new interview with Brian Joubert

brian's views on worlds...
Joubert still miffed about worlds finish
Skater worried about decrease of the technical level of
skating

Brian Joubert came back disappointed from Gothenburg,
Sweden. Even though he skated his best competition of the
year, he had to surrender his world crown to Jeffrey
Buttle of Canada. Joubert skated a perfect free program,
and strongly claimed afterwards that he was "mad to be
defeated by someone who [had] not even attempted a
quadruple jump in either of his programs."

Currently skating in the French tour, Stars sur Glace
(Stars on Ice), Joubert took the time to think back and
understand his performance at worlds for icenetwork.com.

You seemed quite mad when you heard the final result at
worlds. How do you feel two weeks later?

Actually I still am very mad. Not so much against my
competitor, who had the perfect championship. What is at
stake is the future of figure skating. Sport is meant for
athletic prowess. What I see now is a decrease of the
technical level of skating, so I am very worried about
that.

Will you then adapt to the rules as they are (and as they
are currently applied)? Or should figure skating
definitely push forward for a better reward of technical
difficulties, especially quadruple jumps?

Actually I will stick to my position. I hope there will
be a lot of pressure put on the rules so that they can
evolve, although I am well aware that this will be most
difficult before the 2010 Olympic Games. Anyway, I will
keep taking risks myself, just like I have in the past.
Maybe even more so during the next season, which will be
a transition season before the Olympic year.

Don't you fear this might cost you other titles?

Taking risks does not mean ignoring the rules. You know,
I carefully studied the results I got in Gothenburg. I
lost about five points on my spins, and six points
because of my two triple flips. I did not have a triple
to triple combination, so I lost some points there too.
However, my component marks were excellent, and that is a
great encouragement for me. I also made points on my
steps, compared to my main competitors.

So, the direction to take is quite simple. I will keep
working on the component part and choreography. Kurt
Browning and Dominique Molina really helped me last
season, and we will keep working together. The toughest
part may be the flip, as I learned to take off that way
years and years ago, and it is my most consistent jump.
Yet, it was considered valid at the last European
championships, so I suppose it is not so bad.

What about your spins?

Indeed, I clearly need to work more on my spins.

With whom do you plan to work on them?

Let's say I will work with someone who is very gifted at
spins, and with whom I have already worked in the past.
This, however, has yet to be finalized.

So this means that you are going to take risks and follow
the rules at the same time?

Yes. The rules have become far stricter this past season,
everything needs to be perfect; spins, steps, jump edges.
You need to make sure that your body positions are
correct, etc. The one great thing with the new judging
system is that it forces you to be a complete skater and
perform in every part of skating. I like this very much.

Two weeks have passed by since your Gothenburg
performance, what do you want to keep from it?

The most important part for me, as seen from now, is the
sensations I got. The short and the free programs I
skated in Gothenburg were the ones I had the most
pleasure to skate. I may forget the programs themselves,
however, I will retain the sensations I experienced
there.
After Europeans we worked a lot. I knew I was ready. So I
could leave France telling to myself: "have fun." I never
had to tell myself: "you have to win." Also, the audience
in Gothenburg was magnificent.

So, now you are with the French team, altogether for the
French tour. With its 28 laps in more than a month, the
tour is the longest in years. How do you feel about it?

You know, I have always skated because I was having fun
out there. Skating has never meant "work" for me. It is
not a job. When I was younger, I spent many hours in
public sessions, to skate and skate again.
So, the tour is meant as a relaxing moment for me. We
skate under pressure and stress all year long. Meeting
again with the French audience is really a top thing for
me. Also, we get along quite well within the team, even
though from time to time someone has to yell: that's
life! In fact, I would have loved this tour to be even
longer!

Joubert is laughing. Whether it is for a show, or for a
competition with risks to take and strict rules to
follow, this guy undoubtedly loves skating.

Link »
http://community.livejournal.com/quad_threat/24642.html
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