Nikkei's 'Step! Step! Step!' Vol. 4 (2010/01/12)

Volume 4 of Nikkei's bimonthly series on Daisuke came out earlier this week. I just discovered that my library carries Nikkei, so I was able to read the article. As always, it's very insightful and provides a lot of good information on what's going on with Daisuke right now, like his training, his relationship with his team members, and his preparation for the Olympics.

Unfortunately, I'm really busy right now and don't have time to translate it. If someone else wants to have a shot at it though, I can post the article if you don't have it already. Otherwise, I can try to post a brief summary of it when I have more time.

Thank you so much for all of your great jobs, Calliope!!

Hi everyone! I'm back.

I finished to translate the first half of the article. But I can't do the rest of it until next week. Sorry. If anyone can, please continue.



Jan.12.2010 Nikkei Shinbun Step! Step! Step! vol.4: Part 1

Vancouver, to the dream stage.

Gush of power, turn it into confidence.

On Jan 3rd before new year's decorations were removed, Takahashi flew to Detroit where the choreographer Pasquarle Camerlengo was.

He worked to modify his free program and practiced for two hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. The program content used to be the one that was made with his right knee injury in mind, but now coach Nagamitsu said "The time has come." One of two 3As was moved in the second half of the program and they thought again of the order of the jumps which he felt inconvenient with, because it made him hear the music.

He didn't feel liberating like usual after he won JNC. "All of us felt like 'OK, then next.'" "It's better to skate" he voluntarily said and went to the ice rink even on Dec 29th, 30th and Jan 2nd. He also paid attention to the physical condition. He took foods such as dried Japanese radish, Shoyu, olive oil and curry roux and recipes which his nutritionist prepared to U.S. "We enjoy cooking together and it's a break." said Nagamitsu.

As she said "we", Takahashi is working as a team. Nagamitsu and his trainer who are always with him, Takeshi Honda as a jumping coach, Kenji Miyamoto as a choreographer and Makoto Okazaki as a technical ecialist... Various people come into his team. It's different from two years ago when he was pulled by Nikolai Morozov. Now Takahashi decides things and the people support him. "The bond has grown stronger gradually." Team Daisuke currently runs smoothly but it often winded its way last year.

"It's my fault. If I were a very aggressive type of a person, it would be OK. But I'm totally no good when I'm less motivated." When people around try to cheer him up caring of him, Takahashi who is very emotional holds himself from such their attempts. Once Nagamitsu pointed out the ill condition, it pissed him off and he closed his ears to her because it was so right. "There were occasions like 'I'm tired. I'll do it tomorrow.'" Though feeling impatient, people around him left it to flow when he put off a problem. Otherwise Takahashi's initiative would be lost.

The good omen for Team Daisuke was GPF. After placing 1st in SP, he messed up his free skating and placed 5th. Honda and other stuffs talked over drinks "It would have been a problem if he thought he could go to the olympics with such a practice. It was better for him to fail." At the same time, Takahashi sit in another room with a face as if he was watered on his face. Even though he was tired after a row of competitions, it was so shameful. He ground out "You just wait."

The switch in Takahashi's heart was turned on. This is the thing what not olny his team but also Takahashi himself wanted. He boosted himself up and was ready to fight. He has dedicated himself to practice for three weeks since GPF. He came home so exhausted and fell asleep immediately.

Productive days. In JNC he could face the competition feeling "Go and do it." without anxiety like "It's a competition. What should I do?" for the first time after the injury. Even though he couldn't do as he did in practice but he felt good. He could also accept his faults in a calm state of mind. Okazaki said "It was the way to fault, in which we could see the future."




Oh, it's just one month..... I can't believe it!!!!
GO GO GO DAI-CHAN!!

Thank you so much for the translation, Miyu!!! It is really appreciated and a very enjoyable read!

miyu wrote:

He ground out "You just wait."

Love this!!!

Quote :

The switch in Takahashi's heart was turned on. This is the thing what not olny his team but also Takahashi himself wanted. He boosted himself up and was ready to fight. He has dedicated himself to practice for three weeks since GPF. He came home so exhausted and fell asleep immediately.

It does sound like he is in a good place mentally. Moving the second 3A and other jumps around. Getting his program ready. I really can't wait to see it!

Quote :

Oh, it's just one month..... I can't believe it!!!!
GO GO GO DAI-CHAN!!

I know. I can't wait. I'm so excited about it, but I know it will be so nerve wrecking! The figure skating is in the middle of the night European Time, finishing at 5 AM. I know I will have trouble sleeping afterwards, no matter what happens! Not since Alexei Yagudin have I been wishing so much for a skater to win.

Hi Calliope:

I have some time tomorrow.
Will you post the article?

miyu: Welcome back! Thanks so much for translating!

Genki: I just posted the article in the video thread, so please check there.

Hi Miyu and Calliope:

Thank you for your effort regarding Translation.

Here’s the sequence.

Struggle to come back

In the beginning of the current season, it took a long time to make sense of Dai’s new body changed by the surgery. In every competition, there appeared issues which require to try jump timing. Daisuke also has to go through a great deal of trials and errors about his boots. He shortened the long blades that he used to have before the injury. Then he found them uncomfortable and went back to the long blades. Then he shortened the blades again and in the end he decided to use the long ones. Since Dai worried so much about making it sure that everything is ok, there was not enough time to practice till his body learns the program thoroughly.

Since surgery has made it easy to lose muscle power during the consecutive competitions, Dai was stressed out and it took a long time for him to recover. Dai says, “When I relaxed at home, I found myself so exhausted. I could not psych up enough for the next competition.”Looking back himself two seasons ago, he cannot help admiring himself,” I made so much efforts before the injury.”

After Japanese National, Dai started to feel different energy still remained in him and it became easy for him to go back to the rink. Dai says” Now I can clearly see what I should do.”Good practice leads to confidence and confidence makes performance better. Recently Dai has developed habit of saying,” After all, the important thing is practice.”

Coach Nagamitsu thought “It is so admirable that he has recovered this much.” There are only few precedents of the skater who suffered from torn AC ligament of right knee. There were long days of trial and errors. Nagamitsu tried to see only the positive sides no matter what and continued to find only the room to grow. She added,” Dai has not skated to his best yet. I want him to practice as much as he can, believing in himself, Daisuke Takahahi.”

Dai himself may have sensed those feelings of Nagamitsu. Dai used to hate to talk about the future, but this time, he started to say the first time in the team meeting, “Since there are so and so days remain, let’s do this today.” For example, it is Dai’s idea that he does 6 min practice first and then skates the entire program. It is “mock competition.” Dai has never planned how he practices exactly before. Dai says,”It was not because that I was in good mood that I presented that idea. It is irritating when I do not have enough energy.” I wonder if Dai said so since he felt bashful. I believe that Dai has started to get into the right mental shape before Olympic Games.

It is only quads that he cannot find how to land. However, he does not plan to avoid them. He feels that it is ok to miss quads, if he can skate the rest of the program perfectly. Dai felt that Torino Olympic was something like a festival, but now he takes his position as a representative of Japan more seriously. He also understands the importance of Olympic Games.
Dai feels that it is important to perform well enough to deserve the position of Japanese representative. However he refuses to skate defensively. After all, he really wants to skate himself.

His goal has been “gold medal” through these 4 years. In the process of recovery, Road to Olympics has been in the fog. However, now the road appeared very clearly in front of members of team Daisuke. Their slogan is “We just have to do it.”

Enjoy!!

Thank you so much, miyu, Calliope and Genki!
It's excellent work!! And welcome back, miyu!

Quote :

She added,” Dai has not skated to his best yet. I want him to practice as much as he can, believing in himself, Daisuke Takahahi.”

I agree. I hope he shows great performance at Olympic Games!

Thank you very much for translating, Genki!!

Artemis wrote:

I'm so excited about it, but I know it will be so nerve wrecking! .... Not since Alexei Yagudin have I been wishing so much for a skater to win.

Oh yes.... I've never been crazy about any skaters as I'm about Dai-chan now. I'm afraid I will faint or have a heart attack in front of my TV during his performance next month.

There is an article about Dai-chan's nutritionist on the same paper.
Michi Ishikawa currently supports some athlete such as a speed skater Tomomi Okazaki as well as Dai-chan, as a member of Ajinomoto's 'Victory Project'. (Ajinomoto is a Japanese food company which supports JOC activities.)

Here is the part on Dai-chan.

Ishikawa-san also has supported Daisuke Takahashi who came back from the right knee surgery, since last summer. "(After having surgery) he uses the muscles which he hadn't used before. The damage is big, too.", so ingestion of protein is important. She prepared frozen Happousai(*Chinese food) and Jako Furikake for his lunch box, in order that he could get sufficient nutrition easily. By continuing this, he stopped to eat between meals naturally.
In the coming olympics, it's important to adjust one's digestive system two weeks before, in order to store energy properly from one week prior to the competition. Ishikawa-san will go to Vancouver with her own hocho(*Japanese kitchen knife) and electric rice-cooker which are the necessities for road trips, together with the other staffs.

Genki, miyu! Thank you so much for the translations, guys!

No problem at all.