Mao Asada Fan Fest | Golden Skate

Mao Asada Fan Fest

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skatinginbc

Medalist
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
This is a Valentine's gift for all Mao fans, an intimate place where we can express freely our love for Mao the person, the skater, and the world champion, an informative place where we share news of Mao, a safe place where we discuss her skating, her programs, and everything about her. Post long and often. :love:
 
Mao arrived at Narita Airport (成田空港) Japan on Valentine's Day (Feb 14, afternoon, local time). She responded with her usual smile to a group of reporters that her 3As at 4CC, though deemed under-rotated, were steady steps toward success in the coming World Championships, where she planned to include 3As (http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/new....co.jp/newsflash/2012/02/14/0004814826.shtml).

Here is a collection of Mao's recent videos:
4CC practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNVVufJfiLY
4CC SP (Scheherazade): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVVFyB8w94
4CC LP (Liebesträume):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbdrS_x2LWE
4CC Ex (Jupiter): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyBw9XEChPQ
 
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skatinginbc said:
Mao arrived at Narita Airport (成田空港) Japan on Valentine's Day (Feb 14, afternoon, local time). She responded with her usual smile to a group of reporters that her 3As at 4CC, though deemed under-rotated, were steady steps toward success in the coming World Championships, where she planned to include 3As (http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/new....co.jp/newsflash/2012/02/14/0004814826.shtml).

Here is a collection of Mao's recent videos:
4CC SP (Scheherazade): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVVFyB8w94
4CC LP (Liebesträume):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbdrS_x2LWE
4CC Ex (Jupiter): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyBw9XEChPQ
Click to expand...

Thanks for the report, BC. I'll watch the videos when I'm home from work. Go, Mao!
 
Good news! :thumbsup: Just like at the Olympics I expect Mao to hit *both* 3axels. As she's proven over the years, she only gets better as the season progresses, finally peaking at the most important competition, which this year is Worlds. :cool:
 
Keep the updates on Mighty Mao coming! :cool:

Can't wait to see her 3axels at Worlds, like fine wine, she only gets better with time, especially at the end of the season. :thumbsup:

:love:GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAO!!!!!:points:
 
skatinginbc said:
Interview of Mao at Airport (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=eU4elnrPmeM&NR=1). She is just so beautiful to look at.
Another link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YSPx5ZamoU&feature=related.
Basically she said that trying 3As at 4CC was a confidence-building step toward the Worlds.
Click to expand...

Yipes! Where was I when this thread was started. Hooray for Mao news! Thanks, BC. I'm so glad she is holding up so well. It's great that she tried the 3A and that she feels so good about that.

Go, Mao!
 
A really interesting clip on YouTube comparing Mao's 3-axel last year and this year at 4CC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZdMTbUxenw

You can see that she's sacrifced height to achieve width without which she won't get GOEs. But as a result, she's actually got less air time than before and so is completing the revolutions more quickly than last year!!
 
She is just exquisite. I love her LP dress where this amazing skater is decked in violet which I think is the perfect color for her skin tone. She always looks so delightful in pastels. I just love Mao Asada and wish her well at worlds. She is looking too thin, and I know her work and the triple axel keep her busy. I am glad there are taller, larger skaters still skating but I find this little tiny butterfly fascinating. How does she do triple axels?? i still wonder how it is possible, and she even floats doing this jump! best of luck Mao. Love from a fan in America....
 
skateluvr said:
She is just exquisite. I love her LP dress where this amazing skater is decked in violet which I think is the perfect color for her skin tone. She always looks so delightful in pastels. I just love Mao Asada and wish her well at worlds. She is looking too thin, and I know her work and the triple axel keep her busy. I am glad there are taller, larger skaters still skating but I find this little tiny butterfly fascinating. How does she do triple axels?? i still wonder how it is possible, and she even floats doing this jump! best of luck Mao. Love from a fan in America....
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the way I feel. How can she have the strength that she clearly does? She's definitely a phenomenon, and I'm delighted to be her fan.
 
A new montage (The story of Takahiko Kozuka and Mao Asada) was uploaded on Youtube today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpiLdgbUky0). What I found interesting is the game show part where Kozuka half jumped and half climbed and beat the challenge. I'm getting an impression that Kozuka, as quiet and humble as he might appear, is actually very smart. Didn't he win the cash prize in another game show "Running for life" or something (I don't remember the name of the show)?
 
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skatinginbc said:
A new montage (The story of Takahiko Kozuka and Mao Asada) was uploaded on Youtube today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpiLdgbUky0). What I found interesting is the game show where Kozuka jumped high and succeeded in the challenge. I'm getting an impression that Kozuka, as quiet and humble as he might appear, is actually very smart. Didn't he win the cash prize in another game show "Running for life" or something (I don't remember the name of the show)?
Click to expand...

I love it when our skaters are accomplished in other areas. (One reason Debi Thomas and Rachael Flatt will always hold a place in my heart.) The same goes for actors and singers. I know of two child actresses who went on to earn impressive degrees. Danica McKellar from The Wonder Years earned a degree in math, and Mayim Bialik from Blossom (and now on The Big Bang Theory) actually has a doctorate in I think neurobiology. Do I get to add Kozuka to this list? Hooray!

By the way, hurrah, that side-by-side comparison of Mao's triple axels last year and this is very interesting. Thanks for locating it for us. I also agree with skateluvr that I love Mao in that periwinkle purple shade she seems to favor. It's not so much that I love her in pastels but that I love her in those more saturated, deeper pastel shades like that and the sort of twilight blue she wore one year for I think a Chopin piece. I don't like really pale pastels; it's just a personal reaction of mine. I also don't warm to white, which is why I wish Alissa would change her costumes a bit.
 
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Spun Silver said:
I don't usually watch these things (fan montages) but this one caught my eye and is a compendium of everything people love about Mao. Sheer beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaXJ0k0xuNk
Click to expand...

Oh, that is sublime. In addition to all the other beautiful aspects of Mao's skating, it shows the wonderful positions of her arms and shoulders, and and the expressiveness of her face. To my mind, she has Michelle's quality of letting us in and taking us with her, and of making the music come alive.
 
Olympia said:
Oh, that is sublime. In addition to all the other beautiful aspects of Mao's skating, it shows the wonderful positions of her arms and shoulders, and and the expressiveness of her face. To my mind, she has Michelle's quality of letting us in and taking us with her, and of making the music come alive.
Click to expand...
Took the words right out of my mouth. I thought the same thing when I saw her live again at 4 Cs. The effect of Her artistry and musical expression on me reminds me of Michelle a bit, but for me, seeing her live is much better than on TV. Cant explain why....
 
I was just reading Mao Asada's Wiki page and it says that although officially, she is 163 cm, she is actually about 166 cm. She had a growth spurt during Vancouver Olympic year, and she experienced a weight gain. She was heaviest at 49.5kg during Russian Cup, and went on a diet and month later got herself down to 48kg.

I know Wiki is not the most reliable source, but I found the page to be well-written as a whole, and also, I remember looking at Mao and Yuna at Vancouver and she looked taller than Yuna (who is supposedly 163 or 164cm) when they stood side by side.

I wonder if she grew another centimeter or two after Vancouver? People keep on remarking that she is thinner and I agree, but she seems to have put back the weight she lost and yet she still seems longer/taller. And her shoulder width seems broader than it was during Vancouver Olympics. If she did, then she's one of these rare people who grew in their early 20's!
 
hurrah said:
I was just reading Mao Asada's Wiki page and it says that although officially, she is 163 cm, she is actually about 166 cm. She had a growth spurt during Vancouver Olympic year, and she experienced a weight gain. She was heaviest at 49.5kg during Russian Cup, and went on a diet and month later got herself down to 48kg.

I know Wiki is not the most reliable source, but I found the page to be well-written as a whole, and also, I remember looking at Mao and Yuna at Vancouver and she looked taller than Yuna (who is supposedly 163 or 164cm) when they stood side by side.

I wonder if she grew another centimeter or two after Vancouver? People keep on remarking that she is thinner and I agree, but she seems to have put back the weight she lost and yet she still seems longer/taller. And her shoulder width seems broader than it was during Vancouver Olympics. If she did, then she's one of these rare people who grew in their early 20's!
Click to expand...

Mao only looks an inch taller than Ashley in pictures from 4CC, and Ashley is listed as 160 cm. 163-164 is probably correct. I know that does not sound very tall, but once a skater is over 160 cm, she tends to look very tall when on the ice, especially if long legged like Mao. Polina Korobeynikova is listed as 166 cm, and to me she definitely looks taller than Mao. Carolina Kostner is 169 cm and looks much taller than Mao. Last I heard, Mao is 163 or 164 cm and 47 kg. Although there was some article I read recently saying she lost 5 kilograms or something. So if she's 42 kg now and actually 166 cm, that is concerning.

I don't know about 5 kg, but she has definitely lost weight in the past season or two, which is likely the explanation for her looking taller and her shoulders broader and more prominent. Also in pictures Yuna looks taller than Mao by around a cm or two and Yuna is 164 or 165 cm I believe.
 
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