Yu Na News

babayaga wrote:

I think David Wilson puts his heart and soul into all of Yuna programs, you can tell. He found this unique style for her that fits her very well, I think she is very lucky to have him.
I hope she competes at worlds. I don't like her as much as I like Mao, but I still find her enjoyable and this new choreography looks beautiful to me.

Although I think that she did always possessed a unique quality (esp her interpretation to the music) even before David started choreographing her programs. Of course, back then she had a fragility about her that was appropriate to her age that she doesn't have now.

One program that comes to mind is her "Ben" ex back in 2005. She skates to the music so beautifully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNq90aXNsWo

yuna's SP is always dramatic.. hehehe.. based from someone who saw her entire program said that the music cut is fast and dramatic, so i guess the choreography did the same thing..

now, in terms of her long program, arirang.. that will be a different story...

it's a contrast between 2 programs..

Hmm... at first, I wasn't sure what to expect at all for Giselle, but after that clip, I think I know more or less what it'll be like. I agree with some of you that she has dramatic movements that have become kind of characteristic of her - and I'm not talking about the choreography, more the way she moves her head and arms. I'd like to see her pay more attention to how she positions her fingers..I think it's more important for this program than for any of her past ones. It's difficult if you don't have a ballet background because you have to think about it consciously until it becomes habit, but I hope that's something she works on.

As for the standings, I agree that this is Yu-Na or Miki's to lose. If Yu-Na really is in Olympic shape, I think she'll run away with it. I think competitions are important for muscle memory when nervous - sort of practicing how to do jumps, especially new techniques or jump layouts or programs, under pressure. Nerves don't seem like much of a problem for Yu-Na, so I don't think she necessarily needed the competitions earlier this season. So though Mao might not be at the place yet where she can definitely challenge for the gold, I think she's in a great place regardless. All she has to do, and all she wants to do, in this competition is to improve on her past result. That's healthier pressure to put on herself than the pressure that one gets when they're EXPECTED to get the gold.

Quote :

But if we're talking about realistic expectations, then I think her chances this year are smaller than Miki and Yuna.

We didn't see Yu Na's form, and your words so strange, sorry.

If Worlds would go as planned, that's one story, now, Worlds are going to be in may-that's completely a different story. And my opinion is that it is better for Mao. But Tess has a point. We'll know about skater's shape at Worlds practice in May, now all the talks are kind of pointless.

Yuna for sure has improved, flexibility and positions got better. And now her catch foot spiral looks very pretty. it's still difficult for me to say how Giselle is going to look like, but for now I love what i see. Great expressions and footwork sequence.

Perhaps Yu-Na will be impersonating dark Giselle? I haven't seen the clips but that could in part explain the "dramatic" movements. In Nakano and Ando's programs both added some drama to the section where Giselle goes mad.

Aibhlin wrote:

Perhaps Yu-Na will be impersonating dark Giselle? I haven't seen the clips but that could in part explain the "dramatic" movements. In Nakano and Ando's programs both added some drama to the section where Giselle goes mad.

It was already told that Yuna's Giselle is going to be more dramatic. It's more about the story then about ballet. And a footwork sequence suit this idea perfectly, I see it is like a little movie about Giselle. Yuna found her style, and yes it's dramatic and fierce style, why Giselle can't be like that? So i don't see Yuna's version as a dark Giselle just more expressive Giselle.

The gestures, movements, and the typical 'dramatic but obviously rehearsed' facial expressions... This looks like the same old Yuna, but with some improvements. It looks like nothing has changed...? But I guess I should not judge yet. The music cut and the feel of the competition itself should probably make a whole world of difference. By then, Yuna's Gisele may make more of an impact on me. Well, it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat on this one anyway; the Arirang one seems more exciting to me.

Speaking of Yuna, I think she really has a good chance of getting gold. Her closest competitor would be Miki. Mao could sneak from behind and give us a pleasant surprise, but Yuna stated in an interview that she's close to Olympic form while Mao is still far from that. So yeah, long story short, my expectations are high for Yuna.

klarification wrote:

The gestures, movements, and the typical 'dramatic but obviously rehearsed' facial expressions... This looks like the same old Yuna, but with some improvements. It looks like nothing has changed...? But I guess I should not judge yet. The music cut and the feel of the competition itself should probably make a whole world of difference. By then, Yuna's Gisele may make more of an impact on me. Well, it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat on this one anyway; the Arirang one seems more exciting to me.

Speaking of Yuna, I think she really has a good chance of getting gold. Her closest competitor would be Miki. Mao could sneak from behind and give us a pleasant surprise, but Yuna stated in an interview that she's close to Olympic form while Mao is still far from that. So yeah, long story short, my expectations are high for Yuna.

hmmm...idk...sure she may be in good form however, this would be her first event of the season...that could come back to haunt her because no one knows how the judges will respond to the program and she would have no time to make improvements...also her track record at worlds is just ok as far as skating clean though....she can do a sp in her sleep but for some reason, at worlds her lp has some mistakes....even in 2009 where she won....so im expecting her to medal but i am not putting my expectations too high....Furthermore, i think mao will probably be in fighting form..if she fixes the mistakes from 4CC she will easily top the 140 mark.....miki will probably be solid as a rock so worlds is anybody's to take at the moment...so i am predicting that yuna will have the lead after the short, albeit a small one assuming miki does a 3-3 and mao does a clean 3A, but mao or miki will win the long...but who knows...we shall see

KariDebate wrote:

klarification wrote:

The gestures, movements, and the typical 'dramatic but obviously rehearsed' facial expressions... This looks like the same old Yuna, but with some improvements. It looks like nothing has changed...? But I guess I should not judge yet. The music cut and the feel of the competition itself should probably make a whole world of difference. By then, Yuna's Gisele may make more of an impact on me. Well, it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat on this one anyway; the Arirang one seems more exciting to me.

Speaking of Yuna, I think she really has a good chance of getting gold. Her closest competitor would be Miki. Mao could sneak from behind and give us a pleasant surprise, but Yuna stated in an interview that she's close to Olympic form while Mao is still far from that. So yeah, long story short, my expectations are high for Yuna.

hmmm...idk...sure she may be in good form however, this would be her first event of the season...that could come back to haunt her because no one knows how the judges will respond to the program and she would have no time to make improvements...also her track record at worlds is just ok as far as skating clean though....she can do a sp in her sleep but for some reason, at worlds her lp has some mistakes....even in 2009 where she won....so im expecting her to medal but i am not putting my expectations too high....Furthermore, i think mao will probably be in fighting form..if she fixes the mistakes from 4CC she will easily top the 140 mark.....miki will probably be solid as a rock so worlds is anybody's to take at the moment...so i am predicting that yuna will have the lead after the short, albeit a small one assuming miki does a 3-3 and mao does a clean 3A, but mao or miki will win the long...but who knows...we shall see

Yes, but this is Yuna we're talking about. She's kinda like Patrick Chan in a way, since they can both fall a couple of times and still get huge points. Although I have to give her credit for her consistency. She has had supbar performances but never a meltdown (at least not in years). She has peaked a bit early in the past but this season is different. She only has one competition and she has a good track record of debuting a strong performance. Although her artistry no longer appeals to me, it's hard to argue with her technique. Her 3/3's are so reliable and they get her major points. If Miki wants to win, she should not play safe and go for the 3/3's. So while I don't think she's a lock for gold, it's fair to say she has a good chance.

KariDebate wrote:

hmmm...idk...sure she may be in good form however, this would be her first event of the season...that could come back to haunt her because no one knows how the judges will respond to the program and she would have no time to make improvements...

Yeah, no question about that. She could float or she could sink, no one really knows right? I just think that it's hard not to expect too much from her, especially when she announced that she will still compete for Worlds even after taking the season off. Doesn't she sound too confident?

Anyway, someone made a great edit of Yuna doing Gisele, check it out:

Quote :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n10utIKGeAc

klarification wrote:

KariDebate wrote:

hmmm...idk...sure she may be in good form however, this would be her first event of the season...that could come back to haunt her because no one knows how the judges will respond to the program and she would have no time to make improvements...

Yeah, no question about that. She could float or she could sink, no one really knows right? I just think that it's hard not to expect too much from her, especially when she announced that she will still compete for Worlds even after taking the season off. Doesn't she sound too confident? :sunny:

Anyway, someone made a great edit of Yuna doing Gisele, check it out:

Quote :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n10utIKGeAc

its not hard for me....she is a great athlete and she may be confidant but it will be hard for her to win because a.) its her 1st competition b.) miki has been solid as a rock c.) mao is on track to skate really well ....so i dont expect her to win but i would be lying if i said she wouldnt do well....i think this is gonna be one of the most competative world championships ever

I feel that the ladies competition is a bit unpredictable at this point. I'm sure Yuna will be fit and ready. If she has a debut like the one she had at 09' TEB, then she stands a good chance. Miki has been solid, but I agree that she is going to need the 3-3 if Yuna skates clean, transition filled programs. Miki has an advantage over many of the ladies PCS wise since she has been so solid all year, but I'm sure Yuna's PCS scores will reflect the fact that she is the current Olympic champ. Then, of course, there is Mao, who is the underdog at this point. I really don't know what to expect. A part of me really hopes that Mao will just bring all the technical goods and skate her heart out with freedom and speed. On the other hand, there is also the chance that we will see under-rotations and two foot landings from Mao which could lose her the title. If Miki and Yuna bring it, Mao needs to be relatively clean. Judging from 4CC, it is safer to say that this will be between Miki and Yuna, but we just can't count Mao out. She's so unpredictable. Any of these ladies can win this.

Of course, we also can't count out Alissa, Kanako, Carolina (if she ups the difficulty) and so forth for the podium. Especially if either Mao, Miki or Yuna happen to not skate well... Personally, I really want to see the Japanese team do well for obvious reasons, and I want to see the American ladies get the U.S. their three spots back. The U.S. ladies really deserve more than two.

periperi wrote:

[color=black]I feel that the ladies competition is a bit unpredictable at this point.

ITA. I think ALL the competitions are a bit more unpredictable at this point, with worlds being postponed. It threw a big curve ball into everyones training. Especially the Japanese skaters. But yes, the ladies competition was probably the most unpredictable all along, and still is. Yuna is coming back, and although she's the top skater in the world right now (well officially, but not to me ), she hasn't competed for a year, and she has brand new programs. It's impossible to predict how she will skate. Then there's Mao, who started off the season really rough, but has crawled out from her slump, having made huge progress, yet was still not at her very best even at the last competition. She usually peaks at the end of the season. So hmmmm!..... Some people will be counting her out to win, but we know better! And then of course there's Miki, who has had the season of her career, undefeated. If she skates like she has been all season, she's definitely a contender for gold too. Hopefully the crisis in Japan hasn't affect either of their training too much. And last but not least, there's always the "but you never know" factor, where an underdog could take the whole thing (although I wouldn't bet on that happening this season, personally). I'm so glad we all have the chance to see the competition actually happen!

Wow! People have been saying that Kim, as of now, is close to Olympic form. That'll be tough to beat, and I really wanted Mao to prove something. However, we mustn't expect so much, especially that she has already proven herself in terms of redoing her jumps. We'll have to see. It'll be super exciting! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

Yuna herself said that she is almost at Olympic form. To me, that doesn't really mean much... she's had all season off to train competitively, so I'm not surprised to hear that. I'm not sure how the postponement of Worlds will affect her, though. She still has another month, but is also busy with other activities in Korea.

I agree with those who said that the ladies event is the most unpredictable. I'm rooting for Mao, of course!!

David Wilson's choreography for Yu-Na becomes so iconic that it gradually makes Yu-Na's moves look old. But Yu-Na has great musicality and she always hits the important notes as the music flows (e.g., the start of her spiral and the start of her step sequence), which makes her programs so clear-cut and dramatic. Although personally I grew tired of her overly-expressive moves of her upper body and facial expression, I am very delighted to see her spiral and spins improved a lot! No longer shaky and no more travel as seen in her practice clip -- after all, figure skating is not only about 3-3 jumps but also skating. I am quite amused to see a spiral is added to her SP (if the practice clip is for Giselle). Perhaps both DW and Yu-Na are confident that this now-the-transition element will boost up her PCS points to even further, and PCS is always a sharp weapon of Yu-Na to grasp the gold.

Mao in my mind is the best skater in terms of skating skills, and she has the whole package. I always believe that skating in balletic style is much more difficult than the Hollywood style. For this season I sincerely hope Mao would add more fire to her programmes. When I watched 4cc live in Feb, Mao's skating is as clam as lake water. Unlike a ballet show where the audience clam down and accept no personality shown by dancers, in an environment where the audience are fuel with excitement by the competition, Mao's quiet and subtle style can easily be overshadowed by other passionate skaters. Mao certainly can inspire and impress others, if she could relax and put more fire and sparks to her programme she would overturn her underdog status (oh, IMHO she is born to be a multiple world champion).

As many has mentioned, Miki is solid as a rock. Miki shone on ice and simply took everyone's attention at 4cc. If the judges are more inclined to charisma, Miki and Yu-Na would become the contenders for gold at Worlds. Otherwise it's unpredictable -- especially that Mao still has the potential to try the most difficult routine for ladies discipline.

* * *

Talking about Yu-Na, I saw pictures from baidu forum that Yu-Na is busy with the Olympic bid and she went to Pyeongchang, kinda like an inspection of facilities etc. What a schedule she's having -- for preparation of Olympic bid, her own ice show, and for Worlds!

kitty wrote:

Talking about Yu-Na, I saw pictures from baidu forum that Yu-Na is busy with the Olympic bid and she went to Pyeongchang, kinda like an inspection of facilities etc. What a schedule she's having -- for preparation of Olympic bid, her own ice show, and for Worlds!

Oh my! Poor girl... I hope she takes care of her health so she can be in great condition for Worlds!

Gladly she will. After all she has prepared for this event for more than 10 months! Unverified news says that she will cancel her trip to UK in early April and invite her coach to Korea for intensive training before the Worlds. A news thread (press release?) from Yu-Na's official website stated that Yu-Na and her company AT Sports is re-arranging her schedule so that she can focus on preparing the competition.

This year's Worlds is really exciting!

I wonder if we'll get to see her SP/FP before the worlds?

Does she has any sort of IceShow before worlds?
She often displays her SP in the shows -_
(am guessing if its in Korea - then it will be her FP for her Korean fans!)

I am excited to see what its all about!...

Yu-Na introducing her new programs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F3AMe8QF_s

kitty wrote:

Yu-Na introducing her new programs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F3AMe8QF_s

But her pros has always been full of 'mixed and complicated feelings'...
I am extremely impatient to see Homage to Korea!
This might be the real treat -

I wonder if she'll be doing her triple sal -
I just watched her Olymp FS - Again I don't think she gets a perfect hold of her jump -
I'd love to know more about her layout!

She's modest lol
Not thinking of marks when she already has records which seem so insane and impossible to best!

The strategy is a surprise - Judges are almost on knees to see what this new season will look like for an OGM!
If she manages to bring the goods - She is up for more records! Tho I don't think they'll be higher that the Olyp!

MaoChan756 wrote:

kitty wrote:

Yu-Na introducing her new programs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F3AMe8QF_s

But her pros has always been full of 'mixed and complicated feelings'...
I am extremely impatient to see Homage to Korea!
This might be the real treat -

I wonder if she'll be doing her triple sal -
I just watched her Olymp FS - Again I don't think she gets a perfect hold of her jump -
I'd love to know more about her layout!

She's modest lol
Not thinking of marks when she already has records which seem so insane and impossible to best!

The strategy is a surprise - Judges are almost on knees to see what this new season will look like for an OGM!
If she manages to bring the goods - She is up for more records! Tho I don't think they'll be higher that the Olyp!

I might have to agree on that one, only because of the new rule changes. The rule changes are different, unless she changes her layout to fit the new rule changes and put it to her advantage. However, someone mentioned before that she said she wasn't going to dramatically change anything. We'll see. This will be an exciting world competition!

hmm. i have to say i'm a bit disappointed with yu-na's giselle program. sure, it's beautiful, powerful, and emotional. but where's the ballet? she's just doing pretty movements (there's a difference). i was hoping for something different than her usual. i was hoping she would challenge herself and do something different. how about an arabesque or an air split? or pointed toes and full extensions? i know that extensions and spirals and correct positions aren't really her strong points, but i was hoping she would address those for her giselle program. oh well, i'm sure i'll be pretty happy with her arirang program.

Well swan, if anything, her posture and extensions looked better than any other season. And what are you guys expecting from Yuna? Being intense, powerful and emotional is what she's known for.