Kristi Yamaguchi’s advice to young athletes and their parents

I had the pleasure of talking with Kristi Yamaguchi on the phone today. Yes, she really is as nice as she seems. I asked her some questions about the current Olympics and the newish scoring system, but I also wanted to talk to her about advice for young athletes and their families.

I first talked with her about the quad controversy from these Olympics, which is not so very different from the athlete/artist/triple axel controversy of the 1992 Olympics. I asked whether a single element should be allowed to dominate a program and how the current system affects that. She said that the current system is trying to make the scoring more objective, but that there’s a danger to taking the human element out of skating.

“Skating is always going to be subjective. No matter what system you put in place, there is an element to the sport that is so human, so emotional that if you take that out of it it becomes any other just athletic competition only, and that’s not what skating has always been about. I’m just hoping our sport doesn’t go in that direction.”

When asked about the pros and cons of the scoring system, Kristi said it does acknowledge difficult moves but that in an effort to raise the level of difficulty, every move has become calculated to rack up points, leading to performances that are sometimes technically great but not beautiful, that it can create a “connect the dots” form of skating.

After switching gears to talk about advice to young athletes, I asked for the best advice she had for aspiring athletes. She stressed the importance of setting goals, not just the big “I want to go to the Olympics” goals, but intermittent, attainable goals in the meantime. Goals that a young athlete can accomplish and feel good about now, on the road to greatness.

When it comes to encouraging the dream without sacrificing the family, she said that it’s about organization and the parents taking on perhaps separate roles. Her Mom traveled with her, while her Dad stayed home and helped keep her siblings’ lives on track. But she admitted that having a world class athlete is going to require some sacrifices by the family.

Should your athlete even make the sacrifice? Kristi said that they should be encouraged to look inward and evaluate that. She said that all athletes come to a crossroads where they have to decide whether this is really the path for them.

“I think you really have to let the athlete look inside him or herself and really ask the question ‘why am I doing this’ and ‘can I imagine my life without this sport?’.”

Her moment came around Junior High, as she made the transition from local to state events and then on to competitions at the national level. As that required more and more time, she had to make the conscious decision that this was something she wanted to do.

As we saw this week, being a great athlete doesn’t necessarily always result in someone who is such a nice person. When asked what her parents did to encourage being a good sport, she indicated they stressed sportsmanship from a very young age and always reassured her that they just wanted her to try her best and that they would love her regardless of the outcome. They also stressed respect for fellow competitors:

“Even though you’re competing against other people, you need to respect their talents and what they do and be happy with your own performance.”

She said she would certainly encourage her daughters if either of them wanted to pursue competitive athletics, as both she and her husband (who was a hockey player) feel that they got so much out of sports. Plus, it kept them out of trouble in life, which was something I hadn’t really thought of. I guess if all of your time is taken up skating, there’s little time left over for shenanigans.

Finally, when asked how parents could help their kids prepare for life beyond sports, Kristy said her parents had always stressed school and her education. Even as she became more competitive, that was a priority and if her grades slipped, then ice skating time had to be dialed back. They always encouraged a balanced life.

I finished up by asking her a couple of lighter questions. I asked her about her favorite Winter Olympics events to watch, other than figure skating. While she did single out ice hockey and short track skating, she said she really enjoys all the sports.

And when asked about the most memorable figure skating of these Olympics? She thought Evan Lysacek was great. But she was particularly impressed by the ice skating battle between the top teams.

“It took ice dancing to another level… I haven’t enjoyed ice dancing like that in years and years.”

It was really a lovely chat that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope there are some nuggets for those of you who are raising athletes. And for the rest of you, I hope you enjoyed reading this interview half as much as I enjoyed the experience of speaking with Kristi Yamaguchi.

Kristi was speaking to me from the Proctor and Gamble Family Home. You can learn more about their program supporting Olympic athletes’ families on their Thank You, Mom website. They also have some cool videos of athletes’ Moms (or Dads).