* machine translation, inaccuracies may exist
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20190319151315if_/https://plus.google.com/114558360894796933551/posts/9v7ELdsiNKR
https://weibo.com/6177279020/MoqQafgDM
https://weibo.com/6177279020/4839656632616317
NHK Trophy 2012 - Yuzuru Hanyu Interview the Day After the Competition
After the NHK Trophy
-Your current feelings.
Well... I'm sleep-deprived. (laughs) No matter what I say, I realized that I was really nervous. I had this image of ending both the short and free programs with a smile on my face, and I was able to achieve that goal, but when it was over and I went back to my room alone to try and sleep, I had a really bad stomach ache. (laughs) I was so excited that I woke up. There were a lot of things like that. I said "I was nervous no matter what" but it was the audience that helped me to control that nervousness, or rather, gave me a strong push, and I felt that the power I received from my hometown people was immeasurable.
-On the Level 3 judgment for the step sequence.
Step sequences are judged very strictly, so I guess it can't be helped, and I want to improve on that even more. After all, the difference between Level 4 and Level 3 affects the GOE, so that's a big point. I think it's something I need to work on in order to raise my scores even more.
- I understand you don't have a cell phone.
I don’t have one. I… did say I wanted one, but, well, because of family circumstances. (Laughs.) I was told, ‘For now, just focus on skating.’”
-Is it inconvenient when you need to contact friends?
I don't really "contact" them... (laughs) It’s not that I don’t have many friends, but I think there are a lot of things that could end up keeping me from concentrating fully on skating. After all, skating is the most important thing to me right now, so I want to make sure I can really focus on it. I suppose it’s a family policy, or rather, a policy I’ve set for myself.”
-Have you never owned a cell phone?
That's right... I said a few times that I wanted one, but I’d been told since long ago that I had to concentrate on skating. I’m the type of person who is easily swayed by others, so I think that (not having a cellphone) is kind of my own way of ‘increasing my ability to concentrate on skating.’
-Regarding the season so far.
I'm glad I moved to Canada. When I say "I'm so glad," I don't just say it for show; I truly mean it from the bottom of my heart. Going abroad required a tremendous amount of courage. But this was a path that everyone had agonized over and decided on together, so… I had to trust everyone, and I thought to myself that this wasn’t the time for me to be complaining or whining. I've competed in the Finlandia Trophy and Skate America, and even though communication with Coach Orser was difficult, there were competitions where I was able to achieve good results, and there were also competitions where the communication barrier hindered us. After gaining all those experiences, at the NHK Trophy I was finally able to deliver a performance that we were both happy with, a performance that we achieved as a team, so I feel very fulfilled right now, and I think moving to Canada this season wasn't a waste.
-What do you do when you can't get your point across?
When I can’t get my point across… I just rely on sheer willpower. (Laughs.) I only use things like ‘Like,’ ‘So,’ and ‘You know.’ (Laughs.) Anyway, even in Japanese, we sometimes say things in a roundabout way, right? I put all of those together in my head and try to find the simplest words possible, (draws a big semicircle with his left finger) and say it in a roundabout way. Basically, I'm trying to communicate in English. I'm making that effort.
-You spoke in English at the press conference too, didn't you?
“It was very simple English, though. (At the press conference for the short program, he said, ‘I was so happy with all jumps, I felt so good with everything.’) English is still an area I need to work on, and I feel it’s something I really need to put effort into and improve.
-What I sought from training in Canada.
First of all, it was the quadruple jump. Javier (Fernandez) is there, too. Coach Orser is coaching Javier. So, the image of Javier Fernandez as a skater was very significant for me. After all, he was consistently including two types of quadruple jumps. He made a mistake this time, but even so, during practice, he would just jump one out of nowhere without even warming up. I also wanted to be properly stimulated in the same training environment.
-In what ways have you grown in Canada?
I think my skating is completely different. My concept of skating has completely changed, and the image, or rather my "awareness," of "let's practice skating" or "let's be faithful to the basics" has also changed quite a bit, so I think that was a big step forward.
-Looking ahead to the GPF (on qualifying for the Final for the second time).
First of all, my honest feeling is that I'm "very happy." No matter how many times I make it to the Final, I don't think that feeling will fade. It's really difficult to be among the "six," and to perform well among them is also really difficult, but I think that only by being able to perform there can I really grow, so I want to do some training this week to build my mental confidence so that I can perform well on such a big stage.
-You'll be celebrating your birthday in Sochi.
My birthday is on the day of the short program.” (He lightly shakes the microphone he was holding in his left hand.) “Yay~!” (laughs)
I hope I’ll have a good birthday. For now, rather than thinking about surpassing 95 points or anything like that, I first want to make sure I can keep delivering those ‘lucky’ performances” (laughs).
-Towards the Sochi Olympics.
It still feels a long way off, so it doesn’t really feel real to me yet. But I really do want to compete in the Sochi Olympics. There are things I’ve been working on since this season in preparation for it, so I want to make sure I fully develop those things and and carry that momentum into next season.
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yuzurujenn ·
