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*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*   Info: https://x.com/7Yu_Ya4/status/839082796077309952 Source: Kodama 53, 2007 pg. 111-113 (Edited by the Sendai City Junior High School Education Research Association, Japanese Language Division)     A New Step Forward (Nanakita - Yuzuru Hanyu)   “I've finally arrived.” Every year, my summer vacation begins with those words.   This year, as soon as summer break started on July 24th, I took part in the All-Japan Promising Newcomer Discovery Camp. In this camp, figure skaters from all over Japan gather every year to determine the seeded skaters for the All-Japan Championships. It’s held in a place called Nobeyama in Nagano Prefecture. It takes about ten hours to get there by car. So every year, almost without thinking, I end up saying, “I've finally arrived.” And again this year, many things happened during the four days of the camp.   On the first day of the camp, I checked in and headed to my assigned room. When I opened the door, my rivals who had arrived earlier were already getting ready.   “You’re late! Hurry up and get ready so we can go!”   I quickly went in and got ready too. Then we all headed to the opening ceremony. At the ceremony, they explained the schedule and the camp rules. It ended earlier than expected, and next was on-ice practice. Seeing everyone skate again for the first time in a while, I noticed they had all gotten better. As I practiced, I thought, “There’s no way I’m going to lose to them.”   Next was the physical testing. There were two rounds. In the first round, endurance was measured with a five-minute run, and explosive power was measured with a 50-meter dash. I’d never come in first in either event before, so I wanted to do my best. The 50-meter dash started. I was the very last to go. But soon my turn came, and I took off running. My start went well, and I clocked in at 7.85 seconds. It was a decent result. Then came the five-minute run. I was full of nerves and anxiety as I waited to start. But then, my dad, who was watching me, cheered: “Yuzu, do your best!”   With those words, all my nerves and anxiety vanished. In its place, a strong determination welled up inside me: “I’m going to do it!” Running with that mindset, before I knew it, there was only one minute left. When the count reached “30 seconds left,” my body suddenly felt light, and I was able to run hard all the way to the end. Those five minutes flew by. When I realized it, I was so tired I felt like I might collapse. My record was 1,260 meters, placing second. I was disappointed not to get first, but I felt I had achieved a result I could be proud of.   On the third day of the camp, we had the elements performance and the free skate. In the elements performance, we do required jumps, steps, and spins, and are evaluated by the judges on how high the jumps are, how precise the steps are, and how beautiful the spins are. The free skate is like a real competition. We perform to music just like in a regular event, executing the required elements in time with the music. These two components are so important that they practically determine the seeds. So on this day, everyone becomes quiet. That’s how tense we are. We all wish time would stop, but it keeps moving forward. One hour before the elements performance, we left the room. When I arrived at the rink, I usually get more nervous, but this time was different. Rather than nervousness, I felt confident because I had practiced harder than usual.   Then came the real thing. My coach said, “Just do it like you always do,” which fired me up even more. The jump was a success. Even I thought it looked good. My final spin wobbled a bit, but overall, it went okay. Next was the free skate. This was the real test. I was skating to a new piece of music for the first time. Somehow, my turn came up faster than it did for the elements performance. The free skate lasts three minutes and thirty seconds. Just running for that long is tough, but with jumps and spins, it gets even harder. And there was one more difficult factor in Nobeyama: the oxygen level. Because Nobeyama is at a high altitude, there’s less oxygen. Even under those harsh conditions, I have to perform. But thinking that everyone is enduring the same thing gave me strength. I took my starting position. The music began. I failed the first jump, which was one of the required elements. But the other required jump was very clean. The other jumps were tough in the second half, but I managed to get through them. It was a performance I was really satisfied with, so I was very happy. When I got back to my coach after the music ended, he praised me a lot, and he looked really happy. I still have stamina to work on, but I was so happy I couldn’t even put it into words.   Then on the fourth day, the Japan Skating Federation announced the seeded skaters.   “Yuzuru Hanyu.” I was the first to be called. I was so happy. There was also a training camp for the top skaters in the next level up, and I was invited to join that as well. That made me even happier. On the ice at this training camp, I took a new step forward.      

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*   Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1098594416849926&id=697030440339661 (originally from  http://www.shiogama3-jh.shiogama.ed.jp/tayori_2016_01.pdf)      Principal Hidetoshi Hanyu’s Address at the School Entrance Ceremony    *(Hidetoshi is father of Yuzuru Hanyu. Selected passages translated for their beauty and meaning)    

*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*   Source: https://asamizu.web.fc2.com/17tayori/2013/19.pdf Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20231104192015/https://asamizu.web.fc2.com/17tayori/2013/19.pdf   News from the Asamizu Community Center: Thank You for Your Support of "Yuzuru Hanyu's Hometown Support"   Issue No. 19, 2013 Published: January 29, 2014 Publisher: Center Director