Story on Mao

[japanice]

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0101222it.html

[Olympia]

Thanks for the link to this excellent article. It's very well-informed and clear, and the reporter seems extremely savvy about skating in general and the Japanese skating scene in particular. I was very interested in the point that if Mao doesn't make the team, it could be bad for Japanese skating, because she (sort of comparable to Michelle Kwan in the U.S.) is the face of skating in her country and contributed mightily to the popularizing of it with the general public.

One point that disturbed me is the mention of problems with her line, not just with her jumps. That would be awful! Does anyone have anything to say about that?

[miki88]

One point that disturbed me is the mention of problems with her line, not just with her jumps. That would be awful! Does anyone have anything to say about that?

I don't think you need to worry too much about this statement. Based on this writer's previous articles, it doesn't seem that he has much much skating knowledge or does much background research before writing his articles.

[demarinis5]

One point that disturbed me is the mention of problems with her line, not just with her jumps. That would be awful! Does anyone have anything to say about that?

I was scratching my head on that statement. I have noticed that Mao's seems to be thinner than last season, maybe that is what the
reporter meant. I am not sure if weight loss would affect a skater's line. I do know that weight gain does in some instances. Or it could be
he does not know what he is talking about, Mao has always had a beautiful line. IMO

I also thought his statement that Murakami has a a lock for Worlds was a little premature.

[Olympia]

Thanks, folks. I feel better. I always loved Mao's line, and I worried that (a) she was in more trouble than I had previously thought or (b) I'm more ignorant about skating than I had previously thought! Thank goodness both Mao and I are probably in decent shape.

[EricRohmer]

Even though she has had trouble landing jumps this campaign, some seasoned observers think the issue lies more with her skating line.
There is an old axiom in skating that says, "It is all about line and edge."

He perhaps means 'flow' by line?

[Olympia]

Even so, I can't imagine that anyone sees something wrong with Asada's "flow." She drifts across the ice. She's one of the most musical skaters around. Puzzling.