Paul Wylie

Paul with Adult Nationals Skater Dawn

Yesterday I had an opportunity to meet Paul Wylie, the 1992 Men’s Figure Skating Olympic Silver Medalist.  Paul has many ties to Cape Cod and used to skate at the Tony Kent Arena in South Dennis.  He also worked with Dr. Igor Burdenko and still incorporates the Burdenko Method in his training.  I was at the HYCC in Hyannis with some of my coworkers for the 2014 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships and Paul was there to give a brief presentation to the skaters about different approaches to training and making fitness a lifelong journey.

A couple key points that Paul mentioned...

·      “Stress without recovery is the enemy!”

·      In the olden days, training was about trial and error and driven by urgency to cram for the competition.  Now training takes an integrated approach driven by goals and sport specific personal plans.

·      Your plan for the season should include a contingency plan for WHEN you get injured.  It’s going to happen.  You should prepare for it now.

·      Every time you step into the gym or rink you need to ask yourself these questions:

o   “What can I accomplish today?”

o    “What excuses do I make on a daily basis?”

o   “What am I after in life?”

·      Ballet was the Russian secret weapon.