My thoughts:
Claro que si......of course it goes without saying that the Japanese skaters are certainly a force to be reckoned with.......have always been. In fact, I think it just goes to show that
nobody should ever be counted out, especially if s/he has shown that s/he has the potential to skate great (aka Kwan, Cohen, Slutskaya, Kostner, Ando, Arakawa, et al)......just a matter of
time.......before everything comes together.
The hard part is what follows thereafter, in order to prove that one is for "real" (as regards a medal threat in every competition from then on), one has to
consistently hold to that high standard, which in
Shizuka Arakawa's case would be having to perform near perfectly every time out - no falls, 6/7 triple programs, at the very least one 3/3 (no less will do), skated with confidence & attack. I wish her mucho suerte, especially as the only one that I can think of that has consistently performed to a high standard over a period of many years, and has never finished off the podium (either nationally or internationally) since 1996 (when she won her first of many Worlds Titles, not to mention Olympic Medals) is
Michelle Kwan. That's a lot to live up to. Btw,
Irina Slutskaya also fits into this category, and I would wager to bet
Sasha Cohen is on her way as well (aka has dominated the Sr. Grand Prix for the last couple of seasons now, consistently medalled @ US Nationals since 2000, won GPF in December of 2002, Silver Medalist @ 2004 Worlds).
***Note: the above criteria could also be applied to
Miki Ando as regards Jrs. - dominated/won ALL Jr. Grand competitions that she entered since she first hit the scene in 2001/2002, won Japan Jr. Nationals 3 times (tied w/
Shizuka Arakawa as the most ever won by an individual), medalled @ JGPF every single time (won it twice), and medalled @ Jr. Worlds since she first debuted in 2002 (finally winning in 2004).***
That said, IMHO
none of the present day Japanese skaters can compare to their countrywoman
Midori Ito.........No Way..........heck,
Fumie Suguri still has never skated a 7 triple program nor landed a 3/3 in
competition (fact; almost 100% positive this is so). Nor have ANY of them landed a
fully rotated 3A in
competition, and that goes for the ones that have at least
tried it (aka Nakano & Onda). Furthermore, the only one that equals
Midori's phenomenal height on the jumps is
Yoshie Onda (no b.s.). The others have excellent height, but nowhere near the former two (though
Ando does attain it on the solo 3F & 3R). Lastly,
Midori never underrotated her jumps (most likely b/c of the phenomenal height she attained; in fact she had "hang time" which is extremely RARE). This, unlike
Arakawa & Ando's 3/3s, though I give them credit for trying & landing them (moreso for
Ando's, whom usually lands them less than an 1/4 underrotated on the second jump, unlike
Arakawa). JMHO.
***Note: not to mention
Midori's super fast spins, speed, & power, and the records that she set (high ideal; aka first Japanese woman to win Worlds, first lady skater to land a 3A, as well as a 3/3 combo., and also highest finish for a Japanese lady @ Olympics - 2nd). 'nuff said.***
The following is how I
presently view Japan's formidable skaters:
Shizuka Arakawa - the complete overall package skater.....has it all.....technical + very good presentation. Remains to be seen if she can hold on to that standard in the long run, which would require her to be in tip-top physical condition throughout the year. As
Michelle Kwan stated at this past Worlds ~ when she was young, she always thought that she had to be in tip-top physical condition throughout the year ~ now she realizes that a skater can't keep that up indefinitely and now knows the term about "peaking" at the right time. Hopefully
Shizuka was listening (already has a bandage on her thigh; perhaps from overjumping???).
Fumie Suguri - technically she's the weakest of the group, but presentation-wise she is very strong. Remains to be seen if she can upgrade her jump arsenal to that of her countrywomen...
Yoshie Onda - has the best jumps of them all, but still hasn't landed a 3/3 combo. (sequence, yes, combo. no) nor a 3A (though she came awfully close @ 2002 Bofrost Cup On Ice; landed but short of rotation; height was out of this world!). Also, what's really holding her back is the presentation aspect ~ hopefully she'll be fighting mad at being left off the Japanese Team for Worlds & do an
Irina Slutskaya (ala 2000/2001 season). GOOOOOO YOSHIE! I believe (no lie).
Asada Sisters - too young (one of them is even age ineligible for the next Olympics), but what's really holding them both back is the massive underrotations on the 3/3s, as well as the other solo triples being weak. Personally, I think the problem is b/c they're built tall & skinny (ala
Karen Kwan). Hopefully, as they grow & mature, they'll add power & strength to their skating. JMHO.
Yukina Ota - outdoes her peers on the presentation aspect ~ best of the bunch ~ but skating is more than about looking pretty on the ice. Still has work to do on the technical aspect. Actually, she's facing the opposite problem of her countrywoman
Yoshie Onda. It remains to be seen which one is harder (or easier) to attain ~ aka presentation or technical. Bueno suerte to both of them.
Miki Ando - enigma (has the technical & her presentation is good). Literally has the ability to blow the field away........especially with her nuclear bomb full of exotic jumps & exquisite combos.........but will she have the "guts" to detonate them when the time comes. That is the question...
Peace & Best Wishes, Nadine
I really did think she was good, she has triple-triples (although they might have been slightly cheated on landings - I'd have to check, though IIRC they were at least almost clean), other great triples, very good speed and edges (especially on the FO spiral with her hand on the ice, and her edge must be less than 45 degrees... wow), good spins, great musicality and energy... She's not a ballerina, IIRC, but she's definitely one to watch. Almost got a medal in her first Euros, kept her composure in front of her home audience bringing the house down, and skated a great long even though she had the added pressure of knowing she was in 3rd place going in!
