Minoru Sano's FS at the World Champs in 1997

[IloveMiki]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ5qaY92LSs

A very special video for me, as Sano was once my teacher and could have led me to a skating career had I stayed in Japan.

It was a delightful performance too, it instantly made him a hero in Japan, even nowadays people remember him in his home country. 'Tis a shame that he retired after that one, just before the Olympics.

 

[Mathman]

What a wonderful performance. To me, men's figure skating has lost a lot of it's appeal in the quad, quad, quad era. Sano had thirteen jumping passes (6 triples and 7 doubles), all right in step with the music and choreography. The use of a well-timed double jump, not to wrack up points but because it provides an accent to the program, is totally out the window these days.

Thank you for posting this, IloveMiki, and welcome to Golden Skate!

(I moved your post into the Edge so more people would see it.)

 

[IloveMiki]

Thanks for the welcoming

I like the music (The Heart of Budapest) but I wonder, who is the composer? Because each time I type "Heart of Budapest" on google, there are only but Hotel wbsites coming out:disagree:

 

[Mathman]

I think this is the same music that Irina Slutskaya used for her LP in the 1994-95 season. The composer is listed as "Vidor." I assume that this is the little known French composer and organist Charles Vidor, rather than the famous movie director of the same name (who directed movies about Chopin and Listz, among others). (?)

Johnny Weir used an arrangement by the conductor Montovani (I assume this is the same song (?) for his LP in 2000-2001. This is still available on CD.

 

[IloveMiki]

Thank you for your answer

Yes, I remember Irina using that music ages ago...

It must be a very very little known piece, it is seems to be only known in the figure skating world...

 

[Mathman]

It was a delightful performance too...e place ahead Robin Cousins. John Curry won.)

 

[ks777]

Thanks for the video!! wow, he is amazing, I know Sano coached Shizuka Arakawa for a year before switching to Richard Callaghan.

 

[yaph]

I know Sano coached Shizuka Arakawa for a year before switching to Richard Callaghan.

Sano said half-jokingly that Shizuka had greatly improved her skill in skating since she left him.
I think he is very pleasant.

 

[IloveMiki]

Actually, this is the 1977 world championships in Tokyo, right? Sano competed in the 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck, finishing 9th (one place ahead Robin Cousins. John Curry won.)

Sorry, my mistake,. I thought that Innsbruck was in 1974.

 

[antmanb]

I loved this program!! He has gorgeous strong edges and it reminded me of the days when the skaters showed off their edge control as much as their highlight jumps!

I loved the alternating spread eagle into double axel and i loved both the open axel sit spin and proper flying sitspin at the end - beautiful flying spins that we rarely see today.

Ant

 

[IloveMiki]

Sano said half-jokingly that Shizuka had greatly improved her skill in skating since she left him.
I think he is very pleasant.

Well, he does have a sense of humour, but as an instructor, he's dead fierce...He wouldn't let me go until I skated correctly, and when he did release me, and I would go off the ice to get a snack, he'd come to me and shout (in Japanese) "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE?! KEEP TRAINING ALONE BEFORE YOU REST! GO BACK ON THE ICE!"

I can tell you, he really scared me and sometimes embarrassed me, but I really liked him, I think that his pushiness was a good thing.

Oh and I remember those times in which he'd tell me to move that ar*e of mine and that I wouldn't like that, saying to myself that it was a naughty word.


He became very nice around the end though, and when he said that we'll be starting those 5 in the morning practices, I had to announce to him that I was leaving for Belgium...I feel rather sad, when I think that I could have become a figure skater...And he looked sad himself...No, more than sad, absolutely gutted...

 

[yaph]

IloveMiki, what a valuable experience you have!
I believe it encourages your life.