2007 Interviews Transcript

☞ Video April 8, 2007

[Voice Over : Right now, two 16 year old girls are shining on the figure skating world:
••Introduces Mao and Yu-Na••
We've brought the two stars into our studio for the first time!]

Host: Is this the first time you two had an interview together?
Mao: This is our first time for a long interview, yes.
Host: You too, Yu-Na?
[Yu-Na has a translator behind her.]
Yu-Na: We both speak different languages, we sometimes talk in English, but we're not really good at it. This is our first time like this kind of interview.

[VO: Mao is about to talk about what they have in common.]

••• They talk about similarity in height;… both growing in height from the previous year and this year;… both having same birth month in September;… both having older sisters;… and both having puppies as pets… H: You both have puppies? Mao's puppy is “Aero” how about Yu-Na-chan?
Y: “Toto” and “Haneuri” (“Sky”)
(Yu-Na's Translator:) “Toto” and another, “Haneuri”
H: You both are also ranked #1 in the world.
M: This is the first time hearing it, surprised.
Y: I'm happy we both have good starts to senior debut.

[VO: April 2006, Mao is Japan's idol in her first year in H.S.
••Clip shows Mao's success in Japan and leaving with her sister for America to train.
Yu-Na's popularity; visits H.S. and her physical therapy for her injuries. Facng each other at World Championships, Yu-Na had a season's best in the SP and gained a bronze medal.
Mao shot to 2nd place. Silver Medal.
Miki Ando won the gold, and made Japanese history winning 1st and 2nd for the country.]

Host: Both of you competed in the Worlds for the first time. Mao-chan, what was the competition like?
Mao: I learned a lot from the SP. It made a good memorable impression.
H: Were you happy or sad?
M: i was happy.
H: But after your competition, weren't there complicated feelings?
M: Yes.
H: And Yu-Na-chan, we're you surprised by your mature and charming artistic expressions?
Y: (laughs) Mmm… I tried to express myself to the music, it helped a lot. Especially in this competition, I was happy about my performance.
H: Nevertheless, having injuries, you are still receiving medical care. In this clip, could you explain what kind of medical attention you are getting?
Y: This is Korean acupuncture. This (Clip shows her lower back and feet) helps mobilize the body while needles are placed.
H: Doesn't it hurt when the needles are inserted?
Y: It hurts, but I can endure it.
H: Mao-chan, have you had any treatments like that?
M: (Mao shakes head) No. I haven't (laughs) It looks very painful.
H: Last season, around this time, you were in America. How was American life like Mao?
M: Before I left, I was worried about communicating and eating there. But I haven't had too much difficulties making my own home.
H: Weren't the foods greasy?
M: Yes they are. So I mostly made my own food at home.
H: And Yu-Na, living in Canada, Did you experience any culture shock?
Y: Since elementary school, I trained a lot outside my home country. So I didn't experience any culture shock. I'm really good at adapting to new environments. I had no difficulty living in Canada.
H: Mao, did you blend well in America? How was it?
M: Yes I did. (blend well)
H: How about communicating? Could you converse in English?
M: I'm not good at it, but I'm trying my best.

[VO: Is it possible that Mao can communicate with Yu-Na in English?]

M: Yes, we sometimes chat in English, we both have short tongues, so our conversations don't last too long. but we had talked on many occasions.

[VO: Let's see how Mao speaks in English in a moment. But Yu-na, why are you laughing??]

[Miki's first figure skating quiz: The word “figure skating” what does “figure” mean?
M: “I'm not talking about dolls. I'll tell you the answer after the commercials!”
VO: ••Talks about figure skating Compulsory competition and judging shapes in ice.]

Host: Can you say a little something in English? Could you introduce yourself to her?
M: Who first? Me?
H: How about you first Mao? (Mao giggles)

[VO: Mao-chan!! Is about to speak in English!!]

M: (giggling) My name is Mao.
Y: (laughing) My name's Yu-Na.

[VO: Yu-Na's laughing at Mao's broken English!
••Actually, she was laughing because Mao was laughing.••
But she's very kind to answer back to Mao.]

Y: Did you have lunch?
M: Yes.
Y: Me too.
H: She asked you if you ate? (Mao says yes) What did you eat?
M: Me? I ate steak for lunch.
H: You like steak?
M: Yes, I do.
H: Is there kimchi in Canada?
Y: There are a lot of Korean supermarkets in Canada, I have no difficulty getting Korean food.
H: Do Koreans eat kimchi everyday?
Y: Yes.
H: Mao-chan, likes chocolate.
M: I also like Korean BBQ.
H: Korean BBQ! Korean BBQ in the U.S.
M: Yes.

Missing

[VO: Mao and Yu-Na Your popularity intrigues us! We want to know everything about you!]
Mao: (whispers) I hate this!
[VO: Mao-chan, Yu-Na-chan, answer Yes (“O”) or No (“X”) to the statement please.]
Q1: “I love BBQ”
Q2: “I'm still growing”
Q3: “I like my last expression (smile) at the end of my performance”
Q4: “I like to skate, but I want to date someone”
Q5: “I'm intimidated by my mother”
Q6: “If I were to do it all over again, I'd be a skater”
Q7: “Spinning gives me headaches”
Q8: “I don't like to lose”
Q9: “I will win the Vancouver Olympics gold medal”
Q10: “Last question: After winning the gold medal, I want to live a normal life”
Host: Yes, thank you very much! You had different answers from the both of you. So starting with first, “I love BBQ,” why did you answer “No,” Yu-Na-chan?
Yu-Na: I like all kinds of foodIt's hard to choose one, instead of BBQ but I really like bread (bahng). (Translator translates)
Host: That's surprising! Next question, “i'm still growing in height” Mao-chan, you think you stopped growing?
Mao: Well,when people see me they say that I grew, but I'm not sure…
H: Can you stand up? Yu-Na-san, you too?
Stand here please? I've heard you are both 163cm tall and grew each year. Oh amazing, the same! Small faces, measurements of arms and legs? You two are the same, yes? Like twins! …(Host then laughs because her arms are shorter)

[VO: Stay tuned because we're going to hear what kind of guys they like!] #2 [Miki Ando feature quiz: How old was the first Japanese in the Olympics?
(They tell Miki the answer) “Eee! that's young!”
“I was surprised to hear the answer! I'll tell you after the CM!”
Japanese Olympics History clip 1936 Inada Estuko- 12yrs old]

[VO: Both answering they want to be in love, lets hear what type of guy they like!]
H: Mao-san, you want to be in love?
M: Yes, I want to. There was a boy I liked when I was younger, but I never thought about being in love until now.
H: What is your ideal type of man?
M: A sense of humor
H:: A sense of humor?
M: Yes, funny and handsome.
Y: I like men who have good personality and appearance. Like Mao, I also like someone with a good sense of humor.
H: Next question, spinning gives you headaches, Mao-chan?
M: Yes, especially Layback spin…
H: You still experience that now?
M: Yes, after continuous spins, I still experience it.
H: Really? So then how do you get back to normal?
M: I need to look at one place and focus.
H: Finally, the gold medal winner of the girls really want to go back to normal life? M: Yes, I'd like to be a normal girl…. I was once just a normal girl a long time ago, but now, I can't hang out with classmates at school and go out and take pictures. but I'd like to someday.
Y: I agree with Mao… but isn't that a common thing to feel for a lot of athletes in our position.
H: Yu-Na, about taking home the Vancouver gold medal, you said “No”?
Y: Between now and Vancouver, there's a lot of time; nobody knows what will happen. Since Mao trains really well, it will pay off someday, I will probably work hard too, but thinking about it now, I don't really know.
H: Mao-san, you said you would win.
M: Mmm…because it's my dream since childhood, but until Vancouver Olympics, I want to help each other and have a good relationship.
[VO: Kim Yu-Na wants to confess something to Mao]
Y: I'm a little inflexible compared to Mao…I improved some, but when i see Mao do Beillmann spins, and spirals so well, I wish she could lend me some of her flexibility!
H: She wants to borrow that from you…what would you like to borrow from her, Mao-chan?
M: I want to borrow Yu-Na's artistic expressions!
(laughs)

☞ Video April 9, 2007

Translation: Realdeal ( YNKF )

[On being filmed while getting treatment]

“It’s been done so many times so I just let it be.” [NOT in a sense in the Beatles's song but more like “I don't mind too much.”]

[about competing]

“I don’t compete in order to beat someone, so I don’t mind [about things like the rivalry].”

(1:02 mark for the YouTube clip)

[On her bronze medal in ’07 WC]

“If I do too well from first time, it’s hard to keep it up. So…I wasn't too eager to be in the 1st or 2nd place.”

[On the falls in the LP]

“Athletes fall all the time and it’s not like you’re in a big trouble if you fall. You sometimes make a mistake in this competition and you do well in the other, so…I don’t make a huge deal out of it.”

[On her facial expression in the Tango de Roxanne]

“We prepare a cue for facial expressions. If you’re nervous, it doesn’t come out well, but in this competition, I sort of did it in a state of trance, so I was able to deliver the expression well.”

[on whether she has a favorite TV celebrity she likes]

“I’m too busy with competitions and stuffs. I don’t have time for that.”

[interviewer questions how she maintains her body in shape]

“It’s because I train as an athlete, I don’t do anything special about it.”

[if she didn’t become a figure skater]

“Just…an ordinary student who has an ordinary school life…”

[on her destiny as a figure skater]

“I felt that when every time I was about to give up, things worked out. That’s when I occasionally feel I’m supposed to skate.”

[on next season]

“I should take care of my condition and think about the areas I’m lacking. I want to hear I have improved further in the next season.”

☞ Video May 10, 2007

Translation by Realdeal @ YNKF

[Introduction by the host interviewer (noted as “I” below) and the preview. She greets Yuna (“Y” below) and asks that is neither question nor comment like: “Are you on your way to airport?” “Did you pack your bag by yourself?”]

(From 1:05 mark)

I: How long will you be away in Canada?

Y: I'll be training in Canada from now on. I'll be in Korea occasionally…

I: You wrote in your Cy mini homepage “I'm going to escape to Canada.” Why did you say you're “escaping”?

Y: I've had a busy schedule while I was in Korea and I got tired, so I just wanted go to Canada as soon as I can and train with a peace in mind.

I: How's your back? Everyone is concerned…

Y: I'm not fully healed so I'll have to be careful…I plan to get treatments in Canada till I'm fully healed…

I: How?

Y: Although it’s not the same clinic I go here, I will continue to get treatments from the clinic we found there in last summer.

I: This is the first time I see you with my own eyes and you look so pretty. You’re so petite and pretty. I can only describe you as a fairy. How is it? People call you a fairy on ice, everyone’s little sister… You’ve become a star lately. What do you think about that?

Y: I…couldn’t care less about it…I just want to work hard on what I do.

I: You mean…figure skating?

I: Did you choose what to wear today? You have a very good taste in fashion.

Y: I just chose what I liked…

I: You’ve taken some photo shoots for magazine lately. Those pictures were impressive. What did you think? How was it like?

Y: It’s something I haven’t done before so it was fun and interesting. I read magazines a lot so I think it was a good experience for me to be a part of it.

I: But, when those pictures came out, people had a few things to say about …no?

Y: It’d be a problem if I took those photo shoot session during my training hours but it was done during my free time and it didn’t affect my training. And it was after the season ended so I wanted try out a few things while getting medical treatments…so…please…just be generous about it. [I’m sure she really really wanted to say “Please take it easy, people! Sheesh!” Media attention must have been stifling for her.]

I: People say figure skating is performance. People say you have a great artistic voice. Where does that [=her artistic talent] come from?

Y: Um…I’m not sure if I have that talent…

I: You don’t think you have it?

Y: I never have thought I had it. I just did what they’ve taught me to do.

I: Are you more like your mom or dad in terms of your personality?

Y: Mom…

I: How would you describe your personality?

Y: I used to be introvert and didn’t talk lot but I’ve been doing interviews, meeting people a lot so…I think I’m less introvert now…I’m more like down to earth…

I: Let’s continue the interview while we move. Aren’t you going to get tired from the long flight? You've been inside a van before, right?

Y: That’s okay. [Yuna is obviously annoyed by her meaningless questions…me thinks… ]

I: Are you sending “bye” text messages to your friends? Are you done?

(Yuna’s profile is up and a contrived sentimental music swells)

I: People compare you with Asada Mao a lot. You’re sick of hearing that, right?

Y: If you only look at the technical side, Mao is way better. Mao’s triple Axel… most people can’t fully rotate all the required revolutions…the fact that she can jump is an amazing feat by itself.

I: Doesn't that fact makes you more competitive to do better than her?

Y: I don't necessarily think I have to beat Mao. I didn't become a figure skater to beat Mao; If I can do perfectly in what I do, that's all I need. It’s not like I have to be on top of anyone…and those things are beyond my control.

I: Many people think placements are important. Don't you really care about placements in competition?

Y: It's important but if there are 100 athletes in the world, not all of them can reach the top. And when you become the number one in the world, you can't be on the top of podium every single time, and you can fall into slump anytime unexpectedly…That's how many athletes feel from their point of view. Is it? Does the 1st place really mean everything? For the bronze medal I won in the last WC competition, people and press around me talked about disappointment, heartbreak, and regret. I don't feel any of those but media do talk about that kind of stuffs.

I: When you fall during the performance, you still have to get up and finish with a smile on your face until your music ends. How do you control your mind in a situation like that?

Y: If I fall, I really don’t want to do it till the end…not to mention I lose my confidence… I just keep telling myself I should forget about it and concentrate on the next element. But, when you make one mistake, your body gets tense and the following performances usually don’t go smoothly.

I: I was moved by the scenes in which you kept on training despite the pain with tears in your eyes. [Referring to the “Lark Ascending” documentary] Do you think of yourself as determined and persistent?

Y: Yes. If something doesn’t work as I intended, I do it over again and again until I get it done. I’m like that…and I get angry with myself if I can’t get it done. I do have a bit of those qualities [=meaning her perseverance and resolute character]…

I: Were you like that since you were little or have you become like that after you skated?

Y: I think I’m naturally like that…maybe it’s learned behavior since I’ve been training for so long but I think that’s just who I am.

I: When was the most difficult moment for you up to this point?

Y: This season. I had a serious boot problem from the beginning of the season. When I thought about I must go through hardships continuously as an athlete, I got afraid and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I also had a lot of injuries…But, now when I look back, I think those things were meant to happen…to make me better.

I: It’s good to have mom right beside you but don’t you want to be independent sometimes?

Y: She is helpful since my luggage is heavy and we have to move around by car a lot, but I couldn’t chatter with other skaters because of her. I envied that.

I: Because of you, I believe there will be many young kids wanting to become figure skaters…do you have any advice to them?

Y: [Yuna is hesitant to say anything]

I: You want to tell them “don’t do it!” Aren’t you?!

Y: [tries to suppress laughter]

I: Is that so hard to say?!

Y: Because…based on my experience, it’s really hard and painful than it looks! I didn’t know that when I began and I know how hard it is because I’ve been there…so I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you like it, you have a talent, and you enjoy skating then…I would like them to persevere to the end without giving up in the face of adversity.

I: What would you want to do later? [or after retirement]

Y: After I retire, I’d like to turn pro and go on a world tour to do shows. When I look at young skaters, I sometimes want do coaching…I want to do something related to figure skating.

I: Do you have a favorite song you like?

Y: Why? Are you going to make me sing?

I: Yes.

Y: Not doing it, not doing it…

I: Come on! Just tell me what it is then.

Y: I like song by Boa. I like most of her songs. I memorized them and even memorized in Japanese. There’s one I used to sing in a karaoke called “If I see you today.”

[She sings, stops, and laughs.]

☞ Karaoke Video

[Press Conference: She reads a statement.]

Reporter: The coach [Coach Ji Hyun Jung, I reckon] said Kim Yuna must master triple Axel. What do you think about that? [See the “Lark Ascending” documentary, part 4]

Y: I don’t have any plans on that until I’m fully healed. There are a lot of technical things to improve on other than triple Axel, so I’ll do those things first. When the time comes and it becomes absolutely necessary, I will give a try, but not yet…so far, I don’t feel I need to start learning it.

I: What music and costumes will you select for your next season?

Y: I will consult about that when I go to Canada and pick something that suits me and I can interpret well. Nothing drastically different from the last season but I want to try a different style.

[Yuna and the interviewer shake hands and the credit rolls.]