Yuna Kim | Page 99 | Golden Skate

Yuna Kim

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
First, I am so happy to hear that Yuna had returned to her country safely, and that she is considering of competing again next season!!!!!!!!!!

Second..., I was just browsing through the forum, and I saw that someone posted this link about
Yuna's former designer making Mao's new costume. What do you all think about it?

http://www.yubijoux.com/?p=257

To be honest, I am a little bit upset to see this article because I know how badly yuna was bashed out
after her split with Orser. In his interview, Orser clearly made it sound like Yuna's mother was the one
who had caused this split, and to me, it sounded like he was portraying them as some ungrateful duos. (http://www.thestar.com/sports/olymp...ist-distraught-as-coaching-controversy-swirls)

I am not saying that the designer had to make costumes for yuna only and I am very well aware that she designed many beautiful costumes for other skaters. However, seeing this article confirms my belief that Yuna probably shouldn't have received such criticisms for spliting up with Orser. Orser did admit that he was approached by Mao after the olympics to coach her, and seeing that Yuna's designer made a new costume for Mao proves that Mao trying to reach out to Orser and the dream team had played a major role in the yuna-orser split.

I don't know. If Yuna had asked Tarasova to come coach her instead of Mao right after the end of the season, and also tried to get her costumes designed from Mao's costume designers, I think it would have caused some controversy/conspiracy as well.

Why in the world is this a big deal? She's a costume designer. Surely she has many skating clients, and she owes no allegiance to any one skater. And even if she did, how in the heck could this be considered inappropriate? I don't think it would be inappropriate for Wilson to choreograph a program for Mao either, but some people are so sensitive.
 

Cerulean

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
I just saw pictures from the gala show. Yuna went all black for the WC. I don't think it's a good color on her. Go back to vibrant colors, girl!
 

Figga

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Don't drag on this YuNa-Mao/Korea-Japan rivalry. About the split with Orser, both sides were "bashed" because they didn't handle it well (although I believe the onus was more on YuNa and her camp). And by impulsive, I meant it in the more literal sense. Mental illness is no joke. I don't see the need to put down other skaters either.
 

aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
I am not saying that the designer had to make costumes for yuna only and I am very well aware that she designed many beautiful costumes for other skaters. However, seeing this article confirms my belief that Yuna probably shouldn't have received such criticisms for spliting up with Orser. Orser did admit that he was approached by Mao after the olympics to coach her, and seeing that Yuna's designer made a new costume for Mao proves that Mao trying to reach out to Orser and the dream team had played a major role in the yuna-orser split. Also, I am so greatful that Wilson stayed with Yuna after all that. (And I think Wilson staying with Yuna proves that despite what others said she wasn't such an ungrateful person).

I don't know. If Yuna had asked Tarasova to come coach her instead of Mao right after the end of the season, and also tried to get her costumes designed from Mao's costume designers, I think it would have caused some controversy as well.

I think you're grasping at straws here. Coaching, I understand, but trying to justify the O/K split on a costume designer? Really?



Why in the world is this a big deal? She's a costume designer. Surely she has many skating clients, and she owes no allegiance to any one skater. And even if she did, how in the heck could this be considered inappropriate? I don't think it would be inappropriate for Wilson to choreograph a program for Mao either, but some people are so sensitive.

Agreed.
 
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aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
I just saw pictures from the gala show. Yuna went all black for the WC. I don't think it's a good color on her. Go back to vibrant colors, girl!

Black short program dress, black free skate dress, black gala dress ... is there something I'm missing here?
 

chloepoco

Medalist
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Black short program dress, black free skate dress, black gala dress ... is there something I'm missing here?

Oh, you're right...she did wear a lot of black at these championships! Although I didn't care much for either her SP or LP outfits, Yuna can wear anything and still look beautiful!
 

parma

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Not a big deal if the skater was someone else. If one is even vaguely familiar with the Kim-Asada thing for the past a few years, especially last year after the Olympics, it should be clear that Asada using Yuna's former designer of 4 years right after Kim left Toronto has totally different meaning from say (hypothetically) Caroline Zhang or Alissa Czisny using Kim's former designer. Kim and Asada have been compared side by side and been called as rivals for years by skating fans and media. I wouldn't even go to one of the reasons Kim parted ways with her former coach last year. Considering costumes are an important part of skating performances and there are countless costume designers out there in Japan, Russia, US, Canada and Europe she could have chosen, Asada using that particular designer definitely means a lot. I mean if Asada feels herself as a skater of her won right and doesn't like to be compared to Kim all the time and if she knows her fans will question it and Kim's fans will freak out, I wonder why she picked that particular designer when there are hundreds of other designers that are willing to work with her.
 
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Johnnnn

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
lol If Mao had a great designer/coach and Yuna approached them, Mao fans will go nuts. It is not that the designer shouldn't make costumes for other skaters. It's just that Mao and her fans were acting like they had nothing to do with the whole Orser/Kim split but it is clear to me that they DID approach them and try to take away what Yuna had.
Anyways, You can have the best costume designer and the best coach in the world but it will always come down to who YOU are.
I'm sure the costume designs involve lots of inputs from the skater and what he/she wants to wear, and over the last few years I have made my mind that Mao has really bad taste in costumes.
 
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parma

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
lol If Mao had a great designer/coach and Yuna approached them, Mao fans will go nuts.
Anyways, You can have the best costume designer and the best coach in the world but it will always come down to who YOU are.
I'm sure the costume designs involve lots of inputs from the skater and what he/she wants to wear, and over the last few years I have made my mind that Mao has really bad taste in costumes.
Also, it was Orser who mentioned that Mao (her representative) approached the entire team, and he mentioned the costume designer as well in his interviews. It is clear to me that Mao (or people around her) wanted what Yuna had.

I agree. Things are becoming clearer now in terms of at least partially what happened and who were indirectly involved surrounding Kim's departure last year.
 
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cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Ohh.. can we just stop talking about conspiracy theories? Yuna deserves at least a time off. I'm a fan of Yuna but come on..the designer can work whatever she wants. no big deal.

Watching yuna crying at the podium makes me want to tell her that she needs time and stay away from this craziness. seriously. Everyone in her country wants to know about her future plans, her school wants her to take her education seriously, etc. The girl needs a LONG break without people making decision for her. She deserves it...for once.
 

hikki

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Country
Japan
Does anyone know anything about Miki's popularity in Japan? It seems as if she's always under the radar compared to Mao and other Japanese superstars.

Your observation is spot on, Olympia. The Japanese media and public have had an interesting relationship with Miki. She was idolised as the cute genius girl who can do quad prior to Torino. Since the controversial selection for the 2006 Games where she didn't do well, the media and the public turned their back and started bashing her as being the girl who makes excuses, etc. What didn't help is that for casual fans who happen to watch skating when it's live on prime time (like Torino, NHK '08, GPF '10), she must have come across as a girl who doesn't live up to the hype.

I get a bit angry that she doesn't get enough attention- It is always about Mao, eg headlines going "Mao became 2nd (2007 Worlds), "Mao's comeback (Nationals this season)". I understand why Mao is favoured, as she never ever makes excuses and and her character very much suits the Japanese mentality. Miki I guess is a very vulnerable girl, sometimes making comments that don't come off well. I like her for that and I think that vulnerability adds something to her performance. :)

Speaking of media and the public, how is Yuna perceived/ treated in her homeland? I hope her fans are a figure skating fan first and adore her for being a fantastic skater, and not treat her as some figure who fulfills the country's patriotism.

P.S. Thank you Yu-na for your generous donation :) :)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thanks for the information, hikki. Though I tend to prefer Mao's skating to Miki's, that's like saying I prefer emeralds to sapphires: sapphires are still pretty breathtaking! Miki is an incredibly hard worker and has a lot of staying power. Look how long she's been around, and she's been at or near the top all that time. She deserves the admiration and gratitude of Japanese skating fans--especially this year, when no one else from Japan earned a gold, and in the aftermath of the earthquake. I think Japan is fortunate indeed to have two such impressive skaters.

I hope someone weighs in on your question about how YuNa is seen in her homeland. The one insight I can offer is that I have a Korean acquaintance here in the States, and he often shows me the Korean-language newspaper with all its photos and lengthy sports coverage of her. Of course I can't read Korean, but I see the amount of space it takes up on the page. I'd be curious to know more detail.
 

babayaga

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Second..., I was just browsing through the forum, and I saw that someone posted this link about
Yuna's former designer making Mao's new costume. What do you all think about it?

http://www.yubijoux.com/?p=257

To be honest, I am a little bit upset to see this article because I know how badly yuna was bashed out
after her split with Orser. In his interview, Orser clearly made it sound like Yuna's mother was the one
who had caused this split, and to me, it sounded like he was portraying them as some ungrateful duos. (http://www.thestar.com/sports/olymp...ist-distraught-as-coaching-controversy-swirls)

I am not saying that the designer had to make costumes for yuna only and I am very well aware that she designed many beautiful costumes for other skaters. However, seeing this article confirms my belief that Yuna probably shouldn't have received such criticisms for spliting up with Orser. Orser did admit that he was approached by Mao after the olympics to coach her, and seeing that Yuna's designer made a new costume for Mao proves that Mao trying to reach out to Orser and the dream team had played a major role in the yuna-orser split. Also, I am so greatful that Wilson stayed with Yuna after all that. (And I think Wilson staying with Yuna proves that despite what others said she wasn't such an ungrateful person).

I don't know. If Yuna had asked Tarasova to come coach her instead of Mao right after the end of the season, and also tried to get her costumes designed from Mao's costume designers, I think it would have caused some controversy as well.

:rolleye:
 

figurejennah

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
I think you're grasping at straws here. Coaching, I understand, but trying to justify the O/K split on a costume designer? Really?

I didn't say that the designer couldn't make costumes for other skaters. I even said in my post that I was aware that she designed costumes for many other skaters (ex. Joannie) But it does bother me that Mao approached Yuna's coach AND designer. Mao had her own great coaching staff and designers, so did she really have to go after Yuna's? Orser coached other skaters,too, but considering the rivary going on between Yuna and Mao, there was no way he could coach both. Absolutely no way. It had to be either Yuna or Mao. Same with the designer probably, seeing that Yuna had chosen a different designer this season.

I am not trying to start a whole new conspiracy here, but all I am saying is that I do feel bad for Yuna for being overly criticized about this Orser-Yuna split when Mao approaching Yuna's dream team clearly played a huge role there. If she really thought the dream team was so incompetent and abrubtly "fired" them as Orser said, then why is David Wilson staying with her and choreographying her entire programs AND her ice shows? When I saw them at her LA show, they looked very lovey dovey to me.
 
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prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
I understand why Mao is favoured, as she never ever makes excuses and and her character very much suits the Japanese mentality.
So according to you, Mao is favoured over Miki Ando because Miki makes excuses? :think: (Don't answer this question, I don't want it to be answered. And this is not the thread to discuss it in anyway.)

Speaking of media and the public, how is Yuna perceived/ treated in her homeland? I hope her fans are a figure skating fan first and adore her for being a fantastic skater, and not treat her as some figure who fulfills the country's patriotism.
YuNa is perceived and treated quite well, although there is a small portion of anti-YuNa fans within her own country too, I've heard. I believe her fans adore her for being both a fantastic skater and someone who represents her country well. I think it would be dishonest to state it is only one or the other, and I believe it is the same for many Japanese fans of Mao and Miki.

-------------------------------

A few thoughts about the ladies at this World Championships, mostly rehashed from my posts on the YNKF.

YuNa truly put in her best effort in her LP, and I was a little puzzled to hear some posters' opinions that she was lackluster. As a YuNa fan, I'd like to suggest that I am able to detect some of the nuances to YuNa's skating that non-fan observers sometimes miss. For instance, some posters said that YuNa's Gershwin in Vancouver showed not a hint of fear and it was just fun...but that was not how I perceived it. She was nervous, and there was more tension there than earlier in the season at TEB. Some of my fellow YuNa fans corroborated this observation, but it did give me a little insight to what some other skating fans may or may not see.

However, I was also happy to see that posters like bigsisjiejie who are not "YuNa-fan" agreed with my sentiment that the Arirang LP was skated without reserve. I truly believe this is YuNa's finest LP to date. It was not perfectly executed technically, but I love it, and I love YuNa even more than ever for coming out so bravely and skating it for us. (Is "brave" an odd word to use? I mean it in the sense that it seems deeply personally meaningful, and it was done for the year after her Olympics, where her competitive motivation was in question.) It is not flirty like Gershwin, it isn't as mystically seductive like Scheherazade...it's not as dark and dramatic like Danse Macabre and it isn't playful and sexy like Bond. I love this LP most because it is YuNa purely skating for us with her soul and heart, no acting or character-playing. Even Lark Ascending in all its beauty, was not one of YuNa's favourites or especially meaningful to her like this LP was. There is a part of me that is sad that YuNa did not win Gold, and I am also a little worried for her because she seems distraught about some things, but she left points on the table and it was close. However, she was magnificent. Her steps are utterly gorgeous in how they highlight the nuances of the music, and her ending flourish, with the triple Salchow followed shortly by the double Axel... I could feel goosebumps and chills throughout the program and then tears towards the end. It fills me with humility and appreciation, and I am grateful for what she has given us.

As for Miki Ando, what can I say. She worked hard for many years, and she still does. This was a great year for her. I have believed for some time that she is a naturally expressive skater but that her competitive programs did not showcase her expressiveness properly...but this year's SP was lovely and what her LP somewhat lacked in this regard was made up for in technical achievement. From all reports I have ever read, she is a very sweet girl and (heehee) some fans who attended this Championships and got to see her off the ice doing everyday things with her coach (e.g. eating lunch etc.) say that she and Nikolai are cute together. So, congratulations to her and her coach.

With regards to Mao Asada. She is also my second-favourite lady skater after YuNa. Her LP this year was also one of the highlights of the season, and it is a shame she did not have her best competitive outings--although not entirely unexpected, because she is working hard at pushing her technique and athletic boundaries. I duly noted that her costume is one of the loveliest I've ever seen of hers and in general, and it does not surprise me that it comes from the French Canadian designers who did YuNa's costumes in the past. They are one of the best. And...let this issue go. Costume designers can design beautiful pieces for more than one skater and everyone benefits. The designers also did Joannie Rochette's lovely costumes too. Considering that they are Canadian, if they felt like they had to choose their loyalties, they could have chosen to exclusively design for Joannie and tell YuNa that they were too busy to do hers too, while those two were competing against each other, but they didn't. :) I wish Mao Asada well and continued progress into the future.

Lastly, thanks to the Russian organizers of the event, it's amazing that they were able to do it in less than a month's notice.
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
First, there were talks of copying Yuna's pose (I still don't get that), now some people are complaining about the costume designer? :rolleye: I never heard a skater having exclusive rights to a designer. I mean not even choreographers and coaches work exclusively, least of all a designer.
 

lilshorty

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 20, 2010

cooper

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
During one of her interviews, Yuna was asked about the great junior skaters coming into the scene if she wants to compete with them.. she replied, "No way. Thank God I was born early and don't have to." :laugh:
 
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