Tomoki Hiwatashi Seeks Redemption at U.S. Championships

For the last decade, Tomoki Hiwatashi has climbed his way to the top of the U.S. senior men's division. The 2019 World Junior champion claimed three consecutive U.S. titles at the juvenile, intermediate and novice levels between 2011 and 2013 and later became the 2016 junior U.S. champion.
 
Since moving to the senior level, the 22-year-old's competitive experience has been a roller coaster ride.

"Last season was not a great season. It wasn't the worst since I was able to make it to Four Continents, but I had to withdraw from Nationals due to COVID," explained Hiwatashi, who has placed as high as third since competing as a senior on the national level, which he accomplished in 2020. "I got tested the week before I was supposed to leave [for Nashville] and originally tested negative. The next day, I started feeling chills, getting fevers and eventually had to go to the hospital." 

By the end of January, Hiwatashi was well enough to compete at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. However, he still had to take time off from training in the month leading up to the competition and continued to feel the effects of COVID.
 

"I was not able to be in peak performance, but I was able to do the best I could," Hiwatashi said in regard to his eighth place finish.

Since competing at Four Continents, Hiwatashi has been determined to have a successful 2022-23 season. After placing second at the Cranberry Cup, Hiwatashi was plagued with injuries and was forced to withdraw from his ISU Challenger Series competitions and struggled in the Grand Prix series.

"[At Lombardia Trophy], I dislocated my shoulder during the practice right before my short program," Hiwatashi lamented. "After that, I felt like I was not able to prepare well enough going into my Grand Prix competitions, and they didn't go very well for me."

Despite being right-handed, Hiwatashi is one of the few skaters to spin and jump clockwise. However, during his short program at Lombardia, while practicing his triple toe loop, Hiwatashi over-rotated and fell on the ice. In an attempt to break the fall, he reached his hand out. But, instead of breaking the fall, his hand continued to slide out from underneath him and he felt the impact on his shoulder, again.

"It's kind of a bad habit of mine," Hiwatashi explained. "That was the third time [on the right shoulder], and I've done it twice before on the other. I've been given the choice to have surgery, but that would mean losing six months or more. So, I've decided to try and strengthen my shoulder and work on the soft tissue."

As Hiwatashi looks toward competing at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, he's focusing on his strengths and applying them to his programs set to Sherlock Holmes's "Romani Holiday" and music from The Artist (both chosen and choreographed by Mark Pillay).

"[For the short program] even though I'm skating to music from Sherlock Holmes, I'm not portraying Sherlock Holmes. I'm portraying the evil, antagonist side of the story," Hiwatashi shared. "The music is very exciting, but it has a dark side to it. I think it makes the program fun to watch."

Meanwhile, Hiwatashi's long program music from The Artist has a dramatic and elegant flair to it. This is the second season Hiwatashi has used the piece. However, the skater, typically known for his flexibility and ability to perform Biellmann spins and Russian split jumps, believes the long program showcased his artistic side and ability to connect with jazzy, whimsical music.
 
In addition to changing his fall pattern and protecting his shoulder, Hiwatashi realizes he needs to improve his consistency and confidence.

"I felt like I've been lacking a lot of that [confidence] these days," Hiwatashi reflected. "But, I'm getting better at it."

Hiwatashi admits he's not a fan of mind exercises or meditation. Instead, he prefers to zone out to his favorite music and finds strengthening his skills is the best way to increase his confidence. A strong spinner already, Hiwatashi is continuing to increase his speed on his spins and selling his step sequence with cleaner turns and movement.