INTERVIEW

Higuchi: The turning point was when I was a teenager. I didn’t qualify for a big international competition I’d set my sights on. I was too focused on the results. Skating started to feel like a chore. Around that time, I began to feel that maybe I needed something beyond competition results to help me view myself more positively. I started looking for that something. Then it struck me that I continued to skate because I enjoyed doing it. So I quit thinking just about producing the results others expected, and started practicing and setting goals in a way that was more for myself and more based on what I wanted to do. From that point on, things changed little by little.

Higuchi: I still wanted to make it to that big competition. Participating at that level had always been a dream. But that second attempt was four years away, so it wasn’t enough to motivate me to give everything I had in the moment. I visualized myself working toward my second attempt by overcoming my weaknesses, year by year, leading up to the competition, while reveling in the joy and delight of gradually getting better.

I became depressed for about two months after missing out in the qualifier round, but I managed to qualify for an international competition in Milan scheduled three months later. This would be the last competition of the season, so I reset my thinking and decided I wanted to end the season in a way that would bring me satisfaction. Much to my surprise, I won the silver medal! That re-energized me and persuaded me it wasn’t all over. I started to see a gleam of light. Most importantly, I think my determination to get through the tournament in a way that made the most sense to me and the fact that this approach produced results are what spurred me to make my second attempt.

Higuchi: I’d had chronic pain in my lower back, shins, and insteps since my elementary school days, but I’d never suffered major injuries like fractures or dislocations. Back then, I was told I was prone to pain because my body was still in the growth stage and my bones hadn’t hardened yet. The year I won the silver medal at the international competition mentioned earlier, I hurt my instep so badly I had to withdraw from a competition I was set to compete in. Until then, I’d never suffered injuries serious enough to keep me from competing.

Higuchi: Up until junior high school, I just did what I was told by the adults around me. I didn’t know anything about my own condition. I didn’t even try to find out about it. Once I got to high school, based on conversations with the skaters around me, athletes in other sports, trainers, and coaches, I learned each had their own way of doing things. I started to find it interesting enough to do my own research. I became interested in how my condition would affect my performance in competitions. I started telling my trainers about my condition, listening to their advice, and making adjustments.

Since my hours training on the ice differ day to day, my life tends to be a bit irregular. But now that I can track my physical condition, I can make predictions even for the same day. Based on the practice I do in the morning, I can tell what my condition will be in the afternoon, which helps with scheduling my days. Now I enjoy monitoring things in detail. I even weigh meals down to the last gram.

Higuchi: From my elementary school days, I imagined whatever treatment center I went to, there’d be an ultrasound treatment device there and they’d use that on me. For self-care, I’ve always used microcurrent. I apply it mainly to my legs, to injured areas and to painful areas I’m worried for recovery. I normally use it lying down to condition myself for the next day.

With many of my injuries, like the fatigue fracture, there’s no clear sign of full recovery. The effects of the treatment device aren’t obvious. But my impression is that using it every day speeds up recovery. And because it’s small, I always take it with me when I go overseas.

I apply ultrasound on my own when I can’t get to a treatment center. I often use it on my knees, where muscles and tendons are prone to strain. The device has various modes. I use it to treat not just my bones, but my muscles. I use it on every part of my body, not just my legs. I also use it proactively to encourage closing of a post-operative wound and things like that.