"I actually coach a lot more of them," he says."
"It is very useful because today, with the phone and new technologies, we can do much more and do it much faster," he says. "I get almost all of my skaters' programs every day, and this helps me understand what I need to improve to make the program more effective."
"Having such a large roster of athletes to coach is not the easiest thing in the world. Yet Richaud makes it look natural. It's all about planning, he says. Much of his choreography work has to be done after the World Championships, which are typically held in March. So from April until July he has a "big window" to create new choreography. From there he starts to work with the skaters he's coaching, to take stock of where they are and what they want to be doing."
Benoît Richaud coaches 16 Olympic figure skaters from 13 countries and actually coaches many more who did not qualify. He stands on the rink's edge and changes into each skater's team jacket whenever they skate, creating a visible presence in the "kiss and cry." His schedule centers on planning: most choreography is created after the World Championships in March, leaving April through July as a major window for new programs. Skaters sometimes travel to him and sometimes he travels to them. He updates choreography remotely using phones and new technologies and receives most skaters' programs daily. Coaching a large roster presents challenges such as remembering choreography details for every skate.
Read at WIRED
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