[2022.03.18] Nikkan Sports - Yuzuru Hanyu's only seminar classmate reveals academic struggles

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

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Source: 
https://m.weibo.cn/status/4748371804294606

https://ameblo.jp/bluedragonaz/entry-12736045893.html
Alt translation: https://x.com/tsukihoshi14/status/1504908267310383104

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu's Only Seminar Classmate Reveals Academic Struggles

 

Yuzuru Hanyu, a historic skater who challenged for a third consecutive Olympic title at the Beijing Olympics—something not achieved in 94 years—has just one 'classmate.' What is the nature of their relationship, which resembles that of a parent and child due to their age difference? And how does this classmate view Hanyu?"

 

 

Spoiler

Yuzuru Hanyu's Seminar Classmate, Bannaka, 31 Years His Senior

 

It has been nearly a month since Yuzuru Hanyu (27, ANA) completed his third Olympic Games.

 

Although he missed out on a historic third consecutive title at the Beijing Olympics, he was the only skater to attempt the quadruple axel (4.5 rotation jump), which was the first to be recognized at an International Skating Union (ISU)-sanctioned competition. The letters '4A' have now been etched into Olympic history.

 

There is only one 'classmate' who witnessed his performance in Japan: Michinori Bannaka (58), who spent two years together with Hanyu in Professor Shoji Nishimura's seminar at Waseda University's School of Human Sciences (Distance Learning Program). There is a 31-year age gap between them, and it was a graduation research seminar with only two students.

 

'At the Beijing Olympics, despite facing a trouble during the short program (getting stuck in a hole on the ice), his flawless performance afterward captivated viewers. In the free skate, he attempted the quadruple axel for the first time in Olympic history. When it was officially recognized, I was overwhelmed with emotion,' Bannaka reflected on watching the event on television.

 

Bannaka is the president and CEO of Hi-Net, a group company of Aderans, a comprehensive hair-related company that manufactures and sells wigs and hair accessories.

 

Their 'encounter' took place in October 2018. An online seminar led by Professor Nishimura began with Hanyu, then 23, and Bannaka, 54.

 

'My children are 32, 30, and 25 years old, so they’re close in age to Hanyu. There’s a 30-year gap between us, but we are definitely classmates (laughs). Age doesn’t matter when it comes to mutual respect. There’s a lot to learn from the younger generation.'

 

Hanyu enrolled in 2013, while Bannaka entered in April 2015. There were several reasons why these two, despite being two years apart, became classmates.

 

Firstly, Hanyu had moved his base from Sendai to Toronto, Canada, and was simply very busy. After entering university, he achieved back-to-back Olympic titles and was constantly on the go for international competitions and daily practices, leaving him with limited time to focus on his studies.

 

Graduating in four years like a full-time student was challenging. According to Professor Nishimura, 'Many are working adults, so it typically takes an average of six to seven years to graduate.' Within that timeframe, Hanyu took on-demand classes as much as possible and submitted reports between competitions, advancing to his graduation research in his sixth year.

 

On the other hand, Bannaka started in his fourth year. Thanks to a connection with his boss, Yoshihiro Tsumura, the group CEO of Aderans and a graduate of Professor Nishimura’s seminar, he had the opportunity to speak with the professor shortly after passing the entrance exam.

 

'Hanyu-kun is working really hard.'

 

Every time he heard that, Bannaka thought, 'I want to try my best to catch up,' and he began to aspire to stand alongside Hanyu at the starting line of the seminar. At that time, he served as the head of the sales planning department and the human resources executive at the head office. No matter how tired he was while working at his company, he kept pushing himself to get credits one after another, telling himself, "If I sleep now, I won't be able to catch up." By the end of the 2017 academic year, he had completed the necessary number of credits.

 

Then came the time to choose a seminar. Professor Nishimura was one of the founders of Waseda University's e-School and was highly popular. So why did he end up with only two students??

 

On February 14, 2018, the professor suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This occurred during the period of the PyeongChang Olympics, where Hanyu achieved a historic back-to-back victory for the first time in 66 years. The seminar, which was supposed to start in April, had to be postponed. Both Hanyu and Bannaka decided to wait for the professor to recover, so they did not change their advisor and continued to wait until October.

 

Bannaka waited because he had enrolled in the e-school wanting to study under Professor Nishimura. Hanyu also trusted Professor Nishimura as he was the one who helped him with everything from his online entrance interview to other consultations in school.

 

Fortunately, Professor Nishimura's recovery went well and he returned in October 2018. The seminar was held once a week. The first year focused on specialized topics, while the second year was dedicated to graduation research. Hanyu chose a topic that involved analyzing figure skating movements using dynamic capture technology with sensors, and he began his research under the guidance of Professor Nishimura, an expert in this field.

 

Bannaka recalled the hectic balance between work and studies, saying, 'I became really busy. After working late nights, on Sundays I had to write reports and prepare for each week’s seminar, spending at least several hours each week. I thought, "This is too tough, too demanding; maybe I should just give up." But Hanyu-kun submitted his reports on time every week. Besides competitions, he also had daily training. Compared to him, how could I call myself busy? I found that quite motivating.'

 

In the second year of the seminar, Hanyu returned to Sendai from Canada due to the pandemic. During the period from March to July 2020, the pace of his research accelerated, and he completed his graduation thesis. Bannaka revealed a glimpse of it.

 

'While each week we deepened our individual themes, regarding Hanyu, Professor Nishimura provided guidance like, "The use of motion capture technology is excellent. Your analysis is also great. Now let’s try using more new tools."'

 

'Hanyu’s reports were also very modest in writing style. He had a low profile and a thirst for knowledge. I remember he would straightforwardly seek advice whenever he didn't understand something. The same goes for his analyses; if something wasn't clearly articulated, it wouldn’t work.'

 

'I happened to finish my thesis relatively early. Although the content was completely different, after reading it, Hanyu said to me, "The methods of writing on specialized paper and summarizing—I referenced Mr. Bannaka’s thesis."'

 

Hanyu not only analyzed jumps but also proposed that AI should be introduced into the scoring of figure skating. His thesis was 75 pages long, about 30,000 words, and received high praise from Professor Nishimura, who said it 'exceeded the scope of a graduation thesis.'

 

As one of the few readers of this unpublished full version of Hanyu’s thesis, Bannaka was also amazed: 'To be honest, just reading it is quite challenging (laughs). It’s so dense. He analyzed the speed and angles himself, quantified the data, and sought precedents related to those data. He aimed to reveal objective facts rather than subjective impressions. From new training methods to fair scoring, he meticulously organized and summarized everything with an eye toward the future.'

 

Bannaka recalled a past incident when Hanyu challenged the quadruple axel with an ankle injury at the Beijing Olympics: 'During the first year of the seminar (2018), he also competed in Russia with a right ankle injury sustained during training. Not only that, but the following week, he submitted his report on time. I think that’s truly impressive.'

 

 

I want to be a comrade in the support for reconstruction

 

Bannaka's company is also engaged in various reconstruction support efforts, and he believes that their CSR (corporate social responsibility) aligns with the actions of figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who continues to visit and donate to those affected by disasters.

 

Therefore, he expresses a desire to be able to join hands one day and continue to stand alongside Hanyu in supporting the disaster-stricken areas.

 

"I want to continue being a supportive classmate ," Bannaka said.

 

The article concludes with a wish for Hanyu’s continued progress in skating.

 

"I look forward to watching Hanyu's skating in the future," says Bannaka.