S3E1: Beyond the Rink: Kristi Yamaguchi on Heritage, Resilience, and Gold

What happens when two distinct cultures become one lived experience? We’re kicking off Season 3 of Japanese America with a bit of a "chill" as we look ahead to the Winter Olympics starting next month. In this premiere, hosts Michelle and Koji dive into the archives of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) to revisit a powerful interview with an American icon: Kristi Yamaguchi.

Originally recorded for JANM’s landmark exhibition, More Than a Game: Sport in the Japanese American Community, this interview captures Kristi reflecting on her journey long after her historic 1992 gold medal win. We go beyond the skating highlights to explore the deeply personal stories that shaped her, including:

• The "Reading Rule": Why a young Kristi had to master her ABCs before she was allowed to hit the ice.
• A Hidden Challenge: Kristi’s early years dealing with clubfoot and how corrective braces and dance therapy eventually led her to the rink.
• The Silence of the Camps: A moving look at the Sansei/Yonsei experience and the reluctance of her grandparents to discuss the wartime incarceration.
• Resilience through Loss: The turning point in 1991 when, following the loss of her grandfather and coach, Kristi had to choose between giving up or going for gold.
• The Secret Result: A charming behind-the-scenes story of how she actually found out she won the Olympic Gold before the cameras were even rolling.

Stick around until the end as we tease our upcoming special episode for Women’s History Month featuring the late Irene Hirano Inouye, the visionary leader who made preserving these stories possible.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about JANM: Japanese American National Museum
• Explore the Exhibition: More Than a Game: Sport in the Japanese American Community

CREDITS

The music was created by Jalen Blank

Additional Music by Maksym Malko and  Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay

Written by Koji Steven Sakai

Hosts: Michelle Malazaki and Koji Steven Sakai

Edited by Koji Steven Sakai

Produced by Koji Steven Sakai in conjunction with the Japanese American National Museum

Transcript

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It was actually kind of a mistake finding out what the actual results were, because the last skater had finished and, um, my coach had kind of she was like, I think, you know, I think we've done it, you know, I'm not sure. And of course, when that I'm not sure is in there, you know, I don't want to react in any way. I don't want to get my hopes up. So I asked, um, one of the cameramen who is at all the skating events. We were great friends, and I asked him, do you know what the official results are? So he called into the producer of the skating event and asked him, you know, what are the official results? Because the TV always has the results before anyone else. And he he held out the earpiece to me and he said, Yamaguchi, Ito, Kerrigan. But don't tell them yet. We want to get the reaction on camera. But of course we all heard this and we're like, ah, you know, uh, and I was there with Nancy and and we were just, you know, really emotional and just released it all, but I think TV was a little upset because they didn't get it on camera. But, um, my coach and I are probably happy about that. What happens when two distinct cultures become one lived experience? Welcome to season three of Japanese America. I'm Michelle, and together we are exploring the history, the traditions, and the delightful quirks found at the heart of the Japanese and American connection. Thanks for joining us for the season opener. I'm Koji. We've got an incredible season ahead, and we're kicking things off with a bit of a chill. With the Winter Olympics in Italy starting up just next month, we wanted to look at how two cultures show up on ice and snow. I'm so ready for it. But before we get into the history and the athletes, Koji, I have to ask you a fun one. If you are forced and I mean forced to compete in one of Winter Olympic sports, but you have zero training. Which one are you picking? I'm going to be doing that one where you shoot and you ski. I think that's fun. I don't even know what it's called. I know, but can you shoot or ski? Or can you do both? No. It's both. You shoot and then you ski and then you shoot again. I think that's what it is. I don't even know what it's called. But whatever it is, that's what I want to do. What about you? What would you do? I've been wanting to try curling. Okay. Yeah. You get the broom and you sweep. And I think I could be okay with that. I'd watch you do that. But today we're looking at the real life legend who didn't need any mochi pounding to make history. We're diving into the archives of the Japanese American National Museum. Specifically, we are revisiting a powerful interview with the one and only Kristi Yamaguchi. It was originally recorded for Japan's landmark exhibition More Than a Game sport in the Japanese American community. Most people know Kristi as the 1992 gold medalist who captured the world's heart. But the interview goes deeper. She talks about her Sansei roots, her family's experience during the incarceration and what it felt like to represent the United States while carrying her Japanese heritage on the world stage. What's so striking is how her story starts. We think of Olympic athletes as being born for it, but Kristi actually had to wait for her mom's green light. In the first clip, Kristi talks about begging her mom to let her skate, only to be told she had to hit a milestone first. My older sister was doing it, so I wanted to do it too, and my mom said, you know, you're too young. Wait till you're six. And when you learn how to read and and you're in first grade, then I'll take you. So, um, as soon as I turned six, I'm like, okay, I'm ready to go skating now. It's funny to imagine a future gold medalist waiting on her ABC's, but there was actually a physical challenge she was dealing with at the same time, something many fans might not know. Kirstie was born with a clubfoot and spent her early years in corrective braces. For some reason, my mom put me in dance early on just to try to add coordination to my legs and just help. It's kind of like therapy. And then when I wanted to skate, she asked the pediatrician and he said, no, that's great. You know, anything any exercise for her legs is great for her. And, um, you know, good therapy to strengthen and coordinate. So, um, it seemed to work out. Seemed to work out. Has to be the understatement of the century. But moving from her physical hurdles to her family's history, the interview touches on the classic Sansei and Yonsei experience regarding the wartime incarceration. Right. Like many Japanese American families, the trauma of the camps was often met with silence. Christy reflects on her grandparents desire to face forward, and how the Japanese language was lost in the family's effort to look toward the future. You know, you hear a little bit about the history, or I heard a little bit about the history of Japanese American and their struggle, but my grandparents rarely spoke of it. I think, um, you know, they had gone through so much and really wanted to put it behind them. And, um, they never talked about it. It was really strange. Unless you specifically asked them, you know, what? What happened? Or, you know, what was it like for you? Um, you know, they wanted to just face forward and look into the future and, um, you know, they raised their own kids, um, purely American. No one spoke Japanese. Um, we lost the language along the way in our family because all they wanted to speak was English. And, um, by the time we were born, fourth generation, um, we were very Americanized. So, um, unfortunately, you know, now I look back and I'm learning a lot more about it and what they've gone through, but, um, they were reluctant to talk about it, really. That silence is such a common thread in our community's history. And yet she carried that history onto the world stage. Interestingly, even as a world class athlete, she wasn't always sure she'd make the Olympic team until a specific turning point in 1991 After a year of immense personal loss. 1990 was a tough year going into 91. Yeah, it was a really tough year. Um, you know, the year before, um, had lost two important people in my life. Um, our Paris coach and I skated pairs at the time. And then, um, my grandfather, who was one of my biggest fans and supporters in skating, and it was just a really, really rough period, and I didn't do so well, um, that year in skating in pairs or singles. And, um, made a decision just to concentrate on, on singles. So that whole year was a rough, a rough transition time for me. And, um, it was the first time I ever kind of questioned whether I was doing the right thing. Just cutting in here. The interviewer, John Esaki, asks if Kristi had thought about giving up skating at any point. Um, you know, I thought maybe it entered my mind, but I never took it seriously because I loved it so much. And it was it had been my life, and I saw it as a part of my life for forever. So, um, you know, I just, I really searched for a way to bring a new perspective into the sport and into the skating and find a way to enjoy it again. And, um, and I did. You know, someone with a lot of help from a lot of people. But, um, I was able to kind of turn things around. It is just incredible to hear her talk about that journey from those corrective braces as a toddler to that podium in Albertville. She's a perfect example of how our heritage and our personal resilience weave together to create something historic. Absolutely. Michelle, what did you, uh, when you listen to her interview, when you read her interview, what did you what did you think? Anything that stuck out to you? I didn't know she was born with a clubfoot. I really had no idea. And, like, that's so amazing. And I mean, as a mom, how I like. I'm always loss of words. Am I like I don't know how how you make that happen. Like I have so much resilience in herself. Believing herself and, like, just keep on going at it. So amazing. Did you watch the. Did you do you remember watching these Olympics? I, I do remember I want it both Japanese, um, Japanese skater and Japanese American skater to win, but. And I'm so glad that she won. Yeah. I remember watching it and kind of like you, I've. You know, I always root for the Japanese skater. Japanese people in the Olympics, and then obviously the American people in the Olympics and but but this was the first time, I think, that I can remember off the top of my head where it was a Japanese American person. And I remember being super proud of her, even though I didn't ever follow the Olympics or I don't I never actually cared that much about the Olympics or about ice skating or figure skating or whatever. But I remember just being really proud that someone who kind of looked like me was doing something on the world stage so big. And I just remember thinking that that if she could do something great, then maybe I could do something great. And I and I know that that sounds stupid, but it's it was important at the time. I mean, there just wasn't a lot of Japanese Americans or Asian Americans doing anything, you know, on the stage that that was so big and, you know, and everyone was rooting for them. I mean, and it kind of goes to what I think I said in earlier episode was, you know, when I go to Dodger Stadium now and you just walk around and you see so much, so many people wearing Japanese writing on them or Japanese flags who, by the way, aren't Japanese or Japanese American, right? They're wearing Ohtani or or Yamamoto or Sasaki or anything. And it's just I mean, it's it just means I think it means a lot to when you when you could see that and you could say that, you know, there's, there's a, there's something proud there. Don't forget Takeru Kobayashi. Do you know him? No. Who is that? Oh, well, you don't know Takeru Kobayashi. Kobayashi. The hot dog guy? Yes. Okay. I was so proud. Because. Because, um, Summer Olympics, not too many Japanese people were doing well back then, like the early 2000. And, um, Fox had the program, um, when the Olympics were on, on NBC and it was Takeru Kobayashi eating hot dogs against, against the bears. And not just one bear against the Alaskan bear. I was like, oh, go, go, go, go. But he did not win against. The bear one. Yeah, bear won, of course. That's a sad story. And, uh, this is a reminder why the archives at JANM are so important. These stories aren't just about sports. They're also about the silence of the past and the noise we make when we finally break through. Well, we've got the whole season ahead of us to explore more of those breakthroughs. But before we get out of here, Koji, I have one more Olympic question for you. I'm ready. Lay it on me. If you're an Olympic figure skater. What would your signature move be called, and what would be the must have snack in your skaters lap? My move. My signature move is a move I do for my dog every day. And that's the dance of seduction. I move my hips around in a dance, and that would probably have to be the move, because it would seduce the entire world to love me. And my, uh, my snack would probably be, uh. Well, I'm. It's probably because I'm eating it right now. But Kuri. Which would be really random. Kuri. Chestnuts Yeah. Chestnuts. Oh, it'd be really hard to eat, though. Maybe they'd have to be peeled for me already. What about you, Michelle? What would you. What would be your signature move and what would you. What snack would you have in your skaters lounge? I, I don't know, I maybe I should can we use props on figure skate? You can't use props. You can't. Maybe I could have, like, ribbons, like twirl ribbon and I don't know or have a nutcracker doll and make it a nutcracker. Okay, and what kind of snacks would you have? Oh, of course. Walnuts. Why? Walnut? Oh, because I could use the Nutcracker to open. Oh. Literally a nutcracker. Not like the not the doll. Yeah. Not not not a doll that breaks the nut. So, you know, I. And then I could start selling my merch, the Nutcracker. Michelle's Nutcracker. All your ideas are including some kind of financial gain in it. To pay for my outfit and the ice skating time. Okay. Because I'm gonna need hours and hours of practice. Uh, just hours. That's not bad. Then you're really good. Okay. Hours and hours. Not just one hours. Like at least 50,000 hours, not 10,000. All right, well, now, before we head out, we wanted to give you a little heads up on what's coming next. We're celebrating the Winter games this month. Next month we are shifting gears for Women's History Month. We are dedicating an entire episode to women's history and legacy, and we'll be focusing on a woman whose vision actually made today's episode possible. The late Irene Hirano Inouye. Irene was a force of nature from her two decades leading up to her work building international bridges who redefined leadership. We're going to dive into her incredible life and the lasting impact she left on our community. And I should mention that I did work under her. Uh, so I did have that. I did have that experience. It's an episode about leadership, vision, and the power of one person to change the narrative. You won't want to miss it. Thanks for joining us for the start of season three. We'll be back next week with more stories from the intersection of Japanese and American life. Until then, stay warm and keep exploring. Bye.