#also minori's differences in choreography are always there

[incorrect-incorrect-jump]

;; minori in the darling dance choreography is so silly

;; there's obviously her almost falling over but there's also her at the start jumping to the instrumental with miku and just randomly running to the side of the stage while haruka and miku sing at one point and all her little hand and arm movements during stage travel

;; i wish the full choreography was on youtube,,

;; because it's not and im (impatiently) waiting for the connect live to be added to the virtual show archive

[pjsk-writin]

OKAY SO I HAD THIS ON MY MIND FOR SOME TIME NOW

so I was thinking about the sekai leaders (ichika, minori, kohane, tsukasa and kanade) with a reader who is a vocaloid song producer?

also separately would do best!

THANKS A BUNCH AND ILY

- 🎡

OOO this was funsies!! i ended up just making it that they listened to readers music before meeting reader, but lmk if u want me to change that dbfjdjf- i hope u like this !! <3

♡ VOCALOID SONG PRODUCER - Ichika Hoshino, Minori Hanasato, Kohane Azusawa, Tsukasa Tenma and Kanade Yoisaki x Reader

Ichika:

There is an incredibly high chance that Ichika heard about you before the two of you even met!

She's probably one of the biggest vocaloid fans out of the entire cast, so the majority of her music taste is vocaloid music

Because of this, she's learned all about different styles and different producers...None of them had ever drawn her in like your music did though!

She would always be checking in to see whenever you would post a new song, and would immediately learn it on her guitar-

When she meets you in person, she thinks you're really awesome! When you reveal that you're one of her favorite producers? She freaks out-

She asks you a ton of questions about all of your songs, and definitely asks for your help in making songs for Leo/Need. She might even ask you to make an appearance!

Minori:

While idol music had always appealed to Minori, she found herself drawn to vocaloid songs after the forming of the Sekai!

It's more likely than not that she'll be drawn to your music if it's similar to idol music, but either way, she really enjoys your style!

She's very curious about the whole process when it comes to making vocaloid songs, she's astonished by the skill you have!

Any time you upload a new song, she'll literally cheer in her room, and probably try to learn the choreography if your songs come with music videos-

She's drawn to you immediately when you both first meet in person, but when you reveal that you're one of her favorite producers, she starts fangirling immediately!

She'll gush about how awesome your music is, and she definitely rambles about you to MMJ! whenever she can-

Kohane:

Kohane never really knew too much about music in general, but vocaloid music was always cool to listen to!

She probably discovered your music through Shiho or An, but either way, she was drawn in almost immediately!

Your style of music was very unique, and she loved to cool down after practices with VBS by listening to your music

There were a lot of times where she brought your songs to the Sekai and asked Meiko to play them on her speakers-

She thinks you're cool when you first meet, if not a little intimidated, and is only in even more awe when you reveal that you're her favorite producer-

She will very sheepishly admit to you that she listens to your music all the time, and asks for any tips you have when it comes to developing a style!

Tsukasa:

While Tsukasa was always more focused on being a star, he found vocaloid music to be a nice genre to listen to!

He was probably introduced to vocaloid music through Saki, and after bouncing around to different producers, he discovered your music!

He's more than likely drawn to your music if it's really loud and chaotic, but either way, he'll find himself blasting your music whenever he can!

Whenever they're taking a break at WxS practices, he'll be blasting your music in his own corner and sing along! He definitely drags the others to sing with him-

He was his usual self when he first met you, but the moment you tell him who you are, he starts to excitably ramble at you

He thinks you're so so so amazing, and any time the two of you hang out alone, he'll sing your songs with you. Even if you don't sing, he'll sing for you!

Kanade:

With Kanade, there is also an incredibly high chance that she heard about you before the two of you started talking!

Vocaloid songs were always an interesting way of composing to her, so when she discovered your music, she was astonished

Your sound was just so unique, and she found herself listening to every single song you made, engrossing herself in your sound

She comments on a lot of your videos, giving you compliments and asking you about your process for composing

Whether you find out who she is before the two of you meet, the moment you reveal your identity, she reveals hers to you

You become an honorary member of Niigo, and she usually adds you into calls to talk to you while she works on her own composing!

[anonymous-cupcakea03]

Project Sekai Characters' Favorite Enstars Units/Songs

Note: these are all very much headcanons with a little bit of personal bias. Feel free to add your own ideas!

Leo/need

Ichika: listens to Trickstar (protagonists supporting protagonists). Generally likes all the idols and supports them all.

Saki: The only shuffle unit I currently know is A to Z (and will probably always be my favorite) and I think Saki would like it too. Occasionally listens to fine with Tsukasa because he likes Wataru.

Honami: also a fan of Trickstar, particularly Infinite Star. Does drum covers of their songs as practice.

Shiho: UNDEAD, mainly for Koga and how he plays guitar. Also uses their songs for practice.

MORE MORE JUMP!

Minori: she'll claim she loves all idols equally but is biased towards ALKALOID, specifically Aira. She sees a lot of herself in him so she quickly becomes his fan and always cheers him on. Wants to see a Live but is currently broke from spending too much on idol merch.

Haruka: surprisingly, she's a fan of Tatsumi when he was a solo idol. Was devastated when he got injured but is happy to see him with a new group. Also finds the rest of ALKALOID endearing.

Airi: because she did a lot of variety shows, she probably knows every Ra*bits and Ryusetai choreography by heart. Is inspired by Nazuna and Chiaki because of how much work they put into their units.

Shizuku: respects Knights and Makoto as both models and idols. Tried listening to UNDEAD to see why Shiho likes them and is now probably a bigger fan than her.

Vivid BAD SQUAD

Kohane: big Ra*bits fan and also a fan of MaM. She finds Madara's songs inspirational and listens to them while she does homework.

An: Eden, particularly Dance in the Apocalypse. Also a huge fan of Arashi's solo (girls supporting girls)

Akito: huge Crazy:B fan. Probably tried to imitate Rinne once and got yelled at by Ena.

Touya: becomes a Crazy:B fan by proxy because of Akito but also slowly becomes a Valkyrie fan by using their music as exposure therapy. Particularly fond of Artistic Partisan and occasionally listens to fine because of Tsukasa

Wonderlands x Showtime

Tsukasa: a fan of fine purely for Wataru (dramatic theater nerd solidarity). Listens to his solo religiously. Also a huge fan of Ryuseitai

Rui: idk how to explain myself but UNDEAD. Also Switch for the magic aesthetics.

Nene: big fan of Trickstar and Eden because they helped make game theme songs

Emu: Ra*bits!! Loves their aesthetic and how super joyful their songs are. Constantly sings and dances their songs in the middle of practice. Also loves Sora's solo

Nightcord at 25

Kanade: is a big fan of Leo as a composer. Occasionally listens to Knights but doesn't listen to much because she's too busy composing. Occasionally listens to Shu's solo and moratorium wings for the vibes

Mafuyu: doesn't particularly care for any of the idols. However, she thinks she feels warm when she listens to Knights' Silent Oath and gets colder when she stumbles upon Mika's solo or past Valkyrie.

Ena: appreciates Valkyrie's aesthetic and surprisingly Jun from Eden; she listens to their songs while she draws. She also used to occasionally listen to HiMERU when he was a solo idol, and she hears him daily because Akito blasts Crazy:B, but she feels like he sounds different from before and isn't as interested.

Mizuki: big fan of Knights mainly for Arashi because she's a trans icon. Probably likes all of Pretty 5 so they occasionally listen to some of their songs or at least their solos. Jewel Stone always plays when they get ready for their day

Bonus

Ken (An's dad): was a fan of DEAD MANZ before they disbanded. He'd occasionally check in for updates and was happy to see Rei create a new unit and seemed happier. Would take An to see an UNDEAD Live.

Harumichi (Touya's dad): got into Valkyrie because of Touya. Appreciates the use of classical music and the stories they create with their songs. Probably also likes the original fine and Leo as a composer.

[zukadiary]

Hoshigumi Small Theaters ~ Spring 2019

I am five entire shows behind on reviews and I hate it!!

But I finally make it to Kansai!! I conveniently managed to see these guys on back to back days upstairs and downstairs in the same building. If nothing else I think I am 500% more educated on Hoshigumi after this trip.

Man from Algiers / Estrellas 2.0

Man from Algiers ticks all the National Tour buttons—old, done many times, ambiguous time period (useful for traveling costume recycling, i.e. why not just use the rainbow sports jackets we need for Estrellas anyway!)—and while I’m not surprised that Coto can make just about anything good, I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed the show itself (this was the first time I’d seen it at all, which was a blessing as the surprise ending was my favorite part). 

I can definitely envision it in all its original 70s glory, and it made me wonder if they really just wanted to exploit a West Side Story aesthetic’s swoon-inducing abilities and came up with the plot later; the opening looks and choreography were awfully familiar. Am I saying it didn’t work?

No I am not saying that.

(And the resulting prologue number was really cool).

The story, while dated, was simple and easy to follow, and does a great job of making sure you understand each character’s motivation with minimal info (difficult AND clutch for one-acts). There’s a good summary on the wiki, I’m including spoilers not mentioned there.

Team National Tour is definitely the lighter side of the troupe split, especially with regard to upperclassmen, but I thought Algiers was a good fit for this particular arrangement of members, and everyone really nailed their characters. Most notable: 

Julien is a despicable person, and it’s a testament to Coto’s pure heart and brimming talent that she made him a totally valid protagonist, complete with moments that made my heart lurch a little (when his old friends are bullying him in his cute little chauffeur outfit; how quickly he abandons everything to stand by Sabine when everything goes to hell at the end). 

It was very weird first not to see Aichan in Ocean’s and then to see her hanging out with a percentage of Hoshigumi, but this cast needed her. Her Jacques (albeit very reminiscent of her Bernardo) was a good balance for Coto; they both played unsavory people, but Aichan playing bad has kind of a darker streak that suits the more evil friend well, whereas Coto playing bad still has an undercurrent of goodness that gets you fully on board with his journey to reform.

Otoha Minori as Sabine was a good choice not only for her abs in the gold night club bikini dress, but for her maturity, which lended sincerity to Sabine’s fantasy-level selflessness in her concern for Julien and her desire to watch over him. When she shoots Jacques in her dressing room to get him out of the way so he can’t interfere with Julien’s new life, I was so impressed that it read as an act of sacrifice (however excessive and stupid) purely out of love and desire to see Julien continue to grow and succeed, instead of “look at what I did for you, come back to me!”

Asamizu Ryou played Bollinger, the dude who takes Julien in and grooms him for upper-crust success, opposite not just Coto (her senpai) but Shirotae Natsu (her mega-senpai), and she did it with a surprising amount of gravitas. She’s got that face which definitely helps, but she was a little scary and exuded a lot of authority. Shirotae Natsu was hilarious as the extraordinarily airheaded wife, and her interjections may have even been singlehandedly responsible for keeping the pacing of the show brisk and entertaining. 

Sakuraba Mai played the Bollingers’ daughter Elizabeth. She was detestable, but in the way that indicates a great acting job. She’s at that awkward spot where it looks like she’s getting almost heroine weight roles in small theaters and disappearing in grand theaters. I hope they keep pushing her because she’s very strong.

Number one heartbreaker Kozakura Honoka (voice of an angel!) played blind Annabel, daughter of Kumichou/a very influential duchess. She mostly stays inside alone, and then Julien woos her with the intention of climbing the social/political ladder (while developing feelings for Elizabeth and also really never getting over Sabine). Annabel overhears Julien confessing his feelings to Elizabeth and asks her attendant Andre (Kiwami Shin, in love with Annabel) to let her kill herself. Honoka apparently put an immense amount of time and research into acting blind and it showed. 

Fellow American Sayaka Rin had probably the most lines she’s had yet, in a role formerly held by both Takashio Tomoe and Hyuuga Kaoru <3 

My personal MVPs of this show were Shidou Ryuu and Kiwami Shin, Shidou not even for doing anything particularly spectacular, but just just for having grown so much since I first became aware of her existence via the Koumori shinko 3+ years ago. She’s always going to be on the cute side rather than the devastating side IMO, but she’s developed enough confidence and control in her acting that she’s become a really lovable best friend/brother type; her character’s relationship with Julien and secret-but-obvious admiration of his far superior coolness was really adorable. Andre (Shin) isn’t a super juicy role until the very end, but the way Shin did Andre’s quiet breakdown when Annabel was explaining she didn’t want to live anymore, and then her poise when Andre came out of nowhere and shot Julien just as he and Sabine were trying to run away from shooting Jacques (?!??!) was like, my jaw actually dropped. Granted she’s still super young, but Shin isn’t someone who has thus far impressed me proportionately to the amount they’re pushing her, so this mini breakout was nice to see. 

Estrellas (a revue that I loved!), like all tour revues with less than half the cast and no staircase, felt quite small, at least from the B-seki side box. But in the smallness, normally unseen people get to shine, and there were moments that had me bouncing in my chair. Amato Kanon is going to grow up dangerous (if Tennis Daughter doesn’t just consume all the otokoyaku below 98th); in the opening with everyone else beaming she was smoldering. Aichan and Anru took Kai’s medley (with different songs) and made it a very cute douki thing. Sazanami Reira needs to dance closer to the front more often. Ruri Hanaka (who, bless her heart, cannot sing, at least not like a musumeyaku) somehow snagged Airi’s part in Tonight is What it Means to be Young, and despite the singing, absolutely killed it; that girl can DANCE and she’s got sass and arm muscles for days and a look in her eye like she’ll superglue you to your makeup table if you cross her. 

And boy, Coto looks good in that top position. The talent is really stupid, but on top of that she has such warmth. I’m really excited for her Hoshigumi.

Kamatari

Kamatari accomplished a feat, because admittedly I went in having already biased myself against it; I thought Beni and Airi getting a weird nihonmono for their last small theater was dumb and just about as NOT THEM as you can get.

But I take it back! It was lovely!

For starters it was visually stunning, which feels like the thing you say when you’re trying to convince yourself that you liked a nihonmono you didn’t actually understand a word of... but in this case, it really was just a bonus. The story (summary here) is not actually all that complicated, and the dialogue was even on the friendly side for nihonmono—no weird dialects (beyond what it always takes to decipher Beni), no 12th level keigo. 

Act 1 introduces Kamatari (Beni) and Soga no Iruka (Hanagata Hikaru) meeting as youths in school and developing a friendship, and then takes us, as far as I can tell, fairly historically accurately through the events leading up to and including the Isshi Incident. Act 2 was a little harder for me to follow; but it seems to be just a progression of Kamatari’s struggles living under the new post-incident emperor Naka no Oe (Seocchi), with whom he’d conspired to eliminate Soga no Iruka, and the former empress/Naka no Oe’s mother (Kuracchi), who wants to see Kamatari suffer, because she both loved Iruka and couldn’t side against her son. 

Most of the roles were pretty small so there are fewer standouts, but here they are:

This was the third in a progression of Hoshi shows I saw live (the other two being Another World and Elbe) that really helped cement my respect for Beni and Airi’s brand of chemistry. At the beginning of her top run, I was skeptical about Beni’s ability to generate romantic chemistry with anyone at all (Scarlet Pimpernel didn’t really help me with that, and I haven’t seen anything between that and Another World). They definitely don’t have sizzling hot chemistry, and they don’t have that cute newlywed chemistry either, but I noticed watching Kamatari that in the last few Hoshi things I’ve seen, I’ve found it very easy to believe how deeply Beni loves Airi in whatever world they’re portraying. They have like, comfortable old married couple chemistry (yes, even when they’re playing love at first sight). Their moments in Kamatari were very tender, but in a wholesome “aw, she cooked for him” kind of way. Yoshiko (Airi) also had a lovely part at the end, where the two of them are old, and Kamatari’s health is failing, and they go back to the spot where they met, and she says their life wasn’t always easy, and they suffered, and they struggled, but in the end she can honestly say she had fun, and she’s truly happy. I teared up! It was sweet and meta! That alone convinced me it wasn’t a bad last small theater for them.

Hanagata Hikaru was SO much the star of Act 1 that it had me wondering if this was gonna turn out to be HER taidan present (but then she died and didn’t appear in Act 2 at all). I can’t complain because she kicked ass. I feel like I said this exact thing re: Another World, but Mitsuru is normally about as vanilla as it gets for me, but she blew me away. The pompous genius school kid to the idealistic young man to the uncertainty that comes with the reality of seizing power to the change to tyranny mixed with love for the empress and complicated feelings for his childhood friend all flowed seamlessly.

Not that I’ve watched a ton of Hoshi recently, but this was the best role Tenju Mitsuki has gotten in GOD I can’t even remember how long. Esaka is in service of the (state? empire?) as a historical record keeper, and serves kind of as a narrator as well (along with Itsuki Chihiro). I don’t even know how to describe how she characterized him... he’s odd? Maybe a little off? Regardless, she was brilliant. Watch it.

Arisa Hitomi has that empress energy for sure. I read up on the history of the events afterwards, and the explanation of why she had to give up the throne after witnessing such violence (the idea back then that an empress couldn’t be sullied by such things), and that made the sensitivity with which Kuracchi portrayed her feel even more poignant the more I sat with it afterwards.

This was the first show where to me Seocchi felt like she belonged up there with Beni and Mitsuru. She definitely put some weight behind Naka no Oe and was very princely. NOW I wanna see her tackle a more interesting/challenging (and tbh more Hoshigumi) role from up in this spot. 

All in all now I’m a little sad I won’t be around for God of Stars.

[zukalations]

TRIPLE 4 - Tenju Mitsuki

TRIPLE 4 is a Kageki feature where siennes list their top 3 favorites in 4 different Takarazuka-related categories. Tenju Mitsuki’s was published in the July 2016 issue.

Please note I haven’t seen all the shows she’s referring to here so I was going from her descriptions.

TRIPLE 4: Tenju Mitsuki

Favorite love scenes: 1. Ocean's 11 - When Benedict gives Tess the ring 2. A Second Fortuitous Meeting - When Durant kisses Sylvia 3. Arc de Triomphe - When Joan dies in Ravic's arms

In the scene where Benedict pushes Tess, who's hesitating, to take the ring and then leaves, there's a kiss scene that is somehow so mature and I really love it (laughs). I was given the opportunity to play Benedict in the shinjin kouen, so I would watch Kurenai-san and Nene-san (Yumesaki Nene) perform that scene every day. Also, I would practice every day until really late with Haruko (Otoha Minori), who played Tess in the shinjin kouen, so it's a love scene with a lot of memories for me. In A Second Fortuitous Meeting, there's a scene where Durant pins Sylvia against a wall and kisses her: I would watch that from the wings every day like 'Aah!' (laughs). That love scene went straight to the heart for me! I loved the scene in Arc de Triomphe where Ravic kisses Joan after she is shot. I thought 'it's just so beautiful'. When Ishi-san (Todoroki Yuu), who plays Ravic, strokes the hand Joan is holding out, her hands were soo beautiful...I watched that scene on the DVD over and over.

Favorite ensemble dances: 1. Dear DIAMOND!! - The black tailcoat bolero 2. Angel's Ladder - Finale dance number 3. Ocean's 11 - FATE CITY

In Dear DIAMOND!!, in the black tailcoats number, everyone came down the Grand Staircase in a reverse pyramid formation, but during the show's run it was filmed every day and we would review it afterwards. Therefore, it was a really exciting moment when we all formed up. We would get really caught up in it, like 'how's this!' (laughs). I think Star Troupe is good at group numbers, but especially there I felt like we were really displaying our strength as a troupe, so I loved that scene. The finale number for Angel's Ladder started with just a few otokoyaku, then turned into an ensemble number, and then the musumeyaku joined in...I really liked that arrangement.  The otokoyaku ensemble number was choreographed as a really Takarazuka-style tailcoat dance, which I found really thrilling, and then as everyone joined in it was a really emotional scene for me. In Ocean's 11, for 'FATE CITY' we were all wearing tuxedos, and it had a really Star Troupe attitude with lots of glitz, but it was also a really polished, smart otokoyaku dance number. It was the kind of number where as an otokoyaku you think 'I want to master this dance' as you're performing.

Dance numbers that had the deepest effect on me: 1. Love Potion II - 'Temptation of Love' number 2. Neo Dandyism! - 'Parting regrets' number 3. Drenched in the Amber-Hued Rain - Gigolo number

I feel that Choreographer Kita's* choreography has a unique masculine intensity, and in 'Temptation of Love' I was able to study that for myself. The ending, where all the otokoyaku line up at the front and blow kisses and wink at the audience, was so fun! I did wonder how it looked from the audience, but at the same time I really went over the top with it (laughs). I suppose that really had a big effect on me as an otokoyaku. 'Parting regrets' was all choreographed to illustrate the soundtrack, and the atmosphere was as if it was more than just a physical performance. In any case it was a number I put all my heart and soul into. In the gigolo scene of Drenched in the Amber-Hued Rain, I realized that the exaggerated choreography really brought out a manly, cool feeling. In the part where all the gigolos line up I would be thinking 'and who does madame fancy today?' as I was dancing (laughs).

Plays that made me cry the most: 1. Napoleon: The Man Who Never Sleeps 2. An Officer and a Gentleman 3. Afterglow of Eire

Since my role in Napoleon, Napoleon II, was more of a 'storyteller', when I wasn't on stage myself I would be watching everyone else performing. The part of the story from when Napoleon is overthrown to the death of Josephine made me cry a ton every time! Perhaps my emotions were stronger as Napoleon's 'son', but even as a third party observer it would definitely be really moving. I think during that performance I cried more than I ever have in my life. In An Officer and a Gentleman the scene where Sid decides to commit suicide would make me terribly sad as I watched from the wings. 'You've suffered so much,' I would think and cry every time. I've only seen Afterglow of Eire on video recordings, but I can't watch the end of it without tearing up. The scene where Amami (Yuuki)-san crosses the silver bridge holding Asano (Kayo)-san especially pulled me into the story and I really like it. It was always really moving, like 'in a story like this even performing naturally while holding her partner seems so cool!!'

* Kita Hiroshi, who died 1999 (Tenju participated in a posthumous restage)

[maksylmyheart]

As the world awaits next year’s Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, here in the United States the wait will not be quite as long. The 2017 Stars on Ice tour arrives at Hershey’s Giant Center on Thursday, May 4, with figure skating’s ultimate preview of Olympic hopefuls.

Returning with Stars on Ice are reigning Olympic Ice Dance Gold Medalists, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Davis and White are the first American ice dancers to win the World title, as well as the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal, accomplishments backed by years of training and dedication to the sport of figure skating.

A few weeks ago, Central Penn Parent caught up with Charlie White to talk about the upcoming tour, as well as glean some “youth sports wisdom” to pass along to parents raising their own Olympic hopefuls.

We also reached out to skaters from figure skating clubs in the Midstate, asking them to send us their questions for Charlie—together, the kids came up with a great interview!  (Photo Credit: Minori Yanagishima.)

___________________________________________

Stars on Ice – new year, new show

Central Penn Parent: Show skating is much different than competitive skating, and this year two new, young skaters are joining Stars on Ice — Men’s and Women’s U.S. National Champions, Nathan Chen and Karen Chen. When you and Meryl first joined Stars on Ice, how did you make the transition to being part of a touring show?

Charlie White: I was very lucky, our first tour with Stars on Ice was after the 2010 Olympics. My girlfriend, now wife, Tanith (Belbin White), had done many tours with Stars on Ice and she was on that tour. She was really able to help guide me through the ups and downs. Stars on Ice is always such a fabulous experiences. All the skaters are so close, despite that fact that so many of us have competed against each other. We do feel like a family. And I think that translates well onto the ice.

CPP: How is this year’s Stars on Ice show different from past shows?

CW: The unfortunate passing of director Jef Billings has left a huge hole in the hearts of the Stars on Ice family. But the director’s role is being filled capably by Jeffrey Buttle, who is a World Champion Canadian skater and who will also be doing the choreography for the show. I think what he brings as a director and choreographer is a sense of how fun skating is. I’m really expecting that to be the highlight of the show. The exuberance and fun, the steps and the personality he’s able to pull from every skater is exceptional.

Youth sports, growing up on ice, and finding balance

CPP: Growing up, you figure skated, played hockey and you also played violin. What were the expectations regarding academics in your house and how did you balance school, sports and other activities?

CW: Everything was balanced tenuously. When you’re doing that many things, it’s not easy, it’s very challenging. All of the things I was so fortunate to take on, it was of my own choosing, so doing it all felt like the right thing to do.

There was no question in my parent’s heads from day one that school was the most important by far. If I was going to be missing school for hockey tournaments or for figure skating competitions, I had to be in perfect standing with my teachers, to be getting my work done. I understood the consequence and I was able to appreciate the aspects of education that I think are too often viewed as busywork. I enjoyed learning, and my school focused on building an individual, as opposed to building just an academic entity.

The balance of going to school also allowed me to better appreciate the sports and violin. And I can attest to that, because after I graduated high school, Meryl and I took a year off before we started attending the University of Michigan. We were just skating, and it was more than just a hobby. It really started to feel overwhelming because I didn’t have a good balance.  It was just skating all the time, and that can be OK. But, definitely, to give kids the best opportunity in life, balance is important.

CPP: How can parents best support kids in their sport without being “that parent”…maybe pushing kids too hard or setting goals that aren’t in line with what the child wants? How can parents be good sports parents?

CW: That‘s a great question. It’s not easy, and it’s different for every kid. But I think there are two main things that really come into play for a kid to be able to get the most out of a sport.

The first is to help kids focus on having fun. With so much in life and school, there are pressures and expectations. It’s not getting easier to be a kid. Sports are something that should be enjoyable. I’m not saying it’s always easy, but parents should try to find ways to make it fun for the kid.

That leads to my next point: That kids should always try their hardest. Always give 100 percent. And the two really go hand in hand. If you want to be able to have fun, the surest way to get the most fun out of anything is to give 100 percent. Doing so increases your skills, your appreciation for the difficulties of a sport, and it increases the rate at which you improve, which leads back to allowing you to have more fun. Mastery of skills leads kids to having a good time. It’s not a bad thing to enjoy competition, it’s not a bad thing to enjoy winning, but ultimately it’s about having fun.

So I would tell parents to focus on those two things. If your kid isn’t holding themselves accountable for effort in a sport, it’s easy to make it clear that it’s not a right to participate in an extracurricular activity, it’s a privilege. Sports are a special opportunity to learn about others, learn about yourself and to have fun. And if one sport is not for a kid, that’s OK. There are other ways to express yourself and enjoy sports.

CPP: Every athlete has a tough competition where maybe things don’t go as planned. Did you always deal well with that as a kid? And how did your post-competition self-talk change as you got older?

CW: I had many, many competitions where things went horribly awry. That’s just the nature of figure skating because it’s just so difficult, so hard. That can’t be understated. You want to perform your best and you commit so much time to it, and when things don’t go your way, it’s acceptable to be upset.

When I was a kid, I remember a specific sensation getting off the ice when I didn’t perform well and wanting to be able to turn around, go back out on the ice and give it another shot. What I recognized was that if I could prepare myself in any way possible so that I wouldn’t have to deal with that sensation, I would do the work. If you prepare as hard as you can–within reason, with the energy you have, with time allotted–you can only be disappointed to a degree. That’s something I’ve taken with me through my career, to say, “I‘ve done as much as I can, I listened to my coaches, I got enough sleep. If something doesn’t go right, I can honestly say it’s because figure skating is hard, and I can look in the mirror and know I didn’t let myself down.”

And I think that’s the case in anything in life, whether it’s sports or school.

Questions from local figure skaters.

“Do you play other recreational sports that help you with figure skating?”  – Genya Schaller, 15, Hershey Figure Skating Club

Charlie White: I played soccer all through middle school, and I really enjoyed that. I did freestyle skating, dance and hockey. Those were my main three sports, I guess. I didn’t have a ton of time outside of that. In school, I made it a point to go get out and play any recreational sports that were going on at the time. But I really was a “rink rat.” I think what’s great about any sport off the ice is it brings a level of awareness to your skating that skaters are oftentimes missing because they primarily stick to the ice.  A lot of my friends who have had success at higher levels, a lot of times they are able to excel because of their comfort level doing thing that not all skaters are bodily aware of doing.

“What was your practice schedule like when you were 10 years old?” – Jonathan Plank, 10, Central Pennsylvania Figure Skating Club

Charlie White: I don’t know if I skated every day, but close. I was on the ice maybe four days a week for 45 minutes freestyle and 45 minutes dance. Hockey was two to three times a week, between practice and games.

“You and Meryl have been partners since you were young children and clearly have had a very successful partnership. What would you say has been most important in building and maintaining that collaboration?” – Lily Delle-Levine, 16, Red Rose Figure Skating Club

Charlie White: I think just general respect for one another. We started skating together when we were 8 and 9, and we had no idea what we were getting into when we started ice dancing. We had a lot of success because we both worked hard, the work ethic was there. And I think it’s important when you have a close partnership with anyone that you be on the same page as far as short term goals and eventually long term goals. It’s important just to be able to relate to one another in terms of what is hard work, what is the level of sacrifice we’re willing to put in. If you can’t agree on that, it’s difficult to move forward.  Obviously, being able to exist respectfully, that’s one of the things I’ve learned from a long-term partnership. At the end of the day, you are trying to get to the same place. Even if there are disagreements, you understand that it’s because you both care, and it’s easy to work past that and find a solution that’s beneficial to everyone.

“What was the hardest thing to give up to train exclusively?” – Cathryn McCaffrey, 12, White Rose Figure Skating Club

Charlie White: I think for me it was tough because I loved doing so many things. A lot of time, I had to miss a hockey tournament for figure skating or miss figure skating practice for a hockey game. I had a great groups of friends at the rink and at home. I didn’t have as many sleepovers or get-togethers because of my schedule, and I guess I just understood that was part of it. I never thought, “Ah, dang it.” I think I just came to terms with it. But for me, just knowing that in doing so many things, ultimately, I had to let people down at points, that was disappointing for me. As part of a hockey team, I felt bad if I had to miss a games for a competition. Or if I had to miss practice with Meryl or had to cancel on my coach—the conflict was difficult, but it allowed me to appreciate what was I doing, and drove me to continue, even with the time crunch.

How old were you when you started skating and how many medals have you won? – Nolan Smith, 6, Sikumi Figure Skating Club Charlie White: I started figure skating and playing hockey when I was 5.

Fortunately, when you have a really long career, you have the opportunity to win lots of medals. I think I’m proudest that I’ve been able to win three Olympic medals — one in every color — two World Championships and two World silver medals. What we took away and appreciated were the moments of growth and experiences, especially being able to travel and learn about ourselves, maybe even more so than all the medals that we’ve won.

Where is your favorite place to be or things to do when you are not on the ice? – Rayann Purdy, age 8, Sikumi Figure Skating Club

Charlie White: My favorite thing to do now is enjoy being at home. So much of our skating takes us around the world—we have exhibitions in Japan, I’ve just been to Switzerland, I’ll be going to Finland to do commentary on the World Championships. I love traveling, it’s one of the perks of being an international athlete. However, I’ve been married now for two years, I have two amazing dogs, and I really love being home. We have a great little river near us and there’s a park. The peace of being at home and being with my family is probably my favorite thing.

Final question from our two hockey skaters, Jonathan and Nolan: “Who is your favorite hockey team and do you still play hockey?”

Charlie White: I’m from Detroit, so the Detroit Red Wings. I still do get to play hockey, but not as often as I like. You can really play hockey for your whole life. Wherever life takes you, you can always take hockey with you.