Mao news - 2009-10 Olympic season!!

dlnnyc wrote:

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

murasaki wrote:

Kim's hype is caused by nothing but Mao's fault. Lack of rivals make a peak higher than reality. The confidence is already lost and fluky three 3A's won't be enough to regain that. I don't think Mao is deserving the OGM at this point.

What the judges appreciate is a total package with consistency --- not some dicey 3A maniac.

I understand your skepticism toward Mao's skating skills lately, and it is rightly so to be worried and concerned for Mao. She hasn't been doing so well. However, I think with this statement you stepped out of the line.
Why would Mao, let alone any skater at that level not "deserve" the OGM? I think that is a harsh thing to say considering all of the skaters put their whole life and soul into the sort at that level.
Also you 3A "maniac" comment. That was uncalled for--to come onto a skater's fan forum and start calling them names. I understand that Mao is putting too much emphasis on the 3A, but please, constructive criticism only.

but that is what a forum is.... people debate things. are you the arbiter of what is appropriate on this forum? i dont think so. i do however agree with you re: murasaki's comment about mao not deserving of the OGM. the OGM will be decided upon who skates the cleanest and gains the most points based on combined sp + fp scores. plain and simple! if mao deserves it, then she deserves it... and vice versa.

I do think that MaoMao is right, though, that the said poster's demeanor was especially combative and not appropriate for a fan forum. If you want to be hyper critical of Mao and call her names, do that elsewhere, and not around her fans. This isn't difficult to figure out.

Liffey wrote:

dlnnyc wrote:

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

murasaki wrote:

Kim's hype is caused by nothing but Mao's fault. Lack of rivals make a peak higher than reality. The confidence is already lost and fluky three 3A's won't be enough to regain that. I don't think Mao is deserving the OGM at this point.

What the judges appreciate is a total package with consistency --- not some dicey 3A maniac.

I understand your skepticism toward Mao's skating skills lately, and it is rightly so to be worried and concerned for Mao. She hasn't been doing so well. However, I think with this statement you stepped out of the line.
Why would Mao, let alone any skater at that level not "deserve" the OGM? I think that is a harsh thing to say considering all of the skaters put their whole life and soul into the sort at that level.
Also you 3A "maniac" comment. That was uncalled for--to come onto a skater's fan forum and start calling them names. I understand that Mao is putting too much emphasis on the 3A, but please, constructive criticism only.

but that is what a forum is.... people debate things. are you the arbiter of what is appropriate on this forum? i dont think so. i do however agree with you re: murasaki's comment about mao not deserving of the OGM. the OGM will be decided upon who skates the cleanest and gains the most points based on combined sp + fp scores. plain and simple! if mao deserves it, then she deserves it... and vice versa.

I do think that MaoMao is right, though, that the said poster's demeanor was especially combative and not appropriate for a fan forum. If you want to be hyper critical of Mao and call her names, do that elsewhere, and not around her fans. This isn't difficult to figure out.

fine.

Yeah the good thing that we can fight with each other for like 2 months , isn't it great?ah?

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

I understand that Mao is putting too much emphasis on the 3A

Why, in the world, Mao puts too much emphasis on the 3A, MaoMaoRevolution?
(Maybe because you read too much GS and FSU forums? )

polosatik wrote:

Yeah the good thing that we can fight with each other for like 2 months , isn't it great?ah?

I think moderators should urgently add the option of ~factions~ to this forum. So that every user could create different factions and participate in those created by others. Then all the ideological struggle would've happened in a much more methodical way.
My first faction would be... "Caprice is fan, Masquerade is fun!" (also, "Vampires suck!", but this is a bit unrelated to the current topic of the conversation).

summervie wrote:

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

I understand that Mao is putting too much emphasis on the 3A

Why, in the world, Mao puts too much emphasis on the 3A, MaoMaoRevolution?
(Maybe because you read too much GS and FSU forums? )

because it is true. she evens says it. but she cant deliver on it when it really matters (in competitions this year). face the music people!

Although triple axels are amazing, I think triple triples are better in the cop. If she rotates her 3-3 then she would be pretty darn unbeatable.
and if she can get both triple axels and a 3-3 she would be in the gold medal favourite.
3 axel
3axel+2t+2l (I think she can manages this)
3flip-3loop (hopefully!!)
3s
2a+3t
3flz(I would just tell her to do her flutz, honestly its another triple to the total)
3flip

dlnnyc wrote:

summervie wrote:

MaoMaoRevolution wrote:

I understand that Mao is putting too much emphasis on the 3A

Why, in the world, Mao puts too much emphasis on the 3A, MaoMaoRevolution?
(Maybe because you read too much GS and FSU forums? )

because it is true. she evens says it. but she cant deliver on it when it really matters (in competitions this year). face the music people!

What's to face? It's just a little bit more than a month into competition. I for one am glad that Mao is having these problems so early in the game so that she would have the chance to deal with them. At first I was really worried that she had lost her jumps, but when I saw her demeanor when she failed the triple axel, I knew it was just something psychological bothering her.

As much as it would be all nice and dandy to debate about the mistakes our favourite skater has made, there is a reason why we are here. It's because she is our favourite skater. Regardless of whether she wins everything or nothing...

Oh, and that murasaki fellow sounds like a Yuna Bot pretending to be a Mao fan so I would suggest not bothering to respond with anything that was said...

jirachiness wrote:

Oh, and that murasaki fellow sounds like a Yuna Bot pretending to be a Mao fan so I would suggest not bothering to respond with anything that was said...

I agree. Calling Mao a "maniac"?! Those are fighting around here! I'm restraining myself from going there though . I feel like saying some things that would probably get me banned from the forum. Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, but I'm hoping this person will just cross the line, and break one of the forum rules, so THEY will be banned.

It's strange how the atmosphere of this forum has changed within the past few days. Remember a time when the discussion was actually peaceful, and people weren't trying to force their opinions down each others' throats, or telling people how to feel, or being downright hostile?

I yearn for those olden times...

I think the discussions will be peaceful again. But you know, there are "certain people" who call themselves "fans" when their "favourite" is on the top, but when suddenly this favourite comes 5th, they are not fans at all. That's what makes real fans I think.

Every Monday in French, my teacher asks us what we did over the weekend or Qu'est-ce que tu as fais ce weekend passe?
I will write the conversation and the translantion

Qu'est-ce que tu as fais ce weekend passe Narumi?
What did you do in the past weekend Narumi?

Ce weekend passe, j'ai regarde la pantinage artistique au tele.
In the past weekend, I have watched figure skating on TV

There was a little more in the middle but here is my favourite part.

Qui est ton patineuse favourite?
Who is your favourite skater (female)

J'aime Mao Asada. Elle a un nationalitie japonaise.
I like Mao Asada. She has a japanese nationality

Oh, J'aime Mao Asada aussi.
Oh, I like Mao Asada as well

It's awsome that my french teacher is a mao-chan fan as well!

NarumiAyane wrote:

Every Monday in French, my teacher asks us what we did over the weekend or Qu'est-ce que tu as fais ce weekend passe?
I will write the conversation and the translantion

Qu'est-ce que tu as fais ce weekend passe Narumi?
What did you do in the past weekend Narumi?

Ce weekend passe, j'ai regarde la pantinage artistique au tele.
In the past weekend, I have watched figure skating on TV

There was a little more in the middle but here is my favourite part.

Qui est ton patineuse favourite?
Who is your favourite skater (female)

J'aime Mao Asada. Elle a un nationalitie japonaise.
I like Mao Asada. She has a japanese nationality

Oh, J'aime Mao Asada aussi.
Oh, I like Mao Asada as well

It's awsome that my french teacher is a mao-chan fan as well!

Oh this is really good

It's also really awesome that your french teach is a mao fan Your lucky. Here, people barely know about joannie rochette .... imagine if I say Mao Asada... they don't really know! (beside people at my rink loll because I can't stop talking about her ahaha )

NarumiAyane wrote:

Qui est ton patineuse favourite?
Who is your favourite skater (female)

J'aime Mao Asada. Elle a un nationalitie japonaise.
I like Mao Asada. She has a japanese nationality

Oh, J'aime Mao Asada aussi.
Oh, I like Mao Asada as well

It's awsome that my french teacher is a mao-chan fan as well!

I am definitely going to use that in my French class now!
If my teacher said "Ahhh...j'ai prefere Yu-Na Kim" I think I will
Haha, just kidding

bonjour tout le monde !!
Mon professeur regarde le patinage artisque aussi! Elle aime Joannie Rochette et Carolina Kostner. Je pense elle va aller les olympiques! Je demande encourager Mao!!

Pooping wrote:

bonjour tout le monde !!
Mon professeur regarde le patinage artisque aussi! Elle aime Joannie Rochette et Carolina Kostner. Je pense elle va aller les olympiques! Je demande encourager Mao!!

oh my god! There is so many people speaking french here , I can't believe it haaha!!
Hey, your teacher is really lucky to go in Vancouver for the olympics, I'm jealous!!
J'espère que vous passez tous une bonne soirée

lol what's this tonight with all the French around?! Je pensais que j'étais sur le mauvais forum hehe... Tout le monde parle français!!! Nice...

@ NarumiAyane That's so nice. I'm like bibi on this one... I don't know many people who actually know anything about figure skating. So forget about foreign skaters... Aaww! I can't share my obsession with anyone!! And every time I talk to my mom about Mao, I can just tell she doesn't really care. She likes men's skating...

Pooping wrote:

bonjour tout le monde !!
Mon professeur regarde le patinage artisque aussi! Elle aime Joannie Rochette et Carolina Kostner. Je pense elle va aller les olympiques! Je demande encourager Mao!!

J'ai assez aime Joannie Rochette, mais Mao-chan patineuse meilleure!
Je que faut me rendre-visite Japonais Nationals...
Haha, thank you for the practice everyone. I actually have a French test tomorrow (I think you can tell how I will do by the quality of my writing haha...)

chiyori wrote:

@ NarumiAyane That's so nice. I'm like bibi on this one... I don't know many people who actually know anything about figure skating. So forget about foreign skaters... Aaww! I can't share my obsession with anyone!! And every time I talk to my mom about Mao, I can just tell she doesn't really care. She likes men's skating...

This is me too! I SO wish I had some figure skating friends I could have my own version of superbowl parties for for figure skating! People in my life almost make me feel embarrased to bring up figure skating too much. They just don't want to talk about it at all, and they make me feel like one of those video game geeks or something - except it's figure skating, not video games. I also used to get yelled at by my parents when I'd sit for hours trying to catch up on hours of figure skating on tv - and fight over the tv with my sisters. Now I get yelled at by my boyfriend for it. lol. At least your mom likes figure skating in some sense NarumiAyane!

Well, y'all are making me feel incompetent that I don't understand a word of French.

But, I do know some Japanese, so here are a bunch of articles that I meant to post yesterday but for some reason the forum was down...

*******************
Here's a video link; pretty much all Mao says is covered in the articles.
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00165508.html

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20091027-OHT1T00158.htm
Asking Asada…The triple axel "is the element where I can appeal [to the judges] the most"

Mao Asada (19) = Chuukyou University = who finished 5th at the second figure skating GP Series event in Russia, returned to the county and had a press conference at a hotel in Narita on the 27th. Asada was able to show a smile only occasionally, but it seemed that time had passed and the shock had worn off.

--If you reflect on your two competitions…

"I have a painful/bitter and pathetic feeling. (Skating is) not just about the triple axel (3.5 revolution jump), but if I don't land it that I can't follow the flow. Last season I put two of them in my free program, and I don't want to waste that experience. At the Olympics too, I'll put in 3 triple axels (1 in the short and 2 in the free program)."

--The reason why you focus on the triple axel…

"Right now there are only two skaters (among the women) who can do the triple axel. In my program, it has the highest point value, and it's the element where I can appeal [to the judges] the most. If I can be calm, there's nothing I can't do. I want to find that point."

--Your training from this point on?

"I'll do it in Japan. Tarasova-sensei told me, 'Don't think about winning; think about showing everyone a good performance.' The period starting now seems long, but is short. Without changing my goal of winning the gold medal at the Olympics, I want to try my best."
[I agree that there's nothing that Mao can't do! ]

************************
According to this article, Mao says her problems are mental, and to overcome them, she says, "If I can stabilize the entrance to my jumps and the force, and if I can land the jumps every time in practice, then I think my mental problems will go away."

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20091027-OYT1T01000.htm

[I think this might mean practicing all the time like she used to. While this could increase the risk of injury, it is the way Mao has practiced all her life before she joined forces with TAT, so if it makes her comfortable, I'm all for it. ]

About changing her programs, Mao said, "My coach asked me if I wanted to change both the short and free programs. But, I haven't been able to skate them perfectly, so I don't want to change them so easily." She added, "Because they weren't good, I discovered many issues. I will practice without wasting a single day."

*******************
According to this article, Mao is willing to meet with Seiko Hashimoto, the JSF chairwoman.

http://www.47news.jp/CN/200910/CN2009102701000900.html

It says that Mao is positive about meeting with her. Hashimoto-san wants to give her advice.

[I'm not really sure this will accomplish anything, but Mao's unfortunately got to smooth the ruffles in the JSF. Sounds to me like Hashimoto-san is a fan girl (she called Mao a national treasure!) and wants a photo-op with our dear Mao. And I don't particularly blame her. ]
*******************
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2009102802000133.html

Mao Asada’s return to Japan: the key to her comeback is being herself

Mao Asada (19) = Chuukyou University = whose advancement to the Figure Skating Grand Prix (GP) Final (starts December 3 in Tokyo) has become hopeless, returned to Japan from Moscow in a flight to Narita Airport. At the press conference she said, “I want to try my best without changing my goal of winning a gold medal at the Olympics,” and vowed to come back at the Japan National Championships (starts December 25 in Osaka), which is now her one shot to become a representative at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Mao Asada, who was lacking brilliance and seemed like another person—what happened to her? I searched for the key to her comeback. (Hideki Nakatani)

1) Ripple on the water
The terrible condition of a national athlete is rippling through the archipelago [of Japan]. “Mao-chan, what’s wrong?” “What happened?” After she finished 2nd to Yu-Na Kim by a big point margin at the Trophee Eric Bompard and then finished 5th at the Rostelecom Cup, there has been a constant flow of calls and emails to the Japan Skating Federation offering encouragement, asking questions and complaining about the JSF’s system to emphasize certain athletes. Among the sponsors for the GP Final, there are several companies that Mao does commercials for, and although their names will be on the rink wall, their heroine will be absent…There are also headaches for the TV stations that will broadcast during prime time. No matter how bad her condition, it was unthinkable that Mao would miss the final.

2) The extinguished smile
“I thought Mao was an exception. But she’s not an exception.” Coach Tatiana Tarasova said this about Mao, whose anguished expression stood out. In figure skating history, all female skaters have this kind of difficult period. During this sensitive period, she has been mentally overwhelmed by the excess expectations of the people around her. She explained that it is a condition like “measles” for many female skaters in their mid-teens. It was something Shizuka Arakawa, Miki Ando and other skaters before her had to overcome. It was thought that Mao had already overcome this without any big problems. But, according to Coach Tarasova, Mao turned 19 and the “measles” came.

Her former teacher, Machiko Yamada (Grand Prix Toukai Club coach) also guesses that Mao’s poor condition “is not a technical problem, but an emotional one.” Your mind is a place that only you yourself can know, but it’s a place where you want to blow away the worries and anxieties you are feeling. “If her smile can return, then her figure, stiff with worry [will go away]; if it’s her short program, I think the score will be different by 10 points,” (some coach) said. Since it is connected to her results, we hope to see the return of Mao’s smile.

3) Instead of the triple axel, the triple flip
Watching the Japan Open, which opened the season on October 3, at the rink side, a skate official hung his head. Mao’s triple flip was “a little different from when she’s jumping it well” he said. At the Cup of Russia too, her triple flip lacked stability, and became a double. Since she gave up the triple lutz (base value 6.60 pts [sic]), which is the jump she is not good at among the 6 types, this triple flip (base value 5.50 points) is her lifeline. In addition to reliably landing the other jumps, she wants to differentiate herself from her rivals with her triple axel.

4) For herself
The brand “Mao Asada” is now a huge industry. Numerous stories involving adults and companies, businesses are over-concentrated on this 19-year old. Missing the GP Final this time mad them realize again that the world of victory and defeat and does not easily follow the set story. In the 2 months until the Japan National Championships, how far will she be able to revamp herself? People who knew Mao Asada before she reached the height of popularity wish for this: “She has this image of being innocent/naïve, but she’s a girl who really cares about others. No matter what kind of difficulty arises, she has a side where if she feels that it’s best to endure it, she shuts it out. [Uh, not really sure about the translation of this part.] But it’s the Olympic season that only comes once every 4 years. I don’t want her to respond to the expectations of the people around her; I want her to skate for herself.”
***********

tianrushui wrote:

In 2007 TEB, one reporter said that Mao's weapon is her 3A. Rafael said"You are Wrong. Mao's weapon is not a triple Axel. Mao's weapon is her beauty" Mao,we love you not because your triple axel but you beauty.
I really hope that Mao could get rid of this "all that matters is a triple axel" thought

tianrushui, thank you for reminding me of this quote. And I totally agree. It's all about Mao's beautiful skating, and her beautiful personality. The gorgeous 3A is just the cherry on top the icing on top the cake.

I think polosatik has a good point too, though--I am not a figure skating coach, and not even a figure skater, so who am I to offer Mao advice? But I can't help it!

Here's my thinking:
1) Most of all, I want to see happy, smiling Mao.
2) Mao will only be happy when she skates a perfectly clean performance wins her gold medal at the Olympics.
3) Therefore, I want Mao to skate her very best and win the Olympics.

And this is where Batsuchan feels frustrated/torn.

4) On one hand, as you all know, I strongly believe that Mao should change the music for her programs because it doesn't match her. I agree with Liffey that the cut of 'Bells' makes the piece rather monotonous (why take out the 'B' section, why?!). She could even keep the choreography exactly the same. As chineseteacup and others have pointed out, Mao still has the same balletic style, so if you set the same choreo to lovely, melodious music, I think it will suit Mao better.

5) On the other hand, I know that Mao's mental state--what she's feeling--has the greatest impact on how she skates. She's extremely sensitive. So if she herself loves the music for her two programs, and if in her heart of hearts she wants to do the triple axels, then maybe that's what she should do. Because I bet Mao Asada will never be able to deliver a fantastic performance if her heart is not in it, even if it's the loveliest music in the world.

So in the end, I feel kind of like a parent whose daughter is going through a goth stage and wearing super-dark eyeliner, black nail polish, and lots of chains. She wants to show she's not a cute little girl anymore, much like Mao wants to grow out of her cutesy image.

I just hope that one day Mao realizes that she doesn't have to be diva-sh to seem mature, and that she realizes she has an innate beauty, an innate gracefulness and elegance, and that it is her greatest asset, not the 3A.

Sometimes parents have to let their kids make mistakes, because you have to let them grow up and make their own decisions.

You just have to make sure to love and support them all the way through, so I say, no matter what happens, Mao Asada, I'll always love you!

Star85 wrote:

chiyori wrote:

@ NarumiAyane That's so nice. I'm like bibi on this one... I don't know many people who actually know anything about figure skating. So forget about foreign skaters... Aaww! I can't share my obsession with anyone!! And every time I talk to my mom about Mao, I can just tell she doesn't really care. She likes men's skating...

This is me too! I SO wish I had some figure skating friends I could have my own version of superbowl parties for for figure skating! People in my life almost make me feel embarrased to bring up figure skating too much. They just don't want to talk about it at all, and they make me feel like one of those video game geeks or something - except it's figure skating, not video games. I also used to get yelled at by my parents when I'd sit for hours trying to catch up on hours of figure skating on tv - and fight over the tv with my sisters. Now I get yelled at by my boyfriend for it. lol. At least your mom likes figure skating in some sense NarumiAyane!

I'm the same way! I love that through the internet we can chat with fellow fans, or else I would think I was the only one!

And I LOVE the idea of a superbowl skating party! Fortunately, my parents (especially my Dad, oddly enough!) love figure skating, and at the last Olympics they knew I was rooting for Shizuka. So my Dad got sushi and vegetable tempura for dinner from a local Japanese restaurant and we cheered her on during her LP while munching on the sushi. We had our own little party, and I hope we can do it again for this Olympics (although I may be too nervous to eat this time! ).

Re: dlnnyc:

Yes, we should be debating, but not calling Mao names! People are saying Murasaki has gone over...How would you feel if you didn't do too well on say, like tests at school and people called you a "failure" or "not ever deserving of an A". It's a horrible and disrespectful thing to say. For you to not disagree with them, it seems like you have little empathy for Mao's feelings. Imagine if you were a figure skater and you practiced your heart out, things didn't go well and certain self-proclaimed "fans" started saying crap about you. It's unacceptable and they weren't true fans to begin with. Mao didn't lose any of the beauty in her skating- it's actually much more mature, and it takes mature ppl to appreciate it, which obviously some people are not.
Grr! I was angry, now I'm done ranting.
EDIT: I'm a little late in this haha...I just posted after reading previous postsl

Thanks for all the translations Batsuchan!

Some hopeful statements. The only thing that really worries me is that Mao is having mental problems. I read somewhere else a day or two ago where after Maos LP, she said,"I don't feel tired, so it must be mental." We could see this starting to develope last year, and it's worse this year. Before that, she seemed to be able to handle the pressure a lot better. It's such a shame when such a talented, successful person gets a case of nerves, and insecurities. At least Mao is aware of this though, and can work on it. This problem is whatever Mao makes of it. Lets hope she makes it a minor one.

It also concerned me when she said she thinks her mental problems will go away if she lands all her jumps in practice. That's kind of putting a lot of pressure on yourself, I'd say! No one lands 'em all. Maybe she meant her practice right before a competition? That would make a little more sense. That would give me a lot more confidence too, I supposed, but I hope she doesn't put too much pressure on herself when she misses some jumps in practice! How many times has a skater done crappy in practices near a competition, or in their warm ups, then done great in the competition? Plenty.

Star85 wrote:

This is me too! I SO wish I had some figure skating friends I could have my own version of superbowl parties for for figure skating! People in my life almost make me feel embarrased to bring up figure skating too much. They just don't want to talk about it at all, and they make me feel like one of those video game geeks or something - except it's figure skating, not video games. I also used to get yelled at by my parents when I'd sit for hours trying to catch up on hours of figure skating on tv - and fight over the tv with my sisters. Now I get yelled at by my boyfriend for it. lol. At least your mom likes figure skating in some sense NarumiAyane!

Now I see why some of my skating friends say I'm lucky to have a family who likes. Even my hockey-playing father Sochiro and brother Yuzuru likes watching skating, although my bro prefers Yuzuru Hanyu over Mao just because they have the same first names. My dad tells me that I should be like Mao... NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!