Field of Gold: Tribute to the People of Japan, Part 2: Shizuka Arakawa's "You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Woman

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tribute to the People of Japan, Part 2: Shizuka Arakawa's "You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Woman

I'm pleased to present part 2 of the Tribute to the People of Japan feature. I posted part 1 of the tribute back in March when the natural disasters struck Japan. I hope to honor Japan by showcasing some of the most influential, outstanding Japanese skaters, who a true testament to their extraordinary country.

I first saw Shizuka Arakawa during the television coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Shizuka, then a 16-year-old, skated before the Emperor and Empress of Japan, who were in attendance, during the free skate portion of the ladies competition. Though she finished 13th, it was a promising start for the teenager. The next time I remember seeing Shizuka was when my sister and I attended the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships in Washington, D.C. We had free tickets to sit in one of the suites during the qualifying round (my uncle has connections). Shizuka, skating to music from "Titanic" by James Horner, captured our attention. My sister and I put a star by her name in our program because of how much we enjoyed her overall skating quality. Her jumps her big and strong, and her presentation was smooth and delightful. We took notice, especially when she ended up finishing 8th overall during the official competition, which was a huge improvement from her previous World Championship appearance in the 1997/1998 season when she finished 22nd. Only one year later, Shizuka catapulted up the world ranks, and won her first World title in stunning fashion in 2004. Two years after that, she was Olympic Champion.

Shizuka is the first Japanese figure skater to ever win an Olympic gold medal. She is only the second Japanese skater to win a figure skating medal of any color, after Midori Ito's silver medal from the 1992 Albertville Games. Moguls skier Tae Satoya, who struck gold at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, is the only other Japanese female to win an Olympic gold medal. When Shizuka won gold at the 2006 Torino Games, she was the only Japanese athlete in any sport to bring home a medal.

Shizuka's Olympic win was a major triumph, not only for Japan, but for Shizuka herself, who proved not only her naysayers, but her own doubts in her ability, wrong. She won the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund, Germany, but dropped to ninth place at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia, the following year. I recall hearing that Shizuka almost considered retiring, but the lure of the Olympic Games kep her in the race for one more season.

Heading into the Olympic Games, no one knew what to expect from Shizuka, who had yet to recapture the magic and consistency from her World Championship win two years earlier. In the freeskate, Shizuka was clean, albeit a doubled triple loop, yet cautious. She didn't attempt her plan triple, triple combination, and opted for a safe program. Sasha Cohen, who had been first heading into the freeskate, fell twice, so Shizuka knew all she had to do was remain vertical to move ahead of her. Russia's Irina Slutskaya, another favorite for the gold, also fell in her free skate, so Shizuka's choice to be smart and skate cautiously and cleanly paid off in the end.

Though it was a less ambitious and scintillating skate than other iconic Olympic performances in the past, Shizuka, known as "cool beauty" was lyrical, and elegant, and received an ovation at the end of her program. The quality of her skating was, and is, undeniable. Her jumps float effortlessly, her extraordinary flexibility is on display in her signature Ina Bauer, and her sophisticated presentation exudes maturity and grace.

In the exhibition gala the day after the free skate, Shizuka skated to "You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Woman. It is a glowing example of her stellar abilities as athlete and artist.

I hope you enjoy Shizuka's "You Raise Me Up":