Article about Yu-Na Kim

I found this aricle on IceNetwork.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090731&content_id=6164666&vkey=ice_news

It's good to hear that she's in good shape and she has announced that her 3+3 combination is going to be 3Lz+3T. But I think she should take a step at a time instead of thinking of getting 215 points.

Interesting...

To me the entire article feels like a nice cover to say that "there's no point hiding the fact that Yu-Na's flip is no longer as secure (clean) so we'll be changing the 3-3 combination." I say this since the base value of points in terms of jumps is simply not going to change for her short regardless of whether she goes for the 3F-3T or 3Lz-3T (3F-3T, 3Lz, 2A = 3L-3T, 3F, 2A). Icenetwork's analysis that the switch is for earning more points is not completely accurate, IMO.

That said, I do find it interesting that Team Yu-Na chooses to up the technical content NOW. Yu-Na doesn't exactly have the stamina of Mao in the free skate, and judging by Orser's comments it seems as though they are finally ditching the 2Ax3 strategy they had for the past 3 seasons in favor of more triples to reach their goal for "passing 215 points." Whether this is going to play out in their favor is anyone's guess, although I will applaud them for improving Yu-Na's spins since that has always been a pet peeve of mine (particularly her sit and cross-foot spins).

Orser sure is confident, that's for sure.

clovera wrote:

Interesting...

To me the entire article feels like a nice cover to say that "there's no point hiding the fact that Yu-Na's flip is no longer as secure (clean) so we'll be changing the 3-3 combination." I say this since the base value of points in terms of jumps is simply not going to change for her short regardless of whether she goes for the 3F-3T or 3Lz-3T (3F-3T, 3Lz, 2A = 3L-3T, 3F, 2A). Icenetwork's analysis that the switch is for earning more points is inaccurate and irrelevant, IMO.

That said, I do find it interesting that Team Yu-Na chooses to up the technical content NOW. Yu-Na doesn't exactly have the stamina of Mao in the free skate, and judging by Orser's comments it seems as though they are finally ditching the 2Ax3 strategy they had for the past 3 seasons in favor of more triples to reach their goal for "passing 215 points." Whether this is going to play out in their favor is anyone's guess, although I will applaud them for improving Yu-Na's spins since that has always been a pet peeve of mine (particularly her sit and cross-foot spins).

Orser sure is confident, that's for sure.

I agree with you, clovera. And I think Brian seems TOO confident.

MikiAndoFan#1 wrote:

clovera wrote:

Interesting...

To me the entire article feels like a nice cover to say that "there's no point hiding the fact that Yu-Na's flip is no longer as secure (clean) so we'll be changing the 3-3 combination." I say this since the base value of points in terms of jumps is simply not going to change for her short regardless of whether she goes for the 3F-3T or 3Lz-3T (3F-3T, 3Lz, 2A = 3L-3T, 3F, 2A). Icenetwork's analysis that the switch is for earning more points is inaccurate and irrelevant, IMO.

That said, I do find it interesting that Team Yu-Na chooses to up the technical content NOW. Yu-Na doesn't exactly have the stamina of Mao in the free skate, and judging by Orser's comments it seems as though they are finally ditching the 2Ax3 strategy they had for the past 3 seasons in favor of more triples to reach their goal for "passing 215 points." Whether this is going to play out in their favor is anyone's guess, although I will applaud them for improving Yu-Na's spins since that has always been a pet peeve of mine (particularly her sit and cross-foot spins).

Orser sure is confident, that's for sure.

I agree with you, clovera. And I think Brian seems TOO confident.

Yes, but I feel TAT has been equally confident in her assessment of Mao (didn't she say that Mao would be "unbeatable" if she landed all of her jumps?). It's interesting to me, as a fan of both skaters, how fans on both sides interpret the confidence of one coach as a "good sign" for the upcoming season, and the confidence of another as being "too confident."

I say, let Mao land all of her jumps, and let Yuna score over 215. If they skate their absolute best, break amazing records, and win it all, all the better for skating and its fans. I can only hope both skaters will show us amazing programs this fall.

Liffey wrote:

Yes, but I feel TAT has been equally confident in her assessment of Mao (didn't she say that Mao would be "unbeatable" if she landed all of her jumps?). It's interesting to me, as a fan of both skaters, how fans on both sides interpret the confidence of one coach as a "good sign" for the upcoming season, and the confidence of another as being "too confident."

I say, let Mao land all of her jumps, and let Yuna score over 215. If they skate their absolute best, break amazing records, and win it all, all the better for skating and its fans. I can only hope both skaters will show us amazing programs this fall.

Well, you do have a point.

And yes, let them show amazing programs this Fall!

Liffey wrote:

Yes, but I feel TAT has been equally confident in her assessment of Mao (didn't she say that Mao would be "unbeatable" if she landed all of her jumps?). It's interesting to me, as a fan of both skaters, how fans on both sides interpret the confidence of one coach as a "good sign" for the upcoming season, and the confidence of another as being "too confident."

I suppose, but there's a serious difference between "unbeatable" and "scoring over 215"...under CoP for the ladies, a score over 215+ is going to require PCS that rivals the men, elements that are universally level 4 (except the step sequence), and a jump layout that is virtually impossible for anyone to pull off - either an 8 triple FS or a 7 triple program with a crazy number of +GoE's. Of course, should a lady achieve that feat, it will be quite amazing!

With that said, I just want time to fly so I can watch The ICE, Japan Open and TEB already.

Both Orser and TAT are so confident in their skaters. Both skaters have the capability to do what their coaches and their fans believe they can do. Both of them are in a league of their own.

A 215 mark seems quite a very, very high goal. But if she does get that I hope it'll be because everyone believed she delivered and deserved it and not because she was overmarked like some thought of at last season's WC.

Let Yuna do what she wants to do... same with Mao. If they both skate perfect I'm sure they'll both achieve their goals. (Wait... they both want Olympic Gold and only one gets it. May the best one win.)

One thing seems to be sure... we're going to have a blast in all figure skating events this olympic season.

Actually as far as her 3 flip is concerned Orser said a while ago that they were going to work on making it a noticable inside edge in the off summer.

And he apparently told the Korean media the other day that they are now quite sure she won't be getting an !... Yu-na's lip was very slight so her fixing it isn't ridiculous.

She had doing 3lutz/3toes in practice for years. But I bet that they didn't mess with the 3flip until they were very sure they had the 3lutz/3toe under control.

bekalc wrote:

Actually as far as her 3 flip is concerned Orser said a while ago that they were going to work on making it a noticable inside edge in the off summer.

Well, hello hello bekalc!! Welcome to the Mao forum! Nice to see you here!

I have to admit that when I read this article for the first time, I got rather worked up, but I've calmed down quite a bit now...

Liffey - you made an excellent point about fans being biased, and I happily and wholeheartedly admit to my pro-Mao bias!

So all I'm going to say now is this: let Yu-Na strive for her 215 points. (While I agree with you, clovera, that it is a ridiculous score, the judging at Worlds completely seemed to imply that it is possible. ) Let Brian hype her programs as much as he wants. Let the media talk her up.

And finally, just let Mao be Mao.
Because in my opinion, that is all she needs to do.

Totally Agreed Batsuchan!

Yeah- let Yuna do what she wants, it doesn't affect Mao because Mao always focuses on herself and as fans, that's what we should do too!
Yu-Na is so big in Korea because of her merit and the "glory" she brought upon her country. Many of her fans aren't even figure skating fans, they just like her for winning- how many of them know about the sport or know about her as a person.
Even though I think Yu-Na's programs are good, no one can take away what Mao brings to the ice. There's something so special about her that is not found in previous generations of skaters. She pushes the boundaries, artistically and technically...and I definitely like her personality, she's such a genuine person. Because of who she is, Mao will go far even without an OGM (Even though I'm sure she'll win it )

Im not surprised she is aiming for that high since she'll know that Mao will be performing to the best of her abilities and with her new jumping layout in the Sp, and two triple axels and possibly a triple lutz in her free program, Mao and Yu-Na are both navigating towards an astronomical collision of 2 great figure skaters at the Olympics.

Yu Na Kim's SP music is 007, LP music is Concerto in F by George Gershwin!

tokitama wrote:

Yu Na Kim's SP music is 007, LP music is Concerto in F by George Gershwin!

When I first saw this on FSU, my first reactions were also and
It'll be very interesting to see the music edit and choreography for the 007 SP, that's for sure.

Well... James Bond has interesting music... fast and fun. There's lots to do with that but... isn't it much more suited for a man?! I'm sorry, I don't think anyone but Babou can pull this off without making it look really corny. I'll just wait and see though. Maybe it'll be fantastic. But after Danse Macabre, I have a feeling this is gonna be a major disapointment. I just pray that she's not gonna use the "hands in a gun point" in her choreo... That would just kill it for me. Or maybe she's planning to be a Bond girl?

chiyori wrote:

Well... James Bond has interesting music... fast and fun. There's lots to do with that but... isn't it much more suited for a man?! I'm sorry, I don't think anyone but Babou can pull this off without making it look really corny. I'll just wait and see though. Maybe it'll be fantastic. But after Danse Macabre, I have a feeling this is gonna be a major disapointment. I just pray that she's not gonna use the "hands in a gun point" in her choreo... That would just kill it for me. Or maybe she's planning to be a Bond girl?

I suspect she's planning on being a Bond Girl. I do know in interviews it was mentioned that Yu-na wasn't to sure about the Bond theme although she grew to like it after listening to the music edit. And apparently they kept Dance Macbre on back burner just in case. However, now they love the program. There are some reports that the program is really awesome. But we will see. If the program doesn't get rave reviews, I'm sure they'll go back to to Danse.

bekalc wrote:

I suspect she's planning on being a Bond Girl. I do know in interviews it was mentioned that Yu-na wasn't to sure about the Bond theme although she grew to like it after listening to the music edit. And apparently they kept Dance Macbre on back burner just in case. However, now they love the program. There are some reports that the program is really awesome. But we will see. If the program doesn't get rave reviews, I'm sure they'll go back to to Danse.

In a way I'm hoping they don't go back to Danse. As great of a program as it was, the insane amount of hype behind it in the figure skating world kind of kills it for me. I don't know how much more Danse I can take (@___@ )
But it will be interesting to see how they push the limits with this SP.

I always thought Brian came off as a little cocky, and even a little arrogant about Yuna... I think he's just always been really excited that he's coaching such a good, successful skater though, and it kind of comes out wrong in some peoples eyes.

IMO, he has always kind of seemed to me, to be more about the biggest scores, and winning though...You see other coaches praising their skaters, but they seem to talk more about what they are working on with their skaters, rather than boasting their skaters so much...

As far as Yuna's new programs go, I think the music from her programs from last season sounded much more "olympic-ish". I was not too impressed. Well, guess we'll have to wait, and see what the programs look like...

Gosh, I sound so biased agianst Yuna don't I? Lol. Well I try not to be. I don't hate her. I just love Mao! lol

Star85 wrote:

I always thought Brian came off as a little cocky, and even a little arrogant about Yuna... I think he's just always been really excited that he's coaching such a good, successful skater though, and it kind of comes out wrong in some peoples eyes.

IMO, he has always kind of seemed to me, to be more about the biggest scores, and winning though...You see other coaches praising their skaters, but they seem to talk more about what they are working on with their skaters, rather than boasting their skaters so much...

As far as Yuna's new programs go, I think the music from her programs from last season sounded much more "olympic-ish". I was not too impressed. Well, guess we'll have to wait, and see what the programs look like...
Gosh, I sound so biased agianst Yuna don't I? Lol. Well I try not to be. I don't hate her. I just love Mao! lol

You're not biased against Yuna at all. It just your opinion,and I agree with you about the last season programs They were more in Olympic theme. But we'll see, I like FS music choice-it's beautiful,original and not overused. I have doubts about SP music though, but Yuna has a lot of fire so maybe it will become another piece of art

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

In a way I'm hoping they don't go back to Danse. As great of a program as it was, the insane amount of hype behind it in the figure skating world kind of kills it for me. I don't know how much more Danse I can take (@___@ )
But it will be interesting to see how they push the limits with this SP.

I don't get the hype about Danse Macabre either. It's a good program but IMHO it doesn't come even close to her Tango de Roxane even though she is of course a better skater now.
I think Danse Macabre is an absolutely perfect music for Yu-Na so I was expecting much more and in the end was actually rather disappointed.

That said I like her choices for the new season, especially the Gershwin piano concerto and I'm curious what she does with it.

Star85 wrote:

IMO, he has always kind of seemed to me, to be more about the biggest scores, and winning though...You see other coaches praising their skaters, but they seem to talk more about what they are working on with their skaters, rather than boasting their skaters so much...

I totally agree with you, but I will be the first to admit that I am a HUGE Mao fan and have a HUGE pro-Mao bias. Look, at TAT, for example. Oh, undoubtedly, she is full of praise about Mao and has said some pretty bold/assertive things - like, "if Mao is at her best she will always beat Kim." And she said that even BEFORE she was Mao's coach.

But just look at the way she talked about Mao in the press conferences this summer. "Mao needs to 'Overcome,'" she says. "Mao is only at the starting line; she has so much unknown potential," she says. She's not looking just at the Olympics, the next competition, but beyond that to the skater that Mao can become.

And that is why I love Mao and TAT. Because for them, being the best now is not enough, if you know you can be even better!

@ kawaiimao - I can understand why the 'Danse Macabre' program is hyped - the music is dramatic and powerful, the costume is gorgeous, it's very atmospheric, but I agree with you that I thought the music was *perfect* for Yu-Na and that she would KILL it, but, personally, it didn't get there for me. (But, as I stated earlier, I'm not exactly a Yu-Na fan. ) Then again, I certainly don't think Mao could've done a better job with that music.

I admire Yu-Na for choosing unusual/daring choices this year. I haven't heard either (or I'm not sure what music she'll be using exactly), so I'm looking forward to seeing what she does with it!

Haha Star85, I can get pretty biased too, but it's all b/c we like Mao so much

Even though both coaches praise their skaters, I think the TAT team does it in a "healthy" way, mentally speaking. Mao and Tat are always trying to get better, push the boundaries in figure skating- they're less concerned about the judges I think. They are focused on delivering good performances. I've never seen TAT complain openly about judges or saying that Mao didn't make mistakes so judges shouldn't give her certain scores, even though at times she said was "surprised" by certain things.
However, Brian Orser files so many complaints about judges, this and that. Their team seem to make Yuna think that it's not her, lower scores are because of judges, or b/c someone tried to interfere with her. It's not about skating anymore, not about the enjoyment of it, but rather about the competition.
I think no matter what you do, rather than what other ppl think, we must feel good about it- same in music performances, same in sporting competitions. Mao always tries to do her best and seems much less concerned about scores- she's only happy if SHE thinks she did well. That's why I think they'll go farther, they have more mental strength to deal with it all.

sapphiresky wrote:

However, Brian Orser files so many complaints about judges, this and that. Their team seem to make Yuna think that it's not her, lower scores are because of judges, or b/c someone tried to interfere with her. It's not about skating anymore, not about the enjoyment of it, but rather b/c of the competition.

I have to say...compared to Yu-Na, I think Mao can really "face the music."
The mistakes Mao made, particularly this year, she never blamed it on anyone but herself. Tatiana didn't try to blame it on anyone else. Another difference is a huge chunk of ladies' skating "scandal" seems to originate from team Yu-Na. Just like the whole "practice interference" thing in the middle of the season that got some ubers really worked up.
Knowing Mao, even if she was injured during a competition and had a fall, she would probably say that she didn't practice enough or she was nervous. Another thing to love about Mao

Batsuchan wrote:

But just look at the way she talked about Mao in the press conferences this summer. "Mao needs to 'Overcome,'" she says. "Mao is only at the starting line; she has so much unknown potential," she says. She's not looking just at the Olympics, the next competition, but beyond that to the skater that Mao can become.

Yes, many skaters seem to be all "Olympics this", "Olympics that", "winning the olympics", "I'm just looking toward the Olympics right now" and blah blah blah. Team Mao has said their share about the Olympics, but at least that's not ALL their about. Mao is the only skater (who is established, and not up and coming that is) who's given the world hope that she will even still be competing after the olympics! The only skater I know of anyway. I don't follow any of the others so closely... lol

I'm a musician, and I know that many of the best musicians do not only love music, but they're addicted to it. This is actually not as common as you may think. I haven't even seen it in the majority of musicians I've worked with. This applies to other fields, like skating too. I know that Mao is one of those rare people. Like Michelle or Fumei, she won't get burned out, and reitre before she even reachers her full potential, and pushes her body to do it for as long as she can.