The Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup has two coaches who, in addition to the role of a coach, have an even more important role in an athlete’s life. Namely, being their mother.
Mikaela Shiffrin mother Eileen Shiffrin and Lara Colturin mother Daniela Ceccarelli have worked as their daughters’ coaches since their junior years, and the concept seems to work.
American Mikaela Shiffrin is the reigning queen of the sport with her 99 World Cup victories, while 18-year-old Lara Colturi, who has been tipped as her successor, is having a great time breaking into the elite of the alpine circus.
At the end of November, the Italian-Albanian Colturi placed on the podium for the first time in a World Cup competition in the slalom in Gurgli, Austria.
Both skiers are used to their mother’s close presence on the World Cup tour. Shiffrin, who learned to count at the age of 2.5, considers his mother’s participation in coaching natural.
– He has been teaching me to count since I was literally a baby and put on skis for the first time. He continues to coach me and teach me technique and the basics of counting.
– He is actually the only coach who has been with me in every one of my victories.
Daniela Ceccarelli is involved in her daughter’s coaching full-time, and Eileen Shiffrin about 80 percent.
The role of both coaches’ mothers in the team is significant. They participate in the sport coaching of their athlete daughters and its planning together with other coaches.
Both coach mothers have solid experience and expertise in alpine skiing, not least thanks to their own racing background. The Italian Ceccarelli is himself a former World Cup skier and super-G Olympic champion from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Mikaela Shiffrin appreciates her mother’s professionalism. He compares his mother to a master spy who has infiltrated a certain environment to carry out her secret and important mission.
– He is like a sleeping agent. He has more experience than anyone else in the World Cup. That’s pretty cool.
The role of the mother helps in knowing the athlete
In coaching, a good knowledge of the athlete is the key to everything. Your own parent knows their child best, which can be a significant benefit in coaching.
According to Lara Coltur, her parents know her as a calculator and as a person in a unique way.
– I grew up skiing with my parents. My parents know best my personality, my tastes and what works for me and what doesn’t.
– Since they have always coached me, I haven’t had to invest time and energy in getting to know a new coach. Continuity is also an advantage in terms of my calculation technique.
Also Coltur’s father Alessandro Colturi is involved in her daughter’s coaching. According to the coach’s mother, Daniela Ceccarelli, she has a special connection with her daughter compared to other coaches.
– My attentiveness is different from others. I don’t need words. I just need to look into his eyes and I understand him immediately, Ceccarelli states.
In his work, the coach has to take on many roles and weigh whether the athlete needs, for example, challenging, encouragement or support.
A parent can be the best person to judge which role should be taken at any given time and what is best for their child athlete.
Former World Cup skier Daniela Ceccarelli says that her experience with different slopes and weather conditions helps in training Lara’s daughter.
According to Lara Coltur, there can be arguments with the coach’s mother if we disagree on things. “It is important to discuss the issues and make a reconciliation at the end.”
According to Eileen Shiffrin, her daughter keeps a lot of things inside and, for example, doesn’t show it outside if she’s nervous. He says that no one can really tell when a calculator is nervous. As a mother, she is an exception.
He says that most of the time he notices his daughter’s nervousness. Then he tries to help his daughter by being her support.
– As a mother and a coach, it’s difficult to get the matter out of him, go through it with him and make him feel good again, Eileen Shiffrin describes the challenge of the situation.
Good emotional skills required
Giving critical feedback to someone close to you, let alone receiving it, is not easy. The same also applies to the interaction between a coach’s mother and an athlete’s daughter. Good emotional intelligence is necessary in these situations.
– I don’t say much. I try not to talk unless there is something really important to say about technology, for example. Being a mom and a coach can be a tough road to walk. You always have to find a way to say things in a way that doesn’t offend, Eileen Shiffrin thinks.
Of course, it has not been possible to completely avoid disputes. Mother Shiffrin gives an example of when a conflict might arise:
– If I point out something to him that he should do better on the slopes. He may be tired or he is trying but it is not working. He gets really angry because he says I’m trying. In those moments I try not to say anything. I’ll just let him watch (the bill) on video. I hope he realizes his mistake.
Coaching is communication and chemistry between coach and athlete. The relationship between coach and athlete is always also a relationship of trust. When someone close to you is a coach, this relationship of trust does not need to be built separately, in which case even difficult things can be talked about.
According to Eileen’s mother, they have a very normal mother-daughter relationship alongside the coaching relationship. He says that outside of training and competitions, the topics of conversation are other than alpine skiing.
– We’re hardly talking about alpine skiing! It’s weird. We talk about other things and try to have fun. We are trying to shed light on things, elder Shiffrin says happily.
Companion and breeder
The World Cup calculator will easily have more than 250 travel days in a year. The presence of a loved one on a long tour can be important for the athlete’s overall well-being. The Shiffrins say they love traveling together.
Top alpine skiing is brutal, especially for an athlete. Comprehensive training, equipment development, analysis of performance, optimization of conditions and a constant desire to improve constantly move the sport forward. The accountant must also take care of his media and cooperation obligations.
This whole thing can sometimes feel stressful, and then it’s an advantage to have a familiar and safe family member nearby. The mother-daughter relationship is always primarily an attachment relationship, where the mother’s role is to be a source of support and security.
A mother’s role as an educator is rarely completely removed, even if her own child is an adult. Top sports are no exception.
For Daniela Ceccarelli, her own daughter’s independence has required a bit of chewing.
– Lara just turned 18, and she tries to do everything alone. She says mom let me make mistakes too. It’s normal at his age.
– Even if I am sure that his choices are not good, I have to accept them. I have to let him follow his own path, Ceccarelli explains.
According to Mikaela Shiffrin, a balance has been found between the roles of athlete and daughter, and on the other hand, coach and mother. His expectations of his mother sound very ordinary.
– At the end of the day, I expect to learn from him how I can improve and be a better person in this world, the alpine skiing superstar sums up.
Mikaela Shiffrin’s coach Janne Haarala and psychologist Elena Andreou have also been interviewed for the article.