Shoma Uno | Page 714 | Golden Skate

Shoma Uno

c3zara

On the Ice
Joined
May 17, 2018
Country
Romania
I did this incomplete translation for a friend who is self-claimed "his maman" - I just cherry picked the parts of her interests.
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On the last point, which proves contrary to some people who criticized him for being arrogant, this is something to be considered!

Well, looking at the GP season, Shoma will be at IdF, after Deniss did SC the week before. Grenoble is only a 2 and a half hours drive from Champery, it's not like Stephane has to fly across the world or anything, it's quite doable IMO. Then both Deniss and Shoma will be at Rostelecom. Stephane will be likely to travel to Japan for the Nationals to accompany Koshiro anyway... Not a bad set-up if Stephane is to continue looking after Shoma ....????


Thanks a lot for the translation!
I found this interview fascinating. Shoma’s way of thinking and the way he answers questions have always been 2 of the things I love the most about him. I’m surprised to hear someone could consider him arrogant, I see him as quite the opposite.
About Eteri, I think this is another direct quote translated, really interesting: https://twitter.com/kokomadekokomo/status/1151446880397619200?s=20

And after all this my excitement level for the new programs went through the roof! The wait will be hard.
 

OniBan

Final Flight
Joined
May 8, 2014
I did this incomplete translation for a friend who is self-claimed "his maman" - I just cherry picked the parts of her interests.

Initially the idea to look for the new horizon came from Coach Yamada, the older lady. She felt that it was time, she felt that looking for a new challenge in a new environment will do him good, because he has been so coccooned in a comfy, familiar atmosphere for his entire career. (He didn't elaborate further, saying he is incapable of communicating her ideas and explanation very well) - when he told Ms. Mihoko about all this she was fully supportive and assured she will continue to support him no matter what.

For this, he said he will do his best to attain the best results possible, which he believes his former coaches would be pleased to see.

He is happy with the camp in Russia. He was prepared for hard training with Tutberidze, but towards the end of the camp, surprisingly she showed some human, gentle side as well, and he was glad to have a better mutual understanding with her. He became used to train at his own pace in recent years, it felt like he time slipped to his little boy years, training under various orders, do this! do that!

The reason he said the new programs will be like an exhibition program -
He always made his competition programs with Ms. Mihoko. Shae Lynn & David Wilson (who will do his SP and FP, respectively in August) has worked with some of his Ex programs, so in that sense it will make him feel like doing an exhibition program.
SP with Shae Lynn will be a wild, powerful number. She made me get over my embarrassment, face paint and all, with the Great Spirit program, we will take that energy to another level for the SP.
Wilson sent him 2 suggestions of the music, he replied him saying which one he prefered - but he had no idea what music it is, title or artist (very Shoma like lol) - just sounds Ex-ish.

Approach for this season - not to criticize the system, the sport is all about jumps today. You wanna win, you jump. If you can't jump, you lose and it's not fun. So all the programs are made based on jumps, every movement, every element centres around the next jump to follow. But this season, I want to shift that attitude, and I want to concentrate on building a program which expresses myself, tells something about myself, and I told that to David. I want to compete with a program which is really mine, a program with which I can truly feel myself.

The reason he announced that he will probably just remain coach-less.
At this point, it is becoming too close to the new season. All the coaches have already mapped out the plan for the coming year. I don't think it's a good idea, or correct even, to suddenly ask a new coach, at this period of the year to commit to me, accompany me to all the competitions etc. So I don't hold a high hope for finding a suitable permanent arrangement so quickly. I try to work hard at my own pace and see what comes along.

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On the last point, which proves contrary to some people who criticized him for being arrogant, this is something to be considered!

Well, looking at the GP season, Shoma will be at IdF, after Deniss did SC the week before. Grenoble is only a 2 and a half hours drive from Champery, it's not like Stephane has to fly across the world or anything, it's quite doable IMO. Then both Deniss and Shoma will be at Rostelecom. Stephane will be likely to travel to Japan for the Nationals to accompany Koshiro anyway... Not a bad set-up if Stephane is to continue looking after Shoma ....????

thank you for the translation, MGstyle! Much appreciated :)

It's lovely to hear his insight regarding his camp stint in Russia, his programs and his former coaches. I am particularly touched at the fact that part of the reason he isn't settling on a coach yet is because he felt he might disrupt their plans for the coming season. It's just... telling how he would think of other people first before his own needs, even when you can argue that in this case, he could stand to put his needs first.

It's good to know he had good experience out of Eteri's summer camp, and I hope what positive relationships he had forged during his stint there are ones that would last no matter where his training base would be. I wonder now if there is a possibility of him using Sambo-70 training base to train in during Rostelecom (he always flies in earlier to acclimatize).

And I am loving that he is out to fully explore and express himself through his programs next season. He's always been a beautiful skater to me, and I can't wait to see this will all pan out.

Edit: and interesting observation about Stephane and Switzerland training base! For all the speculations (negative and otherwise) I do think each camp Shoma chose were chosen to address specific things he'd like to work on - and the timing correlates with the schedule he had charted out (the Swiss camp is right about the time after he gets his programs done, which means there's possibility of Stephane helping him polish the choreographic details)
 

sallyhatchet

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 26, 2018
Approach for this season - not to criticize the system, the sport is all about jumps today. You wanna win, you jump. If you can't jump, you lose and it's not fun. So all the programs are made based on jumps, every movement, every element centres around the next jump to follow. But this season, I want to shift that attitude, and I want to concentrate on building a program which expresses myself, tells something about myself, and I told that to David. I want to compete with a program which is really mine, a program with which I can truly feel myself.

Thank you so much for the translation :love:
Despite my initial trepidation I'm actually getting really excited for this season. I hope Shoma can really hone in on what he loves about skating, it sounds like something he needs to move forward and I think will help him be stronger overall even if his scores suffer for this season. I can't wait to see the new programs! :hap10:
 

MGstyle

Crawling around on the ice after chestnuts
Medalist
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Thank you so much for the translation :love:
Despite my initial trepidation I'm actually getting really excited for this season. I hope Shoma can really hone in on what he loves about skating, it sounds like something he needs to move forward and I think will help him be stronger overall even if his scores suffer for this season. I can't wait to see the new programs! :hap10:

I felt the same way, this interview conveys a lot of positive vibe. His transition, while not identical, somewhat parallels the journey Jason and Zhenya M. selected to take last year, which both took a while to settle but then it started to show a definite upward swing in the latter half of the season for both of them. The new programs sounds quite interesting as well, and I am becoming excited for him.
 

Arriba627

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION 🔥
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Country
United-States
Really looking forward to his new programs. Hope he has a chance to test them out at some of the ice shows he will be doing. Will look forward to him doing Japan Open. That's his first official competition, right? Haven't heard anything about a Challenge event. Adding: As of today 7-20, Challengers have not yet been announced.

This made me laugh, but I don't think it will be his new look! :love: https://twitter.com/rei_w2020/status/1151503248110452741
 

Zenchio63

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Thanks for that fantastic translation, MGstyle. :pray: Loved how Shoma is approaching his new programs. Cannot wait to see them. Regarding the coaching situation for the new season, how about asking Coach Fluffy to accompany him to competitions as she can still help him out in the non-technical dept and provide emotional & moral support, while he continues to work with other jump coaches. Just an idea.
 

Imov

Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Thanks MGstyle for the translation.
I have mixed emotions on Shoma's status for now.
But I will continue to trust him on this one. I hope he finds the place he is looking for.
Because I want to see him in Beijing 2022 too.
 

Bcath

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 11, 2018
The Japanese training camp was quite the scene with Shoma swooping in as a hometown hero. So many hugs, laughter, such happiness all around. Whatever else happens, Shoma is a Japanese man who has strong cultural roots. It’s brave of him to look outside Japan for coaching. Perhaps experts will go to him. I foresee the Switzerland gig being just the right mix of athletes village, pleasant digs, scenery, ice time, training mates, friends etc. Russia simply did not have a very hedonist vibe.
 

MGstyle

Crawling around on the ice after chestnuts
Medalist
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
The requirement at Tutberidze camp >>> Go Vegetarian :laugh2: (or at least a diet based on mainly vegetables...???)
 

asyuraniel

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Oh my god! So basically he said because shoma will not fulfill the camp criteria that why he cannot be in there. Can I be sarcastic, the camp requirement is to use their chosen song and choreography and shoma just said “NO!!! Not for the ugly choreography and music cut!!”
 

lariko

Medalist
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Country
Canada
The requirement at Tutberidze camp >>> Go Vegetarian :laugh2: (or at least a diet based on mainly vegetables...???)

Chocolate, if you go by Medvedeva’s description of her diet before she went to Orser.

Lol, what an article... we won’t say what it was, but something did not work out. But, tbh, Uno and Tuberidze cooperation would have placed a huge baggage of expectations on both of them in the upcoming season, with Eteri’s students manning women’s podiums, and Uno’s star quality. If Uno stayed off next season, right after this high profile search for a new coach, it would have been bad optics.

I keep my fingers crossed that Uno has a beautiful artistic season, no matter where he places vs the other skaters.
 

Arriba627

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION 🔥
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Country
United-States
The requirement at Tutberidze camp >>> Go Vegetarian :laugh2: (or at least a diet based on mainly vegetables...???)

:rofl: You are too funny MG! For me, the whole article doesn't work because it starts with the premise that there was a very good possibility that Sho was going to train there permanently. I never bought into that idea, as I'm sure many of you didn't. Just because you go to a camp or to work on a particular skill with someone, that doesn't mean all that much. It's also hard to believe that there was ONE particular reason why he wouldn't train there. I suppose we could make a list. Ha, the deal breaker would have to be the vegetarian diet! :laugh: Or he had to have Dani G's choreo with 5 music cuts for the FS. Or he had to learn Russian :console: (obviously, just head tripping here). I think he took it for what it was -- a good, temporary experience and a chance to see what makes other training environments "tick"...The fact that he worked with Alex 5 times, that never meant he was going to train with him full time. (Don't I wish!) But it's a good opportunity to get a little out of your comfort zone and see what else is out there.

Oh, Jack. I'll be breathlessly awaiting your next scoop. Be sure to warn us though, cos sometimes I'm not sure if the scoop is really the scoop! :furious:
 

MGstyle

Crawling around on the ice after chestnuts
Medalist
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
:rofl: You are too funny MG! For me, the whole article doesn't work because it starts with the premise that there was a very good possibility that Sho was going to train there permanently. I never bought into that idea, as I'm sure many of you didn't. Just because you go to a camp or to work on a particular skill with someone, that doesn't mean all that much. It's also hard to believe that there was ONE particular reason why he wouldn't train there. I suppose we could make a list. Ha, the deal breaker would have to be the vegetarian diet! :laugh: Or he had to have Dani G's choreo with 5 music cuts for the FS. Or he had to learn Russian :console: (obviously, just head tripping here). I think he took it for what it was -- a good, temporary experience and a chance to see what makes other training environments "tick"...The fact that he worked with Alex 5 times, that never meant he was going to train with him full time. (Don't I wish!) But it's a good opportunity to get a little out of your comfort zone and see what else is out there.

Oh, Jack. I'll be breathlessly awaiting your next scoop. Be sure to warn us though, cos sometimes I'm not sure if the scoop is really the scoop! :furious:

Haha well jokes aside, that's my impression as well. I just don't see any chemistry between him and Tutberidze at all - good to hear that they had a positive relationship for a temporary camp and an overall good experience, - I was also rather surprised that she was willing to take him on as a permanent student (initially I assumed it was unlikely that she would have any interest or time for him), so that shows that he made a positive impression in that iron environment, which is good. Now my anticipation for his adventure in Champery will be exploding, to see what he will be up to both on and off the ice :luv17:
 

Arriba627

TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION 🔥
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Country
United-States
Haha well jokes aside, that's my impression as well. I just don't see any chemistry between him and Tutberidze at all - good to hear that they had a positive relationship for a temporary camp and an overall good experience, - I was also rather surprised that she was willing to take him on as a permanent student (initially I assumed it was unlikely that she would have any interest or time for him), so that shows that he made a positive impression in that iron environment, which is good. Now my anticipation for his adventure in Champery will be exploding, to see what he will be up to both on and off the ice :luv17:

The systems are so different with the Russian skaters being funded by the government (right?) and the skaters in Japan being funded by their families (and partially by the Federation). It makes sense that in Japan the parents would have much more involvement, because they're footing the bill! I just don't see Shoma's family sitting back on the sidelines while a coaching team decides everything for him. Not gonna happen. Neither situation is any better or any worse, they're just different...The U.S. pairs skaters Ashley Cain & Timothy Leduc come to my mind when I'm thinking of people going abroad for coaching. They LOVE going for training with Nina Mozer, and she has made a huge difference in their skating. However, it would be highly doubtful that they would ever relocate to Russia. But their relationship has been a very fruitful, beneficial one.

Now Sho and Stephane on the other hand -- well, that's like a mutual admiration society. It will be fun to see what happens while he is in Switzerland. Hopefully Sho can get his niku in Switzerland. Maybe niku fondue?! :popcorn:
 

liv

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
My very first thought to what he couldn't agree to with the Eteri camp was them insisting on their music cuts and choreography!! :)
 
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