Skate America

Batsuchan wrote:

However, I'm not sure she can be a "Queen" like Yu-Na. There is no question; when Yu-Na goes out there, she simply exudes confidence; you can read the "I'm totally going to kill this" look in her eye; she owns the arena.

Mao doesn't do that, even when she is feeling very confident. I don't think Mao has ever done that, and I'm not sure she ever will. It doesn't seem to fit her personality, the same way that "Queen Mao" sounds weird to me. She would never smile during a performance because she's thinking, "Look at me, I'm doing a great job and you're really enjoying it." She smiles because she's thinking, "OMG! I landed my triple axel, yay!' As she said in the 2003 interview, after she landed the triple-triple-triple, she just smiled naturally; she couldn't help it.

So yes, I would like Mao to go out there with confidence, but I think it might be too much to ask her to act like she owns the arena.

Let Yu-Na be a queen, but Mao, remember that you are an angel! That means superhuman!

I usually agree with you Batsuchan, but going against the popular consensus, I didn't agree with you when you said, "I'm not sure she can be a "Queen" like Yu-Na" Did you mean that you aren't sure Mao can be queen at all, or be queen for the same reasons Yuna is?

To me, the queen of figure skating is whoever's skating skating great consistnatly, and dominating. At the moment, yes, that would be Yuna. It kind of made me mad, that the whole Queen Yuna thing really started to stick right after Mao won worlds. That didn't really make sense to me ...

Yes, Yuna goes out there with lots of confidence, and gives a powerful performance, but I don't think that's all being queen should include. If Mao gets out of her slump, starts skating like we all know she can, and starts beating Yuna majority of the time, but she still isn't as confident, and powerful as Yuna, she can't be queen? Well Mao is my queen no matter what, but if that time comes, I hope the whole "Queen Yuna" thing will die down some, and people will give Mao her due credit. No, I'm not expecting her to get a "queen" title, cause most top skaters don't get that, but you get the idea.

I actually prefer "princess" over "queen" better. It's just cuter, and all girls want to be a princess. They don't really go beyond that and think "queen" instead. But I've never even wanted to try pinning "princess" onto Mao now that Yuna gets called "Queen"...

Star85 wrote:

I usually agree with you Batsuchan, but going against the popular consensus, I didn't agree with you when you said, "I'm not sure she can be a "Queen" like Yu-Na" Did you mean that you aren't sure Mao can be queen at all, or be queen for the same reasons Yuna is?

Sorry, I guess what I really meant by "Queen" was "DIVA." I in no way intended to imply that I thought Mao could never be as good as Yu-Na Kim. No, no, no! I absolutely, positively believe that Mao Asada is the best skater ever and has the potential to destroy the competition, every time.

But even if that were the case--if Mao were totally dominating--I just can't imagine Mao going out there and putting on this diva-esque attitude of "I'm of the best, and you know it!"--which is what I associate with the term "Queen."

But that's just me...

@ dlnnyc

I agree that Yu-Na is more "performer" and Mao more "artist."

Yu-Na has musicality, but for me, I feel like Yu-Na skates TO the music while Mao at her best BECOMES the music.

But I am well aware that different people have different tastes, and I respect that.

Although I consider Yu-Na's performances to be a little false and over-rehearsed, I know a lot of people (and judges!) think she's a passionate, dynamic, exciting performer. And while I am completely charmed by the way Mao uses her whole body to express the music, I know some people find her skating boring and expressionless.

I LOVE MAO! That's all I can say.

Yu-Na has musicality, but for me, I feel like Yu-Na skates TO the music while Mao at her best BECOMES the music.

But I am well aware that different people have different tastes, and I respect that.

Although I consider Yu-Na's performances to be a little false and over-rehearsed, I know a lot of people (and judges!) think she's a passionate, dynamic, exciting performer. And while I am completely charmed by the way Mao uses her whole body to express the music, I know some people find her skating boring and expressionless.


im glad you love mao the way you do. my opinion is that yuna connects amazingly to music. i was a music major and studied for years and i can tell she has the IT factor. typically people are strong in either technique or muscicality... it is rare to have both. yuna has both. for me and this is totally my opinion, mao has the technique and and beautiful soft, lyrical style however she doesnt connect to the music in the way i think people who have innate gifts in musicality. musicality is hard to learn and in fact one is born with it that can be nurtured. you can learn it but alot of it is intuition. re: my performer/artist comment. a performer wants to perform, to give something to the audience vs. an artist is more concerned about themselves and their vision. mao wants to do a perfect run of her programs but i never hear her desire to skate from her heart and to touch people. ok, i know i will get comments on that one.

also want to reiterate i am mesmerized by mao when she is on, she is brilliant. i like that she takes risks. i like her do or die attitude. i like her desire to push the sport by doing three 3A's because she is the only one who can do it.

you have to admit that consistency is a big weakness for her and she is not a sp skater.

dlnnyc wrote:

mao wants to do a perfect run of her programs but i never hear her desire to skate from her heart and to touch people. ok, i know i will get comments on that one.

I happen to think it's exactly her 'desire to skate from her heart' that makes her the 'artist'.

Quote :

you have to admit that consistency is a big weakness for her and she is not a sp skater.

She used to be a brilliant sp skater you know. and her consistency during her first senior season once made me go 'who can ever beat this girl!' Just things change sometimes. I don't think any skater has absolute consistency. yuna for one was inconsistent during several seasons. of course it had something to do with her injuries and all, but still.

dlnnyc wrote:

mao wants to do a perfect run of her programs but i never hear her desire to skate from her heart and to touch people. ok, i know i will get comments on that one.

Mao skates to win, just like Yu-Na, just like every other competitive skater out there. It's a null argument to base the standard of a skater's performance on their intentions, or their success in conveying their intentions to the audience.

Have I misunderstood what you were trying to say? Or were you just saying that you don't feel touched by Mao's performance?

In which case, I won't dispute your point, except to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And Mao touches me with her skating, which, in my opinion, is sufficient.

I agree with chineseteacup. Mao touches me too, especially "The Bells".

Hmm...I don't think any skater explicitly states: today in this competition, I'm going to go out there and touch people.

It's all about the context, all skaters want to do their best in every competition- I think in competitions they don't care as much about touching people as much as they want to do well in the competition.

Having said this, the beauty is when they manage to touch people without meaning to. Even though Mao doesn't specifically say, I am going to touch people, she does so anyway- which is why she has so many fans
However, she always skates from the heart, this has nothing to do with whether she wants to win or not.

I study music too, my Mom has too, for many years, and we both agree about Mao's innate musicality. I think it's a very debatable subject though, but I think Mao has amazing musicality! I'm sure if she was given a piece of music and was told to skate freely to it, she would do an amazing job, like she did in the Asience commercial- you can't tell me that she doesn't have an intuition for music after seeing that...or after seeing her programs.
I agree with Batsuchan, the way that Mao skates, it doesn't seem rehearsed, it's something she does that makes you see pure skating, pure feeling and movement on ice.

"Skate America" is generating a lot of debate lol

sapphiresky wrote:

Having said this, the beauty is when they manage to touch people without meaning to. Even though Mao doesn't specifically say, I am going to touch people, she does so anyway- which is why she has so many fans

Yes, this is the other point I wanted to make but forgot to When Mao skates, it seems that the beauty and grace she exudes are unconscious, which makes her performance all the more enjoyable to watch. When musicality is a by-product of a skater's skills, rather than the singular focus of their program, it is (in my opinion) better for the audience, because it leaves the audience free to relax and observe the program, rather than have the "artistry" forced upon them.