- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
Much as I enjoy Miki's skating when she's on....well...this year, it seems she never is. Wasn't she 6th at Japanese Nationals? Should she have even been here? I'm really not wanting to be mean.
What did Heiss do to Miki Ando???
- Thread starter Frau Muller
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
Misplaced Gymnast said:
Good point. This was a point for heated argument after Japan Worlds. Yukari Nakano (4th at Natls and Japan's top Olympic-eligible finisher at Grand Prix Finals) should have gone to Torino. Even 5th-place finisher at Natls, Yoshie Onda, was much more impressive than Ando at Natls.
It all comes down to money....ye olde marketing...Miki, with her prettier face & marketability, had garnered more commercial endorsements than either Nakano or Onda. Her 'soup can' had been minted, so to speak. It would have been embarrassing for the Japanese federation & their $pon$or$ to send anybody but the three preselected ladies whose faces were plastered all over the country's billboards: Fumie, Shiz & Miki.
Most often dance cotumes look horrific up close, in person, but from a distance, up on stage and under the lights, they are a completely different and wonderful looking garment. Hopefully, Miki's short program dress was the exact reverse ... televised poorly but looked wonderful in person. :think:
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2005
Mathman - I happen to think that Yukari is just as pretty as Miki. I was just talking about the opinions of Japanese marketing firms. Apparently, in Japan, Miki's sort of beauty 'sells' better than does Yukari's look. Just a fact - not my own opinion.
In terms of marketing, it's not a "beauty" think but more that this has been Yukari's break out year therefore she hadn't been picked up by advertisers to hype. Miki had a broken toe a few weeks ago (I believe she had it at Japanese Nats) and that probably is affecting her.
As for Miki's costume, all black looks great on the ice as it's very common for skaters to wear that during practice and testing. But all black did not come off well on the television at all. She did look clunky.
Yukari should have been sent.
And yeas, Fumie was robbed in the SP, should have had a much higher score.
As for Miki's costume, all black looks great on the ice as it's very common for skaters to wear that during practice and testing. But all black did not come off well on the television at all. She did look clunky.
Yukari should have been sent.
And yeas, Fumie was robbed in the SP, should have had a much higher score.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2005
Totally disagree on the marketing issue. Is Miki pretty and marketable? Yes. Was that the reason she was chosen? No. She was national champion twice (2004, 2005) and finished 4th and 6th at Worlds. She had a bad season, but then again, Shizuka had a lackluster season but capped it off with the Olympic Gold (well-deserved). It doesn't hurt a country to believe in their skaters' potential.
japan believes in miki. yes she more marketable. she's young and has the qualities the japanese love. and she has proven herself in the past couple seasons. being junior world champion, first lady to land a quad at int'l competition, and 4th in worlds, multiple medals in the gp series. she did rack up the points the japanese fed decided to go with this olympic season. so sending here was no mistake. she just had a bad year. great programs with potential, but she must be having problems... confidence perhaps, awkwardness with a developping body. new coach, new rink, new choreography. plus tons of media attention and unforgiving fans.
a word on the costumes.. i heard it was designed by someone really renowned.. like an oscar winning costume designer. so she was excited to wear them for her programs, even though i liked her original customers better.
the japanese lady usually have pretty decent dresses, more simple, than the flashy-in-your-face by some european skaters.
a word on the costumes.. i heard it was designed by someone really renowned.. like an oscar winning costume designer. so she was excited to wear them for her programs, even though i liked her original customers better.
the japanese lady usually have pretty decent dresses, more simple, than the flashy-in-your-face by some european skaters.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
I disagree with sending Miki based on past results just as much as I objected to Kwan being sent for the same reason. When push comes to shove, it has nothing to do with past results. It has everything to do with what you can do NOW, as Miki (and Shizuka) proved to us last night.
Miki-chan,
Watching you last night made me feel guilty that I abandoned skating for the last two years due to COP. Up until that point you were my favorite skater, and I realized that last night you still are (no lie). How I could kick myself for not watching skating since that time, especially your journey, as it is painfully obvious to me that you got lost somewhere.
Go back home, Miki-chan, go back home to Japan.....take time off.....and decide what you want to do with your life. Don't come back for your country, come back for yourself. Otherwise, it will be a waste. And I'm not talking about the waste of your one-in-a-billion talent (that too), but rather a waste of you, and only you.
A champion not only needs natural talent, which you have coming out of your ears (lol), but also discipline, discipline, discipline, and *natural* drive to be the very best. And to be the very best you have to B-E--L-I-E-V-E! Otherwise, as I stated before, it's a waste.
Arigatou, Nadine
Watching you last night made me feel guilty that I abandoned skating for the last two years due to COP. Up until that point you were my favorite skater, and I realized that last night you still are (no lie). How I could kick myself for not watching skating since that time, especially your journey, as it is painfully obvious to me that you got lost somewhere.
Go back home, Miki-chan, go back home to Japan.....take time off.....and decide what you want to do with your life. Don't come back for your country, come back for yourself. Otherwise, it will be a waste. And I'm not talking about the waste of your one-in-a-billion talent (that too), but rather a waste of you, and only you.
A champion not only needs natural talent, which you have coming out of your ears (lol), but also discipline, discipline, discipline, and *natural* drive to be the very best. And to be the very best you have to B-E--L-I-E-V-E! Otherwise, as I stated before, it's a waste.
Arigatou, Nadine
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
Gipson said:
True, but I'd still take the results of the Nationals ("NOW" when they happen) over "She was really good 12 months ago." Michelle clearly was *not* in the same shape this year that she was last April.
And, as others have pointed out, if past results are so important, Brian Boitano & Peggy Fleming should have been on this year's Olympic team.
