Quotes and translations of various media outlets - season 2016/2017

[meoima]

I will gradually move here the quotes and translations that I have saved on FSuniverse as backup.

 

Below is a translation by Gladi. Thanks Gladi for the translation:

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Elle Japan conducted an interview about Yuzuru with British ESP's commentators (Simon Reed and Chris Howarth). Translated by gladiolusc

 

1/20

Caption: 2016 GPF EX. Elegant~

 

Title: “Elegant and a very strong competitor"

Q: What’s the best point about Yuzu?

Simon: Hm. He’s really elegant, really strong. He’s also a great competitor, always looks like he’s enjoying the competition. Tries his best even under the stiffest circumstances.

 

2/20

Caption: 2014 Sochi podium. Sleeves too long (cute)

 

Title: “First skater to get 300+ score"

Chris: Exactly as Simon says. It’s clear if you look at his past results, but he’s the first person to go for a quad loop in competition, and the first Japanese male skater to get the Olympic gold. And now he wins GPF for the 4th consecutive time. And he was the first skater to ever score 300+… All that really speaks to his character.

 

3/20

 

Title: “No doubt the strongest skater right now"

Chris: He’s no doubt the strongest skater right now. And, as Simon said, he performs and delivers under extreme pressure. It’s indescribable how much pressure it is to show up at the ice rink with so many spectators watching. Although even if there is no pressure, it’s still hard...

 

4/20

 

Title: “That’s Yuzu!"

Chris: He made a great landing with the quad loop at GPF. Although he almost seemed like his nose was going to touch the ground, he somehow managed to hold his body back up to survive the landing. That’s Yuzuru for you! It’s always so exciting / nerve-wrecking (in a good way, adrenaline-y?) to watch his performance. He has such charisma in him, it’s always a pleasure.

 

5/20

Title: “Dignified even after a fail"

Q: What’s a skill that only Yuzu has?

Simon: Nobody beats his elegance on the ice. He is dignified and stately. But he also isn’t perfect, as you can also see from this year’s GP. Then again, even when he fails, it’s as if nothing happened. Even after he fails, he continues in a majestic manner. You can really feel his confidence.

 

6/20

Title: It’s like magic!

Chris: Yes. There’s no one else that has all his qualities. The ability to draw spectators in, his exquisite technical ability, and as Simon said, that elegance. Of course, he doesn’t always display all these qualities at the same time. But when he does, it’s like magic!

 

7/20

Title: Yuzu pushes the technical limits

Chris: And, I just have to say this. Yuzu challenges himself to his technical limits and pulls the other skaters along. We might be seeing more failures from skaters hereon in the coming years, but that’s because they are now challenging harder jumps than ever. And that’s because Yuzu is always challenging himself. That’s awesome!

 

8/20

Title: Prince Program. Love that!

Q: What’s your favorite program by Yuzu?

Simon: Hmmmm, I can’t decide on one, I have two. One’s the Prince Program that Jeff Buttle choreographed for his SP this year. Loved that.

 

9/20

Simon (cont): But, to me, I really felt his charisma during 2014 CoC. He collided with Yan Han and was really injured.

 

10/20

Simon (cont): Despite falling five times, he won the silver medal. It’s a wonder that he didn’t stop mid-performance. He could seem so weak then, but really he was tremendously resilient. Such a fantastic combination!

 

11/20

Title: He challenges his weaknesses every single year

Chris: It’s a hard question for me… Well, I also enjoyed the SP (it was a great program) this year immensely. Yuzu keeps challenging his weaknesses every single year, and that’s what’s so great about him. This year’s program was particularly challenging for him, so it left a great impression on me.

 

12/20

Title: Delicate but strong

Q: Beside his technical skills, what do you like about Yuzu?

Simon: Although he’s delicate, he’s a really strong figure skater. The combination.

 

13/20

Title: The fact that he still went to Canada (to train with Brian) after having been through so much is great

Simon: His resilience, which he showed in the CoC incident. But also, after the 2011 earthquake, when he was unable to practice in Sendai and went to Yokohoma until the rink in Sendai reopened. The amazing courage that took him to Canada. (Of course Brian Orser is a great coach) But he really completely changed his life.

 

14/20

Title: Yuzu is a success case

Simon: Well many skaters go abroad, but amongst them, Yuzu is a great example. It was a necessary step at the time for him to advance to the next level, and he made it.

 

15/20

Caption: Russian fairy Evgenia full of smiles in front of Yuzu. She gave Yuzu a (Elle says electric facial ) tumbler for his birthday.

Title: Yuzu is really popular with the girls

Simon: Although Yuzu says he doesn’t have a lot of Japanese friends, his friends say he’s the most popular among Japanese girls. Kei Nishiki the tennis player might be more popular amongst boys, but amongst the girls… (of course there are male fans too) he’s by far the most popular (laughs).

 

16/20

Title: Yuzu might be even more popular than Beckham at the time

Simon: I think David Beckham was pretty popular in Japan. He was the most popular athlete in the past 20 years. But, as far as I know, Yuzu seems to be more popular than Beckham back then.

 

17/20

Title: While facing staggering pressure

Simon: While he faces staggering pressure, he skates as if he doesn’t feel that at all. Of course, his looks probably contribute to the popularity. Well, you can ask the girls (laughs).

 

18/20

Title: Amazing charisma

Chris: I think Yuzu has great charisma. He just catches my attention every single time he gets on the ice. I can’t look away. It’s like “I can see exciting things coming up!” I think that’s his magical charm.

 

19/20

Title: He always overcomes pressure

Chris: Simon was also saying, but it’s amazing the amount of pressure he faces, with so many fans watching. And he always overcomes and shows us.

 

20/20

Title: Of course, he’s handsome too

Chris: There are no other players with such amazing qualities. And of course, he’s a looker! (laughs)

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Click on each picture to see each their comments. http://www.elle.co.jp/culture/interview ... arth161223

[meoima]

Fayruza just translated part of an interview with Stephan Lambiel

 

http://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skat ... u-1237563/

 

The technique is the most crucial factor now, along with athleticism and stamina - you can't jump quads without them. But the emotional factor and the artistic is just as important - you have to live through every single moment of your program, to feel it. And you have to combine it with executing a whole array of most difficult elements. It's hard work which only a few elect can do - that's why the leading group isn't so big. Only a very talented skater who was lucky to be born hard-working as well can cope with it.

 

And who do you think combines it best of all.

The result shows it's Yuzuru. He put up a whole theatrical performance on the ice both in his short and in his long programmes. He's such a talent in many aspect, he's a natural: he's incredibly musical, you can't teach that. He steps onto the ice, you look at him and forget about everything - about time, people around you, who's been performing before. It's incredible.

[meoima]

Yuzuru's rinkside Japanese interview after WC 2017, translated by Sophie Moroi in International Facebook Group:

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There are literally storms of news clips about Yuzuru’s gold at the Worlds in Japanese media, and I cannot translate everything. But this 5 mins interview with Yuzuru is probably the “MUST KNOW” for Yuzuru fans. Here is my verbatim translation.

 

Original video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k4NCMcrPSEm2GVmpqD9

 

(How did you recover yourself after the SP?) Right after I finished performing my SP, I was feeling really frustrated. As I was the first to skate [in the last group], I saw my ranking went down and down [as the other skaters performed], and my feeling went beyond depression. But, being inspired by voices of my fans, and reflecting on what I had been doing and other things, I thought I had to do my best by believing in myself. I think that’s how I managed to recover.

 

[Towards the FP] I think I felt mental fatigue, but that mental fatigue probably matched with my physical fatigue, so perhaps they might have achieved a good balance [between the mental and physical fatigue].

 

(What did you think with the high FP score?) Simply, I was just honestly happy. To begin with, I was delighted that the score 223 was 3 or 4 points above the previous (world) record [that I had]. Moreover, this programme [H&L] was significantly less appreciated as compared to SEIMEI, and I also struggled with expressing sufficiently and succeeding jumps [in H&L]. [During the season] I had made several performances in which I repeatedly wondered between getting closer to the music and farther from the music. But this time I was able to make a clean programme, and my feeling was also clear inside myself. So, I now have a strong feeling that I was finally able to advance one step beyond my own record. Of course, I will always have a persistent desire to make a clean programme with no mistakes, perhaps I will again feel frustrated with myself who cannot make a clean programme, and I will continue practicing further more in the future. But if I didn’t have such persistence, I certainly would not have such a strong desire for a clean programme. Probably, in view of the NHK Cup and the GPF as well as other bitter experience in the past year, I think this [gold at the Worlds] may be a little gift awarded by God.

 

(About the high level competitions) As regards the increase in the scores over 300, I don’t necessarily get impressed with the high scores per se; rather I think that good performances with high quality have dramatically increased. It’s not so much as execution of each element as the execution and quality of entire programmes that each competitor has improved a lot, as far as I am concerned.

 

(How do you feel about going to the Olympics season as the World Champion) Well, 66 years ago, Mr. Dick Button won the second consecutive Olympic gold medal while he was the defending Olympic gold medallist and the World Champion. In this sense, I am convincing myself that a good omen is coming upon me.

 

(You have challenged difficult programmes this season) I think it was good. Against my coach’s advice in a sense, I insisted on including 4 quads and managed to convince him at the end of the day. That’s how this season started. So, it was not according to the plan of the coach, as it were. After trying for a year and finally managing to deliver a clean programme… Well, even if I might not have been able to execute a clean programme [of this season], I have built self-confidence that I should be able to perform a very clean programme at any time and under any circumstances if I now try the SEIMEI elements [which is less difficult than H&L]. To that extent, I did hard training. So, in the sense of elevating my limitations, this season was a very fruitful one.

 

At any rate, I have had a consistent desire to win another Olympic gold medal during this season. Even when this is not yet the Olympic season, I was always training with that desire, which finally resulted in the gold medal at this World Championship. Yes, this is not the Olympics, but I have got reaffirmation that this kind of competitions would probably take place at the Olympics [next year]. So, I think I will have to build my skating skills and leave no weakness so that I could win even if such [harsh] competitions take place [at the Olympics].

 

Thank you! I will do my best at the next one!

 

END

[meoima]

Translation of Yuzuru's interview after WC gala:

 

"If myself at the age 17 saw my current records now, he might tell me I should've got more gold medals. But there was no year that was wasted, and I was able to win at this superb Worlds, so I feel proud of the result." - Yuzuru Hanyu

From

 

Please click CC button for English sub

 

Press conference at Haneda airport, 4 April, after the World Championships in Helsinki.

http://nanoka12.tumblr.com/post/1592317 ... u-hanyu-at

[meoima]

Originally Posted by gladiolusc

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Ice Jewels Vol.5 (Feb 2017) Special Interview: The Formula of Evolution.

 

This season, Yuzuru Hanyu successfully landed the first 4L in ISU history and showed us a great performance at his first competition, the Autumn Classic. However, bringing 6 quads together and building spins, steps and transitions upon them increases the difficulty considerably, and it’s not that easy honing both programs to perfection. Let’s review the first half of the season for a look into Hanyu’s evolution. (Ice Jewels)

 

GPS Series: Skate Canada

Total 2nd 263.06 | SP 4th 79.65 | FS 1st 183.41

 

Good training brought confidence

— To Hanyu-senshu, the first GPS competition this season was Skate Canada. Same as last season, it was a battle with Patrick Chan.

 

YH Lost this time as well. I placed all three silver medals from Skate Canada at my bedside.

 

— Seeing the medals must have been very motivating. About the new SP, how did you feel skating to it?

 

YH I felt that I could be clean this time. Unlike in the FS, there weren’t any uncertainty and it’s also a program I have great confidence in. But I still messed up. I know why I messed up too, but in order to be clean, I can only practice more.

 

— What do you think about the 4L at the beginning of both your programs?

 

YH I think I can do better. The landings in Autumn Classic weren’t clean enough, be it SP or FS. This time too, the execution of the landings were far from satisfactory. So, about the 4L, I believe it was more of a technical issue. I haven’t settled on what aspects during the jump to pay attention to yet, and that was the biggest problem. Once I improve my technique and can complete run throughs upon that basis, the 4L will become my own.

 

— At the same time, you also do the 4S. There are two types of edge jumps.

 

YH When I had Jeff choreograph for me, what I was most concerned about was the fact that I was doing all edge jumps in the SP. If we build the entire program upon the tracks of edge jumps, it’ll all come across as the same, identical curves no matter what. To counter that, I added the salchow entered horizontally and the axel from a counter. I think these accents add flavor to the program. In addition, I also want to jump salchows more consistently. Currently, I’m landing salchows 90% of the time, regardless of the situation, be it when I’m wearing my jacket or something else. So the task here, is to see how much I can deliver while skating and jumping to music in the nervous state of a competitive environment.

 

— For the short program, after the initial 4L, do you feel you are able to execute all the rest of the elements smoothly?

 

YH This program is condensed and packed with a lot of elements. If I can’t do the 4S3T with good timing, I am out of sync with the notes. If I can’t do the 4L, I won’t be able to fit with the music. I messed up the rhythm of the program this time due to the jumps, neither the loop nor the salchow worked. And it’s not just the jump, if even a single element is disrupted, all the parts become scattered and the program loses structure.

 

In this sense, I find it a very difficult program and it’s worth a watch. But really, there’s no way to bring this program to completion without beautifully landed jumps. Skating skills and performance are really important but unless the jumps stick, the program doesn’t stand. That is my honest opinion.

 

Brian pointed out that “the performance wasn’t there” this time. I think this is only because I am stretched on the jumps. If I had spare capacity, the performance will improve accordingly. It was this way with Seimei and with Ballade. I had no extra capacity, and I was forced to my maximum extent. So, I must first improve upon my ability to complete the jumps before I polish my performance.

 

— In terms of drawing the audience in and taking them along with the rhythm, this is a really good program.

 

YH Of all my competitive programs to date, this one is the easiest to go along with. Because it’s well-known, it’s easy to engage the audience and draw them into the mood of the performance. I also get really immersed, but this makes the program harder because it is not an ice show and all the jumps need to be perfectly landed. Conversely, as long as I land all the jumps, it’ll definitely become a great program.

 

— About the quads. Four in the FS, two in the SP, for a total of six which is more than last season’s. You have yet to land all the jumps in the FS so far this season. What are your training plans going into NHK?

 

YH In my mind, I don’t believe I have ever landed the 4L perfectly yet, so I’d like to probe deeper and broaden the range of situations when I can land the jump. As long as I’m not caught up with the loop, I should be able to skate comfortably into the second half of the program. As for the second half, in my mind I believe my current approach is correct.

 

— What sort of approach?

 

YH Run throughs from beginning to the end. I’ve started to do a bunch since the Autumn Classic. Though of course there are times when I’m unable to keep up until the very end, the second half this time around feels quite different than in AC. Upon this foundation, I was wondering if I could do two quads. Technically, there is pretty much no problem with the 4S and the 4T. I’m almost always able to land them in a normal situation, or even under less-than-ideal conditions. I want to improve upon the consistency, precision and quality of the 4L. I have yet to land 4T in the second half really crisply with a “su-pan!”, although the landing was fine. It is especially the case with the first 4S, but nothing makes me go “finally, I am able to own the jumps in this program” more so than when I’m able to maintain running, flowing edges after the landing in all my jumps. The landing of that 3A in the SP, too, was no longer boring (only you, Yuzu...)and I was able to execute it smoothly, flowingly with a “su-ton!"

 

— As if you’ve gone one step further?

 

YH I was able to feel this way because of my exhibition number. Skating to Notte Stellata made me rethink the importance of skating and the extent of jumps’ effect on performance. Although it’s basically a program with only skating, I received a lot of praise from Tracy which gave me confidence in my skating. Thanks to that, bit by bit, I was able to think about what constitutes my own style of skating.

 

— Specifically, what has changed?

 

YH I think I really came to grasp the music—the intervals between each beat. Instead of simply pushing at the ice each time, there’s also how the free leg retreats after each push, the flow and progression of the skating leg… I became very conscious of these different aspects.

 

There is a strong emphasis on skating in the exhibition program, so I received a lot of training in that regard. If this had been during the off season, I might have been able to perfect it sooner and more quickly. Regardless, I practiced well each time, from which I gained confidence.

 

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GPS Series: NHK Trophy

Total 1st 301.47 | SP 1st 103.89 | FS 1st 197.58

 

Depending on the hand movement, the speed of the spin changes

— What’s the main focus of your training heading into the NHK Trophy?

 

YH First was the task of correcting my jumps. With Shae-lynn helping me on the brush-up, I paid attention to the connection between jumping and skating, treating skating as part of jumping. To put it the other way around, I was able to make the jumps a part of skating in my training.

 

— You’ve polished the transitions going into and coming out of the jumps.

 

YH Actually, for the two weeks between Skate Canada and NHK, I hadn't really planned on adding transitions. The way we talked about it at the time, there must be something before the second-half 4S, so I added a little bit of transition leading into the jump. There are almost no crossovers at that spot. After the pose facing the front, I put in two crossovers, then a stop, then three turn back three mohawk, three turn to the back, then just one crossover!

 

I paid a lot of attention to each bit of skating, and because the crossover wasn’t long, I was able to focus my attention, which was good for the salchow. After the rearrangement, I was able to execute the jumps without a hiccup at practice the next day

 

— Your SP was the season’s best. The first 100-point performance this season.

 

YH I should have been able to execute it with more ease. The reason why I wasn’t able to was probably that I thought I could do it with momentum alone. This time, I had enough stamina, mentally I felt fine as well, so I tried to give it my all and just go with the flow. But there are also times when that doesn’t work, so I have to remember how to maintain control as well. I believe that’s something I can accomplish before GPF.

 

— You added some new poses with your hands during the spin?

 

YH It would be great if I could extend my hand movements a little more.

 

— The reason for that choreography?

 

YH Not getting positive GOE on the sit spin is a humiliation to me. As is written in the rule book, movements that clearly match the music is a plus. The higher the quality, the better the evaluation. Because the spin is really fast, I had to work bit by bit to fit all the moves to the music. In my mind, that's when Prince is yelling, so I didn’t accent the beat. It felt weird initially, but once the moves all came together, it fit surprisingly well.

 

— It was quite refreshing.

 

YH It’s just that the hands always end up blending in with the legs, (to the judges and to the audience) so the moves may be hard to differentiate.

 

— The movements were really different so I think people can discern.

 

YH When I did Chopin, it was easier to grasp that space and timing between the notes, and I used a lot of hand movements. That’s not the case with this program. In fact, the last steps take up a fair amount of time, so I’m fairly crunched for time with the transitions. If I don’t hit the axel at exactly the right point, I wouldn’t even be able to do the spin.

 

That was what happened at both Skate Canada and Autumn Classic. Once I miss a jump, I become pressed for time to reach Level 4 on the flying camel spin. Because this is a program that cannot be perfectly interpreted without everything perfectly embedded within the music, those hand movements were all I could afford to do in the spins. Well, there are many ways to direct movement, such as what Ms. Natalia Bestemianova taught me before… but after much thought, that was what I decided to do. I’m good at working my arms during spins, and more importantly, I enjoy it, so I figured I should just keep hacking at it. (Natalia Bestemianova and husband, Igor Bobrin, helped polish RJ1 in 2011-2012)

 

— After all sorts of work, there’s going to be further improvements.

 

YH Exactly. Depending on how the arms are used, the speed of the spin changes. I think it’ll become something even better once I work more contrast of speed into the spin over the rapid beat of the music. And then, if I can hit both spins and jumps even more on the note, the program will evoke the best feeling ever. When I’m completely immersed in the program, the music plays in my head even when I can’t hear it, so I think it’s mostly ingrained into my body at this point.

 

The most important thing is to enjoy skating

— About the free skate, what parts have been completed by now at NHK, and what’s still missing?

 

YH I think it’s most important for me to feel happy when I’m skating to the free program. Above all, I’m starting to build a connection with the audience, which is a big step forward in my performance.

 

— This season, you weren’t able to participate in ice shows because of the foot injury. I guess when you participate in shows, you get a feel for the pulse of the audience and you also respond to the audience’s reaction. Do you think not being at shows was a reason why you weren’t able to make that step forward?

 

YH I think I was able to do it during the exhibition. But up until this point, I had to focus my attention on landing the jumps during the FS, so I wasn’t able to connect with the audience. So being able to make a connection, even if just a little, is a huge deal to me.

 

— Your music selection in the FS is a new direction in terms of genre?

 

YH I guess you can say it’s classical, with the piano as its focus. There’s some Japanese flavor to it, as well as the unique musical touch of the composer, Mr Joe Hisaishi. Skating to all these different aspects combined is quite a different sensation for me.

 

— How does it feel to hear this music in big spaces, such as arenas?

 

YH In “Asian Dream Song” by Mr Joe Hisaishi, the music doesn’t carry the melody, rather, the singing does. If you go and listen, you’ll realize the music is an accompaniment and not an assertive piece on its own. I told Brian and Shae-lynn about my thoughts, but I’m not the main character in this program. For example, I was clearly the main character in “SEIMEI” and therefore I stood out a lot. The program was made with a clear image of the music. But my intent with this program—because Mr Hisaishi’s music envelops the entire arena rather than overly emphasizes itself—in my mind, I only exist as a part of that space and I want to perform the program as such. The wind over the rink, the coolness in the air, the moisture, the splashing crystals of ice… to bring all these things into one with myself and the music. If I can put together such a performance in the end, I think that would be the best.

 

— But ultimately as a sport, there is going to be various spins, steps, jumps, etc.

 

YH I’ve discussed this with Brian as well, but only after successfully landing a jump, can you fit into the music. And if the jumps weren’t successful, then the flow is disrupted. Then the points from interpretation and skating skills are lost as well. A close to perfect performance is one of my goals with this program. It’s tough with a quad loop and two quads in the second half of the program, but at the very least I want to maintain the level of performance I achieved this time at the NHK Trophy. Otherwise, I don’t think I can go on from this point.

 

About the quad era

— Younger skaters are jumping quad after quad these days. Now that the quad loop has been secured, have you ever considered adding another quad?

 

YH Of course it’s important to jump quads, but isn’t the quality of quads just as important? That’s what I most strongly feel.

 

— So instead of increasing the types of quads, you mean to improve on quality in order to raise GOE/PCS?

 

YH Although everyone is going on about quads… Jumping the 4T right at the start, and once successfully landed, the arena goes “Waa!” as if the competition has been won… Up until this point, many competitions had such an atmosphere. But, if you really think about it, the jump you absolutely have to put in is the axel.

 

— That has always been the case.

 

YH Even under the old system, your score won’t go up if you don’t do the axel. As for why, it’s because the axel is forwardly launched and its posture doesn’t announce “I’m about to jump!”, unlike all the other types.

 

— It's a well-known fact that you can’t avoid jumping the axel.

 

YH That’s why I spent 80% of my training time on the axel when I was in elementary school. In a single hour, I would spent at least 45 minutes training the axel.

 

— In the badge test too, there’s always an axel.

 

YH You must be able to do the 2A in order to pass grade 6. (as in yuzu might not pass grade 6 now )

 

— It’s been said that “if you can do the axel very well, it’s possible to fudge your way through with mistakes here and there on the other elements.” Also that “the axel is a must."

 

YH That’s how I’ve been taught.

 

— That’s the reason why you do two axels in the second half of the program?

 

YH You end up leaving a deep impression! That’s the case in “Notte Stellata” as well. I’ve always said things to the effect of “jumps are transitions," and I think the axel demonstrates this very well. Precisely because it’s forwardly launched, the axel conveys a special “sense of turn.” Toe jumps tend to put a stopper on the flow each and every single time, although I’ve always made it not look that way. Since the axel is forwardly launched, the sense of speed is similar to that of steps and turns.

 

— The charm of the axel persists through the ages.

 

YH The axel just gives off a special vibe. Returning to the previous topic, no matter the number of quads, no matter the number of types of quads, in the end, my biggest weapon remains in how consistently and beautifully I can manage to do my axels. I believe that is something I’d like to hold onto firmly, even towards my biggest goals. For example, even if I were to do the 4A, two 3A’s would still be an absolute must.

 

— Notte Stellata, song chosen by Tarasova, choreographed by David Wilson. While it shows off your skating skills, in terms of jumps, there are only two axels. The characteristics of Hanyu-senshu as a skater is well displayed in this program.

 

YH My SP is all edge jumps, and my exhibition also ended up only consisting of the axel. I think it best shows my style of skating. Because I was able to execute jumps of my own style and of quality to such an extent, I’m feeling really confident right now. Although toe jumps can really convey a "sense of jump," I still think that executing edge jumps beautifully is where it’s at for me.

 

— It’s been said that how to control and use your edge is the most important task in figure skating. You’ve been paying great attention to this aspect.

 

YH No, no. Tsuzuki-sensei taught me all of it. He really shaped my jumps.

 

— Tsuzuki-sensei's ideals (referring to jumps) have been met?

 

YH Because he had me bring my own thoughts and methods into shaping them, I was able to grow until now. Coincidentally, various other aspects such as muscular quality and physique all came to fit together, and I became good at edge jumps.

 

— Skating is the foundation.

 

YH You can’t jump the loop without being good at skating.

 

— If skating improves, jump consistency goes up?

 

YH Yes, it’ll stabilize. Before Skate Canada, I had to improve the consistency of my Loop, just as Brian had said, so I gave a lot of thought to many technical aspects. After Skate Canada, before NHK, I finally felt that I’ve reached the stage where my skating and jumps become one. This is only the beginning! From now on, skating meets jumping, and I hope that in the end, all the elements can pull together to complete the program. It’s not only “great, all jumps landed!” Instead, jumps are successful, skating too, then more jumps, and spins… it’s best to keep an undisrupted flow!

 

— There’s little more than a week left before GPF, how do you plan to adjust?

 

YH It’s not really about specifically training certain aspects, or practicing certain things. Rather, it’s about figuring how to build in days without jumps so that I may relax physically and mentally. There are also days with only skating practice, or spin-centric days. I think it’s fine as long as you learn how to sort out different areas for training and adjustment. Just as in Sochi Olympics, after Team event there was Individual competition. Situations when your body conditions go down / slide is inevitable. So adjusting (to fit with the schedule of this competition), is the greatest goal this time.

 

----------------------------

GPS Series: Grand Prix Final

Total 1st 293.90 | SP 1st 106.53 | FS 3rd 187.37

 

Must become stronger

— What was your impression of GPF held in Marseilles, France?

 

YH About the quality of the ice, um, how do you put it… (probably wasn’t too good). Depending on the quality of the water, the quality of the ice is completely different. So I was a bit concerned about that aspect before arriving in Marseilles.

 

— So how was the ice actually?

 

YH It’s hard to say that it’s good. The ice resurfacing itself was not great, the schedules for official practice and the actual competition were also somewhat of a mess.

 

— Yes, scheduling wasn’t great.

 

YH The schedule was not well-planned, the Zamboni broke down so the ice was melting, a variety of situations came up. But it wasn’t that we couldn’t skate due to this reasons. I thought I’d struggle with these aspects more, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

 

— NHK Trophy, GPF, and the Japanese Nationals happens pretty much one after the other. How did you adjust your stamina and condition for GPF which was right smack in the middle?

 

YH I wasn’t pressed for stamina. Quite the opposite. Coming out of NHK into GPF, I felt pretty fulfilled emotionally and that I had enough physical strength, so I had good peace of mind. It felt something like “Should be fine, I think.” Although the condition of my jumps fluctuates depending on the training situation, it has somewhat stabilized. So, stamina and energy are both at sufficient levels.

 

— You’ve come to the point where you are reliably completing the short program.

 

YH The success rate of the SP has gone up. FS wasn’t bad either, but I have yet to work it well in competition. I probably haven’t competed enough. Although I’ve been doing clean run throughs quite consistently in practice, in competition the performance isn’t quite perfect yet. I had a higher clean run through rate during Seimei though.

 

— Because putting quads in the second half is harder?

 

YH I’m not completely used to two quads (4S, 4T) in the second half just yet. Although the 4S was in by World Championships last season, it wasn’t well incorporated. Since then, I’ve kept quads in the second half, but I have yet to execute them well. It didn’t feel like I had a good grasp on the second half salchow yet. When I was training in Toronto, the second half salchow was actually better than the 4T. Rather, I often made mistakes on the second toe loop, to the extent that I wasn’t even tightening my body sufficiently. There were more pops too. On the contrary, during competitions I would miss the salchow but land the toe loop. It would be great if both would come out at the same time.

 

— Another point I was interested about, your axel...

 

YH Not executing the axel well is a big issue to me. Both axel and salchow get pretty high scores. Making mistakes on them for two competitions in a row really affected my spirits. I thought I couldn’t possibly let that go on, and I practiced a lot to address that.

 

— It seemed to me that your mistakes were all concentrated on one side of the rink.

 

YH I have more edge jumps, which is probably the reason why the mistakes were concentrated on one side. Toe jumps include the lutz, flip and toe. In my program, there is only one of each. In exchange, I had the loop, axel, axel, salchow, salchow for edge jumps.

 

— You also did all jump types in previous competitions?

 

YH Yes

 

— The lutz at the very end was a shame...

 

YH That’s because I lacked speed going into the Lutz, and ended up missing a step out of the crossover. If it wasn’t for that, there wouldn’t have been any problems with the Lutz. And I skipped that step because I wanted to catch up to the music. Going into the GPF, I wanted to match the music no matter what, so I practiced that way. In that sense, perhaps I do lack stamina. I must build up on more training.

 

— You would have been first had you executed the 3L.

 

YH I don’t think I would have lost had I done it.

 

— In order to win, there’s also the option of cutting yourself some slack in terms of the music in order to properly execute the jumps...

 

YH Yeah. Well normally, I could have done it. So if possible, I’d rather bring that normal condition to competition.

 

— Maybe it’s not hard for Hanyu-senshu, but (normally speaking) the quad loop is pretty hard. Plenty of people find the loop jump particularly difficult.

 

YH Because the Loop jump isn’t something you can push through with force. You can’t do it without controlling yourself well, and if you fail you can pop.

 

— And these are what make the loop so difficult?

YH In terms of the FS, I’ve landed it in all competitions apart from Skate Canada. My first goals were to land the loop well and to improve on the success rate of the second half. Many spots in the program still lack quality. The toe loop for example. Falls and pops are beyond discussion, but I think I can further raise the quality of the axel and the toe loop. When I return to Toronto after the new year, I would probably have Shae-lynn take a look and make changes on jump entries, etc.

 

— Last but not least, congratulations on winning the GPF title four consecutive times! If you win next year, you’ll be tied with the 5-peat record in Ice Dance!

 

YH Although I won four consecutive times, this victory left a terrible aftertaste with me. I try to tell myself in my mind that a 4-peat is a 4-peat, but...

 

So many different things happened each and every year, GPF was really hard for me. Last season I was almost crushed by the heavy pressure coming from the NHK Trophy. Another season ago, I took a hit from the injury at CoC. Yet another season back, it was my first GPF before the Olympics. Since it was held in Japan, I received power to challenge the Olympics. I was able to gain confidence from the experience every single time, but none of it was easy. If I think that way, four consecutive wins does carry a lot of weight and meaning. But at the same time, I still wish I could have won with first places in both the short and the free. (I'll say it for you, kuyashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiii)

 

I guess this isn’t the first time that I’ve won without 1st + 1st. But I won with 1st + 1st both last season and the season prior. In that sense, this 4-peat victory really did leave somewhat of a bad aftertaste, but at the same time it was one that really made me feel I must become stronger.

[meoima]

Ice Time inquired about Zoueva’s thoughts on Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

 

“He is amazing,” Zoueva commented. “He flows with the music on ice. That’s the thing. It seems like most of the Japanese skaters have this ability.

 

“I love the way he interprets the music. It’s very light,” she added. “He doesn’t seem like he is working hard. It looks like the skating and jumps come from within him. It’s natural for him. He is very flexible.”

 

From http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017 ... MgAK9SLTGi

[nagini]

My translation of Tatiana Tarasova and Alexandr Grishin comments from Worlds 2017 for SP

 

T.T. 4Lo for the first time in the world it is done in the SP

Smart (about how he used his leg) 4S uhh…

A.G At the 4CC, that we didn’t watch, he jumped the 4S.

T.T. Yes he did, I know, but they don’t show it here (I guess she means in Russia)

|

So much freedom. So free! (When he jumped 3A)

|

Such a thrill (enjoyment) in every move! Heaven, pure heaven!

What a delight! What a pleasure! Even if he made the mistake, he made the mistake after 4S, he opened up a bit late. He restrained himself and jumped immediately a 2T with 2 hands up.

A.G. Beautiful! The public excitement is perceived accordingly, exactly as it is in Hartwell arena at the moment all the 10000 fans have thrown, won’t be surprised if it’s a few hundred of winnie the pooh at Yuzu. There are so many flowers as well the ice is full, unbelievable.

T.T. Such pleasure to watch how great athletes improve their skills. I remember him young, when they just arrived, one could see his talent right away. He could turn as he wanted, big steps and jump, well the only thing was he didn’t have the strength yet. Look at his legs now, so strong, before they were as two strings.

A.G. Became. Look how many times he’s winning.

T.T. Tracy Wilson is working now with Brian Orser.

This freedom of his is such a delight to watch (freedom and easiness in movement). Look now (4S) ..Opp ..

A.G. …And the 2T with two hands up.

T.T. Interesting how they’ll appreciate him (what score he’ll get)?

A.G I don’t want to say now as at the moment the Tech judges think that the 2T shouldn’t be counted and appointed a -4 to the 4S. For now the 2T is not counted at all. Still this is not the final decision.

T.T. Very interesting, why? I don’t know this rule.

A.G. There were no 3s (I’m not exactly sure what they mean by that)

T.T. Yes there were no 3s’. There was the second leg which he used to launch from. So they leave it as it is. Without a Quad. So that everyone else will be scared.

A.G. Yes they leave it as it is. Without a Quad and without a combo. As well they counted the late start, this way he’s losing much at this point.