- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
I really find Shoma fascinating. His unusual thoughts about skating don't surprise me at all. It makes sense that someone who has his competition records and accolades will have this kind of temperament, because it's very hard otherwise to explain his longevity and resilience when constantly faced with skaters who on paper have significantly superior athletic, technical and/or artistic prowess than he is. But he remains singularly himself and never tried to be anyone else. I think his ability to be honest with himself has been key in finding what works for him as an athlete, regardless of what fans or observers feel about the correctness of it.
His relationship with Lambiel reminds me of his relationship with Mihoko Higuchi, his previous coach (currently Rena Uezono's and Mana Kawabe's coach). The difference is mostly in we have coverage of Lambiel's openness about what he thinks and feels about Shoma's career, while I had the sense that Higuchi was less covered about due to language barrier and her relatively lower profile. The loyalty and devotion Shoma has for them is pretty much identical. At the same time that loyalty does not equal his obedience as he goes against their opinions often and clashes with them. But it's a fascinating pattern in his career.
At the end of the day, Shoma can't compete forever. And while I think he's aware enough of his physical limitations and he's gracious enough to fairly appreciate his younger competitors, I hope when the day comes... Shoma will be able to step down from competitions with grace with two skates he can be proud of himself of, since that's a privilege that's not granted to every top skater, not even his predecessors. In a way I am enjoying the journey a lot as Shoma "winds down" as usually a top skater retires abruptly or never announce anything but just doesn't come back. But he seems to be doing it in a way that is realistic about the end, but is unsure about how his path will take him there.
His relationship with Lambiel reminds me of his relationship with Mihoko Higuchi, his previous coach (currently Rena Uezono's and Mana Kawabe's coach). The difference is mostly in we have coverage of Lambiel's openness about what he thinks and feels about Shoma's career, while I had the sense that Higuchi was less covered about due to language barrier and her relatively lower profile. The loyalty and devotion Shoma has for them is pretty much identical. At the same time that loyalty does not equal his obedience as he goes against their opinions often and clashes with them. But it's a fascinating pattern in his career.
At the end of the day, Shoma can't compete forever. And while I think he's aware enough of his physical limitations and he's gracious enough to fairly appreciate his younger competitors, I hope when the day comes... Shoma will be able to step down from competitions with grace with two skates he can be proud of himself of, since that's a privilege that's not granted to every top skater, not even his predecessors. In a way I am enjoying the journey a lot as Shoma "winds down" as usually a top skater retires abruptly or never announce anything but just doesn't come back. But he seems to be doing it in a way that is realistic about the end, but is unsure about how his path will take him there.
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