Who among the Ladies has a 3-3 this year?

prettykeys said:

The technical outlook for ladies figure skating has never been so good...especially when those young Russian gals hit the circuit and add to the current elites. With the exception of Midori Ito, I think this will be the most technically advanced era yet. Yay, CoP!

Click to expand...

I find this humerous. The technical outlook may be great as to how many will attempt it this year. For the record, it was an everyday matter of routine for a little lady from Japan 30 YEARS AGO !!!!

Why is no one doing combos with 3Lo second?

#1Kerryfan said:

Why is no one doing combos with 3Lo second?

Click to expand...

They are harder to get ratified. But with the new rules we may see Mao, Miki, Adelina, and Anna attempting 3-3lo combos this season.

I won't be surprised if Miki Ando wins the World Championships again. She is a very consistent jumper and has been held back by her 3Loop combos and Quad Salchows receiving no credit. Mao Asada may need another year to perfect her new technique and Yu-Na Kim is going to be under an incredible amount of stress (new coach, one who will almost surely be sub-par in comparison to Orser, and her first big competition in an entire year) if she ends up competing at all.

Blades of Passion said:

I won't be surprised if Miki Ando wins the World Championships again. She is a very consistent jumper and has been held back by her 3Loop combos and Quad Salchows receiving no credit. Mao Asada may need another year to perfect her new technique and Yu-Na Kim is going to be under an incredible amount of stress (new coach, one who will almost surely be sub-par in comparison to Orser, and her first big competition in an entire year) if she ends up competing at all.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if that happened either. With Joannie most likely out, Yuna not having competed in a year and dealing with the drama, new coach, lack of motivation after winning olympic gold, etc, Mao amidst a transition year, and Mirai losing much of her valuable summer training time to injury, I would be surprised if she wasn't on the podium. She may not win gold but I expect she will medal, and actually now that you bring this up, the US ladies may have a shot at World medals this year.

1. Miki Ando
2. Mao Asada
3. Mirai Nagasu

Is what I shall currently predict for the 2011 World Podium. Given what's been happening in Yu-Na's life, I honestly don't think she will make the podium if she shows up. Competing for the first time in a year and in Japan, her nation's "rival country", without Brian Orser at her side and with the added pressure of needing to change her jump layout in the LP to fit the new season's rules...everything is against her right now.

I predict

1. Mao Asada. Now that Kim is gone, the ISU knows Asada is the only one worthy of the title. Her PCS will be off the chart.
2. Miki Ando. Her PCS will hold her back. She's like the Zhangs in pairs. Technically very strong, always contending for medals, but doesn't have the total package to win.
3. Laura Lepisto/Carolina Kostner/Rachael Flatt. .

I agree Mao is going to have way higher PCS, but I predict she makes enough mistakes to let a clean Miki Ando with huge tech content barely edge her out - just like 2007 Worlds.

Thereafter, laziness as a result of being World Champion and/or frequent injury as a result of needing to constantly train the Quad Salchow will cause Miki Ando to be off the podium for the rest of her career.

Blades of Passion said:

Thereafter, laziness as a result of being World Champion and/or frequent injury as a result of needing to constantly train the Quad Salchow will cause Miki Ando to be off the podium for the rest of her career.

Click to expand...

Are you calling Miki lazy?

She was relatively lazy after winning her 2007 World Title and I predict the same thing if she wins the next World Title. It's only natural to revel in your victories, in comparison to everyone else training as hard as they can to beat you next time.

FlattFan said:

I predict

1. Mao Asada. Now that Kim is gone, the ISU knows Asada is the only one worthy of the title. Her PCS will be off the chart.
2. Miki Ando. Her PCS will hold her back. She's like the Zhangs in pairs. Technically very strong, always contending for medals, but doesn't have the total package to win.
3. Laura Lepisto/Carolina Kostner/Rachael Flatt. .

Click to expand...

I really doubt we'll see Rachael on the podium at worlds this season.

My prediction

1.) Miki Ando
2.) Mao Asada
3.) Kim (if she competes)/Nagasu (if healthy)/Makarova

Carolina will be a headcase and Laura will double lots of jumps, as usual.

You guys assume Miki is going for the Quad Sal in both short and long program? She's not. I don't think she will even attempt it.
Miki w/out the quad will not edge out Asada. Asada, with multiple mistakes, can get above 130. Miki, clean, is about 126. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

FlattFan said:

You guys assume Miki is going for the Quad Sal in both short and long program? She's not. I don't think she will even attempt it.
Miki w/out the quad will not edge out Asada. Asada, with multiple mistakes, can get above 130. Miki, clean, is about 126. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

Click to expand...

I agree. Mao would have to be off her game to lose to Miki these days.
Mao finished ahead of Miki at Natls, Olympics and Worlds. I see no reason for that trend to change.

Anything is possible - but I see no reason for Mao to have a bad season. If anything having some good coaching should help with consistency and to clean up some bad habits.

And we won't have to watch Mao skating to that monotonous music this season either. Even the bad dresses seem to be gone

My pre-season picks for Worlds:
Gold - Mao
Silver - Yuna/Mirai
Bronze - many possibilties

FlattFan said:

You guys assume Miki is going for the Quad Sal in both short and long program? She's not. I don't think she will even attempt it.

Click to expand...

Women aren't allowed to go for the Quad in the SP. I think she will definitely do it in the LP, though. It sets her apart from everyone else and she has always made a big deal about that jump. She stopped doing it because it would never get ratified and she simply lost points as a result. But now you get 7.4 points for an underrotated Quad Sal. Miki is definitely going to do this jump.

I suspect her jump layouts will be 3Lz+3Lo, 3F, 2A in the SP and 3T+3Lo, 4S, 3F | 3Lz+2Lo, 3Lz, 3Lo, 2A+2Lo+2Lo in the LP.

Mao will do 3A, 3Lo+3Lo, 3F in the SP and who knows what in the LP. I predict her LP jump layout will give her trouble, though, and she won't be able to get it consistent this season. She will likely still try two Triple Axels in the LP.

Miki will get her 4Sal and her 3-3 combo downgraded in the LP. Mao will get her 3A and 3-3 downgraded in the SP and both her 3A's downgraded in the LP. Since downgraded jumps no longer get hammered, I don't think tech callers will give skaters the benefit of the doubt. If it is borderline, it's getting downgraded. Too bad, so sad, you still get partial credit.

And Rachel Flatt will never be on the World podium, ever.

Blades of Passion said:

Women aren't allowed to go for the Quad in the SP. I think she will definitely do it in the LP, though. It sets her apart from everyone else and she has always made a big deal about that jump. She stopped doing it because it would never get ratified and she simply lost points as a result. But now you get 7.4 points for an underrotated Quad Sal. Miki is definitely going to do this jump.

I suspect her jump layouts will be 3Lz+3Lo, 3F, 2A in the SP and 3T+3Lo, 4S, 3F | 3Lz+2Lo, 3Lz, 3Lo, 2A+2Lo+2Lo in the LP.

Mao will do 3A, 3Lo+3Lo, 3F in the SP and who knows what in the LP. I predict her LP jump layout will give her trouble, though, and she won't be able to get it consistent this season. She will likely still try two Triple Axels in the LP.

Miki will get her 4Sal and her 3-3 combo downgraded in the LP. Mao will get her 3A and 3-3 downgraded in the SP and both her 3A's downgraded in the LP. Since downgraded jumps no longer get hammered, I don't think tech callers will give skaters the benefit of the doubt. If it is borderline, it's getting downgraded. Too bad, so sad, you still get partial credit.

And Rachel Flatt will never be on the World podium, ever.

Click to expand...

Wait - on another thread you declared Mao a "master of the 3A." Now you are telling us her 3A's will be not be "masterful?"
Which is it?

janetfan said:

Wait - on another thread you declared Mao a "master of the 3A." Now you are telling us her 3A's will be not be "masterful?"
Which is it?

Click to expand...

Mao is getting older. Doing 3A's is getting harder for her. When she was younger, her 3A had more spring than it has the past 2 years. Mao focused so hard on those 3A's last season and because of that she was able to master them, but the rest of her jumps took a toll as a result.

Mao is now focusing on improving her technique on her other jumps, which is going to take a toll on her 3A's. She also already holds the record of being the first female to do three 3A's at a single competition, so there is no longer as much motivation for her to throw her entire being into them. They are going to become more prone to being underrotated. She will still keep doing them even if they constantly get downgraded, though, because a downgraded 3A is still worth the same amount of points as a fully rotated 3Lz.

Blades of Passion said:

Mao is getting older. Doing 3A's is getting harder for her. When she was younger, her 3A had more spring than it has the past 2 years. Mao focused so hard on those 3A's last season and because of that she was able to master them, but the rest of her jumps took a toll as a result.

Mao is now focusing on improving her technique on her other jumps, which is going to take a toll on her 3A's. She also already holds the record of being the first female to do three 3A's at a single competition, so there is no longer as much motivation for her to throw her entire being into them. They are going to become more prone to being underrotated. She will still keep doing them even if they constantly get downgraded, though, because a downgraded 3A is still worth the same amount of points as a fully rotated 3Lz.

Click to expand...

Thanks for explaining and it makes sense to me. There is a possibilty that Mao may do OK with her 3A's this season. It is possible her new coach might be able to strengthen her 3A technique.

But if Mao really has her focus on Sochi then she has to clean up her lutz and work on her 3x3's. That could take time and lead to some less than stellar skates this season.

Still, I suspect Mao has her eyes on a third WC this season with Worlds being in Japan.
Only Sonja, Carol and Michelle have won five WC's and Mao may have made it a goal to join that club.

^ And don't forget Herma Szabo, 1922-1926.

But, yeah, Mao has a great shot at winning three more.

Edited to add: 2011 World podium:

Mao Asada
Ashley Wagner :yes:
?

I find this discussion interesting, in particular as regards two of my favorite skaters from Japan ~ Miss Ando and Miss Asada.

I had high hopes for Miki at one time, during the transition years when there was really no one to get that excited about. One of my all-time favorites skaters had basically retired, Sarah Hughes, and I was left adrift, lol. Then I heard about Miki and the quad, and I thought "what guts!", so I watched her entry into seniors with high hopes. She was stiff, not very musical, but was a pretty good all-around skater with a 100 mega-watt smile and tons of charm! So, naturally, I thought she would improve, and she did, but never to the point of Olympic Gold Medal material imho. Her packaging was first-rate, and she could jump very well (her triples were fully rotated & high and her 3/3s were very very good), but still she was never a standout in one or more areas (e.g. spins, artistry, technical, consistency, footwork, flexibility, spirals, etc.). So I kinda lost interest, especially after the 2006 Olympics (she herself lost interest as well), and especially when I realized she would *never* land a fully rotated 4salchow. She never has, even the one that was ratified at the 2002 JGPF should never have happened imho. I've watched the videos, it was underrotated by 1/2, and the subsequent rare times she has tried one over the following years have always been underrotated by 1/2 or more. I appreciate the effort, but anything, and I mean anything, underrotated by a 1/2 or more should never be given credit, not even partial. This is what I've always liked about the COP, and if they change it to allow even partial credit for jumps that are underrotated by 1/2 or more, what's the point!?! Geeze, we are just going to end up where we were before. I hope the ISU doesn't cave; please count triple jumps as underrotated by 1/2 or more as double jumps, or if you must triple jumps with all negative grades of execution. This not a reflection on Miki, as I still do appreciate her, and I honestly do love it when she does well, but I'm speaking as a long-time figure skating fan. And I don't think allowing jumps underrotated by a 1/2 or more is good for the sport. In fact I'd rather see Yuna with all her gorgeously fully rotated 3/3s than a severely underrotated 3A or 4S by a woman. And that's the truth.

As for Mao, she's a whole other kettle of fish. And I'm not just talking jumps, I'm talking mentality, the desire/the drive to always strive to be better than what she is, not settle. Yes, I didn't recognize this at first, when I heard about the junior girl with the 3A I was jaundiced by this point, thinking probably just another wannabe with barely a 3A which she will lose as soon as she grows a bit & fills out, and my belief was confirmed when I saw her severly underrotated 3A when she was just a junior. Naturally, I thought it wouldn't get any better, confirmed in my belief (lol). Thus, I was astonished when she appeared at the 2005 GPF with the most beautiful 3A I've ever seen, over-rotated to boot! This, coupled with her lovely presentation and exquisite spins & spirals, as well as very good 3/3s over the years has amazed me. Of course it can always get better, especially some of her underrotated 3/3s need work, but her 3A I don't have a problem with. Yes, sometimes they are underrotated by 3/8ths, which rightfully so should not be ratified, but her percentage on this jump keeps improving over the years, *not* declining. She truly has mastered this jump. This I have no quibble with. But now she really does need to work on those 3/3s over the next four years, while maintaining her consistency with the 3A. Thank goodness her solo triple jumps have never been a problem. I figure it will take at least a couple of seasons before her program "fit for the gods" will truly materalize/take shape. But that said, I have to admit she has totally surprised me in the past (see above), so I wouldn't put it past her to surprise me again by mastering 3/3s in only one season, not two, accompanied of course with her trademark 3A(s).

Lol, I can't wait for the season to begin!

Blades of Passion said:

Mao is getting older. Doing 3A's is getting harder for her. When she was younger, her 3A had more spring than it has the past 2 years.

Click to expand...

I agree with the toll that Mao's other jumps have taken because of her undivided focus on the 3A. However, I would not say that doing 3As is getting harder or that it had more spring in the past. Honestly, the 3As I saw her do at the Olympics and some of the competitions before then have been much improved and had the greatest height and hang time that I've seen from her.