Interview with Adam Siao Him Fa

We talked to comeback king Adam after an eventful week at the World Championships in Boston! Adam was 9th after the short program and skated an excellent free skate earning him a small bronze medal and a 4th place finish overall! We discuss the season, programs, innovating the sport, and more!

Special thank you to Niamh for coming up with the questions. Translated from french by Gabb, and also photos by Gabb (@gabietab)!

---

How was your week at the World Championships?

It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There was a lot of stress, there was also a lot of joy, there was a lot of disappointments, but overall I have a positive memory of this week despite everything. It didn't go as I would have liked but that's how it is too. This is a Competition and this is a sport. On the other hand, I'm the master of my destiny. I think there are certain things that I could have improved and done differently that would made things happen as I would have liked but it wasn't the case. But in any case, I am learning.

Were the Olympic spots something that was in mind this week?

No. I knew that the spots would follow if I performed well but it wasn't an added pressure.

There are many instances at competitions where you bounce back with a very good free skate after a not-so-good short program and because of that many know you as the comeback king. How do you deal with those situations between the short and free skate?

When I have a bad short program, I get very frustrated with myself. I know that it's not what I'm capable of and I know that I can do better. It gives me a big boost for the free skate and I think that's a strength. However, this plays a bit of tricks on me because, inevitably, in the short program, I put myself under too much pressure. I'll try to do well which is what's normal but on the other hand I put so much pressure on myself that I get the impression that I'm no longer enjoying doing the sport that I love. I think it's something that I need to work and concentrate on when I get home.

Do you coaches tell you anything or gives you any advice that helps?

It's quite different from one competition to another. It changes so I'm not going to say that there are keywords but I think that I'm often reminded to think about the present moment. They say to not think too much about the future or too much about the past, and to try and enjoy the moment as much as possible so that I don't have any regrets and they're right. I think that it’s part of my problem. I would project too much and not take advantage of the moment for the short program so during the free I would disconnect and would take full advantage of the program.

What did you learn from this season?

I learnt a lot. I had a pretty catastrophic season where I didn't train much. Despite everything, I finished 4th at these World Championships, and 3rd at the European Championships. Having come back from injury and not training much shows what I'm capable of, and also shows what I can do if I train properly next season. It’s encouraging and I know what areas to concentrate on.

You have two short programs [SOS d'un terrien en détresse and Gangsta/Paradise X Gon Give It To Ya]. Where did the idea of two short programs come from?

I wanted to be able to change short programs for both for myself, for the public, and for the competition itself. I like to bring a bit of diversity because, during the season, we always skate the same programs. Even if there are some changes with the elements or the choreography, I thought it would be interesting to be able to bring in two short programs with totally different styles. I thought it could bring a little excitement and a little fun too. Plus, it would bring some diversity to the sport. 

How did you decide which short program to do?

At first, I wanted to do one program and change it from one competition to the next but, because of my injuries, it wasn't possible. I've been injured so many times that I've lost a lot of time so we couldn't work on both programs at the same time. I had to concentrate on certain areas of work, and the main thing was to get my jumps back. I couldn't allow myself to work on two programs at 50%. I had to concentrate 100% on one program while at the same time concentrate fully on my jumps so it wasn't easy. The possibility of doing several programs will certainly come up again in the future. I don't think it will next season but maybe afterwards.

In the original S.O.S free skate choreography, there was a backflip. However, it has been changed to a knee slide. Why was the change made?

At the start of the season, we had the backflip in because in the lyrics of the music it says "I'd like to see the world upside down" so we thought it works well because my head is upside down when I do a backflip. On the other hand, we thought the element was a little too acrobatic compared to the music. A knee slide fell very well on the music and it adds a new element to my repertoire of elements that I can do!

As for your free skate, Dune is a very popular choice of music amongst the skaters this season. Was it something you thought would happen?

Yes! I expected a lot of people to skate to the music from Dune given the success of the movie. The music is really extraordinary so of course it was to be expected. I was expecting it. I also knew that I'd have my own way of interpreting the program and that was the case. That was the case for all the skaters actually. Each of them had their own interpretation and their own style for their program which is a very good thing!

Do you have a favourite moment from your Dune program?

I've got several moments. There's the moment at the beginning when I tap into the ground which is really iconic to the movie where they tap into the sand to summon the sandworm. Then, the moment in the middle when I'm lying on the ice. This is the moment when I drink the water of life, I die, I come back to life, and I finally understand everything that's happening. This moment with the music is really a part that's really beautiful. It is also one of my favorite parts of the film!

You work a lot with Benoît Richaud. How does this partnership and the creative process unfold? 

We've been working together for almost eight years now.... I think it's been 7-8 years or something like that! It's been a long time that I don't even count it anymore. It's going very well. We have a very good partnership and he helps me a lot. He teaches me a lot of things on a sport level, but also on a personal level. He helps me to grow. As a skater, there's the technical and artistic aspect such as the sporting part, but there's also the person I am as a skater. I think that's what's so great about Benoît. Not only does he work with an athlete, he helps develop the artistic qualities. It is his personality as a skater; it is that he gives every athlete an extra identity. It really allows every skater to stand out.

And for the creative process between you two?

Obviously, most of the ideas come from him. He's got a talent for that. If I ever have any ideas or anything, he's open to suggestions which is a very good thing. I can also give my feedback, give my opinions, and my impressions. That's why I think it works very well.

Over the off-season we saw snippets of a couple other potential programs that haven’t made it to competition or shows yet, notably a tango piece and a Ne Me Quitte Pas program, is this part of the creative process?

Exactly! It was just testing to see what kind of programs we could try out. We tried out several different styles. We did a bit of choreography and it's a bit like that. It is where we're also looking and trying to see what might suit me the best. It is also a way to work differently from when we usually train skating skills and technical stuff. it's still a lot more fun and it's also nice to take the time to do a bit of creative work.

Will we ever see these programs in the future?

I don't know! It's possible. I’m not going to say that we won't see them and I'm not going to say that we will either. However, I am going to say that it's a possibility. It is a possibility that we might see programs in these styles in the future. There's no certainty because it really comes on the spur of the moment.

Is there a certain music genre that you like skating to when you are on the ice?

Given that I only did it only once, I would like to redo my hip hop program [24/25 season to Gangsta's Paradise and X Gon' Give It to Ya]. I had a lot of fun with it. Maybe the music wasn't right and maybe it was a bit too rough but I'd like to do a hip hop program again. I really get a lot of fun out of it and I really enjoy skating to it. It's also a genre of music I listen to a lot. I listen to a lot of other different types of music too so of course there are lots of genres I want to do. That's another reason why I find it interesting to be able to do several programs during the year because if there is no pleasure in skating to the music until the end of the season, it becomes very hard to skate to them well until the end.

Is there a music you would like to skate to in the future?

There are too many. I have a playlist of music! I think I'll do them as a gala numbers because there's way too much.

You've talked a lot about your desire to innovate and develop the sport between the technical aspect and the artistic aspect. How do you manage to balance the athletic aspect with the artistic aspect? 

In the past, there were many skaters who managed to balance the two. I'll give examples like Patrick Chan who was a very good skater and who jumped very well in his time, and then there are plenty of others. The list would be long, but it's possible to work on these two axes at the same time. We have these two important axes and we have to try to push them to the maximum.

The ISU has tried to innovate this season by introducing new measures at the World Championships such as LED boards and the presentation of new chair leaders. What do you think? 

I think it's a very good idea! It makes it much more entertaining for the public, even for the people who are watching the competition. I think it's a bit of what has been missing in our sport. It's been a bit too traditional and old-fashioned. It's time for it to evolve a little bit, bring a little bit of entertainment, and a little bit of modernity too. I think that's a little bit of what's missing in our sport; a little bit of entertainment and excitement. 

Do you have any other ideas for the ISU?

Yes! This is my opinion so I know that not everyone will agree with me but I think we should have the possibility of doing more Grand Prix. We should take the Grand Prix as a World Cup circuit. An example would be like F1 where they do all the Grand Prix. There's also the possibility of doing several programs in one competition or in several competitions throughout the year. I think it would be all the more entertaining for us skaters and for the audience too. You have to remember that we have a sport where we're putting on a show even if it's a competition. There's a part where there are judges and you're judged on what you show so I think we have to take that into account too. I think we should also add top jumps, top spins, top choreographies, or even battles for the pros. It could be a lot of fun. There are lots of things that could be done. I think there are so many things to develop for our sport. I honestly don't think they're too difficult to set up. It just needs to be well organized and discussed intelligently. There are so many possibilities and there's no reason why it shouldn't be done. I even think some people wouldn't mind seeing top jumps. For example, whoever does the most triple axels in a row between Ilia [Malinin] and [Mikhail] Shaidorov. That is only one example. I think it can be fun. Another example would be another competition where it can be the person who does the most spins. When you look at sports like swimming or skiing, they have a lot more events so I think it's a shame to have to limit ourselves to just three Olympic events (the short program, the free skate, and the team event). It seems a little light compared to the diversity of things we do in our sport.

Any plans for you since the season is soon over?

In a few weeks I have World Team Trophy. I haven't had many competitions this season so I'm really going to take this competition 300% seriously. I'm going to prepare for it as seriously as I did for these World Championships. I hope to do better. I'm going to prepare to do better. After that, I'll have a few ice shows. Then, I'm going to prepare during the summer at Peak Ice with Benoît and Cédric and train as hard as I can. And I'm going to try not to injure myself this year!

Rapid fire questions to end this interview! What’s your favourite jump?

Everything but the loop.

Do you prefer skating first or last in a group?

Either way is fine with me but if I had to chose, I would go last.

A singer you like to listen to these days?

Damiano David is the first one to pop up in my head. And Ed Sheeran! I am going to his concert in the coming months.

If you could have a plushie associated with you; what would it be?

I think it will have to be adapted from one year to the other because I try to have a theme for my programs. I had a time when I was getting lots of Baby Yoda plushies back when I was skating to Star Wars so that was a lot of fun. I don't want there to be a plushie that identifies me. [So a plushie that fits the theme of your program?] yes, I think it would be a lot of fun!

Your favourite program?

That is hard! I would say in my top three... actually my top five would be: first would be Daft Punk, second would be my Max Richter free skate from last season, after that I'd say my Dune free skate… I am realizing that every time I think about it, I change my ranking [laughs]. It's so hard to do a ranking because my programs all have their own identities and they are like my children so I can’t do it.

A skater you admire?

Yuzuru Hanyu.

Favourite competition you competed at?

Last year at Montreal Worlds.

Finally, do you have a message for your fans.

Thank you so much to all the fans for following me and supporting me. I think that without you, I wouldn't have as much motivation to try and push the sport. I’m very grateful for the support that you give me, and it gives me all the more motivation to try and bring new things and to do new things in my programs to return for all the support and recognition that you give me.