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I dream to become a champion like Michelle Kwan

(article published on 10 September 2004)

"Dreams? I have so many things I dream of doing. When I think about Boa (Korean Pop Singer), I want to be a singer; when I think about Sarah Hughes, I want to go get an Olympic medal; then when I am tackling Algebra, I"d have so much fun, I want to be a mathematician."


We spoke last August, at an ice rink in the Gwachon city hall. Having won a Junior Grand Prix Series Event in Hungary four days prior to the interview, she became the first Korean skater to claim a top spot. Ice fairy Yu-Na Kim, when asked what she dreams to become in the future, she enthusiastically shared her long wish-list.

But right at the moment, this little lady has just one wish, she says: "I"d like to hang out with friends, solving math problems on the black board together. And after the school�s out, I"d roam around the city with them, eating duckboki (spicy rice cake, street snack) and pizza."

Kim"s training schedule is all allotted at night. Because there is no ice rink designated for the figure skaters, she needs to use the rinks at night time when they"re available for the competitive figure skaters. The training starts at 8 pm and continues past the midnight. Handling the daily night training schedule, this 13-year-old simply cannot accommodate the regular class schedule. She goes to school only around the midterm and final exam times. Last July, she secretly cried when she had to miss the final exams, attending the scheduled preparatory training in Canada. However, Kim"s grades are excellent. "For the last spring mid-term exam, I scored the second highest in my section. I didn"t even know how I did on the exams but my friends told me."

She wrestles with books when she is not in competition or training. She protests the prevalent notion that athletes tend to flag in school performance. "I want to work on my studies as much as I can. As in case of many foreign athletes, I want to excel in academics and be a great athlete at the same time. I"d like to be a great champion in that way." Kim"s favorite subject is Mathematics, typically an unpopular choice among students her age. She prefers math for its clear resolution without lingering doubt.

Kim won the last competition, by successfully landing all five types of the triple jumps. Sometimes called "the Next Michelle Kwan," Kim attempted her first jumps when she was in first grade. Her talent in jumping was particularly evident since her very first days on ice.

Yu-Na Kim is the only Korean skater who can execute all five types of triple jumps. Not being able to execute high-difficulty jumps, other Korean skaters have ranked in mid-range in competitions.

These days Yu-Na is working on her hidden skill, triple-triple combination, in preparation for the Junior Grand Prix Final. In this element, she would do the triple jump twice, one after another. She is at about 70 % to perfecting it. Apparently, there are only about five skaters in the world who can perform this element, including the juniors and seniors.

While her strength is in jumping, her weakness is in flexibility and facial expression. "I am just not that "princess-y," so I have a difficult time acting pretty. (laugh) My coach says that it"ll get easier as I get older but I think I tend to be shy."

As the younger one of the siblings (she has an older sister who is in high school), Kim sometimes hates herself for being a crybaby. "Whenever things are difficult, I run to my mom to cry and complain that I would not skate," she confesses. "My mom is the one who has to deal with the most difficult things around here." As Kim hurries her way to the ice rink, she smiles and says, "Maybe my mom would forget about all the trouble I caused if I keep placing first, like I did at the last competition?"
http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_vi...amp;code=980701