I am very happy to hear that Yukari finally found a sponsor, The Prince Hotel!!! The article says that she now "belongs to" the company, by which I understand that she is perhaps hired by that company for her amature skating activities, which would probably give her a stable financial source to much or all of her expenses for skating and for the daily life. I am very very happy for her that she can now skate without financial strain. Her efforts and improvements are deservingly acknowledged.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080402-00000170-mai-spo (Japanese)
She has just finished her undergrad at the Waseda Univ and will be in grad school at Waseda while skating. I have no idea how graduate studies and skating can be pursued simulteneously because grad studies certainly deserve the fill-time or even 120%-time commitment so does being a top skater. But perhaps it might depends on how much Waseda----as a private school----values her skills, talent, and potentiality as a skater. Perhaps they would be proud of having an Olympic medal contender, judging from the way the school and almuni were excited about Shizuka's Gold (Shizuka also did her undergrad at Waseda). Now that Yukari has the company to belong to, I feel that her commitment to graduate school could be even more flexible.
Daisuke has also started grad school at the Kansai Univ, the same univ. from which he has just graduated. Kansai Univ is extremely proud of him. They gave him a special award at his graduation. Staying at Kansai Univ also would be good for him because of the good university rink that they built for Dai, Nobu, and others. I wonder if he doesn't find a company to belong to. He has appeared at multiple commercials. But I don't think that he has a specific company to belong to. Yet, sometimes one could earn more by doing so (like Mao does; Miki also used to so before), than belonging to one specific company (like Miki and Kozuka now do).
As for Yukari, I think that belonging to just one company would work for her better. I simply cannot imagine her appearing all the commercials because she is known for being serious by nature and all the media exposures could be too much distraction for her. She looks like a very decent, reliable young lady whom you would like to see belonging to an ordinary school or a company rather than as an individual star who gets attention in TV. So I am happy for her that she now belongs to such a decent, dependable company as The Prince Hotel. She could focus on her skating and studies calmly and steadily.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080402-00000170-mai-spo (Japanese)
She has just finished her undergrad at the Waseda Univ and will be in grad school at Waseda while skating. I have no idea how graduate studies and skating can be pursued simulteneously because grad studies certainly deserve the fill-time or even 120%-time commitment so does being a top skater. But perhaps it might depends on how much Waseda----as a private school----values her skills, talent, and potentiality as a skater. Perhaps they would be proud of having an Olympic medal contender, judging from the way the school and almuni were excited about Shizuka's Gold (Shizuka also did her undergrad at Waseda). Now that Yukari has the company to belong to, I feel that her commitment to graduate school could be even more flexible.
Daisuke has also started grad school at the Kansai Univ, the same univ. from which he has just graduated. Kansai Univ is extremely proud of him. They gave him a special award at his graduation. Staying at Kansai Univ also would be good for him because of the good university rink that they built for Dai, Nobu, and others. I wonder if he doesn't find a company to belong to. He has appeared at multiple commercials. But I don't think that he has a specific company to belong to. Yet, sometimes one could earn more by doing so (like Mao does; Miki also used to so before), than belonging to one specific company (like Miki and Kozuka now do).
As for Yukari, I think that belonging to just one company would work for her better. I simply cannot imagine her appearing all the commercials because she is known for being serious by nature and all the media exposures could be too much distraction for her. She looks like a very decent, reliable young lady whom you would like to see belonging to an ordinary school or a company rather than as an individual star who gets attention in TV. So I am happy for her that she now belongs to such a decent, dependable company as The Prince Hotel. She could focus on her skating and studies calmly and steadily.
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