Sota Yamamoto | Page 30 | Golden Skate

Sota Yamamoto

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
An additional video message from Sota for NHK Trophy
https://twitter.com/NHKTrophyFigure/status/1170900223029153795
(Sota is trying to be funny with a Japanese traditional riddle called 'nazokake', a word play, mostly puns but in rakugo form.)

Sota: To pun on (my) second NHK Trophy, I'd say, a mascot character.
Koshiro: How come? (Note: "Sono-kokoro wa?/What's the point of the pun?" is a fixed phrase for this riddle)
Sota: Kotoshi mo doumo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. (double meaning for "doumo" in Japanese and Domo-kun, NHK character, and he's saying please 'yoroshiku' for both himself and the NHK character this year again.)
Koshiro: ...(looking away, pretends he wasn't listening)
Sota: Please laugh!

The important context of this message from Sota:
First, there was this Yuhana's entertaining message and her accusation of 'betrayal'
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...azuki-Tomono&p=2448113&viewfull=1#post2448113
Then Yuhana tweeted later:
https://twitter.com/yuhachin0519/status/1170633652666912771
"I found out that other skaters too recorded two different messages, a funny one and a serious one, (already confirmed by Sota) so It wasn't that I was betrayed! ...*snip*"

And today, NHK twitter account sent us the funny version by Sota (with Koshiro).

Do... you get it??? (I hope I made it clear enough, but jokes are not easy to deliver in a different laungage...)
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
hehe, poor Sota, I feel his pain. I'm glad I am not from Osaka and noone has ever forced me to say funny things just because of my birthplace :p
Thanks so much for sharing!
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Time for all Sota fans to keep their fingers crossed. His practice at US Classic starts today, tomorrow's the SP from 8 PM local time, and the FS takes place on Friday from 8.30 PM. Can Sota beat two Ma and Krasnozhon to get close to the podium? Fingers crossed he can!
Schdeule:
https://cdn2.sportngin.com/attachme...45.2082640539.1568428638-697856038.1563984175
I haven't managed to find his skating order yet.

Blogger Komichi shared the official Japanese commentary of Sota's Gensan Cup programs:
https://ameblo.jp/kmn-psn/entry-12526094267.html
Is there a kind soul willing to translate what was said?

Lastly, there is a rumor that Sota went to Autumn Classic in Canada, presumably to watch his idol Yuzuru. I hope it's true ^ ^
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
I won't be able to watch Sota's SP. The few brief practice videos shared on twitter looked good, but an actual competition is quite another matter. Ms. Lynch's name as the referee is making me a bit apprehensive, as I didn't much like the dark looks she was giving Sota at Asian Open 2018 where she also was as referee. But maybe it's my paranoia speaking.
Good luck, Sota! Your fans are keeping their fingers crossed for you. Stay healthy :pray:
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
He did really well in the SP! You go Sota! Despite the pop, he managed a 4S-3T and a lovely 3A, this program has a lot of potential.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Congrats to Sota! He currently sits in 3rd after the SP, after Vincent and Keiji. I am happy for him. :) His score is 82.88. It's his new personal best, even counting Challenge Cup. Congrats! :thumbsup:
- Basic protocol: https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2019/28725/CAT002SEG003.html
- video (high quality!): https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2019/28725/CAT002SEG003.html

Looking at the PCS, Sota actually beat Keiji in Skating Skills and Transitions, and lost to him in the other areas. I fully agree with that, because it was quite noticeable that Sota was much more tense and nervous than Keiji and didn't manage to sell his program as well. That's OK, it's all part of the learning process for him, as Ted Barton would say.

What I want Sota to get better at: Step Sequence and spins. He managed to get lv4 on two spins, but him getting only marginally higher scores than the sturdier, slower and less flexible Keiji, is ridiculous. I hope he works on that if that really is his mistake. I know too little of FS to tell. StSeq, I really want to see lv4 again. If Keiji and Majorov could do it, if he himself could do it at Nats 2017 when the hardest jump he could do was 3Lo, then he can do it again. Go get that lv4, Sota, and show the world that it was worth it to get Camerlengo choreo! (I'm not expecting that to happen in the FS yet though, he's likely going to be too tired for that).

Pop? No problem for me, yes, it cost a lot of points, but for me as a spectator, much better than seeing Sota fall. I'm fine with Sota popping when he feels something is off.

And did anyone notice he managed to cut his hand again? Aww. I wonder if it was during the donut spin again.
I wonder what Kawaume sensei was talking to him about so earnestly. And why Naruse sensei was absent, since it's still a week before Chuubu regionals. hmm...
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
hate to double post but the previous post was ridiculously long anyway, so ... Sota skates his FP today as last. And right after Keiji and Vincent, too. Very unlucky draw! :hpull: Best of luck, Sota. Please survive. This has to be a nerve-wrecking experience for him. Wishing Sota lots of health, strength and courage for his free. :pray:
 

Gabby30

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Sota 😭 Congrats on the silver medal, i'm so proud 👏
On another point, this thread doesn't get enough attention :(
 

Gabby30

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
I hope the fact that he has beaten the World bronze medalist gives him more confidence- and i hope he stops popping jumps, because the pops are preventing him from scoring big😩
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Feeling very happy for Sota´s silver medal, WOW!!! It is veeeery early in the season so the programs are not quite ready and it takes some time for skaters to get used to their new programs. So, I was not at all worried although he was far from perfect at this competition. I really like the beautiful flow in his skating and noticed him in past season (if not earlier).
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Feeling very happy for Sota´s silver medal, WOW!!! It is veeeery early in the season so the programs are not quite ready and it takes some time for skaters to get used to their new programs. So, I was not at all worried although he was far from perfect at this competition. I really like the beautiful flow in his skating and noticed him in past season (if not earlier).

Welcome in the Sota fanclub! :) I see you're from Finland - are you going to see Sota in Finlandia? I can relate! His lovely glide, flow and posture were the first thing I noticed about him when I saw him first.

-

Big congrats to Sota, I am so happy for him! He looked very happy in the medal ceremony photos, and his coach was all smiles in the KnC. He's such a fighter!
I need to be on my way to class now but will be back later with anything Sota-centric I can find, and to update the OP.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Thank you, Surimi! Unfortunately I´m not able to go to Finlandia Trophy anymore, I have to just hope to see some video clips from the competition as I have been told that figure skating competitions will be shown on pay channels only during next 4 years.
 

rRainbow

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Country
Japan
Blogger Komichi shared the official Japanese commentary of Sota's Gensan Cup programs:
https://ameblo.jp/kmn-psn/entry-12526094267.html
Is there a kind soul willing to translate what was said?

^

Here's my traslation: Many thanks to Komichi for taking time to transcribe the commentary.
A: Announcer; N: Mr. Nakamura, commentator


【SP: East of Eden】
A: Now one of the skaters who draw our attention is Sota Yamamoto. How do you think he is doing?
N: It's remarkable that he landed the quad last season. Then, he is adding multiple quads like Tomono senshu is doing! As he has had success in practice I am hoping this year may be his complete breakout season.
N: He is one of the few skaters whose flowy skating fascinate us.
N: Oh, it's a quad salchow! He opened the program with the new technique.
N: (after 2T2T) This might have been quad-triple combo.
N: (commented on flying camel spin)
N: Triple axel!
N: He spins fast with beautiful spin positions, so this sit spin with foot change is of high quality and gets high levels.
N: Step sequence. (silently watching)
N: Combination spin.
A: (Sota-kun bowing looking kuyashii) Although he has this expression on his face, when I think that he has regained so much what he lost, I really cannot ...(speechless)
N: Also, he hasn't just come back, he also
A&N: Improved.
N: He struggled with the triple axel so much but it is now his last thing on his mind. He is now able to upgrade technical content to such a high level. Above all, each glide is energetic and he picks up speed easily. It is exhilarating to watch his skating. I want him to do his best this season.
A: How is his foot?
N: In fact there are days when he feels fear or should I say he is a little scared of jumps... Some days are harder than others to train jumps. But as a result of diligent training he is now able to land jumps which he couldn't do previously...Things will get better as time goes by.
A: (scores announced) Umm.. But little by little he will be better. He was so talented that he was expected to be an elite Japanese skater.
N: Yes, I agree.
A: I always feel bad for expecting so much from him, though.
N: (laugh)He is already capable of meeting our expectations.

【FS:In This Shirt】
A: Now, Sota Yamamoto senshu! He is 2nd after the short.
A: Planned content is (surprised) quads...
N: Three quads... a 4S and two 4Ts are planned.
N: Quad salchow was popped into a double salchow.
N: Quad toe loop! Triple toe loop!
A: Wooow!
N: He nailed this one. (sounding happy)
N: And the next jump planned is 4T.
A: (4T success) Quad toe loop! (laughing)
N: Single axel double toe loop. Supposed to be a 3A.
N: Flying sit spin with foot change.
N: Choreo sequence.
N: 3A (fall - audience clapped for support)
N: 3Lz1Eu3S jumps
N: Triple flip
N: Flying combination spin... When he changed his feet he lost his balance and clearly missed sitting position, so he had only camel and upright position and a sign V was placed. If you miss one you get V and if you miss two, you get zero point. He is actually a good spinner and it's a pity he lost points here.
N: Step sequence.
N: Combination spin (Some skaters are intensely watching him)
N: (after the performance) Well, it became clear what parts are done well and what parts failed. After all it was great that he added two 4T in the program but that led to a failure in both of axels. 4S was popped into a double. Shame about that. But in order to win on the world stage he has to have this content.
A: Wow,in total with the short, he attempted 5 quads!
N: That's right.
A: And he landed 3!
N: Yes.
A: (wisper)Amazing.
N: In fact some world top skaters include 3 to 4 quads in free. Looks like 3 quads will be a key point from now.
A: These quads negatively affected Yamamoto senshu's spins. The impact of quads actually...
N: Burdened his body.
N: In his mind he has a sense of balance which was telling him that he would be fine with it and went for spins, but his feet could not keep up and he lost balance. He went for jumps such as 3ltz thinking he was putting enough strength into it but it turned out the force was too weak to lift his body high. Considering that it is important to do enough run-thrus.
A: It is the global standard program.
N: That's right.
A: Ahhh, it's really hard on the body...
N: Yes. But if I had to choose, I would like him to compete this season without changing this content.
A: I see. I see.
N: Removing quads is easy. Keeping the quad content is meaningful.

◇◇◇
Interview after his skate:
Sota: Well, I wanted to win gold (smile), umm, I am really kuyashii (big smile). Popped jump? I guess in my case it is where I lost many points. Altogether in the short and free, I popped three jumps, and that is the big difference from the skater who rotated all of his jumps.
(Probably asked what his goal was this season) Well, anyone can set a goal, but I will do my best to achieve the goal.

ENDING
A: Kuyashii Yamamoto senshu is impressive in that he has come this far.
N: I agree. He already wants to win against the skaters who have been competing on the higher level stages.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Thank you for the long translation, Rainbow!
Now I finally know why his Gensan FS spin got a V, and the last one was invalidated. Though I'm glad I'm just an armchair fan because every time I rewatch the FS, I struggle to see which positions he missed and see nothing wrong with the last spin. lol. I only notice wobbles and ungrabbed blades, the rest is too fast for me.

Back to actually something resembling a summary of the most important Sota stuff! If you speak Japanese, the blogs of Komichi and Shelley list everything more comprehensively and in better quantity, but I'll do my best:

- he's exempt from Chuubu regionals this weekend

- ISU bio update for Sota: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013831.htm
-> he now trains 20h a week, that's 4h more than last season IIRC
-> his hobbies are movies, walks and hot baths. But based on Sota's own interviews, he also enjoys meeting his friends (especially for a good meal), and he can never resist watching skating which fascinates him - I guess he means both live skating and videos.
*(can anyone direct me to the new Japan Fed bios? I keep forgetting to update the link in the OP)

- he's climbed up the world rankings, now he's 36th :) http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsmen.htm

- his new personal best is 240.11, and he's 24th in the personal best list under the new system! Congrats, Sota! http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/pbsmto.htm

- Jack Gallagher writes about Sota in a Japan Times article: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports...nto-right-decision-stage-career/#.XYoNUeR7nmI
Here's the Sota part:

Yamamoto makes podium

Yamamoto fell on two of his jumps (quad salchow, triple lutz) in his free skate and rued his mistakes afterward.
“It was tough. That is my frank opinion after my performance,” Yamamoto said.
“At altitude sometimes I cannot perform all the way through. It was tough from the first half. I could not really get the speed. I preserved my energy somewhat.
“During the performance I think I kept my concentration. I was determined not to run out of energy like the short program.”
Yamamoto will skate next at the Finlandia Trophy next month.
“As usual I will try to skate through. I want to be extra careful of the jumps I failed on this time,” Yamato remarked. “The order of jumps and spins will be changed so I can change the levels.
“I want to have results this season. I will be happy to be on the podium. That is the kind of results I want in abundance. I will try to perform so I can produce results.”


^ "Yamato" strikes again, LOL! What's going on, is it something in the air? :p At US Classic, Sota was called 'Yamato' twice by the announcer. Et tu, Jack? :drama:
I wonder if the interview was in English or Japanese!

- bets are off as to what it could have been that made the normally gentle and beaming coach Kawaume so frustrated in the KnC after the SP. My money would be on Sota doing something she'd persuaded him not to do, and messing up the 4T as a result. We may never know!

- @Kirara - hey, his FS shirt doesn't look transparent anymore in the USC photos, that's an upgrade, no? :D
 

Gabby30

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Thank you for the long translation, Rainbow!
Now I finally know why his Gensan FS spin got a V, and the last one was invalidated. Though I'm glad I'm just an armchair fan because every time I rewatch the FS, I struggle to see which positions he missed and see nothing wrong with the last spin. lol. I only notice wobbles and ungrabbed blades, the rest is too fast for me.

Back to actually something resembling a summary of the most important Sota stuff! If you speak Japanese, the blogs of Komichi and Shelley list everything more comprehensively and in better quantity, but I'll do my best:

- he's exempt from Chuubu regionals this weekend

- ISU bio update for Sota: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013831.htm
-> he now trains 20h a week, that's 4h more than last season IIRC
-> his hobbies are movies, walks and hot baths. But based on Sota's own interviews, he also enjoys meeting his friends (especially for a good meal), and he can never resist watching skating which fascinates him - I guess he means both live skating and videos.
*(can anyone direct me to the new Japan Fed bios? I keep forgetting to update the link in the OP)

- he's climbed up the world rankings, now he's 36th :) http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsmen.htm

- his new personal best is 240.11, and he's 24th in the personal best list under the new system! Congrats, Sota! http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/pbsmto.htm

- Jack Gallagher writes about Sota in a Japan Times article: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports...nto-right-decision-stage-career/#.XYoNUeR7nmI
Here's the Sota part:

Yamamoto makes podium

Yamamoto fell on two of his jumps (quad salchow, triple lutz) in his free skate and rued his mistakes afterward.
“It was tough. That is my frank opinion after my performance,” Yamamoto said.
“At altitude sometimes I cannot perform all the way through. It was tough from the first half. I could not really get the speed. I preserved my energy somewhat.
“During the performance I think I kept my concentration. I was determined not to run out of energy like the short program.”
Yamamoto will skate next at the Finlandia Trophy next month.
“As usual I will try to skate through. I want to be extra careful of the jumps I failed on this time,” Yamato remarked. “The order of jumps and spins will be changed so I can change the levels.
“I want to have results this season. I will be happy to be on the podium. That is the kind of results I want in abundance. I will try to perform so I can produce results.”


^ "Yamato" strikes again, LOL! What's going on, is it something in the air? :p At US Classic, Sota was called 'Yamato' twice by the announcer. Et tu, Jack? :drama:
I wonder if the interview was in English or Japanese!

- bets are off as to what it could have been that made the normally gentle and beaming coach Kawaume so frustrated in the KnC after the SP. My money would be on Sota doing something she'd persuaded him not to do, and messing up the 4T as a result. We may never know!

- @Kirara - hey, his FS shirt doesn't look transparent anymore in the USC photos, that's an upgrade, no? :D

I think she was frustrated about the 4T. Wouldn't he pop it he would've won :(

And about the shirt, it never looked transparent to me...
 
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