The Interview
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| Ohno Zone The Interview
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APOLO ANTON OHNO The Official Ohno Zone Interview The contents of this interview have not been edited or altered in any way. These are the direct responses as we received them. Dear Apolo, Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions for your fans at www.ohnozone.net. Janey Miller has been kind enough to pass these along to you on our behalf. Please answer them at your convenience - we know you're a very busy guy! We have tried to avoid anything too personal, but of course, please only answer what you feel comfortable with. You have already met many Ohno Zone fans, such as myself (Noelle) in Washington, DC in April and Molly (I think you recognize her now!) and many others. Thank you for being so accessible to your fans. It is very much appreciated. You are welcome at any time to contact us at the Ohno Zone directly although we understand that you most likely prefer to communicate via Janey. -Noelle and Todd 1. What does a typical day of training involve? How do you vary your training according to season? -- Typical training day = wake up around 7:00 a.m. get a light breakfast, head off to the rink at about 7:45 for ice practice. Ice starts at 8:45 until 10:45 get back to the training center around 11:30 get lunch at noon. Rest until the next workout at 2:30 till 5:00, then head to sports medicine for ice bath and recover/massage. Get dinner around 7:00, 7:45 sharpen skates watch skating videos, then I have some free time for school work, friends, phone calls……ect ect. 2. Which competitions coming up next season are you likely to be competing in? Will you be at the World Cup in So. Korea in the fall, and what kind of reception do you expect to get there? The US team is planning on attending 4 out of 6 world cups this year, since we had great success Olympic Year, we are going to follow the same competetion schedule, we will skip the first 2 World Cups, and train right through them to get ready for the Winter World Cups, this lets us train a little longer since most of our team has been out of shape in the off season (especially me!!) 3. Training at the Olympic level requires a lot of hard work and sacrifices. What are the biggest sacrifices you have had to make in order to get where you are today? The biggest sacrifices…hmmmm…I would have to say giving up a normal life, and friends, I had to move from home at the age of 14 years old, right when you start making those life long friends. Though I already had a lot of loved ones back at home its always hard when you move away. My life is no longer normal especially since the games, I can't go anywhere without being recognized by at least 5 people. Its great to see how much reaction I get now!!! 4. You have had your share of disappointments and setbacks in your athletic career (such as not qualifying for the 1998 Winter Games). How do you put things like that in perspective, and what kind of advice would you give others about handling adversity? As far as my not making the 1998 Nagano Games, my thoughts are the same, = I would not be this strong without my failures. That's one of my biggest comebacks, is that I do comeback much stronger than before and with fire. I think about that feeling after 1998 and how I could have done so much more, to know that is to accept that I made many mistakes, and the only thing that I could have done is learn from them. That's a life long lesson, not just in skating. Everything is a challenge in life, either it school or sports, or life in general, its hard to look at everything like that, but once you do, its amazing. 5. What is the coolest thing you have done since the Olympics ended? Who is the coolest person you have met? That's a pretty hard question to answer as I don't really know the coolest thing I have done since the Olympics, they have all been very important, fun and I will remember then as long as I am alive! The coolest person has got to be the people who have been touched by me, and I know this when I look into their eyes, that's just the greatest feeling in the world! 6. You have mentioned before that you would like to go to college. Will you be able to do this while you are training, or will you wait until after the next Olympics? Any idea yet what you are interested in studying? I think that I will need to do school work while training, it's a great balance, but most importantly I am always focused the most on my skating. I really don't have a set plan on which route I intend to choose, but I am leaving my options open, as my recent success has opened many new doors for me. 7. Your grandparents and family in Japan must be very proud of you! Do you manage to see them regularly? I do not see my grandparents and my family in Japan very often, I wish! I love them very much as they do me, they have supported me like my father has in mind and spirit, and when I do see them I feel as if I have reached a new level…..When I was in Japan for the 1 week I felt like a new person, they have that effect on me. In their world material things do not matter, that's such a big step for anybody to take. 8. Between your travelling and training, you have a very busy schedule. What do you like to do on the rare day off when you have free time to do whatever you want? Ha!! Day off is my favorite word sometimes. It depends on what I have planned, most of the time I just like to lounge with my friends, relax, go outside enjoy the mountains in Colorado, ect ect. 9. Is there anything else you would like to add, or to say to your fans? To my fans, thank you for supporting me before, through and after the Games. It has meant so much to me to know that many people have taken such interest!! |
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Comments by: YACCS