Memo from Jean-Paul Caron, President/CEO of Gymnastics Canada:
Vladimir Lashin to resign as Gymnastics Canada National Coach / High Performance Director in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG)
It is with regrets that Gymnastics Canada is announcing the departure of Vladimir Lashin, National Coach / High Performance Director in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics since June 2009, for personal reasons. …
details on Gymnastics Examiner
His hiring was controversial. And, over the past year, Vladimir was unable to rally support for himself nor around the common cause of the Women’s National Team.
Even though it’s mid-cycle for the 2012 Olympics, I take this as good news.
… But who will be Canada’s next National Coach?
Leave a comment if you’ve a nomination.
I assume Vladimir will resume coaching at Omega, his old club in Vancouver.
24 comments ↓
some one from calgary!
Does Canada really need a national coach? Since you have no centralized training in Canada, I think that having a national coach is unnecessary.
I contend the same thing with respect to US gymnastics. Is our success because of the greatness of Marta Karolyi? Don’t make me fall off my chair because I’m laughing so hard. The US success is largely due to the fact that several of the former powers have fallen on hard times economically as well as have experienced drastic changes both politically and socially. Due to these circumstances, US gymnastics has risen up dramatically. We have resources (facilities, equipment), we have the numbers (large population), and our individual coaches have developed better training practices and smarter approaches. The Karolyi’s have had absolutely nothing to do with this – except that they are the face of US gymnastics, still.
If the former Soviet Union re-emerged as the Soviet Union again, I think that the USA would be in trouble from a gymnastics sense.
Again, without centralized training, I don’t think a national team coach is really a necessity. I mean, what exactly is the role of the Canadian National Team coach?
excellent point that money is better spent on development of athletes.. and the fact that canada has no central training is greatly reflected in our results!
We have limited coaching in many provinces and many athletes get dismissed as the few that are finding their coaches have limited resources and opportunities than in the US.
Canada needs to better fund the developments in remove a lot of beaureaucrats that inhibit the growth and funding… imagine what we could do if we offered more training clinics… if we actually competed as a nation and trained as a nation instead of individually.?
Ewwww, that picture of him is gross. I wish I didn’t have to see it.
As for returning to Omega, don’t be so certain as that club is in total disarray with financial problems and membership – or lack there off.
[...] some good news. Now some [...]
In general, I agree with you Chris.
The best model I know is the U.S.O.T.C. in Colorado Springs for MAG.
It’s an alternative for National Team members. Yet no “Marta Karolyi” makes unilateral decisions.
I’d be happy if Canada simply named a “National Training Centre” for WAG. And funded coaches / athletes there to work together.
… That’s unlikely to happen in a top down Socialist sport system. Since there are “National Coaches” in ice hockey, we’re expected to have one.
Edouard Iarov, one of the best coaches in the world, sits in an office in Ottawa. We pay him not to coach.
“In general, I agree with you Chris.”
Me too.
“Edouard Iarov, one of the best coaches in the world, sits in an office in Ottawa. We pay him not to coach.”
Is he doing clinics and consulting or something?
He does a number of training camps each year. Did a day at a coaching course in June.
But 90+% of the time he’s in an office.
I think you would be great, Rick.
I’ll take over the blog, while you’re busy.
I’ve no idea who will eventually get the job.
Ideally we’d want someone not currently coaching, so as to not take a productive coach out of the gym.
What about …. http://bit.ly/aKHqvd
Her husband’s not going to go for that, of course.
To be fair, vladimir and svetlana, coach international athletes, and they have great success and people want them to coach their daughters, yes the old russian way is unacceptable, but it gives results and thats what is required for funding from our archaic system.
We can say au revoir to vladimir, but someone put him in that position and i agree with ‘chris’ why do we need a national WAG coach! GCG should be enough to organize.
Vladimir gone or not, his talent for coaching girls to that next level is what we do not see anymore is there, the problem is knowing the age limits in this sport perhaps the pressure should not begin until they are older. Give them time to develop. Over the years i found his girls peak too soon as well as others. The ontario girls seem to be older when they begin their throws of international competition.
In the end canada will fill this newly vacant spot but like rick said– let them not take a coach as we have so few to begin with.
I know a little about Canadian gymnastics as I’ve pursued opportunities up there in the past – so, if CGC is going to put someone in that position…I don’t know much about him…but, I know that he had several high performance athletes in the past – what about Leonid Grakovsky? Just to throw a name out there…Rick or any others, maybe you can offer up an opinion about him?
Leonid is a great coach and a wise man.
But the main requirement for the job of National Coach is “people skills”.
I doubt Leonid would enjoy that part. Someone like Carol-Angela Orchard would be more successful, I think.
David Kenwright would be high on most lists. But do we really want to take him out of the gym?
Don’t take Kenwright out of the gym! He knows how to get results but is also wise enough to keep the bigger picture in mind with regard to athlete health and well-being. His athletes’ track records speak volumes; healthy, well-adjusted young women once their HP careers are over.
I think all discussion of filling the Head Coach position is irrelevant until we deal with the root of the problem…the structure of the WAG program in Ottawa. The position was vacant for so long…why?….because nobody would even consider working with Lise and the bureaucracy she has constructed around her.
We need to overhaul WAG in Ottawa. The coaches united to get rid of Vladimir and I am hoping they understand how empowered they are now! Let’s keep going…fix the system and get WAG back on track. Fire the people who made the decisions that led to our funding cuts…..don’t punish the athletes…they are children! Punish the adults who made the decisions! Isn’t that what happened with Swim Canada after the poor showing at the Olympics? The athletes weren’t blamed….the administrators were blamed!
Until we recognize that our WAG administrative system is deeply flawed, nothing will change….and we will continue to bleed coaches.
Ironically, I expect that Kenwright well knows this and would do something about it….but don’t take him out of the gym!
My top choice would be a combined team of Dave and Liz Brubaker – but please DO NOT take them out of the gym either. They have proven results for decades – bringing up babies into champions and in a small town to boot. The possibilities in Canada are few as we need most coaches to stay in their gyms.
On another note – very sad that we don’t make better coaching use of Jarov either…very sad indeed….
What about if we stay with the actual committee which was put in place at Canadians? Or maybe 3 or 4 national coaches, 1 for Quebec and Ontario, 1 for the Maritimes, 1 for the Prairies and 1 for Alberta/BC… these one could consult each other… the work charge would be lighter and maybe these bodies could stay part-time in their gym…
I propose Kenwright for West, Dussault or Brubacker for Quebec/Ontario (not that I dislike Davydova butneed to break with the SOviets and the Manjack have their hands full with their little champions) and the guy from Halifax for the Maritimes… Small amount of money for each and we keep the rest to make a better development program with a better frame for young coaches…
I’d be happiest with a committee of volunteers. The USA Men have no “Marta”, yet they’ve unexpectedly won two Bronze medals at the past 2 Olympics.
Let’s spend that money on training camps and in support of National Team development.
OK so let’s stay with the committee formed at the Nationals then and see how it goes
And no Carol-Angela back… we should manage without her…
what ever went on at nationals needs to take that momentum into GCG and make some more changes into the governing body that created the problems so many gymnasts face now. Canadians have talent, they have some excellent coaches (albeit not enough) the problem lies in the organization. I think a blended volunteer panel and the money being used to fund training camps….
Rick,
no comment on the womens coach — but in defence of Iarov, I think that you have totally underestimated his time in coaching. This summer alone I believe that he is in camp settings with tthe worlds team at least 60+ days between June 18 and Sept 15. Then the final worlds prep of about 20 days and then worlds. I do not know when he is in the office.
Gak. My apologies.
I’m happy to hear that.
Thanks Jim.
I definitely like the idea of bringin CA back! I think she would be the ideal choice for someone who could rally the troops and take Canada to where it should be.
ding dong the witch is dead?
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