“(The top three) have always been there, ever since I was juvenile,” Tomoki Hiwatashi, the 2016 U.S. junior champion who sat fourth after the short program in Detroit, said. “When I got first (place) in juvenile, Vincent got first in intermediate. Jason was already junior or senior, Nathan was novice first place.”
“They have always been ahead of me – more than a step or two, like 100 steps,” the 19-year-old added. “I’m just taking longer. I don’t think I should try too hard to catch up. Right now, I should let it go with the flow and catch up whenever I can.”
For Hiwatashi, who trains in Colorado Springs under Christy Krall and Damon Allen, consistency is the challenge. He won bronze at the 2016 World Junior Figure Skating Championships and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final in December, but placed sixth after popping his triple Axel in the short program.
“When I was young I got every jump every time, easy,” he said. “When I came up to junior, it became harder for me to skate consistent. I feel like it’s mental. I’ve grown up, I’ve gotten more mature but I’ve also gotten more sensitive about what others say, how others look at me.”
The skater thinks he may have overthought things at the Junior Grand Prix Final. So in Detroit, he played it close to the vest, holing up in his hotel room and listening to anime music.
“Before the Junior Grand Prix Final, I was trying to get my mind ready and get everything in the right place,” Hiwatashi said. “I feel like that kind of made it worse for me. Now I’m just going in, skating and sleeping.”
The rarest of all medals! (I can't think of any competition besides US Nationals that awards it...)Many congrats to Tomoki for TWO fabulous skates and getting the Pewter medal at the US Nats!