#I like to imagine Shoma just naturally did this

[endersgayy]

alt version of the group photo with Shoma doing a deeeeep squat lmao

#shoma uno #kazuki tomono #sota yamamoto #I like to imagine Shoma just naturally did this #went full-on yoga pose #and someone had to correct him

[minotsu]

Locari Interview

Daisuke Takahashi: A True Pioneer On Ice　Part 1

http://static.locari.jp/30/

On the first of July, 2018, the bronze medalist of Vancouver Olympics, figure skater Daisuke Takahashi announced his comeback to the competitions after 4 years absence. In the 3rd competition from his comeback, the Japanese Nationals in December, he finished second after Shoma Uno and his splendid comeback impressed the whole nation. He is currently 32 years old and a living legend coming back to the battle field with much more matured charms. We listened to Mr. Takahashi who keeps exceptional challenging.

BIOGRAPHY

March 16 1986     Born in Kurashiki city, Okayama, Japan

1994                     Started skating at the age of eight

2002                     Won the World Jr Championships

                             (the first Japanese male skater to win the title)

2006                     8th place at Torino Olympic Games

2007                     Silver medal at the World Championships

                             (the first Japanese male skater to get the silver medal)

                             Won the Japanese National title 3 times in a row

2010                     Bronze medal at Vancouver Olympic Games

                             (the first Japanese male skater to receive an Olympic medal

                               in figure skating)

                              Won the World Championships

                              (the first Japanese male skater to win the title)

2012                      Silver medal at the World Championships

                               Won the Grand Prix Final

                               (the first Japanese male skater to win the title)

2014                        6th place at Sochi Olympic Games

                                Announced his retirement

2016~17                  Performed as a dancer for Love On The Floor

                                Performed for Hyoen 2017 Basara

July 2018                 Announced his unretirement

December 2018       Silver medal at the Japanese Nationals

His distinctive quality (in skating) is splendid steps utilizing his high quality skating skills. He has captured numerous fans with his prominent ability to emote. Earning many first titles as a Japanese male skater, he spent his competitive career suffering injuries. Due to successive injuries, he eventually lost confidence and was not able to enjoy skating during the Sochi Olympic season. Since he was still young and expected more success, the retirement announcement he released after nearly one year rest was received with a big impact.

After his retirement, he worked as a skater in shows and did dance stages while kept in touch with figure skating world working as a reporter. “What do I really want to do?” As groping for the answer, he thought “if I can’t get back the confidence I lost, I may lose myself”  and after deep consideration, he decided to comeback to competitions. This exceptional decision to comeback to be eligible after 4 year absence became hot news on TV as well as newspapers and the internet.

Q: Are there any differences compared to 4 years ago in the ways you get prepared (for the competitions) or the attitude toward worries?

 A: First of all, it was not pressure from outside (that was problem) 4 years ago, but (it was ) my own strong willingness to win. I had a very strong idea that if you don’t think you can win, you shouldn’t be eligible and I really wanted to be on the top. I was always very nervous before the competitions and honestly speaking, I was not really able to control my feelings.

Since I came back, I started from a stage “it’s quite natural that I can’t do it,” so I have been able to try various things positively little by little. Now I’m 32 and can’t accumulate training like I used to do in my twenties, or get injured easily when I place  stress on my body, so there are many gaps between my feelings and actual reactions (of my body). But now I can think it as a good experience and feel I’m moving forward.

Q: Is there anything particular you are careful about your physical culture?

 A: I do muscular exercises to get stamina for skating programs through and doing muscular exercises is good for making body hardly getting tired and it also helps to make your body look nicer. Of course I take care of what to eat for certain level but I don’t push too much actually. When I put too much stress, I tend to gain weight so if I feel like to eat junk food, I try to think that’s what I need that time and eat it. It is because if I do that, I don’t get rejection reactions. Not all those junk foods are bad, but there might be necessary evil. (laugh) That kind of control, I can manage now.

Q: You have landed quad jumps at the official practices for the Nationals. When did you start to feel that you still have potentials to grow?

 A: As for my own jumps, I think they are higher and better in quality and I am better at jumping than before. By being able to jump quads, I can feel the possibility that I may still have some potential. After I had a pulled muscle in August, it took more time than I expected to get back 3As, so it was just before the Nationals in December when I could start quad jump practice. I didn’t imagine myself that I was able to land quads at the official practice for the Nationals. I hardly landed quads 4 years ago and lost my confidence but now I can show the quads in front of other people. Honestly speaking, I wanted to land (quads) successfully at the competition though.

That’s all for today. I will post the next part in a few days time.

#daisuke takahashi #figure skating #fstranslation #Interviews

[axelsandwich]

lae’s unofficial list of favourite figure skating costumes and why

What a great question - there’s so much I want to say about costumes, believe me, and I will probably reserve some of this for a future episode of In The Loop because of that, but here are some of the costumes that come to mind for me. There are a lot of costumes that I find gorgeous in themselves but fewer that really match with the criteria you set out. 

In no particular order

Seimei 2.0 - Yuzuru Hanyu Designer: Satomi Ito (who actually said Yuzuru was the designer lol)

I mean, duh. I’m so glad this ended up being its final form that truly did justice to the program, the terrifying confidence of gold accents and all. Talk about a costume being created for a program that was also created for Yuzuru and by him. Yuzuru adapted a traditional Japanese character and music for the modern figure skating context and it’s fitting his costume did the same - flattering and unusual, designed to be iconic and singular. 

Danse Macabre - Yuna Kim Designer: Unknown (maybe Lie Sang-Bong who designed a lot of Yuna’s dresses in the past)

Listen Queen Yuna had so many amazing looks that it’s genuinely so hard to choose, but this was just. Iconic. Incorporates Yuna’s signature open back, high collar and long sleeved dress which she’d return to so many times, perfectly suited to the vibe of the song that also made her best qualities sing. Evokes a flock of ravens and seductive darkness without being too literal about it. How to make black striking: take notes. 

I’d also put her Homage to Korea dress in the same category of being instantly striking and a way to do black costumes. 

O - Akiko Suzuki Designer: Unknown but maybe Shizuko Orihara (MU Costume Design) who has designed costumes for Akiko in the past

Truly such a subtle, intricate dress like nothing I’ve seen before and so well executed (look at that colour selection of the beading!!!!! arhghhg I love). A little literal given the nature of the program (bird themed) and why do Japanese ladies insist on matching their eye makeup to their dress ; _ ; but truly so striking - I’ve never seen anything like it or since. 

Loco - Shoma Uno Designer: Satomi Ito 

This is a prime example of costuming accentuating the skater’s best physical qualities - eye-catching, sophisticated design, the high collar that directs the eye and draws attention to Shoma’s features. The balance of red elements dotted in the jacket making it feel cohesive, and suited to the nature of the music. The gradient of the top and cropped jacket creates an illusion of proportions that gives him longer legs. 

Notte Stellata - Yuzuru Hanyu (Scan credit)  Designer: Satomi Ito (x)

Again, usually I wouldn’t go with such literal costumes but this is a masterpiece - the subtlety of the bead and crystal work, the feather motif, the plunging back... the perfect costume for this program in that I can’t imagine another. 

Send in the Clowns - Yuna Kim Designer: Ahn Gyu-mi

Okay this merits a special mention because I’m still not sure if I agree with the shade of yellow (I think a golden more mustard yellow would have been killer) but this is one colour only Yuna could have pulled off given the light undertone of her skin, the orange notes in her blush and lipstick and warm brown in her hair that stopped it from looking sallow. Send in the Clowns is one of my favourite Yuna programs and this was just such a bolt of unexpected colour especially against the Sochi blue that it was unforgettable. 

Sous le ciel de Paris - Kaetlyn Osmond

Perhaps an odd choice - it’s not the sort of costume that would normally catch my eye but somehow this is an example of a costume matching a skater and music becoming something more when working in conjunction with the two. It captures Kaetlyn’s athletic vibe in its cut while still evoking French sophistication with the colour, the neck-scarf and a bit of sparkle. 

Also in this category of ‘costume matching skater and music and becoming more than a sum of its parts but mostly because I love a particular detail’: 

On Golden Pond - Karen Chen Designer: Jan Longmire (x)

I’m a sucker for the asymmetrical sleeve detail here only because this is one program that really calls for it. 

Miss Saigon - Satoko Miyahara (also her Planets costume because the hair detail and the baaack again). Designer: Unknown

I don’t love the shade of red (not so sophisticated) but the open back and the detail in her bun....I think it really accentuated Satoko’s best features, her delicacy and subtle sophistication even at such a young age. I bought her as a young Kim. 

#lae answers #asks: fs culture #figure skating costumes #figure skating #asks: personal #uhhhh shameless yuna and yuzuru bias here #yuna because she really did not have that many bad costumes #so it's genuinely hard to choose #again 'my' recent fan bias is showing but w/e #yuzuru bc I couldn't very well leave either out but that's about it lolol #im sorry i love the boi but i wish i could tweak most of his costumes just a tad #an unfinished list

[lynnneposts]

[SBS interview] “177cm junhwan cha, “i just keep growing”

an interview/article with junhwan published on may 1st. please note that i’m not a professional translator so some parts may not be worded as well as it could be. 

junhwan was born on the october of 2001, so he's not 17 yet. while his height is supposed to grow, he grew approximately 20cm in the past 2 years. he's 177cm at the moment, and it's not about to stop.

177cm is on the tall side for male skaters. in fs, most consider 160cm-165cm the ideal height for ladies, and around 170cm for men. "figure skating queen" yuna kim's height is 164cm, and two time consecutive olympic gold medalist "figure skating king" yuzuru hanyu is 172cm.

ofc it doesn't apply to all the skaters but in the case of singles, a tall height is a disadvantage for executing difficult jumps and fast spins. it also strains the knees and ankles. therefore, there isn't a lot of singles skaters who's over 170cm for ladies and 180cm for men.

at the 2010 vancouver olympics, evan lysacek(america) winning gold at men's singles became a topic that many talked about. (lysacek became olys champion without a quad at that time, which is hard to imagine in this era of unending quad competition) 

growing too much in a short amount of time will affect the axis in jumps and increase the risk of injury. junhwan went through the same problem. "i'm still growing these days, i'll probably grow more. it affects the technical side in practice, but we're taking good care of it."

when we asked whether his growing height worries him, junhwan laughed and said, "tbh, i try not to care too much about my height. it doesn't stop growing even if i ask and if i grow, i grow. i don't think about how much i want to grow. it'll just grow and stop someday." (t/n: the "if i grow, i grow" part is more in the sense of "if i grow older, i'll grow taller" since it's implied but he didn't word it that way so i'll leave it as "if i grow, i grow")

junhwan, who was on the stage for ice shows in korea, left for his training site last week in preparation for the upcoming season. before he left for toronto, we met junhwan and talked about a couple things.

Q: how do you feel after completing the ice show? 

A: we did 3 shows in 3 days, it was a great experience for me. i was very nervous since it was my first ice show, but we got to make a nice stage with famous skaters from around the world. it was satisfying.

Q: you prepared for the show with world class stars such as medvedeva and plushenko. 

 A: medvedeva, zagitova, vincent zhou and jin boyang were some skaters i've met before, we felt like friends, and it was nice to see them. this is my first time seeing plush, i learned a lot from him during practice, it was a good time

Q: the bts performance in the 2nd half was very impressive, you managed to do the idol dances well!

A: it was very fun for me as well. i didn’t learn the moves thinking of it as an ‘idol dance.’ i wanted to learn some more genres after pyeongchang so i learned to dance, it was really fun, and when i realized, i was dancing it at home. (laughs^^)

Q: korean nats in january, pyeongchang olympics in february, your first ice show in april... so many things already took place in 2018.  

A: yes. it was a good experience from nationals to the ice show. a lot of people were interested in me during the olympics and cheered a lot, and to be honest, the loud cheers encouraged me a lot. since (they’ve) cheered for me a lot and gave me lots of love, (to pay back,) i’ll practice more and prep more to show everyone the best i can do in the future. 

Q: you always had problems with injuries, how is your body at the moment? 

A: i was injured last season, i also had severe boots issues... my butt bloated and my wrist broke and i had to change my boots a lot, but it couldn’t be helped. there isn’t much i can do except take good care of it. since i keep trying harder elements and injuries are a natural part of jumping the quad. even if i get treatment in korea and go back to canada in a decent state, injuries happen again when i start practicing. about injuries, the best way is probably for me to just go with it and take good care of it. 

Q: did you really grow a lot? 

A: my height is about 177cm right now. it’s on the tall side for men’s singles skaters. 

Q: you’re taller than hanyu (yuzuru hanyu) right? 

A: yes. i’m taller than hanyu. the top five skaters in the world (hanyu, nathan chen, shoma uno etc) all seem to be shorter than me. 

Q: so you’re still growing? 

A: i still seem to be growing. i’ll probably grow more in the future. to be honest, the technical side during practice is shaky at times since i’m going through puberty, but (we’re) taking good care of it and trying to practice. 

Q: do you think about wanting to stop growing now?

A: i try not to care too much about my height. it’s not something that stops because i tell it to and if i grow(older) i’ll grow(taller). i don’t really think about how much i want to grow, it’ll just grow and stop someday. 

 Q: how are you preparing the quads? 

A: i’ve jumped the quad salchow well in the meantime. i’ve attempted the quad toeloop from last year but it’s true that the jump became unstable after i grew and went through injuries and boots issues. we rushed a little bit last season because of the olympics and such, but this season, we’ll prepare for the next goal in a slow and steady manner. i’m thinking about stabilizing the jumps, and when it’s truly stable, i’ll try to practice other types of quads. 

Q: the scoring changes will happen next season?

A: the scoring does change but i don’t think they’ll be any big changes in preparation(training). i’ll have to do the comps after understanding the changed rules well, consulting coach orser, and forming good programs. i think it’s important to increase the completeness of the elements as well as the jumps. 

Q: any thoughts about the music for next season? 

A: the music couldn’t be chosen yet. to be honest, i followed most of the choreographer teacher(david wilson)’s opinions so far. i think choosing a song your choreographer gives you will help match the choreo and the music better. but i might start voicing my thoughts a bit more this season, and choose the music accordingly. i haven’t chosen the genre yet but since it’s for comps, we’ll put some more thought into it. 

message from junhwan:

“hello, this is junhwan. so many people have cheered for me from the olympics last season to the ice show. thanks to your support, we could finish the season well. in the new season, i will come back healthier with more practice. thank you.”

as he went through the competition to win the ticket to the olympics along with his very first olympic stage, we were able to feel just how much junhwan grew and matured. like the message he sent to his fans, we hope he takes good care of his injuries and we look forward to his return in the new season. 

source : SBS news   original article: https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1004737832&plink=ORI&cooper=NAVER&plink=COPYPASTE&cooper=SBSNEWSEND  

translation thread also up on twitter, although it’s a lil bit messy: https://twitter.com/boyangsupremist/status/991198842757365760

#fstranslations #junhwan cha #junhwan #yuna kim #yuzuru hanyu #My translations #please don't repost without permission #my lazy ass finally did another translation bless #i'm never doing this again it takes too much time

[shoma-uno]

Interview with Shoma, Satoko, and Wakaba during the gala intermission, December 10th. Please do not repost this translation without permission.

(M: Matsuoka, N: Nobu, Sho: Shoma, Sa: Satoko, W: Wakaba)

M: The Grand Prix Final competitors are here at this special studio inside the stadium! Shoma Uno, Satoko Miyahara, and Wakaba Higuchi! Glad to have you all here. Congratulations. We would like to hear a lot from you regarding this competition. Please sit down. So, the silver medalist Shoma Uno, Satoko Miyahara who recovered from her injury, and first time GPF competitor Wakaba Higuchi. Pleased to be able to talk to you all.

All: Pleased to be here.

M: GPF in Japan, they all did so well.

N: They sure did. Because this is the Olympic season, I’m sure they felt more pressure than usual, but under those circumstances, they worked so hard.

M: Speaking of ‘hometown’, first, let’s get onto Shoma Uno. Let’s take a look at these pictures. Who is this person?

Sho: Haha, that’s Coach Machiko.

M: Coach Machiko.

N: He was so cute.

M: But he grew up, and as you can see in this footage, which was after the free skate at this competition, after his performance… He was walking and guess who was there? Coach Machiko. She hits him. She hits him and then she throws his arm down, and in the end, they shake hands. What is this supposed to mean?

Sho: In contrast to my practices, I wasn’t able to skate well, so she did those things, saying, “What are you doing??” But in the end, she told me, “You gave it your all.”

M: The butt hitting, was that something she always did?

Sho: Rather than hitting my butt, at a lot of those previous competitions, I was actually upset, so she would just hit me lightly when we returned from the competitions.

M: Getting that reaction from her for the first time in a few years, how did you feel?

Sho: Hmm, well personally, it didn't feel like it happened for the first time in forever or anything, it felt as if nothing had ever changed and as if this happens at every competition.

M: Ahh. Well this isn’t even the first time in a while, it’s the first time, period, that you competed in an international competition in your hometown. The cheers! I’m assuming it was your first time getting so many screams?

Sho: It was really comfortable for me to skate here because the cheers were so much warmer than I imagined.

M: Warm. What does that mean as an athlete?

Sho: Rather than just cheering like “WOOOO!!”, the cheers felt like everyone was looking over me protectively.

M: That’s really good. How did you feel, Miyahara, that it was held in Japan?

Sa: The fact that it was held in Japan, yes, but I came to this competition as a substitute, so everyone’s thoughts of “You can do this!!” turned into power for me.

M: That’s good. Wakaba, the support was strengthening for you too wasn’t it?

W: I was able to hear the supporting cheers a lot clearer than at any other competition I’ve been to, and at that time, I was very focused, but it did make me think, “I got this.”

M: It was powerful for you too. Something else that was astonishing for us was your 4S. I asked him to bring his special boots with him. Can we see them?

Sho: Yes.

M: Here they are.

Sho: The thing that can be clearly spotted is that the blade on the right boot is off the center, which is where it should be. The blade on the left is centered, but the one on the right is very shifted.

M: Oda, how do you perceive this?

N: Actually, I brought my own skating boots as well. Shuzo, would you like to compare them? The right boots.

M: They’re so different.

N: Mine is quite centered.

M: The thing is that his blade should be right here at the center, but it is over here. What do you think about it?

N: It’s so shifted, I would not be able to skate in those boots.

M: So it’s a Shoma Special.

Sho: I cannot skate at all if the blade isn’t positioned there, so I’m rather envious of the people who are able to skate with the blades in the center.

N: Is it because it’s easier to tilt your boot this way and put your weight on this side?

M: It’s not normal for people to even think about doing this, right?

N: It sure is not.

M: And this is how he’s soaring out to the world. And Miyahara, for me, it’s impressive that you were even able to make it back to the GPF so soon. You told us that the biggest weapon and power that you gained out of your injury was the fact that you became a lot brighter.

N: So cute.

M: From this heart sign to your smile, we can really see the effects of that change. Any thoughts?

Sa: To have fun when competing is one of my main aims of this season, so I make sure to keep that in mind each time.

M: Do you feel the change?

N: I do. I always call her Satton so I’ll use Satton now, but I’ve been watching Satton since she was little, and she’s always had a natural brightness to her as a person from the Kansai region. She’s always had it, but this season was where the brightness flourished, that is what it feels like.

M: The fact that you became brighter Satton, I’m sure that is something really powerful for you now.

Sa: That’s true. I am now able to step into my performances more and more boldly, and I’m sure that change was part of it.

N: Now Wakaba. Speaking of something having a big effect, let’s take a look at this. Yes, this. Everyone had their eyes on this part, here! Frankly, this move is something only you, Wakaba, can do.

M: That is for sure.

N: For sure. With what thought did you include this in your choreography?

W: My choreographer thought this was the most appropriate dance move for the music, so it’s a complete copy of that.

N: Even with that choreography, the fact that you are able to go so far with it with so much passion and expression...that is something amazing about Higuchi.

M: Shoma, would you be able to dance like that?

Sho: Nope.

M: How did you feel watching her perform?

Sho: I honestly cannot do performances like that. For me, being creative is really hard. I am good at conveying heavy emotions, but it’s really difficult for me to express joy in my skating, so I really look up to that aspect of her skating.

M: What about you Satoko?

Sa: Her power is well communicated in her skating, and it makes me think, “I wish I had that too.”

M and N: (Having a hard time forming words)

M: You two still have your exhibition performances left, but let’s move on to the Olympics. Nothing is decided yet, but what are your thoughts?

Sho: I would like to practice hard in order to fix everything I need to work on that I found at this competition as much as I can by Nationals.

M: And you, Satoko?

Sa: Even though the time is limited, I would like to prepare as much as I can in order to be able to give my best performances.

M: And Wakaba.

W: As she said, there’s very little time left, but with the things I will work on in the next few weeks, and with the experience I gained from this season, I would like to work hard in order to be able to skate with confidence in myself.

M: I hope that you will all be able to express your experiences in your skating. You two still have your exhibition performances left, we will look forward to that. Thank you all!

#fstranslation #shoma uno #satoko miyahara #wakaba higuchi #nobunari oda #gpf 2017 #competition #season: 2017 2018 #interview #translation #video

[yukirin1408]

Japan Open 2017: Interviews with Team Japan before the competition

Interviews with Shoma Uno, Mai Mihara, Marin Honda, and Nobunari Oda after practice the day before Japan Open 2017. Parentheses () indicate press notes in the article. Please do not use/repost my translations without my permission.

Shoma Uno: I can’t skate my current layout naturally

(On his condition) It’s no good. I couldn’t jump today. My condition isn’t bad, but today didn’t go well. The waves have been intense recently, and I didn’t have periods of time when my condition was good, so I have nothing to say, but for now I want to try my best tomorrow.

(On Lombardia Trophy) It went well only by luck, so I had absolutely no sense of accomplishment for working hard during practice. The fact that it went well even though I didn’t really practice is a surprise to me rather than an accomplishment.

(On 4S) It’s as a jump that I have the capability to jump. The success rate went up after I became self-aware of how to jump it and the fact that I could do it. I thought it was difficult to jump up until then, and that’s why I felt that I couldn’t jump it.

(On his attitude) It was good for the first competition. It’s not certain that you can do definitely do something because you practiced it, but it also isn’t the case that you can’t do something because you didn’t practice it. I don’t think I thought this way two years ago, but I think my results starting showing from the first competition last year. (If your practice goes badly, you don’t become uneasy for the real thing?) Uneasiness is uneasiness, and there are many ways it can influence me, but I have no choice but to do it, so I try my best. (You’ll be going with this program layout for a while?) Until I feel that I can skate this layout naturally, I intend to use it. I don’t like thinking about what I can’t do, so I tell myself “look at reality.”  I can’t skate my current layout naturally, so rather than attacking it, I want to do this layout well and stabilize it.

(On the perfection of the expression) My uneasiness hasn’t disappeared that much. I do feel that I still have a ways to go, but an image of what I want to do is slowly forming. However, jumps often take all my effort and my brain thoughts become muddled. Even so, I’m practicing [my expression] separately from jumps, so I’d like to be able to do that kind of performance when I put the jumps in.

(Doing this many jumps isn’t tough on your body?) Going through the program every day is tough. After going through my short and free twice in one day, my body won’t move the next day, and it’s no good after doing that three days in a row. (What part of skating do you think is fun despite such tough practices?) It’s not so much that practice is fun every day, but I’m doing it with no pain at all, and it’s fun when I show the results of my practice in competition.

Mai Mihara: This program’s image is “an angel”

(This season has begun.) I scored 199 points in my first international competition, and that’s higher than my score for my first competition last year, but I wasn’t able to perform in a way that I could be satisfied with, so I want to perform in a way that I can be satisfied with this time. (What did you think was lacking?) Everything. Especially my expression - when I rewatched my performance, the number one thing was that my steps were smaller than I thought they were, and I thought that I have to make them bigger. (How do you think you’ll correct it?) By treasuring each and every movement, making every movement seem big, and making my arms and legs seem long. For my facial expressions too, Saitama Super Arena is a really big arena, so I want to pour my heart into reaching the audience sitting at the top.

(How did your first competition go?) There were many bad points, but a good point is that I was able to finish without making any big mistakes. I found many points that need to be improved on, which is true for the expression side as well. I want to be able to earn positive GOE on every jump. I was able to watch Canada’s Kaetlyn’s timing on her jumps from nearby, and I thought that I really do still have a ways to go, so I want to approach [her level] as much as I can. (What can you do to approach [her level]?) I can’t make big changes and end up unable to do my jumps, so it’ll be a little bit at a time, but I’m thinking about increasing my success rates, and I’m practicing while prioritizing not making mistakes.

(On David Wilson, who was in charge of her choreography) He told me “express with your hands.” His explanations were really easy to understand. This program’s image is “an angel,” and I want to express from my heart so I seem like an angel. (How are you handling the fear of your second senior season?) I think fear becomes a source of confidence in myself. I felt fear recently in my first competition, so I want to be able to face [competitions] while thinking that there’s nothing to fear. (What was your fear last season?) I had none at all, and I just strongly felt really happy to be participating in competitions, so I think I’ll be fine if I skate this season without forgetting those feelings.

(What she grasped from her first competition) What made me the happiest was that the fans in Canada said that I seemed like a completely different person in the short and free. I aimed for my expressions to seem like they were from two different people, so I received those words happily. (Did you grasp the trick to doing 5 jumps in the second half?) I’ve always practiced while inserting a break in the middle when I can let out my breath. The second half starts at my 3F, so after the 3F, 2A+3T, and 3Lo, I have a little choreography, and there’s a part where I skate a long distance. I insert a break there and I think “it’s from here on.”

(Right now, how do you see Pyeongchang Olympics?) I went to Four Continents at the Olympic arena last season, and I strongly feel that I want to return to that stage, so I want to skate a performance I can be satisfied with at each competition, and I want to do my best at this competition too.

Marin Honda: I’m experiencing the fun of skating the most right now

(How was your senior debut?) I didn’t set any goals like winning just like I did in juniors, and I didn’t have any goals in terms of score or what kind of performance I wanted to do, so I was able to really have fun. (On the location of her debut) I went in a little early, but I watched thinking “everyone’s so amazing and so good” from practice… My coach told me “you’re competing with them, so you can’t lose in terms of emotion,” and I faced the competition while the realization that I became a senior was forming little by little, so I’m glad that I went early. This competition only has a free program, and it’s been a long time. If I had to pick, I always get more nervous for the short, but I don’t feel nervous at all now, so I can’t get nervous little by little while I practice.

(On the completion of her new short program) I went to have it made after my first competition finished. It’s a program that really brings out the strong points of my skating, so I’ll do my best. (On the announcement) I haven’t decided on when, but I’ll say on the day I feel is right. (Note: She later announced that it is “The Giving.”) (On the jump layout) I’ve been practicing the short while trying various changes, but the free won’t have any big changes. I want to think about various things while watching the condition of my practices.

(On 3Lz+3T) I’m doing it in practice. I used to always do a lutz+toe, and I’m doing it in practice after a while. I don’t know how it will show up in competitions, but I’m testing it in practice. (What does increasing the types of jumps mean for you?) I don’t have a particular goal for seniors, and I was getting bored of the same jump layout, so I thought I’d try it (laughs). (Did you purposefully not decide on a goal, or did it happen naturally?) Naturally. Even I don’t know what level I’ll reach if I perform cleanly. I won in juniors in my first year, so I do want to win no matter what competition it is and aim to place first, but that isn’t for seniors yet, so I decided that it would be good to decide on a goal from now on. I want to go through competitions without a goal and think about have fun.

(You felt that you’ll do better without establishing a goal?) Every competition I go to is like the ones I’ve watched on TV, and I don’t feel that I’m in any particularly big competitions this season, and I feel that I won’t know unless I try. I don’t feel like I’m being chased the way I was in my second junior year at all, so I’m having fun with how much I can keep up with everyone I’ve seen on TV and doing things while excited. I’m really experiencing the fun of skating the most right now.

(On the highlights of her newly made short program) I think programs with a sense of speed are good, and we’ve made a wonderful program that’s the same as what I imagined when I heard the song. Like the free, rather than creating special highlights, I want to go through the program as one whole. (A program that brings out the strengths of her skating is?) Things like skating with lengthy steps and increasing my speed and doing steps - I think programs without a perfect form are my specialty. I think programs that I can skate the way I picture them suit me the best, so I thought that I should skate to this song this season and changed to it.

Nobunari Oda: I’m challenging two quads

I think my condition is coming together well. At this season’s Japan Open, in addition to Uno and Javier Fernandez, Nathan Chen is coming. They’re jumping beautiful quad lutzes and flips even in practice. Part of me is overwhelmed from seeing the level up in mens skating from last season, but I'm also receiving motivation from young skaters and I want to do my best.

(What do you want people to take away from this competition?) I only had one quad at last season’s Japan Open, but I'm challenging two this time. I've only ever successfully jumped two quads once in an international competition, and I've never done it in front of fans in Japan, so I set that as my goal and practiced. Just like last season, [I’m skating to] Jeffrey Buttle’s choreography to a very popular song, so I want to show an outlook on the world. 

(You're not putting in a 4S?) I practiced while thinking I'd put it in, but I can't win against age in the end, and my body can't catch up to thinking about how many I'll put in (laughs). This time, I want to do my best to land two quad toes. (Next year?) I don't think I can participate anymore (laughs). (Your last official competition?) I'm 30 years old now too, and I'm thankful just to have been able to participate last season and this season. I want to bring out my ability just like last season and skate a good performance.

(Confidence in a personal best?) I'm putting in two quads, so my base value is higher than last season. Of course, if I skate without mistakes, I think I can surpass last year's TES, so I want to skate clean.

#shoma uno #mai mihara #marin honda #nobunari oda #fstranslation #THIS IS ALREADY LATE SO IT'S COMPLETELY UNEDITED FOR NOW BUT HERE

[seimeiyuzu]

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to experience Yuzuru Hanyu’s greatness

(source: http://www.insideskating.net/2017/08/21/features/dearly-beloved-we-are-gathered-here-to-experience-yuzuru-hanyus-greatness)

Yuzuru’s routine to Prince might not have been the best short program of the men’s event in terms of scores, but it was clearly the program of the day, of the Championships maybe, in terms of energy and response of the crowd. The noise was incredible during Yuzuru’s „Let’s Go Crazy” – and how could it not? This was the man most people in the audience came to see – including that lady in white jacket, speaking a soft, reverential English, traveling to Helsinki from a city near Mount Fuji; that lady that I accompanied to the arena before the men’s SP and, as a sign of friendship, she gave me a fridge magnet bearing Yuzuru’s face. She must have been upset that day – at the end of this particular segment of the men’s event, her favorite skater was sitting in 5th place – but she was clearly in awe two days later, when the Japanese performed a beauty of a long program, titled „Hope and Legacy”, broke the World record for the free skate (that he owned) and won the second World gold medal of his career.

(by Florentina Tone/Helsinki)

Under the Pooh-storm, on the afternoon of March 30 in Hartwall Arena, Yuzuru Hanyu looks disappointed. This wasn’t the start of Worlds that he’d envisioned. For this young man who keeps revolutionizing skating, perfection is the only option – and his short program in Helsinki wasn’t perfect.

Yet, it was a glorious, crazy routine, literally screaming enthusiasm and joy, one to definitely come back to when thinking about the defining moments of 2017 Worlds. One that showed Yuzuru Hanyu has turned into a brilliant performer.

Was it the guitar or the deafening roar of the audience?

At 16:53 on Thursday, the second day of Worlds, the big guns are at the door and, seconds after, on the ice. Yuzuru Hanyu will open group 6 of skaters, the final one – and, jacket on, he hardly manages to sit in line; he wants to move, to run away even from being presented to the audience. An acute sense of urgency accompanies him all throughout the 6-minute warm-up – he’s nervy, you can tell.

And then comes the ritual: shaking Brian Orser’s hand, patting Pooh on its yellow, fluffy head – his longtime companion needs to always be there, on the front row –, pushing his arms against the boards and heading for the center of the rink, for the so-appropriate “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

…to experience some goosebumps.

Feverish faces behind colourful, meaningful banners, behind Japanese flags, thousands of fans are in for act one of Yuzuru Hanyu’s presence at 2017 Worlds.

And so are we, in the media tribune. And since this is such an eye-catching routine, you can only have the time to write down, in a rush, one or two things, to later help you recompose the electric atmosphere of those 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

Yuzuru’s inviting arms into the program.

His nonchalance while going for the quad loop, the flight – a purple, sparkling spinning top in the air of Hartwall Arena, and then the easiness of the spread eagle.

The shoulders moving rhythmically to Prince’s music. The noise. The screaming voices.

The glitch on the quad Sal, and the attempted recovery, arms above his head.

A triple Axel like no other.

And the complete madness of the final minute. Yuzuru’s palms around his mouth, imitating a shout, comes as an invite for the fans – and so people in the arena start to shout, accompanying the step sequence, the spins and the guitar. Turning a program into a memory.

At the end of it, someone writes on twitter: “Forecast: Pooh-bears”.

But under the Pooh-bears, when the euphoria is over, Yuzuru Hanyu looks rather down. Making little steps to the boards – where Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson await and let him be – he knows he’d left some good points on the table. But he also knows he gave it all, performance wise. “I was just happy to skate today”, he’ll later say behind the curtains. “Maybe not all jumps were so great, but I so much enjoyed skating”.

Two days after, he’ll start from scratch, delivering maybe one of the most memorable performances of this year’s edition of the Worlds. A thing of beauty, we should call it. As for the tactics – how do you come back from the disappointment of a 5th place after the short? – he’ll say simply: in the practices preceding the free skate, “I wanted to push myself very hard, but Brian told me not to, and maybe it paid off at the end”. It sure did, since the result was remarkable: “I demonstrated everything I was capable of for the moment, my whole package so to say”.

Royal Yuzuru

At 14:05 on Saturday, the Japanese opens the final group once again. And what follows is joy for the senses – with Yuzuru skating as if he were a beautiful haze in the forest, a breeze between the leaves. And even if one doesn’t know the story of the program, he’ll still perceive the lightness of it, the softness, the continuum.

“To focus for today’s performance I imagined myself somewhere at the river, I thought about nature”.

A performance that draws you into it. So different from the Prince routine, and yet so easily addictive.

“My free program music is rather quiet, it’s not the type of music that makes people excited too much, but I could hear the audience cheer for me. Especially in the last part, after the spin to the end, I was able to hear how everyone applauded”.

The Ina Bauer and then the final jump, the Lutz. The burst of joy, excitement – he’s done it, a perfect program – and his face in the ending pose, saying it all.

And then the roar. The flying gifts. The utter frenzy.

The girl that cries, fists pressing against her cheeks. The one that keeps throwing little toys from a bag. The one that mumbles over and over again, a big smile on her face: “Arigato! Arigato!”

As if no one can believe they have seen what they’ve just seen.

And when the scores show up, and it’s a World record for the free skate, Yuzuru Hanyu plunges his arms in the air with the little power he has left, and he seems like he’s about to cry. History was made again, and signs are he’ll continue to challenge his own records. In the press conference later on, he’ll address the unaddressable: five rotation-jumps, the “yonkaiten Axel”. With a smile, of course: “Someone told me that, scientifically, five rotations in the air are possible, but ISU hasn’t set a score for that yet. For myself, I would like to try a quad Axel in the future. I’m not sure if I would ever perform it in a competition, but I would like to try it”.

Who’s trying to catch who?

In between the constant noise made by the cameras’ shutter buttons being pressed in the media center, you also hear Yuzuru praising his opponents. “There is no doubt that Boyang pushed us all, because he did the quad Lutz and a clean performance. So people realized that it is possible, we can do the quad Lutz – it’s humanly possible. So he is responsible for pulling us all up to the level where we are today”. And then, when asked about the Olympic season’s challenges: “I’m pretty sure everyone will try out all sorts of different kind of things”. But then again, “after the short program here, we all know that Jason Brown did quite well without a quad and he was able to put himself in a pretty good position. So that really proved us that quads are not everything in figure skating”.

And then there’s this, his modesty, feet on the ground, when asked how is it to be the one the others try to catch: “People say that other skaters are catching up with me, but you can see that in the short program I actually tried to catch up with them. Today, neither Javier, nor Patrick were able to perform perfectly and they didn’t come here, but after the short program, Javier was in first place and Patrick in the third place, and also the younger skaters like Shoma, Boyang, and Nathan, they are all talented and everyone has their own strenghts. I am actually trying to catch up with many of the strengths of the other skaters”. Sitting on his right, Shoma Uno smiles while listening to Yuzuru’s answer, and then shares his vision candidly: ”I have been practicing very hard, and my only motivation was to exceed Yuzuru’s skating. That was the only motivation. In the end, I feel I don’t have the complete package yet, so I just want to keep on growing, keep on practicing”.

Distinctive feature – a yellow teddy bear

…as if both Yuzuru Hanyu and Winnie-the-Pooh were going over the short program, seconds before the Japanese took the ice for the warm-up on March 30. The truth is the yellow teddy bear became Yuzuru’s ally – and almost his personal trademark. The fans know it, and act accordingly.

Among the final questions in Helsinki, one is about the Poohs – the immense quality of yellow bears Yuzuru received at Worlds, just like in any other competition he attends. He laughs, stops for a while to think, and answers with a smile: “I did not pick them up myself, but I feel happy that I got so many. The number of Poohs shows how many supporters I have”.

And they did colour the arena in yellow, Yuzuru’s fans.

No wonder, one of my last images from Helsinki consists in a pair of yellow teddy bears, pendants hanging from two ladies’ suitcases, in the airport, on Monday. A sign we shared the magic. And more than that, a symbol: the Championships might have ended a day before – but Yuzuru Hanyu’s story (and his fans’ commitment) surely goes on.   (x)

#yuzuru hanyu #wc2017 #helsinki 2017 #world champion 2017 #figurskate

[lostadult]

Figure Skating Jumps With Yuuri and Viktor

This blog started out as a Yuri!!! on Ice trash blog, but somewhere along the way, my love for figure skating was rekindled. My blog now doubles as a figure skating… trash blog, lol! Yeah, I have no life.

Anyway! Jumps - wonderful to watch, confusing af to recognize. If this is your usual sentiment, then you have come to the right place! Let Yuuri and Viktor show you the different jumps done by figure skaters, as well as tips on how to recognize them.

Jumps are actually fairly easy to recognize once you know what to look for. The first thing to look for is how skaters propel themselves off the ice. Was there a toe pick assist - meaning did the other foot’s toe pick help the skater push off the ice? Or was the skater propelled solely by their knees? The former is called a toe jump, because the toe pick was used to lift off the ice. The latter is called an edge jump, because the skater jumped off directly from an edge of their skating blade. This is most recognizable through a deeper bend in the knees, because without a toe pick assist, the strength of the jump comes solely from the knees.

HOLD UP… EDGES???

Right, so we also need to understand edges first. If you search for close ups of skating blades viewed from the back, you will find that there is something like a hollow on the bottom of the blade so that there are two edges. If you were to stand with your feet just slightly apart, the inside edges would be the edges in line with your inner thighs (and calves, whatever). Conversely, the outside edges would be the edges that are facing the outside world.

Now, the great thing is all jumps are landed at the back outside edge. Which foot depends on the skater. Yuuri and Viktor both seem to favor landing on their right foot. Most skaters have a preferred landing foot, but to help you visualize, a skater who prefers landing on his right foot, for example, would always land tilted slightly to the right, because he is landing on his right outside edge.

So if it is not the landing that differentiates the jumps, what does? Yep, you got it - the entry.

Now that we have the basics down, time for the fun part: the different kinds of jumps!

EDGE JUMPS

Loop: Entered at the back outside edge of the same foot. You land exactly where you started, hence the “loop”. Example of a loop is the first gif, which is a loop done by Yuuri. The knee bend is not very clear, but see how his right foot is tilted to the right and slightly back? Clear back outside edge, landed also on his right foot.

Salchow: Yuuri’s bane of a jump is entered at the back inside edge of the opposite foot. The fun thing about the Salchow is that apart from the usual clues (knee bend and tilt of the foot), the nature of the landing is such that the entry leg sweeps into a wide arch once the skater lands on the opposite leg. Example is the second gif, done by Yuuri. See how Yuuri bends his knees? That is an obvious edge jump. See how his left foot tilts slightly inwards (inside edge take-off) before jumping off? Another interesting thing about this gif is Yuuri’s entry on the Salchow – it looked like he jumped from both feet. Two-footed Salchows are right or wrong depending on who you ask, but the idea is that the skater should still be taking off from the correct foot and the correct edge when entering the Salchow.

Axel: Yuuri’s favorite is also a common favorite among fans because it is easily recognizable AND it is the jump type with the highest points. The Axel is the only jump entered facing forward. Because of this entry, however, to land on the back outside edge (where all jumps land), you have to make an extra half rotation. That means a triple Axel is actually an Axel with three-and-a-half rotations, and this is also why it is given the most points. Also because of this, a quad Axel is the only remaining possible quad jump that has not yet been landed. (Can you imagine having to do four-and-a-half rotations?) Example, of course, is our boy Yuuri nailing that triple Axel in the third gif.

TOE JUMPS

Toe Loop: Arguably the easiest jump, it is basically a loop with a toe pick assist. With the extra assist, it is usually the first quad landed by most male skaters, and in the show, this is the only quad Phichit can land. The fourth gif is a triple toe loop done by Viktor. See the way his left toe pick helps him off the ice? See how cleanly he takes off (slight outside tilt of his right foot) and lands on the same foot (same outside tilt)?

Flip: Viktor’s signature quad, the flip jump is entered by the back inside edge of the opposite foot. Enter on the inside edge of one foot, land at the outside edge of the other foot - hence, you flip. You can also think of it as a Salchow with a toe pick assist. The fifth gif is a triple flip done by Viktor. I chose his triple flip because the animation is clearer here. See how his right leg swings for that toe pick assist? His left entry foot is tilted slightly inwards to jump from his inside edge, and he then lands on his usual right landing foot (tilted slightly outwards to the back outside edge). (Bonus: The quad flip in particular is interesting to watch out for because for some reason, the skaters do a full turn before the jump, which is not as obviously done when skaters do a triple flip instead. It makes the quad version look dramatic, at least especially in the show when Yuuri and Viktor do it with that solemn look on their faces and all, but it’s also fun to watch when real-life figure skaters like Shoma Uno - who was the first to land the quad flip - also does that full turn before jumping. Somebody explain this to me, though. What physics is at work there? Idk.)

Lutz: Chris’ signature jump and my personal favorite is the Lutz, which is entered on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. The interesting thing about the Lutz is that because it is entered from the outside edge of the opposite foot, it is counter-rotated - that means the skater goes one direction then spins the opposite direction. It is a high difficulty jump and so gets the second highest base score after the Axel. The last gif shown here is a Lutz done together by Yuuri and Viktor, and I slowed the gif down a bit to better show the characteristics of the jump. Viktor actually gives the more consistently clear example of Lutzes in the show, but see how Yuuri enters the jump on the first few frames? That is typical Lutz entry, where the skater’s entry foot crosses over to the opposite side to give it that tilt it needs so they jump from the back outside edge. See how Viktor’s left foot is slightly tilted so you see underneath his skate? He is tilted slightly to the left, but he then jumps counter-clockwise, even if with that tilt, his natural spin would have been clockwise. He then lands on his right foot on the outside edge.

And there you have it! The six types of figure skating jumps. I hope that was helpful to those who are interested in learning to recognize these awesome jumps. The more figure skating fans, the merrier, I say!

(Any questions on these jumps? Leave me a message and talk skating to me. I would love to answer your questions! ♡)

#yuuri katsuki #viktor vikiforov #yuri on ice #yoi #figure skating #figure skating jumps #viktuuri #victuuri #gifs #yuri katsuki #victor nikiforov #lol wtf leave me to my hobbies #this took a ridiculously long time to write #i mean unexpectedly long time jfc #skating meta #yoi meta