- 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.
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.