Is Mao back in the mix?

Iscariot · Dec 11, 2009

silverlake22 said:
The other thing. Mao had a pretty good showing at TEB, and her score was 173.99.

mao lost about 19 points on that skate she got 4 dg the fall in the double axel, the pcs i guess should be up if she skate clean...
so i believe a clean mao can win over yuna, the problem is if mao can make a clean sp, but of course everithing is just a guess :eek:

hwell:

silverlake22 · Dec 11, 2009

Iscariot said:
mao lost about 19 points on that skate she got 4 dg the fall in the double axel, the pcs i guess should be up if she skate clean...
so i believe a clean mao can win over yuna, the problem is if mao can make a clean sp, but of course everithing is just a guesshwell:

Maybe...Yuna normally gets higher PCS though and if you look at her long program she has more technical difficulty than Mao even with the 2 3As. Plus Yuna's GOEs are huge and some of Mao's jumps look sloppy this season (don't know when that happened). If both are spot on, it will be close (maybe), but my guess is Yuna will win. Mao's program is a much bigger gamble though. Even though Yuna's been having some issues, her 3-3 and 2a-3t are still much more consistent than Mao's 3a.

People are saying "She will be impossible to beat" about Yuna for a reason. Mao is still all about the jumps, I know she's flexible and stuff but Yuna is as artistic and she is technical

rossdale · Dec 30, 2009

I agree with you

bekalc said:
That is ridiculous. Kanako is not better than 15 year old Yu-na. Now Kanako may have had better basic skating skills and more polish than Yu-na but Yu-na was a MUCH better jumper (by far)

Yu-na at 15 was actually landing the 3loop fairly regularly, had her 3flip/3toe consistent, and was doing a double axel/3toe/double loop OUT of an ina bauer.

Kanako right now has a 3toe/3toe that's it. Has a horrific 3flutz that gets a LOT of minus GOE (for good reason), and no 3loop. And she actually has some questionable technique.

I like Kanako's style of skating a LOT. But she's not as strong technically as Mao, Yu-na, or Miki was at their age-its frankly not even close there.

Kanako has surprisingly mature and beautiful style at a age of 15. However she is not techincaly strong as Yuna or even Mao at her age.

silverlake22 · Dec 30, 2009

rossdale said:
Kanako has surprisingly mature and beautiful style at a age of 15. However she is not techincaly strong as Yuna or even Mao at her age.

You are right, but right now she is landing the jumps and that is what is most important. Caroline, Alissa, Ashley have odd technique and still manage to do well, if Kanako can just keep doing what she has been doing I think she will place well at senior events in years to come. Polina Shelepen on the other hand I think will lose her jumps soon and fast-her technique is worse than Kanako's, her landings are already shaky, and she is such a beanpole. She's 14 and 5'2" now and looks as though most of her growth is ahead of her, meaning in two years she's likely to be 5'8" and super inconsistent. But that's just my prediction.

Mathman · Dec 30, 2009

rossdale said:
Kanako has surprisingly mature and beautiful style at a age of 15. However she is not techincaly strong as Yuna or even Mao at her age.

At 15, Mao won the senior grand prix final. She was jumping triple Axels in international competition at 14..

silverlake22 · Jan 1, 2010

Mathman said:
At 15, Mao won the senior grand prix final. She was jumping triple Axels in international competition at 14..

I know, I said she is NOT as technically strong as Mao or Yuna at 15....maybe you misread my post. She looks older than Mao did at 15 though, less cutesy and more elegant.

museksk8r · Jan 1, 2010

Ladies' figure skating this season has been a train wreck, so yes, Mao is certainly in the mix given the current state of affairs in this discipline. No one has proven herself to be invincible to making multiple mistakes this season. The closest, I think, has been the often forgotten Akiko Suzuki, yet she doesn't have the magnificent program construction or choreography of a Yu-Na Kim or a Joannie Rochette.

Figure88 · Jan 2, 2010

museksk8r said:
No one has proven herself to be invincible to making multiple mistakes this season. .

Did you forget Yuna's near flawless performances at TEB? Even though she missed one jump, her SP& LP performances could probably net her an Olympic gold medal if she skates like that in Vancouver.

Ladies' figure skating this season has been a train wreck, so yes, Mao is certainly in the mix given the current state of affairs in this discipline.

No one should count Mao out, but she hasn't yet proven herself this season. She still has problems with rotating her jumps, even surprisingly "easier" jumps like the second 2L of 3-2 combo. And the fact that she left out a 3A at JN shows that she still has problems with it, despite spending most of her practice time to resolve the problems. Don't forget that she finished off the podium during 2009 Worlds because of jumping problems and if she's still having the same problems now, it means that it's not an easily fixable issue and the problems will likely persist to Vancouver.

janetfan · Jan 2, 2010

Figure88 said:
Did you forget Yuna's near flawless performances at TEB?

No one should count Mao out, but she hasn't yet proven herself this season. .

Yuna skated very well at TEB - but looked rattled at SA and was only a mistake away from what we might call a meltdown.

Watching Yuna and Miki at the GPF I would say they were lucky Mao was not there. Mao's performance at Natls looked good enough to have won the GPF.

Neither Miki or Yuna completed a 3x3 at the GPF and both only landed 4 triples.
I suspect Mao is back in the mix and it will all depend on how well the Ladies can perform in Vancouver.

If Yuna and Miki are not performing good 3x3's in Vancouver and Mao is landing a few 3A's like she did at Natls it appears she may skate away with the Gold.

We all thought Yuna was a sure bet heading into this season and especially after TEB. Then we saw Yuna bothered by the season's pressure and expectations.

I think Vancouver is wide open and it will probably come down to nerves and poise as the pressure will be unlike anything Yuna or Mao have ever faced before. Miki faced it once and it crushed her. Perhaps the memory of that experience will help her in Vancouver.

If the judging is actually FAIR I think Akiko is one to look out for.
But a clean and strong Yuna is still the one capable of scoring the most points.

Marrymeyunakim · Jan 2, 2010

janetfan said:
Yuna skated very well at TEB - but looked rattled at SA and was only a mistake away from what we might call a meltdown.

Watching Yuna and Miki at the GPF I would say they were lucky Mao was not there. Mao's performance at Natls looked good enough to have won the GPF.

Neither Miki or Yuna completed a 3x3 at the GPF and both only landed 4 triples.
I suspect Mao is back in the mix and it will all depend on how well the Ladies can perform in Vancouver.

If Yuna and Miki are not performing good 3x3's in Vancouver and Mao is landing a few 3A's like she did at Natls it appears she may skate away with the Gold.

We all thought Yuna was a sure bet heading into this season and especially after TEB. Then we saw Yuna bothered by the season's pressure and expectations.

I think Vancouver is wide open and it will probably come down to nerves and poise as the pressure will be unlike anything Yuna or Mao have ever faced before. Miki faced it once and it crushed her. Perhaps the memory of that experience will help her in Vancouver.

If the judging is actually FAIR I think Akiko is one to look out for.
But a clean and strong Yuna is still the one capable of scoring the most points.

Completely agree.

It would be foolish to count Mao out.

To be honest, expecting Yuna to run away with OGM was very foolish. No one is ever a lock for OGM; just ask Michelle Kwan, Irina and other favourites.

I do wish Yuna will skate well in the OG, and pull out a 205+ score... I can only take consolation in the fact that Yuna had a mini-meltdown in the 4CC FS this year but came back strong in Los Angeles. If she doesn't skate to her potential at OG then I would not be surprised with an upset.

miki88 · Jan 2, 2010

Marrymeyunakim said:
Completely agree.

It would be foolish to count Mao out.

To be honest, expecting Yuna to run away with OGM was very foolish. No one is ever a lock for OGM; just ask Michelle Kwan, Irina and other favourites.

I do wish Yuna will skate well in the OG, and pull out a 205+ score... I can only take consolation in the fact that Yuna had a mini-meltdown in the 4CC FS this year but came back strong in Los Angeles. If she doesn't skate to her potential at OG then I would not be surprised with an upset.

Yea I agree. Why is everyone so hard on Mao just because she's in a slump? Besides Yuna, I am not really impressed with anyone else's skating this season, and we should not talk about Worlds cause that was last season. With that said, Yuna has shown to be vulnerable, so an upset can happen. Remember at the Olympics, some skaters have shown to go all out and as a result skate their potential best. So if any of Yuna's competitors decide to do that, then an upset is likely to happen. In a major competition, it's better to be the underdog than the favorite :yes:

museksk8r · Jan 2, 2010

Figure88 said:
Did you forget Yuna's near flawless performances at TEB? Even though she missed one jump, her SP& LP performances could probably net her an Olympic gold medal if she skates like that in Vancouver.

Well, if we're going to pick apart individual, stunning performances of the season, we should also mention Joannie Rochette at Japan Open and the Skate Canada SP. My point was that no one has been on a consistent high this season. It's been a roller coaster ride for everyone, full of ups and downs. And let's not forget as you mentioned, even Yu-Na herself skated right through a 3flip attempt giving up a potential 5.5+ points for that element in her LP at TEB, so she wasn't clean there either.

museksk8r · Jan 2, 2010

janetfan said:
Watching Yuna and Miki at the GPF I would say they were lucky Mao was not there. Mao's performance at Natls looked good enough to have won the GPF.

Neither Miki or Yuna completed a 3x3 at the GPF and both only landed 4 triples.
I suspect Mao is back in the mix and it will all depend on how well the Ladies can perform in Vancouver.

You seem to be forgetting that Mao was only credited with landing a 2Axel+2toe in the SP at her Nationals. There were also the 3 under-rotated double jumps in her LP. I don't think her 5 triple jump attempts from JN would have made the difference over Yu-Na. If she had done the same at the GPF, no way would her scores have been as high there as they were at her Nationals, where, let's be honest, both her SP and LP scores were highly inflated, as all National Championships are.

ImaginaryPogue · Jan 2, 2010

In fairness to those of us who questioned Mao's season so early..

All we had to go on were two GP events, one which she bombed. Joannie had only skated the Japan Open at this time, which she aced (great performance, room for improvement), and Miki had just won her first GP event. Yu Na had just set a record at TEB and again, there was room for improvement. And we really didn't think anyone else would contend for OGM.

miki88 · Jan 2, 2010

museksk8r said:
You seem to be forgetting that Mao was only credited with landing a 2Axel+2toe in the SP at her Nationals. There were also the 3 under-rotated double jumps in her LP. I don't think her 5 triple jump attempts from JN would have made the difference over Yu-Na. If she had done the same at the GPF, no way would her scores have been as high there as they were at her Nationals, where, let's be honest, both her SP and LP scores were highly inflated, as all National Championships are.

That's true. But since they were not in the same competition, no one can be sure since it all depends on the judges. Also, scores can inflated by international judges as well. I don't know why some people think international is so fair~~~~
Figure skating judging has always been kinda subjective. Her national is inflated but not so much~ I mean if they were really trying to inflate it they'd would have given her the 3axel in the SP where it seemed okay to some viewers and not downgrade her on some things. Her previous national scores were higher than this one, so I think they were stricter on her this time.

janetfan · Jan 2, 2010

museksk8r said:
You seem to be forgetting that Mao was only credited with landing a 2Axel+2toe in the SP at her Nationals. There were also the 3 under-rotated double jumps in her LP. I don't think her 5 triple jump attempts from JN would have made the difference over Yu-Na. If she had done the same at the GPF, no way would her scores have been as high there as they were at her Nationals, where, let's be honest, both her SP and LP scores were highly inflated, as all National Championships are.

I seem to recall Mao skating better at Natls - and that neither Yuna or Miki looked very comfortable or skated very well at the GPF.

And I forget - but did Yuna miss her flip in her SP at the GPF? Did she miss her 3x3 in her LP? Did she miss her 2A x3T as well? Like I said, it was not Yuna at her best. Or Miki at her best.

I thought Akiko won the LP at the GPF but that just shows how little I know

Since they were not competiting against each other my impressions don't mean that much.

We will get to see them in Vancouver - and I wish all of the top skaters the best of luck.

Tinymavy15 · Jan 2, 2010

Marrymeyunakim said:
To be honest, expecting Yuna to run away with OGM was very foolish. No one is ever a lock for OGM; just ask Michelle Kwan, Irina and other favourites.

Yeah, but when you are scoring 20 points ahead of your nearest competitor even with mistakes....

Also there some occasions where the favorite will win, no two ways about it. think plushy in 2006.

miki88 · Jan 2, 2010

Tinymavy15 said:
Yeah, but when you are scoring 20 points ahead of your nearest competitor even with mistakes....

Also there some occasions where the favorite will win, no two ways about it. think plushy in 2006.

Yea, but that's the men's competition~~~~. Based on past ladies competition, it rarely happens unless u go way back~~~. I dunno maybe it's because the men are usually older and more mature, thus they are not so bothered by pressure. The ladies usually are younger girls in their teens. Yuna is more mature but so was Michelle and Irina. Well and scoring 20 points ahead of everyone else is because her competitors didnt do well either. I mean comparing Yuna when she is closest to perfection (breaking a record) and Mao when she bombs is kinda unfair. If her closest competitors also make mistakes, then Yuna wins whether she skates her best or not. But I'm not sure she'll win at least not by so much if someone else skates so well and she makes mistakes. Also I feel saying if Mao is back in the mix or not is kinda irrelevant cause she's already earned her place on the team. I rather place my bet on Mao than Miki who couldn't even beat Yuna when she had such a good chance.

herro · Jan 2, 2010

janetfan said:
Yuna skated very well at TEB - but looked rattled at SA and was only a mistake away from what we might call a meltdown.

Watching Yuna and Miki at the GPF I would say they were lucky Mao was not there. Mao's performance at Natls looked good enough to have won the GPF.

I don't know. I'm still not convinced that Mao is anywhere near her usual form. As I've said in the Japanese nationals thread, a lot of Mao's jumps (if not all of them except the toe) look under-rotated from her FS. At international competitions, some of them may have been declared UR'd. Her speed and height on her jumps is still not as it used to be.

miki88 · Jan 2, 2010

Mao still needs to work a lot of things but her nationals at least is an improvement from those at the Grand Prix. We have to see if she continues her improvement at the FCC. I think Yuna fans should be glad Mao's is back in the mix because frankly, I think the only skater Yuna actually considers as a true rival is Mao. She skates better when she is competing against Mao. Her two highest scores were achieved when Mao was in the competition. It's interesting that Yuna doesn't skate as well in the other Grand Prix events where Mao wasn't there. It's like she lets her guard down when her rival is absent. I think the only skater to give Yuna a run of her money is Mao in her prime form. But if Mao is still not back to her usual form at the Olympics, I expect Yuna to win the gold without much difficulty. I just don't see Miki or Rochette upsetting her even if they skate clean unless Yuna really messes up which is unlikely.

Is Mao back in the mix?

Iscariot

silverlake22

rossdale

Match Penalty

silverlake22

Mathman

silverlake22

museksk8r

Figure88

janetfan

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Marrymeyunakim

miki88

museksk8r

museksk8r

ImaginaryPogue

miki88

janetfan

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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win

miki88

herro

miki88

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