The Russian women’s curling team has bonded well with its new foreign coaches and is ready for the upcoming season, Russian Curling Federation president Dmitry Svishchev told R-Sport on Tuesday.
Longtime coach Olga Andrianova was fired in April after the Sports Ministry ruled last season unsatisfactory despite the team winning bronze at the European championships.
Two foreign coaches, former European champion Thomas Lips of Switzerland and Anders Kraupp of Sweden, were put in charge in June.
“The girls now trust the coaches, because in the beginning they were wary of them.” Svishchev said.
“The training process is organized differently now. They have personal sessions, the coaches work with each athlete individually.”
Lips and Kraupp were “inspired” by working with the team, he added.
The 2012 European Curling Championships will be held in the Swedish city of Karlstad from December 7 to 15.
