Uno Shoma: ‘It’s important to enjoy what I do’
Joy remains at the root of Uno’s life. When he retired last year, he left with a smile, not tears, and zero regrets over a career many would kill for.
Uno used to chase Nathan Chen and Hanyu Yuzuru, the two skaters he most admired, which fuelled his motivation to compete. Now, Uno finds his drive in working with others, not against.
Uno even sees figure skating in a different light now. As a competitor, it was all about the jumps. These days, he’s been made to think more deeply about things like expression — and the elements that make up the whole.
Working on ‘Ice Brave’ has been a liberating experience for Uno. As a producer, he has to worry about every detail of the show including the other performers whereas when he skated singles, the focus was solely on himself and how to get the most out of Uno Shoma.
“I always skated by myself not only in ice dance but to skate with others, as a couple, is a lot of fun,” he says. “No matter how tired you might be, you’re not alone so you can keep going and because you have someone there, it’s easy push your boundaries. And I love that you can have such a mindset.
“Me personally, I always had this idea of an ice show being something you watch quietly in your seat but for mine, I wanted it to be a gig, something fans feel like they could be a part of. That was first and foremost.
“But we’ve been able to realise everything I imagined and wanted to see from the beginning. I’m really glad I did ‘Ice Brave.’”
It remains to be seen where Uno’s journey heads after this weekend. Yet it should be an interesting one, for sure.
“First of all it’s important to enjoy what I do. But if a time comes when I feel stronger about aiming higher than having fun. Then I’ll put having fun on hold and work hard towards whatever that is.
“But everything I’m doing now is built on skating. I’m not trying to be modest here. If I feel confident I can do something, I’ll say it. If not, I’ll say I can’t.
“If I get asked in the future, I’ll be clear on what I can or can’t do. To feel like I’ve left everything out there as a skater when it’s all said and done, that’s my primary goal for the time being.”