Orihara & Pirinen Create Their Own Style

by Matteo Morelli | Skating Photos by Robin Ritoss

Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen are a brand new group that has been skating collectively for 4 years representing Finland. We met with them at Grand Prix of Espoo, the place they advised us how they discovered one another, their impressions on their first senior grand prix occasions, and the way they wish to maximise from their onerous work and keenness to succeed in their objectives.

Yuka and Juho, it’s a pleasure to satisfy you each and get to know you. Let’s begin from the start, how previous have been you while you first put skates on?

Yuka Orihara (YO): I used to be six once I began skating.

Juho Pirinen (JP): We each was once single skaters, however we don’t miss that in any respect! I used to be eight once I began, I went to a skating faculty for one 12 months after which I did synchro for one more 12 months as a result of my single skating coach advised me I used to be too previous for single skating. So I’m solely lacking pair skating! 

How do you are feeling your singles skating expertise helped you in your transition to ice dance? 

YO: I began ice dancing once I was sixteen, so it took me time to get into this. Single skating undoubtedly helped with our skating expertise: for instance, ice dancers that come from single skating are higher at twizzles. 

JP: Yes, we’re superb at doing twizzles, they’re fairly pure for us and we by no means battle with this aspect. There are loads of different issues which might be a lot tougher, that make me want I began ice dance a lot earlier. I used to be twenty once I switched to ice dance, I really feel like I nonetheless can not do some parts nicely as a result of the approach is so detailed and it takes a few years to be taught it. 

You had a little bit of ice dance expertise earlier than coming into in your partnership? 

YO: sure, I skated with a Japanese and a Canadian associate earlier than, after which moved to Finland. 

How did you discover one another?

YO: Our coaches knew one another. My coaches have been Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing. They are buddies with Maurizio (Margaglio, their present coach), who obtained in contact with them. 

JP: At the time I used to be nonetheless skating with my ex-partner, a Finnish lady, after which we give up our partnership. Maurizio is aware of just about everyone within the skating world, so he requested totally different coaches and Aaron texted that they’d this Japanese lady that was free. I then texted Yuka and despatched her an e-mail suggesting to do a check out, though I knew that Finland was fairly far for her.

YO: For me, it was not an issue that Juho was in Finland, the query I requested myself was if I ought to preserve the skating going.

So evidently while you thought-about becoming a member of forces in 2019 you weren’t 100% certain about it, however how did you are feeling when you began to skate collectively?

JP: I bear in mind the check out felt very pure and simple. It all occurred in a short time: after the check out, Yuka went again to Canada for a few weeks after which moved to Finland. There wasn’t an extended technique of preparation, every part simply occurred.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. How do you are feeling that the state of affairs then interfered along with your growth as a partnership? 

JP: It was a tough time for everybody and it was not simple, however we went by means of it and we saved working fairly nicely. We have been bettering rather a lot since we began.

And this season you’re taking part in your first senior Grand Prix occasions, NHK Trophy in Japan and GP of Espoo in Finland.

JP: Actually, we obtained invited to the Grand Prix of France in 2020, nevertheless it obtained cancelled, so Japan this 12 months was our first one.

How would you describe your expertise at NHK Trophy? What classes did you’re taking away from it? 

YO: Everything was so overwhelming for me, as a result of it was in my residence nation. It is totally different to return to Japan for trip and to return as a competitor. I discovered how you can handle the apply, everyone needs to indicate themselves to the judges and so it was onerous to search out our spot or our timing to do the weather. That was undoubtedly totally different from the challenges collection or different competitions we’ve been to. 

JP: Overall, it was the very best competitors I’ve performed to date. We had a full home within the free dance, with 10,000 individuals there watching. The crowds have been tremendous supportive to us, as a result of we’re a half Japanese couple although we skate for Finland, we felt the accountability that we additionally should skate nicely in entrance of the Japanese viewers. I feel we managed it rather well and after the free dance we obtained a standing ovation! 

With two back-to-back Grand Prix occasions, did you handle to have any coaching between them?

JP: We obtained caught in Japan! We have been speculated to fly again to Finland on the Monday, however there was an airline strike and our flight obtained cancelled, so we needed to keep there one additional day. 

YO: The Japanese federation organised the ice instantly, and we have been capable of skate on the NHK venue on Monday, after they took down all of the issues. 

JP: It was so humorous, as a result of on the competitors every part was so lovely, however the subsequent morning you couldn’t recognise the ice rink anymore, it seemed so totally different! Maurizio was joking that it was the identical ice rink, simply with out the make-up.

Your second Grand Prix is in Espoo, Finland. How does it really feel to skate in entrance of your native audiences and really feel their help?

JP: It feels wonderful. We have performed three Finlandia trophies already at this venue and we at all times like to skate right here.

YO: Yes, skating in Espoo is by some means enjoyable for us.

Talking about this 12 months’s free programme, how did you give you your concept and developed it?

YO: We needed to do one thing completely totally different earlier than Juho discovered our music. We have been desirous about one thing funkier, extra up-tempo.

JP: We had this concept to do one thing extra mysterious, after which I discovered this music (My Jolly Sailor Bold by Ashley Serena, and We’re Sinking by E. Shepherd Stevenson & Christopher Lord) which was fairly attention-grabbing. We needed to do that programme from final season, however I had a knee downside and I couldn’t skate for a few months, so we determined to maintain our previous programme as a result of there was no time to arrange. With this new programme, we knew for the reason that starting what we needed to do, it was actually clear for each of us which parts we needed to place through which order.

Yuka, is your gown within the rhythm dance the one Anna Cappellini wore a number of years in the past?

YO: Yes! We knew it was going to be Latin since February final 12 months, and I needed to put on this costume, I like it! 

You are coached by Maurizio Margaglio and Neil Brown. What is your working relationship with them?

JP: When we began to skate collectively, we went to Lyon to do our very first free dance with Neil, the place he was working. And then a 12 months and a half in the past, he moved to Finland to be a part of our teaching group. 

YO: He is a superb add to the group, he has a really inventive character. He made the rhythm dance for us this 12 months.

JP: Maurizio has been my coach since I began to ice dance, he taught me every part I can do now. We each really feel very grateful to him. He is a superb coach, particularly on the technical facet, educating us the fundamentals of skating and preciseness. He can be good in explaining how you can ship feelings.

What are your objectives for this season? 

JP: This 12 months we wish to present who we’re, we would like everyone to recognise us, together with the judges. We additionally wish to create our personal model, and I feel we’re doing very nicely to date. The suggestions that we’ve been receiving has been fairly optimistic. Like Maurizio stated, fairly often we’re the viewers favorite, so I feel we’ve to develop in that route. 

YO: The ambiance the viewers creates with us additionally contributes to the factors. We wish to work on that.

You get pleasure from skating in your audiences. Is there something you want to say to your followers?

YO: Thank you to all of the followers who’re supporting us. It may be very good to obtain all of the messages, we learn every part and this offers us additional motivation to maintain working!