Orser breaks cardinal rule

We could understand Brian Orser's frustration when he was let go by his star pupil Kim Yu-Na.

We could understand Kim's frustration when Orser lashed out against her agency (run by her mother).

But now, it appears Orser has taken it a step too far by breaking an unwritten rule in figure skating - revealing a skater's music without consent.

In an interview with AFP, Orser revealed that Kim's new free skate for the upcoming season is a compilation of Korean music, including the song "Arirang."

"It's a fantastic program, by far the best one I've seen," Orser said. "It is well beyond even her Concerto in F. It's a complete departure."

While it may seem like Orser is being complimentary of his now former student by saying her new material is better than the program she won the Olympics with, Kim does not plan to compete until the 2011 World Championships in March.

Typically, skaters do not reveal their music until just before their first event, or if they can somehow manage to keep it under wraps, not until the first practice session at their first competition.

Orser's faux pas has even elicited the first comment from Kim's choreographer, David Wilson, who has remained silent during the Orser-Kim drama. Wilson is smack in the middle of the coach and skater as part of a team of coaches who support Orser's students, and also as Kim's choreographer (and still on good terms with Kim and her management).

Wilson commented to AT Sports (Kim's management) that he was shocked and not aware that Orser was going to reveal information about Kim's new free skate to the media.

Kim's agency was equally upset, commenting, "This can only be construed as a move intended to hurt the skater."

AT Sports went on to say, "This started as a simple issue of a skater and coach going their separate ways. We do not want this standoff and accusations to go on any further. We strongly urge Mr. Orser to put an end to the unfounded claims and refrain from disclosing confidential information about Yu-Na Kim's future competition plans."

Could this unexpected twist be a final exclamation to this messy break-up, or is this just round five of an ongoing battle?