Ladies Free Skate

[colleen o'neill]

You'd hardly know Akiko was leading... Even on the tube you could tell she was absolutely flying. Her footwork was thrilling and all of her little expressive details & gestures were genuinely felt. Her musicality is second to none. I hope she has a good free skate...as I hope they all do. Every skater has to have a game plan ,but you're not so aware of it with Akiko. She seems able to just immerse herself in her performance, this year. As an audience member, I love it.

I've always loved Mao's skating but wish she hadn't taken off on this 3A quest to the degree she has. I don't find her skating nearly so enjoyable to watch as I used to, and I feel other areas of her skating are not being given the attention they deserve.