Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband hit the pinnacle of their coaching careers at the 2011 World Championships in Moscow where three of their teams swept the podium. (l-r) Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Meryl Davis and Charlie White and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani.
and stay, is testament to just how good Shpilband and Zoueva are at balancing their time and bring- ing out the best in each skater. But the situation between Davis and White, and Virtue and Moir, is unique. Rivals since their junior days, their face-offs over the past few years — at the 2010 Olympics; the 2010 and 2011 World Champion- ships; and the Grand Prix Final — are the skating equivalent of Nadal–Federer. Time and again, the media ask the skaters
how they can share coaches and choreographers. Te answer never varies. “We know they are giving us their best,”
White said. “We all know how the schedule is go- ing to be. It’s all very planned out; there’s no real trick to it. “I think all four of us [Davis and White, and
Shpilband and Zoueva] have a big say in what we put out on the ice. Marina and Igor really know
24 FEBRUARY 2012
what we’re like, both on and off the ice, and what it is we’re looking for in a program.” Arctic Edge's management gives Shpilband
and Zoueva all the ice time they need. Zoueva de- vises a schedule each week and posts it on the side of the rink for all to see. “Tey are absolutely different kids, they have
different technique, different character, different type of talent,” Zoueva said. “All we do is pick the best of each couple and try to improve [them] and help them perform and show the audiences their best.”
“We just try to give them equal what each
team needs,” Shpilband said. “Tey feel that we are not holding anything back. We do everything for both of them equally. And of course, personal- ity of the kids, they all just great kids and they’re getting along well, which helps, too.” Te situation was laid bare at the 2011–12
Grand Prix Final, held in Quebec City in Decem- ber. After Moir’s uncharacteristic fall in the short dance, Davis and White took a five-point lead into the free dance and then edged out a 0.45-victory in that segment — or so it seemed. Weeks later, the ISU revealed that a scoring error cost the Ca- nadians half a point, and that Virtue and Moir had actually won that segment.
“Te closeness of the points drives us,” Davis
said. “It’s a benefit. Having Scott and Tessa there, right next to us, pushes us that much more.” To Zoueva, placements are secondary to per- formance, and that’s what makes the rivalry so congenial. “In my philosophy of teaching, I never espe-
cially motivated any team to be first, never ever,” she said. “I motivated them to be best they could. And each team feels special and all of them just try to improve [themselves], bring the audience big
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