Thophy Eric Bompard 2010

Mao has arrived Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqnjqaFlqA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Although hidden by superimpose, it's Taka-chan isn't it?
Sato sensei is there too.

It looks Mao is not back in shape yet. You can see that on her face.
But, it's OK because it takes time and she knows where she is now.

Go Mao! Just believe in yourself and keep moving on!!

ETA: Translation

Q: How do you feel now?
Mao: I've been practicing ... so I'll do my best.
Q: How are you doing with the jumps?
Mao: It's not getting bad. I think it's getting better. As a matter of fact, it's getting better. I believe that and I will do my best.
Mao: I will do what I can do. That's what I'm supposed to do. I'll concentrate on my performances. I want this competition to be the one that will bring me to a next step.

ahhh the wait is driving me crazy!

linglang wrote:

Mao has arrived Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqnjqaFlqA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Although hidden by superimpose, it's Taka-chan isn't it?
Sato sensei is there too.

It looks Mao is not back in shape yet. You can see that on her face.
But, it's OK because it takes time and she knows where she is now.

Go Mao! Just believe in yourself and keep moving on!!

Thank you for the clip!!

And thanks Pochi for the quote from Taka-chan. The speed and edges part sound very promising to me!

I can't wait!! Are we really only Tuesday night? (well at least for me lol...)

linglang wrote:

Mao has arrived Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqnjqaFlqA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Although hidden by superimpose, it's Taka-chan isn't it?
Sato sensei is there too.

It looks Mao is not back in shape yet. You can see that on her face.
But, it's OK because it takes time and she knows where she is now.

Go Mao! Just believe in yourself and keep moving on!!

Don't worry linglang, I'm sure she's just tired from the flight. It should take like 16 hrs or something from Japan to Paris I think. I used to go back and forth from London and Japan. Everybody looked just like Mao in the newsclip right after they got off the plane...like this smiley:

She has Takahiko and Sato with her, so she'll be her usual self by the weekend.

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

Takahiko's comment in the article:

'Mao has changed alot since finishing NHK. She has more speed now. Even through my eyes, the steps she had been taking one by one has added up to much improvement in her skating. There are certain edge sounds which make me feel good when skating. I hear the same sounds from Mao's skating recently. Now she only has to figure how to make use of this speed in her jumps. When you gain speed, the way to control your jumps will start to change. She'll have to skate more and more, so to get used to the speed I think'

I think we got some detailed info from Taka here about how Mao's skating has improved. I think we can look forward to TEB!

Thanks PochiPota for this information.
It sounds so promising!!
It's so good for Mao fans too to have Taka-chan beside Mao

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

linglang wrote:

Mao has arrived Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqnjqaFlqA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Although hidden by superimpose, it's Taka-chan isn't it?
Sato sensei is there too.

It looks Mao is not back in shape yet. You can see that on her face.
But, it's OK because it takes time and she knows where she is now.

Go Mao! Just believe in yourself and keep moving on!!

Don't worry linglang, I'm sure she's just tired from the flight. It should take like 16 hrs or something from Japan to Paris I think. I used to go back and forth from London and Japan. Everybody looked just like Mao in the newsclip right after they got off the plane...like this smiley:

She has Takahiko and Sato with her, so she'll be her usual self by the weekend.

That's true, PochiPota! Thanks for a relief.
Mao needs a bunch of yummy croissant!!

Actually I don't care her results this time.
I'm happy if Mao is happy about her outcome and if she is able to show us some progress.
On those matters, I'm sure I'll be happy!!

OMG tks girls Pochi and Linglang
I hope Mao lands the flip and the lutz, only this

I found the whole Asahi newspaper article on the web:
http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY201011240148.html

Here's a brief translation. Just brief, cause it's a long article:

Although Mao understands how worried people are around her concerning the NHK Cup results, she looks back on the competition as 'a good experience'.

'A message for children...what should I write? YAREBA DEKIRU(You can do it if you try) maybe? But who am I to say (in this condition)? I guess NISSHIN GEPPO (ever-progressing; constantly advancing) would be more appropriate'

This is what she said upon signing an autograph one day, after she ended in 8th place at NHK.

'What I'm doing in practice hasn't changed much even after NHK. But I try to make time to practice with Nobuo-sensei more. I go to Shinyokohama Skating Center, and Nobuo-sensei comes to Chukyo Univ. I feel that the jumps are becoming more an more my own compared to around NHK'

Many people must have wondered what had happened to Mao, if they had seen how she was in NHK Cup. However, she is taking things more calmly.

'It couldn't be helped. The chances of succeeding were low from before the competition started. I've started fixing my jumps from off-season, and NHK came around in the midst of my starting to get better at them. The timing of my jumps have changed, and I also jump with lesser vertical moves. In the official practice session for NHK, my jumps were in very good condition, even I was surprised myself. I think that raised people's hopes. But it was impossible to do in a competition, what I hadn't accomplished yet in practice, of course. I wasn't able to do most of my jumps, how could I have possibly won'

She was in a slump in the beginning of last season, but this time the situations are different than then.

'Last season, I was able to jump during practice, but not in competitions. But I'm doing my jumps all over from the start this season. We've fixed them, and I've finally become able to do all 6 of my jumps recently. Now I have to start jumping them in my pros, so the situtation is totally different from last season'

In a way, the competition (NHK) was a part of her practice.

'Although it's mortifying to show myself making mistakes in front of people, I think entering the (NHK) competition in even such a condition meant something. It was a way for me to confirm what kind of state I'm in as well. Experiencing many things there will lead to my trying harder in the future. I think that I won't be able to make any progress than now, unless I enter competitions'

Sato has told her that all she has to do at this point is 'to keep on skating more (so it grows on her)'. And that 'the important thing is to stack up (her practice) eveyday'. Although there has been no big change in how she practices, they have started a new approach.

'I've consulted with Nobuo-sensei, and we decided to do 3-4 sessions of an hour, or an hour & a half practice everyday. I also do training off the ice. I'm skating short periods at a time, very focused'

After NHK she had started to practice amongst over 10 skaters including Takahiko at Shinyokohama Skating Center. She is treated no specially than the others. It's only once that her pro music will be played during a session.

'When I practice at my university, I can play my music over and over, but not in Shinyokohama. That's why I can focus more. Because I have to focus on that one time. The order in which our music is being played differs each session, so if my music starts early, I have to adjust myself quickly. Also, many people are watching when I practice there, and I think that's important. It doesn't matter if I make mistakes. I must focus on that one time my music is being played, and I have to skate it through in front of the viewers. I feel I need this (atomosphere) now'

'Although everyone has their ups and downs, I won't allow myself to perform like I did in NHK Cup. I think I can perform better in TEB than NHK. I'm half way close to where I want to get. But what I'm aiming at now will be my average standards. Unless I complete that, I won't be able to go further'

Since she ended in 8th at NHK, it has become quite difficult for her to make finals. Still, she will face TEB with a refreshened feeling. Mao likes the phrase 'NISSHIN GEPPO'. She will enter the rink everyday, knowing that she is making progress.

Takahiko talks about Mao:

'We started practicing together before NHK with Sato-sensei. I think it's better to practice together than alone, because it adds more vigor'

'Before NHK, there were times she could jump, and there were times she couldn't during practice. I think there was more of the latter. So I think the results (for NHK) were aunavoidable, because it turned out just like how she was during practice'

'Mao has changed alot since finishing NHK. She has more speed now. Even through my eyes, the steps she had been taking one by one has added up to much improvement in her skating. There are certain edge sounds which make me feel good when skating. I hear the same sounds from Mao's skating recently. Now she only has to figure how to make use of this speed in her jumps. When you gain speed, the way to control your jumps will start to change. She'll have to skate more and more, so to get used to the speed I think'

-----------------------------------------end of article

Well, Mao has said most of what I'd imagined she would be thinking all this time. I'm glad I finally got to hear it from her, though. I have the impression that Mao had been practicing for a long time on her own; not just without a coach, but with no other skaters around. I think it's very good that she now has opportunities to practice amongst others. In fact I think it's extremely good, and that maybe this was what she needed all along. She can learn from watching others, and being watched by others. It will probabaly enhance her sense of objectivity towards her skills, and at the same time, I kind of think she will be relieved a certain amount from feeling like she's always struggling alone. Also, this kind of atomosphere must surely be closer to how she practiced when she was little, so it might be relaxing for her in a mental way maybe.

Thank you so much for posting Pochi!

I already feel good just reading about this article. It looks like Mao is really doing good progress and I can't wait to see how she performs in TEB. I'm really crossing my fingers that she'll be able to give a performance that will satisfy her so that we'll see her wonderful smile again.

And this:

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

Takahiko talks about Mao:

'We started practicing together before NHK with Sato-sensei. I think it's better to practice together than alone, because it adds more vigor'

Go taka! hehe...

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

I found the whole Asahi newspaper article on the web:
http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY201011240148.html

Here's a brief translation. Just brief, cause it's a long article:

Thanks Pochi for your full translation!

Taka looks at Mao closely. It is really nice to know his comments about her.

Mao has more speed and better skating stroke. It’s great! But with more speed, it is more difficult to control. I was always impressed by Yuna’s technique to control the take-off when she tried 3-3 combination. I hope that Mao also could learn the knack as soon as possible.

At Yokohama, Mao is allowed to do run through only once at one practice. I think it is good, because she has to concentrate more even during practice. The conditions of Chukyo Univ are too good.

SAKURA wrote:

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

I found the whole Asahi newspaper article on the web:
http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY201011240148.html

Here's a brief translation. Just brief, cause it's a long article:

Thanks Pochi for your full translation!

Taka looks at Mao closely. It is really nice to know his comments about her.

Mao has more speed and better skating stroke. It’s great! But with more speed, it is more difficult to control. I was always impressed by Yuna’s technique to control the take-off when she tried 3-3 combination. I hope that Mao also could learn the knack as soon as possible.

At Yokohama, Mao is allowed to do run through only once at one practice. I think it is good, because she has to concentrate more even during practice. The conditions of Chukyo Univ are too good.

does that mean that mao doesn't train in chukyo any longer, or does she still sometimes use chukyo eniv... and I don't know if I get it right but does mao only train for 1 and a half hour a day??? that's not much for an elite atlete, or did I get something wrong???

Thank you Pochi for the translation!! Now I have good feeling about TEB. I don't think Mao will be perfect, but I'm sure she will be better than in NHK. Maybe even the best? I hope so

Thank you, Pochi, for the translation.

klarification wrote:

Actually, I remember reading a translation from kumaneko (I think) that Mao stated that her power color is "red." That's why she insisted on wearing red during the Olympic season even when there is this huge belief that the OGM color is blue (which is, interestingly, the color of Yuna's FS costume!).

But when we talk about the power of red, the recent winners of Worlds are always in red. Maybe next year the 'red line' would be broken? We will never know!

I wonder how many skaters are superstitious regarding the dress color, though. For the past decade every single ladies world champion has been dressed in red, black or a combination thereof (except for Kwan in 2003) while the Olympic champion always wore some shade of blue. And there were lots of blue dresses last season. Strangely this season I think there are more purple dresses than usual (or maybe I'm just too fixated on Mao ).

I wonder if Mao plans to wear a different dress this competition? I'm secretly hoping she'll decide to wear the JO dress again.

I bet is very cold in France rn

^I am not sure why but I find their matching awkward smiles (probably because it was cold) adorable.

klarification wrote:

^I am not sure why but I find their matching awkward smiles (probably because it was cold) adorable.

And probably because they had the sun light facing them.
So cute aren't they.

ballerinamao wrote:

does that mean that mao doesn't train in chukyo any longer, or does she still sometimes use chukyo eniv... and I don't know if I get it right but does mao only train for 1 and a half hour a day??? that's not much for an elite atlete, or did I get something wrong???

Sorry for confusing you, ballerinamao.

As you know, she trains both at Yokohama and Chukyo.
I think that she can take advantage of training at two places with totally different conditions. Taking a practice at Yokohama might make Mao mentally tougher.

Dani-Chan wrote:

I bet is very cold in France rn

Mao =Sun. So adorable, thanks for posting!

Thank you Pochi for the translation!!

Mao's attitude sounds great going into this competition. She knows she's still not at the place she wants to be and that this competition will be one more stepping stone to get there. It's the fact that she'll get to try her jumps in a competitive setting that matters about this competition. I'm glad to see she has a great support system and a realistic view of her situation. I think we're going to see improvement in this competition, though I hope people aren't expecting her to execute everything perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing what Taka-chan was talking about in terms of her speed/edges. From what he says, it sounds like she's gained a lot of speed in her overall skating but not in her jumps, but she'll get there.

Can't wait. Like some of you said, I just can't wait to see Mao SKATE, period...I've missed seeing it way too much.

ballerinamao wrote:

does that mean that mao doesn't train in chukyo any longer, or does she still sometimes use chukyo eniv... and I don't know if I get it right but does mao only train for 1 and a half hour a day??? that's not much for an elite atlete, or did I get something wrong???

No, Mao does basically train in Chukyo Univ I think. It's been said that she travels to the Shinyokohama rink which is in Kanagawa (area located south from Tokyo) from time to time ( I don't know how often) to practice with Sato and his other students. There one practice session is around 1hr~1.5hrs, and she says she does 3~4 sessions of practice per day. It might be different when she is training in the Chukyo rink though.

Dani-Chan wrote:

I bet is very cold in France rn

I thought for a brief second that Mao and Takahiko accidentaly went to Russia instead of France! I heard that some parts of Europe including France are expecting some snow this week. If that's so, no wonder Mao looks like an Eskimo. Well, we have lots of coats with hoods, but you barely have a chance to actually make use of the hood around where Mao lives, so this may turn out to be a very rare photo of her.

bellarina wrote:

Mao's attitude sounds great going into this competition. She knows she's still not at the place she wants to be and that this competition will be one more stepping stone to get there. It's the fact that she'll get to try her jumps in a competitive setting that matters about this competition. I'm glad to see she has a great support system and a realistic view of her situation.

I felt the same, bellarina. Mao seems very realistic, and acknowledges her current situation from an objective point of view. I think Sato helps her out not only with the jumps, but also mentally. He has a long career in coaching, countless experiences teaching various types of skaters, so I think he probabaly knows already in which ways he should be guiding Mao through her jump reforms. If Sato says she's making progress, Mao will able to feel that way and not get too hasty. She probabaly trusts his judgements, and takes his advice seriously. This is very important I think when a skater is attempting something difficult as reforming their jumps. Mao had gotten so used to practicing alone, and she obviously did a fine job doing so, but it's safer to basically follow the advice of an expereinced coach right now.

I remember when Midori made a mistake in going on too strict a diet in the end of her competing days, did lose alot of weight but also lost all the strength and stamina she had as well. She once confessed years later that at that time, she was even afraid she wouldn't be able to skate her whole FP to the end. She admitted that she was mistaken about thinking that she could go through with it all by herself and not hiring a professional to take charge of her diet. This is one of the reasons, I am very grateful that the Weider staff are supporting her. And also one of the reasons I am starting to feel very grateful for Sato's presence near Mao.

aoi, you were right from the start! You've always said Mao should have a coach, even before the jump fixing issue came out. I used to think for a while that Mao may be okay with only having Nagakubo for her jumping coach, but I think I was wrong there. I think she definitely needed a proper coach to look after and support her esp this season now. If she didn't have Sato at this point, I would've been very worried for sure. I'm so glad the coaching situation turned out this way. She also has Takahiko around now, and that's great too!

bellarina wrote:

Thank you Pochi for the translation!!

Mao's attitude sounds great going into this competition. She knows she's still not at the place she wants to be and that this competition will be one more stepping stone to get there. It's the fact that she'll get to try her jumps in a competitive setting that matters about this competition. I'm glad to see she has a great support system and a realistic view of her situation. I think we're going to see improvement in this competition, though I hope people aren't expecting her to execute everything perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing what Taka-chan was talking about in terms of her speed/edges. From what he says, it sounds like she's gained a lot of speed in her overall skating but not in her jumps, but she'll get there.

Can't wait. Like some of you said, I just can't wait to see Mao SKATE, period...I've missed seeing it way too much.

I just want to see her progress, only this. I am not hoping she will win or land all the jumps, only to get better and better

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

aoi, you were right from the start! You've always said Mao should have a coach, even before the jump fixing issue came out. I used to think for a while that Mao may be okay with only having Nagakubo for her jumping coach, but I think I was wrong there. I think she definitely needed a proper coach to look after and support her esp this season now. If she didn't have Sato at this point, I would've been very worried for sure. I'm so glad the coaching situation turned out this way. She also has Takahiko around now, and that's great too!

I really went on a broken record about Mao's coaching situation earlier in the year, because I was so worried about her. But it's nice to see my thoughts being appreciated in hindsight. I think every skater needs a coach who is regularly available. It helps them in both the technical and mental aspects. And I agree with everyone who said that it will be good for Mao to practice with other skaters. I think one of the drawbacks of practicing alone and this applies to everything is that it's extremely difficult to objectively assess one's strengths and weaknesses. But when you're in a group, you notice things about yourself and others and you can also learn from others.
And she really couldn't have a better training buddy than Taka-chan. Of course I am hoping their training will blossom into something more.....

SAKURA wrote:

ballerinamao wrote:

does that mean that mao doesn't train in chukyo any longer, or does she still sometimes use chukyo eniv... and I don't know if I get it right but does mao only train for 1 and a half hour a day??? that's not much for an elite atlete, or did I get something wrong???

Sorry for confusing you, ballerinamao.

As you know, she trains both at Yokohama and Chukyo.
I think that she can take advantage of training at two places with totally different conditions. Taking a practice at Yokohama might make Mao mentally tougher.

thaanks for explaining the situation I really can't wait to see mao again!!!!!

Dani-Chan wrote:

bellarina wrote:

Thank you Pochi for the translation!!

Mao's attitude sounds great going into this competition. She knows she's still not at the place she wants to be and that this competition will be one more stepping stone to get there. It's the fact that she'll get to try her jumps in a competitive setting that matters about this competition. I'm glad to see she has a great support system and a realistic view of her situation. I think we're going to see improvement in this competition, though I hope people aren't expecting her to execute everything perfectly. I'm looking forward to seeing what Taka-chan was talking about in terms of her speed/edges. From what he says, it sounds like she's gained a lot of speed in her overall skating but not in her jumps, but she'll get there.

Can't wait. Like some of you said, I just can't wait to see Mao SKATE, period...I've missed seeing it way too much.

I just want to see her progress, only this. I am not hoping she will win or land all the jumps, only to get better and better

Agreed. To see any imporvement at all from Mo would be nice
But in this article she seems to have taken everything into account and she doesn't seem to be beating herself up or giving herself praise. There's just a lot of realism

I just want Mao to enjoy herself here. I want to see a smile on her face again.