Sota Yamamoto | Page 66 | Golden Skate

Sota Yamamoto

How nice of the Chukyo skaters to participate ^ ^ Yuhana is a boss. 6km! My legs are dead if I run to the bus stop not even 500m away, and the sad thing is that I'm not even retired, just dreadfully out of shape :p Skaters are tough.
No other news on Sota and his programs. The wait goes on... :popcorn:
 
Sota created Unlim Sota Yamamoto Official Membership account. https://www.mem.unlim.team/sotayamamoto
Standard plan is free of charge and members can access Sota's photos and videos periodically.
Premium plan is at 3,000yen a month which can be paid by credit card. Once a month Sota will have an online fan meeting (talkshow) for premium members. Anyone can join the standard or premium membership and membership can be cancelled anytime.
 
rRainbow said:
Sota created Unlim Sota Yamamoto Official Membership account. https://www.mem.unlim.team/sotayamamoto
Standard plan is free of charge and members can access Sota's photos and videos periodically.
Premium plan is at 3,000yen a month which can be paid by credit card. Once a month Sota will have an online fan meeting (talkshow) for premium members. Anyone can join the standard or premium membership and membership can be cancelled anytime.
Click to expand...

Oh, wait, do you mean even the gaijin can access this one? :unsure:
 
Guys, Sota posted a pic on the ice with Akiko Suzuki on IG and the caption: 'FP'
I guess that means Akiko is choreographing his FP! I'm really happy with that, I think she's an underrated choreographer and while I think Mihoko's choreo suits him well, it's nice to see him working with different people!
 
On May 17 Sota's responded to Unlim's question as to how he spend the money he received from Unlim support project.

"Thank you for your support.
Your support is used to pay for my figure skating activities.
I use the money for monthly lessons, the choreography of new programs and new costumes before the start of each season, and the skating boots and blades that I replace 3-4 times a year."
(continued to the next tweet)
"I also use the funds for accommodation and travel expenses for accompanying coach and trainer when competing in domestic and international competitions.
I also use the funds for physical training to prevent injuries, ballet and dance for expressiveness, and chiropractic, acupuncture and moxibustion clinic for physical fitness, all of which are necessary for building and maintenance of the body for figure skating."
 
:thank: , Rainbow!
Here's how things stand: those wo have a Premium account on Unlim (i.e. pay 2k yen to support him), can watch Sota's live (and maybe interactive) interviews once a month. Those who have regular accounts (for free or who pay less), can watch highlights from the fan meeting, it seems. But I don't know if those highlights can be shared here.
I personally don't have an Unlim account because I can't afford premium, don't have a Japanese phone number so can't become a regular monetary supporter either, and I have Twitter and fan letters to voice my support anyway. I'm relying on Rainbow's kindness of translating the highlights. It will take me a long time before I can understand Sota's interview highlights on my own (though I recognize a number of words and expressions, but it doesn't click for me just yet).

So, what do us non-premium fans know of Sota's recent activities?
- his FS is choreographed by Akiko, program itself is rumored but unconfirmed - might be Swan lake, might be Rachmaninov, or something else...
- he's back to his university studies (hooray)
- he's recently been to a concert of his favorite singer, Aimyon, and posted a photo on Instagram.
Some obsessive fan/s started advocating that he should stop posting stuff like that on social media since he's supported from fans' money, and speculating who Sota went with to that concert, to the extent that Sota felt the need to clarify he'd gone alone. That makes me angry. He's a normal young man who deserves to have a normal life and hobbies, and what this person does (maybe there are more of them) sounds like nosiness and blackmail. To think these posters are grown-up women, maybe with families of their own... I hope Sota doesn't give a hoot. 🤨
 
Don't worry, surimi, Sota's new FS is not Swan Lake. I heard that his FS is Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2.
His costume is being made by Orihara sensei and inspired by Yuzuru's Origin costume. Unlim Sota premium members can see the photos of Sota's costume fitting. His free is the only new program for the next season and he decided not to get a new gala program, as his ice show appearances are very few and he wants to focus on the new FS.

With the recent rule changes, he wants to compete at domestic competitions in the early season to see how his techniques are judged, so he is planning to compete at Howa Trophy in July and Gensan Summer Cup later.
 
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Ohhhh thank you so much for the updates, rRainbow!
Rach is a much better choice than Swan Lake IMO. I'm happy!
Also, the choice to focus on his new FS and compete in domestic early events is perfect, exactly what he needs.

@surimi honestly those fans... 🤦‍♀️
First of all, it's ridiculous to assume he's using fan money to go to the concert, it's not like his family is destitute or anything! He made it clear what he's using fan money for, which is his skating expenses. His personal expenses and activities are his own business! Grrr I'm actually offended on his behalf now 😡
 
If – and it’s a very big if – any of Sota's fans are upset by seeing "their money" spent on his going to a concert, they are not serious sports fans. They're groupies. Sota is not an idol in show business and as an athlete he needs to recharge and rest, otherwise he will be burned out. As to spending money, in addition to support funds, his parents provide him with financial support and he also earns money by performing at ice shows and speaking at talk shows, magazine interviews, etc. I hope his fans are reasonable and glad to see him having a good time.
 
rRainbow said:
If – and it’s a very big if – any of Sota's fans are upset by seeing "their money" spent on his going to a concert, they are not serious sports fans. They're groupies. Sota is not an idol in show business and as an athlete he needs to recharge and rest, otherwise he will be burned out. As to spending money, in addition to support funds, his parents provide him with financial support and he also earns money by performing at ice shows and speaking at talk shows, magazine interviews, etc. I hope his fans are reasonable and glad to see him having a good time.
Click to expand...

Thank you for both of your posts. :bow: I can't thank you enough for the info you posted here. I was very happy to read the news of his costume (this could look very cool, no pops/splats/stumbles providing ;) ). And yay for Rachmaninov 🥂 If Sota keeps his mind focused and calm this season, things could go very well indeed for him. I hope he's well-prepared (but not over-eager) at Howa Cup and Gensan. It's a wise strategy. Keep this up, Sota, tactical decisions will lead you far. (y)
And... is he going to face Kazuki again in August, in a ferocious multiple-player battle for prime beef? :biggrin:
 
Excerpts from Sota's short video talk released to Unlim standard (free) members:

"I may have mentioned before in an online talk that I have recently started back to university. I am taking a solid five days a week of classes at the university. I think I told you before that I can't get up in the morning for the first period, but I have classes from the second period onward. So I thought it would be interesting if I could tell you a lot about the courses I am taking, and I would like to share some of them with you or make a presentation. For example, I am a student of the Sports Science Department of Chukyo University, so I have many classes on sports and related subjects, which I think are very good for my skating.

For example, I can learn about exercise and sports physiology, coaching science, biomechanics, and so on, and I can learn a lot of new information about how various physical motions work in sports, so it's really beneficial for me. I also have a tendency to overthink things if I only skate every day, so although it's really hard for me to spend time at the university, and I'm not good at studying, so it's difficult for me, but at this point, I think in some ways it has refreshed me. Well, I will do my best to earn credits, because it is not such a lenient world when it comes to credits.

There are also exercise classes. I am currently taking tennis and physical training classes, but I am not that good at ball sports. I am good at running and I think I am a fast runner, but I can barely rally in ping-pong, and I couldn't play tennis at all at first. I also took swimming in my 2nd year, and although I was able to get the credits, I could not keep up with the swimmers in the sports science class, because they all were very athletic, although I thought I was athletic as well I was not good at inhaling between strokes. By the time everyone else had almost finished a lap in the 25-meter pool, I was only halfway there, and I was told "Yamamoto-kun, you can walk back already," so there were parts where I couldn't keep up with the others. But if I work hard, I can earn credits for my exercise classes."
 
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Thank you, what an interesting read!
So it looks like Sota has learned how to swim ^ ^ I sympathise with his swimming struggles, I was never able to hold my face under the water or deal with water splashing in my mouth, nose and eyes. Needless to say, I was not the star of my class' swimming classes...
I'm glad to know he's keeping himself refreshed mentally as it's now more important than ever for him.
 
Cross posting from Kazuki thread:
2022 Gensan Summer Cup schedule:

Aug. 11 (Thur) - Jr.W(SP)、SrM(SP)
Aug. 12 (Fri) - Jr.W(SP)、Jr.M(SP)
Aug. 13 (Sat) - Sr.W(SP)、Jr.W(FS)、Sr.M(FS)
Aug. 14 (Sun) - Sr.W(FS)、Jr.M(FS)

It will be Sota's second competition in the coming season. The competition will be held with audience, limited to 500 spectators per day, and tickets are free. The organizer is accepting application for tickets and if the applications exceeds the daily limit, lottery booking system will be used.
 
wow, free tickets. The skating world needs more events like that. ☺️
Too bad Sota's main fan blog has shut down, otherwise we'd be able to read longer reviews than what Twitter gives space for. But Twitter will have to do for now, and/or Shelley's blog (the only remaining blog that's mostly Sota-centric).
Do we know when Howa Cup takes place next month?
 
Thanks for the find, Kirara! So nice to see Sota again. I am surprised Yuhana isn't in the photo, and it looks to be her sister Kinayu at Sota's side. I'll need to log ino my Twitter to see if she's maybe graduated from Chukyo already. She's Sota's age, and I don't think she took a 2-year leave of absence, so it would make sense.
 
surimi said:
I'll need to log ino my Twitter to see if she's maybe graduated from Chukyo already.
Click to expand...
Yuhana is currently in her 4th year of Chukyo University, according to her twitter profile. In fact she was born on May 19, 2000 and just turned 22 last month. She entered Chukyo in April, 2019 and will graduate Chukyo in March, next year. I don't know why Yuhana was not in the group photo, but many other Chukyo boys and girls were not in the photo either. I don't see Yuma either.

The occasion was the Parents and Instructors Meeting, and parents and guardians of Chukyo University Skating Club members were invited to see the students practice.
 
rRainbow said:
Yuhana is currently in her 4th year of Chukyo University, according to her twitter profile. In fact she was born on May 19, 2000 and just turned 22 last month. She entered Chukyo in April, 2019 and will graduate Chukyo in March, next year. I don't know why Yuhana was not in the group photo, but many other Chukyo boys and girls were not in the photo either. I don't see Yuma either.

The occasion was the Parents and Instructors Meeting, and parents and guardians of Chukyo University Skating Club members were invited to see the students practice.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the clarification.

Sota's next fan meeting through Unlim will take place next week: https://twitter.com/so_ta0110/status/1535827914612441089?cxt=HHwWgoDU6bzWrdAqAAAA

Just one month until Howa Cup, and then next month, Gensan. :] I think I've seen on Twitter the names of Kazuki, Sota, and then Miura, Sato and Kagiyama, in connection with Gensan? That would be a strong lineup.
 
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