World Championships 2011 - Reports, spoilers

linglang wrote:

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

As for Mao, I'm a bit worried because in the Japanese broadcast, they said that she was having difficulty eating the past few days.

Thanks for the info Pochi. I'm a little bit relieved now because it seems Mao having difficulty eating since she came to Russia. It may not be due to the earthquake and tsunami. I though if Mao lost appetite because of psychological reasons it would be very difficult for her to overcome it. I now think Mao might have eaten something wrong. Or Weider team and Mao failed re-peaking for the competition. In an Weider video, her coach talked about difficulty of re-peaking.

Mao is not going to skate at gala, is she?

I hope Mao will get better soon and start eating a lot again.

I've just read some more info about Mao in our Japanese forum. It seems she has been questioning herself whether going on skating is the right thing to do after the earthquake. I'm not sure if that was the reason she lost her appetite, but it seems she had been distracted very much since the earthquake, so Sato had no choice to give her some time off practicing (1 week), and they couldn't get her condition back afterwards by Worlds.

Maybe Mao was very shocked by the earthquake and the other incidients which followed. She was much smaller when the Hanshin Earthquake happened, so this might be sort of the first time for her to see something terrifying as this happening in her own country. I've read that some people in the undamaged areas are suffering PTSD after watching those tsunami footages over and over on tv. I think these kind of disasters have more effect on people who are fortunate and happy with their lives. Mao has a wonderful family along with her dogs and surely lots of good friends which might make her fear the same kind of thing happening to them. If the chain of disasters have affected Mao, it's only natural I think. She'll get over it at some point, but when you think about her age and how life has been for her until now, it's understandable that she's shocked in some way. I think it's basically more or less the same with all the Japanese skaters. I'm sure everyone noticed that Miki has hardly shown a single smile even though she won Worlds. They all might have lost some friends from the disasters, and even if they didn't have any close friends or relatives, I'm sure there were FS fans amongst the victims.

I guess Mao won't be in the gala, and I think it's for the better this time. She needs time to digest what's been happening here in Japan, and find a way to go on living and skating with it. But she'll be fine in the end. She's Japanese. Japan has been a country of earthquakes and tsunamis from the start. We will have disasters like this in the future again unfortunately, but that's how our relationship with nature has always been.

i'm sooo happy for meryl and charlie! my favorites!

I'm still shocked at the judges allowing an NA sweep in Russia *on* ice dance of all things, but congrats to the D/W, V/M, and the Shibs!

Happy for Davis and White! Virtue and Moir were very good but it was their first time out with this FD so obviously, there were issues. The Americans were flawless!

Is it just me or did Meryl and Charlie look kinda "meeeh" in the kiss and cry? Even after they won? I don't know, I think I need to watch it again but it was very anticlimatic... like yeah we won.... woohoo...

Both V/M and D/W looked so thrilled for the Shibs on the podium. It's just too sweet.

Yay congrats to D/W, V/M, and the Shibs!!! And aw, how cute that they were so happy for the Shibs. I love how close they all are.

bellarina wrote:

Yay congrats to D/W, V/M, and the Shibs!!! And aw, how cute that they were so happy for the Shibs. I love how close they all are.

I didn't get to see them.. but could someone post video where one is able to see their reaction as well as their performance..


on a site note is it just me who just can't come over the results mao was soo robbed the score she received in both the sp and fs was soo ridicoules compered to what she delievered.. all those downgrades just can't be justified, I rewatched mao's performance a few times now and I simply couldn't see why she received them.. especially not for her 3A in the fs that was definitly rotated and the combo looked also fine to me.. right now the only thing that can explain how I feel is shooked, I don't know how the heck things ended that way I mean even the medalists had visible mistakes like falling and missing jumps and they stilll medalled I simply can't believe it.. and mao who didn't have that big mistakes compared to them is in 6th place.. this season has really been a nightmare... the times mao has been off the podium this season is more then what she has been in her whole career just go to wiki and take a look at her record..

if the mens event was weird then the womens is a hundred time more strange.. I simply hope that what today happend was a bad dream, and when I wake up everything will be like it was and mao is still the reighning world champion... and what the hell is shin amano's problem if he has to give onreasonable DG then give it to everyone.. it really seems like he has something against mao and kanako it makes me wonder if he simply doesn't like them since they are always in the spotlight... anyway the only thing that I ask for is fair judging and today was anything beside that..

I'm glad this unfair edition of FS is over. Now Mao needs to go to a far away exotic island and take a loooooong vacation, where she can hopefully meet a Mr. Right.

Amano always seems to overlook Kostner's obvious under-rotations...why?

maofan93 wrote:

Amano always seems to overlook Kostner's obvious under-rotations...why?

Seriously. Sometimes I feel if reworking her jumps are really worth it if the judges base it on reputation rather than what they actually see out there.

This competition has gone from the bizarre to the just...depressing. I hope Mao can regain her spirits and return to eating normally. When your body fat percentage and overall weight are that low to begin with (not to mention if you have an active lifestyle!), not eating well for even a short time can take a heavy toll. Of course she's going to lose energy and spark as a result of that! But add to it Tat's personal loss, which I'm sure she felt as well as they're so fond of each other...and of course the devastating events in Japan. I guess it's a miracle she skated as well as she did, really.

I'm not even going to comment on the scores right now.

One silver lining is what some of you said about her skating being faster now; even with the difficulties, Sato's work to improve her skating skills has begun to pay off. This gives me hope for the next season. But like many of you, I want her to take some well-deserved rest and indulge herself a little. That means good food, Mao!

shar wrote:

I'm glad this unfair edition of FS is over. Now Mao needs to go to a far away exotic island and take a loooooong vacation, where she can hopefully meet a Mr. Right.

She has already met Mr. Right. She just needs to realise what is just in front of her.

maofan93 wrote:

Amano always seems to overlook Kostner's obvious under-rotations...why?

Because he is stupid, blind, not obejctive and... (*insert other similar attributes here).
Sure thing, Mao's 3As here were not fully rotated. But especially the second one was ur less than 1/4, not over 1/2 to downgrade it. And I haven't seen a single commentator who would not agree with it. The guys at British ES were certain that it would not get <<. The Polish guys too. Every one who is sane enough saw this. Just not Mr. Amano. He is just biased. With him as a caller Mao will always get "e" on the lutz, it doesn't matter is she fixes it or not. The same with 3A.

And with Kostner...maybe her reputation for having great jumps works on Amano ?

kaarolcia wrote:

And with Kostner...maybe her reputation for having great jumps works on Amano ?

Lol. I am always amused by this, because over the years, Kostner has a LOT of trouble actually landing her jumps. Sure, she may have the correct technique but I don't think she is a natural jumper. I mean there must be something lacking if she consistently has issues landing jumps. But perhaps Amano had the same issue and emphathize with her?

I have a feeling that Amano is afraid of being accused of favouring Japanese skaters, that's why he penalizes them so much. Just a thought.


What was that sudden boost of applause during Yuna's spiral?

Anyone has an HD version of Mao's SP?

alyssa wrote:

I have a feeling that Amano is afraid of being accused of favouring Japanese skaters, that's why he penalizes them so much. Just a thought.


What was that sudden boost of applause during Yuna's spiral?

But a couple of Miki's jumps looked borderline, and he didn't downgrade them. Her 3Lo looked less rotated than Kanako's...IDEK anymore.

maofan93 wrote:

alyssa wrote:

I have a feeling that Amano is afraid of being accused of favouring Japanese skaters, that's why he penalizes them so much. Just a thought.


What was that sudden boost of applause during Yuna's spiral?

But a couple of Miki's jumps looked borderline, and he didn't downgrade them. Her 3Lo looked less rotated than Kanako's...IDEK anymore.

I just think he has an issue with Yamada's students. Anyways, I'm glad this season was over. It was a very difficult season for us fans. And I hope Mao gets an extended break. I wouldn't mind if she skips the GP if it the extra time can help her reboot her mind and confidence.
Or maybe he also has an issue with Sato? I do remember the terrible underscoring of Yukari Nakano.

I think once Mao will get her form back that duchebag Shin Amano will be no threat to her. I also think that her PCS were low today because she looked so week like she could barely skate. I can't even re-watch her programs because the way she looks makes me want to cry..
I would really appreciate any news or interview translations regarding her health. Thanks guys in advance!!

alyssa wrote:

I have a feeling that Amano is afraid of being accused of favouring Japanese skaters, that's why he penalizes them so much. Just a thought.


What was that sudden boost of applause during Yuna's spiral?

That thought crossed my mind too. The Japanese are really conscientious of how they are perceived. I don't know if this is the right way to assess it, but they have to uphold this facade at times even if that isn't how they actually feel. It's called "honne to tatemae"= 本音と建前.

Idk, but Amano might be overly protecting himself and his reputation that he's this stand-up guy because he lives in Canada. He is the DG king across the board, but with the Japanese skaters in particular it seems. Mao's 3A was underrotated- plain and simple. She shouldn't have been DG and her flip in the sp was fine.

aoi88 wrote:

Or maybe he also has an issue with Sato? I do remember the terrible underscoring of Yukari Nakano.

I'd smack Amano upside the head if I were coach Sato.

maowataiyo wrote:

I'd smack Amano upside the head if I were coach Sato.

This is the jerk? I thought he was older.

periperi wrote:

maowataiyo wrote:

I hope Mao gets a lot of rest and return to the foodie that she is. I'm so proud of what she's accomplished this season. But boy, I am w/Roma and so glad this season's over- my heart can't take much more. I am so freakin livid w/Shin Amano. I don't get why he's so severe to some and not to others.

And why do they always overlook Yuna's lip?!


They've been doing this for too long- it's frustrating
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8aDxPlR2PQ (3:56)

THANK YOU! I've stopped mentioning it to anyone because it has always resulted in indignant replies with myself being meshed in as some Yuna hater (mind, not on this forum). I honestly felt I must be alone in thinking this, but thank you for having the courage that I haven't had to bring it up, lol.

thanks for the gif! what goe is a lip supposed to have if its in a combination? just curious...
(could this possibly be a borderline flip? nobody else seems to notice...)

aoi88 wrote:

Or maybe he also has an issue with Sato? I do remember the terrible underscoring of Yukari Nakano.

But wasn't Yukari low-balled because she was the #3 Japanese skater (like Akiko and now Kanako)? And also, I think a lot of people hated the leg wrap so much that it colored their view of her skating.

tilitom wrote:

thanks for the gif! what goe is a lip supposed to have if its in a combination? just curious...
(could this possibly be a borderline flip? nobody else seems to notice...)

Well, the one person who took notice of it got a lot of flack from her fans and the media. And after that, Yuna never had an edge issue. The same lady is the tech assistant to Amano at this competition.
Personally, I always felt Mao got an unnecessary amount of attention on her flutz. So many girls have this issue, yet I only remember Mao having a whole section dedicated to her flutz back when the edge rules were first established. It's really unfair because her edge is probably the most scrutinized out of everyone.

Illani, Yukari was lowballed in PCS but I remember she was also quite prone to UR's. I guess maybe it was the leg wrap but I thought her jumps had nice flow.

alyssa wrote:

This is the jerk? I thought he was older.

Yeah, that's him. He's 37. That picture was a few years back.

tilitom wrote:

thanks for the gif! what goe is a lip supposed to have if its in a combination? just curious...
(could this possibly be a borderline flip? nobody else seems to notice...)

I'm not really sure of how the scoring would go. But Yuna's flip is never on an inside edge. It's usually slightly on the outside or on a straight edge. That's why she changed the entry so that her ankle wouldn't curve as much.

apple4me wrote:

GO Miki. I really hope Mao can have a good rest after this season. She deserved it. I never know that the tsunami really affected Mao that much. Mao need to eat more again. Hope Team Sato can really help Mao out. Mao should go out of the country. Mao need to gain back some weight and be the old Mao again.

I was too scared to check out how the ladies lp went until now, and the atmosphere seemed a bit doom and gloom over here so I feared for the worst, but as a team Japan fan I am beyond thrilled that Miki Ando was able to get that Japanese national anthem playing I was hoping for that to happen with the men, but I'll take it from the ladies XD

...and the ice dance podium is just how I wanted it as well

As for our dear Mao, I am proud of what she was able to achieve this year in spite of her troubles...namely

a) medaling in the world's most competitive nationals

b) medaling at 4cc with a higher score than what any lady at worlds received

c) making top six in the world (which Rachael Flatt would probably give anything to be in right now) with a score that would have won her most of the grand prix events

So the scoring was crap and there wasn't much pizzazz to this ladies event (no 3-3 from Miki? ), but I'm determined to focus on the good here...and Kanako was in the top ten, that IS a good thing, she still needs more time to establish herself...remember Yuna and Mao only had such a quick rise in 07 because most of the olympians had moved on already, which was not the case this year...

hopefully Yuna's silver medal for a second year in a row means that the days of 30+ leads for little apparrent reason are over and she'll earn her marks like everyone else from now on...

kaarolcia wrote:

shar wrote:

I'm glad this unfair edition of FS is over. Now Mao needs to go to a far away exotic island and take a loooooong vacation, where she can hopefully meet a Mr. Right.

She has already met Mr. Right. She just needs to realise what is just in front of her.

lolz

maowataiyo wrote:

And who gave a +1 to Yuna's 1F!! I want names, damnit.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2011/wc2011_Ladies_FS_Scores.pdf

It was probably a "mistake"... again.