We caught up with Adam Siao Him Fa following the World Team Trophy.
Skate Info Glace: How are you feeling after your free program?
Adam: I'm dead! We were talking about it in the locker room: we were all at our limit. But it's a fun and unique competition.
Skate Info Glace: How are things injury-wise?
Adam: I got my first injury during Worlds: hip pain. When I got back, an MRI revealed a psoas tear and a bone bruise on the femur. Before heading to Japan, I was with Holiday on Ice, and during a show, I twisted my ankle again, the same one I had already injured. It happened on a triple flip: I hit a hole, the ice was really soft, my foot sank, and I twisted it. The next day, it still hurt a bit, but the pain gradually faded and didn’t bother me during the competition. Neither injury, hip nor ankle, bothered me during my programs, but I was still thinking about them, especially to be careful with the ankle. Now I’m just happy: I finished the competition without pain or injury. Time to rest.
Skate Info Glace: Attempting five quads must not have been easy on your ankle.
Adam: Yes, but the World Team Trophy is also a kind of training competition. When I say I was being careful, I mean things like not planting my toe pick in the same spot over and over during practice. I moved around the placement of my flips and Lutzes to avoid picking in my own holes.
Skate Info Glace: You removed the backflip from your short program mid-season and replaced it with a knee slide. How did that idea come about?
Adam: It was Benoît’s idea. We felt that the backflip was too harsh for the music. It fit the lyrics, but not the musical atmosphere. Benoît said to me, "Do you remember what we tried when we were in New York?" At first, when I did it, it hurt my knees. I had bruises for two weeks. So I was doing it every other day, or every three days, because it was too painful. Bit by bit, it got better. Now I’m used to it.
Skate Info Glace: You originally planned to alternate between two short programs. Is that still something you’re considering?
Adam: Yes, I still plan to prepare more than two programs, but only after the Olympic season.
Skate Info Glace: Your fourth place at Worlds gives you the opportunity to choose your two Grand Prix assignments. Do you know which ones you’ll do?
Adam: Being fourth, it’s true that I have the choice, but I don’t yet know which Grand Prix I’ll do. We haven’t sat down to plan the season yet. I think I need to do more competitions; I didn’t compete much this year.
Skate Info Glace: Yuma Kagiyama said he’s starting to wonder if Ilia Malinin is unbeatable. What do you think?
Adam: No, I don’t think he’s unbeatable. We’re all human, we all have weaknesses. I know that if I want to beat Ilia, I have to be better.
Skate Info Glace: Will you be doing any shows during the off-season?
Adam: A few, but not many. I’ll be performing in some club shows in France. I was offered Fantasy on Ice in Japan, but it overlaps with a camp with the Olympic committee, so I had to decline.
Skate Info Glace: You’ve had a few equipment issues. How do you plan to manage that going into the Olympic season?
Adam: I discussed it with Aura and John Wilson. We still need to talk more to optimize everything and make sure it doesn’t happen again. There’s also the question of when to change my boots: that has to be part of the season plan.
Skate Info Glace: How often do you change your boots?
Adam: The right boot can last me three to four months, while the left one usually lasts only a month to a month and a half. It varies, especially if I mess up the heat molding process, which really shortens the lifespan. You have to be really precise with that. I also think one issue is that I go back to doing quads too quickly after changing boots, without giving them time to break in. As a result, they break down faster.
Skate Info Glace: It's surprising that your right boot lasts longer, since it's your landing foot.
Adam: On the Axel, Salchow, flip, Lutz, and toe loop, the left boot also takes a lot of pressure. Especially on the toe loop, it takes a big impact. There was a time when the right boot was the problem; I fixed that, and now I need to find a solution for the left.
Skate Info Glace: You spent a lot of time in the French box during the World Team Trophy, which let you watch more programs than usual. Which ones stood out to you, outside of Team France?
Adam: Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara’s free program, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates’ free dance.
Skate Info Glace: Your appearance in Niina Petrokina’s gala performance made quite a buzz, when she mimed killing you during her "Tango of the Killers." Tell us about it!
Adam: It was incredibly funny. Niina came up to me and said, “Can you be part of my number? I need to kill you.” Then she asked, “How do you want to go? Bullet to the head, strangulation, or poisoning?” I told her, “Your choice.” In the end, I ended up lying on the ground and thought, "It’ll be weird if I get up in the middle of the number, fold the chair, and walk off." So I waited, hoping the number would end quickly, but it lasted longer than I expected (laughs).
Solène Mathieu - Skate Info Glace
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