! I'll finish my post to offer my mother's help in case Tom changes his mind!!!!! (when we met him last summer in Oberstdorf she was too shy to tell him and just babbled about “inner strength” and such.... ;D).
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Post by srbiangirl on Dec 14, 2008 11:25:46 GMT 1
I think that i can understand Tomas, i mean i had some problems that i couldnt share with anybody and my mum sugested me to visit a psychologist and i was so shocked with that idea to talk with complete stranger about my personal stuff that i couldnt tell even to my closest friends, so i was avoiding that subject and i had a really big aversion, i thinked that if i am going to psychologist that mean that something is wrong with me so i didnt went.But my problems were biger and biger and i couldnt take a presure so i finaly went and talked vith psychologist wich is amaizing person, amaizing woman, and a reall professional so i felt much better after just two short conversation with her.I felt that she understend me completly so it worked for me and i think that seeing psychologist can be very usefull for Tomas.But that cant do anybody but him so he need seriously to decide to try it.
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Post by Lilla on Dec 14, 2008 14:37:19 GMT 1
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Post by deedeelocks on Dec 14, 2008 15:23:44 GMT 1
LOL! Tomas first in the world standings? that's awesome!! I perhaps have something more to say, but now my fav. kids from next door are waiting for me to play with them
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Post by deedeelocks on Dec 14, 2008 21:18:48 GMT 1
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Post by Katis on Dec 14, 2008 23:14:46 GMT 1
LOL! Great! He's the only one that has some points in each column of the table. And what a lovely video Dee, thanks for posting!
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