Mao News - The 2016 - 2017 Season!

Thanks for helping to clean up the site, polosatik. I hope you will visit often and thanks for your comment silenceisgolden and for the optimistic words from Mao. I thought about Mao saying that he mind had "rebooted." At first, I thought about a computer turning off and on to refresh it because it was bogged down with too many programs, but then I realized that Mao had changed her boots a couple of times this season and just went back to more traditional Revolution blades I believe. So, maybe Mao has "rebooted" because she has gotten used to her change in boots. Hoping Mao is tuned in to giving great performances at Nationals.  

 Here are Mao's step sequences from 2006 / 2007 -2013 / 2014 with some duplicates. This is really emotionally powerful and incredibly beautiful to watch. Chills down the back of the spine time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npYn0ahAivw

Marvelous Mao, you grace the ice like a stage in paradise.

I thought I would post this re-judging of the Sochi LP at naked ice by experienced and dedicated posters. Mao came out the winner by over 8 points.

http://thenakedice.blogspot.com/2016/10/well-be-judge-of-that-2014-sochi.html

So late in replying! Sorry!

I hope everything is okay with Mao. Also, I didn't know the website needed "cleaning". I didn't know there were that many people spamming.

Here is a really high quality fancam of Mao skating to Waltz Masquerade in her beautiful pink dress early in the Olympic season at an exhibition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apferrC2pFE

And here is a high quality video of Caprice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrNSnI3_tYU

And here is the best copy I could find of Scent of a Woman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8QVsi6_rgM

I love the choreography, spirals, spins, step sequences and costumes in all these programs.

Thanks polosatik!

* * *

This clip shows us what Mai says about Mao now on TV.
https://twitter.com/goddessofstsq/status/810790371760316417

Her injury: Not that serious.  

Her mental condition after the disappointed performances at GPS. :  
She doesn’t care about them anymore.
And Mai added that when she saw Mao last week, Mao landed good 3A(s?) and skated her LP without mistakes.
So Mai hopes that Mao can keep going on like this until Nationals.

What she is thinking now: She came back to competitions because she wanted to.  

Thanks for the message silenceisgolden.

rosewood has also posted information about Mai's comments referring to Mao's condition at the following site:
http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/inde...2#post-4959126 posts 352, 355 and 356.

Mao's practices are going better now than during the Grand Prix season, so hopefully she'll have a wonderful showing at Nationals.

Here are some lovely photos of Mao for a new calendar again thanks to rosewood for posting:

Here are links to photos for next year's calendar from Nepia. Her angelic purity is stunning.
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CPztSUUAAdMHq.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CPztQUQAA548w.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CPztOUAAABih_.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CPztPVIAAF-YY.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CQFPPUsAEW_mj.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CQFPQUoAAqDMw.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CQFPRUQAImwW6.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0CQFPSUQAA57Fc.jpg

I just love to see Mao smiling!


https://twitter.com/goddessofstsq/status/811140655145566208

"I'm back on track!"

https://twitter.com/gomaomai/status/811154593472053249

Thanks to begin for these glimpses of Mao's practices. She looks more relaxed and seems to be jumping better.
Good to see Mrs. Sato at the practices. She seems to help Mao relax.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x55rmm3_真央さんインタ-練習の様子_sport

Thanks to yhmafan for posting this tribute to Mao by a Japanese cameraman. I tried to translate it in google translate but the meaning was lost.

yhma's message
It’s a very good article about Mao written by a cameraman Mr. Yutaka Nagakubo. The article is full of love. I cried.

The title is “The cameras fell in love with her.”


【長久豊の撮ってもいい？話】

カメラも恋をする、と言ったら驚くだろうか。
冷徹な機械、ＩＣてんこ盛りでいまや家電製品のようになってしまったカメラに感情の入る余地などあるはずが ない。
だがボクの愛機はスケートをする彼女にいちずな思いを抱いている。
明るく照らされた本番の衣装は当然のように、暗い室内、コントラストのない地味な練習着の彼女にさえも、そ の姿を追いピントを合わせ続ける。
他の選手とは合焦率（ピントの合う確率）が違う。カメラのやる気が違うのだ。

だがキヤノンであれニコンであれ彼の恋敵は多いようだ。「実はオレのカメラも」という同業者は 数知れず。

　「真央ちゃんはピント合うんだよなあ」

　そう、片思いのお相手は浅田真央選手である。

恋の動機は単純なもの。
彼らのＡＦ（オートフォーカス＝自動焦点）機構は被写体の上下左右の細かなブレを嫌う。体軸のしっかりした 滑らかなスケーティング。
浅田選手やイタリアのカロリーナ・コストナー選手こそが彼らの好みなのだ。

１５歳、ピアノの鍵盤の上を弾むように跳び、ＧＰファイナルを制した真央ちゃん。

今は五線譜の上を滑らかに、時として激しく、隠れた音さえも表現していく浅田選手。
スポーツと芸術性の両立がフィギュアスケートの原点、その比重が時の流れとともに変わっていくのは自然なこ とだ。

ＧＰシリーズ・フランス大会以来、彼女についてさまざまな臆測の類いが飛んだ。だがカメラという機械はその スケーティング技術がいまだに世界トップであるという事実を語る。

全日本選手権はボクとボクの愛機は東京でお留守番。
同業のライバルたちは今季の印象的なアイラインメークを強調した写真、ステップの振り返りをアップで狙う（ こう書くとライバルたちも狙いづらいはず。
これも老かいなテクニックの一つ）であろう。
カメラに愛される浅田選手だからできる撮り方だ。演技後の彼女には笑ってほしいが、写真は再来年まで待って ほしいというのが、留守番カメラマンとわが愛機の本音だ。

２０１２年、フランス・ニースでの世界選手権を取材した。
そこには練習、本番を通じて連続５６回、トリプルアクセルを失敗する浅田選手の姿があった。だがボクの愛機 が心を奪われ、いちずな思いを寄せるようになったきっかけはそれではない。
抜けてしまったジャンプや氷に叩きつけられるような激しい転倒にも心折れずに５６回、立ち直っ た姿だ。

だから彼女は大丈夫、きっと大丈夫、絶対大丈夫。何度でも何度でも立ち上がると愛機が言う。

ボクもそう思う。

◆長久保　豊（ながくぼ・ゆたか）◆Sorry it's in Japanese. If someone could translate it into English it will be great. [​IMG]

3A!

https://twitter.com/mdspl925/status/812173923202703361

silenceisgolden wrote:

3A!

https://twitter.com/mdspl925/status/812173923202703361

Thank you!!!

Her 3A's look good. At least she's rotating them. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if it is fully rotated. I just want her best to show.

Here is a clip of Mao doing a 3F / 3 L and a 3 F / 2 L / 2 L tano. Beautiful to see. Thanks fo nolangoh for posting.

https://youtu.be/8iSe-o8N7fY 1:44-1:56

The latest picture of Mao~!

I wish the best for Mao tomorrow in the LP. She has given me more than any other skater ever so I wish she would relieve the pressure, relax, and give a performance she is completely satisfied with. Having not seen the SP performance and not knowing how to find it anywhere, it is hard to say, but many on twitter have commented that Mao's presentation was very beautiful and that Mao's score was too low for just missing the triple axel because even with it she would have 70 points at most or at least that is what I was able to make out from the online translation.


https://twitter.com/goddessofstsq

Maooooooo

I know the title isn't pleasant, but I thought this was very interesting.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/12/27/figure-skating/time-mao-change-direction-give/#.WHF007G-KRs

Time for Jack Gallagher to change direction or give it up

I actually agree with the part about Sato. A great technical consultant, but mediocre coach. He is not motivational, or even motivated enough.

I think Gallagher has an insidious habit of "trying" to undermine Mao whenever possible and he often tries to use backdoor tactics to do it. But, he is known to be a huge fan of Yuna Kim. Many fans of Yuna Kim are very kind and highly complimentary to Mao, others like Gallagher are not. Gallagher often makes allusions to Yuna Kim directly or indirectly, as he does yet again with Brian Orser, in many of his articles about Mao while providing condescending passive aggressive "advice" and commentary that gives a superficial appearance of being constructive on one side, while undermining Mao on the other- a kind of bait and switch, sensationalist tactic to lure people to his website so he can profit equally from views of those who approve and disdain his articles. In my opinion, I think it is best to take the advice of how to treat a troll and that is stay away and don't feed his visits. Why does Mao skate now and why does she downplay her injury? I don't know but perhaps the reason is in the title of the fan thread itself, "For the love of skating" and to be noble by not complaining and because of the great appreciation she gets from her fans and those who watch skating and see the great beauty of her performances beyond the mistakes. I don't know if it is true but I have heard that Mao wanted to use Nationals as a stepping stone to improving and perfecting her performances and she certainly improved in all facets from Trophy of France and in my opinion her performance was also an improvement over Skate America in skating skills, step sequence, the triple flip and loop, the triple lutz and the double axel triple toe. Mao also was able to do triple axels in practice and even in warmup in front of a large crowd and she had the guts to attempt it in competition which was a big step forward. The relatively huge view counts on youtube for the competition and compliments for Mao's performances belie the extremely harsh criticism, though she admittedly made mistakes. I like so many others am so glad to see her skate. I watched a performance of Janet Lynn's shortly after Nationals and then watched Mao's performance and thought how the skating skills and expression reminded me of that classical time gone by in a way no other skater does today and I like Mao's even more. It was an enchanting trip down memory lane.

The Olympics is overrated and the scores are often "staged or fixed." They have been unfair in scoring Mao just as Mao's Worlds 2016 LP was heavily deflated in relative placement and score. But, I would like Mao to go to the Olympics again because it is her goal to go and I would like to see her give more legendary performances like landing 3 triple axels in Vancouver, her Vancouver SP or her Sochi LP and this time to combine them in one, but I do not evaluate her performances based on her evaluation by judges under COP. I decide for myself. It is also my sincere hope that Mao can develop her performances for the world to see outside the tight, narrowly defined and biased constraints of COP, the ISU and JSF. Mao's skating while athletic is more of a great expression of performance art to me that I do not like to watch be judged under a system that doesn't value the qualities I do. It is just the price I must pay to see her skate. Like someone assigning a numerical value to a painting and saying it is greater than the one I love or doing the same with a musical composition that I love.

Thanks for rosewood for this information about Mao's vacation. I think it's OK to post this info now since probably she's already left the place. Seems Mao visited Sri Lanka for about a week and enjoyed Ayurveda.   (IIRC she mentioned about her dream of visiting Sri Lanka for Ayurvea a few years back.)
https://www.facebook.com/jetwing.ayurveda.pavilions/

Here are some 1080 60 fps videos of some beautiful performances by Mao:

Here are some more very high quality video (1080 60 fps) of Mao's performances:

Claire de Lune at WTT 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xzQiw8019A

Scent of a Woman Worlds 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDO8x78o5xQ

2012 NHK Tophy SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNfS-7asNlg


Here is very high quality copy of Mao's Swan Lake at the Japan Open in 2012 that was just posted. Such a lovely, subtle and beautifully expressive performance to see in such high quality. I miss Mao's skating already.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNOqrQeYs18

And more beautiful performances. Here are Mao's SP and LP from Skate America in high quality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDVhJoLnAC8

Happy 3rd anniversary to Mao for her Sochi LP which is the greatest performance I have ever seen and the reason I am on this forum. Every time I watch, the great ebb and flow of emotions are an awe inspiring tidal surge washing in from the ocean which mix turbulence and tranquility into a grandiose synergy that make tears well up in my eyes like the swelling tides. February 20, 2017

I too cannot help but feel a sense of remembrance every 20th of February. 3 years on, I still think about it. It was just that big of an impact.

She drew upon the tragic circumstances and expressed it in the skating - it was a real-life incident unfolding and she made it into an immortal performance.

I wonder if Mao go back to training I miss her, I hope she will make it in the Olympic team

Sam here. I miss her dearly, too. I always wonder what is doing at the moment. It's hard to be updated, knowing especially that she does not have social media. I've tried going to golden skate, fsuniverse, and twitter. There aren't any updates.

I wonder what motivates Mao to move ahead next season, I wonder if Mao has to have the same great feeling of powerful beauty within from a performance in order to deliver the same sense to so many in the audience. I wonder if the flowers and gifts that rain down on her after performances, even ones with mistakes like her Nationals LP, or seeing so many people in the front row some in tears standing in line hoping that she will greet them and take their bouquet, I wonder if this is something like a medal in and of itself, or even more because it is an outpouring of love with a source that isn't dependent on a score and in that sense unconditional. Maybe, skating is a vital part of her being that comes as naturally as breathing and to be deprived of it is like losing a part of her essence. I know for me personally that I enjoyed some of the performances at Junior Worlds though I did like one skater the best, but when I returned to watch Mao's Nationals LP I was again overwhelmed at how transcendent the beauty of even her flawed performances can truly be.

I also remember reading a post that one reason Mao decided to return to competitive skating is because after volunteering and visiting people in villages that I believe were struck by tragedy and meeting many people who had dedicated themselves to some work their entire life that she too wished to do something through to its completion, so that there were no regrets for competitive performances left undone, and even if she isn't really given a chance, no matter how grand the performances, then Nationals are the ones left undone, though I hope so dearly she can make it to the Olympics. That Mao may have regrets in coming back shows the dual sides that any decision can have in life, but beyond the mistakes the beautifully moving skating remains and a few performances in her return have shown through like timeless jewels that would have never seen the light of day if she hadn't decided to stay in skating.

I also wonder if Mao’s mind is in a spirit world where ideals and sincere commitment to a cause mean more than merely fitting into the whims and decisions made by a limited system, though she is willing to submit at least partially to its judgment, though I wish to believe not as much as it seems, and I wonder if it is this far away dream that makes her continue on even if the odds are so long, after falling out of a favor which she never had in the first place. I wonder if the terms spacey and monk-like that I have heard used to describe her are a manifest sign of her devotion to fulfilling an illusive ideal she sees lying somewhere beyond the horizon that she incredibly realizes sometimes. Perhaps within a system in which the transcendent beauty and power of her performances has never seemed to really fit and be fully seen for what it truly is, there has been an enduring conflict of spirit and empiricism like the letter and spirit of the law in judgment.

I don't really know why Mao continues on. It is a mystery full of intricate twists that the thread of logical argument can't unravel, the key to which I can't explain any better than the lovely conundrum of how her performances capture my heart and soul. To unlock it is to lose the beautiful illusion. I can't imagine how incredible it must feel to be the source of what makes others experience this magnificence from a performance. So maybe this is what inspires her to continue.

Also, the latest article about Mao. It indicates that Mai Asada, a professional figure skater, updated her twitter on Tuesday, and uploaded a photo of a cake that was shaped like a rose flower made by Mao Asada, The article states that it is a rose flower Microbious Zucott cake which is a sweet that does not use eggs or dairy products and can be eaten with people with allergies to these products. From google translate, the article indicates that "Mao-chan seems to be healthy and relieved" and states that she is preparing for next season." Comments were also gratefully acknowledged to the tweet that understands Mao's present condition. https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=2...000071-dal-spo

I believe this is a picture of the cake Mao made. She is an artist in cooking, in writing her autograph and in her performances: https://postimg.org/image/3u9ha2mnp/

Here is an adorable picture of Mao hugging a little girl who says said, "I love your performances." I think Mao is with Laurie Nichol, but I don't know when the photo was taken and if it is Laurie for sure.

https://twitter.com/azayakanablue/status/844889937719705600/photo/1