Shoma Uno: 2014-2024

[Arriba627]

Shoma held his Colan Totte event in Nagoya. He had a very special guest -- Emma! And Kazuki showed up too! Some day I'll understand everything they say, but I'm not holding my breath! LOL. I think this is now the 6th? 7th? year he has done this (maybe less because of Covid?) Seems like it would be a really fun time for the audience.

 

[Arriba627]

Emma needed to get ready for her special guest appearance! She got to see her friend Kazuki too!


Found it. The first ColanTotte event was in 2017. Yikes! Sho looks slightly different.

 

[4everchan]

I just came across this gorgeous artwork... not sure it's been posted here.. so i thought... worse case scenario, it's a double post

 

[Arriba627]

This Instagram posted a lot of fun translations of the Colan Totte event. I saw some last night, but I didn't know if I should post them, since this was a paid event. Some of Sho's answers are fun.

Feimei Cheng on Instagram: "Photo1 Sports Hochi On the topic of any faves from his own programs, Shoma: “The programs themselves are not bad. But when you ask me if I want to watch it again, I am afraid that none of my past problems reached the level

May 6, 2023 - 156 likes, 0 comments - Feimei Cheng (@feimeicheng) on Instagram: "Photo1 Sports Hochi On the topic of any faves from his own programs, Shoma: “The programs thems..."

www.instagram.com

 

[rabidline]

Shoma's Instagram updates from Prince Ice World Yokohama!

 

[Arriba627]

Shoma received beautiful flowers from Grandpa Colan Totte after the event!

 

[KiraraChin]

Cross-posting this from Kazuki's Fan Fest:
I DeepL translated this article: https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2023/05/06/kiji/20230506s00079000540000c.html
They reminisce about the time they supported each other at Rostelecom 2019

Shoma Uno & Kazuki Tomono surprise talk: "What are we going to do...?


Men's Figure Skating two-time consecutive World Champion Shoma Uno (Toyota Motor Corp.) participated in a talk event for the magnetic health gear "Corantotte" at Chukyo TV headquarters in Nagoya City on May 6. Surprise guest Kazuki Tomono (Uenoshiba club), 6th place finisher at the World Championships for two consecutive years, also made an appearance and gave a light-hearted talk.

Uno mentioned Tomono as one of the skaters he is close with. He asks me about anything in a tone that says, "It's my number one hobby. I think he is interested in everything. Tomono replied, "I don't think so... (laughs). I am relatively interested in many things. I often find things more amazing than other people, so I like to ask and talk about everything.

The two usually have a lot of fun talking about skating. Uno said, "I don't interact with other skaters at all. I'm going to ice shows with younger skaters than me, and it would be great if they were there to help me. Kazuki is helping me out by taking over for me." Tomono said, "For me, it's not like Shoma is pulling me along and assisting me. I don't mean to say that. I don't want to tell everyone what you want to do or what you want to do. I try to interact with them as actively as possible.

The most memorable competition for the two of them was the GP Series Russia Cup in November 2019. Tomono said, "We were both going through a difficult time," and he began, "After the competition, we talked about the future together until dawn, and what we were going to do. I heard from Shoma for the first time that he was going through such a hard time, and I realized that he is a human being, too, and I thought I would do my best.

Uno also commented, "It spread from the talk about not being able to do better in games than in practice. I wondered why I couldn't do what I was doing in practice as a matter of course in matches. It was a time when we would improve in practice, but it kept not showing in the special place of matches. It was a time when you just had to look up and run with it, and you couldn't get through it with just that momentum," he recalled.

 

[Arriba627]

Surprise surprise! Now Voice is back! Aaaccchhh! Those darn boots again! As far as the injuries, he seems to accept that as just part of things. He doesn't seem overly concerned. Since 2018, he has been pretty open about his ankle hurting. I imagine if they were all completely open about their injuries, all they would talk about would be their aches and pains! This is why Demi-san started working with him, to keep him in better condition. Our hero -- Demi-san!

 

[yesterday]

They reminisce about the time they supported each other at Rostelecom 2019

That was where Stéphane was with him for one of the first times, right?
Maybe that was part of the reason why he was really aware of his situation at that time and ready to share it with Kazuki?

 

[Arriba627]

That was where Stéphane was with him for one of the first times, right?
Maybe that was part of the reason why he was really aware of his situation at that time and ready to share it with Kazuki?

He was still kind of in "limbo" at that point. Stephane wasn't officially his coach, although I'm sure he was already debating whether he should train with him in Switzerland. It was.a huge decision. Sounds like Kazuki is a great listener, and that's exactly what Sho needed at that time. At that point, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to continue competing / skating.

 

[rabidline]

That was where Stéphane was with him for one of the first times, right?
Maybe that was part of the reason why he was really aware of his situation at that time and ready to share it with Kazuki?

And I think it's because Shoma and Kazuki were dealing with something similar. They both had a "big" result (2018 Olympic silver medal for Shoma and 2018 Worlds Top 5 finish for Kazuki) and struggled afterwards to "live up" to that result, and they both have to figure out what to do if the thing they have been doing then ("running in full force") doesn't work, which manifested in both them not being able to perform at competitions as well as the way they were able to perform in practice, which was what led to the long talk between them. It sounds like fate that they had that competition together while in that condition, and they both have grown a lot since then in how they approach skating.

Meanwhile, someone is an artist (or at least, a grandson of an artist, LOL):

 

[KiraraChin]

That was where Stéphane was with him for one of the first times, right?
Maybe that was part of the reason why he was really aware of his situation at that time and ready to share it with Kazuki?

Yeah in order to understand Rostelecom 2019, you'd have to go back to his previous assignment, IdF 2019, which was a really, really difficult moment for Shoma. He was alone, both in the sense of not having a coach but also no other Japanese guys had been assigned to that competition which I think made things even harder.

I remember after IdF, Japanese fans were saying 'it'll be better next time (at Rostelecom) Shoma-kun, you will have Tomono-kun's smile'. This is exactly what happened, Shoma looked a lot more cheerful being with Kazuki, and also Stephane supported him in the K&C even though he wasn't officially Shoma's coach. So Rostelecom 2019 was the beginning of the turnaround for Shoma, which culminated in his full comeback at Nats 2019 - and if you think about it, Kazuki also had a comeback at Nats 2019, delivering a legendary free skate.

Later that season, Shoma decided to WD from 4CC and Kazuki ended up going instead. Shoma's official justification was that he needed more time adjusting in Switzerland, but I always wondered whether the fact that Kazuki was first alternate played a factor in his decision - Shoma is a very caring and appreciative friend and maybe among other things he also wanted to give the opportunity to Kazuki as a way of saying 'thank you' for the support.

Sorry I'm digging up these old memories! It's just amazing to look back at the 2019-20 season and think of how far Shoma and Kazuki have come since then. I'm so proud

 

[Arriba627]

Sorry I'm digging up these old memories! It's just amazing to look back at the 2019-20 season and think of how far Shoma and Kazuki have come since then. I'm so proud

No apology needed! We have so many wonderful memories, and sometimes during the slower parts of the season, that's all we have. There are so many amazing Shoma / Kazuki moments, where does one even begin?! My favorite still would have to be when the two of them secured Japan's 3 spots during Worlds 2018. I'll never forget it. Will never forget Kazuki's tears of relief when he broke down after his SP. He was under incredible pressure and came through.

 

[Arriba627]

That was where Stéphane was with him for one of the first times, right?
Maybe that was part of the reason why he was really aware of his situation at that time and ready to share it with Kazuki?

Remember too, Shoma had been with the same coach since he was 5 years old, and they "fired" him. Expected or unexpected? Not sure. He told them if you fire me, I'll quit skating. So he appeared to be kind of "adrift" at that point. It was a really tough time for him.

 

[yesterday]

Yeah, I wanted to look at that time and the "whole picture" for Rostelecom 2019. Kazuki played a part, Stéphane did as well. And the months before and after. Looking back we now "know" all of this or can see that picture with different eyes than maybe when it happened.

 

[KiraraChin]

Jiji Press posted a video showing some of Saturday's Colantotte event, feat special guests Emma-chan and Kazuki
Apparently he says he loves Emma-chan, but he doesn't take care of her a lot, so he's not her favourite person in the family, maybe he's like her 3rd or 4th favourite

 

[yesterday]

Jiji Press posted a video showing some of Saturday's Colantotte event, feat special guests Emma-chan and Kazuki
Apparently he says he loves Emma-chan, but he doesn't take care of her a lot, so he's not her favourite person in the family, maybe he's like her 3rd or 4th favourite

Well, as long as there's not another mistranslation ending with him saying the same about Kazuki, that's fine

 

[Arriba627]

I was so happy to see these words again, reposted by shomagravity. I love the sentiment behind them, and there is a wonderful sincerity connected to the ideas he is expressing. The thoughts deserve repeating.

 

[Arriba627]

First thing I see when I turn my desk top on. Good morning sir. Good morning Emma-chan.

 

[Arriba627]

Shoma is definitely his grandfather's grandson! Here is his artwork from 2019. The Nagoya Castle, I'm assuming. He is an artist through and through.