Recent Mao news

Here are some recent articles on Mao - I'll only translate the relevant parts though.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090111-00000048-sph-spo
1) Before 4CC, Mao will go to Russia for about two weeks of training, and after the competition, Tarasova will go to Japan in February. [The article calls it an 'emergency visit to Japan,' but I'm not sure why it's an 'emergency.'] The article also says that Mao has gotten used to the short 3-4 hour concentrated practices that she struggled with at the beginning of the season.

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/other/headlines/skate/20090110-00000007-spnavi_ot-spo.html
2) About 4CC, Mao said "It's my second time, so I'm looking forward to it. I want to check all kinds of things." About the time difference problem, they will run a simulation of the real thing. According to sources, "Should she arrive right before the competition and skate before she feels jet-lagged? Or should she arrive early and get used to the time difference?" Tarasova recommended the latter. Mao has gotten good results from 'arriving right before the competition,' but they will see which way allows her to do her best.
About her upcoming training in Russia, Mao said, "I want to practice everything in my programs," with the aim of improving her precision.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090110-00000022-sanspo-spo
3) Mao will have a "VIP" graduation and college entrance ceremony. She will receive the 'Founder's award' from her high school [Miki Ando also received this]. She might not be able to participate in her graduation ceremony on Feb 27, so they will hold a special graduation ceremony for her. In the middle of February, the new rink at Chuukyoudai [Chuukyou University], where Mao will go to college, will open.

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090109-448262.html
4) The new sub-rink that will open at Chuukyoudai is called the 'Rainbow' rink (the other one is the 'Aurora rink'), but it is nicknamed "Miki & Mao." Miki's name comes first because she's senior to Mao.


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My thoughts:
It's kind of sad that Mao might miss her graduation ceremony, but at least she'll get to be in Japan for her last month of school (since TAT is coming to Japan).

Hmm, well I guess Mao will have two opportunities to see what works better for her in terms of the time difference - 4CC and Worlds. Do you guys have any thoughts on what works better?

I'm a little more worried about the fact that Mao is practicing only 3-4 hours a day now. One thing that became clear to me after reading "Mao Asada, Sweet Sixteen," and seeing what happened after TEB is that Mao is the kind of person who needs to practice, practice, practice or else she doesn't feel confident. She has been that way since she was a child. So I'm not sure that she can change her practice style over a single season..I'm a little worried that when she gets to the big competition, like Worlds, that she might panic and be like "I've only practiced half as much as I usually do!"

Of course, it's probably better for her body if she can get used to the concentrated practice regimes - first and foremost, I don't want her to get injured!! Go Mao!!

Thanks a lot for the translations and the links!

Quote :

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20090111-00000048-sph-spo
1) Before 4CC, Mao will go to Russia for about two weeks of training, and after the competition, Tarasova will go to Japan in February. [The article calls it an 'emergency visit to Japan,' but I'm not sure why it's an 'emergency.'] The article also says that Mao has gotten used to the short 3-4 hour concentrated practices that she struggled with at the beginning of the season.

I hope that Mao's training will go well. Hopefully the shorter practice time will not make her lose confidence in her jumps again. In a long run, this might prevent Mao from overtraining and (in consequence) suffering from injuries.

I agree with you Oscilla! Mao is very smart and knows very well what she need to do So i don't think it's a big problem that she can practice only 3-4 hours a day!
Thanks for the interesting articles Batsuchan!

[Gahh, I hate work - aaah, there's so much I want to post but no time! Wahhh..]

Well, there was a really interesting article on Mao's strength/fitness training that I will try to translate later.

In the meantime, here's a funny article I found that mentions Mao:
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20090114-OHT1T00055.htm

The article is about Miwa Asao, an Olympic beach volleyball player, who is debuting as a special guest model in a Paris fashion show. The designer is Yumi Katsura, who thinks that there will be a growing trend of female athletes becoming models.

And the athlete that Katsura would most like to use is...Mao-chan!! She says "[Mao] has a beautiful body, so an outfit that shows off the line of her body would be lovely~~!"

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Well, I wouldn't be too surprised to see Mao modeling in the future!

I guess Mao is in Russia right now - best of luck with your training, Mao-chan!!

Ok, I finally got around to translating that article about Mao's fitness training. Here it is:

http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY200901200121.html

Feeling the importance of muscle training

In figure skating, where the focus is on artistic qualities, the sports-like part comes from the off-ice [ground] training. As the technique level for jumps, etc., rises, introducing serious 'off-ice training' ['ground training'] is a worldwide practice. Mao Asada (18 ) = Aichi - Chuukyou University Chuukyou High school = is also receiving guidance from a specialist coach and improving the foundation of her body.

In the New Year, she had ice shows in Nagoya and Osaka from the 8th for five days straight.

"The truth is that I feel more pressure from the shows. In the competitions, I can focus on my own performance and not think about my surroundings. But at the shows, I have to make the audience enjoy themselves. I have to be a model for the little kids, that's what I think."

For both shows and competitions, the preparation is the same. About an hour before the start time, she goes into the arena and jogs, stretches, and warms up. Up until now, she had been doing this by herself, but this season there is someone to watch over her. Kouhei Makino (29). For two years starting from last April, Mao has a contract with Morinaga & Co. to receive muscle training and nutrition support. Makino is a Morinaga ground training specialist coach.

About receiving training, Mao says "In the beginning I had a lot of uneasiness." Mao had always been doing her own thing. She would go to the gym and train herself. And with that, she became world champion. "I thought, it's going to take a long time to get used to it, and they'll probably change everything from what I was doing before."

First, at the end of April, was the physical fitness test. Vertical jump, stamina, body fat percentage, etc. -- these were all measured. According to Makino, "[Mao's] stomach muscles and back muscles were like that of a female high school student of the same age, so honestly I was surprised."

In May, training started in earnest. Almost everyday for about 30 minutes. Makino, who had no connection to figure skating, had Mao try more than 100 combinations of pre-performance stretches and muscle strengthening exercises to figure out which were the effective ones. Just among the stretches, they tried 20-30 types. "Before, I only did 1 or 2 types of stomach exercises. Now I've learned to do many types of exercises," Mao said.

Makino thought that correcting the left-right muscle imbalance was important. "For jumps, the turning direction is the same and the landing leg is the same, but it's not a matter of training one leg or the other. The important thing is the whole body balance." Even if you have strength and jumping power, it doesn't mean that your jumps are good. Mao's ability to jump with precise power adjustment - without changing that, he's trying to raise the standard.

One more point is the hips. The lower half of the body that does the skating, and the upper body, which performs the intricate choreography moves. For skaters, the hips--which connect those two--bear a very heavy burden. Indeed, Mao reveals, "From when I was a junior, I always had an uncomfortable feeling in my hips." While practicing, she would even wear a rubber belt/brace around her hips.

To strengthen her hips, they focused on training her stomach muscles and back muscles with a balance ball and training machines. Mao says, "Because my stomach and back muscles have become strong, my hips no longer feel uncomfortable. Before, my left leg was weak, and when I became tired, often I would mess up my steps, but this has also gone away. And I don't think it's just because of the training, but even the jumps that I'm not good at have gotten better."

Their goal is to make a body that doesn't get injured. Moreover, to strengthen the muscles to allow Mao to improve her technique. "When I was little, I didn't get injured, but now that my body has gotten bigger, it really bears a burden, and I can get tired easily. Serious muscle training is essential. It also is a change of pace, so I enjoy it."

About the results that Mao has started to feel - Makino says, "Now her stomach and back muscles have the strength of an adult man's."

Photo caption 1:
In competitions, about one hour before the 6-minute practice, Mao begins warming up. In the middle she changes into her costume and checks her choreography---during that interval until right before her performance, she continues to warm up.

Photo caption 2:
Before her performance, Coach Makino (right) helps her loosen up the muscles she can't loosen up herself. Makino, who was a track player, says "Figure skating, which requires jumping power and stamina and all kinds of elements--if I were to compare it to a track event, I think it's close to the 400 meter hurdles."

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My thoughts:

Well, I'm really glad to read that the training has worked out well for Mao and that she no longer feels pain in her hips.

I have to admit I was kind of worried when I first heard about this, since Makino didn't know much about skating, but it seems that he really knows what he's doing.

Best of luck to Mao and coaches Makino and Kawanami!

thanks a lot!!
It's interesting to know the warm up techniques of Mao!

Thank you, Batsuchan!

That was a very interesting article. I'm glad that Mao and her trainer concentrate on keeping Mao's body injury-free. With so many injures and withdrawals this season I really learned to appreciate the value of keeping the practices safe and not overdoing things.

Quote :

About the results that Mao has started to feel - Makino says, "Now her stomach and back muscles have the strength of an adult man's."

Batsuchan wrote:

"The truth is that I feel more pressure from the shows. In the competitions, I can focus on my own performance and not think about my surroundings. But at the shows, I have to make the audience enjoy themselves. I have to be a model for the little kids, that's what I think."

Awwwwwww...!

Thanks for the translation! It's fascinating to know about Mao's fitness regime. She's such a dedicated athlete! A true champion indeed.

And now for some fun stuff unrelated to 4CC.

1) Japanese parents want to raise a girl like Mao
http://mainichi.jp/area/tokyo/news/20090201ddlk13040174000c.html
Some company conducted a survey of 300 households in Tokyo with baby girls. They asked "what kind of daughter do you want to raise," and Mao Asada, who was #2 last year, captured 38% of the vote and beat out Aoi Miyazaki [a Japanese actress; she played the lead in the historical drama "Atsuhime"], who got 31% of the votes.

They also asked "what kind of man do you want her to marry," and pro golfer Ryo Ishikawa got 30% of the vote, beating out pro baseball player Ichiro (25% of vote).

2) Mao sushi in Vancouver
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20090202-OHT1T00050.htm
(Click on the link to see the picture! I'm only translating parts of the article here.)
At a long-standing Japanese restaurant in Vancouver, they have created a "Mao roll." It is called "MAO DYNAMITE!!" and is filled with the owner's hope that Mao will win the Olympics. He says "the influence of the financial crisis won't touch the Olympic venue, if Mao-chan's efforts become the trigger to blow away these bad times."

In the middle of the rink (the plate), there is a piece of lobster that represents the shachihoko of Nagoya Castle and Mao's beautiful Biellman spin. They've also paid attention to her trademark triple axel. On top a layer of salmon, tuna, crab, and lobster, avocado, radish, asatsuki [? not sure what this is], and roe are used, and these three types of rolls are lined up and represent their hope for Mao's successful triple-triple combination.

Chef Shibata says "The gourmet Mao roll will become the face of Ebisu restaurant; it is delicious enough to make you want to do a triple axel."

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from the Mao roll. That's just awesome!

I guess Ryo Ishikawa really IS popular. I just can't picture him and Mao together...no no no...but that's just me... 頑張れ　こづ！

Totally Batsuchan. I'm sure Ryo is a nice person and is getting all the media craze (the Japanese media comparing him to Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods is still far-fetched and unwarranted hype IMHO) from participating in a PGA tournament soon - incl. Masters - but I still say こづこづ!

I have to admit though, that I'm actually sort of glad there's more popular athletes emerging (another example will be Kei Nishikori) and capturing the media spotlight in Japan so that they can back off a bit from Mao...

That said, congrats on Mao! Beating out Aoi Miyazaki is quite an accomplishment - Atsuhime was a gigantic success and was the most watched TV program of the entire year in Japan (average ratings were above 20%).

I won't mind having a Mao roll either.

clovera wrote:

Totally Batsuchan. I'm sure Ryo is a nice person and is getting all the media craze (the Japanese media comparing him to Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods is still far-fetched and unwarranted hype IMHO) from participating in a PGA tournament soon - incl. Masters - but I still say こづこづ!

Hehehe, I'm glad you agree with me, clovera!
I wonder if there'll be any pressure on mogul skiier Aiko Uemura - some bar in Vancouver (Steamclock?) has some kind of "Aiko screwdriver" cocktail, according to that article.

And I agree with inskate - the Mao roll is so cute! It totally made my day when I read about it yesterday!

Here are some recent articles - I've only translated some parts of them.

1) More stuff on 4CC/some stuff on Kozu
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20090211-OHT1T00092.htm

According to this article, after Japan Nationals, Mao was not able to receive training from TAT. TAT is currently taking care of her sister is suffering from a severe illness, but she said "I will go to Worlds no matter what."
Mao said "The Canadian people were very friendly. I walked around and found a place where you can eat freshly made crepes."
Kozu said "Up to now, the quad in my free program was downgraded, but this time it was recognized, so I felt like I'm getting closer to completion."
At Mao's press conference at the airport, Kozu was standing with the press, and he pretended to be a reporter and raised his hand and asked Mao about the new sub-rink at Chuukyou University.

That's so funny that Kozu did that. How cute.
So I guess we finally know for sure why TAT was not there. I hope her sister gets better soon! polosatik or summervie - have you seen any Russian news on TAT or her sister recently?

2) The opening ceremony for the Rainbow rink at Chuukyou University will be held on the 14th
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/090211/spq0902110502002-n1.htm
Mao will be skating at the new subrink "Rainbow rink" at Chuukyou University on the 14th. The rink is 40 meters by 20 meters (so it's small), but there are 10 meter long mirrors on either side and is meant to be used for individual lessons. Apparently it seems that Mao will be able to use it by herself - since she'll be in Japan longer than the others.

Hmm - I'm not sure if Mao will be performing, but she probably will be interviewed. (Which means that they will ask her about Valentine's Day and if she gave anyone chocolate...hmm...)

3) Yu-Na picked "safety/security" while Mao picked "fight/challenge."
http://www.chosunonline.com/article/20090211000028

This article is mostly about Yu-Na, but I think it's interesting because it's in a Korean newspaper (the Japanese version), and it was interesting that they characterized Yu-Na's and Mao's choices like that. According to the article, Yu-Na's management said that she won't do the 3Lo in her free program at Worlds (though it seems Brian Orser hasn't agreed yet). In contrast, Mao is planning an aggressive program and was inspired by the men's competition (since they have powerful jumps and intricate steps between the jumps).

And that's definitely why I love Mao. Because she doesn't avoid her weaknesses, she attacks them. If you don't take risks, if you always play in safe, then you can't progress. Go Mao!

4) On that note, here's an interesting excerpt from an interview with Stephane Lambiel and Shizuka Arakawa:
http://www.swissinfo.ch/jpn/news/swiss_news.html?siteSect=201&sid=10305356&cKey=1234339801000&ty=st
Lambiel says "The problem is that if you do try the 3A and make a mistake, you won't be rewarded, so the number of people who avoid risk has risen, and the technical side [of skating] won't advance. Now, the people who can do a 3A are Mao Asada and very few others. That's why I think we should make a system that rewards people who can do the difficult elements even more."

Maybe if I have more time I'll translate more - it's not Mao-related but it's interesting.

Batsuchan wrote:

At Mao's press conference at the airport, Kozu was standing with the press, and he pretended to be a reporter and raised his hand and asked Mao about the new sub-rink at Chuukyou University.

I found out more about this incident!

From the figure skating blog on the Chukkyo station (local TV station where Mao lives) website. I think this might be Honda-announcer's blog:

http://weblog.ctv.co.jp/figure/tjfLzNa

Mischievous Kozuka

Two days ago, there was a hastily-arranged press conference at Narita Airport for Mao Asada, who had just arrived home from the Four Continents Championship. While Mao was answering all kinds of questions..."Soon the sub-rink at Chuukyou University will open - what do you think about that?" said a voice I recognized! The source of the voice was Takahiko Kozuka!! Kozuka, who had returned to Japan with Mao, was standing with the press corps and asked her a question. In response, Mao answered with a forced/embarrassed smile. It was a very heartwarming [smile-inducing] scene.

In recent interviews, Kozuka's gallant/manly expression was impressive, but the true Kozuka is mischievous!

It would be great if both Asada and Kozuka make good use of the Chuukyou University subrink that will open this weekend and show us great performances at Worlds!!!!

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Aww, that is too cute.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20090214-OYT1T00688.htm?from=main1

According to this article, Mao will go to Russia sometime in the second half of February and stay for about two weeks, then she will come back to Japan once and then go to Worlds.

http://mobile.seisyun.net/cgi/agate/anchorage/mnewsplus/1234954053/a

I found this, and translate in babelfish , but i don´t know, Someone could please tell me only if all it´s ok, because i understand something like the knee hurt, or bad relationship with Tatiana. May be only rumors, may be i don´t understand nothing (the most probably) .

chapis wrote:

http://mobile.seisyun.net/cgi/agate/anchorage/mnewsplus/1234954053/a

I found this, and translate in babelfish , but i don´t know, Someone could please tell me only if all it´s ok, because i understand something like the knee hurt, or bad relationship with Tatiana. May be only rumors, may be i don´t understand nothing (the most probably) .

The original article is here:
http://www.mainichi.co.jp/syuppan/sunday/tokusyuu/news/20090217-153441.html

I saw this article, but since it does seem to be full of rumors, or at least speculation, and only few of the sources are named, I decided not to post it. After the incident where the media said Mao's knee was hurting before 4CC, and Mao completely denied it, I decided that I have to be careful when I read news about Mao - not everything is true.

So I will explain what the article is saying, but please remember that this may be completely untrue!!

First, the article recalls the incident I mentioned - that the media reported that Mao's knee was hurting, and then Mao said it was untrue. It claims that this rumor caused Mao a lot of trouble, and made her and her management upset.

It then claims that the rumor was leaked to the media by someone from the JSF, but one of the head JSF officers denies this, saying they heard nothing about Mao's knee.

Then, the article claims that the reason for Mao's poor performance at 4CC was because she was worried about whether TAT would remain her coach through the Olympics or not. The article basically suggests that Noriko Shirota is trying to get rid of TAT (i.e. make Mao change her coach), and spreading rumors like this is part of that effort. According to the article, apparently Noriko Shirota made Shizuka Arakawa leave TAT just two months before the 2006 Olympics, and that made TAT very mad, to the point that she said she wouldn't work with the JSF anymore. Of course, the JSF denies that Shirota would try to get rid of TAT...The article then says some things about Mao being stressed and the author seems worried about her mental state in this condition, etc etc.

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I don't know, the whole thing seems kind of ridiculous, and since neither Mao nor TAT are quoted in this, I don't think we should believe it.

I prefer to think that what happened at 4CC is exactly what Coach Yamada said (see the Rainbow Rink thread) - Mao couldn't get motivated, and as a result she wasn't in her best condition. I think it makes sense that Mao was sort of lacking motivation. After all, her goal for this year was to win the Japan Nationals for the 3rd time in a row, and she already accomplished that, so what was left to do?

Now of course, after 4CC, Mao is extremely motivated for Worlds, and I'm so glad. I think she really, really wants to do well at Worlds. I'm excited!!

thank you Batsichan .
yes that seems only speculations , better wait worlds and pray for this to be false.

Batsuchan wrote:

I saw this article, but since it does seem to be full of rumors, or at least speculation, and only few of the sources are named, I decided not to post it. After the incident where the media said Mao's knee was hurting before 4CC, and Mao completely denied it, I decided that I have to be careful when I read news about Mao - not everything is true.<...>

If newspapers were published with empty pages, no one would buy them and, as a result, the Amazon rainforests wouldn't being cut down, the global warming wouldn't be threatening the world's ecosystem, and Evan Lysacek and friends wouldn't be making charity shows in support for the penguins' well-being. -_-
To prevent such terrible consequences, newspapers should come out filled with some text. Isn't it obvious by itself?

summervie wrote:

If newspapers were published with empty pages, no one would buy them and, as a result, the Amazon rainforests wouldn't being cut down, the global warming wouldn't be threatening the world's ecosystem, and Evan Lysacek and friends wouldn't be making charity shows in support for the penguins' well-being. -_-
To prevent such terrible consequences, newspapers should come out filled with some text. Isn't it obvious by itself?

You are entirely right, summervie - there are a lot of nonsense articles and rumors about Mao and her personal life being printed that I've seen and ignored, but it didn't occur to me that a newspaper or a source would fabricate a story about Mao being injured...especially since that was my own suspicion (that Mao being injured was the reason for her poor condition). But anyway, lesson learned.

Mao's cute message from Russia!!

http://www.maomaiasada.com/message/mao.html

coconut wrote:

Mao's cute message from Russia!!

http://www.maomaiasada.com/message/mao.html

Gosh, she's so cute! Can someone translate her message,please?