2012 NHK Ladies Free Skate

[FSGMT]

This season it seems that there were problems with scoring in all the GP events. It looks like the judges were protecting certain skaters (just like Volosozhar & Trankov at the COR) by scoring them having in mind their reputation. It may have been the case with Mao in this event but if we consider it like that she wasn't the only one to get "inflated scores".
I believe her SP was fairly scored and I feel sorry that Akiko didn't nail that triple lutz. Things would have looked different. The fact is that Mao had an advantage of 9.35pts over Akiko. In the FS, I have no problems with a skater getting a +GOE for a double jump if it is really deserved. Akiko got two edge calls and an underrotated jump and because of that she lost 1.60pts. Where I think the judges may have got it wrong was in the components score. Mao got 7.96 for performance/execution while Akiko got 7.93. The mistakes done by Mao had a significant impact in the look of the overall routine. So I believe that Mao should not have been rewarded with 7.96 in that segment. Hence Akiko should have won the gold and Asada the silver.

[Jaana]

I think that Suzuki should have won and it seemed to me that Mao had same thoughts... Of course Mao had a big lead after the sp, but still some of her PCS were a bit inflated and Suzuki´s were not as high as she would have deserved (choreography and performance).

[wallylutz]

It seems this way. The JSF has seemingly done everything it could to discourage the poor woman from continuing on, short of sending a Yakuza to whack her knee.

Wow, I can't believe someone brought up Yakuza (an infamous mafia like gang in Japan) and Nancy Kerrigan-esque "accident"...

[Skater Boy]

Sounds like Mao is getting the treatment that Chan has been getting for the last couple years but at Patrick can land a few triple jumps. Mao has been regressing technically for over 3 years now yet is still being held up. Say what you want about Carolina but at least she was landing more then 3 triple jumps last season when she was winning.

I know and respect everyone has their own opinions. And yes, even Goe's are subject to interpretation as are all marks. But the system allows for someone TES flawed to possibly win. The COP system is just too complicated even for us diehards. I think Chan has got an unfair rap. I am guilty of it because I repeat myself - but mind you everyone else does the same. Sometimes we put so much into a jump as people but remember in the case of NHK Mao had a huge lead and she lost by a lot in the freeskate. She just had too big of a lead. But the marking system allows for someone TES weaker to still do well or win. In the legal world it is often frowned upon that district attornye or for that matter any lawyer but especially the prosecutor not criticize the judge as to influence them. WE have to be careful booing, blogs, websites like this does not intimidate judge - they are suppose to be free of partisan and control their biases but ironically by yelling and screaming too loudly and too voiciferously that could destroy the sport. So the very complaints many have may only be perpetuated or in short, we look like hypocrites. We say judges are blind or bias and then we influence them. I am not sure how do you judge a good edge versus a good quad? I know this will be an unpopular approach but I think we need to consider that. And in many ways we are all rational to ourselves and irrational to those who disagree. (Guilty here) We have our favourites; sometimes you read these posts and it is obviously who likes who and sometimes it is "rationalized" by the poster but it is their positon or thoughts and other time it just sounds like for no reason they like so and so. Sadly in many ways there is only one gold medal and three podium spots (usually lol). Like my mom taught me - what is fair is in the eye of the beholder. I guess our happiness and the skater's happiness shouldn't be in the results made by the judges. Life has to go on....

[FlattFan]

Judges everywhere happily handed Akiko low marks. What am I missing here? I wonder what deficiencies they saw in her skating?
It wasn't just NHK. It was at virtually every single competition she was in. Her PCS never reflected what she did.

I think Mao won because she was up against someone who consistently got low marks. If she went up against Kiira or Carolina who skated that kind of programs, she would lose easily.

Anyway, someone said Shizuka would skate Akiko's program better than she did. I disagree. As much as I love Shizuka, I think she's just too stoic and regal to skate this program. Just one look at the Swan program she did a few years ago and see the difference.

[gmyers]

I know and respect everyone has their own opinions. And yes, even Goe's are subject to interpretation as are all marks. But the system allows for someone TES flawed to possibly win. The COP system is just too complicated even for us diehards. I think Chan has got an unfair rap. I am guilty of it because I repeat myself - but mind you everyone else does the same. Sometimes we put so much into a jump as people but remember in the case of NHK Mao had a huge lead and she lost by a lot in the freeskate. She just had too big of a lead. But the marking system allows for someone TES weaker to still do well or win. In the legal world it is often frowned upon that district attornye or for that matter any lawyer but especially the prosecutor not criticize the judge as to influence them. WE have to be careful booing, blogs, websites like this does not intimidate judge - they are suppose to be free of partisan and control their biases but ironically by yelling and screaming too loudly and too voiciferously that could destroy the sport. So the very complaints many have may only be perpetuated or in short, we look like hypocrites. We say judges are blind or bias and then we influence them. I am not sure how do you judge a good edge versus a good quad? I know this will be an unpopular approach but I think we need to consider that. And in many ways we are all rational to ourselves and irrational to those who disagree. (Guilty here) We have our favourites; sometimes you read these posts and it is obviously who likes who and sometimes it is "rationalized" by the poster but it is their positon or thoughts and other time it just sounds like for no reason they like so and so. Sadly in many ways there is only one gold medal and three podium spots (usually lol). Like my mom taught me - what is fair is in the eye of the beholder. I guess our happiness and the skater's happiness shouldn't be in the results made by the judges. Life has to go on....

It doesn't matter that Mao lost the free skate. The score she got for it was amazing and astounding and lots of others probably would have fallen off the podium because of all the doubles and singles. The entirety of goe and pcs probably would have been reduced for other skaters. But Mao got an astounding and great score.

[bluesky85]

Tried to get up early for this, but couldn't manage it. Wow, what did I miss? Akiko wuzrobbed again?

I haven't watched the FPs yet, but it does seem odd to me that people continually lash out at the skaters that questionably place ahead of her (Leonova, Osmond, and now Asada). I'm quite an appreciator of Suzuki and hate to see her edged out like this when she's had the better skate, but given the pattern it does seem to be more about not scoring her highly enough than scoring a series of other skaters too high.

Agree... It seems to me that Akiko is not underscored, but other skaters are overscored to edge her out.

[bluesky85]

there was nothing overrated, she was just clean on all her elements and got level 4 on all her spins and steps, and really sold the program! she was a true joy to watch!

Akiko should take this as a good lessen, to know how crucial the mistakes in the sp is!

it was very close, but the final results makes perfect sense once on looks at the sp AND fs, afterall it's the COMBINED result that leads to victory!

Yes, Mao's short program was a joy to watch and I did like it very much. But it was still overrated. 63-4 points would have been sufficient with less GOEs.

[mikeko666]

I realized that Asada got no < either in SP or in FS. The 3F in SP was certainly UR and so was the 3Lo+2Lo+2Lo in FS. The tech panel was so lenient to her.

[bluesky85]

Do you actually watch the performances or just look at the protocols? I definitely don't think they explain everything. In what ways are Asada's PCS components so much better than Suzuki's today? I also don't agree with judges awarding +1 and +2 GOE for her doubled jumps and 0 GOE for a double flutz and 1S.

You keep mentioning Suzuki's huge mistake in the SP, but I don't see how one singled jump is worse than three doubled + 1 singled jump from Asada. I also don't agree that those mistakes have no effect on the performance. They do.

I agree. Mao's PCS shouldn't have been higher than Suzuki's because of the overall performance, but I can still tolerate their PCS. What I really don't understand is the TES that became way too high because of the GOEs on so many not-so-well-excuted elements. I actually feel bad for Mao because of her high score. She is clearly not happy with her poor performance, and unjustly high scores adds to her unhappiness. On top of that, she has to deal with embarrassment.

[bluesky85]

America would LOVE to have a skater of Akiko's skills, work ethics and presentation. Akiko would score so much better if she had her federation to back her (or at least not actively sabotage her).

If America had Akiko skating for them this year, it could have potentially won 3 spots for Sochi (along w/ Ashley they'd do well enough for it). But since Akiko skates for Japan, she'll continue to be robbed as her federation has ZERO love for her. It actively seems to hate her.

I love her skills, work ethics and presentation, too, but I also like her personality. She is not proud or pretentious. I want to adopt her for my country :P

[bluesky85]

This exactly. Akiko was robbed again, but instead of people mainly being sorry for Akiko, quite a lot are coming up to hate Mao (or before her Kaetlyn or Alena - although the latter does get the hate on a rather general basis).

It's not as if bashing Mao now would help Akiko, or as if she'd want to hear something like this. I really adore both of them. It's an awful situation for them both and both tried to keep their smile.

And Akiko has always been a classy act. You don't hear her complain or envy others, no matter how underrated she is. I think she's been lowballed for years now. She's got the determination and the storng will of a real fighter, but it doesn't look stubborn one bit. Everything about her seems so positive, elegant and light. I feel so sorry for her now, 'cause just before this competition there was an interview in which she said she considered quitting. And look at how she skated today. She said she felt she still had something to offer, and could still get better - and hell was she right. But she's not getting the jugdes appreciation for that. And I really, really don't get why.

Edited, because I need to learn to watch my mouth

This, I agree completely and that's why I like Akiko despite my nationality (and hers).

[bluesky85]

Chan has never had as bad skates as Mao is having and Mao is winning. But forget winning. Her medaling is completely disgraceful. Once again three triples and she can win an event. It's so pathetic and ridiculous and Mao is not deserving and needs to give back the medal because her win and her jumping is a total disgrace.

I agree with you 100% She won both COC and NHK with only 3 triples. At least, I didn't feel bad about COC result, because I still thought her performance was not really worse than Julia (Julia was better technically but Mao was better in other ways, so I couldn't really pick one of them, but somebody had to win, so Mao might have been a better choice than Julia) But this time, Mao not only did just 3 triples, but also doubled or singled other jumps. At least in COC she did all the triples even though they were underrotated and downgraded, which means, her performance at COC was much better than at NHK.

But then, sadly her winning is not her fault :(

[Skater Boy]

It doesn't matter that Mao lost the free skate. The score she got for it was amazing and astounding and lots of others probably would have fallen off the podium because of all the doubles and singles. The entirety of goe and pcs probably would have been reduced for other skaters. But Mao got an astounding and great score.

But the issue is did Mao have a big enough lead even with the errors and I don't know skating well enough - of course your comments appear to be Mao related my other discussion does raise some truths probably.

[mary01]

I realized that Asada got no < either in SP or in FS. The 3F in SP was certainly UR and so was the 3Lo+2Lo+2Lo in FS. The tech panel was so lenient to her.

no way her 3lo-2lo-2lo was clean and beautifully executed! by the way I love loop jumps in general it really is a beautiful jump, especially Mao 3lo!