Daisuke Takahashi | Page 47 | Golden Skate

Daisuke Takahashi

Pattina

On the Ice
Joined
May 1, 2013
Thank you, demarinis and deedee for your welcome !! :)
Yes, deedee, I am a Dai-chan fan :clap: and very proud of being a supporter of such a great (on and off ice) man.
 

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Thank you deedee for the photos and also for the kind words.

Nice montage of Dai, thanks let's talk.
 

let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007

Ahhhhh, thank you! This is THE performance that Daisuke took my heart all of sudden, completely and forever! :love: I can never get tired of watching his circular step sequence here; his whole body itself is the piano. I even more loved ESPN version (?, where Dick Button and Kurt did commentary back then), though all disappeared from YouTube due to copyright reason sadly.
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
臥薪嘗胆 Ga Shin Sho-Tan
<Part2> http://www.nnn.co.jp/dainichi/rensai/skate/130426/20130426040.html

Entire Audience Carried Away at End of Free Performance

2nd day of WTT (April 12th) was Mens Free, and there was an unfortunate accident before Takahashi skate: Constantin Menshov of Russia, the 10th skater of the night, fell on his triple Axel awfully, hit the shoulder severely, unable to continue and had to withdraw in the middle of his Free. As uncomfortable silence filled the arena, Takahashi was given 2 extra minutes, which originally was Menshov's, by the referee to parepare himself to start.
Immediately took to the ice, he skated around the rink to warm him up then tried a triple Lutz just to make sure, but fell on it and gave a wry smile with embarrasement. "That very unfortunate accident didn't affect my concentration so badly, I think. Rather, I felt relaxed thanks to my unexpected fall on the Lutz before my skate", he admitted later. Getting focused again and taking opening position, he waited for the start of Il Pagliaccio music. Takahashi's Free skating to this music has given everyone various colors, like a kaleidoscope, from one performance to another throughout the season. Audience watched him to start skating with mixed feelings; some knowing that they will not see this program anymore and feeling sad, some wishing him to be able to skate this program to its full potential and expecting his best performance here.

Once the music got started, Takahashi accelerated the speed and set himself for a takeoff of opening quad toe-loop. It wasn't perfect and he had to put hands on it. Then avoided the planned second quad toe (which should be in combination) and went for a triple-triple jumps. Landed the next jump, a Triple Axel securely, and continued to successfully land jumps one after another. His quad was not working well so far, thus his team's strategy this time was to go for just one quad, do other elements as best as he could and rack up every points as possible, owing to its nature of the competition as a 'team event', and he, keeping his composure, executed every elements as planned.

(cont'd)
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Takahashi then took entire audience carried away with his choreographic sequence at the end of the program. He brilliantly performed to express Pagliaccio Canio's agonies and grieves, and to express fortissimo and pianissiomo of this beautiful piece of music with his intricate yet sensitive blade work, effortless speed and with his whole upper body movements. That was the quintessence of Takahashi's skating; who btw admits he never sets any character when skating, but always feels the music and expresses it as he gets inspired from the music itself. Upon its climax of the music he ended the program with the final spin. Music came to a stop, silence in a split second, then entire audience sprang up on its feet and extended thunderous applause.

His Free scored 168.65 and won Mens Free. His TSS overall was 249.52 to place above the reigning world champion Patrick Chan (Canada). "Because I just couldn't land any of my quads successfully at any of my practice sessions and warm-ups, I am very happy that my quad was 'ratified' here", he said with a sigh of relief. "I don't think I am fully satisfied with my performance here, but it was good enough to end the season for me." Looking back his rough season filled with ups and downs, but finally came to its end with the desired result as best as he could, Takahashi told the media happily and honestly.

(onto Part 3)
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
臥薪嘗胆 Ga Shin Sho-Tan
<Part 3> http://www.nnn.co.jp/dainichi/rensai/skate/130427/20130427059.html

Believing All Challenges This Season Lead to Sochi

It's been quite a season full of challenges for Takahashi. First came was an announcement in June 2012, which was a surprise to many skating fans in the world, to welcome again Nokolai Morozov who once was his full time coach from 2005 to 2008 to his team.
Team Takahashi consists of specialists in various areas in order to help the skater with skills and knowledge of their own; e.g. his long time main coach Utako Nagamitsu, Takeshi Honda as his jump coach, physical/conditioning trainer and dietitian, and has produced remarkable results so far: the Olympic bronze medal in 2010 at Vancouver, World title in 2010 at Torino, Four Continent title in 2011, etc. And his breathtaking skate to Blues for Klook at last year's World Team Trophy was simply a gem in a true way when describing figure skating. His own skating flourishing at its peak almost, his team perfectly functioning and thoroughly prepared, there is nothing that are short of within this skater's surroudings it seemed. Thus, the news Takahashi teaming up with Morozov again was a bolt out of the blue to those all concerned in the sport.

'How would you round up this season and see your re-collaboration with Mr Morozov?', when asked at the post-competition press conference, he replied, "Well, what I see as a failure is I asked for too much of change. What I see as a success is he has spurred me to fire up my motivation, and training environment for me has improved for the better." The last time the skater worked with Morozov, it was the coach's role to provide a strategy and its specific steps on how to win, however, this answer of his indicates that the skater now seizes the initiatives on everything. "There is not much time left for me until Sochi. I want to do whatever I can do and I can think of (to improve my skating)"; Takahashi's such challenging spirit eventually lead him to change his skating boots and its blades as he headed for 2012-13 season.

(cont'd)
 

Pattina

On the Ice
Joined
May 1, 2013
Deedee1, thank you for your good job in translating the article. :)
It's getting more and more interesting. Although many info are not new, I am always eager to read about Dai-chan.
 

deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
臥薪嘗胆 Ga Shin Sho-Tan <Part 3>
(cont'd)

"This season Takahashi has changed his blade to 'Gold Seal', which is the same type he used before during his junior days and earlier senior days, in order to help doing change of directions on pivot such as quick turns", Coach Nagamitsu admitted to the media after the competition. John Wilson's 'Gold Seal' blade is famous for its sharper curve and capturing ice surface with a pivot, so that makes it very advantegeous to Takahahshi's great edge works, but at the same time, it's the weak point of this blade; affect jumps rather unstable due to its characteristic curve.
Heading into the Worlds in Canada this past March, the skater spent hours after hours for on-ice trainings at the team's rink in Simsbury, Connecticut USA, like he had never done before, but its result was far from the desired one. The team finally concluded the blade change did not work well to his advantage, and decided to go back to his old blade before World Team Trophy. "Around the time of Japanese Nationals (late December 2012), the blade was getting worn out and it had less curve, so that just worked out fine, or better I would say, for me (than it actually should have been) back then. But to tell the truth, I also started kind of suspicious and losing faith in my blade. 'It did not work. Okay, time to go back to the old blade', I thought", says Takahashi.

Another big challenge, that should be noteworty, out of his this season is changing the Short Program right before the Four Continent Championships. Coach Nagamitsu explains: "In the Olympic season, we just can't afford a risky choice like this one. And the fact that there is only one short program and one free program left for my skater before he retires from competitive skating. I wanted to see him skate another short program with different taste of music. I wanted 'let' him skate one more program." Then she continued, "Our goal this past season was that we, as the team, do everything we can think of, so that we have nothing left undone, untried and unsolved before we start our preparation for Sochi Olympic season. Not all of good results will always link to better indications later. Not necessarily so. However, every bad results will always give us more indications full of ingredients for the better and give us more choices to make. That's my belief as a coach. For that matter, we had a good and meaningful season overall, I say."
"We have started our preparation for Sochi as the 'three-season project' (since Spring 2011), and this quad for the Games (which shall be my third one if I am allowed to go), I think I am most prepared for it. I can do a little more. I can go a little further. If I keep myself doing so day in and day out, then, I will be able to still improve myself. That's my intention, for now and throughout my journey to Sochi", the 27-year old skater, putting his competitive fire inside of him, concluded the pre-Olympic season.
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(end)
 
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