New Year Interview
The Road to Becoming a Professional

Figure skater Junko Yaginuma, who competed in the Calgary Olympics at the young age of 14, became a professional skater 11 years ago after going to Waseda University and skating all over the world. She is currently also active as a sports commentator and figure skating instructor.
This year, the Winter Olympics will be held in Torino, and we asked Ms. Yaginuma about the secret behind the strength of Japanese athletes, as well as about the attractive qualities of amateur competition and professional ice shows.



Having The Good Fortune to Encounter Figure Skating

Mayor: I understand you grew up in Hatanodai. Did you go to Dai-ni Enzan Elementary School?
Ms. Yaginuma: Yes, it was a very good school. I was able to make a lot of good friends. It was from around that time that I started practicing twice a day – in the morning and at night – going to the rink before school and then again after I got home from school.
Mayor: Wow, morning and evening…that sounds tough. Sports competitions are tough, too, aren’t they? You were 14 when you competed in the Calgary Olympics, right? I have warm memories of when you came to visit me in the Mayor’s Office then (smiles). I heard that you started skating before you started elementary school.
Ms. Yaginuma:That’s right, I was 5 years old. At first, I was terrible! I was slipping and falling all over the place, but I guess the frustration of not being able to skate as I wanted, fueled my motivation to do better.
Mayor: I remember when I was a child, I first wore ice skates and walked over the concrete, but as soon as I got on the ice, I fell with a crash (laughs). After that, I stayed on the sidelines. That was my first and last attempt (smiles). But I guess if you really like something, you just can’t stop.
Ms. Yaginuma:That’s right. I’m glad I started figure skating. But I never imagined I would be skating for so long (smiles)!
Mayor: It must be difficult to keep your figure if you skate.
Ms. Yaginuma:Especially during my high school years…I used to gain weight just drinking water (laughs)! Also, training with weight-lifting machines is prohibited during the growing years because the bones aren’t firm yet. When I’m even 500 grams overweight, I can’t spin as fast when I jump, but if I have muscles, then the muscles will follow through for me even with the extra weight. It’s hard to maintain a balance between muscles and body weight. I ended up wasting one season in my freshman year in high school because I couldn’t keep my weight down.
Mayor: That must have been rough.


The Driving Force of the Amateur and the Expertise of the Professional

Mayor: I imagine your routine was a lot different once you became a professional.
Ms. Yaginuma:Yes, currently, I work on a show together with a team of about 40 members. When I was an amateur, I built my life around individual sports, but now I often practice with other people and sometimes we practice during the night.
Mayor: I bet that takes a lot of stamina.
Ms. Yaginuma:Yes, as an amateur, I skated in one competition a day. But as a professional, it’s a lot more physically demanding since we have two shows a day.
Mayor: You do a lot of local performances across Japan, don’t you?
Ms. Yaginuma:That’s right. Last season, we were able to do 64 shows in 13 locations across Japan. We traveled as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Kyushu. And all the while eating delicious local food (smiles).
Mayor: How I envy you (smiles). So, what is the transition like from the world of competition to the world of entertainment?
Ms. Yaginuma:Well, shows are a lot different and more fun than competitions, because I can skate under one spotlight or different colorful lights. Plus I don’t have to worry about a score (smiles)!
Mayor: I imagine you can relax as you skate, unlike when there were judges watching you.
Ms. Yaginuma:Yes, but I still get nervous. The Japanese audience can be very critical, and I still do triple jumps, spinning three times. I always try to think of how I should perform as a professional, doing what I can do now, and how I should try to discover something that only I can do.
Mayor: Yes, the amateurs have a lot of drive because they are young, but I think when it comes to expertise, those who have been professionals for a long time have a better stock of skills. There are a lot of things about the pros that amateurs just can’t imitate.
Ms. Yaginuma:Hmm, I guess that’s true.
Mayor: Sure, that’s why it’s fun to watch professional skating shows. The performers are so well-seasoned the audience can just relax and enjoy the show.
Ms. Yaginuma:Really? Well, that’s nice to hear.


Boldness and Strength of the New Generation

Mayor: This year the Winter Olympics will be held in Torino, and I understand the women’s figure skaters are very good.
Ms. Yaginuma:That’s right. We have about 10 athletes who are good enough to make the winners’ podium. It’s the first time we’ve ever had so many good athletes at the same time.
Mayor: I wonder why so many young people have grown to have so much potential?
Ms. Yaginuma:I guess we have a lot of young people with talent. But, compared to previous years, the young athletes have slender proportions, and they’re eating differently, watching different programs on TV and feeling different things. But most of all, I think the difference is in their self-assuredness.
Mayor: Right, I think that’s it. Young people today are definitely bold.
Ms. Yaginuma:And it’s a really positive influence. They don’t flinch, even overseas. Instead they perform with the desire that people will watch them. And that’s good.
Mayor: What are practices and instruction methods like?
Ms. Yaginuma:I guess practices are like they have been up to now. But these days, an athlete can learn under different coaches. For example, more athletes are going the international route than in my day, such as by creating a program working together with a choreographer from overseas. Things are completely different than before, in the sense that athletes can look for an international coach or choreographer who best suits them. I think a lot more people are able to absorb whatever is better.


Grassroots Activities that Are Making Sports More Popular

Mayor: You look beautiful in your kimono today. I heard that recently you enjoy wearing kimonos (smiles). Can you put it on by yourself?
Ms. Yaginuma:Yes. Sometimes the colors of the kimono give me ideas for figure skating costumes.
Mayor: Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?
Ms. Yaginuma:Well, since I will be working at the Torino Olympics as a TV commentator this year, I hope I will be able to help everyone come to know how fun sports are and how fantastic figure skating is. I also started a figure skating class in the fall of the year before last and thankfully it’s been well-received. I hope that figure skating becomes more popular through grassroots activities like this again this year. And I hope to face a lot of different challenges as an ice skater in the professional world.
Mayor: Grassroots activities are important in spreading awareness among people. That’s where people who compete come from, and then go on to become professionals. Sports can be tough, but I think there is joy in overcoming tough challenges. I believe that the kind of effort to continue and not give up in the middle of something makes a person even better. That’s why I get up at five in the morning, go out for a brisk walk, do some bending and stretching exercises, push-ups and exercise on a horizontal bar.
Ms. Yaginuma:What a rigorous program! It’s good to start out gradually, right?
Mayor: Well, I believe that happiness is having something you enjoy doing, be it sports or work or whatever. And I want to build up stamina so that I can do the things I enjoy.
Ms. Yaginuma:I see. What is your New Year’s resolution, Mr. Mayor?
Mayor: Personally, I hope to polish myself in that area. And in terms of city administration, I believe we need to spread and promote sports more. I hope our city administration will encourage the popularity of sports so that more people will want to participate in and enjoy sports, like you said.
Ms. Yaginuma:Oh, yes! That would be great.

(Recorded at Dai-Ichi Hotel Tokyo Seafort)