When will Fumie Suguri retire?

This is going to be very rude to ask, but does anyone here actually want to see Fumie's skating anymore? I haven't been paying attention to her, possibly because she is, as some of the criticisms here state, deteriorating technically and uninspiring artistically. Her show skate "Padam Padam" is just awkward. I'm not saying these things to be disparaging, but there is something to be said for retiring gracefully and knowing when it's time. Fumie was underscored at the 2006 Oly's and I feel for her; she skated well at the time and was not credited properly. That was the first time I ever saw her, and I took notice of her. However, since then, she hasn't even been a blip on my radar.

prettykeys said:

This is going to be very rude to ask, but does anyone here actually want to see Fumie's skating anymore?.

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I do , and I hope I'm not alone in that regard! I've always enjoyed her.

iluvtodd said:

I do , and I hope I'm not alone in that regard! I've always enjoyed her.

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Well, that's good, then. I just felt too many of the posts defending her decision to go on were...reactive rather than affirmative. Since she remains sponsored, there must be others like you.

iluvtodd said:

I do , and I hope I'm not alone in that regard! I've always enjoyed her.

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Same here!

Blades of Passion said:

Catchfoot spirals aren't hard to learn. EVERY competitor had to do that. She didn't specifically focus on trying to improve her positions, though.

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Yes, she did. Look at her sit spins. She really had to work on those positions to up the levels. In recent years, most of her spins have gotten level fours. But it's obvious she doesn't have the back flexibility that some others have. Yu-Na's a different case-- her stretch has improved somewhat, but she's always had pretty good flexibility in her back. Both of them would do well to point their toes more, though.

So, again, she hasn't attempted to really improve her skating.

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And again, I think it's obvious that she has attempted to improve her skating, but there are limitations. Thus the injuries. I get really weary of skating fans thinking that "skater X could achieve so much more if only she weren't so lazy/unmotivated/whatever." We really have no idea what physical and mental demands skater X goes through to attempt these moves that are supposedly so easy.

Anyway:

prettykeys said:

This is going to be very rude to ask, but does anyone here actually want to see Fumie's skating anymore?

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Yes. Especially now that's she's back with Lori Nichol.

You have a valid point, I know what it's like to be plagued by injury.

Still, the fact is she hasn't tried hard enough to push herself in competition. Maybe a 3-3 combination really is too detrimental to her body and she doesn't want to risk it, but there's really no excuse for excluding the 3-jump combination for almost all of her career when it is so valuable under CoP. It's annoying and superfluous that skaters have to do so many combination jumps these days, but those are the rules and it's not that difficult to add a double toeloop onto one of your combinations.

Well, when WILL she retire?...



...When she WANTS to, folks...

Having said that, I call it when I see it and I do think she is WAY past her prime. But if she wants to continue skating, and especially if she enjoys doing so, who am I to stop her, or to tell her to stop?

Getting the best results of your career is no excuse to retire. If she wants to go from worlds silver to last place at a grand prix event or japanese nationals that's her right!