Farewell to Akiko Suzuki

I know there's another thread, but it was dedicated to 2012-2013 season. I believe Akko-chan deserves a whole thread for her, now that she has officially hung up her skates.

Quote :

Akiko Suzuki ‏@Mariakko2010 Mar 29

本当に幸せな選手生活を送ることができました。ありがとうございました！感謝をこめて。

Also, it seems like she is releasing a new book entitled  ‘One by One, Little by Little’.

Quote :

Akiko Suzuki ‏@Mariakko2010 Mar 31

4/10に書籍を出版することになりました。ぜひ読んでいただけたら、嬉しいです。いままで、フィギュアスケートを通して学んできたことを少しでもお伝えできればと思っています。よろしくお願いします！

I am going to miss Akiko very much, but I'm glad her last competition was in Japan. It was also very sweet of Mao and Kana to give Akiko flowers and sing to her happy birthday.  

Thank you for pictures. I am also going to miss Akiko. Is she going to become pro skater?

Rose wrote:

Thank you for pictures. I am also going to miss Akiko. Is she going to become pro skater?

No official word yet, but I think the possibility is high!

I hope so. Maybe she can also coach because she experienced so much with her career and eating disorder and will be valuable to future skaters about overcoming. It was so nice to see how overwhelmed with joy and tears she was when she won national championships.

I'm going to miss her. She was one of the most underrated skaters. She deserved better, than what the judges gave her most of the time.

I wish her all the best in whatever she chooses to do next. 

zarinaballerina wrote:

Akiko Suzuki  ‏@Mariakko2010  I'm going to miss her. She was one of the most underrated skaters. She deserved better, than what the judges gave her most of the time.

I wish her all the best in whatever she chooses to do next. 

I totally agree. Every time she stepped on the ice you could tell that she was happy to be there, regardless of the outcome. In fact, I'm missing her already!

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More Akiko:

Quote :

Akiko Suzuki  ‏@Mariakko2010
名古屋フェスで引退セレモニーをしていただきました。ありがとうございました。今スロベニアに試合に行っている理華が作ってくれた色紙。ありがとう！

I will miss her A LOT, loved her passion, her choreography, and the original programs. I know many praise caro for having great skating skills but I could never see that unlike Akiko who's skating skills I always enjoyed (along with Mao) and really impressed me.
I find many skaters today very similar mainly because the music and choreography is often very similar to each other, but that is not something I ever felt with Akiko, her personality on the ice, and passion along with other qualities always shone and was something I will always remember her by.
She always looked like she enjoyed herself on the ice, and that made me enjoy watching her. she didn't just try to just imitate what her choreographer told her but instead made her movement look natural and impulsive, or atleast that's the feeling I always had watching her. she (like Mao) also knew how to hit a note right to the music at the right time, and that's another quality by Akiko I really appreciated.
I wish her all the best, and hope she will have a splendid future, whatever she chooses to do, and I hope we will still get to see her in shows for many many years to come.

We'll miss you Akko...   

Akiko is my second favorite figure skater, she is soooo special   I hope to see wonderful ex programs in the future, but I will miss her in the competitions   

I loved the way, in interviews, she would say " I was one with the ice".
She truly is an artist and philosopher to behold.

Akiko san, Ohaiyou Gozaimasu for bringing joy to my life. I will miss you...

http://akikosuzuki.com/

Akiko has a fan club!

Enjoyed watching this interview with Akiko and Kenji Miyamoto. Akiko talks about the secrets of her costumes, and funny things happened during Sochi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HL9_RlG69w

2nd part is mostly the interview with Miyamoto as the choreographer. The part about finding inspirations from zoos and aquariums are really funny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRyiVytcfsE
(this is also where he talks about Dai's choreo as 'purple taco (taco the shell fish)'   )

love that team japan had a line group called sochi and that they walked to the cafeteria together
thanks for the video!