Japan Nationals

AmazingGraceMao wrote:

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20121222-00000017-dal-spo
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20121222-00000031-sanspo-spo

2 new articles on Maos' official practice.

Quote :

The first one says Mao succeeded 3A again on the 21st, and Sato admitted 'It's getting pretty good'. However he also said 'Even though it looks good to us, the angle is set by the rules. It will be checked by video, so unless we're sure it's successful... (I'm not sure Mao should go for it)'. Even though Mao has said she 'wishes to include 3As sometime during the latter half of this season', she must first convince Sato who still says 'We should still consider entering Sochi Olys without a 3A'.

Part of me agrees with Sato, but Part of me wants Mao to go for 3A.

Same here.

Considering that UR calls impacted her confidence with 3As and other jumps, I agree with Mr. Sato not to include 3A this time. Things has changed since 2010 worlds but remembering her face at K&C after FS still aches my heart. She didn't look happy even thought she won the championship because she knew she got UR calls again.

Actually, I want them to decide to do 3A at international competition in the near future (4CC if she goes) to check how judges will respond. But I think what important for her now is to concentrate on fully rotating all jumps planned in both SP and FS.

And, I read the news articles in Japanese and felt Mr. Sato is sarcastic to both judges and the media

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

But then there was another program in which Sanoru Mino (first Jpnse male skater to win a medal in Worlds/coach and commentator) said he thinks Mao should try a 3A at Nats since her practices are going well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4AzFyRfsbg

I sometimes wonder how credible Mr. Minoru Sano is as a figure skating commentator (and now he is JSF officer right?) because he says Mao should try a 3A in FS.

It's fun to listen to his peculiar comments at competitions but I often found his comments less credible. It may be because I compare him to Takeshi and Shizuka who tell us about rules and techniques better than him.


ETA: Thanks inskate for the explanation about Tono. I really like him and his skate despite silly mistakes he makes from time to time. Last night he skated so beautify with great speed and 4T fall was a disappointment. I just wish he would convert his mind to be more like his ancestor & great warlord Nobunaga at competitions.

Thanks silenceisgolden for lovely pic. I love it!

Not directly related to any participant of Jpn National...but I just find this interesting:

Here's Carolina Kostner's SP at Italian National:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I1DFZ4qZP4&feature=youtu.be

(Finally, a better view of this program. And the dress is pretty!)

From GSF, "She scored 70.13 TES 33.93 PC'S 36.20"....but there's no 3-3 jump. I think earlier in Golden Spin she did have 3-3 in her SP.

linglang wrote:

Same here.

Considering that UR calls impacted her confidence with 3As and other jumps, I agree with Mr. Sato not to include 3A this time. Things has changed since 2010 worlds but remembering her face at K&C after FS still aches my heart. She didn't look happy even thought she won the championship because she knew she got UR calls again.

I am not only worried about the UR call, but also the success ratio. Last day Mao attempted 3 3A but only landed one, though which was very good IMO.

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

AmazingGraceMao wrote:

linglang wrote:

Same here.

Considering that UR calls impacted her confidence with 3As and other jumps, I agree with Mr. Sato not to include 3A this time. Things has changed since 2010 worlds but remembering her face at K&C after FS still aches my heart. She didn't look happy even thought she won the championship because she knew she got UR calls again.

I am not only worried about the UR call, but also the success ratio. Last day Mao attempted 3 3A but only landed one, though which was very good IMO.

True. Consistency matters a lot too. The entire program impression can be impacted by jump success and failure. 3A may be too risky gamble for now. I just hope Mao keeps a pace of progress that she feels comfortable, no need to rush.

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

Thanks. Her 3F-2T is great!! She looks really on!.

She's an elegant lady.

linglang wrote:

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

Thanks. Her 3F-2T is great!! She looks really on!.

She's an elegant lady.

Woah it looks like it's really cold there I like when she dresses all lady-like dhehehe
Kana is so so cute with her red coat

the leading ladies of japanese skating! only miki is missing!

and wow, who is the designer of mao's coat ? juicy couture?

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

I think that was a 3F-2Lo?

swan wrote:

the leading ladies of japanese skating! only miki is missing!

and wow, who is the designer of mao's coat ? juicy couture?

Yeah, i love that coat. It suits Mao well.

based on pigeon post of Japan Skate, she did 2A, 3F2Lo, 3Lo in run through
so she would stick with it in short

linglang wrote:

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

Thanks. Her 3F-2T is great!! She looks really on!.

She's an elegant lady.

The three princessses of Japan ladies skating!

AmazingGraceMao wrote:

linglang wrote:

Same here.

Considering that UR calls impacted her confidence with 3As and other jumps, I agree with Mr. Sato not to include 3A this time. Things has changed since 2010 worlds but remembering her face at K&C after FS still aches my heart. She didn't look happy even thought she won the championship because she knew she got UR calls again.

I am not only worried about the UR call, but also the success ratio. Last day Mao attempted 3 3A but only landed one, though which was very good IMO.

I'm worried about the success ratio as well, but not much about UR. I think there's a high chance for her getting UR, but that's exactly why I think she should start challenging 3As in competitions if she really wants it back. With or without URs, even with DG in worst cases, she has to start jumping them in competitions to overcome her nerves towards the challenge at some point. Waiting for her 3A to become totally perfect and then popping it in at a more important competition will make her too tense. I think it's important for her to get used to dealing with 3A once again by attempting them in competitions little by little. Although I hoped she'd achieve a 3-3 first, if her 3A is better at this point, I think it's better she starts jumping 3As now. She might as well get used to having her 3As back first, and then move on to including a 3-3 too. I don't think it's good for her to start including both of them at the same time, esp in much more important competitions like Worlds, or in the beginning of next season because she still tends to get very nervous at the start of a season.

linglang wrote:

I sometimes wonder how credible Mr. Minoru Sano is as a figure skating commentator (and now he is JSF officer right?) because he says Mao should try a 3A in FS.

It's fun to listen to his peculiar comments at competitions but I often found his comments less credible. It may be because I compare him to Takeshi and Shizuka who tell us about rules and techniques better than him.

I actually prefer Sano as a commentator (sorry). I think he's been telling us quite alot about the rules and elements as much as the other commentators, just more in a relaxed way. He doesn't just comment as a specialist, but he seems to really enjoy watching the skaters perform and makes me feel more excited; it's the same kind of feeling I get from British Eurosport commentators. And what I like most about him is his honesty. I'm not saying Honda and Shizuka aren't honest, but I sense that they're saying alot lesser than they really want to just to be on the safe side.

Plus, I for one agree with him that Mao should try her 3A in her FP not SP. Attempting a 3A in SP is far too risky. You only get to do a combo, a triple and an axel in SP, so if Mao attempts and messes up a 3A in her SP, the damage is huge. But if she attempts it in an FP, even if she falls, URs or DGs, she has plenty of other jumps which she can succeed with GOEs to cover that, along with a great SS in the end. She can also relax a bit more about including a 3A in her FP, if she can manage to get a good head start in SP. I still remember very clearly the first time Mao did a 3A in her SP at WTT and Sano said it was the most risky and craziest thing he'd ever seen in ladies singles. During her early jump reforming periods when Mao still attempted a 3A and couldn't succeed, we all saw how much that cost her and that Sano was right about how great a risk a 3A is in ladies SP. I'm pretty sure Sano always knows what he's talking about as much as Honda and Shizuka; he just doesn't use formal words and phrases as much as them, that's all. Oh and one more thing I like about Sano is that he's one of the very few people who can say 'no that's not true' to broadcast announcers (not commentators) when they say the wrong things. He'll say what he believes he should say even by ignoring the program script (which I think is basically trash because you never know what'll happen in a competition, so why talk only based on the script in the first place?).

But please note linglang that I've got nothing against you if our views on him differ. I have no problem with that at all. Still, I felt I had to say something good on his behalf, otherwise members outside our country will only be left with a bad impression on him, and I thought that would be a bit unfair for him. Maybe not all including you, but there are many others including me who admire Sano as a commentator as much as we all admire Honda and Shizuka.

ETA:Hokkaido (where Nats is being held this year) seems to be much colder than usual...all my figure skating fan friends living there are saying it's freezing cold. Hope none of the competitors catch cold! Mao, Akiko, Kanako please wear gloves!

AmazingGraceMao wrote:

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

I think that was a 3F-2Lo?

I guess you are right, I didn't look very carefully and assumed it was a toe jump

Lady's SP will start in about 30 mins.

For live update, probably try here:
http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/channel/live/show/winter/1459

Now there's already posting of program components for major competitors....just 2A for Mao

Dani-Chan wrote:

AmazingGraceMao wrote:

Dani-Chan wrote:

OMG Mao's outfit in the beginning of this is She also has a cute purse.
You can see her 3F-2T in this one and it looks good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSg9-BjgfF4

I think that was a 3F-2Lo?

I guess you are right, I didn't look very carefully and assumed it was a toe jump

It is a great jump and you are right about it.

Lots of speed going into the 3F, very good ice coverage, definitely no UR, hope she will do the same in the competition.

COHK wrote:

Lady's SP will start in about 30 mins.

For live update, probably try here:
http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/channel/live/show/winter/1459

Now there's already posting of program components for major competitors....just 2A for Mao

Thanks so much!! Third year in row I will be watching Japanese nationals on this website through the nonsensical google translate and with help of you guys

Thanks pochi for your opinion and no no don't worry, I really appreciate your input, no offense at all.

My bad. I though she had to change FS jump layout if she replaced 2A-3T with 3A. I re-checked and found out I'm wrong. Actually I like him, especially his peculiar way of talking, although because of that he sounds less credible to me. And, I follow a tweet that carries his fabulous comments in the past. His way of expression is really an instant mood booster.

So google translate announced Tomoko Miyahara next. Is she the sister of Satoko?

babayaga wrote:

COHK wrote:

Lady's SP will start in about 30 mins.

For live update, probably try here:
http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/channel/live/show/winter/1459

Now there's already posting of program components for major competitors....just 2A for Mao

Thanks so much!! Third year in row I will be watching Japanese nationals on this website through the nonsensical google translate and with help of you guys

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

I'm worried about the success ratio as well, but not much about UR. I think there's a high chance for her getting UR, but that's exactly why I think she should start challenging 3As in competitions if she really wants it back. With or without URs, even with DG in worst cases, she has to start jumping them in competitions to overcome her nerves towards the challenge at some point. Waiting for her 3A to become totally perfect and then popping it in at a more important competition will make her too tense. I think it's important for her to get used to dealing with 3A once again by attempting them in competitions little by little. Although I hoped she'd achieve a 3-3 first, if her 3A is better at this point, I think it's better she starts jumping 3As now. She might as well get used to having her 3As back first, and then move on to including a 3-3 too. I don't think it's good for her to start including both of them at the same time, esp in much more important competitions like Worlds, or in the beginning of next season because she still tends to get very nervous at the start of a season.

That is part of the reason that I want her to go for it. But let us just wait for while until she regains her form. Right now I think she needs to solve those UR issues in her jumps, add more speed into them and skate as clean as possible. Also, JSF may let Mao go to worlds no matter how she ends up in the national, but IMO, Mao should try to defend her national titles. As I am afraid if she is not the NO. 1 in Japan, it will affect her PCS in 4cc and worlds.

babayaga wrote:

So google translate announced Tomoko Miyahara next. Is she the sister of Satoko?

Hi, babayaga, I think that's a problem with google translation...I'd probably suggest to skip the person names, as they may not be faithfully translated! (To note: 宮原知子= Miyahara Satoko, but her first name 知子 in Japanese can also be read as "Tomoko", that's my guess.)

COHK wrote:

babayaga wrote:

So google translate announced Tomoko Miyahara next. Is she the sister of Satoko?

Hi, babayaga, I think that's a problem with google translation...I'd probably suggest to skip the person names, as they may not be faithfully translated!

Thanks COHK, unfortunately it's not just the names. Yu Matsuda just landed a triple flip, a triple-flops, she also landed triple true preferences

COHK wrote:

(To note: 宮原知子= Miyahara Satoko, but her first name 知子 in Japanese can also be read as "Tomoko", that's my guess.)

Oh, I see now. Thanks a lot for explanation!