2009 Rostelecom Cup Of Russia

Thank you for the report, Asya !

Oh, I'm pretty sure we heard your cheers! Just not sure which ones were yours because Mao got a lot from the audience.

I was pretty heartbroken too to see Mao's reaction at the K&C too and the news of Mao crying her eyes out after it just makes me even more and .

Take heart Mao!

First of all, Mao looked so beautiful in her new SP dress. She looked like a pink rose in full blossom, flying across the ice...

Ahem, okay, back to business. The SP wasn't a disaster, although placing 6th will have been very discouraging for Mao. Personally, I rather enjoyed it (the sketchy quality of the video may have ruined the experience slightly for me, but it definitely wasn't because of the quality of Mao's skating). Nevertheless, I felt extremely bad for Mao, especially when I saw her in the kiss and cry area. She seemed very subdued and upset, although she hides it well.

The problem, as some have already pointed out, is the 3A. In my opinion, there are too many 3As in Mao's two programs. Get rid of the 3A in the short and only keep the 3A-2T in the long and I think we'll see a drastic improvement.

I wonder why TAT is putting such an emphasis on the 3A. Sure, it made sense when Mao was landing them every single time, but now that the 3A seems to be throwing her off her entire program, wouldn't it be prudent to change it to some other triple, maybe in combination, at least until she gets the 3A back?

I think figure-skating is a lot like playing an instrument. Back when I was preparing for my 8th grade piano exam, I used to stress over the hardest parts of the pieces so much that it spoilt my overall performance during the exam. I spent all my time practicing the hardest parts and the more I practiced, the worse it became. I actually failed and had to do the whole thing again. If Mao's 3A is stressing her out as much as the hard piano parts stressed me out, no wonder she's stuffing up her 3As. Solution: NEW JUMPS. It's not like Mao can't do them.

There is no shame in cutting back a few of the 3As. I think one 3A is more than enough because (and let's be honest here), Mao's the only one of the women skaters who can do a textbook 3A, when everything clicks in place.

I still would like to see Caprice as Mao's SP but don't mind the Masquerade either. It's up to Mao to decide which music she likes better.

And I can't wait to see what her costume for her LP is!

Mao was crying... she looks so, so sad here:

Mao teary eyed 1: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091024-00000011-jijp-spo.view-000

Mao teary eyed 2: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091024-00000012-jijp-spo.view-000

Stay strong, Mao.

I feel so sad when I saw Mao's SP Kiss and Cry... She needs lots of rest... i think over practicing her trip axel is what causing her to pop them in competition. I learned this in Psychology or Physiology class, when you over practice, your more prone to mistakes, the neurons may send mix signals throughout the body, especially due to over practice or tiredness... she needs lots of rest..

Liffey wrote:

Mao was crying... she looks so, so sad here:

Mao teary eyed 1: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091024-00000011-jijp-spo.view-000

Mao teary eyed 2: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091024-00000012-jijp-spo.view-000

Stay strong, Mao.

Omg!!! I wanna fly to Russia and hug her...
I know TAT is doing that already though.

chineseteacup wrote:

I think figure-skating is a lot like playing an instrument. Back when I was preparing for my 8th grade piano exam, I used to stress over the hardest parts of the pieces so much that it spoilt my overall performance during the exam. I spent all my time practicing the hardest parts and the more I practiced, the worse it became. I actually failed and had to do the whole thing again. If Mao's 3A is stressing her out as much as the hard piano parts stressed me out, no wonder she's stuffing up her 3As. Solution: NEW JUMPS. It's not like Mao can't do them.

There is no shame in cutting back a few of the 3As. I think one 3A is more than enough because (and let's be honest here), Mao's the only one of the women skaters who can do a textbook 3A, when everything clicks in place.

I totally agree with you Chineseteacup! I used to be so hung up on my flute exams and recitals. There was some sort of pride: I couldn't make mistakes, and worried too much about giving perfect performances! It got to be focusing on technique and stressing out- which made my performances and grades worse! I used to be so upset when people compared me against other players too- so this rivalry thing and pressure on Mao is definitely just making everything worse.
Oh Mao, poor girl, working so hard but nothing seems to be going right for her! So sad to see her crying...A rainbow will come up for her soon, I have a feeling

Does anyone have more pictures of Mao SP performance, that dress is so beautiful!!! it really suits Mao-chan!!

Anyone know where i can get more pictures of her SP?

Well, finally got to watch Mao's SP...

polosatik - glad to hear you cheered very loudly! Keep it up! People at Worlds *hated* me for screaming so much. And of course Mao is gorgeous!

Now, once again, I am not surprised by the results.
But hearing about Mao being totally depressed and crying is breaking my heart. I have been saying I thought it's necessary for Mao to crash and burn in order to convince her to make major changes, but that doesn't mean it's not painful to watch.

That being said, I think it is time for some tough love for Mao. And I think this has to come from Mao's mom, not from TAT. I hope she gives Mao a good scolding.

You must be thinking, "What?!" Let me explain. In Mao Asada, Sweet Sixteen, Mao's mother Kyouko explained that after Mao's disastrous SP, she knew she had to play the 'bad cop' and scold Mao, because otherwise Mao would just keep feeling sorry for herself (see Caliblue's post here, '2007 Worlds -- Short Program'
https://maoasada.forumotion.net/mao-chat-f5/asada-mao-sixteen-t57.htm).

And I can totally imagine this. Mao is undoubtedly beating herself up; she's telling herself, "I'm such a failure. I'm not cut out to be a figure skater." And if people try to comfort her, "It's okay Mao, it's going to be okay," she feels even worse, because she knows she's disappointed them. Pity can be unbearable.

So I think her mom needs to go to her and say all those nasty things that Mao is thinking. She needs to be like, "What the heck was that, Mao? You skated your program perfectly in practice at the other rink, and now you mess up? What's wrong with you? What a disaster you are." This way, all the hostile thoughts that Mao are thinking become externalized; then she can get defensive, she can get mad and be like, "No, Mom, you're wrong. I'm not a disaster! I'm better than that!" I think if Mao can get mad --that can be the basis of her fighting spirit ("I AM better than that!"). Let's face it, anger is empowering. Don't let Mao wallow in her bitter regret and self-doubt; make her mad!! Make her say, "I'm sick and tired of all the media following me around; I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do; I'm going to go out and do what I want to do and show the world what I'm made of!"

(But I definitely think this cannot come from TAT, unless that leads to end of their relationship. Because I think Mao trusts TAT's opinion of her so much that she'd be completely devastated if TAT told her this; she wouldn't be able to get mad at TAT.)

As for tomorrow - I think Mao has either got to get mad, get it all together, and have an amazing free skate OR she's got to bomb again, miss the podium, and miss the GPF. That way she'll have plenty of time to regroup before Japan Nationals.

I think MaoMaoRevolution is right. I think Mao definitely could use a sports psychologist. But then again, it didn't exactly help Carolina Kostner.

But Mao clearly needs help with the mental side of the competition.

Up until now, I have been a super firm supporter of Mao/TAT, but over the last few days, I've started to wonder, what if Mao went back to Coach Machiko Yamada?? I'm not at all advocating that Mao leave TAT, but I was just thinking…

Mao is familiar with her, so although some adjustment will be needed, it won't be like starting with a new coach. And Coach Yamada is a special advisor at Chuukyou rink, so she has access to the rink anyway.
She might not have the resume/experience of some of the other coaches out there, but I think she really understands and loves Mao. Of any of the
coaches out there besides TAT, I think she might be able to help Mao find
herself again, find the joy in skating again….but this is purely speculation.

And just to be clear, I still believe Mao's going to win the gold medal at the Olympics! With Mao, it's guaranteed to be a roller-coaster ride, and right now she needs to plunge into the depths just so that victory will be all the sweeter.

Mao's SP pictures

http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000002-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000004-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000005-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000006-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000007-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000008-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg
http://ca.c.yimg.jp/news/20091024092536/img.news.yahoo.co.jp/images/20091024/jijp/20091024-00000009-jijp-spo-view-000.jpg

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p1.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p2.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p3.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p4.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p5.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p6.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p7.jpg
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2009/10/24/images/KFullNormal20091024185_l.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240917008-p1.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240917008-p2.jpg
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240917008-p3.jpg

Great post, Batsuchan! While the idea of scolding Mao is a little unusual for me, if it worked before, maybe it would work again. Maybe Mao does need to feel mad and strong.

Quote :

But hearing about Mao being totally depressed and crying is breaking my heart. I have been saying I thought it's necessary for Mao to crash and burn in order to convince her to make major changes, but that doesn't mean it's not painful to watch.

I know. I've been saying that Mao needed to crash and burn in order to change at least her SP for a while now, but seeing her in so much pain really breaks my heart. Honestly, this is turning out a bit worse than I thought it would.

I think unless something really drastic happens tomorrow and Mao hits all of her jumps, we should all be prepared for some major announcements very soon. I have a feeling that one or both programs could be changed, and that TAT may not be her coach much longer.

I've been really on the fence about the whole TAT thing, and I still am. So far, I don't think it's the best match skating-wise, but TAT and Mao seem to love and respect each other. It's hard to say whether Mao would be better with another coach mid-season too, although I think you have a good suggestion, Batsuchan. I get the feeling that after this competition there could be unbearable pressure from the JSF to fire TAT and it may happen. I just wish that whatever decisions are made come from Mao, or someone with her best interests at heart, and not just people in charge who want to control her results or take credit for her success.

I'm just really anxious to hear what happens on Monday or the days after, and no matter what happens, I hope it will be something Mao feels in her heart she wants to do, and not that she's being FORCED to do.

Thank you so much coconut!!

this breaks my heart:
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/images/091024/spm0910240505006-p4.jpg

Liffey wrote:

Great post, Batsuchan! While the idea of scolding Mao is a little unusual for me, if it worked before, maybe it would work again. Maybe Mao does need to feel mad and strong.

Quote :

But hearing about Mao being totally depressed and crying is breaking my heart. I have been saying I thought it's necessary for Mao to crash and burn in order to convince her to make major changes, but that doesn't mean it's not painful to watch.

I know. I've been saying that Mao needed to crash and burn in order to change at least her SP for a while now, but seeing her in so much pain really breaks my heart. Honestly, this is turning out a bit worse than I thought it would.

I think unless something really drastic happens tomorrow and Mao hits all of her jumps, we should all be prepared for some major announcements very soon. I have a feeling that one or both programs could be changed, and that TAT may not be her coach much longer.

I've been really on the fence about the whole TAT thing, and I still am. So far, I don't think it's the best match skating-wise, but TAT and Mao seem to love and respect each other. It's hard to say whether Mao would be better with another coach mid-season too, although I think you have a good suggestion, Batsuchan. I get the feeling that after this competition there could be unbearable pressure from the JSF to fire TAT and it may happen. I just wish that whatever decisions are made come from Mao, or someone with her best interests at heart, and not just people in charge who want to control her results or take credit for her success.

I'm just really anxious to hear what happens on Monday or the days after, and no matter what happens, I hope it will be something Mao feels in her heart she wants to do, and not that she's being FORCED to do.

ITA.

After about an hour passed Mao finally appeared for the interview.


http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20091024-OYT1T00525.htm

The article says that Mao's triple axel was counted as double axel, therefore she points zero for her second axel.

"I worry about my performance rather than the actual score. I wanna rethink about myself again." Mao said with a quiet voice. When asked about her exhaustion because of the schedule she denied and said, "I wasn't tired at all."

Thanks for your post, Batsuchan. It's always interesting to hear your opinion on things

Totally agree with you that "tough love" is what Mao perhaps needs right now. And I agree that it should come from Mao's mother, rather than Tatiana. I think getting scolded by Tatiana would be overkill. If Tatiana yelled at me, I think I may just faint on the spot.

Reading Caliblue's translation has given me a completely new and unexpected insight into Mao's character. Yes, I knew that Mao was intelligent, courageous, talented, determined and beautiful, but this has shown me that Mao is also a wondrously complex person. When I saw the way she got up after that terrible fall at 2008 Worlds, I was filled with admiration and envy at her calmness and level-headedness. The ease with which she overcame her initial failure was what made me so puzzled by her inability this season to overcome her reservations and skate as if she didn't have a care in the world.

But now I see that she has fears and anxieties, just like the rest of us. That doesn't make her any less awesome, though I was startled when I realised that Mao is only a month older than I am. All this time, I've been seeing her as someone much older. Now that I realise this, a lot of things makes more sense. No wonder Mao seems so tired and anxious these days. In addition to the prospect of possibly not making it to the GPF, she must be thinking "Oh no. What if all of the big companies supporting me decide to terminate our contracts? What if TAT gives up on me and leaves me? What if my mother gives up on me? What if no one appreciates my skating anymore? What if I don't make it to the Olympics?"

No wonder she's having trouble with her 3A, if she thinks the 3A is the key to solving all her problems. To lose the 3A would probably seem like a nightmare come true.

Her visualisation of her jumps as narrow bridges is extraordinarily fascinating from a psychological point of view. I think a sport psychologist would be very beneficial for her. As long as she remains crippled by the fear of disappointing others, she will stay stressed.

I wish there was a way someone could just help her to unburden.

Edit: Oh, too bad about Mao's double axel! Poor Mao...

Another thought too:

I'm not sure if I like the slow-mo replay of Tat's expression during her jumps in front of Mao, it seems so depressing. She probably doesn't want to see Tat's "aww" expression when she's already so sad. Like everyone else said, she doesn't like to disappoint people- so those replays are really rubbing it in They started this replay thing just this year right?

chineseteacup wrote:

I wonder why TAT is putting such an emphasis on the 3A. Sure, it made sense when Mao was landing them every single time, but now that the 3A seems to be throwing her off her entire program, wouldn't it be prudent to change it to some other triple, maybe in combination, at least until she gets the 3A back?

How she's going to "get it back"? By practicing it 27 hours per day?
Mao has got the 3A, the whole problem is in her head (it's such a trivial and obvious thing to say, but it seems some people (not you, chineseteacup) still don't realize this cornerstone fact). The result of the today's free skate will be determined *before* Mao will take on the ice (with some minor ajustements apparently).
Mao's obviously gotten herself into a very difficult psychological trap at TEB (not that this is her fault or anything). People who compare her situation with the one of Shizuka... well, to say the least, they are wrong.

The bane of Mao is her very greatness. I highly doubt someone will ever get as close to the absolute skating perfection as Mao has come to.
Everyone expects only one thing from her (because this is indeed her 'purpose') - to win. You, me, her coaches, her translator, Makino, Taka-chan, her family, her home country, good people from FSU, bad people from FSU, shitless worshippers of 'the queen', multiple journalists, those random viewers who find out about the results of competitions from the morning news - all the people who Mao has encountered during all these years on her way towards Vancouver. She constantly bears the cross of all those expectations. Multiplied by the ones of her own.

What's her difference with Yuna Kim in this, you might ask?
Yuna Kim is a great skater (with by far not as great 'personality' - that's why I find it so difficult to feel anything special towards her) and there's also quite a lot of the pressure put on her shoulders of course, but...
1) Yuna is totally backed by her nation totally brainwashed by SBS and other mass media. She's, figuratively speaking, the only child in the family, add here a renowned phenom of Korean nationalism - whatever she does, wins the Olympics or not, Yuna is already the nation's idol and hero (how bravely she faced those rude Japanese bullies - Miki, Fumie, Yukari and Mao herself - during the last season! ) who will be hailed in ages from now on.
Now, think about the respective situation Mao is in. That's the difference.
2) For Mao skating is everything. She *loves* what she's doing. I suppose everyone here is aware of this fact, or at least everyone feels this.
Hasn't Yuna said once that she hates skating? Even if now she doesn't feel like that anymore, she still, I'd suppose, has a much more cynical, pragmatic and rational attitude towards it. While for Mao skating is her life (one of the reasons why she's the greatest).
And here's another difference. The burden of the possible failure is quite different.
3) What is the core sense of any sport overall? Along with some technical prowess (to run faster, to jump higher and so on...), it is the ability to stand straight there where thousand of others will be lying in tears, shaking like an autumn leaf on the wind. It is in the strength of one's spirit. In the strength of one's heart. Something that most of the current men in skating don't have, something that Yuna (she basically wins only when it's difficult not to win, when the circumstances aren't that comfortable, she often fails) has never shown. And something that Mao indeed does possess. The heart of a lion. The heart of a true champion.
She feels that this is her life, she knows who she is, her way. That she HAS to win, because it can't be otherwise.

But recently (mostly during the last season) the balance has shifted. Yuna came into the spotlight. The chewing crowd invented this stupid tag: "Mao with a 3A vs. The Goddess of the Heavinly Artistry Yuna".
I think they spent the whole summer trying to address... the new trends in figure skating, to engage Yuna in some of her strong positions. Mao has greatly improved in her crowd-pleasing skills, in her speed, some TAT-powered choreography moments. TAT surely had some anti-Kim plan in mind...
And here it is: the new (Olympic!) season, the new start, the new everything... At TEB Mao can't face her 3A, and despite all the efforts, looking at the scores, it's really difficult to see how it may be possible to beat Yuna at all - even by skating perfectly.

How do you think Mao should feel in this situation?!

~~~~~
Firstly, Mao needs to skate two clean programs for her team to see the scores and make some conclusions. How many opportunities are there left to do so until the Olympics? One? Two?
Secondly, she has to prove to everyone, to all those people, to herself... something. To prove that she is still Mao Asada.

All this, all this should be extremely (I don't know which word to put here) difficult. After all, Mao is just a 19 years old girl, and I think you know the sides of her personality not worse than me. Her tender, none-cynical nature (which surely doesn't help her in all this).

I think today for Mao will be a very important skate.
Let's hope that, despite of the whatever result, in the end everything will be fine.
Go Mao!

@ summervie - You misunderstood me. My point wasn't that Mao has lost the ability to perform the 3A. No one can truly lose a skill they once possessed. They may forget the exact nature of its operation, or the feeling they have when they carry it to completion, but once you learn something, it becomes a part of you forever.

There are two only reasons why someone would falter on something they were once so good at. Either they don't practise it enough, or they over-analyze it to the extent that they get a mind-blank. The first reason OBVIOUSLY does not apply to Mao. The second one, however... Haven't you ever been in the situation where you studied until your nose bled for a test only to freeze in the middle of the exam the next day?

As far as I'm concerned, we seem to be on the same page. What Mao needs to overcome is a mental hurdle, not a physical one. It's all to do with Pavlov's experiment. Mao has come to associate 3A with 'fall/fail' so she freezes when she goes for it.

My suggestion to replace her 3A with another jump was based on what I've read on OCD/anxiety disorders. As soon as you uncondition someone so that they no longer associate the object of their anxiety (in Mao's case, the 3A) with negative thoughts (in Mao's case, possible fall), the stress level decreases and the person feels all the better for it. By making her focus on another type of jump, her concentration will be directed away from the 3A. And after a while, she can pick up the 3A again.

I know that time is of an issue here. But I think Mao's overall mental wellbeing should always be the priority.

And as if I would ever accuse Mao of not practising enough! The sky may very well turn red...

Batsuchan wrote:

whole post

Thanks for this post, Batsuchan! And I agree with what you've written even the "tough love" part.

It's not as if Mao learned nothing from TAT. We all saw her practice clips before and they showed real improvements from Mao. That's why we are surprised now with how she's performing. While many may say that she lost her jumps, it's still there. It's the confidence she's losing. No matter what encouragement is given to her, the pressure is just too much so it's not working. The "tough love" part might be the better way to bring back that Mao fighting spirit we saw during worlds 07 and 08.

I don't think it'll be good for Mao to change coaches now with this issue being way up there concerning Mao and Tat. This might put even more pressure to Mao. She might believe that she has disappointed Tat, her mom, and everyone else. But why not have 2 coaches... Isn't it Yamada who said something to her after she placed 4th at worlds and then Mao came back like an angel at WTT? I feel that like with TAT she has wonderful relationship with Yamada. I just hope Tat will now insist for Mao to go easy on the 3A even if Mao herself wants to do 3.

coconut wrote:

After about an hour passed Mao finally appeared for the interview.


http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20091024-OYT1T00525.htm

The article says that Mao's triple axel was counted as double axel, therefore she points zero for her second axel.

"I worry about my performance rather than the actual score. I wanna rethink about myself again." Mao said with a quiet voice. When asked about her exhaustion because of the schedule she denied and said, "I wasn't tired at all."

Whatever happens, I hope Mao will be able to get some much needed rest far away from the pressures bothering her and think about what she really wants. The "I wanna rethink about myself again." statement from her looks like a good sign.

Good luck for tonight, Mao! Don't think too much now. Just go out there and skate with your heart.

chineseteacup wrote:

And as if I would ever accuse Mao of not practising enough! The sky may very well turn red...

Well, above Russia sky is constantly red, didn't you know about this fact?

About the 3A. Yes, sure. But the goal is to win the Olympics, and without a stable 3A it will be pretty impossible to achieve this, unless Mao gets back a stable 3-3 (which I think Mao got a mental block about at Tokyo Worlds, when she failed 3-3 in her SP and then lost the gold to Miki in the end, which I think was a HUGE blow to her.)

This is one of the reasons why figure skating is one of the cruelest sports out there. You don't have 67 chances to try this and that, to adjust, to change, to get used... One season, 4 to 6 competitons (if you're totally healthy), 4 to 6 chances - that's all you've got. Every competitons means *a lot*, every mistake weights *a lot*. It's not tennis, not football (soccer) - some innocent children's games on the backyard. Figure skating doesn't forgive you any weakness.
So what options do they have with the Olympics being behind the corner?
Only to keep facing all the inner fears and doubts, hoping to find some 'solution' meanwhile.

"chineseteacup"

Among all jumps Mao is good at 3 axel. She is not able to perform 3 lutz 100 %, and she had some problems of underrotation of 3 flip and 3 loop that cost her some scores down.
So, I support TAT coach and Mao's decision to perform 3 axel in combination in SP. If Mao skates the program without mistakes she will get incredible high scores more than on WTT. She knows that well. Mao can be strong mentally, just remember her LP at Worlds 2008.

summervie wrote:

But the goal is to win the Olympics, and without a stable 3A it will be pretty impossible to achieve this,

I totally agree with you.

summervie wrote:

About the 3A. Yes, sure. But the goal is to win the Olympics, and without a stable 3A it will be pretty impossible to achieve this, unless Mao gets back a stable 3-3 (which I think Mao got a mental block about at Tokyo Worlds, when she failed 3-3 in her SP and then lost the gold to Miki in the end, which I think was a HUGE blow to her.)

And I suppose losing to Kim by 36 points at TEB isn't considered a huge blow?

sumin wrote:

Among all jumps Mao is good at 3 axel. She is not able to perform 3 lutz 100 %, and she had some problems of underrotation of 3 flip and 3 loop that cost her some scores down.
So, I support TAT coach and Mao's decision to perform 3 axel in combination in SP. If Mao skates the program without mistakes she will get incredible high scores more than on WTT. She knows that well. Mao can be strong mentally, just remember her LP at Worlds 2008.

Please read my posts in their entirety.

Takahiko attempted a 4T!



But unfortunately it looked a bit underroted and he had a step out. But way to go!



He's currently in 1st place!

Mao's interview after yesterday's SP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsIUhY6ZfjA

Thanks for the link, kaarolcia!

I don't know Japanese so I didn't understand a single word in the video. But just looking at Mao's face during the interview and hearing the quaver in her voice made me want to cry too.

I offer you my hugs, Mao.