Mao Asada news

**miki88** · 08-01-2010, 01:35 AM

Her jump coach, Nakagubo, is working with her to get more flow out of her jumps. He says in this article http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...000049-dal-spo once they get can get more flow, they'll add the 3-3 back. However, he also says that her jump issues may take 2-3 years to solve completely, so results probably won't happen immediately. Nakagubo is more of a technical coach in Mao's team. She's still looking for the main coach to complete her team.

**hikki** · 08-01-2010, 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by aftertherain

Oh! How beautiful! Very nice exhibition! (:
P.S. Was that a forward/inside-edge Ina Bauer at around 2:30?

I didn't notice that first. Thanks! How beautiful. I hope we see subtle moves like this in the new supposedly less packed CoP programs.

Originally Posted by i love to skate

I absolutely adored that twizzle sequence that started at 1:16

And how about 3:23-?! I absolutely love the entrance how she enters the sequence of turns there- whatever it's called. She did it in the past 2 seasons (as far as I remember) but it looks so elegant yet effective here.

Originally Posted by colleen o'neill

( We've been having a heat wave , here in Vancouver, and this was very refreshing on another stultifying day.)

It feels like a distant memory when I was in your beautiful city in February...

Originally Posted by feraina

And I think those are all twizzles -- all four kinds actually.

She still floats across the ice like she always did, but she's lost the bouncy bubbliness of her earlier years.

I wish I knew all the technical sides as well as you did re: 'four kinds of twizzles'.
I know you meant 'bouncy' in a different way, but I actually think her bouncy upper body movement that used to be noticeable before is nearly gone now, which I'm sure is adding to the sense of control she presents on the ice.

Originally Posted by miki88

I thought her falling leaf was very pretty. It would have been better if she hold her charlotte longer but it's the first time she has done it in a program so she'll get better.

Re: charlotte, I've been too spoiled with Sasha Cohen's exquisite charlotte, and ditto Michelle Kwan's falling leaf and Shizuka Arakawa's spread eagle that's all.

Originally Posted by Olympia

I love your description, Hikki: "The music is in her skin rather than fighting against it." That's a wonderfully eloquent way of putting it.

Thank you, Olympia. I hope Mao will have a great season too.

Originally Posted by LeCygne

I don't know why, but she seems to lose all speed in the air - there's no flow out of her landings. I don't think the issue is height because she seems to get plenty of it, and she enters all her jumps with considerable speed..

I think she tends to slow down just before entrering the jumps. Like Mr Nagakubo says in the article miki88 posted, I guess it takes time to 'fix' jumps and I hope she's thinking long term and the fans/environment will allow her.

**ayayukiituka** · 08-01-2010, 07:51 AM

I heard Mao did better jumps at The Ice,which was held on 24,25th July. It'll be broadcasted a week later. So we must see another great performance by her.

Well,I went to the concert that is played the music skaters skate to. It was fantastic and what I know is that Mao's Love Dream is played by not orchestra but piano

I thought this FS may be her masterpiece,After recognizing that,It must be

**rtureck** · 08-01-2010, 08:23 AM

The article is in Japanese?? Translation please??

Well,I went to the concert that is played the music skaters skate to. It was fantastic and what I know is that Mao's Love Dream is played by not orchestra but piano

I thought a dream of love was written originally for the piano. I think the piano version suits Mao the best.

Originally Posted by LeCygne

Her expression and musicality are wonderful. She makes Chopin sound like it was made for her to skate to. I can't wait to see her competitive programs.

I think she is the greatest Chopin interpreters of all time. In this program, I think she is poetry in motion

But her coaching situation does not sound too promising. Her jumps are still iffy, and a part-time jump coach is not enough at this point. I don't know why, but she seems to lose all speed in the air - there's no flow out of her landings. I don't think the issue is height because she seems to get plenty of it, and she enters all her jumps with considerable speed..

Ah..., I hope she fixes her jumps

I have no worries that she'll do great this season, especially with Yu-Na out of the picture for the time being. But if not this year, she really needs to get working soon on her flutz, 3axel, and getting back the 3-3 because those problems aren't going to go away..

Huh?? I don't keep up with kyn, why is she out of the pic for now. Anyway last time they met at worlds, Mao did well.

About the 2 falling leafs in the program, I think Mao was exquisite. She did not do full split falling leaf like MK, but her front and back leg make perfect angle with the vertical line just like many ballerinas

**dorispulaski** · 08-01-2010, 11:43 AM

Yu Na Kim has chosen not to participate in the Grand Prix series, so she could be said to be "out of the picture" right now. At least out of the competitive picture. She has, of course, been very busy with some outstanding ice show performances.

**LeCygne** · 08-01-2010, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by dorispulaski

Yu Na Kim has chosen not to participate in the Grand Prix series, so she could be said to be "out of the picture" right now. At least out of the competitive picture. She has, of course, been very busy with some outstanding ice show performances.

She has said that she wants to come back for Worlds, so we'll see... She'll just be at a slight disadvantage without having competed at all in the revamped CoP.

**lavender** · 08-01-2010, 04:07 PM

TT still has it...just not as often as she use to.

**breeze** · 08-01-2010, 07:28 PM

I already saw this performance from Dream On Ice thread, but it looks even better after watching it a few more times. Thanks for bringing this up again.

Chopin definitely suits Mao. I'm happy to see her bring this only a few months after a disappointing season. (OSM is a HUGE achievement, yes, but she looked very sad on the podium.. Yet she certainly ended the season on a high note.) For several years I liked her exhibitions a lot more than her competitive programs, but now I can't wait to see her Liebestraum!

I liked almost all moments of this exhibition. For some reason, I didn't like the ending pose and the arm movement proceeding it, but then her smile at the end made up for it more than enough.

I also found the twizzle sequence very charming. I didn't know there were 4 different kinds of twizzles, though. Can someone please enlighten me?

**i love to skate** · 08-01-2010, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by breeze

I didn't know there were 4 different kinds of twizzles, though. Can someone please enlighten me?

Types of Twizzles (named for the entry edge):
Forward inside
Forward outside
Backward outside
Backward inside

**miki88** · 08-01-2010, 08:48 PM

I read from Mao forum that Mao and TAT chose this ballad to celebrate Chopin's 200th anniversary.

**dlgpffps** · 08-02-2010, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by feraina

But I think this is not the Mao "we have been missing", but a more mature, elegant, musical, balletic Mao that we've never really seen before. She still floats across the ice like she always did, but she's lost the bouncy bubbliness of her earlier years.

Well-said

**Olympia** · 08-02-2010, 07:47 AM

Originally Posted by miki88

I read from Mao forum that Mao and TAT chose this ballad to celebrate Chopin's 200th anniversary.

Ooh, I didn't think of that! What a wonderful thing for them to do.

You may have put your finger on one reason Mao went to TT as a coach: Mao seems to be so interested in music, especially classical music, and TT certainly gravitates toward that kind of music.

**Marrymeyunakim** · 08-02-2010, 10:29 AM

Mao is such a glorious talent, so light and blissful across the ice.

I don't get all of you saying her jumps could be improved...? I think they look just great!

**rtureck** · 08-02-2010, 06:36 PM

I read from Mao forum that Mao and TAT chose this ballad to celebrate Chopin's 200th anniversary

2010 is also the 200th Bday of Robert Schumann. I am glad TT and Mao are celebratin Chopin's 200th Bday year. Anyway 2011 will be Lizst 200th Bday year, and Mao is celebrating that with Liebestraum. What a treat.

Having said that, some things I don't like:

spread eagle (but then again not many women do this well)/ falling leaf (? the jump in the spread eagle position)

I agree, it seems like it is more difficult for womean skaters to do spread eagles well. Josee is an exception.

**Olympia** · 08-02-2010, 11:25 PM

I was thinking of Schumann too, rtureck. He's not someone skaters seem to think of, but it would be fun hearing something like the Manfred Overture or some of his piano pieces. There's that beautiful piano quintet--E flat Major, I think? I love that Mao seems to like Romantic era music. Movie sound tracks can be wonderful, of course, but it's so tremendous to see a really musical skater try for the works of the old masters. (Though I wish she'd chosen another Rachmaninoff, not that Prelude, for this season!)