Javier Fernandez | Page 92 | Golden Skate

Javier Fernandez

eppen Thank you for the link of the video, which I have never seen before, but I wish I could understand a little Spanish, totally have no clue what he was talking about :eek:

Well, this is what my summer break is for ;)

"After the Olympics, as I didn't get a medal, it wasn't really that hard for me to go back to train. I was in good spirits. But it's true that, after a week I went down a bit: it was more difficult for me to go to train, I was more tired. But well, that's what the coaches are for, you have your team there, supporting you. They know it's hard, they have to be with you, they understand. So they all helped me see that it was the last competition of the season, that I had to keep working and go (to Worlds) at a 100%."

Almost perfect Worlds
"At Worlds, the top 3 didn't have any mistakes. I would say that the level at the Olympics and at Worlds was around the same or Worlds could even be a lot higher. It's true that it was a long season, still I had some very good programs at the last competition, and we have to keep moving forward. I think that even if I had another (competition) I would have kept training and I would have likely had a good competition. But I'm happy I used the momentum from the Olympics well, I kept training and I came out strong to get to Worlds at 100%."

Unforgettable Sochi
"In general all the moments we have were as a group (Spanish delegation), specially the good times like being the flag bearer. That's something that will remain in my mind forever, I'll never forget it. And I'm still thankful I was given the chance to be at the head of the Spanish team at that moment, I was amazingly proud."

Figure Skating good environment
"In this sport the truth is we're all good friends, we get along very well. It's true that when you're competing you don't talk to others most of the time. But once the competition's over there's a very good vibe among the skaters, we go out and have dinner. It's a weird thing for such a high-level sport, right?"

The competition
"In this sport, you never know who will end up on the podium. There a certain podium (medalists) at one competition and the following it's completely different. And at any moment a 16-17 y/o kid can jump and do excellent programs and he gets there and you don't expect it. So we have to be smart with this sport and keep going at the rhythm we've had until now."

Next season
"We're still thinking about what we're going to do. I won't start on the programs until I go back to Toronto. For the SP, we think we'll use a song called "Black Betty", which is a rock n' roll song, so to speak. And for the FS: Barber of Seville, it's a genre I've never done before, so to speak. It can have a bit of a Spanish air, but we're not quite sure yet, we want to go with that Latin vibe, use Spanish music or something similar, so to speak."
 
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Well, this is what my summer break is for ;)

Could there possibly be a better way to spend your break time?! :biggrin: Thank you!

He was in Spain in May when the interview was made (there was also an award ceremony on May 22) and then he went to Japan in June - Black Betty was on in the first leg of Fantasy on Ice on June 6-7 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZdod6i6R2E). So that was quite fast! But where and when the choreo got made remains unclear...

At the Europeans in Stockholm 2015, in the small medals ceremony there was also an audience Q&A and Javi got asked about his music choices. His answer on the Barber of Seville was pretty much what he has said in the interviews (wanted Spanish, but not the trad styles because of ice dance SD being paso etc.). I (yes, ME!) asked him how did they come up with Black Betty (it's not that well-known song after all?) and he said that it had been played at the rink (so maybe Cricket? that remained unclear) and Brian had thought it could be a good choice.

There are no videos of this event, unfortunately - the Swedes announced the place and time ONLY in Swedish, so there were maybe less than a hundred people there or less and apparently they only took photos. And my memories are affected by the fact that when Javi speaks with/to people he establishes eye contact and it was difficult to concentrate on what he was saying :laugh: They got also asked what was the most difficult thing in competition and the all three (Javi, Kovtun and Voronov) were in agreement that it's the second part, when you are getting tired and still have to do half of the jumps etc. Kovtun got asked about Tarasova's participation is his training at that time and that was about it.

There was a lovely pic from Fantasy on Ice, on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/1581188472...576975658044/1745574208991654/?type=3&theater

Compared eg to the US Stars on Ice, relatively few videos have popped up of the Canadian show (although Toronto and Kelowna got good coverage!) and the Japanese ones are virtually invisible in that respect...

E
 
Well, this is what my summer break is for ;) ."

xibsuarz, you are brilliant :clap: Thank you so much for your time to do the translation :love:

I have to say that Javi performed very well at 2014 worlds, except popping 3 lutz in his FS, well, that was Javi in old days and I was used to his popping of 3 jumps in the later half of his long programs. What if he pulled off his worlds' SP&LP at Sochi :unsure:


The competition
In this sport, you never know who will end up on the podium. There a certain podium (medalists) at one competition and the following it's completely different. And at any moment a 16-17 y/o kid can jump and do excellent programs and he get's there and you don't expect it. So we have to be smart with this sport and keep going at the rhythm we've had until now."

I always like Javi's perspective on the competition, as he himself made a sensational breakthrough in the first half season 2011-12 at the age of 20. Another great example is his training mate Yuzu. This definitely pushes him to work hard on a daily basis to keep in the top-tier of the field. In his interview given to a Japanese media right after 16' worlds, he said that he was surprised by the amazing jumping ability by Boyang Jin this season, and it is very likely that another teenager skater can make a breakout next season.
 
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I started thinking about what Danny Boy could lead to and Elvis came to mind... Like some of his early slow songs, eg Love Me Tender? (In any case if it's going to be Elvis, please, let it be something from the 1950's or 1960's...) E

Yes, that is a beautiful song and I also liked

“Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cS5aCozhcA

“It´s Now or Never”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMVscR5YOo

“Wooden Heart”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSASa8r7QHQ

"Cryig in The Chapel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kLA20ZTWeg

very much. While speaking of beautiful music I wonder if Javi has heard of Leonard Cohen? He has skateable music, e.g. this one among many others

"Take This Waltz"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytdjYjM-cLg
 
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Oh, yeah Are you Lonesome... would be good, too. Though I am strongly against medleys of one artist, because it's really not a theme, it's usually just a couple fo songs which nothing else in common than just the artist. If there is another connection in the lyrics or somehow else, then it's ok even in my mind.

But Jaana as we are both Finns (I think ;)) and will maybe hopefully see Javi skate in Helsinki next year, maybe in the exhibition, what would you like to see him skate to? Specifically what Finnish music (you know, Danny Boy in Boston style)? I've been thinking of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE5SrkzxYdY (but now feel it might be a bit boring, dunno) Or maybe this for a more modern touch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRU0d3tiyS4

E
 
Well, this is what my summer break is for ;)

"After the Olympics, as I didn't get a medal, it wasn't really that hard for me to go back to train. I was in good spirits. But it's true that, after a week I went down a bit: it was more difficult for me to go to train, I was more tired. But well, that's what the coaches are for, you have your team there, supporting you. They know it's hard, they have to be with you, they understand. So they all helped me see that it was the last competition of the season, that I had to keep working and go (to Worlds) at a 100%."

Thank you so much xibsuarz!

lol Worlds being the last competition of the season really is important for Javi :rofl:

At the Europeans in Stockholm 2015, in the small medals ceremony there was also an audience Q&A and Javi got asked about his music choices. His answer on the Barber of Seville was pretty much what he has said in the interviews (wanted Spanish, but not the trad styles because of ice dance SD being paso etc.). I (yes, ME!) asked him how did they come up with Black Betty (it's not that well-known song after all?) and he said that it had been played at the rink (so maybe Cricket? that remained unclear) and Brian had thought it could be a good choice.

There are no videos of this event, unfortunately - the Swedes announced the place and time ONLY in Swedish, so there were maybe less than a hundred people there or less and apparently they only took photos. And my memories are affected by the fact that when Javi speaks with/to people he establishes eye contact and it was difficult to concentrate on what he was saying :laugh: They got also asked what was the most difficult thing in competition and the all three (Javi, Kovtun and Voronov) were in agreement that it's the second part, when you are getting tired and still have to do half of the jumps etc. Kovtun got asked about Tarasova's participation is his training at that time and that was about it.

E

Kudos to you, eppen, for asking him about Black Betty! And thanks to whoever played the song at the rink:laugh:
(I can totally imagine Javi's eyes being distracting lol)

What worries me a little about Danny Boy is that the music he used at the Worlds gala was about 2:30-2:40 long...
Maybe I'm just reading to much into this. The exhibition number is very different from his SP layout.

Whatever Javi's new SP will be, it seems that it'll be very different from both Black Betty and Malagueña.
 
I (yes, ME!) asked him how did they come up with Black Betty (it's not that well-known song after all?) and he said that it had been played at the rink (so maybe Cricket? that remained unclear) and Brian had thought it could be a good choice.

Good question, eppen, now I can get Brian why it is easy to pick music for Javi's programs :laugh2:

There are no videos of this event, unfortunately - the Swedes announced the place and time ONLY in Swedish, so there were maybe less than a hundred people there or less and apparently they only took photos.

How unfortunate :eek: I did not find any press conference clips & SMCs videos for his Euros' 15 & 16 :noshake: I read somewhere in the men's final press conference of Euros'15, when Kovtun told the journalist that he changed his costume for his FS in response to Ninja Turtle costume criticism, Javi began mimicking the motion of a turtle hiding in/out of its shell, which was hilariously funny :rofl2:

And my memories are affected by the fact that when Javi speaks with/to people he establishes eye contact and it was difficult to concentrate on what he was saying :laugh:

Michael Buckley said in an Ice Desk episode that when he interviewed Javi after his SP, he was so drowned into his "beautiful brown eyes" and he had wished Javi kept on talking forever :laugh2:

They got also asked what was the most difficult thing in competition and the all three (Javi, Kovtun and Voronov) were in agreement that it's the second part, when you are getting tired and still have to do half of the jumps etc.

sorry boys, but I have to say I hate front-loaded programs in early IJS time :p
 
A very interesting piece of blog 2015-16 Men’s Jump/Score Data & Analysis, Kudos to Magicaleggplant, for taking the time to give an statistical insight to the past season, yeh, Javi was the most consistent jumper :dance:

honghe, I don't worry about his selection of music for SP. On the other hand, whilst it was almost insanely crazy experience for me witnessing Javi's winning a world title with a lead of almost 20 points by coming from behind of 12 points, for the sake of his fan's heart, I wish Javi can refine/improve the execution of his SP, especially jumps, next season. :laugh:
 
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Oh, yeah Are you Lonesome... would be good, too. Though I am strongly against medleys of one artist, because it's really not a theme, it's usually just a couple fo songs which nothing else in common than just the artist. If there is another connection in the lyrics or somehow else, then it's ok even in my mind.

But Jaana as we are both Finns (I think ;)) and will maybe hopefully see Javi skate in Helsinki next year, maybe in the exhibition, what would you like to see him skate to? Specifically what Finnish music (you know, Danny Boy in Boston style)? I've been thinking of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE5SrkzxYdY (but now feel it might be a bit boring, dunno) Or maybe this for a more modern touch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRU0d3tiyS4 E

Oh, I did not guess that you´re a Finn, too...;) Yes, I have plans to watch at least the men´s skating live in the areena (but not the exhibition). Maybe not directly Finnish vocal music, but perhaps some world-wide known tango?
 
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How unfortunate :eek: I did not find any press conference clips & SMCs videos for his Euros' 15 & 16 :noshake: I read somewhere in the men's final press conference of Euros'15, when Kovtun told the journalist that he changed his costume for his FS in response to Ninja Turtle costume criticism, Javi began mimicking the motion of a turtle hiding in/out of its shell, which was hilariously funny :rofl2:

It's a pity that there aren't videos of the Euros 15 and 16 press conferences... I think the press conferences in 13 and 14 were a lot of fun. Maybe press conferences at Euros are some of my favorites, as the skaters seem quite relaxed and comfortable around each other, and they usually have a good sense of humor.


honghe, I don't worry about his selection of music for SP. On the other hand, whilst it was almost insanely crazy experience for me witnessing Javi's winning a world title with a lead of almost 20 points by coming from behind of 12 points, for the sake of his fan's heart, I wish Javi can refine/improve the execution of his SP, especially jumps, next season. :laugh:

I can only imagine what kind of experience that must be! Javi, please take pity on your fans' nerves!:laugh:
Here's hoping that Javi continues to have great programs and will have many clean performances next season and onward!
 
Here's hoping that Javi continues to have great programs and will have many clean performances next season and onward!

I am afraid that I cannot ask too much, but pray that he will always deliver the best when it matters the most, that said, the four programs for 17'worlds & 18' Olympics, plus wish he achieves his one of goals to win 6 European titles in a row by 2018. Afterwards, he, Miki & little sunflower can have their happily ever after :)
 
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It's a pity that there aren't videos of the Euros 15 and 16 press conferences... I think the press conferences in 13 and 14 were a lot of fun. Maybe press conferences at Euros are some of my favorites, as the skaters seem quite relaxed and comfortable around each other, and they usually have a good sense of humor.!

I like the 13' Euros podium the most, for Florent's collection of a full set of Euros' medals, for Michal making to the podium of an ICU championship finally after so many disappointing 4th place finishes, for Javi's 1st major title of course :luv17:

The next year, I cannot help laughing when the host said to Javi, "how do you feel standing in between the Russian Sandwich":laugh2:
 
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The next year, I cannot help laughing when the host said to Javi, "how do you feel standing in between the Russian Sandwich":laugh2:

:laugh: That was indeed very funny. I think Javi was having fun in the "Russian Sandwich".
I also love Menshov getting an European medal, Voronov cracking a joke in English, and Javi's reaction when asked about whether he'd be going directly back to Toronto or to Spain first ("I'm not 100% sure. Last year I went to Spain for a couple of days for the media and just to be there. But I know Brian. I can see his face and he's like 'noooo we have the Olympics.'"):rofl:
 
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I also love Menshov getting an European medal

Me too, it was great to see a veteran being rewarded a medal of the prestigious European championship


("I'm not 100% sure. Last year I went to Spain for a couple of days for the media and just to be there. But I know Brian. I can see his face and he's like 'noooo we have the Olympics.'"):rofl:

Isn't Javi entertaining both on ice & off ice, he always brings joy to people, how can one not like him :love: he has been a star in these press conferences ever since he rose to the top level.

here is an icenetworkarticle worth reading on Javi's 1st world title.

Nevertheless, he did not always take Brian's advice during that season. Brian advised Javi to skip Spanish National, he didn't; Brian suggested him to come to Sochi one week later since Javi did not need to compete for the team medal, he came to the game before the opening ceremony anyway and toke the role as the flag bearer.... :laugh:
 
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Nevertheless, he did not always take Brian's advice during that season. Brian advised Javi to skip Spanish National, he didn't; Brian suggested him to come to Sochi one week later since Javi did not need to compete for the team medal, he came to the game before the opening ceremony anyway and toke the role as the flag bearer.... :laugh:

I´m not sure but I´ve gotten the impression that figure skaters as the flag bearers are not a good idea considering their results at the Olympics. It is kind of connected to bring bad luck. And it did not bring Javier good luck in 2014 OG. Also there is a superstition that being the reigning World Champion, one does not win at the Olympics. That applies to Canadian and Russian skaters, but not the American males, who have won at the Olympics, LOL.
 
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Brian was Canada's flag bearer in Calgary, right?

Generally speaking I am not superstitious, and I think most skaters don't have the option to skip the pre Olympic Worlds or to deliberately "avoid" the gold there... so whatever happens, happens.

I do wonder how many men Spain will send to Worlds 2017, though. I think they are allowed to send 2? If they send only 1, I wonder if there might be extra pressure on Javi to be in the top 2 to get 3 spots for the Olympics in 2018.
 
Brian was Canada's flag bearer in Calgary, right?

Generally speaking I am not superstitious, and I think most skaters don't have the option to skip the pre Olympic Worlds or to deliberately "avoid" the gold there... so whatever happens, happens.

I do wonder how many men Spain will send to Worlds 2017, though. I think they are allowed to send 2? If they send only 1, I wonder if there might be extra pressure on Javi to be in the top 2 to get 3 spots for the Olympics in 2018.

mmm good question. My first thought was "of course they will send a second man to give him the chance of experiencing Worlds." But then, they might go down to one and that may cut off the chances of two other skaters to experience the Olympic dream. But first things first, they need the minimum TES :yes:
But I think that, if Javi ends up being the only Spanish skater at worlds 2017, he has every chance to finish in the top 2, perhaps even comfortably.
 
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I´m not sure but I´ve gotten the impression that figure skaters as the flag bearers are not a good idea considering their results at the Olympics. It is kind of connected to bring bad luck. And it did not bring Javier good luck in 2014 OG. Also there is a superstition that being the reigning World Champion, one does not win at the Olympics. That applies to Canadian and Russian skaters, but not the American males, who have won at the Olympics, LOL.

I am not aware of being a flag bearer is a bad luck for figure skaters, but I have heard that it is a bad omen heading to the Olympics as the reigning bronze world medalist, except Alexei Urmanov just by taking a look at the history records, Brian Orser is the only one medaled in the coming Olympics, 1984, but missed the gold, Alexandre Fadeev, Todd Eldredge, Alexei Yagudin, Evan Lysacek, Brain Jourbet all missed the podiums of the following Olympics games. Most recent one, poor Javi :(
 
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mmm good question. My first thought was "of course they will send a second man to give him the chance of experiencing Worlds." But then, they might go down to one and that may cut off the chances of two other skaters to experience the Olympic dream. But first things first, they need the minimum TES :yes:
But I think that, if Javi ends up being the only Spanish skater at worlds 2017, he has every chance to finish in the top 2, perhaps even comfortably.

I think Spain was allowed to send 3 to Worlds 2016 but Felipe didn't go? Was it because he didn't get the minimum?
 
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