Cup of Russia 2010/ 19-21 Nov

ddmm wrote:

3 japanese girls at the GPF ! WOW

But none of them is Mao.

Miki had the higher TES, while Akiko had better PCS. Sounds right to me.
Congratulations to Miki, Akiko and Ashley! The top 3 did really well today.

ddmm I love your new avatar!

ddmm wrote:

3 japanese girls at the GPF ! WOW

Yea I know. (I just wish Mao would be there too. ) But congrats to the medalists. Oh, I am kinda glad Tomas Verner won over Patrick here. I heard that both Patrick and Yuzuru zayaked? Is it the Oda influence?

And again 2 more medals for team Japan! Its unbelievable in every event the jap. skater bring medals!

And 3 of the ladies in the GPF? Wow, then it might be a hard fight for the spot to the worlds i think! Is it like last year to the olympics? Like the one who finishes best in the GPF may go already?

aoi88 wrote:

ddmm I love your new avatar!

ddmm wrote:

3 japanese girls at the GPF ! WOW

Yea I know. (I just wish Mao would be there too. ) But congrats to the medalists. Oh, I am kinda glad Tomas Verner won over Patrick here. I heard that both Patrick and Yuzuru zayaked? Is it the Oda influence?

Thanks aoi88. He is handsome

Yeah...no Mao.... But I hope she performs well at TEB. Ladies are not that exciting to watch when Mao is not there.

I'm another one who's SUPER happy that BIG MOUTH ended 2nd
Congrat to VERNER !!!! yay!!!!

Yaay! We got to see the ladies' competition live this time on TV in Japan! And our girls made 1st and 2nd! :joker:

I liked Akiko's performance a little more than Miki's this time, but 5 jumps in the latter half is more than convincing, I have no complaints about the rankings. Obviously Miki was in pain, but she did well. She's become such a strong skater mentally. She seems to be able to adjust to any kind of condition now and fully perform in any case. I hope Mao can be like that soon.

I'm also happy that Ashley made the podium. It feels like it's been a while since I saw her make it.

But I feel low about Macarova...I expected much more from her this season. I hope she gets better by the end. But I quite enjoyed watching Biryukova. I think she has potential, and will be looking forward to her future performances.

I noticed that Nagakubo sent Akiko out onto the rink with a smile again. That's one of the main reasons I like Nagakubo and Akiko. To be honest, I think I haven't seen Mao smiling before a performance in a long long time...I know there's more pressure on her shoulders compared to Akiko, but I wish she'd manage to get her smile back. She used to smile alot before she started a performance when she was little. I miss that.

aoi88 wrote:

Yea I know. (I just wish Mao would be there too. ) But congrats to the medalists. Oh, I am kinda glad Tomas Verner won over Patrick here. I heard that both Patrick and Yuzuru zayaked? Is it the Oda influence?

The Japanese men all seem to go through it at least once in their competitive career (save Kozu).
As for PatC, well...maybe Tono's ancestors swooped in for some supernatural intervention after the farce at Skate Chanada?
The judges would have given PatC the win at Rostelecom after all if it wasn't for the extra combo.

Haidogirl wrote:

And 3 of the ladies in the GPF? Wow, then it might be a hard fight for the spot to the worlds i think! Is it like last year to the olympics? Like the one who finishes best in the GPF may go already?

Not exactly. The guidelines for selecting the team for Worlds is still pretty similar but there's no automatic spot given to the top finisher at GPF this time.
The guidelines are as follows:

1) GP + GPF performance
2) Makes the podium at Nats
3) ISU Rank

Past placements at Worlds are also considered. I'll be repeating what I already said at the General News thread, but as long as Mao skates well at Nats and makes the podium, she'll be fine.
.
.
We'll finally see Mao skate again next week!

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

I noticed that Nagakubo sent Akiko out onto the rink with a smile again. That's one of the main reasons I like Nagakubo and Akiko. To be honest, I think I haven't seen Mao smiling before a performance in a long long time...I know there's more pressure on her shoulders compared to Akiko, but I wish she'd manage to get her smile back. She used to smile alot before she started a performance when she was little. I miss that.

I also think one factor is because Akiko is a survivor. She endured a painful personal journey (as I'd imagine for anyone who had an eating disorder) and now she has come out stronger. Her past experiences also become a source of inspiration for her to prove herself on the ice. I think once Mao endures through her struggles, she can have that sense of strength again. But I'm with you in that I really want to see Mao smile again and I don't want her to overwork herself. Btw, Pochi, did you read my recent PM. (It sort of addresses similar issues ).

aoi88 wrote:

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

I noticed that Nagakubo sent Akiko out onto the rink with a smile again. That's one of the main reasons I like Nagakubo and Akiko. To be honest, I think I haven't seen Mao smiling before a performance in a long long time...I know there's more pressure on her shoulders compared to Akiko, but I wish she'd manage to get her smile back. She used to smile alot before she started a performance when she was little. I miss that.

I also think one factor is because Akiko is a survivor. She endured a painful personal journey (as I'd imagine for anyone who had an eating disorder) and now she has come out stronger. Her past experiences also become a source of inspiration for her to prove herself on the ice. I think once Mao endures through her struggles, she can have that sense of strength again. But I'm with you in that I really want to see Mao smile again and I don't want her to overwork herself. Btw, Pochi, did you read my recent PM. (It sort of addresses similar issues ).

Yeah, Akiko is a bit special in that sense. You can always feel how much she appreciates just being back on the ice. I hope Mao can be like that someday. But Mao is much youner than Akiko. I guess you need more experience to reach that state of mind. That's one of the other reasons I think it's good for Mao to be entering competitions while she's still fixing her jumps btw. Mao's always been in the top group, at almost every age, in almost every competition she ever entered. So it's painful to watch, but it might be a good experience for her to see what it's like to be otherwise. Miki had some bad times in the past, but she's grown to be a very mentally strong person because of them. Just like Dai overcoming his injury and missing a season because of it, I think most top athletes have the strength to overcome difficulties and make such experiences their strength. I'm sure Mao can do it too. Can't believe it's going to be TEB already next week...aoi, I'll mail you back soon!

Congratulations Miki and Akiko!!!
Even with the back injury, Miki's performance gets stronger and stronger

I wish the Japanese ladies their best at GPF.
It's already going to be TEB next week. I can't believe it. I hope it'll turn out to be a great Thanksgiving weekend.

clovera wrote:

aoi88 wrote:

Yea I know. (I just wish Mao would be there too. ) But congrats to the medalists. Oh, I am kinda glad Tomas Verner won over Patrick here. I heard that both Patrick and Yuzuru zayaked? Is it the Oda influence?

The Japanese men all seem to go through it at least once in their competitive career (save Kozu).
As for PatC, well...maybe Tono's ancestors swooped in for some supernatural intervention after the farce at Skate Chanada?
The judges would have given PatC the win at Rostelecom after all if it wasn't for the extra combo.

Haidogirl wrote:

And 3 of the ladies in the GPF? Wow, then it might be a hard fight for the spot to the worlds i think! Is it like last year to the olympics? Like the one who finishes best in the GPF may go already?

Not exactly. The guidelines for selecting the team for Worlds is still pretty similar but there's no automatic spot given to the top finisher at GPF this time.
The guidelines are as follows:

1) GP + GPF performance
2) Makes the podium at Nats
3) ISU Rank

Past placements at Worlds are also considered. I'll be repeating what I already said at the General News thread, but as long as Mao skates well at Nats and makes the podium, she'll be fine.
.
.
We'll finally see Mao skate again next week!

When you take all of those requirements into consideration, it's quite likely that Mao will still be competing at worlds

Really excited for Mao next week! Even the smallest sign of improvement will be enough for me!
Oh and congrats to Miki and Akiko! Team Japan is looking quite unbeatable right now!
Imagine if it's only Japanese ladies on the podium for GPF!

ddmm wrote:

3 japanese girls at the GPF ! WOW

And Taka-chan only needs to finish 4th or higher at TEB to make it 3 japanese men in the Final as well... WOW!

Figure_skating_love wrote:

clovera wrote:

aoi88 wrote:

Yea I know. (I just wish Mao would be there too. ) But congrats to the medalists. Oh, I am kinda glad Tomas Verner won over Patrick here. I heard that both Patrick and Yuzuru zayaked? Is it the Oda influence?

The Japanese men all seem to go through it at least once in their competitive career (save Kozu).
As for PatC, well...maybe Tono's ancestors swooped in for some supernatural intervention after the farce at Skate Chanada?
The judges would have given PatC the win at Rostelecom after all if it wasn't for the extra combo.

Haidogirl wrote:

And 3 of the ladies in the GPF? Wow, then it might be a hard fight for the spot to the worlds i think! Is it like last year to the olympics? Like the one who finishes best in the GPF may go already?

Not exactly. The guidelines for selecting the team for Worlds is still pretty similar but there's no automatic spot given to the top finisher at GPF this time.
The guidelines are as follows:

1) GP + GPF performance
2) Makes the podium at Nats
3) ISU Rank

Past placements at Worlds are also considered. I'll be repeating what I already said at the General News thread, but as long as Mao skates well at Nats and makes the podium, she'll be fine.
.
.
We'll finally see Mao skate again next week!

When you take all of those requirements into consideration, it's quite likely that Mao will still be competing at worlds

Really excited for Mao next week! Even the smallest sign of improvement will be enough for me!
Oh and congrats to Miki and Akiko! Team Japan is looking quite unbeatable right now!
Imagine if it's only Japanese ladies on the podium for GPF!

I don't think Japan federation can consider not sending their own current world champion to worlds this year in Tokyo! I'm pretty sure Mao will make it

So Grand Prix Final competitors will be?

Men
Takahashi Daisuke
Kozuka Takahiko
Patrick Chan
Tomas Verner
Oda Nobunari
Abbott or Mroz

Ladies
Miki Ando
Carolina Kostner
Murakami Kanako
Suzuki Akiko
Rachael Flatt
Alissa Czisny