John Crumlish posted a great interview on I.G. with Romanian superstar gymnast now coaching in Northern Ireland. It goes into much more depth than usual.
Eugenia Popa (Romania) at the 1991 Worlds
This quote caught my eye:
IG: As the product of such a systematic training program in Romania, how have you been able to adjust to a different style of coaching in another country?
EP: It’s very hard, but I was quite young when I came here, and I didn’t coach long enough in Romania to have that strict kind of approach where you had to do what your coach tells you, no matter what. Here, I found it difficult at first. It’s an attitude thing. You have to say, “If you want to do it, fine, but if you don’t, there’s nothing I can do about it.” It is frustrating because you get kids who are so talented and you want to do so much with them, but you can’t. It’s very much a struggle, but I suppose you just have to adjust. You have no choice, really. You know you can do more, but at the same time, you can’t. The kids have the freedom to say yes or no. We (in Romania) had the freedom to say yes or no, but if it was no, there was no second chance. …
I have a Romanian coach in my gym experiencing the same frustration.
If you push too hard in a “free” country, the kids will switch to another sport. Or not attend regularly.
Coaching in a free country is much more challenging. But what system would Eugenia prefer for her own daughter?
Popa and daughter, Ellie, at the Salto gym in Lisburn, Ireland
read the entire article with more photos and video: Interview: Eugenia Popa (ROM)
Gymnastics Coaching.com 