Koshiro Shimada | Page 16 | Golden Skate

Koshiro Shimada

DenissVFan

Medalist
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Even though I was very tired last night I stayed up to watch Koshiro's skate and really enjoyed it. The 3As were conquered :clap: and the artistic quality was very nice. No 3T-3T but a 3T-2T instead :laugh:
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
My photos from Nebelhorn Trophy with Koshiro and Stéphane in this Twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/tuerush/status/1184800141154357248
Thank you very much, Reut-san, for all the beautiful photos and interview articles (I especially love Matilda's one, it's always great to know how his rink-mates are doing), as always. It's also nice to learn that Koshiro's English is getting better and good enough (not perfectly enough but still to some extent, I'm guessing it still takes a lot of patience on the interviewer's side) now for an interview like that too! Hopefully he'll soon become even better and be able to tell you more in detail like how much he loves Stephane, his teammates, and his Swiss environment, and everything else as much as he wants to.
 

reut

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Thank you very much, Reut-san, for all the beautiful photos and interview articles (I especially love Matilda's one, it's always great to know how his rink-mates are doing), as always. It's also nice to learn that Koshiro's English is getting better and good enough (not perfectly enough but still to some extent, I'm guessing it still takes a lot of patience on the interviewer's side) now for an interview like that too! Hopefully he'll soon become even better and be able to tell you more in detail like how much he loves Stephane, his teammates, and his Swiss environment, and everything else as much as he wants to.

Thank you very much, Tsurara! Mixed zone interviews have their own specifics, they have to be fast and short. Usually skaters are still wearing their skates and standing while talking (although I proposed Koshiro to sit and he was happy to do it). His English is good enough for short answers and for understanding my questions, but I could feel (and I know from his other interviews which you so kindly translated for us) that he has much more to say than he currently can express in English. Usually in such cases if you have a long talk, without rush, you can try to understand what your interviewee wants to say, you can try and guess and continue his sentence and help him to rephrase things and he will confirm that you understood correctly, or just to give him time to think a bit more and find words. But this is only when you have enough time and nobody is in a hurry, which is definitely not the case with mixed zone talks. I hope we'll have longer talks one day. :)
Glad you liked my interview with Matilda. Hope you'll like the one I had with Robert too. :)
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Glad you liked my interview with Matilda. Hope you'll like the one I had with Robert too. :)
:eeking:You mean one of the coaches, Robert Dierking...!? Where can I find it?

And thanks a lot for your explanation (love those outside-interview stories too!) and I'm looking forward to seeing another one with long talks too :love:
I haven't translated much of the articles and interviews on him for a while for various reasons recently, but he's been VERY talkative as always, it feels as if he's getting even more talkative as the media started covering him more and more lately. I'm sure he has a lot to tell you when you get a chance to have some long talks!

---

Skate America Interview After SP

- Shimada just had his GPS debut, you must have felt different kinds of tensions. How does it feel now?
Right now, both kuyashii (frustrating/disappointing) and good... To be frank, it feels like clear. The mistake on the toe-loop was huge, but as for the rest, like the last combination jump, I think I managed to execute it very agressively, even though the first jump (of the combo) got kind of jammed.
- You started your program with 3A, tell me, how did you feel at the moment of jumping it?
As for the 3A, I could jump it with confidence. For the rest of the jumps, it felt like I couldn't manage to make ideal entries as I pictured, I was straining myself a bit too much and being nervous, and that may be the cause of my mistakes today, I think. But today, before I performed, I had a lot of different images (mental pictures) of myself, some bad and some good, filling me up all over in my head. And I managed to do just about the average/median of all those images. That gave me some confidence.
- I saw you closing your eyes a bit after your performance and looked like you were relishing it. What were you thinking then?
Thanks to the cheers of all those who came here to watch, I could keep going on and it felt so comfortable while skating. So, it was a kind of afterglow, and then I got reminded of my mistakes afterwards... I had loads of various feelings. All in all, I myself had a great fun, I could skate very comfortably, and so I think I needed this experience to step up further on the senior level in the future.
- I'm sure you had a lot to gain and learn today. What would you like us to see in your performance tomorrow?
For the time being, I am not yet able to bring out all in a competition as I want, like my own expectations for myself, self-confidence and as such. So I first need to be confident with my own skating, starting with the practice, and then with my performance - it's "Artist" for free - I'd like to do my best to bring an excitement to those who are watching.
- Looking forward to it tomorrow.
Thank you.

Skate America Interview After FS

- Your GPS debut, you fought it out.
Thank you. I was really nervous, to the point that I was aware that I had a wrong kind of nervousness. I made a mistake with the first toe-loop, but I forced myself to pull it, and then afterward, I could go with the rest of the jumps more agressively, showing myself a bit stronger than before.
- What kind of competition did it become for you?
It's a real special one. I for myself find this experience absolutely necessary for my career. At Kiss and Cry, Stephane coach and I were talking about it and he gave me a very strong (supportive) reassurance. I'll continue to train on, believing in those words from him and in myself.
 

icetug

Medalist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
I for myself find this experience absolutely necessary for my career. At Kiss and Cry, Stephane coach and I were talking about it and he gave me a very strong (supportive) reassurance. I'll continue to train on, believing in those words from him and in myself.

Koshiro had really solid GP debut - in fact 4T was the only jump he didn't manage to land in both program. And got level 4 for all his spins. Surely there is still a lot to work on, but in the same time there was a lot to be proud of :agree:.
 

reut

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
:eeking:You mean one of the coaches, Robert Dierking...!? Where can I find it?

It wasn't published yet. I have two more interviews to finish before I'll be able to work on this one, but it will come eventually. And I hope you'll like it. :)

And thanks a lot for your explanation (love those outside-interview stories too!) and I'm looking forward to seeing another one with long talks too :love:

Looking forward to have those talks some day. :)
 

dramasocks

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Hi! Sorry for jumping in, but wanted to drop by and share this interview!

Koshiro Shimada in an interview with AREA shared about what it was like training with Shoma Uno. They would do “runthrough races” everyday to see who could complete more clean ones. He also mentions Shoma’s jumps and how many times Shoma would do them repeatedly in practice.

He also talks about his admiration of Satoko Miyahara’s artistry and couldn’t stop watching her during her runthroughs (I’m assuming this is when Satton visited Champery)

Rika Kihira inspires him to work on his 3A, because he thinks hers are good.

The words from Stephane that inspired Koshiro’s goal (to let himself bloom as he is) for this season and motivate him when he doubts himself: “There are skaters who did much better than me by their achievements. But I can tell you with confidence that I enjoy my life as a coach now the best. So just go your own way!”

(Translation by @feimeicheng on Instagram)

Excited to see Koshiro at NHK and wishing the best for him :) I find him to be a lovely and expressive skater, and I always look forward to his skates!
 

icetug

Medalist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017

Well known true: when you want to have a photo, just stay near Yuzuru ;)
Or sit.Or pose together.

Koshiro keeps his SP content, but his planned FS content is really interesting (comparing to SA).

No 4T+3T for the opening, but 4S :reye:, followed by 3A+3T instead of 3A+2T and, as the 5th jumping pass: 4T+2T instead of 4T. Great he feels comfortable with 4S enough to include it to his FS.

He'll start as the 6th tomorrow.

Good luck!
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Koshiro at Press Conference for NHK Trophy today:

"There is nothing much special that I particularly did after my first GPS (SkAm) for my second (NHK). I've just been repeating the same stuff (for training) each single day. Mainly, I focused on doing run-throughs. I've come to think I need to do (run-throughs) time and time again, so that's the first thing I did. And as for my impression from the first GPS, I couldn't help but feel the wall (hurdle to get over) for Seniors. I got caught up in the atmosphere there in some ways. We just had an official practice earlier, and it still feels to me like I've been dreaming, to be honest, as if I wasn't there in reality, it made me feel like I was actually not standing on my feet in the real life. And I'm honestly a bit angry at myself (for feeling that way). So, before tomorrow comes, I'll have to level-headedly face up to myself, to re-examine what I'm supposed to do, and I would like to deliver good performances both in short and free. "

---

https://twitter.com/mikekurochatora/status/1197498591377444866
Koshiro with Sota and Hanyu, now and once upon a time...


You can read the article on AERA that dramasocks shared the translation above, here (2 pages)
https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2019112000032.html?page=1
https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2019112000032.html?page=2

But I actually liked the below one better released last month in Asahi Digital (but with paywall)
https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASMBK0JGTMBJPTQP00R.html
(If nobody has translated it yet, I'll do it this weekend.)

And the latest article from NHK website
https://www.nhk.or.jp/sports-story/detail/20191121_4206.html
"Koshiro Shimada and Stephane Lambiel; Talent polished in Switzerland and Bond between Mentor and Disciple

---

:hap93: wow, great!!!
(I hope they know the English announcement background is not about Koshiro...)
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Well known true: when you want to have a photo, just stay near Yuzuru ;)
Or sit.Or pose together.
Or walk behind him with his coach.

Koshiro keeps his SP content, but his planned FS content is really interesting (comparing to SA).

No 4T+3T for the opening, but 4S :reye:, followed by 3A+3T instead of 3A+2T and, as the 5th jumping pass: 4T+2T instead of 4T. Great he feels comfortable with 4S enough to include it to his FS.
Looks like he has changed it back to the original layout after SP (or this morning?): 4T+3T, 3A+2T, 3Lo, 3F, FCSp, StSq, 4T, 3A, 3Lz+1Eu+3S, ChSq, FCCoSp, CCoSp.
http://cloud.isu.org/index.php/s/L4QPUawnwwMjrT9#pdfviewer

My favorite shot of him so far
https://twitter.com/nikkansports/status/1197834204941180930

Today's practice in the morning
https://twitter.com/corszk1220/status/1198080385097224192

It's said that Koshiro had a beautiful 4T+3T in the morning official practice.
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20191123-00000154-spnannex-spo


Belated, but a part of the press conference video from the day before: the camera mistook Koshiro for Sota and he got a close-up shot, and then Koshiro helping out Sota as he forgot what the question was (likely out of nervousness to be asked about his admiration for Hanyu.)
https://twitter.com/ukiukiyuzu19/status/1198034070636118016

---

NHK Trophy TV interview after SP
(If you have a Japanese VPN, you can go to NHK official site to check out many videos of performances and interviews.)

I could skate so comfortably, and I myself could tell very well that people's cheers gave me power. I was feeling too comfortable skating (in the welcoming atmosphere with lots of cheers) and I wasn't focused enough, it was such a big waste/shame that I made a mistake which I don't normally do, in the middle of the steps.

I'm really grateful to receive that score. I myself feel I got a good score (better than I expected). So, for now, even though it's really frustrating/regretful (kuyashii) (that I had those mistakes), it gave me a strong impetus for free. I'd like to brace my nerves again and do my best tomorrow.​

---

Many media articles say he said that he was too absorbed or immersed himself in his own performance and wasn't paying enough attention when he fell. Probably it's from a media session after SP yesterday. Koshiro was also spotted (by fans) watching Hanyu's short program, crying and giving a standing ovation with Stephane.

Latest coverage:
https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2019/11/23/_split_gp/index_2.php
https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2019/11/23/_split_gp/index_3.php
Just some excerpts
"That fall was totally unexpected for myself too, like, 'what did I just do?' Stephane also said, 'what were you doing?' in K&C, tapping on my shoulders many times."
"I'm not strong enough mentally yet. Top skaters make imprints of the image of their 3 successful jumps out of 5 (in warm-up), but I end up having to deal with the rest (unsuccessful) 2 more. That's what I need to work on."
"I want the audience to enjoy my performance. For that, I first have to enjoy it myself. There aren't anything to fix (before free) in particular, I just need to be more focused/committed."
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20191123-00000240-spnannex-spo
Koshiro Shimada, disappointing 9th place: "Didn't know where I was and what I was doing"

"I'm disappointed at myself. Despite the fact that I was doing well at official practice and 6 minutes warm-up, and a perfect (performance) was just right there up for grabs if I tried, I failed to grab it. My frustration is devastatingly huge."

Failing the 4T, which he was successful in the morning practice, he lost his flow/momentum and confidence as well. "It just came to an end while I wasn't sure where I was or what I was doing at all. I guess I was too nervous." He's been training hard in tandem with his coach Lambiel, the former world champion, but he couldn't bring it out, following the failure of his previous result of 10th place.

"Whether this experience would feed me for the future or not depends on my efforts. For now, there is a part of me wanting to rescue myself being lost (wondering what caused this) as soon as possible."

The bronze medalist of last season's JGPF kept on blaming himself, as if he were to refuse any comforting words. People are expecting him to do well at the coming Nationals in December, but, "How I can deliver what I'm capable of doing during practice in the actual competition. That's all about it. I want to be able to skate clean in any kinds of condition I'll be in. I want to brace myself up again and start over with scratch for Nats." He swore to rise again from a clean slate.


---

ETA: I just watched a raw interview by NHK on their site, and his words sound a bit different from the above article, though both show that he sounds quite mad at himself. I'm not sure if it is the writer (like misinterpreting, misplacing words) or just a bit of time passing and Stephane's preaching affected him a bit when he was interviewed later.

"It was not that I was too nervous or anything. It was just that I couldn't believe in myself thoroughly, and I'm just very disappointed at myself."
"Watching the top skaters with my own eyes for real, I have a conviction that I can definitely grow (to get there), and I would like to show that in other opportunities like Nats and other competitions."

He didn't have his usual smile, but had a very serious expression on his face. It appeared to me like he was showing his strong will. He will probably show his usual smile again tomorrow, but I will never forget this much serious face of his.
 

Tsurara

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 3, 2018
Nikkan Sports writer, Wataru Matsumoto, wrote a beautiful article on Koshiro and I want to share it with many. Feel free to share it with others. (And I of course appreciate your feedback, corrections, anything positive or constructive, or questions if any.)

https://twitter.com/nikkan_wm/status/1198921952326344704
"I wrote a column, to summarize his ideal image, using many of his own comments." (regarding the following article)

https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/column/we-love-sports/news/201911250000751.html
島田高志郎、理想像は「羽生選手と宇野選手の混合」
Koshiro Shimada's ideal model: 'Mixture of Hanyu and Uno'
November 25, Distributed by Nikkan Sports

What the 18 year-old said was invigorating. On November 24, in Sapporo.
Koshiro Shimada (18, Kinoshita Group) placed 9th out of 12 at NHK Trophy. In the following morning, he had (already) sorted out his devastated feelings over night. It was when he was asked about his image of an ideal athlete.

"Umm... Basically, the short answer is a 'mixture of the two', sort of... It's the hardest, I guess, but really, I've been able to watch both Hanyu senshu's strength in competition and Uno senshu in training. There are just too many things I want (to learn) and I can't completely narrow them down to pick a few. I would like to get started to learn and benefit from those good parts (of the two) now."

This is his first year in senior. His second GPS was at NHK Trophy, his first entry to a GPS taking place in his own country. He finished SP in 6th, but he ended up in 10th after FS with mistakes including a fall on 4T. He had a smile right after his performance, but later he sobbed as uncontrollably as ever lately. He grew up in Matsuyama city, Ehime, and threw himself into figure skating career in Okayama city. The competition he had longed for since he was a child gave him "A real bitter memory for me". What he took to his heart strongly was how the winner, Yuzuru Hanyu (24, ANA), was pursuing his ideals.

"I had the privilege of doing the practice together with Hanyu senshu while feeling his 'spirit of an athlete' in my bones. He is very hard on himself even in practice, and when he is dissatisfied with what he's doing, he keeps on trying until he can, I think. For competitions, he is incredibly great at switching on and off."

In the summer of 2017, he relocated from Okayama to Switzerland to train under Stephane Lambiel (34), the silver medalist of 2006 Torino Olympic. In Switzerland he cooks his own food; he cooks rice sent by his family from home, and occasionally slaves in the kitchen to fry menchi-katsu. "I could do nothing, neither the language nor household chores." But he stayed positive and fit in fine to live in the foreign country. In September this year, Shoma Uno (21, Toyota) showed up from Japan for a short-term training camp. He got more opportunities to skate in the same rink with the silver medalist of 2018 Pyeongchang, who has no coach this season.

"I've felt Uno senshu's capacity to concentrate and his sincereness toward figure skating in my bones. I had already heard that he's a hard worker, so it's actually not that different from the way I had imagined him to be, but his effort is beyond my imaginings. I think it's strikingly obvious once you see how much he works."

Uno is struggling this season, but he has been propping up Men's discipline in figure skating in the recent years, chasing Hanyu and having one-two finish in Pyeongchang. The two have their own unique styles, and people often tend to end up focusing on either one to pay attention to. Shimada, however, tries to absorb and learn from both, Uno whom he started sharing more time together with, and Hanyu whom he finally got to see and get inspired just by reaching the big stage. His undiluted mind brought the phrase, 'mixture of the two'.

"Both of them are really wonderful athletes, and should I say, like, they are entirely different types of athletes... What they share in common is their 'spirit' toward figure skating. I think they both want to succeed in figure skating more than anybody else. That part is what I lack. As I got to see and feel Japan's top skaters up close in person, I would like to work to benefit from the influences by the two."

In his first NHK Trophy, He had confidence in his preparation at official practice and 6 min warm-up right before the performance. Yet, he couldn't get his ideal result. When he went negative about his own ability, Coach Lambiel encouraged him saying, "That's not right. You're upset (kuyashii) because you were only one step away." He cried his eyes out, and he was determined in the morning.

"I spent a night blaming myself, being disappointed at myself. All I got now is to make efforts to thrive and harvest from it. It relies on my own efforts how much this (experience at) NHK Trophy weighs for me (in the future). (I need to work to) make it better for myself. I would like to start accumulating 'weighty efforts'.

Both Hanyu and Uno stand where they are by learning from their failures. The frustration and lessons he felt in his bones will generate energy to jump higher.

By Wataru Matsumoto, Nikkan Sports

Another tweet by him yesterday:
https://twitter.com/nikkan_wm/status/1198455161141616641
Everytime (I meet him) I feel this, Koshiro Shimada has a great power of words.

p.s.
Koshiro has been asked "who is your favorite?" so many times in the past and he was always saying that he admired many and not just one. Media coverage often just picked one or two out of them, whoever they want to mention in their version at that time, and some people always argued whose fan he actually was. He hasn't changed and I love him for it.
 

icetug

Medalist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Thank you very much, Tsurara, for the translations. I felt he was disappointed, especially after FS, and this is quite understable as he was performing in front of domestic crowd. How huge is the pressure put on Japanese skaters proved Yuzuru himself who was extremely stressed before his FS.
On the other hand Koshiro did fairy well and however he is convinced he could do much better, we all know that a skater usually is not able to show everything they learnt. Moreover, it takes time to feel new body perfectly after so spectacular growth.
Just hope he stays more confident at Nationals.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
I admire the way Koshiro answers questions thoughtfully, truthfully and diplomatically. This is a rare blend to have.
The media is always quick to try to make drama or blow words out of proportion, but I feel that he's wise in his word choice but also sincere.

Watching him at NHK has given me a renewed appreciation for him.
His EX was so fresh and funny. (I also love the song from Queen)
 
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