Cup of China 2011

So, it's starting today!! Thoughts? I'm personally REALLY excited to see the Shibutanis, Mirai, and Carolina. Oh, and can't forget Adelina.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/

Tono (Oda) said he won't include any qual in the competition due to his injury
hope he will get better soon.

I am mostly excited to see Adelina, Kanako, and Yuzuru.

I want Adelina to have a good competition because it's a key moment in her career(especially after Liza won in SC so impressively). I also hopw that both Kanako and Carolina skate well, I like them both.(btw, Mirai tweeted that the heel of her skate cracked I don't know if she is still competing)
I'm excited to see Yuzuru, Artur and Oda and intrigued to see if the Shibs will beat Bobrova/Soloviev in high fashion as everyone seems to think
Good luck to all the skaters!

Is there any live threads / streaming for COC?
Terebi Asahi's telecast is not yet due 'til 20:00 JST

I look forward to see Adelina finally. And wishing Oda; Kanako; Yuzuru and CaroK good luck!

that's bad news for Mirai, i hope she will still skate tonight though....

That looks like a great SP for Mirai, I'm really so glad for her!
Currently on 1st place with new SB 60.96
followed by Adelina 53.74 and Kanako is in 3rd place with CaroK still to skate....
I wonder why Kanako's TES is only 25.80, oh no she must've missed a jump or something.

purplemaze, I am so happy that Mirai didn't let the skates thing bring her down

Ice dance SP
http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/gpchn2011_IceDance_SD_Scores.pdf
Ladies SP
http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/gpchn2011_Ladies_SP_Scores.pdf
all I can say is ...3Lz and 3Lo just like black-hole ~ very very dangerous for all the ladies

I think some of you may not want to know the details so...let's talk about that later

Have you seen Adelina? Boy did she looked scared, even in the warm-up. The minute she took the ice before her starting pose she slipped a little, she was so tense and pale
Before her music started she was taking big gulps of air, you could almost see her shaking. God, what pressure did to her today is cruel. Everyone needs to relax and stop crowning her next Olympic champion, and let's remember we are watching a 15 year old who carries too much on her shoulders. Yes, Liza did remarkably well in her debut, but she was the underdog in Russia so it was a bit easier for her. Let's wait and see how she does on her second GP, now that all the media will be watching her closely(I do wish her all the best, don't get me wrong, I love Liza)
It makes me sad that we don't get too see joy in Adelina's skating. She is so expresive in the exhibitions, but not in the competition.
Kanako's face after the skate broke my heart. She was almost in tears, even though she skated quite well. Her 3L became her nemesis I miss her joy and spark
I so wanted these 2 girls to do well

shikure wrote:

purplemaze, I am so happy that Mirai didn't let the skates thing bring her down

Ice dance SP
http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/gpchn2011_IceDance_SD_Scores.pdf
Ladies SP
http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/gpchn2011_Ladies_SP_Scores.pdf
all I can say is ...3Lz and 3Lo just like black-hole ~ very very dangerous for all the ladies

I think some of you may not want to know the details so...let's talk about that later

Yes shikure! I was worried about that for a bit, but when i checked the link you shared above (THANKS for it! ) , i wished she'd do well and won't let that skating heels bother her performance today. And she did great yay! I can't wait to see the telecast in a few minutes more here.

ANY LIVE STREAM PLEASE!! i really wat to watch this competition..

I am really cheering for Kanako on this one! I teared up when she finished skating...
It was just too much!

I guess the pressure caught up on Adelina...
She was obviously worried about catching up with Liza who was spectacular in all sense! You got to admit that at 15 - these things get to you - how your 'rival' got gold - how you'd be skating...
Somehow I feel Liza deals with the media much more than Adelina does - Let's hope she makes use of this calmness in her next event!
They've been making a whole deal of this 'Russian girls are prodigies' attitude in the press - and maybe the girls should have been protected from that...

I am sorry for rant! But this totally ruined my day!
I can't imagine in what state I'll be when Mao will be on the ice!

Well, Liza wasn't really nervous at SC. She couldn't wait for her senior debut and was happy to perform among the seniors. Adelina was scared and afraid, I don't know what's the reason. But Liza has a character more suitable for a champion, she's very strong mentally. But it doesn't mean she's very consistent, but she has a great advantage over Adelina, a perfect technique.

purplemaze, you are welcome~
http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2011/gpchn2011_Men_SP_Scores.pdf
good for Jeremy and Tono did the great job without qual.
Men's event looks exciting since the difference is very small
Since there are lots of ppl cheer for Yuzuru...so let me cheer for Jeremy and Tono
(Yuzuru..I still like you but I think you don't need me now )~

polosatik wrote:

Well, Liza wasn't really nervous at SC. She couldn't wait for her senior debut and was happy to perform among the seniors. Adelina was scared and afraid, I don't know what's the reason. But Liza has a character more suitable for a champion, she's very strong mentally. But it doesn't mean she's very consistent, but she has a great advantage over Adelina, a perfect technique.

I couldn't believe my eyes seeing Adelina this scared. But then I was equally surprised seeing Liza so calm at SC. I think that pressure of being russian nr.1 and Liza doing so well got to her. I mean, people are practically crowning her with olympic gold, and we're only in a year of 2011.

I believe that with time Liza will get her consistency in check. As you said she has text book technique. and being trained by Mishin doesn't hurt either when it comes to mental strength. I don't remember ever seeing Plushenko having a meltdown.

Back to Adelina: I still don't like the program and IMO the costume has got to go.

Some Videos from the mens and ladies are already up:

Yuzuru : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nSihTWuRMw&feature=channel_video_title

Jeremy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0rvI_tBPAw&feature=channel_video_title

Ladies~

Carolina : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md-GeV9GLhw&feature=channel_video_title

Adelina : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiPMJx6onm0&feature=channel_video_title

Mirai : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8XakRXBGgk&feature=channel_video_title

Much thanks to the uploader frida340 !! the rest will be uploaded soon probably, so just check it out later.

Hanyu and Tono did good! I'm glad for them!

I don't know why, but I'm not crazy about Hanyu. He's a great jumper and has artistry, but there's something about him that I don't like. Maybe it's his age.

What's going on with Kanako? She burst into tears after the short, I think she puts herself under to much pressure.

https://youtu.be/i3Vz2nrmZRQ kanako

she slipped a little bit before entering first jump !!!!
her arm stiff in whole program even in opening pose, but she was fine when she skated to her ex in the ice.
what is going on here ??
If 3Lo becomes her weakness now, they need to do something with her FS or I feel she may breakdown if she mess up her FS tomorrow.

Kanako told that she was nervous because her 6min practise didn't go well. Indeed, she popped all her 3-3 jumps during practise. And to add on that, her 3lo is her weakness.

I feel that Kanako tend to show on her face when she's nervous.

But I feel that she will do well tomorrow.

And Yuzu: BRAVO !!!

well ow i have get eurosport that's how desperate i was to see figure skating (but most because i don't want to miss seeing mao next time lol) anyway i just watched the ladies short and pairs short program and i was really surprised to see how close the top 5 were in the pair... and i also was really heartbroken when i saw kanako get her score, evethrogh i found the judges where pretty generous when I saw the mistake that they did!!

it was nice to see mirai have a clean skate, i nearly gave up on her when i watched her at skate canada.. anyway i think the final results will be really interesting to see, through i personally hope that the podium will be off kanako, murakami, and adelina.... the reason why i this time am against carolina is because i think the others are for me more intersting to see... ad she has been enough off the podium this season and last season allready so time for a change.. now i want mirai, kanako and adelina to shine...

but goodnes me adeline looked so nervous probably the pressure, since she ooked fine in practice...

I would love to see Mirai win, Kanako on the podium and Gao as well (although that's very unlikely). I would also love to see the judges stop overscoring (rewarding) Caro, although I agree with those who say that she was robbed at SA.

I couldn't help but laugh, when I heard Nicki and Chris guessing if Caro has done enough to be placed in 2nd, or if she'll be placed behind Adelina and then the score appeared and they were speachless. I would think that by now, they would get it that Caro almost never receives the scores she actually deserves.

I'm sorry for ranting, but I always get angry when thinking about Caro and her scores.

zarinaballerina wrote:

polosatik wrote:

Well, Liza wasn't really nervous at SC. She couldn't wait for her senior debut and was happy to perform among the seniors. Adelina was scared and afraid, I don't know what's the reason. But Liza has a character more suitable for a champion, she's very strong mentally. But it doesn't mean she's very consistent, but she has a great advantage over Adelina, a perfect technique.

I couldn't believe my eyes seeing Adelina this scared. But then I was equally surprised seeing Liza so calm at SC. I think that pressure of being russian nr.1 and Liza doing so well got to her. I mean, people are practically crowning her with olympic gold, and we're only in a year of 2011.

I believe that with time Liza will get her consistency in check. As you said she has text book technique. and being trained by Mishin doesn't hurt either when it comes to mental strength. I don't remember ever seeing Plushenko having a meltdown.

Back to Adelina: I still don't like the program and IMO the costume has got to go.

I don't know much about figure skating techniques, but what do people mean by "textbook techniques"? I heard Kim Yu-na has that, but what about Mao? If Mao doesn't have textbook techniques, then it shows how much talent she has by being a prestigious figure skater without textbook techniques.

Mao_Asada_sunrise wrote:

zarinaballerina wrote:

polosatik wrote:

Well, Liza wasn't really nervous at SC. She couldn't wait for her senior debut and was happy to perform among the seniors. Adelina was scared and afraid, I don't know what's the reason. But Liza has a character more suitable for a champion, she's very strong mentally. But it doesn't mean she's very consistent, but she has a great advantage over Adelina, a perfect technique.

I couldn't believe my eyes seeing Adelina this scared. But then I was equally surprised seeing Liza so calm at SC. I think that pressure of being russian nr.1 and Liza doing so well got to her. I mean, people are practically crowning her with olympic gold, and we're only in a year of 2011.

I believe that with time Liza will get her consistency in check. As you said she has text book technique. and being trained by Mishin doesn't hurt either when it comes to mental strength. I don't remember ever seeing Plushenko having a meltdown.

Back to Adelina: I still don't like the program and IMO the costume has got to go.

I don't know much about figure skating techniques, but what do people mean by "textbook techniques"? I heard Kim Yu-na has that, but what about Mao? If Mao doesn't have textbook techniques, then it shows how much talent she has by being a prestigious figure skater without textbook techniques.

From Lady_in_black:

(about Adelina)
First, she does not pre-rotate at all and she almost never under-rotates her jumps. She takes very little time to prepare her jumps and she just springs into the air and does not relay on her small stature to muscle the jump quick and fast, like Caroline Zhang used to do. This will help her when she will grow because she will naturally rotate slower than now, but she will have even more power by then. I believe her jumps will look like Yuna's in the future. Not to mention the fact that she can land clean 3F and 3Lz, with the
correct edge.

I find the explanation very interesting - and also the point you raised - But I guess Mao and Yuna were in the same league as Lipinsky - Media and fans at that period were crazy about young skaters (REAL young) who could 'outskate' experienced skaters! Even if Mao did not have a 'perfect textbook technique - She could land a 3A which was such a glorious jump - The fact that she had beaten almost all the contenders for Olympic gold 2006 was just the peak of the media frenzy surrounding her! Although Yuna became the OGMedalist - Mao was special in the sense that she was the first to burst with the whole 'asian child prodigy'...

MaoChan756 wrote:

From Lady_in_black:

(about Adelina)
First, she does not pre-rotate at all and she almost never under-rotates her jumps. She takes very little time to prepare her jumps and she just springs into the air and does not relay on her small stature to muscle the jump quick and fast, like Caroline Zhang used to do. This will help her when she will grow because she will naturally rotate slower than now, but she will have even more power by then. I believe her jumps will look like Yuna's in the future. Not to mention the fact that she can land clean 3F and 3Lz, with the
correct edge.

It was about Liza. Adelina doesn't have textbook technique, she has flutz.

MaoChan756 wrote:

Mao_Asada_sunrise wrote:

zarinaballerina wrote:

polosatik wrote:

Well, Liza wasn't really nervous at SC. She couldn't wait for her senior debut and was happy to perform among the seniors. Adelina was scared and afraid, I don't know what's the reason. But Liza has a character more suitable for a champion, she's very strong mentally. But it doesn't mean she's very consistent, but she has a great advantage over Adelina, a perfect technique.

I couldn't believe my eyes seeing Adelina this scared. But then I was equally surprised seeing Liza so calm at SC. I think that pressure of being russian nr.1 and Liza doing so well got to her. I mean, people are practically crowning her with olympic gold, and we're only in a year of 2011.

I believe that with time Liza will get her consistency in check. As you said she has text book technique. and being trained by Mishin doesn't hurt either when it comes to mental strength. I don't remember ever seeing Plushenko having a meltdown.

Back to Adelina: I still don't like the program and IMO the costume has got to go.

I don't know much about figure skating techniques, but what do people mean by "textbook techniques"? I heard Kim Yu-na has that, but what about Mao? If Mao doesn't have textbook techniques, then it shows how much talent she has by being a prestigious figure skater without textbook techniques.

From Lady_in_black:

(about Adelina)
First, she does not pre-rotate at all and she almost never under-rotates her jumps. She takes very little time to prepare her jumps and she just springs into the air and does not relay on her small stature to muscle the jump quick and fast, like Caroline Zhang used to do. This will help her when she will grow because she will naturally rotate slower than now, but she will have even more power by then. I believe her jumps will look like Yuna's in the future. Not to mention the fact that she can land clean 3F and 3Lz, with the
correct edge.

I find the explanation very interesting - and also the point you raised - But I guess Mao and Yuna were in the same league as Lipinsky - Media and fans at that period were crazy about young skaters (REAL young) who could 'outskate' experienced skaters! Even if Mao did not have a 'perfect textbook technique - She could land a 3A which was such a glorious jump - The fact that she had beaten almost all the contenders for Olympic gold 2006 was just the peak of the media frenzy surrounding her! Although Yuna became the OGMedalist - Mao was special in the sense that she was the first to burst with the whole 'asian child prodigy'...

Whether it's Adelina or Elizaveta (I really like their names, so I'll type the full names. Lol!), I'm very intrigued about the theory, so thank you for explaining it to me. I really wish Mao received teaching on the textbook techniques. Imagine who she would be right now, but then again, one thing I like about Mao is how she reacts to adversities. She would be a different person if she had the right techniques because then figure skating results would come out differently. Her challenges, which are getting back on her feet after the lack of technique caught up to her, shaped who she is now, and the Mao now is a wonderful role model, considering what she has been through.

Mao_Asada_sunrise wrote:

Whether it's Adelina or Elizaveta (I really like their names, so I'll type the full names. Lol!), I'm very intrigued about the theory, so thank you for explaining it to me. I really wish Mao received teaching on the textbook techniques. Imagine who she would be right now, but then again, one thing I like about Mao is how she reacts to adversities. She would be a different person if she had the right techniques because then figure skating results would come out differently. Her challenges, which are getting back on her feet after the lack of technique caught up to her, shaped who she is now, and the Mao now is a wonderful role model, considering what she has been through.

Very well said Mao_Asada_sunrise , I absolutely agree! Sometimes being Perfect (or in this case like having textbook techniques) isn't always the only thing that matters. Yes, Mao is really so special compared to everyone else!!!