Japanese Nationals 2010 - PBP/Spoilers ONLY

Congrats Mao!
Congrats Miki!
Congrats Akkiko!
Congrats Kanako!

Merry Christmas to everyone and a happy new year's =)

snowdrops24 wrote:

ETA: Ooops, one more update:

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/winter/skate/figure/text/201012270003-spnavi_1.html

青嶋-san has updated her column, covering Mao's performance at nationals. A very interesting read, since it contains a lot of quotes from Sato-sensei and kumiko-sensei.

Thanks snowdrops24!!

It was a really good read, and I'll try to translate it tomorrow if I have time, but there is one tidbit I absolutely had to share!

One of the things I really enjoyed about Nationals was seeing Mao interact with Nobuo-sensei and especially Kumiko-sensei. Kumiko-sensei seemed sooo happy for Mao, it just made me

So here's a quote from Kumiko-sensei, from the middle of the second page:

"I thought I would just kind of stay on the side and watch how things were going, but I've gotten quite caught up in Mao-chan and my husband's (Coach Nobuo)'s pace. Over these past few months, it seems like they've come to understand each other very well. He treats Mao-chan like a grandchild, so Takahiko (Kozuka) has been upset. He said, 'Nobuo-sensei, how come you treat her differently from me?!' (Laughs)" (Coach Kumiko)



That's definitely been my impression though. Nobuo-sensei seems like he's generally so quiet and serious, but after Mao finished her LP, even he couldn't help but smile.

That is what our Mao-chan does, isn't it? Everyone who coaches her can't help but treat her like a beloved grandchild or baby. Machiko-sensei was, and still is, like a grandmother. Even Rafael called her a baby with a heart of a tiger. And we all know that TAT simply adored Mao. And now it seems like Sato-sensei and Kumiko-sensei are the latest "victims" to Mao's charm.

Batsuchan, thank you for sharing a portion of the article! I look forward to reading the translated version.

BTW, this may seem random, but I miss your posts on your blog. I think maybe an update and your thoughts about Mao's journey this season would be a good way to close the year of 2010. I've always enjoyed reading your posts about Mao!

Batsuchan wrote:

snowdrops24 wrote:

ETA: Ooops, one more update:

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/winter/skate/figure/text/201012270003-spnavi_1.html

青嶋-san has updated her column, covering Mao's performance at nationals. A very interesting read, since it contains a lot of quotes from Sato-sensei and kumiko-sensei.

Thanks snowdrops24!!

It was a really good read, and I'll try to translate it tomorrow if I have time, but there is one tidbit I absolutely had to share!

One of the things I really enjoyed about Nationals was seeing Mao interact with Nobuo-sensei and especially Kumiko-sensei. Kumiko-sensei seemed sooo happy for Mao, it just made me

So here's a quote from Kumiko-sensei, from the middle of the second page:

"I thought I would just kind of stay on the side and watch how things were going, but I've gotten quite caught up in Mao-chan and my husband's (Coach Nobuo)'s pace. Over these past few months, it seems like they've come to understand each other very well. He treats Mao-chan like a grandchild, so Takahiko (Kozuka) has been upset. He said, 'Nobuo-sensei, how come you treat her differently from me?!' (Laughs)" (Coach Kumiko)



That's definitely been my impression though. Nobuo-sensei seems like he's generally so quiet and serious, but after Mao finished her LP, even he couldn't help but smile.

That is what our Mao-chan does, isn't it? Everyone who coaches her can't help but treat her like a beloved grandchild or baby. Machiko-sensei was, and still is, like a grandmother. Even Rafael called her a baby with a heart of a tiger. And we all know that TAT simply adored Mao. And now it seems like Sato-sensei and Kumiko-sensei are the latest "victims" to Mao's charm.

Awwww Thanks for the translation Batsuchan hehehe! I couldn't help but giggle seeing Coach Sato's smile after Mao's LP...it was just so cute!!! When a man who seems so serious all the time smiles like that, you just can't help but wonder about Mao's "powers" haha.
I'll always remember what Coach Machiko said to Mao about being a skater that everyone likes. And it's true! The appreciation from the crowd as Mao did her SP and LP was breathtaking! It's not even just her skating, she has a personality that just makes you want to cheer for her! Even Tracy Wilson said in the beginning of the season that even when there are other skaters up and coming, even when Mao isn't doing so well, people just adore Mao and want more of her haha!

Batsuchan wrote:

He treats Mao-chan like a grandchild, so Takahiko (Kozuka) has been upset. He said, 'Nobuo-sensei, how come you treat her differently from me?!' (Laughs)" (Coach Kumiko)

Taka is jealous of Mao being coach's new pet. Sorry Taka! Everyone loves Mao (including YOU! )

snowdrops24 wrote:

And here is a news clipping written by Arakawa Shizuka on Mao's performance yesterday. Perhaps someone could help translating the important tidbits for us. Arakawa is very encouraging in this article.

http://p.twipple.jp/SUYae

Thanks for this article too, snowdrops24!

Here is what Arakawa-san had to say:

An important step for Mao
Shizuka Arakawa

With today’s performance, I think Asada was able to dispel [all her worries]. Her triple axel was judged underrotated, and while I can’t say it was perfect, she was able to bring out a high-quality performance. Even her jumps were launched without any hesitation. If she can get it right once, then she is a skater who has always had high ability. I think things will start moving smoothly from here.

Jumps are a kind of thing where if you hesitate right before you launch it, you’ll ruin the timing. When you are young, you only know one type of timing, so you can jump without hesitating. However, as you grow, you have to adjust the timing, and as you master all kinds of patterns, you end up wavering for a moment between what your body learned a long time ago and the new technique you have just learned. I also had this same experience.

For the jumps that you used to be able to do without thinking, there is a period when if you think about them, you are not able to do them. If you are able to overcome this, then even if you have to think about the jumps, you become able to do them. If you reach that point, you can evaluate your condition and control your jumps. That’s why I think this was a big step for Asada. I think this trial and error period was necessary.

This season, even though it was painful and tough, she never averted her eyes; she faced herself, and that is why she was able to find this strength. I think this experience has made Asada even stronger.

***
A very nice article from Shizuka, indeed.

I have to say, though, that Arakawa-san and Yaginuma-san are not my favorite commentators, however. Perhaps I'm just crazy, but I sometimes feel like they're not really "genuine"--that they say the "right" thing to say rather than what they really think. Perhaps Midori Ito was not as professional sounding, but it always seemed like her genuine thoughts... And the occassional "とべ～！” [Jump!!] was really entertaining too.

Arakawa-san did have some more nice comments during Mao's EX though. After Mao landed the 3Lo, she said "Now that her jumps have become stable, it seems like Asada's good qualities have really come back throughout the program as a whole. The delicateness and beauty of this kind of classic melody really brings out Asada's good qualities. This kind of skater who makes you think "How pretty!" just by watching her skate is very hard to find."

Indeed it is!

Yaginuma-san (? I think it's her) also made a comment about it being difficult to do a program like this which highlights basic skating unless you have good basics and balance.

Some nice words from Shizuka. Thanks Batsuchan!

"This kind of skater who makes you think "How pretty!" just by watching her skate is very hard to find."
She's got that right! That's one of the biggest reasons Mao is my favorite skater!

klarification wrote:

Batsuchan, thank you for sharing a portion of the article! I look forward to reading the translated version.

BTW, this may seem random, but I miss your posts on your blog. I think maybe an update and your thoughts about Mao's journey this season would be a good way to close the year of 2010. I've always enjoyed reading your posts about Mao!

Why thank you very much, klarification! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy my blog. I've been really bad and lazy and neglected my blog, but when I read things like this, then I feel motivated.

For now, here is the full article by Hirono Aoshima:

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/winter/skate/figure/text/201012270003-spnavi.html

The decision Mao Asada made with her coach
Japan Nationals: Ladies singles

The men are lovely. The ladies are strong!

“In figure skating, the men are lovely, aren’t they?”
During the all-Japan National Championships, this is what I was told by a female journalist who was covering sports for the first time.
They are boys who purposely chose figure skating from the many different sports.
Because there are 10 times as many girls competing as boys, you cannot become a National-level skater if you can’t do the jumps, so inevitably there are a lot of athlete-type girls. On the other hand, among the recent boys, there are many artist-by-nature types, and among the 6 skaters in the final group, the young skaters and the veterans have charm that rivals their jumping ability.

However, after the ladies’ free program, this is what I blurted out to that female journalist:
“In figure skating, the women are strong, don’t you think?”

The three skaters who will represent Japan at the World Championships: Miki Ando (Toyota Motor Co), Mao Asada (Chuukyou University), and Kanako Murakami (Chuukyou University Chuukyou High School). And then there are the three skaters who will compete at the Junior World Championships: Risa Shoji, Yuki Nishino and Miyabi Oba. At the Japan nationals, which are full of tension, each and every one of them gave close to perfect performances.
In particular, seeing one good performance after another in the final group was impressive, and it was a strong contrast to the men, where there were six quad jumpers and yet not a single one landed a quad successfully.

“The men are lovely. The ladies are strong!”
It was a Nationals that showed this established theme once again.

The decision after the 6-minute warm-up

The strong Japanese ladies. Among them, Mao Asada’s comeback was definitely brilliant.
First and foremost, everyone was focused on the triple axel in the short program (SP).
At the NHK Trophy and the Trophee Eric Bompard, after missing this first big element, her SP and free programs completely fell apart. After watching this happen, naturally anyone would think, “Isn’t it okay if she doesn’t do the triple axel in the SP? Because she’s not a skater who can’t win without it.” In France, when she was asked about this point, she said,

“But, if I make it into a double (axel) once, then after that I’ll probably end up not doing [a triple] ever…I want to continue challenging myself.” However, before nationals, she said “I discussed with Nobuo-sensei, and I might do a double axel in the SP,” so it was interesting.

“At Nationals—this time, the goal was not to make any mistakes in the jumps. With that in mind, we chose to do a safe double axel in the SP. This is the established tactic after all.” (Coach Nobuo Sato)
It’s no surprise that Coach Sato would explain this clearly to the stubborn skater so focused on the triple axel. However, when it came to the actual performance, she recklessly went for the SP triple axel!

“She went for it after all. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. (Laughs) Even though we told her it should be a clean double axel this time! But Mao-chan, she went for it after all.” (Coach Kumiko Sato)

It was after the 6-minute warm-up for the SP that she told Coach Nobuo that she wanted to do the triple axel.

“During the 6-minute warm-up, I had no problems with the triple axel, so I believed in it and did it. I hesitated a bit, but when I said, ‘I want to do it,’ to Sensei, he said, ‘…I understand.’ (Laughs)”

To tell the truth, that triple axel seemed to be two-footed, and if it were an international competition, then it probably wouldn’t have been judged as a triple. However, for Mao Asada, it was good enough, and that was the important thing. The moment she landed the axel, her expression became fierce, and at that moment, everyone thought, “Mao-chan is back!” That tango that she had been skating so miserably this season became full of life and forceful. Her lively movements seemed to repel the clingy heaviness of the music.

Oh, what a simple/innocent person! And what a beautiful person!

“I’ve been wanting to give this kind of performance for so long”

“Based on all kinds of past precedent and my own experiences, this was a time when you’re supposed to do a double [axel]. I believe that even now. But if it’s the case that her mood improves if she jumps it, then perhaps it’s okay to push aside the experiences of this old man. (Laughs) This time, we would pin our hopes on her overflowing energy. I decided to be bold and let her do it.” (Coach Nobuo)
“Truly, if you use common sense, then she shouldn’t have done it. Probably the other coaches and teachers watched and thought, ‘Why didn’t you stop her!’ (Laughs) But I think she herself was prepared for it—the possibility that she would fail at the triple axel again, that everything would be bad, and that she would have no choice but to miss Worlds. Even with that in mind, she thought, ‘I want to do [the triple axel] now!’ On top of that, if we had forced her to a double axel against her will, it’s possible that her motivation would have fallen, and I’m not sure she would have been able to land her other jumps.” (Coach Kumiko)

There was the “go ahead” from the coach, who understood both the risk of the triple axel and Mao Asada’s temperament well, and there was Asada’s own wish. Everything came out well, and she was 1st after the SP. At this point, everyone thought there was no reason to worry about the free program anymore.
“I don’t know if the triple axel was fully rotated or not, but the moment I landed it, I thought, ‘I can do this without any mistakes!’ I’ve wanted to give a performance like this for so long. I finally did it, so I’m really happy! I was able to remember everything I’ve practiced before Nationals, and I skated calmly, with confidence. I think I was able to fully bring out everything I’ve done up to this point.” (Mao Asada, SP comment)

[Next page]

The combination of Mao and Coach Nobuo

However, for the free program, Coach Sato’s side was determined not to give in. In the free program, Mao Asada planned to do two triple axels!
“From the very beginning, Sensei said I could do a triple axel in the free program! So I will definitely do at least one. But, for now…I’m planning to do two, but…”

Perhaps Mao Asada wanted to do two triple axels as she originally planned.

“But this time it turned out okay. With just one word, ‘One!’ And she obediently agreed. (Laughs)” (Coach Nobuo)

In the free program, her single triple axel was underrotated, but she landed it, and after that she doubled an intended triple salchow, but other than that, there were no big mistakes, and she completed “Liebestraum” beautifully. After agreeing to the decision “once in the free program,” her expression [on the ice] was like the novice-age (the category below junior) “Mao-chan”—it was honest, pure, and artlessly beautiful. In just four months, Nobuo Sato was able to bring out what world-famous coaches were not able to bring out in four years’ time—Mao Asada’s true charm.

“No, no, it’s me who is astonished. I watched thinking, ‘Mao Asada—she really has guts unlike an ordinary person.’ To be able to come this far in that condition—it’s me who’s going, ‘What?!’ (Laughs)” (Coach Nobuo)

Mao Asada, the runaway horse who wants to jump, and the famous coach tightly holding the reins, Nobuo Sato. Before the season, people worried because she had a hard time choosing a coach, but now when you look at their relationship, there doesn’t seem to be anything strange about it.

"I thought I would just kind of stay on the side and watch how things were going, but I've gotten quite caught up in Mao-chan and my husband's (Coach Nobuo)'s pace. Over these past few months, it seems like they've come to understand each other very well. He treats Mao-chan like a grandchild, so Takahiko (Kozuka) has been upset. He said, 'Nobuo-sensei, how come you treat her differently from me?!' (Laughs)" (Coach Kumiko)

Even now, Asada and Coach Nobuo are working on the jumps with all their might. Even after this, over the second half of the season, and perhaps over next year’s off season. Coach Kumiko told me about their various plans to polish Mao Asada’s technique, so I’m looking forward to it.

To the World Championships where you have to be beautiful to win

The men are lovely and the ladies are strong—we are sending that kind of Team Japan (3 men and 3 ladies) to the World Championships (March 2011, Tokyo-Yoyogi).

The ones waiting for these 3 strong ladies are probably the GPF winner, Alissa Csizny (USA) and Carolina Kostner (Italy) at the top of the list, Mirai Nagasu (USA), Laura Lepisto, Kiira Korpi (both from Finland), and then Yu-Na Kim (Korea)—all these “lovely” female skaters.

In the first half of the season, several Olympians left the front lines, so it is said that “if you look at jumping ability, then compared to the men, the ladies are not as good.” However, throughout the Grand Prix series, I think there have been several interesting competitions where the mid-level skaters have risen to the top. In particular, looking at Costner and Csizny, who won medals at the Grand Prix Final, it seems that the kind of beautiful skating that they represent has been favored over strong Japan’s force. After the Olympics, those skaters that were overshadowed by Mao Asada and Yu-Na Kim’s battle are now starting to shine as skaters.

In that case, how can “strong” Japan’s ladies fight? I think this will be the key point in the second half of the season for the ladies. This season, there is not just Worlds, but also the Asian Winter Games, the Universiade, Four Continents, and the World Team Trophy—many competitions to look forward to. Before Worlds, these 3 ladies will be able to experience many other international competitions.

Miki Ando, Mao Asada, Kanako Murakami—they have overcome the Japan Nationals, where you cannot win without being strong, and now they are heading to the World Championships, where you cannot win without being beautiful. I’m looking forward to seeing how they evolve and change.

*****

Well, personally I don't think Kostner is a 'beautiful' skater, but I agree that it will be interesting to see what happens from here!

Thanks Batsuchan for the translations. And I also miss your blog updates.

It seems 3A is really Mao's confidence booster. But I side with Sato when he says "If you run after two rabbits, you will catch neither." I think we are all relieved that things turned out for the best at Nationals. But I wonder if Mao won't be able to skate as freely if she adds that 3A in the second part of the freeskate. Nonetheless, the dynamics of their relationship is interesting. Sato is the calm voice of reason to Mao's gutsy determination.

thaaank you batsuchan for this article, it must have taken a lot of you're time to translate it, but I think I and everyone here really really appreciates it all you're hard work...

it was soo nice to hear what nobuo and kumiko had to say about mao, and I find it very interesting that they are actually planning on to continue change/polish mao's technique even efter nationals and in the off season, it really makes me happy to see that they are so dedicated to mao, and that mao is in good hands.... and now I a getting so excitet, I can't wait to see mao at 4cc...

I just wish they said something about mao's layout and if they are think about changes something beside adding a second 3A. but maybe that is something we will hear about just before the competetion.

Batsuchan wrote:

But I think she herself was prepared for it—the possibility that she would fail at the triple axel again, that everything would be bad, and that she would have no choice but to miss Worlds. Even with that in mind, she thought, ‘I want to do [the triple axel] now!’

Sometimes I shake my head at Mao's stubborn nature. She has a frighteningly stouthearted approach to things, a certain temperament that is uncanny and can rarely be found even in other athletes. But it's one of the things that make me love her. I just worry because Mao has a tendency to make things harder for herself- sometimes I wonder if she is secretly a masochist!

Thanks Batsuchan for your hard work at translating! It sounds like Sato really felt like he had no choice but to let Mao do the 3A, because of her stubbornness and determination. lol. But if he really believed she shouldn't do it, he probably would have been the stubborn one

klarification wrote:

Sometimes I shake my head at Mao's stubborn nature. She has a frighteningly stouthearted approach to things, a certain temperament that is uncanny and can rarely be found even in other athletes. But it's one of the things that make me love her. I just worry because Mao has a tendency to make things harder for herself- sometimes I wonder if she is secretly a masochist!

That's funny that you say that, klarification, because that's sometimes what I feel like too! I have this funny feeling sometimes that Mao needs to suffer in order to do well. I don't think she does this consciously at all, but I feel like she subconsciously sabotages herself early in the season just to see if she can dig herself out, if she can overcome. And every year, she needs to make the obstacle bigger and harder for herself.

Like you said, this causes me a lot of worry, but it also makes me admire her a lot. As Nobuo-sensei said, she's not an ordinary person!

Batsuchan wrote:

Like you said, this causes me a lot of worry, but it also makes me admire her a lot. As Nobuo-sensei said, she's not an ordinary person!

She is extraordinary indeed! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooo much for your translations. They are magnificent! The Sato's seemed to be completely bewitched by Mao. Kumiko Sensei seems like such a warm-hearted and affectionate lady! I wonder if Kumiko Sensei is responsible for Mao's improved make-up. I remember that Yukari wore her make-up beautifully too. I sense that Nobuo Sensei may be a Kindred Spirit.

Personally, I love Mao's gutsy and crazy ambitions. It gives all of us (mere earthlings) an opportunity to witness (from afar) something magical and extraordinary.

Thank you, Batsuchan for the translations.

I sometimes feel rather irresponsible to provide and recommend links to articles and videos that I couldn't translate myself. But always, a kind poster shows up and offers to help us out with understanding more of Mao. Being a translator myself, I know how time-consuming it can be sometimes to get all the undertones and ambiguity right. Thanks again for the awesome posts.

I particularly enjoyed reading this article by Hirono Aoshima because of how she chose to cover Mao's relationship with her new coaches and teammate. A great deal of press is focusing on how Mao landed her 3As and did 2 consecutive 'clean' programs. But she offered us a more 'complex' side of Mao's personality that we rarely see journalist write about. Yes, she's sweet and gentle. Yes, she's mentally strong and hardworking. But she can also be reckless and very stubborn - a less appealing aspect in Mao's character. And Sato-sensei knows this and stepped up to keep it in check.

This is how a healthy coaching relationship should be: a coach needs to be able to support the skater without blindly agreeing with every single choice that they want to make. I have been slightly worried about how Mao's success and calibre can often lead to coaches shying away from confronting Mao of her own decisions, because they assume that Mao understands herself the best/ she can do everything as she is simply that great.

snowdrops24 wrote:

Thank you, Batsuchan for the translations.

I sometimes feel rather irresponsible to provide and recommend links to articles and videos that I couldn't translate myself. But always, a kind poster shows up and offers to help us out with understanding more of Mao. Being a translator myself, I know how time-consuming it can be sometimes to get all the undertones and ambiguity right. Thanks again for the awesome posts.

I have to admit that I was a bit sloppier with this article than usual.... I'm out of practice. And Aoshima's articles are always tricky to translate.

It was nice to see Hirono Aoshima being so happy with Mao's performances. I really respect what she has to say about Mao--in recent seasons, she has been quite tough on Mao, but I always felt like it was because she really loves Mao and wants her to be happy.

Two other random things that I meant to mention about Nationals but haven't yet:

1) It always baffles me how Miki has so much free time in her long programs. To me, her spins go on forever, and she always has enough time to come to a complete stop, at least once. And I was like, how does she have all that time to rest? Is it because she needs very little time to set up her jumps? Mao always needs to do like a full length of the ice to do her jumps, but I guess Miki can do them one after the other without much preparation? The fact that Miki has so much free time in her program may simply highlight her great jumping abilities ( ), but to tell the truth, I sometimes get bored because I feel like the spins/rests are being used to eat up time. On the other hand, Mao very rarely stops....

2) Right after Mao finishes her LP, they showed Nobuo-sensei looking very pleased, but they also showed Kumiko-sensei hugging Ogawa-san (from the JSF--she sat with Mao during the 2008 Worlds when she was coachless). I thought that was SOOO ADORABLE!!! Alll these people get sooo caught up in Mao's journey and are SOOOO happy for her when she does well. It's just awesome!!

Batsuchan wrote:

snowdrops24 wrote:

Thank you, Batsuchan for the translations.

I sometimes feel rather irresponsible to provide and recommend links to articles and videos that I couldn't translate myself. But always, a kind poster shows up and offers to help us out with understanding more of Mao. Being a translator myself, I know how time-consuming it can be sometimes to get all the undertones and ambiguity right. Thanks again for the awesome posts.

I have to admit that I was a bit sloppier with this article than usual.... I'm out of practice. And Aoshima's articles are always tricky to translate.

It was nice to see Hirono Aoshima being so happy with Mao's performances. I really respect what she has to say about Mao--in recent seasons, she has been quite tough on Mao, but I always felt like it was because she really loves Mao and wants her to be happy.

Two other random things that I meant to mention about Nationals but haven't yet:

1) It always baffles me how Miki has so much free time in her long programs. To me, her spins go on forever, and she always has enough time to come to a complete stop, at least once. And I was like, how does she have all that time to rest? Is it because she needs very little time to set up her jumps? Mao always needs to do like a full length of the ice to do her jumps, but I guess Miki can do them one after the other without much preparation? The fact that Miki has so much free time in her program may simply highlight her great jumping abilities ( ), but to tell the truth, I sometimes get bored because I feel like the spins/rests are being used to eat up time. On the other hand, Mao very rarely stops....

2) Right after Mao finishes her LP, they showed Nobuo-sensei looking very pleased, but they also showed Kumiko-sensei hugging Ogawa-san (from the JSF--she sat with Mao during the 2008 Worlds when she was coachless). I thought that was SOOO ADORABLE!!! Alll these people get sooo caught up in Mao's journey and are SOOOO happy for her when she does well. It's just awesome!!

I think it seems like Mao has less time because she has more choreography between her elements. In her LP, she has a couple of edges and an attitude after the axel, then she has a spread eagle after the flip, another attitude after the combo spin, some three turns after the axel and the flip, etc. Miki doesn't really have many of these positions in her program, which leaves her more time for pauses in the middle. I personally prefer the layout of Mao's program, with transitions spread throughout, but that is just my personal preference.

Miki backloaded her jumps in the LP, so this may explain the "free time" she had. I agree that Mao never seems to rest in her programs. Leibestraum is actually one of her most relaxed programs. Remember Fantastie Impromptu? She didn't stop for a second in that program. I don't mind posing in programs if they have a purpose to the theme like in Michelle's programs. However, a lot of programs just have posing for no purpose other than to rile up the crowd.

On another note, I do think Miki is a strong jumper. Her technique is also quite solid. She doesn't get edge calls. She had a lip before but she fixed it. Her combos are subject to UR's but she usually goes for the most difficult loop combos. Personally, I find her jumps less elegant than Mao and Yuna. They remind me a bit of Irina. Great height but not as smooth in the landings.


ETA: One of the blogger whom I follow posted a great summary of Japanese Nationals.

http://kuuchuu-sampo.blogspot.com/2010/12/japanese-nationals-2010-restoration-of.html (Ladies SP)

http://kuuchuu-sampo.blogspot.com/2010/12/japanese-nationals-2010-restoration-of_28.html (Ladies LP)

I agree with a lot of what she says. I also find Akiko's skating to be a little sloppy despite being very musical. And I could see Risa overtaking Kanako in the future if the latter don't start working on her technique issues asap.

jkblues wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13lya2oYSA

Thank you for sharing! Situation with microphone is super funny! Mao is so cute!!

haha agree mao looked sooooo cute. couldn't help but smile when she get the biggest cheer....

ballerinamao wrote:

haha agree mao looked sooooo cute. couldn't help but smile when she get the biggest cheer....

yessss me too i was especting that cheer

Am I the only one who noticed that Mao took the wrong position at the first place? Then Taka pointed out the correct position to her

tianrushui wrote:

Am I the only one who noticed that Mao took the wrong position at the first place? Then Tak pointed out the correct position to her

Haha yes that was cute