"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
"When Fumie asked me, I asked Miki, and she said it's okay because when [Miki] was in Japan, she used to skate at the same rink as Fumie, [2006 Olympic champion] Shizuka Arakawa, everybody," he said. On this day in mid-July, Ando -- who withdrew from the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships during the free skate after placing eighth in the short program -- declined questions, but Morozov said she is training well. "She had shoulder and leg injuries at worlds, but she is better now. She is even doing quad Salchows," he said. Suguri's new short is choreographed to the soundtrack of Fanfan, a 1992 French comedy romance. Suguri called it "little-known music." As for the long, she said, "We don't know yet. Nikolai has lots of ideas. We're thinking about different music." Technically, she is working to perfect a triple-triple combination as well as the triple loop, a jump she has not landed in recent competitions. "Nikolai has fixed [the loop] a lot," Suguri said. "I wish to have the loop this season and also maybe a triple Axel." "She landed loop a couple of times [in practice] already," Morozov confirmed. "I like to work with Fumie; she is a very nice skater." Suguri, who is scheduled to compete at Skate Canada and Cup of Russia this fall, especially enjoys sharing the ice with another of Morozov's pupils, world junior champion Adam Rippon. "I need someone to push me; I'm so glad I'm skating with Adam," she said. "Boys jump harder than girls. It keeps up your motivation. It's so much different from the way girls practice." Suguri is also able to test her mettle against her countryman Oda, who began training at Ice House this spring. "This is a very nice place to train. The coach is great, and the other skaters are also great, so I am very happy here," the 21-year-old said. Both he and Suguri have settled in to apartments just 10 minutes from the rink. The 2008-09 season is a comeback for the diminutive Japanese athlete. In July 2007, while in his hometown of Osaka, he was cited by police for driving his moped under the influence of alcohol. The Japan Skating Federation suspended him from international competition until December 2007. Oda apologized for the incident, paid a fine and accepted the suspension. Although he could have competed at Japanese nationals for a spot on the world team, he elected to skip the season. "I was not glad to take off last year," he said. "But I think it was a very good time to think, 'Who am I? What should I do for the future?'" In his down time, Oda turned to Lori Nichol to choreograph two new programs. His short, set to Khachaturian's "Masquerade Waltz," was created in November 2007; his free to "Warsaw Concerto," a virtuoso piano piece, was done in February. Like Morozov's other pupils, Oda is planning to compete at the Moran Memorial Championships, held at Ice House in August. Because Oda did not compete last season, he is entered in just one fall Grand Prix event, Japan's NHK Trophy, in November. "I don't have two Grand Prix, only one, but I am also doing the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. I need the points," he explained. "My goal is, first of all, the podium at [Japanese] nationals. I want to make the world team. [Japan qualified three men for 2009 worlds.] After that, my goal is to do as many international competitions as possible and skate as well as I can. I would like to put the quad toe loop in both the short and long programs, if it goes well in practice."
