Yuzuru Hanyu’s first international competition was the Santa Claus Cup which was held in Tampere, Finland on December 10th (open practice), 11th (short program) and 12th (free skate) 2004. Hanyu had won the novice B national championship a month and a half earlier, so he was a promising skater, and the federation started giving him international experience.
In truth, this looks more like a Finnish championship with an infiltrator from Japan, but never mind. Even in the ladies’ competition it seems more the championship… let’s say Scandinavian, since there were ten Finnish, six Norwegian and two Japanese skaters to act as infiltrators. The Japanese are Nanoha Sato, who won, and Mari Suzuki, who ended in second place. I have already mentioned Mari Suzuki here. She was coached by Nanami Abe and was older than Hanyu by almost three years. As for Nanoha Sato, in 2004 she was silver, behind Shiho Sato and ahead Mari Suzuki, at the National championship novice A and 15th at the National championship junior. Her best result was fifth place at the National Junior Championship in 2006, then she was overtaken by other skaters and I have not found any trace of her after 2008. At that time, however, two promising girls and a boy traveled to Tampere.
The category of the competition is Novice A, not Novice B, even though at the national level Hanyu had competed in Novice B. Not that the age was a problem, he won, ahead of six Finns. This is the ranking:
- Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN
- Sasha Palomäki, FIN (MTK)
- Tatu Piiroinen, FIN (TRT)
- Esko Honkala, FIN (HL)
- Bela Papp, FIN (KuTa)
- Otto-Eemeli Laamanen, FIN (MTK)
- Lasse Sääkslahti, FIN (JyTLS)
Sasha Palomaki is over three years older than Hanyu, in the 2005-2006 season he would finish third in the Finnish Championship, then switch to ice dance for only three seasons. I know nothing about Tatu Piiroinen and Esko Honkala. Bela Papp (here and here)was a little older than Hanyu, born in 1994, March, was once the national champion and finished on the podium three more times, and once participated in the World Championship qualifications. Otto-Eemeli Laamanen participated in international competitions only up to the junior category. Lasse Saakslahti has participated in a couple of international competitions, but it cannot be said that he has achieved important results.
The judging system was 6.0, but I have no idea how many judges there were, or whether whether there was unanimity among the judges or not. As weilan8133 pointed out to me on Twitter, a couple of books report the results, and while we don’t have the votes, we do know that Hanyu won both programs.
To participate in the competition, the skaters had to pay a €40.00 entry fee, and the organizers have clearly specified that they cannot offer to pay any expenses for the skaters. Was there an economic contribution from the Japanese federation? I have no idea. I know that Hanyu received the jacket with “Japan” written on it, which he was very proud of. He represented his country, so he had to skate at his best.
These are the technical requirements:
NOVICES A, BOYS (born 1989 or later)
Short program max. 2min 40sec
a) Axel or double Axel Paulsen
b) One free double jump immediately preceded by connecting steps and/or other
comparable free skating movements
c) Jump combination consisting of two double jumps or a double and a triple jump. It is
not allowed to repeat the solo jump.
d) Flying spin with min. 6 revolutions in the position
e) Sit, camel or upright spin with only one change of foot and at least 5 revolutions on
each foot
f) Spin combination with one change of foot and min. one change of position and min. 5
revolutions on each foot
g) 2 different step sequences (straight line, circle or serpentine)
Free program 3min 30sec +/- 10sec
The season’s programs are Spartacus, with music by Alex North, and From Russia with Love, with music by John Barry. Both choreography are done by Shoichiro Tsuzuki. Hanyu wins, but the joy is short-lived. On December 25, the Konami Sports Club Izumi closes due to economic problems, Tsuzuki leaves Sendai and Hanyu is forced to go to another rink to train, more difficult to reach and too crowded, since it is now the only ice rink in the city.
