- Joined
- Jan 23, 2004
Oh my Shoma and the shocoat I am dying here
Shoma Uno: 2014-2024
- Thread starter mikaboo
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2021
That’s just Shoma.
Seeing Shoma live has been on my bucket list since 2014. I noticed his gift when he was a junior. When you have watched figure skating long enough, you just know instantly he is rare and special. However, at the time, I had to restrain myself and to deliberately not follow him because I was afraid of being heartbroken. I have invested in so many artistic types over the years and know how things could end, especially witnessing what direction ISU has been pushing for the past 10 years. Fortunately, when he conquered the 3A and 4T around 2013-2014 and consistently demonstrated what a great athlete he was, I felt like a “miracle” happened. I officially allowed myself to be his fan.
At the time, I didn’t feel too eager that he needed to win world titles. I was just glad that he was competitive enough that I could see his programs grow over time and his art evolve. Even now, I still consider his world titles just “icing on the cake”. It is more profound to me that Shoma has played a vital role in preserving and promoting the essence of this sport. He embodies skating and transmits music from within. The repositories he built over the years transcend the competition itself. Why do we watch sports? Is it really about who is first? Perhaps on the surface. Deep down, it is so much more. The competition just creates a reason for skaters to gather and gives motivation to perform. Ultimately, it showcases human talent, enables us to get in touch with the ineffable, reach the unknown, push for the beyond…
I have been a lurker on this forum for quite a while. The thread for Shoma is over 1000 pages long and I have read every single page of it. I appreciate everything you guys shared. I especially enjoy practice photos and videos. Seeing him from a different angle and often up close, makes me want to see his skating in person - to immerse myself in the generosity and expensiveness of the ice, to feel the rise and fall, to be locked into the music and experience awe.
After last year’s world, I got the vibe that Shoma might be nearing the end of his competitive career. I surely hope I am wrong. Selfishly, I want him to continue for a few more years, because I, like many, simply want to see him. Maybe he will skate more. But I can’t take any risks at this point. Each competition might be the last. Despite the challenging logistics (I can’t go away for more than 2 nights), I was determined to see him this year. It is now or never. Luckily, I am based in Hong Kong at the moment. It is doable. So I first flew to Chongqing to see Cup of China. I could only stay for his short program and didn’t get to see the long. Then I got the ticket to see his free skate in Beijing. It took me two trips and lots of planning to execute the plan. It was worth it!
When I saw his short program at COC, I realized that the whole time I had a slight smile on my face. I completely forgot the music. It was ambient. I only remember that I felt everything was going to be okay. I was at peace. I sensed love from his being and what surrounds him. It was almost like a religious/spiritual experience. I had no concrete memory of what he did. The whole thing was just like touching a piece of silk or soaking in the hot tub or something. I couldn’t even think of an image to describe it. It was engaging different parts of my senses. I was so focused on his skating and for those brief 3 minutes, there was a blurred line between me and this physical world. I cried when I got back to my hotel. I called my husband to tell him that I love him and I love my family. I love this world. Humans are amazing. Yes, I literally said those things.
Then, NHK made things sour and left a bad taste. I watched it on YouTube. Shoma’s free was sublime. I thought it was going to be record-breaking. He was showing his best. I had no doubt he was going to win. It was not even a question about it. Then I saw the score. What a rug-pulled-under-my-feet kind of betrayal! They wanted him to bow out and make space for the youngsters. I mean, this “operation” ISU does, is not new. When Shoma first came onto the scene, ISU was pushing for more varieties of quads. At the time, they had no problem with his flip. Now the wind has shifted, suddenly they picked on his rotations. This story is an old one. It has happened to other skaters, too. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it feels cruel and unjust. However, after calming down, I hoped that Shoma didn’t let any of this get into him because ISU politicking is just the byproduct of having a human organization (I am not even cynical about this. It is just what our fellow humans do. I understand). ISU guys answer to the temporal because they are the quintessential bureaucrats. Shoma, on the other hand, answers to the eternal.
I sat at the Grand Prix final, praying for Shoma to deliver a good performance. I didn’t know what to expect. The atmosphere wasn’t too friendly toward him. Let me explain. When Shoma was a junior, he was competing with Boyang Jin from China. Naturally, lots of Chinese see him through Boyang’s lens as his rival. Shoma thus didn’t have popularity on the internet over there. But I know he has a lot of Chinese fans (almost secretly) because you could see from the banners and hear from the cheers. Now back to the free skate. I don’t know if the camera captured it, but Shoma did a beautiful triple axel immediately after the warm-up started. In fact, I saw him having great warm-ups in both COC and at the Final. He looked in top shape more than ever. When it was time for him to skate, I was way more nervous for him than I was at COC. Again, I really wish NHK didn’t happen so that I could have the same mentality of going in to just enjoy his skate like I did at COC. But I am only human. And I am angry - they know there is nothing he can do at this point. They ensured his fate was inescapable. Forgive me but I couldn’t just enjoy his skate at this point. These are the chatters in my mind: I want him to go high when they go low! I want him to nail it and make history! I want him to be breathtakingly beautiful! I want him to inspire, lead and show the world his indomitable human spirit!
I got so worked up right before his skate. Thanks god, his skating started and sent me calmness. I was traveling through time and space with him in a different plain till he did the 3A-1Eu-3F. I knew it was coming. It was in his eyes. It’s not just me. Everyone knew. We all held our breath for it. Bang! There, done. It’s an intense moment going from ethereal to earthly. Yes, he is a remarkable competitor, too at the end of the day. The whole free program was a total download of Shoma, the Shoma experience. It was a perfect skate for me, perfect in the “kintsugi” way.
Oh, well. This is my long-winded answer to @Arriba627 about sharing more about my experience watching the Grand Prix final live.
At the time, I didn’t feel too eager that he needed to win world titles. I was just glad that he was competitive enough that I could see his programs grow over time and his art evolve. Even now, I still consider his world titles just “icing on the cake”. It is more profound to me that Shoma has played a vital role in preserving and promoting the essence of this sport. He embodies skating and transmits music from within. The repositories he built over the years transcend the competition itself. Why do we watch sports? Is it really about who is first? Perhaps on the surface. Deep down, it is so much more. The competition just creates a reason for skaters to gather and gives motivation to perform. Ultimately, it showcases human talent, enables us to get in touch with the ineffable, reach the unknown, push for the beyond…
I have been a lurker on this forum for quite a while. The thread for Shoma is over 1000 pages long and I have read every single page of it. I appreciate everything you guys shared. I especially enjoy practice photos and videos. Seeing him from a different angle and often up close, makes me want to see his skating in person - to immerse myself in the generosity and expensiveness of the ice, to feel the rise and fall, to be locked into the music and experience awe.
After last year’s world, I got the vibe that Shoma might be nearing the end of his competitive career. I surely hope I am wrong. Selfishly, I want him to continue for a few more years, because I, like many, simply want to see him. Maybe he will skate more. But I can’t take any risks at this point. Each competition might be the last. Despite the challenging logistics (I can’t go away for more than 2 nights), I was determined to see him this year. It is now or never. Luckily, I am based in Hong Kong at the moment. It is doable. So I first flew to Chongqing to see Cup of China. I could only stay for his short program and didn’t get to see the long. Then I got the ticket to see his free skate in Beijing. It took me two trips and lots of planning to execute the plan. It was worth it!
When I saw his short program at COC, I realized that the whole time I had a slight smile on my face. I completely forgot the music. It was ambient. I only remember that I felt everything was going to be okay. I was at peace. I sensed love from his being and what surrounds him. It was almost like a religious/spiritual experience. I had no concrete memory of what he did. The whole thing was just like touching a piece of silk or soaking in the hot tub or something. I couldn’t even think of an image to describe it. It was engaging different parts of my senses. I was so focused on his skating and for those brief 3 minutes, there was a blurred line between me and this physical world. I cried when I got back to my hotel. I called my husband to tell him that I love him and I love my family. I love this world. Humans are amazing. Yes, I literally said those things.
Then, NHK made things sour and left a bad taste. I watched it on YouTube. Shoma’s free was sublime. I thought it was going to be record-breaking. He was showing his best. I had no doubt he was going to win. It was not even a question about it. Then I saw the score. What a rug-pulled-under-my-feet kind of betrayal! They wanted him to bow out and make space for the youngsters. I mean, this “operation” ISU does, is not new. When Shoma first came onto the scene, ISU was pushing for more varieties of quads. At the time, they had no problem with his flip. Now the wind has shifted, suddenly they picked on his rotations. This story is an old one. It has happened to other skaters, too. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it feels cruel and unjust. However, after calming down, I hoped that Shoma didn’t let any of this get into him because ISU politicking is just the byproduct of having a human organization (I am not even cynical about this. It is just what our fellow humans do. I understand). ISU guys answer to the temporal because they are the quintessential bureaucrats. Shoma, on the other hand, answers to the eternal.
I sat at the Grand Prix final, praying for Shoma to deliver a good performance. I didn’t know what to expect. The atmosphere wasn’t too friendly toward him. Let me explain. When Shoma was a junior, he was competing with Boyang Jin from China. Naturally, lots of Chinese see him through Boyang’s lens as his rival. Shoma thus didn’t have popularity on the internet over there. But I know he has a lot of Chinese fans (almost secretly) because you could see from the banners and hear from the cheers. Now back to the free skate. I don’t know if the camera captured it, but Shoma did a beautiful triple axel immediately after the warm-up started. In fact, I saw him having great warm-ups in both COC and at the Final. He looked in top shape more than ever. When it was time for him to skate, I was way more nervous for him than I was at COC. Again, I really wish NHK didn’t happen so that I could have the same mentality of going in to just enjoy his skate like I did at COC. But I am only human. And I am angry - they know there is nothing he can do at this point. They ensured his fate was inescapable. Forgive me but I couldn’t just enjoy his skate at this point. These are the chatters in my mind: I want him to go high when they go low! I want him to nail it and make history! I want him to be breathtakingly beautiful! I want him to inspire, lead and show the world his indomitable human spirit!
I got so worked up right before his skate. Thanks god, his skating started and sent me calmness. I was traveling through time and space with him in a different plain till he did the 3A-1Eu-3F. I knew it was coming. It was in his eyes. It’s not just me. Everyone knew. We all held our breath for it. Bang! There, done. It’s an intense moment going from ethereal to earthly. Yes, he is a remarkable competitor, too at the end of the day. The whole free program was a total download of Shoma, the Shoma experience. It was a perfect skate for me, perfect in the “kintsugi” way.
Oh, well. This is my long-winded answer to @Arriba627 about sharing more about my experience watching the Grand Prix final live.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2004
Thank you miujison for your lovely and informative post about your experience seeing Shomajesty live.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2014
@miujison Thank you so much for your beautiful post. I am thrilled for you that you were finally able to fulfill your dream and see Sho live. Yes, he's awesome on the screen, he's awesome in ice shows, but there is nothing like seeing him live in competition. The determination, grit, fire, total focus -- you are right, it IS hard to put it into words! I envy you that you started following him in 2014, I was a little bit later. I never followed him as a junior, but I did see his Grand Prix senior debut. He has had a profound effect on the sport, and I think of it every time I see other skaters trying to skate with the full body movement that comes so naturally to him as he shifts his weight back and forth over the blade. Looks so easy, right? Not quite!
You really did move me to tears. So glad you finally decided to make your presence known. And you got to see a great attempt on the 3A-Eu-3F, albeit with a little "blip on the flip." It seems you had a case of what many of us have had over the years -- Shoamnesia. I hate it that sometimes I have seen him live and have been so nervous and into it, that I have to rewatch the program immediately when I get back to the hotel because I can't remember it.
Thx for being with us through the 1000+ pages -- some of them nutty, some of them upset, joyful, or sad. He has had an amazing career, and I still hope he has a lot left! Hopefully the thing that was always shining through in our posts was how much we love this guy AND his skating!
You really did move me to tears. So glad you finally decided to make your presence known. And you got to see a great attempt on the 3A-Eu-3F, albeit with a little "blip on the flip." It seems you had a case of what many of us have had over the years -- Shoamnesia. I hate it that sometimes I have seen him live and have been so nervous and into it, that I have to rewatch the program immediately when I get back to the hotel because I can't remember it.
Thx for being with us through the 1000+ pages -- some of them nutty, some of them upset, joyful, or sad. He has had an amazing career, and I still hope he has a lot left! Hopefully the thing that was always shining through in our posts was how much we love this guy AND his skating!
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2021
Some kind words from Stéphane about Shoma. 
https://fs-gossips.com/shoma-uno-pe...where-competitions-are-no-longer-interesting/
Interesting comments from Shoma. Is he hinting at another season after this, or saying this will be the last? I cannot decide...
Interesting comments from Shoma. Is he hinting at another season after this, or saying this will be the last? I cannot decide...
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2021
I think Shoma is simply saying that this might be the last season where he has the ability to win Worlds...but I will have to look at the original Japanese article to be certain.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
Two big full Japanese interviews with Shoma are out, and there are full transcripts here but you have to pay subscription:
Interview with Various Medias on 10 December, full transcript at Nikkan Sports (this is also the one FS Gossip refers to):
www.nikkansports.com
Exclusive Interview with Mainichi Shinbun, also on 10 December, full transcript at Mainichi:
mainichi.jp
Interview with Various Medias on 10 December, full transcript at Nikkan Sports (this is also the one FS Gossip refers to):
【宇野昌磨の言葉】コーチとの向き合い方、マリニンへの思い／GPファイナル一夜明け - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ・プレミアム
＜フィギュアスケート：グランプリ（GP）ファイナル＞◇12月10日◇中国・北京◇エキシビション宇野昌磨（25＝トヨタ自動車）が2位となりました。フリーから一夜明け、エキシビション前に現地取材メディア限定の取材対応。今季のテーマに「自己満足」を掲げる中、GPシリーズから3試合を終え、現在の率直な思いを口にしました。優勝したイリア・マリニン（米国）の存在は「やりがいがあります」とし、「ちゃんと一緒に引っ張っていければ」とあらためて決意を示しました。「今年は戦える存在でありたい」とも笑顔で強調。「宇野昌磨の言葉」を現地発でお届けします。 -...
www.nikkansports.com
Exclusive Interview with Mainichi Shinbun, also on 10 December, full transcript at Mainichi:
宇野昌磨、単独インタビュー「スケートで悩めているうちは幸せ」 | 毎日新聞
表情には充実感が漂っていた。北京市で開催されたフィギュアスケートのグランプリ（GP）ファイナルで2位となった宇野昌磨選手（25）＝トヨタ自動車＝が毎日新聞の単独インタビューに応じた。「自己満足」を掲げてスタートしたシーズン。中国杯、NHK杯、ファイナルの3戦を滑り終えた今、何を思うのか。今季後半に
mainichi.jp
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
MIZUNO will hold a Birthday Event called "Shoma Uno Birthday Festival" from December 15-17, 2023 at 4 of their stores: Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Fukuoka. Their Twitter accounts are posting the event countdown at 12.17 Japan Time every day which I thought was a nice touch since December 17 (12-17) is Shoma's birthday. I wonder what they have in store!
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2021
How fun! Who knows? It’s all part of the fun thinking about what it will be like. Maybe they’ll have a Mizuno birthday style cake for Shoma.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2021
Hmm… well if I had to guess, Shoma might not have his mind made up yet on whether or not to continue skating competitively after this season. Perhaps after Worlds when this season is done he will have fully decided.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
On this, I think he hasn't committed either way to retire or to continue and is seeing how it goes. But knowing his age and experience, I think it would be best to take any opportunity to watch Shoma skate live when presented by one
I'm going to Japan this January to catch him at the Prince Ice World shows in Tokyo, hehe.Honestly, Shoma has been competing for so long. And he's always on stand by when it comes to competitions. He has his share of injuries, but they were rare and he's never been absent from the GP series unless the competition he is assigned to is cancelled. Like... he has a lot of mileage to his skates, and so I just think it's realistic to prepare for his competitive career to end soon.
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Who ever did the designing did a great job!
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2021
You’re so lucky to see him skate in person and in Japan! If he does ice shows after retiring which I’m sure he will, I will definitely go to Japan and see some of his shows. It would be my honorOn this, I think he hasn't committed either way to retire or to continue and is seeing how it goes. But knowing his age and experience, I think it would be best to take any opportunity to watch Shoma skate live when presented by one
Honestly, Shoma has been competing for so long. And he's always on stand by when it comes to competitions. He has his share of injuries, but they were rare and he's never been absent from the GP series unless the competition he is assigned to is cancelled. Like... he has a lot of mileage to his skates, and so I just think it's realistic to prepare for his competitive career to end soon.
I would love to go to a show sooner, but it’s difficult.- Status
