I was watching figure skating a couple of days ago. Of course, I’m very interested in Mao Asada, 17 from Japan, and Yu-na Kim, 17 from South Korea. (Kim just defended her Grand Prix title, while Asada had to settle for a silver medal…again.)

One thing that really struck me is how effortless many of their jumps and spins look, how lightly they move over the ice. But in fact, it’s anything but easy. Kim is currently training in Toronto because she has a new coach (which I think is fantastic for her since I didn’t think her former coach was all that great). She confessed in an interview that she likes Toronto better because in Korea, she couldn’t step outside her home without someone stopping her for an autograph, etc. In another interview, she admitted that it’s easier studying English than skating because she spends seven to eight hours a day training for competitions. (Note: Kim has disk hernia so her coaching staff must train around her pain and do extensive physical therapy to manage it.) Mind you, she’s been training since she was a small child, and she’s kept up with the training regimen until her back pain was so bad that she couldn’t anymore — all for 2.5 minutes / 4 minutes of skating. (short / free skate time limit)