Mao Asada | Page 14 | Golden Skate

Mao Asada

mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Does anyone have news about her possible/probable retirement ?

There is no news yet, I read somewhere that she may make an announcement in May, the JSF wants to have an answer then, but if Mao can't make up her mind by then I think her answer might be delayed further.
 

mikaboo

Medalist
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
could someone who understands japanese please give a brief translation of what Nobu said about Mao:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fyg2BJqKMA

This is more than "brief" but here is a translation of almost everything Oda says about Mao.
----------------

Oda says that the fundamentals are really important in skating but he wasn't stoic enough to endure the fundamental skating practices. The person who has the skills to be stoic to enhance herself is Mao. She practices like a monk in training.

Oda: 3A is a really difficult technique even for men and the fact that she succeeded in jumping 3A when she was just 14 is a result that comes from nothing but her efforts. Also, she spent 4 years correcting her jumps from scratch. Her jumps suffered for 1~2 years but she overcame them. I had a problem where I'd crouch before doing axels and the judges used to advise me to correct them, but I ignored them. Usually, people don't correct jumps after reaching maturity because they're extremely difficult to change so they give up after 1~2 months. Mao broke down her old techniques and spent 2 years redoing her fundamentals step by step with her coach and showed us the compilation of her skating skills in Sochi.
MC: She didn't do well in her SP. Weren't you shocked?
Oda: Totally shocked. The skater before Mao was Sotnikova and she skated really well and the cheer from the crowd was enormous.
MC: And how much time did she have to start her program?
Oda: 1 minute. When the crowd cheers like that for the skater before you, you curse your bad luck and just want to run away. The crowd was so loud and the fence between the rink and the coach is wider at the Olys than at other competitions so I was afraid she'd be unable to hear what her coach was saying, then she went off to start her program so I was really concerned, then she made mistakes like I'd never seen before. I think they were caused by the pressure from the crowd, pressure of the Olys. But I thought her skating was beautiful as a result of the 4 years of hard work so I sent her a message on LINE saying that "there were mistakes, but thank you for your beautiful skating" and she replied "Thank you" and we exchanged a few words like "I'll do my best tomorrow" and "You can do it. I trust you" then after she skated the FS, I cried.
MC: I think everybody cried. She's like the "national daughter".
Oda: I just want to say that the scoring was really strict. She skated in the earlier group as a result from her SP so I don't think the judges knew what to do when she skated so well. I think they should have scored her higher. She received URs for a couple of the jumps. When I was watching her in slow motion, I was shouting "That was NOT a UR!", "That 3-3 was rotated!", "She needs to be scored higher!". Of course, I was shouting at the TV because I can't say it to their faces…
MC: You're retired now. You're the only one who can say those things.
Oda: I think they were extremely strict on her.
MC: Those jumps were fully rotated right?
Oda: Those jumps were fully rotated! Anyone could tell that they were perfect! What were they looking at!?
 

mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
This is more than "brief" but here is a translation of almost everything Oda says about Mao.
----------------

Oda says that the fundamentals are really important in skating but he wasn't stoic enough to endure the fundamental skating practices. The person who has the skills to be stoic to enhance herself is Mao. She practices like a monk in training.

Oda: 3A is a really difficult technique even for men and the fact that she succeeded in jumping 3A when she was just 14 is a result that comes from nothing but her efforts. Also, she spent 4 years correcting her jumps from scratch. Her jumps suffered for 1~2 years but she overcame them. I had a problem where I'd crouch before doing axels and the judges used to advise me to correct them, but I ignored them. Usually, people don't correct jumps after reaching maturity because they're extremely difficult to change so they give up after 1~2 months. Mao broke down her old techniques and spent 2 years redoing her fundamentals step by step with her coach and showed us the compilation of her skating skills in Sochi.
MC: She didn't do well in her SP. Weren't you shocked?
Oda: Totally shocked. The skater before Mao was Sotnikova and she skated really well and the cheer from the crowd was enormous.
MC: And how much time did she have to start her program?
Oda: 1 minute. When the crowd cheers like that for the skater before you, you curse your bad luck and just want to run away. The crowd was so loud and the fence between the rink and the coach is wider at the Olys than at other competitions so I was afraid she'd be unable to hear what her coach was saying, then she went off to start her program so I was really concerned, then she made mistakes like I'd never seen before. I think they were caused by the pressure from the crowd, pressure of the Olys. But I thought her skating was beautiful as a result of the 4 years of hard work so I sent her a message on LINE saying that "there were mistakes, but thank you for your beautiful skating" and she replied "Thank you" and we exchanged a few words like "I'll do my best tomorrow" and "You can do it. I trust you" then after she skated the FS, I cried.
MC: I think everybody cried. She's like the "national daughter".
Oda: I just want to say that the scoring was really strict. She skated in the earlier group as a result from her SP so I don't think the judges knew what to do when she skated so well. I think they should have scored her higher. She received URs for a couple of the jumps. When I was watching her in slow motion, I was shouting "That was NOT a UR!", "That 3-3 was rotated!", "She needs to be scored higher!". Of course, I was shouting at the TV because I can't say it to their faces…
MC: You're retired now. You're the only one who can say those things.
Oda: I think they were extremely strict on her.
MC: Those jumps were fully rotated right?
Oda: Those jumps were fully rotated! Anyone could tell that they were perfect! What were they looking at!?

Thank you soo much for taking the time to translate this, it was really interesting, another skater that was speechless and disgusted by the injustice and the ridicoules marks the judges gave Mao.
 

YesWay

四年もかけて&#
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
The person who has the skills to be stoic to enhance herself is Mao. She practices like a monk in training.
Although I assume that is one of her strengths, I recall Coach Sato saying it's also one of her weaknesses. Seems she'll often practice something like 5 hours a day, and Sato's opinion was that this can create a habit of only skating at "70%" all the time (because you can't practice that long, unless you're holding back)

His view is, it can be a bad habit, because it can make it more difficult to skate at "100%" when she needs to (in competition).

He likes it when she is exhausted after 30 minutes of practice... because that means she practiced at 100%...! :-D
 

mikaboo

Medalist
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
@mary01
No problem! I'm glad you found it interesting :)

@YesWay
Coach Sato seems to be a very wise man. That makes total sense. I wonder if it is the case with Mao (skating 70%).
Off the topic but since Coach Sato was mentioned, there was a TV talk show a couple of nights ago where he was the guest.
They showed him skating in 1964 which I found on YouTube if you'd be interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25uut2HMrBo
 

figureskateobasan

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
According to Shunkan Bushun(Japanese tabloid) there is a rumor that Mao and her manager will establish a figure skate school after retiring. They didn't mention whether she will retire right now or not but seems like she will take a break for a while. but remember it's a tabloid so not really a reliable source.
They also mention that Mao's CM fee is around 20 million yen but JSF took 20% of it. (They predict Yuzuru's endorsement will increase but male athlete doesn't earn more than female athlete - I kind of doubt it thou..)
It said she really want to teach the kids how to skate and help them to won a OGM.

It sounds great if she want to build a school for the kids since Japan is a little bit lacking of ice rink.
 

makaihime

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
So with the reappearance of !/e calls, do you think this will impact Mao's decision to retire....? :cry:
 

mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
So with the reappearance of !/e calls, do you think this will impact Mao's decision to retire....? :cry:

No instead, I think team Sato may consider other layouts that could maximize her points, I also think that if Mao decides to continue she and her coaches know what to focus on, and how to prepare in the best way by now.

I think the real question will be is Sato capable of continuing being a full time coach, I wouldn't be surprised if Mao decided to hire someone else too, because if I remember right I think Sato once mentioned that he was not able to travel as much as before.
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
If she continues, this would rule out the possibility of an "ultimate SP" from Mao (3A, 3F-3Lo, 3Lz) for the immediate future. In the LP, she might replace the 3Lz with a 2A, though continuing her current layout really wouldn't cost her that much; she gets -GOE already, another 1.8 point deduction isn't that much when she has 7 other triples planned. I do wish she'd try once more to at least improve her Lutz to a '!' but that's probably too much to expect.
 

mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
If she continues, this would rule out the possibility of an "ultimate SP" from Mao (3A, 3F-3Lo, 3Lz) for the immediate future. In the LP, she might replace the 3Lz with a 2A, though continuing her current layout really wouldn't cost her that much; she gets -GOE already, another 1.8 point deduction isn't that much when she has 7 other triples planned. I do wish she'd try once more to at least improve her Lutz to a '!' but that's probably too much to expect.

Even without the 3lz as long as she adds 3f-3lo in the sp along with the 3A, it would be enough to set a new record.
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Does anyone know of any news from Mao on whether she will continue? I'm sure there's nothing about it in English, so are there any Japanese speakers who can tell us of any new developments?
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
I'm wondering the same thing. When is the deadline to notify ISU of intent to compete. You would think in fairness to the Feds and skaters there should be at least a week or two to know their seedlings before selecting the first events.

On a personal level and for many reasons, I hope she takes an entire year off and starts training the day after 2015 Worlds for her return in the 2015-2016 season :yes:
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
I'm wondering the same thing. When is the deadline to notify ISU of intent to compete. You would think in fairness to the Feds and skaters there should be at least a week or two to know their seedlings before selecting the first events.

On a personal level and for many reasons, I hope she takes an entire year off and starts training the day after 2015 Worlds for her return in the 2015-2016 season :yes:
Off topic but the way you said "seedlings" makes me imagine the skaters as little trees. :biggrin: I don't know what the deadline is, but it seems like the ISU doesn't care too much. Yuna Kim was scheduled for two events but she pulled out due to her foot injury. I'm sure competitors can cancel pretty close to the competition date.
 

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I am a bit ambivalent about Mao continuing, so I will be happy with whatever she decides, so long as it is what she wants. The suspense is really getting to me though. I decided to write a few lines about Mao.

Pirouetting on a pliant blade
that glides lightly across the ice
as sharply clipped wing tips
soaring through the sky,
forming acrobatic arabesques
that carve serpentine arcs into the ice.
Fully stretched leg extensions
rotating in a tight semi-circle.
Mesmerized by multi-directional step sequences
that dig into the emotions from every angle,
tapping channels into the tear ducts
like peeling layers off an onion
to reveal the full depth of human expression.
The pulse pounds as she tackles the triple axel.
With arrow straight back
and beautifully tight symmetrical spirals,
she drills whip-saw chills into the tingling spine.
Then in an exquisite wave-like motion
she releases us into the ebb and flow
of redemption and melancholy.
 

mary01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
I am a bit ambivalent about Mao continuing, so I will be happy with whatever she decides, so long as it is what she wants. The suspense is really getting to me though. I decided to write a few lines about Mao.

Pirouetting on a pliant blade
that glides lightly across the ice
as sharply clipped wing tips
soaring through the sky,
forming acrobatic arabesques
that carve serpentine arcs into the ice.
Fully stretched leg extensions
rotating in a tight semi-circle.
Mesmerized by multi-directional step sequences
that dig into the emotions from every angle,
tapping channels into the tear ducts
like peeling layers off an onion
to reveal the full depth of human expression.
The pulse pounds as she tackles the triple axel.
With arrow straight back
and beautifully tight symmetrical spirals,
she drills whip-saw chills into the tingling spine.
Then in an exquisite wave-like motion
she releases us into the ebb and flow
of redemption and melancholy.

:clap: Well described gotoschool, it's always interesting to see what kind of association and emotions people get after watching a a really great performance.
 
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