Nagoya Figure Skating Festival 2009

http://event.chunichi.co.jp/figure/

Skater:

MEN:
Takahiko Kozuka
Nobunari Oda
Kensuke Nakaniwa
Takahito Mura

LADIES:
Mao Asada
Miki Ando
Yukari Nakano
Akiko Suzuki

Local Junior skaters and Novice skaters will participate.

Thanks for the info and photos, Nanae!

I read on a Japanese blog that Masquerade Waltz was played 3 times in a row during the Festival... Nobu skated his short program, then he did encore also to Masquerade Waltz, and then Mao did her LP step sequence for her encore! The audience probably thought that the music player got stuck or something.

Here is a news clip with Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6iGs5vBo-o

Oh! I didn't know it was today!! Well nice to see her have fun there!! It's always beautiful to see her skate!

Okami wrote:

Here is a news clip with Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6iGs5vBo-o

Can anyone translate what Mao is saying at the interview near the end?

Okami wrote:

Here is a news clip with Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6iGs5vBo-o

I watched that yesterday! Beautiful as always! Oh, and after they showed Mao they showed some jumps from Miki`s permformance and they looked good as normal!!

Mirai wrote:

Okami wrote:

Here is a news clip with Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6iGs5vBo-o

Can anyone translate what Mao is saying at the interview near the end?

Ooh, so PRETTY! As always.

But it is kinda weird to see Mao skating her EX in bright light (not the dark). I also keep worrying that she's going to skate right off the ice (there are no boards)!

At the end, Mao says:

On [January] 1st, I went to Atsuda Shrine, but it was really crowded, so I didn't get to pay homage there, but at a food both there I ate and walked around.

In the second half (of this season), I'm going to try to bring out my very best at Four Continents and Worlds without getting injured.

While we wait for the real clips from the 2009 Nagoya Festival...

...this isn't from this year's Nagoya Festival, but I just found this clip the other day and it was so cute, so I thought I'd post the link here in case people haven't seen it:

2004 Nagoya Festival (Mao was 13):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC6f6A0XyGY

Coach Machiko Yamada is also commentating, and she keeps saying how cute Mao is - you can really tell that Coach Yamada adores Mao.

Amazing that Mao attempts two combos and a triple axel, even if she doesn't quite land them. I've seen the clip of Mao landing the 3-3-3 at the 2002 Japan Nationals, but I think this is only time I've seen her land it after that.

At the end, Mai says something like "unlike the competitions, at the exhibition I wasn't nervous at all and it was lots and lots of fun."

Q: And you landed 4 jumps successfully.
Mai: Yes, my condition was better than in the competitions! [laughs]
Q: What is your goal for this year's Junior Worlds?
Mai: To bring out everything that I've learned this year is my #1 goal.

Q: How did you skate today?
Mao: I enjoyed my skating.
Q: Where you nervous?
Mao: No I wasn't.
Q: Today you landed a 3-3-3.
Mao: Yes.
Q: At that moment, what did you feel?
Mao: I was happy.

Batsuchan wrote:

At the end, Mao says:

On [January] 1st, I went to Atsuda Shrine, but it was really crowded, so I didn't get to pay homage there, but at a food both there I ate and walked around.

In the second half (of this season), I'm going to try to bring out my very best at Four Continents and Worlds without getting injured.

Mao sure loves her food I also hope she stays injury-free!


I watched that 2004 Nagoya Festival program before too! She was just so adorable and amazing, love her 3-3-3! Even at 13, she was so graceful skating to Habanera

Thanks for the translation Batsuchan!

Thank you inskate!!

I feel like that 3Lo that she does is one of the best that I've seen from her in awhile. It just looked soo effortless and pretty.

I have to admit I always feel nervous when people skate on those rinks with no boards! I'm always worried they'll go sliding off the ice!

HQ Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh-m9aEZHH0

Ok, I thought I'd translate the parts of the commentary with Coach Yamada because she was so full of love for Mao. You can just tell that she adores Mao.

[For the HQ version; thanks to Nanae for the link!]
1:57
Announcer: "It's only natural that Mao wins." - Under that kind of atmosphere, overcoming barriers to win the Japan Nationals, and then beating Yu-Na Kim at the Grand Prix Final. Coach Yamada, how do you view this season's Mao-chan?

Yamada: For skaters, being chased is really hard/painful. To keep going under that pressure, with everyone saying "Mao-chan's going to win; isn't she great" - I think she's really amazing. And she's done it wonderfully. You could say that I'm just raving about her, and yes, I watched over her when she was little - but she's grown up wonderfully - that's what I truly feel.

3:22
Announcer: Yes, it's really a enchanting/engaging program the whole way through!
Yamada: Yes - from when she was small, Mao had great style; her style was good, she was cute, she was charming, her dancing was so charming/attractive, and her jumps were increasingly beautiful...of course, Yu-Na Kim is also good, but Mao is so full of Mao charm. As she faces Worlds and the Olympics, I want her to try her best to give a "Mao-like" skate.

6:12
Yamada: I want her to have a really great year - from Worlds to the Olympics!

********
This just makes me smile!

I have to admit, that prior to this season, I wasn't so sure what Coach Yamada thought of Mao - I didn't know why Mao left her for Rafael Artunian in the first place, and in the clips from pre-2005, she was sort of stringent in her praise for Mao, and then there was that Korean documentary where she said she thought Yu-Na Kim would beat Mao.

But this season my impression totally changed! First, I think Coach Yamada can finally say how much she adores Mao, whereas before she was careful not to praise Mao too much (because she didn't want Mao to get a big head/overly confident). Second, I read the "Mao Asada, Sweet Sixteen" book and discovered that it was her idea to send Mao abroad, and it was hard for her to send her beloved student away, but she wanted to do the best thing for Mao. And in all the clips I've seen recently, she's so full of praise for Mao, and clearly she wants her to beat Yu-Na.

So I'm touched, I'm really touched to hear her talk this way. She must be so proud of Mao. I think if Mao does win the Olympics, Coach Yamada'll be one of the happiest people alive!

Go Mao!

Quote :

I have to admit, that prior to this season, I wasn't so sure what Coach Yamada thought of Mao - I didn't know why Mao left her for Rafael Artunian in the first place (...) Second, I read the "Mao Asada, Sweet Sixteen" book and discovered that it was her idea to send Mao abroad, and it was hard for her to send her beloved student away, but she wanted to do the best thing for Mao.

I remember there was another reason as well. It was getting quite difficult for Machiko to follow Mao all around the World as Mao kept winning and getting more and more events. Machiko had a lot of young students in Nagoya, and she could not afford to leave them behind for such long periods of time. So she talked with Mao and they decided that it would be better if Mao can find a coach who can dedicate more time to her. And Machiko stayed in Nagoya, working with Kanako Murakami, Sayaka Matsubara, Shouma Uno and many others.

I think it was a very wise decision. I feel funny reading topics at FSU and seeing people scream for Michelle and Sasha to return, or Mishin refuce to coach some skater because he keeps waiting for Plushenko. Hello, those skaters have moved on, and you have a lot of young talent that you should nurture! There will be no future for the sport if young athletes are not properly encouraged and supported.

As for the commentary - actually even before Nagoya I had heard Machiko praise Mao a lot. Yes, she can be very strict to all of her skaters - and if a skater has a weakness, she will point it out (i.e. Kanako not being strong mentally and struggling with upper tier jumps) in a kind manner. I think it's a good thing, too - the "my skater is perfect" attitude that some coaches seem to have doesn't really help the skaters to improve.

I loved Mao's program at Nobeyama! 4CC is getting close, though - I hope Mao isn't tired after all those shows and is in great form.

thanks for translation.

i thought too that yamada was angry or something with mao because she and midori said yuna is wonderful, etc. but i think i was wrong, and is true yuna is wonderful too.

no like mao

Okami wrote:

I loved Mao's program at Nobeyama! 4CC is getting close, though - I hope Mao isn't tired after all those shows and is in great form.

Nobeyama? I haven't seen that program yet, I think? Or is that the same thing as the Nagoya Skate Festival?

I agree with you Okami - it's good that Coach Yamada is spreading her knowledge to lots of young skaters.

In "Mao Asada, Sweet Sixteen," there were two more reasons why Coach Yamada told Mao to go abroad. 1) Mao had gotten so popular that people would come to watch her practice and the rink would be so full that she couldn't practice at all, except in the middle of the night or very early in the morning. (Once they built the Aurora rink at Chuukyou-dai, this problem was solved.) 2) Apparently Coach Yamada got sick at some point during the 2005-06 season, and even though she got better, she couldn't coach the way she used to, and that was another reason she sent Mao away.

But I guess she must have gotten better after that, or she learned how to coach without being so involved...I hope that her health allows her to keep coaching for a long time!

Batsuchan wrote:

Okami wrote:

I loved Mao's program at Nobeyama! 4CC is getting close, though - I hope Mao isn't tired after all those shows and is in great form.

Nobeyama? I haven't seen that program yet, I think? Or is that the same thing as the Nagoya Skate Festival?

I meant the Nagoya Festival, of course! I just started thinking about Machiko coaching Kanako, and the first time I've seen them together was in a documentary about a summer training camp in Nobeyama... And there is a show in Nobeyama, too... And my brain apparently confused those two events. I corrected the mistake, thanks for pointing out!

I finally watched the whole Nagoya Festival and I was surprised how many Machoko's students were there. Too bad some performances weren't broadcasted in their entirety...

I'll try to upload some.
Nobunari Oda Nagoya Festival 2009 + Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrTAx_QzQSo