Koshiro Shimada | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Koshiro Shimada

mikaboo

Medalist
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Part 2 of the J SPORTS interview with Kenji Miyamoto. (Part 1)
http://www.jsports.co.jp/press/article/N2016091211513906.html
Like Part 1, I skipped some parts that seemed irrelevant to me and put a (?) where I didn’t understand. It probably makes sense if I watch the interview. If anyone understood it better than me, please let me know!

M: I ask everyone this, but how old were you when you first landed the 2A?
S: 2nd year in Novice B, during practices before National Novice Championships. I landed it suddenly and it became gradually consistent.
M: That easy?
S: I wasn’t practicing a whole lot then, but with the 2A, I was able to jump it intuitively.
M: You can jump the 2A intuitively?
S: Only the 2A, but not with the other jumps.
M: How many attempts did you make?
S: I don’t remember, but I couldn’t do it at all at first but suddenly, I started rotating it, then I landed it.
M: You have a different sense to others. You’re a genius.
S: No, I just landed the 2A early. I’m struggling with the 3A.
M: How is it coming along?
S: My body can’t keep up.
M: Because you suddenly grew tall.
S: Yes, so I can’t even practice it because there’s always a pain somewhere.
M: Oh? Growing pains?
S: Yes, it feels like it.
M: Are there any jumps that you don’t like?
S: Hmmm. The flip jumps.
M: Oh, it’s the flip?
S: I landed the lutz first so I thought I’d just jump it with the same sense as the lutz, but it became a lip.
M: But it has good height and width so it looks good when you jump it.
S: But I get deductions for it so it’s sad.
M: Your lutz is a lutz?
S: Yes, the lutz is fine.
M: Have you had any trouble with it? (I think that’s what he’s asking but I just made it up. Hard to tell without watching the interview)
S: The lutz is preferable when in Novice. I jumped the flip jumps fine. I watched Yoji Tsuboi’s lutz and I got a sense for it. He taught me skating a lot too. So I studied his from double jumps, then went on to triples.
M: So your lutz is thanks to Yoji but yor flip is Yoji’s fault.
S: (Laughs) Tsuboi-kun had the wrong edge as well.
M: Yoji had a lip too (laughs). How about the types of spins you don’t like?
S: My sit spins look bad. I can get the levels but my normal positions look bad.
M: Can you show me?
Photo of Kohiro doing a sit spin
S: My opposite leg is especially ugly and it becomes like this.
M: Why don’t you stretch it out?
S: For some reason, I can’t stretch it out. I can do it when I’m off the ice if I try hard.
M: A little bit more like this. You can do it.
S: I’ll try.
M: Yay, I fixed Koshiro’s spin. All the kids nowadays are really good at jumps. The level is high.
S: I was awed when I watched JW.
M: But you have to catch up.
S: We’ve been saying that we need a 3A, but now, suddenly it seems like we need quads. I’ll try to catch up as much as possible. I think I’ll do the quads when I’m in senior.

M: What do you do when you're not training?
S: Even when I want to play with friends, I have to practice so I don’t have time. We do go out together when we get out of classes early because of exams.
M: Where do you go?
S: We went to karaoke once. I haven’t gone very much so I didn’t understand the system.
M: The karaoke system?
S: The system. I sang but I went home without really getting it.
M: How many of you were there?
S: 7 to 8. Boys from my class.
<More talks about karaoke and music>

Questions from viewers:
Q: What do you like about your childhood?
S: Because of skating, being able to improve and play with kids my age. I don’t think I can do that when I’m an adult.
M: Yes you can.
S: Maybe.
M: Koshiro, do a lot of people like to look after you?
S: Ah, everybody’s really kind to me.

Q: What’s been troubling you the most recently?
S: Nothing at the moment.
M: Nothing at all?
S: Not just recently, but always. I think injuries are inevitable.
M: You warm up and cool down properly. But please take care.
S: Yes.
M: You have nothing to worry about. I envy that.

Q: Who would you like to be, for one day?
S: I’d like to be Hanyu-kun for one day.
M: It’s Hanyu-kun?
S: I want to become him during the Olympics.
M: You have to go as yourself (laughs). You work so hard so you should go yourself.
S: His jumps are beautiful so I want to feel what it’s like to jump like that.
M: Like comparing it to your own jumps?
S: Yes, but I doubt I’d be able to jump like that when I go back to myself. Do you think it’ll be impossible to do that just by exchanging bodies?
M: As a matter of fact, I’ve never experienced exchanged bodies myself so I can’t advise you on that. Sorry.
S: (Laughs)
M: How about non skaters?
S: Hmmm. The President.
M: The President?
S: I suspect he can do anything.
M: Yes, you are definitely a little bit strange.

Q: Which period in time would you like to visit with a time machine?
S: Nagano Olympics.
M: That’s not very far back in time. It was quite recent in 1998.
S: I wasn’t born yet. I was born in 2001, on the day of 9.11.
M: Is that so.
S: I want to see the fierce battles live between Plushenko and Yagudin.
M: Well, Ilya Kulik won that one.
S: (Laughs)
M: Wow, you weren’t born yet when the Nagono Olympics were on. It was a long time ago for you.

Q: Favorite food?
S: Yoji Tsuboi used to take me out to eat ramen a lot so I’ve come to love it.
M: What kind of ramen?
S: It’s in Okayama, so they’re like Chinese noodles.
M: Do you like soy sauce ramen? With chicken stock?
S: Yes, something like that but I like all noodles.
M: So you’re a 14 year old boy and there may be a girl that you like. So, is there one?
S: No.
M: What types of girls do you like?
S: Someone thoughtful and kind, who I can have fun with no matter what we’re doing.
M: Wait, are you really 14? You sound like you’re already 25, 26.
S: Someone who is fun to be around with.

Q: What are you afraid of the most?
S: I’ve said it many times already, but injuries. I know that someone like Daisuke Takahashi has overcome major injuries so I think those things might count as experiences, but it stops you from being able to skate and you don’t know if it’ll heal so I’m scared of injuries the most.
M: I agree with you.

Q: What do you excel at?
S: It’s not what I excel at, but don’t want to lose with expressions even though it’s not about winning or losing. Everybody has their own ways of expressing themselves but I don’t want to lose with it. For example, if I’m nervous at a competitions so much that I can’t move like I’m usually able to, I don’t want to lose to myself.(?)

Q: Can you tell us your goals for this season and what you wish to achieve from now on.
S: I want to strengthen my body and stand on the starting line by challenging reverse(?) and quads this season. But my final goal is for Kenji-sensei to choreograph for me for the Olympics. (He says リバーズ which I’ve never heard of before but sounds close to “reverse” in figure skating language)
M: Definitely! We talk about that sometimes don’t we?
S: Yes, even if not at the Olympics, I want to do well internationally and leave my name in the figure skating world.
M: (Clapping) You’re moving me to tears. Seriously, be careful of injuries and illnesses and be a fantastic skaters. You’re already great. Good luck in your future endeavors.
S: Yes, thank you.
 

doublesal

Spectator
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
and he's taking part in junior worlds today!! :^) so excited to watch him skate, i hope he skates clean (is this too high of a hope)?
 

iorii

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
AAAHHHHH OH NO I almost cried. I was so happy noticing the thread got updated---I didn't expect this!! Ahh---my heart just broke. That sounds really painful, I wish him speed recovery:cry:
 

YesWay

&#22235;&#24180;&#12418;&#12363;&#12369;&#12390;&#
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Entry lists have been published for the first 4 JGP events, and Koshiro doesn't have an assignment so far (although he is listed as a substitute for each event).

I guess his injury is not healed enough?

Well, there's still the last 3 JGP's he could be assigned to - if he's ready in time (Croatia, Poland, and Italy)... or I suppose he could be substituted into one of the earlier ones.
 

icetug

Medalist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
5th place in Zagreb and 7th in Gdansk - maybe not the best result, but he seemed to be satisfied with it. Not only he delivered the unflawed performance today (FS in Gdansk), but the audience was enchanted by his skating style. "This Japanese boy, is he going to skate again tonight? Please..." - I heard a little girl asked her mom :)
 

fourthdimension

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 3, 2017
At the fan meeting he did in Verona, Stephane emphasized how long adductor injuries take to heal, and that Koshiro didn't have to much time to recover. So maybe they are starting slow on technical content on purpose.
 

malo42

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
I was wondering if there had been any news on Koshiro recently? When he withdrew from juniors I wondered if it was still possible for him to go to senior nats (I didn't know if he had a bye or not...) but I guess not. :(
 

lavenderblossom

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
I was wondering if there had been any news on Koshiro recently? When he withdrew from juniors I wondered if it was still possible for him to go to senior nats (I didn't know if he had a bye or not...) but I guess not. :(

He was in Diana Nikitina's livestream a couple of weeks ago (but just in the chat). So he is still in Champery. He didn't say anything about his withdrawal though. :think:
 

icetug

Medalist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Koshiro's in the list for JGP Bratislava (as a substitute) so he's apparently coming back to competition :yay: Moreover, with two brand new programs.
SP: “Adios” by Benjamin Clementine.
FS: “Winter in Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla.
Both choreographed by Stéphane.
:cheer:
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Happy to hear of Koshiro's return. :] If he's still coached by Stephane, I believe we're in for a treat when it comes to spins. Does anyone have the link to the supported skater bios? Because I've just seen a photo from the training camp with Jeffrey Buttle, and Koshiro looks about as tall as Keiji is already? :eek:
 

lavenderblossom

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Happy to hear of Koshiro's return. :] If he's still coached by Stephane, I believe we're in for a treat when it comes to spins. Does anyone have the link to the supported skater bios? Because I've just seen a photo from the training camp with Jeffrey Buttle, and Koshiro looks about as tall as Keiji is already? :eek:

https://twitter.com/MANA941207/status/1021654134779342849
According to his JSF bio he is 174cm now. What is Stephane feeding his students? They're all so tall! :laugh:
More pics from the camp
https://twitter.com/sn_figure/status/1021739761789292544
https://twitter.com/aqua_ice_/status/1021742284675592194
https://twitter.com/itsakurinut/status/1021749008044154880
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
If someone wants to see Koshiro's bio: https://skatingjapan.or.jp/national/detail.php?athlete_id=497
From what I gather, he's in the B funding category, he's sponsored by(?) Kinoshita Group like Miu/Ryuichi and Kana/Chris, he's now 173 cm tall (@lavenderblossom - wonder which account is mistaken then :D ), his goals for this season are skating at many competitions and acquiring experience, and he either likes food or cooking (料理, without すること - okay, which is it), games and music(?) (音楽鑑賞, help?)
OK, I'm now confused again as the OP says Koshiro is from Okayama but the bio says Ehime? :/ (ugh, there've been floods either way, I hope young Koshiro's family are alright!)
 
Top