Kanako Murakami

Maria Victoria said:

Link to translation of conversation of Mao, Akiko, and Kanako from the Team Japan thread: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/sho...r-April-2014&p=4253628&viewfull=1#post4253628.

Click to expand...

Kanako Murakami; “Right now, I’m just thinking about skating till the next season.”

Q: How are you feeling right now?
A: I don’t really feel that great. My stomach’s not feeling its best.

Q: Thinking back, how well do you think you did this time around at the World Championships?
A: I did really well in training, so I’m not sure myself what went wrong. In fact, I wasn’t particularly nervous, either. It’s just that my body went rigid when I heard the music. I plan on rewatching the recordings of the competition and discuss with my coach on where I may have gone wrong in order to fix my mistakes.

Q: How did you feel about your first Olympic Games?
A: It felt like a very busy season.

Q: When do you think was the hardest and most tiring for you?
A: Probably the time when I switched my short program.

Q: After the Sochi Olympics, you said that you had developed a desire to perform your ideal program. How do you plan on carrying this desire onto the next season?
A: My mindset isn’t that I want to patch up the hole in my abilities, but that I want to start over again completely new. I want to be able to create a me who is even stronger than before, so I plan to abandon all of my previous ways of thinking. So for now, I don’t know how I plan to continue yet.

Q: Then are you angry at yourself?
A: My willpower is really weak, so I want to be able to change that. In order to change that, perhaps I’ll have to restart from the beginning.

Q: Do you think you’ll need to start over even in terms of artistry and performance?
A: I’m the type who is scared of challenging new things, so I think I’d like to at least give it a shot even if it doesn’t necessarily make a difference.

Q: Is there anything that you would like to change in particular?
A: I haven’t discussed this with my coaches yet. I plan to decide after going through everything with them first. At my age right now, I’ll need to train all of my weaknesses as well. So whatever I decide to focus on will definitely include my skating skills, in addition to my understanding and interpretation of the programs.

Q: For a time, you said that this season could possibly be the “synthesis of all your years of experience”. What did you mean by that?
A: I’ve actually thought about retiring if I was able to achieve good results at the 2014 World Championships. My dream since I was little was to become a figure skating coach. I had thought that I’ve worked very hard as an athlete already, and that I should continue working hard as a coach. If any ice shows invited me to skate, I would go as training to become a coach. However, I now get the feeling that it’s not over yet, and that I need to continue on for just a while longer.

Q: Do you plan on developing a plan to get to the PyeongChang Olympics?
A: Right now, I’m just thinking about skating till the next season. It’s hard to see so far into the future. If I can get the feeling of accomplishment from having what I consider as the perfect performance, perhaps I’ll retire. However, if I feel like I can continue on skating, I’ll continue being a representative athlete. I guess I’ll decide during the World Championships next year, assuming that i can get in.

Q: Are there any skaters that you greatly respect and wish to be like?
A: I want to become a skater who is a combination of Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner, and Akiko Suzuki. I respect these three skaters the most.

Q: Which attributes specifically do you respect these skaters for?
A: I’ve always thought that Mao’s willpower is very strong, so I wish that I can become as strong as she is. Akiko has a very strong artistry sense and skates as if it’s effortless, so I hope that I can be able to do that as well. Carolina has an exceptionally strong stage presence. All her performances leave the audience begging for more. I really wish that I can become a strong skater like her.

Q: Personally, do you think that in order to become a coach, you’ll need to become the Japanese champion in order to fully pass on your years of experience?
A: It might be because my coach, Machiko Yamada, wasn’t the top skater during her competitive career, but I don’t think there’s any relation in being having to become the best in order to be the best coach. The only way to differentiate a good coach from a bad coach is how much you love the sport, and if you’re able to pass on that love for skating to your students. Perhaps good results will help in the beginning, but overall, I don’t really think much about it.

Q: What kind of skater was Machiko Yamada when she was still competing?
A: Apparently, she hated skating (laughs). In fact, I’ve also heard that she slacked off a lot, too. Ironically, she was able to win in the High School Nationals. As a coach now, she doesn’t skate anymore, but when I was in the novice and junior categories, she would still skate from time to time. I had thought that she skated beautifully at the time. The skaters from her time were more focused on skating skills rather than jumps, so when she told me this point, the memory of her skating resurfaced.

Click to expand...

ioanap said:

Kanako interview from Worlds (source)

Click to expand...

FSGMT said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QabpaVzltc&index=14&list=UUn0jt61Kcp5aY7HDiOOrhlQ
Could this be Kanako's new SP? :think: With a 3F at the beginning, then the 3T+3T where she did the 2S+2T+2Lo, the 2A instead of the split jump and a layback at the end... The length of the program is exactly 2:50 so it could really fit... It could really be a good program, except for that last music cut :no:

Click to expand...

FSGMT said:

Interesting point about not having a big willpower :think: In order to challenge the Russians, she needs more than a 3T+3T in the short, I'm afraid... Even Carolina (who is a better overall skater than Kanako) had to go back to the 3F+3T if she wanted to earn a medal at Worlds/Olympics, maybe she could try again the 3F+3T as she did in 2011-2012 (even if the results were not very good)

Click to expand...

juuryokunashi said:

I love Kanako (Team Japan, really) and I do wish for her to continue until Pyeongchang, but yes, she only made clear that she's staying for this season. As for staying the whole quad, I have a feeling she wouldn't.

Click to expand...

sunny_stars said:

I know what you feel. I would love for her to continue on. However, I also do love her for thinking of what else is in the future.

Click to expand...

Maria Victoria said:

^I'm crossing my fingers Kanako will fix the technical issues as to her jumps and do well in her GP assignments and Japan Nationals this year... and skate in the galas paired with Yuzuru (who's also in the same events). In the same way Yuzuru has said Kanako cheers him up earnestly, I hope some of his competitive fire and resoluteness will rub off on her. I think with good results, she can be convinced to continue until Pyeongchang like Tatsuki. Now is also the time for her to step out of Mao's shadow as Mao will not be competing this season.

Lovely video of Kanako-Yuzuru moments for over a decade (2003-2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRkEY3drRvU. Many thanks to the uploader OliviaCrystal.
Highlight for me was the beginning showing the aftermath of Yuzuru winning the gold medal in the Olympics, where, as described by Tumblr blogger Yuzukana: "The way Kana looked at Yuzu when leaving is somehow mix of happiness and sadness. Luckily, Yuzu walked through those reporters to call her back and hug her. Sweet couple!"

Click to expand...

Maria Victoria said:

^I'm crossing my fingers Kanako will fix the technical issues as to her jumps and do well in her GP assignments and Japan Nationals this year... and skate in the galas paired with Yuzuru (who's also in the same events). In the same way Yuzuru has said Kanako cheers him up earnestly, I hope some of his competitive fire and resoluteness will rub off on her. I think with good results, she can be convinced to continue until Pyeongchang like Tatsuki. Now is also the time for her to step out of Mao's shadow as Mao will not be competing this season.

Lovely video of Kanako-Yuzuru moments for over a decade (2003-2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRkEY3drRvU. Many thanks to the uploader OliviaCrystal.
Highlight for me was the beginning showing the aftermath of Yuzuru winning the gold medal in the Olympics, where, as described by Tumblr blogger Yuzukana: "The way Kana looked at Yuzu when leaving is somehow mix of happiness and sadness. Luckily, Yuzu walked through those reporters to call her back and hug her. Sweet couple!"

Click to expand...

Maria Victoria said:

Lovely video of Kanako-Yuzuru moments for over a decade (2003-2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRkEY3drRvU. Many thanks to the uploader OliviaCrystal.
Highlight for me was the beginning showing the aftermath of Yuzuru winning the gold medal in the Olympics, where, as described by Tumblr blogger Yuzukana: "The way Kana looked at Yuzu when leaving is somehow mix of happiness and sadness. Luckily, Yuzu walked through those reporters to call her back and hug her. Sweet couple!"

Click to expand...