[2008.10.01] Japanese Men's Figure Skating Fan Book Cutting Edge 2009

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/日本男子フィギュアスケートFan-Book-Cutting-Edge-2009/dp/478996177X/

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4595111298865429

 

Yuzuru Hanyu - Interviewed at Sendai Ice Rink in mid-August 2008

 

In men's figure skating, athletes tend to develop more slowly compared to women's singles. Even Takahiko Kozuka took six years to reach the podium at the Japan Junior Championships, and Nobunari Oda once failed to make it past the short program at that same event.

 

Even so, what about Yuzuru Hanyu? In just his second year after moving up early from the novice ranks, he placed third at the Japan Junior Championships. In the free skate alone, he actually outscored his senior rivals to take first place! That summer, he even landed a triple Axel (3A), showing a shockingly early level of maturity.

 

Spoiler

"Yes, that was the first time I landed a 3A! But it was only once, during the national training camp at Chukyo. After returning to Sendai, I haven’t been able to land it even once. But back then... the landing was especially beautiful! It didn’t even feel like I’d done three full rotations, and it made me wonder, 'Huh? Was that just a double Axel?' It was so clean it gave me that kind of illusion.

 

How did I manage to land it at that time…? I think it was because I kept watching the top skaters practicing, so I had a clear image of how a good jump should be. Also, since people from the skating federation were watching, maybe I just got really fired up.

 

But to be honest, I was really anxious at this year’s national and junior training camps. I was especially worried about whether I’d get to participate in the Junior Grand Prix… because I heard only five male skaters could go this year. Daisuke Murakami, Tatsuki Machida, Akio Sasaki, Yukihiro Yoshida, and then there’s just one spot left! I was really nervous about whether I’d be that last one. So I tried to show what I could do in front of the federation at the junior training camp.

 

I was quietly hoping that if I pushed myself a bit more, maybe I’d land some new jumps—maybe even the 3A. My motivation just kept rising, but when it came time for the performance at the junior training camp, I couldn’t really show my full ability. That was a bit disappointing.

 

But then came the senior training camp (which top junior skaters are allowed to join), and I got to skate alongside all the top senior skaters! I was so excited! Daisuke Takahashi, Mao Asada… especially after watching Mao’s 3A, I realized, 'Wait, maybe you don’t need to force it so much?' With that in mind, I relaxed a little and just went for it, and I completed the rotation and landed on one foot. I was like, 'Ah! Oh my god! I did it! I really landed it!' That was the feeling (laughs).

 

The senior skaters also told me, 'You landed the 3A. Nice job!' They all talked to me normally, and the practice went really smoothly. I already knew Daisuke and the others from ice shows, but I had never spoken with Mai [Asada] or Aki [Sawada] before, so I was a bit worried, like, 'Will I get along with them?' But then they came up and asked me things like, 'Yuzuru-kun, when did you start skating?' and the conversation just flowed naturally!

 

Also, Daisuke Murakami, who’s in the junior division like me. We shared a room this time and got really close. He can already land quads. That’s amazing! I want to be like him soon, too. I hadn’t talked to him before either, but this time he told me about Johnny Weir and Adam Rippon. I really admire being able to train with skaters like that!"

 

Landing the 3A for the first time, joining the senior training camp for the first time—Yuzuru Hanyu, whom we saw this summer, had eyes that sparkled brightly as he spoke tirelessly to us about figure skating. In the fall, his first-ever Grand Prix awaited him, and it already seemed as though his mind had leapt ahead to that stage. But before that, we wanted to ask him to look back just a little on the past season, which had been truly memorable as he had placed third at the Japan Junior Championships. After all, having a skater from the novice division stand on the podium at Junior Nationals was a first in the history of Japanese men’s figure skating.

 

"The happiest moment last year… was definitely being able to give a performance at Junior Nationals that I had never even managed in practice! I still don’t really understand how it happened. Before I knew it, I was standing on the podium. I remember thinking, “Huh? Why am I even here?” (laughs). I never expected to place third at all…

 

Actually, the day before, there was a broadcast saying something like, “Yuzuru Hanyu is only in seventh after the short program, an underwhelming result.” But I thought seventh was already great! Still, hearing that made me think, “Alright, I’ll really try my best in the free skate.” I had included all five types of triple jumps up through the Lutz, so I knew from the start that a clean skate would be tough. I figured I’d just go for it with everything I had… and in the end, aside from popping one 3S into a 1S, I was pretty much clean!

 

I was so happy about that Junior Nationals, and because of it, I even got the chance to appear in an ice show! Whether it’s competitions or shows, I really love getting to perform in front of a big audience. If I’m sitting in the stands, I always find myself thinking, “I wish I could be out there skating too.” When I’m in the audience, it’s like, “Huh? My body’s moving on its own!” Especially at this year’s DOI, I saw my favorite skater, Johnny Weir, perform live for the first time!"

 

It wasn’t simply just happiness, he also calmly reflected on each part of the season. Is he aware that his performances surprised the figure skating community and fans alike, and that he suddenly became a rising star? Or has the challenge of finally stepping onto the junior world stage already completely occupied his mind?

 

"A while ago, when I went to York Town (a shopping mall) in Sendai, a stranger spoke to me (laughs). They said, “Keep it up!” But at that time, I was wearing the Japanese team uniform, which was gold with a big “JAPAN” written on the back, so that’s probably why I was recognized right away (laughs).

 

About last year’s various good results, I deliberately try not to think about them this year. Competing in the junior group as a novice and putting in effort there was part of my novice days, and those days are now over. Now that I have truly become a junior-level skater, I have to skate like a junior-level skater should… For jumps and spins, too, I was able to do well because I was still in the novice group, but as a junior, I need to raise my level even more. This year, I’m planning to start fresh and give it my all.

 

I’m able to compete in the second stage of the Junior Grand Prix in Italy. This will be my sixth time participating in an international competition. I’ll be competing against Russia’s Gachinski there! I first saw Gachinski’s performance online last year. Even though he’s just one year older than me, he can already land a triple Axel. I thought that was amazing. At the time, I wondered, “Will I be able to reach that level next year?” and “If I want to compete in the Grand Prix, I definitely need to land the triple Axel.” He became my goal. Seeing Gachinski last year is what motivated me to start practicing the triple Axel. So first, I want to battle it out with Gachinski in Italy, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how far I can go in international junior competitions.

 

As for other things... it’s still the Junior Nationals! Although I placed third last year, I couldn’t compete in the senior division because I was still a novice. So this year, I’m determined to place within the top three and qualify for the senior nationals. It was disappointing not to compete last year, but honestly, I probably wasn’t ready to compete against seniors yet. I know there’s a gap between me and the juniors, and the seniors are even further beyond.

 

To compete in the senior division, I first need to perform like a proper junior skater! Recently, I’ve finally been able to skate well, but I want to glide more quietly, and even when I’m tired, I want to maintain smooth skating. When I get tired, I always tend to shift my weight onto my toes, and then I can’t skate well. If I can’t skate well, I get tired even faster. I still don’t have enough stamina…

 

I watch the older guys at nationals, and their jumps are different from mine. They jump perfectly timed, which really doesn’t take much effort. But when I get tired, I can’t time my jumps well. When I get nervous at competitions, even if I still have energy early on, I tend to use too much force and can’t jump well… I think I need to practice a lot more."

 

Surprised, inspired, and then imitating. Maybe because he couldn’t compete last year, Yuzuru Hanyu is already eagerly looking forward to battling the “senior guys” as soon as possible. Looking up at the opponents waiting ahead, he shows no sign of doubt or hesitation. What awaits him at the Japan Nationals is the strongest men’s team in Japanese history.

 

"Yes, the Japanese skaters nowadays are really strong. One of my favorites is Kozuka! His skating is unbelievably quiet—there’s literally no sound. Every step is just smooth gliding, and I think that’s amazing. In terms of programs, I especially love Dai’s “Swan Lake”! I worked really hard to imitate it, especially the straight-line footwork. I think I’ve got about half of it down now. When I practiced alone in the rink, I spent a long time working to the music that was playing.

 

Honestly, having such talented skaters and strong role models nearby is a great thing. I have to keep pushing myself to get to their level! It’s not just the older skaters, my peers like Ryuju Hino and Keiji Tanaka are also big inspirations for me. About a year ago, during a junior training camp, I saw Ryuju repeatedly landing triple jumps while I still couldn’t manage triples. He was already doing a 3S, and I thought, “That’s amazing…” Watching him made me determined to land the jump myself. When you see someone talented like that, it really pushes you to improve.

 

The first time I landed a triple toe loop was at the Asian Junior Championships in Hong Kong. Ryuju, Satoshi Nakamura, and I were sent there, but only two of us could compete in the free skate. I already knew I’d probably be cut. Ryuju could jump two kinds of triples, Satoshi could jump a 3Lo, but only I couldn’t jump triples… That was obviously not good. Sure enough, I failed the 3S I couldn’t do, and I also fell on the 2A because I over-rotated… That competition is still my most frustrating one. But at that moment, I thought, “Whatever happens, I’m going to land that last 3T!” And then, surprisingly, I landed the 3T that I hadn’t landed even once in practice. That was my first successful triple toe loop. I think it was the motivation I got from watching Ryuju and the others that helped me land it."

 

I asked him, “Are you competitive?” and he answered loudly, “Yes!” Now, it all comes down to this year’s World Junior Championships. Besides Yuzuru Hanyu, there’s also Akio Sasaki, Tatsuki Machida, Daisuke Murakami, Yukihiro Yoshida… but only one of them will be able to compete. It’s not like the Grand Prix where five skaters can participate, so this is a tough hurdle to clear. For someone as competitive as him, isn’t that a huge motivation to push even harder?

 

"Yes, absolutely! But rather than just aiming for the World Junior Championships, I want to focus on doing my best at the Japan Junior Championships and giving my all where I can. If I don’t make it, then that’s just how it goes. Of course, I do want to compete at Worlds, but first, I need to give it my full effort here.

 

I don’t hate practice as much as I used to. When I was younger, I loved competitions but really disliked practice. But now, I’m starting to enjoy practicing more and more. In fourth grade, I won the novice national championship. Back then, I practiced before school and right after school—my practice hours weren’t less than anyone else’s. But that year, our rink closed down… so I had to practice at other rinks like Katsuyama or Kosei Nenkin. When I was novice champ, I used to practice five or six hours a day, but after the rink closed, I could only skate for an hour or two at most. That’s when I first realized how boring it is not to be able to practice. I felt like I couldn’t start the day without skating. Even if I went out to play, if I didn’t skate all day, I’d get restless. Even just 30 minutes of skating helped me calm down. So when the rink finally decided to reopen, I was so happy!

 

Last year, at my fourth time competing at the novice nationals, I won again after three years. That’s largely thanks to all the practice I got at this rink. I’ve even managed to land the triple Lutz… Practice really is so important.

 

Ah, what should I write on this autograph board? What should I write… how should I write it… I’m so nervous… Okay, “Work Hard”! Work hard for what? Right now, it’s only figure skating. I won’t mention last year’s third place at junior nationals. I just want to do my best to show my full ability at every competition.

 

After that… my big goal is the Olympic gold medal, but I won’t be able to compete at the Vancouver Olympics. So I’ll just leave my hopes for the 2014 Sochi Olympics when I’ll be 19… I want to raise the level of my performance then compete at Sochi. Until then… it’s all about working hard!

 

By that time… the two skaters I admire most—Johnny Weir and Evgeni Plushenko—I want to be a skater who’s like a mix of the two. Plushenko never makes mistakes, has a high jump success rate, and knows how to perform well for the audience. And Johnny Weir has smooth, flowing skating and flexible, expressive performances. I want to be a skater who has all of those strengths someday!"

 

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Program Highlights

[Short Program: "Bolero"]

The highlight is the circular step sequence at the end. That’s where the music speeds up dramatically, so please enjoy how I skate in sync with the fast tempo!

 

[Free Skate: "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini"]

The music slows down in the middle, and I want to express myself in that section. In the past, my programs often had a slow middle part that built back up toward the end, but this time I wanted to change things up. Coach Nanami created a program that stays slow from the middle all the way to the end.

(It’s beautiful music, but isn’t it hard to keep the audience engaged without a dramatic climax?)

Well, but I want to express the music’s nuances through my body and turn it into a program that moves people emotionally.

 

Current Hobby
Listening to music. I mostly listen to J-POP. My favorites are... Yuzu, Porno Graffitti, and BUMP OF CHICKEN.
Can I list all the ones I like? It might be a long list!
I also like Janne Da Arc, Acid Black Cherry, and Aqua Timez!