Mao: post-Sochi news and articles

For her sake, I am glad she is taking time off because she looked so stressed at the Olympics and in the LP at World Championships and she has already delivered so many unforgettable performances. Giving so deeply of the body and spirit under the scrutiny of such suspect judging surely must be draining. Also, I can't help but think that that the Biellmann may be causing her pain and she doesn't want to say. I just want to thank her for all the marvelous artistry, technical mastery and dramatic storytelling she has given us; and now that she has worn herself out, she deserves a hard-earned rest.  But, I will be down in the dumps and blue without more Mao to carry me through.

I think this is the full version of Mao's press conference in HD: about 15 minutes . I don't know how she could still see after all those flashes from the cameras; she should have worn some sunglasses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnUncU1BrFw&feature=youtu.be

This is great news, one month was simply to little time to make such a drastic decision, especially since she most have been in a very tired state with her busy schedule, so after some rest and time away I hope she will be able to make the best decision for herself. In the meantime, I will miss her like crazy, but what makes her happy makes me happy.

Taka updated his blog with picture of Mao... i am guessing it has to do with Mao announcement?
http://www.t-kozuka.com/

Looks like Mao is eating,,, such a foodie

Bonus - new picture of team sato?

WowMao wrote:

Glad you got to go to the exhibition- let's talk. It must have been a wonderful experience.

I've written some of this about Mao before, but I just felt like making it shorter.  

Pirouetting on a pliant blade
that glides lightly across the ice
as sharply clipped wing tips
soaring through the sky,
forming acrobatic arabesques
that carve serpentine arcs into the ice.
Fully stretched leg extensions
rotating in a tight semi-circle.
Mesmerized by multi-directional step sequences
that dig into the emotions from every angle,
tapping channels into the tear ducts
like peeling layers off an onion
to reveal the full depth of human expression.
The pulse pounds as she tackles the triple axel.
With arrow straight back
and beautifully tight symmetrical spirals,
she drills whip-saw chills into the tingling spine.
Then in an exquisite wave-like motion
she releases us into the ebb and flow
of melancholy and redemption.

WowMao, Thank you for sharing this with us. It deserves recognition. At the very least, a reply.
You have artistically rendered words in a fashion that evokes emotional responses in many.
Your use of language is both aesthetic and cultivated in projecting your thoughts/feelings in poetic form.

On reflection, I noticed a musical/lyrical tone pervading its entirety. It had a rhythm, a subtle cadence,
a fluttering lilt, a definite time signature and a gradual crescendo that reaches the apex before
the poem's end where it subsequently plants a feeling of stillness and oneness in the reader's heart.

And I absolutely love the manner in which you make no reference to who the artist/skater is.
You allow the imageries to guide the reader to a realization that the poem is about Mao and her mastery
of an artistic discipline that she elevates to heights never before experienced by an audience.

Thank you for this beautiful poem, WowMao.

emory903 wrote:

Taka updated his blog with picture of Mao... i am guessing it has to do with Mao announcement?
http://www.t-kozuka.com/

Looks like Mao is eating,,, such a foodie

   is mao capable of anything else but to eat in her time off?   Such a cutie!

i just hear this Bell of Moscow that apparently play by Rachmaninoff himself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOx710drHnw

and in the user comment some one wrote this

" Rachmaninoff wrote this piece about a dream he had. He dreamed that he was at a funeral, thus the sombre, emotional first section of the piece. As he got up and walked over to the coffin he saw himself in it, at that point he became agitated and started screaming to himself, this is where the music gets very fast and very loud. By the end he accepts his own fate as the music calms down again for the ending."

so naturally i start to compare this with mao program
hahahahaha so now it make sense that she has movement that looks like slapping her self, i guest it sort of movement to wake her self, like pinch your self to know its dream or not.

"As he got up and walked over to the coffin he saw himself in it, at that point he became agitated and started screaming to himself, this is where the music gets very fast and very loud"
and this is where the amazing marvelous step sequence begin, frantic movement dramatic and fierce


wow just wow, after i know the story, i love this program even more, what a great story telling

now regarding mao costume, usually how many costume she has per program?
initially i thought she has 2 different costume per program, but I got Rhythm only had one
but tango sp got like 4 or something?

i know that mao take a year off, but since next season a vokal is allow in the music, what kind of music u guys want mao to skate.
imagine if she make her Jupiter Ex became competition program, i will     

Relaxation time between classes at the university.

photo by Kanako
pic.twitter.com/VU0xbHA5WF

bebece wrote:

now regarding mao costume, usually how many costume she has per program?
initially i thought she has 2 different costume per program, but I got Rhythm only had one
but tango sp got like 4 or something?

i know that mao take a year off, but since next season a vokal is allow in the music, what kind of music u guys want mao to skate.
imagine if she make her Jupiter Ex became competition program, i will     

I would love to see Mao skate to ballade as a sp, it's my favourite exhibition. there is a sirene feeling and calmness about the program that's hard to describe and it's just gourges. other than that I love Mao's classical pieces, and would therefor be very happy if she skated to another classical piece. I would also really appreciate if the choreographer would include three different spirals, like Mao used to have in her program, Mao's spirals are breathtaking and really impressive. I can live with the spirals gone for the majority of skaters but there are few skaters whose spirals I never get tired of watching and who I always find fascinating and Mao is one of those skaters. so dear choreographer out there please put them BACK. other than that I just hope that the choreographer gives a program that displays all of Mao's qualities, I know it's a hard task since Mao has many of these special qualities, but it's not an impossible task.

silenceisgolden wrote:

Relaxation time between classes at the university.

photo by Kanako
pic.twitter.com/VU0xbHA5WF

how cute, love that they still have that connection and are spending lots of time together even when Mao isn't competing this season.
Enjoy life Mao!

short interview during press conference day... not sure if it has been posted or not
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdXe7xc0scg

emory903 wrote:

silenceisgolden wrote:

Relaxation time between classes at the university.

photo by Kanako
pic.twitter.com/VU0xbHA5WF

how cute, love that they still have that connection and are spending lots of time together even when Mao isn't competing this season.
Enjoy life Mao!

I love seeing Mao so relaxed     

silenceisgolden wrote:

Relaxation time between classes at the university.

photo by Kanako
pic.twitter.com/VU0xbHA5WF

I love your profile picture, mostly because this is the first time I've seen Mao wear those kinds of heels! Lol! I saw pictures from this conference, but no pictures of her feet!

Here is a translation of an interview with Mao I found on fs universe with comments by the poster. I had never heard anything about Mao wanting to be a coach. Have any of you heard this before? Is it really true?  

To be a coach is my dream. All of my experiences will help me in coaching skaters.

This interview was done a day after the press conference. She talked a bit about her school life. I love this video since she smiles a lot in it. She looks more relaxed after the announcement of taking a break.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp7XbOKPuYc

0:33
Narration: First of all, let's ask her about the decision she announced yesterday.
-When did you decide?
MA: A few weeks ago.
-Are you relieved by announcing it?
MA: Yes. I had conflicts inside of me before I decide. I feel great now by announcing my decision.

Narration: She says that messages from her fans touched her heart. (Showing the video of the fan friendly time after finale in Prince Ice World which was held recently.)
MA: There were some fans who said "I wish you take a break.", and some said "You can continue." I heard various messages from lots of fans. They gave me power. The thought that I can compete more sprang up inside of me as well.

-What made you decide to take a break at last.
MA: If I participate in competitions in the next season, I need to start training right now. I asked myself that I can continue training one more season, and the answer was "no". So I decided to take a break first of all. I don't see any idea of my future at this point.
MA: I did my best till Sochi Olympics aiming at making this Olympic season as my culmination of my career. I truly feel i did it all. And I have no idea at this point even if i ask myself what I want to do in the next season.

-And your feelings at this point is..... hehehe(expecting the answer "half-half.")  
MA:   hahaha (The possibilities of coming back is) "half-half" :

Narration: The possibilities of her coming back is 50-50. By the way the term "half-half" has become very popular so far.
-Now "half-half" is a word in fashion. Do you feel so?
MA: Yes, I feel a bit. hahaha  
-Buzzwords-of-the-year contest will be held in the end of every year. Do you think "half-half" will be awarded?
MA: Ahhh..As for myself, I'm adｄicted to it.
-  
MA: I use the word in my private life.   For example I use it in a restaurant.  
-Please tell us further.
MA: When I order pickles in a Japanese restaurant, they ask me "Do you like vegetables well-pickled or lightly-pickled?" ......Then I answered "half-half, please."
-  Didn't the waiter surprised?
MA: Just laught.  
-You killing it.
MA:  

Narration: She'll skate in her ice show 'The Ice' in July. This is the eighth year for The Ice to be held. She's showed performances which is different from her competitive programs, she even showed pair numbers.
-What kind of performances do you want to show this time?
MA: In ice shows we can enjoy numbers which are fee from rules. We can skate more freely. I'd like to build up good numbers talking with choreographers to show something new and wonderful.

Narration: By taking a break her new life is starting from now.
-What is your major and what classes do you take in your university.
MA: I studies in Department of Physical Education in Faculty of Physical Education. I take classes such as psychology, sports history, and Russian.
-Why Russian?
MA: That's because I visited Russia many times, my coach was Russian and also the Olympic was held in Sochi.
-You said you takes psychology class.
MA: When you competing, psychology is helpful. My dream is to be a coach. It will be also helpful when I coach skaters in the future. All of my experiences will help me in coaching skaters.
Narration: We asked her what is her goal in this year
MA: "Treasure each and every chance." I haven't found my clear goal or what I really want to do in this year. Thinking too much won't lead me anywhere new. Leafing things behind, I'll treasure each and every chance in my daily life. I think it will lead me something nice.
-Then you decide whether continue or retire in the next year. Do you have any message for yourself who is in a year after.
MA: Hmmmmm....The time when I decide definitely comes in the next year. "Go ahead aiming at whatever you want."

Well, I want to talk a bit about the word "half-half". She's been under microscope for over a decade. She's been asked the same questions hundred of times every time when something happened around her. Maybe it is her idea to repeat exactly the same answer because if she says something a micro mm different from what she said earlier, she'll be asked the same questions by interviewers a hundred times more.   So in this way 'half-half' has been repeated by her. She said she used the word 'half-half' instead of 'fifty-fifty' because she thought 'half' is more familiar word than 'fifty' for Japanese people. Thus not only team Japan skaters but also public people are a bit addicted to using the word 'half-half'    

She once said Mr Sato had been under microscope after he started coaching Mao. Sometimes interviewers/paparazzi disturbed his job. And Mao felt very sorry for him. After finishing Worlds Mr Sato appeared in a documentary show on TV and in it Mao appreciated everything he did for her, not only coaching but also supporting her under big pressure/buzz together with her. Listening her words in the documentary show Mr Sato dropped big tears from his eyes. If time allows, I want to translate that video and post somewhere on FSU. Mao seems breathing a bit freely taking her break. It's good for her in anyways!

I never heard she wanted to be a coach, but since she loves skating soo much it's understandable if she wants to stay connected to the sport, but the same have all the other skaters from team japan said, so I don't think we have to fear it being anytime soon. I think she was merely talking about what she may do in the fture, that doesn't neccesary have to be in the near future   

I am soo happy that she decided to take a break since if she is too tired and therefor feels a bit unmotivated, it's better to recharge and try to see if she can find the passion and drive back to continue. regardless of what her future plans are when she retires, I really really hope she does continue for some time, I may be a bit selfish but I feel she has alot more to offer to this sport, I simply can't stand the thought of her not coming back. so please take a break for as long as you like but then pleease return

ballerinamao wrote:

I never heard she wanted to be a coach, but since she loves skating soo much it's understandable if she wants to stay connected to the sport, but the same have all the other skaters from team japan said, so I don't think we have to fear it being anytime soon. I think she was merely talking about what she may do in the fture, that doesn't neccesary have to be in the near future   

After re-watching the video-clip, I agree with ballerinamao, I don't think she's talking specifically that she wants to be a coach. The interviewer is asking her about why taking the subject such as Psychology, and Mao explains that just in case she'd like to be a coach, it will be helpful. No, I don't recall Mao has ever talked about taking the future road to be a coach, not like Kanako (or also Adelina) who always expresses such interest as being a coach or skating instructor.

One place that's not mentioned is that, although Mao has made the decision not competing for the up coming season, it seems that she's never considered doing 'half of a season', like what Caro or Yuna had done to skip GP competitions only. Theoretically she should be able to do the same by starting the season later, skipping the GP series and taking on some senior-Bs. But I guess these would never be the options for Mao. If she'd have chosen to continue, she'd take on doing the full season. This is another place where we see her dedication to the FS sport...

Is this a new radio interview Mao did? I don't understand Japanese..is there anything of note she is discussing? Why are they bringing up Yuna if this is supposed to be about Mao's retirement decision?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO4ceOOMTqY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbMKXxP9UvM
This is the clip of a radio program she was in as a guest.  It starts with Mao singing a jingle. Cute   

The link you posted is the audio from a part of this interview she did after the press conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP42PWg8vX4

I avoided to watch it on purpose because I don't like this guy.    He's overly critical on her probably because his preference is Yuna. His remarks on Mao were quite hash, especially when Mao hinted retirement after 2013 worlds.  It's OK. He has his say.  But it's really sad to hear someone openly saying negative things about your favorite athlete and especially when the person looks obviously not following the sport.  So, I wished her agent didn't accept the interview offer from this person.

In the clip you linked, he said Yuna got a boyfriend and asked about Mao.  She didn't know it and was surprised.

linglang wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbMKXxP9UvM
This is the clip of a radio program she was in as a guest.  It starts with Mao singing a jingle. Cute   

The link you posted is the audio from a part of this interview she did after the press conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP42PWg8vX4

I avoided to watch it on purpose because I don't like this guy.    He's overly critical on her probably because his preference is Yuna. His remarks on Mao were quite hash, especially when Mao hinted retirement after 2013 worlds.  It's OK. He has his say.  But it's really sad to hear someone openly saying negative things about your favorite athlete and especially when the person looks obviously not following the sport.  So, I wished her agent didn't accept the interview offer from this person.

In the clip you linked, he said Yuna got a boyfriend and asked about Mao.  She didn't know it and was surprised.

I don't want to turn this into Yuna vs. Mao discussion, everyone has their favourite that's fine. But, what I never understood is, here you have a girl who isn't willing to accept her shortcomings and work her way around it, but instead decides to try and fix them, improves tremendously in every aspect of skating, and instead of getting respect for trying to fix the flutz and bringing her SS and step seqeunce to a new level, she receives hatred.   I don't get it. I'm not saying everyone should love her, people want to hate her, go ahead, but give credit where credit is due. And Mao deserves all the credit in the world, she achieved things in this sport other skaters can only dream of. So she isn't an olympic champion so what, therefor she's the first to do a three 3A competition and the first to do an 8 triple LP (I still don't acccept Lakernik's BS judging). Though I would love to see an Olympic gold medal around Mao's neck, to me, her achievements are worth much more than olympic gold. I don't think people will forget her magical LP in Sochi, anytime soon.

Like I said, everyone has their favourite, but the treatment Mao has been getting from EVERYONE (FS fans, judges, comentators...) in the past 8 years is really pissing me off. This is the reason why a part of me (as much as I hate it) wishes that she would retire.  At almost every competition she enters she must know the odds are against her and that the judges are just waiting for a chance to underscore her, while some others are getting overscoring of their lives. It's heart breaking to see all that she brings to the sport, but is constantly being denied by the judges. She wasn't always being undersored, but more times than not, she was judged  harshly, while others received a more "lenient" judging, or were "overlooked" by the tech pannel altogether.

Thank you Linglang! Thanks for letting me know about the interviewer; I will never understand those who criticize people like Mao who work so hard and achieve so much. From what I listened to, it seemed like Mao handled the interview with tact and grace (as always). I'm sure she tires of these redundant questions about other skaters.

Japan Post will launch commemorative stamp of Mao
http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/854534426.jpg

It can be ordered on the internet, although I don't know if it can be ordered from outside of Japan.
(The web site is not up yet.)

This clip was broadcast on 0526, and it's from an earlier interview done during the middle of April.
The purpose of the interview was for Mao, with Mai and Kozuka to promote 'The Ice'
But here Mao went through her Oly Rach2 performance with the interviewers to explain what she has experienced during the epic performance:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1wsl7o_140526-%E4%BC%91%E9%A4%8A%E5%AE%A3%E8%A8%80-%E3%81%AE%E8%A3%8F%E5%81%B4_sport

Thank you for posting all the news and links, everyone!   

Mao is performing in Kazahstan from friday-sunday, is there any news whether she's still in Japan or has already left to Kazahstan?
I hope there will be many videos of her perfromances on youtube, I can't wait to see her. It feels like for ever since I've seen her skate. 

Edit: never mind, i've already got my answer in the competition and shows thread.    This is what happens when I post before reading through the forum.  

zarinaballerina wrote:

linglang wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbMKXxP9UvM
This is the clip of a radio program she was in as a guest.  It starts with Mao singing a jingle. Cute   

I don't want to turn this into Yuna vs. Mao discussion, everyone has their favourite that's fine. I don't think people will forget her magical LP in Sochi, anytime soon.

but the treatment Mao has been getting from EVERYONE (FS fans, judges, comentators...) in the past 8 years is really pissing me off. This is the reason why a part of me (as much as I hate it) wishes that she would retire.  At almost every competition she enters she must know the odds are against her and that the judges are just waiting for a chance to underscore her, while some others are getting overscoring of their lives. It's heart breaking to see all that she brings to the sport, but is constantly being denied by the judges. She wasn't always being undersored, but more times than not, she was judged  harshly, while others received a more "lenient" judging, or were "overlooked" by the tech pannel altogether.

Mao is coming to perform on the same street I used to live on in Kazakhstan, but I can't fly there now because my vacation doesn't start for two weeks, so my emotions are a pretty low at the moment.

I really love the passion and righteous indignation in your post zarinaballerina and like you I have tried with all my might to understand why Mao seems to be so underscored. Many posters at FS universe have commented that Kim's spins and spirals are scored practically the same as Mao's despite their obvious inferiority in terms of speed, flexibility, gracefulness of line, and foot extension, not to mention Mao’s superior agility and musicality.

While Dick Button complimented Kim's jumps, he said that she had a club or hammer foot in spins and extensions. Also, at fs universe, Button mentioned that Kim had a Titian expression on her face: which is one of overwrought pain and agony. In his opinion, her artistry was practiced or calculated not a natural expression of her soul, as is the case, with Mao, in my opinion.  Instead, the post stated that it was the edge control and rapidity in change of positions that is the most important basis for scoring, and since Kim is good at this she is scored practically the same. Again, in COP speed is everything - GOEs and PCS or perceived speed and everything that is blatant and obvious (such as overwrought facial expressions and hand waving in the case of Adelina).  Mao skated quite fast at Worlds; therefore, her PCS was higher even though the emotional impact was not quite as great. For me, it was the gradual acceleration and crescendo in emotion that made the Sochi performance so timeless.  

The gracefulness, beauty and flow of the spiral, fluidity and line of body, hand and arm positions and erectness in posture which Mao has perfected in her jumps and through out her performance to an uncanny degree this past season, are almost completely ignored in GOE. Instead, the emphasis is again on the more mundane factors of speed, and height in jumps. Yet, this often contradicts even unbiased perceptions of performances. My friend who had no knowledge of Kim or Asada going into the Olympics flat out told me that he preferred Mao because of the beauty of her jumps, even though her GOEs were much lower than Kim’s. I believe this disconnect between the perceptions of ordinary viewers and actual results is what has caused the popularity of figure skating to plummet,  

Add to this the obvious corruption from the judges and tech panel with “reputational or fixed targeting” and the same outrage and anger we feel surely must be even deeper in Mao, who only shows it by staring blankly at her scores with a poker face, since she is so composed in controlling her emotions. I may be wrong, but I get the sense she was really seething inside when she first saw her scores for what should have been a  world record LP performance. And I think the reason that she is so satisfied now is because deep down she knows she really holds that world record LP, with so much support from all over the world to strengthen her conviction.

Put simply, the COP is BS. The 6.0 system with the judges identities revealed and in which the sum total of the whole performance was given much more weight, was much better. Corruption gave rise to the anonymous, mechanized COP, which is destroying the sport with its back room deals, multifarious ways to manipulate scores and propensity to bestow high scores on the “Chosen One,” with freebie GOEs and PCS for easier performances, like Kim and Kostner or the Ultra Elect Russians, while docking Mao who is pushing the boundaries with slo mo targeting of her every jump rotation based on highly questionable or fully fabricated urs (always on the 3 F 3 Lo combo since it is the biggest point getter) and paradoxically pigeon holing her as the “tech skater” which limits her PCS, after taking her tech points away.        

I guess it’s best to get past this inane empirical basis for evaluating greatness and look towards our own hearts because down deep we know that Mao is the supreme spiritual warrior who fights with all her might by gracefully and powerfully displaying the full depth of human expression, transforming her body and the ice into a three dimensional canvas that paints every position imaginable in a moving tapestry of peerless beauty and epic grandeur. As Coach Sato said, she has somehow touched something profound.  

Here are some links comparing Mao and Kim in spirals and spins and scores in general:  

http://debrainwash.blogspot.com/2014/02/yuna-kims-marks-are-fixed-by-goe-and.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzy-46r16E

http://voices.yahoo.com/kim-yu-na-dethroned-2010-figure-skating-worlds-5567127.html?cat=14

Here are some photos of Mao in Kazakhstan for Dennis Ten and Friends.

http://vesti.kz/userdata/gallery/gallery_1253/photo_36970.jpg

http://instagram.com/p/od99XXu47U/#

Here is an instagram with the full cast:

http://instagram.com/p/ogJKPXu4xG/