2008 Interviews Transcript

☞ Video March 24, 2008

Translation: Realdeal ( YNKF )

Yuna: I really have not given a thought about it but…from now on, I'll have to listen to musics…and think about it.

Unidentified Female Interviewer: Is there anything special you'd really like to do?

[Subtitle: What's going to be your programs for the next season]

Unidentified Male Interviewer: Like which tempo would you want…classical? [Classical is not a tempo, Mr.! ]

Y: [Drums her lap] So far…the musics I've skated to are not the ones often used…in the last season, I wanted to select the music that other skaters often use…but after talking with David Wilson…it just ended up like that…but this time, something more often used music, perhaps? Probably something not too overly used but something people will easily recognize…

UMI: Well known musics, you mean…

UFI: Something popular, you mean…your music selections have been lyrical so far…so you want to think outside the box and try something different?

Y: [Slowly nods and giggles]

UFI: Something bright, perhaps?

Y: No…not something bright. I mean, not something too bright. It would be sort of in that category but not exactly…something that has more body into it would be a better choice…but I haven't decided anything yet…

[Subtitle: Did you see Kim Na-Young's performance?]

UMI: At this event…Na-Young was also here. Did you see her perform?

Y: [Yes,] her short program.

UMI: How was it?

Y: Um…for Na-Young…this time…no, this is not the first time for Na-Young…we came to the senior Worlds together…I haven't paid attention to her Long Program so I don't know well…I hope she doesn't make mistakes…since we arrived here together…I hope we both deliver satisfying performances…I have no idea what's going on with her right now!

UFI: Na-Young was a bit nervous during her Free Skate so her performance was somewhat tense but you [Yuna] have a lot of experiences so…although both of you were born in the same year, I think you could give her advice as someone who's already gone through such experience many times…

Y: Senior events have bigger audience and the scale is bigger. It's quite different from junior stage…so I've used to get nervous about those things…but after that…I got used to it…and Na-Young too now has had some experience in the big events…so if she continues to do that, I think she will gain confidence…

UMI: When…when…[stutters]…when you stand on the ice, can you hear the crowd's roar or see the crowd or see the coach? Things like that?

Y: The sound…I don't remember that much during the performance…nor the sights…[hand gestures] because I go circle around…the sight [or the vision] becomes blurry…I can't afford to pay close attention to those…

[Subtitle: When do you get nervous during the performance]

UMI: When do you get most nervous during the performance? When you finish up or when about to begin?

Y: First jump.

UFI: Ahhh…about the Lutz yesterday…did you just lose the right timing?

Y: As I practiced…as the day of competition got closer, my condition deteriorated and my body felt heavy [tired or fatigued] so as I expected…I made a mistake…I pretty much knew it was going to happen…something…

UFI: Like becoming hesitant…

Y: I tried but…

UMI: This is the similar question I asked you yesterday…once you make a mistake in jump, do you get concerned about the rest of performance or do you forget it completely?

Y: It depends on the situation. But if I've anticipated something…I get less startled…but, this time, it was completely out of blue…so first…

UFI: On that subject, Mao made a big mistake in the beginning yesterday.

Y: Maybe she anticipated?

UFI: Of course, I'm sure she didn't…she circled around the ice for a while and resumed her performance…after circling around for a pretty long time…anyways, she finished without making further mistakes. So I think it shows that Mao now has become more mature and reduced failure rate [“reduced the chances of jinx” is what she literally said. What a poor choice of words!]…so what do you think? Do you have any thoughts on that?

Y: [Long pause as she stares somewhere else]

UFI: [lets out nervous laughter]

Y: I think athletes are all alike. [OR “She and I are alike.” I couldn't hear beginning of her sentence clearly.] In my case…like I said…if I anticipate something…I get less unnerved…just like in the Grand Prix Final…my warm-up didn't go well…so I anticipated it somewhat…but in the Short Program…unexpectedly…I made a mistake so…but there was no difficult technical element after that so I didn't mind…

[Subtitle: Mao has lessened her jinx (This is a poor word choice that doesn't make any sense. I think “failure rate” is better), shouldn't you probably up the ante?…]

UFI: Looks like Mao has tamed her jinx [or use “tame” to keep the word “jinx”], so as for that…probably “threatened” is not the right word…but something like, “I should up the ante” (or “I should respond to do that”)…has that kind of thought occurred to you?

Y: Mao…

UFI: In regards to Mao's performances…

Y: [hand gestures] If Mao does well, it means Mao does well…[laughs off] I should do well, too.

UMI: So…

Y: If Mao does well, all I have to do is I do well, too. [OR “If Mao does well, I just have to do my own job well, too.”] That's it! [Her spoken Korean temporarily gets very informal at this point suggesting she's rather uncomfortable and annoyed by this question.]

[Subtitle: Did you execute you double Axel well?]

UMI: You've taken out Loop and replaced with double Axel. Did it go well?

Y: I have to have a right body condition to do that…if I haven't considered that tried to do that jump, it's likely I didn't get the 3rd place…I think it was a good decision…[6:44. inaudible: “I didn't take the easy path and took the difficult path”??? She doesn't end her sentence clearly so it's impossible to decipher what she meant by the easy path and difficult path…]

UFI: I know it's difficult to pinpoint and say this, but, compared to Mao, can you tell us something like “I'm little bit better than Mao in this area and Mao is little bit better than me in that area”…like that? [Notice how Yuna cracks a smile when she hears the name “Mao” again…She is tired of this…]

Y: That's the question I've gotten so many times…[smiles]

UFI: When you've added up everything up to this competition…

Y: The one thing I envy most about Mao is her strength[=stamina]…I've never seen her running out of stamina…like she couldn't do something because she's out of strength…which never happens to her…so her gifted strength…and…flexibility. I've gotten better now…I used to be stiff…You can't say I'm flexible…

UFI: Are you stiff?

Y: Yes. I'm very stiff. But if you have a great flexibility, you get less injuries…

UFI(s): Ahhhhh….[Sounds like there were more than one female interviewers]

Y: But I'm stiff, so…

UFI: What efforts have you put in to get yourself flexible? Yoga?

Y: Just…weight training…and a lot of stretching…[wonders her thought for a moment]…and Mao…that triple Axel…she made a mistake…even though she made the mistake…it's something we [no idea why she suddenly changes to plural 1st person voice] cannot do…not even once…not even think of attempting it…the fact she can jump is a great feat…and at such a young age…she practiced it since she was little…it's not something you can achieve it by just practicing a heck of lot. Even if I start practicing now…even if I practice for 10 years, there's no guarantee I'll be able to do it…so it's an amazing feat that she can do something most ladies cannot do.

UFI: So we have two more years till Vancouver [Olympics] and there's next season…do you have any plans about raising the difficulty of your jumps or add different jumps? Or are you going to invest in perfecting the jumps you already have?…

Y: At this point, it's important to execute those jumps perfectly without mistakes…so far, I've competed well without a new jump…it's not like my scores are low or something…I don't feel like trying it…I think it's best to do the jumps without making mistakes…

[Subtitles: Some fans want you to do triple Axel…]

UMI: Yet it's true that there ARE some fans who hope to see Ms. Yuna [you] doing triple Axel…

Y: [Wahhh!] I've seen those…if you see from those [websites], they say during the practice, I've successfully done it…there are stories like that…..NEEEEEVER!

UMI: Really? Never ever?

Y: Not even once! Not even once…

UMI: I've heard it, too. “Yuna has successfully landed triple Axel…”

Y: If it's that easy, I would've already done it. [Again, her spoken Korean temporarily becomes very informal at this point as if to talking to her friends.]

UMI: It's just that you can't watch it [OR She's hiding it] during the official and public practices…

Y: Nah….never…

Everybody: Ahhhhh…..

Y: Oh, you mean that thing? The thingy that hoists me up in the air? Of course, everyone can do it [jump triple Axel] with that thing!

UMI: Wire device?

Y: Yeah, you can do everything with that stuff. If that [3A] is so easy and something you can learn quickly, everybody would be doing it now.

[Subtitle: Why is that so difficult?]

UFI: That…why is that so difficult? Is it really because of that extra half-revolution?

Y: You see, that half-revolution…if you compare with other triples, you would say only a difference of half-revolution…[Here, I think she meant to continue, ”…so people would ask me what's so big deal about rotating that extra half-revolution?” but Yuna suddenly breaks off the flow of her previous sentence]…doing that half-revolution can take years…you could end up never doing it…this applies to other athletes as well…and…ladies…you also need skills, too…to do that…Mao took a long time to do that…she has invested many years to reach what she's doing today…and it's difficult to maintain that…because it's easy to make mistakes…it's really hard to maintain the jump…even for men! Some of them find triple Axel difficult. There are men who can jump quads but not triple Axel [Sorry, Lambiel! ]

UFI: Now you should talk about your strengths…

Y: [inaudible. Something like, “Oh, I should…”] I don't know why I should be the one talking about my strengths, though…

UFI: You're too modest…

Y: I was actually going to do it but you asked me something else…[laughter]…my strength…what is my strength? [She ponders]

(End of the clip)