To be perfectly honest, Czisny does nothing for me, the only program I liked of hers, not loved, was her Swan program. She reminds me of Kira Korpi, both physically lovely, nice technique on the jumps when on, pleasant overall skater, but vanilla in the end. That doesn't mean they don't have what it takes to win competitions, obviously they do, but I'm not a big fan of either one. However it's not just them, there are way more skaters that I'm apathetic about versus the ones that actually pique my interest. I can count on one hand the former.
So good for Czisny, Korpi, or any one of the others if they win or land on the podium, but hopefully whomever does so actually does it with a 7-triple LP without falls or bobbles. That alone will perk me up & cause me to cheer, same goes for the guys (except I would add a quad where the guys are concerned)!
As for Mao, knowing what she is capable of, including a flutz or slightly downgraded 3A, makes it all the more hard to see what she is going through this year. She caught my interest the past two seasons because first & foremost of her 3A (my favorite jump for the ladies!), but also because she has the overall complete package as well, including beautiful posture, pointed toes, lovely spins, nice footwork, fast speed when she's on, lyrical quality, drama when she's "on", and to top it all off her personality complemented her skating; she was a skater I could love both
inside & out. But I still say she eventually needs to play both the White Swan & the Black; she has to be both:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs
I actually really enjoyed Mao's "Bells of Moscow" routine at the Olympics, it's my favorite. I still remember the feeling I got watching it live on t.v. when she landed first one 3A, then the second one, I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest, and I wanted to run around the block a hundred times. I felt empowered as a woman. Then came the heartbreak of the 3F, the caught edge before the aborted last triple jump, knowing she was capable of so much more. Yet the d-r-a-m-a hasn't left me, that's the best she ever *performed* it imho. She could've scrapped that routine after the bad reception it got, she could've scrapped the 3axels all together, and brought back all her old triples, even with the bad technique on some, and she probably would've done better (not beat Yuna Kim of course, but gotten a better score). But, no, she went & forged ahead with only a few triples she was consistent with and which wouldn't receive bad edge calls, et al. My respect for her went up tenfold, especially now when she chooses to rework technique despite calls from some (including Phil Hersch) that it is no longer necessary. She walks her own path, no matter the consequences, she walks her own. For that she has my complete & utter admiration moreso than all the lady skaters put together. She might not make it, but her sheer determination & will to do it her own way has me her all-time fan.