Mao's programs this year

[PROKOFIEV]

I agree, Sk8bug, Mao has wonderful technique on her 3Axel!:thumbsup:

My all-time favorite 3Axel of Mao's came at the very beginning of her 2008 4CC FS ~ perfect, exquisite, one-of-a-kind ~ it just looked so effortless. Not only that, Mao's is so different from Tonya & Midori's in terms of presentation. This fragile-looking tall supple ballerina could do something like that! It still boggles my mind, especially when she tacks on the 2T with the Tano flourish, it honest to God looks like something out of the ballet (btw Sasha Cohen has been recently doing this as well after her 3S; Mao's is still my favorite though with Sasha almost tying, lol).

By the way, I just wanted to say that though Yuna Kim blew me away with her James Bond program, she has never made me cry, yet. Though I truly do appreciate everything she does as a skater, to be a fan of someone, there has to be I-don't-know what. It's different from each one of us, our favorites just have something that makes them that much more special to each one of us. Hard to define, but you fans know what I speak of.

My fandom of Mao's goes beyond her incredible athleticism, heartfelt artistry, and her sheer guts & determination. No, I sense this vulnerability in her as well, this quiet humility, kindness. But she also needs nerves of steel to do what she does, and a backbone made out of titanium! Especially this year, specially this year...


p.s. PROFOFIEV, good words, well said.

Nadine, Thank you for the nice comment! . Since English is not my first language, sometimes it is really difficult to express my feelings well. But you said exactly how I feel. Each fan is looking for something different from skaters. For me, winning gold in the Olympics is not so important at all. I am looking for a skater and a program which I can remember forever and can smile/cry about!
I am very sorry to say this to Arakawa fan. I admire the fact that Arakawa won the Olympic gold, but her program is no the one that I remember the most. I just feel that Mao can leave me the one of the most memorable programs of this year even though it may not receive the highest score. With those music and her talent, it is possible as long as she believes that she can do it!! Even her exhibition programs are always memorable to me. I know everyone is different, but this is how I feel. I just want Mao to keep on going, never have doubt in whatever she is doing right now!!

Go Rachael, Go Caroline, Go Alissa, Go Mirai, Go Alexe, Go Sasha!!!

 

[gourry]

Good news!

Mao considers changing her SP to Caprice!
http://number.bunshun.jp/other/figure/column/view/4237/page:3
Mao confirms that this year's exhibition [Paganini's Caprice] was created as a possible SP. And there is a possibility that Mao will switch to Caprice before Olympics!

Yeah, that's the way to go!:yes:

 

[Spun Silver]

I too appreciate Prokofiev's post. :thumbsup: I too can imagine Mao's FP being a classic even if it's Yu Na who captures the OGM. Go, Mao!!

 

[Nadine]

PROKOFIEV, no worries, I honestly wouldn't have known English wasn't your first language if you hadn't mentioned it. Believe me, I know what it's like to try to learn not only a second language, but a third as well! Thus, my hat not only goes off to you, but Mao as well, as she too has been busy learning not only English, but Russian in order to communicate with her sensei Madame Tatiana Tarasova. Just a little extra something that makes me even more of a fan of Mao.

Back to the topic at hand, I read recently that Mao was in tears after her SP at TEB, and that today she wanted to know what score she would get if she completed both her programs perfectly. Obviously she has the heart of a champion, as shown year after year, and is aiming for gold, not silver or bronze. And is doing her utmost to attain that. Therefore, I would hope that she & her sensei talked to each one of the judges after TEB to see what she needs to work on, what she needs to change, et al.

Myself, I initially enjoyed both programs, but then once again starting doubting after reading all the comments *sigh, my fault, again*. Anyhow, I think the light-hearted Masquerade piece is a perfect foil for Mao's Bells of Moscow dramatic nail-biting FS. What she really n-e-e-d-s to do is to land the jumps! And by jumps I mean the following in order to outscore her closest rival(s):

SP: 3A, 3F-3R, 2A
LP: 3A, 3F-3R, 3S, 2A-3T, 3L-2R-2R, 3F, 3R

Mao has never gotten full credit for her second 3A attempt, thus I say scrap it & start anew, Plan B!

I've already talked about this extensively in the TEB section, but will repeat part of it here. With the jump layout Mao has now (i.e. the same one she did at 2009 WTT), the very most she can score is 201.87, as she did at 2009 WTT with a 3A-2T, 3F, and 2A in the SP, and 6-triple jumps in the LP, two of which were 3A & zero 3/3 combos. That's not nearly enough to challenge Yuna Kim, whom just recently scored 210+. Thus, time to introduce Plan B: 3A, 3F-3R, 2A in the SP, and an 8-triple jump LP, including only one 3A & two 3/3 combos.

I say Mao & TAT do what you need to do, and get busy, lol. Seriously, I recall during Sarah Hughes 2001/2002 Olympic Season she & her coach Robin Wagner changed not only her jump layout throughout the season from competition to competition to see what would work best, but they also changed a whole section of her FS music just before the Olympics!!!!!!! Lol, but it turns out they knew exactly what they were doing, even if it didn't seem so to us fans at the time.

Regarding Mao's exhibitions, I just thought it made her look more girlish/juniorish versus her competitive programs, especially this year, which make her look like the grown woman she is, not a little girl anymore. JMHO. But I'll be happy with whatever TAT & Mao do, as exhibition programs turned into competitive programs are two totally different animals.

 

[herro]

That's interesting, but I think that what you're referring to is a skid, which is actually a positive aspect of Mao's 3A.
A skid is not the equivalent of pre-rotation.

It is physically IMPOSSIBLE to do a 3A without a skid. How else will you be able to reach the height that is essential to do such a difficult jump?

IMPOSSIBLE.
Mao has wonderful technique.

Haha, I was actually surprised by how many people popped up videos on YouTube about "pre-rotation" which I think is often ridiculous. As a person who's skated seriously before, I find it hilarious how people slow-motion salchows, axels, and loops and call the take-off pre-rotation. Oh brother.

But on the contrary, a skid is generally looked down upon for the axel. Having a deep skid makes the technique less stable and often you can slide right off the edge. Remember Mao one year when she slid right off when she tried her opening triple axel?

There are some really really phenomenal examples of triple axels out there that are really clean. They have the perfect curved outside edge going in, but not a lot of "skid" and "sliding" as they take off. These are the jumps that often get a lot of height and stability. I want to say Midori, and even Yagudin I thought didn't have a skid. Or maybe you mean something else by skid. There's a difference between curving into the edge while taking off and skidding into the takeoff.

Hope that clarifies and helps people out.

 

[bekalc]

In the piano world, I knew so many talented students who wasted their immense talent, solely because they listened to others, too much. When the student does not do well at a competition, the surrounding audience starts to blame her errors on the teachers and the music. The student ends up changing teachers, technique, and overall playing, which leads to the destruction of her talent and what she had built up for so long.

Look your right that skaters shouldn't be quick to judge/blame their coaches. But if a skater was doing really well under one coach and one jumping layout/plan. And then the skater switches to another coach and starts skating poorly, finding their jumps are getting more and more inconsistent, and their results are going downhill. Well in this circumstance, I think the skater would be ridiculous to not ask themselves if they would be better off with another coach/training situation.

The facts are that Tarasova is a part time coach with Mao. And the person who is supervising her practices every day is NOT known as a great coach. Under this training situation, Mao jumps have digressed big time. To the point where she's no longer even doing 3/3s in her programs, practice reports are saying she's underrotating 3axels, and she's even getting her 3loop downgraded.

Considering how good Mao looked under Rafael, I think that Mao and her parents should seriously ask themselves if this particular training situation is right for Mao. Mao has been with Tatiana enough for her to make this decision.

Right now Mao needs a full time coach who can help her get her jumps in order STAT. Tarasova has a lot of great qualities as a coach, but one thing she is not known for is her abiltiy to teach students jumps. Kulik and Yagudin came to Tarasova with amazing jumping technique already in tact.

 

[Blades of Passion]

SP: 3A, 3F-3R, 2A
LP: 3A, 3F-3R, 3S, 2A-3T, 3L-2R-2R, 3F, 3R

Mao has never gotten full credit for her second 3A attempt, thus I say scrap it.

She actually has gotten credit once for both 3A attempts in the LP - last year's GPF.

That is not nearly high enough of success ratio, though.

I am happy you've copied the jump layout I have been suggesting for Mao. That is indeed what she needs to do (note--> the 3Flip-3Loop could be changed to 3Flip-3Toe, if it is more consistent. I have faith in her doing the 3Flip-3Loop, though, and I think she should stick with that element because it is more unique). She has already made history by landing both 3Axels in the LP, she now needs to move on to what will actually work best.

Also, this jump layout I suggest would give Mao a new record - she would be the FIRST lady to ever accomplish 8 Triples in a program.

Mao desperately needs something to gain her momentum back. Right now Yu-Na is looking unstoppable. By saying "hey, look, I'm going for a new record here", Mao will set herself apart and be taken seriously again.

 

[yelyoh]

I loved the YuNa/Moa rivalry. But it's clear the judges are loving YN and not Mao. I hate Mao's music. The choreography is ok but the music is so turgid. I actually liked last yaer's LP on her though she had to work like hell to pull it off which she did not. YN's LP is ok - enough but not too much. I wish Mao would drop the second 3 axel. It saddens me to see her struggling so. I respect her though for really trying to push herself but she has to be practicle.

 

[berrycute]

SP: 3A, 3F-3R, 2A
LP: 3A, 3F-3R, 3S, 2A-3T, 3L-2R-2R, 3F, 3R

I don't think the 3S is confident enough for the LP, a 3T would be better!

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

I don't think Mao can fire TAT though and get a full time coach. Isn't TAT's influence pretty huge in ladies figure skating? If Japanese Fed and Mao fire her, I think the broken relationship between team Japan (and Mao) and furious TAT will become irrecoverable. (Maybe it's not a problem if Japan won't hire her again for other skaters). Considering that Mao is aiming at Sochi Olympics after Vancouver, making TAT her opponent doesn't seem like a good action either. Dilemma?

By the way, I heard on Japanese forum that Mao's mother wants to change her coach. Whether this is true or not, team Mao doesn't look to be in a good shape so far.

 

[ayayukiituka]

I don't think the 3S is confident enough for the LP, a 3T would be better!

　
She popped 3s at JO.but it's because it's her first competetion this year.
so next time she can do it if she try 3s.

Yay!! we are waiting for that http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091020-00000244-sph-spo

It says she and tat are preparing for changing sp music! Her next competetion is coming,so she couldn't chage at Rossia.but we may be able to see her new sp in Tokyo at GPF.

 

[evangeline]

　


Yay!! we are waiting for that http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20091020-00000244-sph-spo

It says she and tat are preparing for changing sp music! Her next competetion is coming,so she couldn't chage at Rossia.but we may be able to see her new sp in Tokyo at GPF.

YES! A step in the right direction for Team Mao...I hope this means that they'll reconsider the 3A strategy she has as well.

 

[berrycute]

I think Mao should throw caution to the wind. Ditch Tat, relocate to the States for the next 5 months, start working with a US coach (Yuka Sato!), go ahead with Caprice as the new SP, and get Lori Nichol to take another look at Fantasie-Impromptu as a LP. That strategy paid off for Shizuka when she was in this exact same situation. Also, although I stick by my original judgement that Mao's SP costume is pretty, a new look could also give her some added confidence heading into the Olympics.

 

[yangjie]

looks like mao have a plan to chenge her SP, to Caprice 24 which is her Ex. program of this year....

 

[Nadine]

She actually has gotten credit once for both 3A attempts in the LP - last year's GPF.

That is not nearly high enough of success ratio, though.

I am happy you've copied the jump layout I have been suggesting for Mao. That is indeed what she needs to do (note--> the 3Flip-3Loop could be changed to 3Flip-3Toe, if it is more consistent. I have faith in her doing the 3Flip-3Loop, though, and I think she should stick with that element because it is more unique). She has already made history by landing both 3Axels in the LP, she now needs to move on to what will actually work best.

Also, this jump layout I suggest would give Mao a new record - she would be the FIRST lady to ever accomplish 8 Triples in a program.

Mao desperately needs something to gain her momentum back. Right now Yu-Na is looking unstoppable. By saying "hey, look, I'm going for a new record here", Mao will set herself apart and be taken seriously again.

Blades of Passion, yes, copied two of your posts over in the TEB section for the thread I started over there. Good idea!

Btw, I now cut & paste a copy of my reply, so I don't have to type it all over again:



I totally agree with poster Blades of Passion about Mao's jump layout! I feel like I'm in that movie "Cutting Edge" wherein the father keeps telling D.B. Sweeney's character:

"the move, the move, forget about the move, you can win without the move!"

Seriously, Mao has already put her name in the record books with firsts (i.e. 1st woman to land 2 triple axels in the FS), she *doesn't* need to land two triple axels in the FS again. It's done & over with, finito! Time to move on.

Not only that, but she never gets full credit for the 2nd 3A due to UR problems. The 1st 3A takes enough out of her, so by the time the second 3A comes round her legs & body are too tired to complete that last 1/2 rotation on the ice. It's just like a fall, better to leave it out. Also, it gets repetitive & doesn't add excitement.

What I would like to see her do (& in the process up her scoring potential to match Yuna Kim's at the very least) is to do a clean 8-triple program with what Blades of Passion mentioned up above.

She will still have completed a first once again: that is, the first woman to do a 8-triple program!!!! So if that is what's bugging her, no problem, she'll be a record-breaker again. Also, most importantly, it will be a well-balanced & complete program, instead of just focusing on 3A after 3A in the FS.

Oops, and yes, she still needs a 3A in the SP, but also a 3/3 combo. as well.

Nowadays the competition can be lost or won in the SP. Yuna Kim showed us that at TEB. Thus, Mao needs to hang tough in the SP with Yuna Kim, which means landing a 3A & a 3/3 combo. to stay in contention. And then skating lights out in the LP! You can do it, Mao, you can do it!



EDITED TO ADD: oops, forgot to say that I honestly feel deep in my heart that Mao also has the ability to move people, just like Yuna Kim has done with her fabulous James Bond Program, but in a different way, as Blades of Passion mentioned in his post up above.

Mao has shown us she already has the capability to move people to tears (e.g. her exquisite Clair De Lune SP) & also make them catch their breath with excitement & awe, which she will do so when she lands all her jumps in her Bells of Moscow LP.

 

[Nadine]

One last note about an 8-triple program from Mao, it will show the judges that she can do ALL the triples (i.e. toe, salchow, loop, flip, lutz, axel). And because she can, she will be the only lady that can do an 8-triple program, unless someone else can pull off a 3A as consistently as Mao does. Otherwise the most the other ladies can do is a 7-triple program. Never has an 8-triple program been done before by a lady, this would be the first!

Concerning this rumour of using "Caprice" as a new SP, oh I hope she can do it because my honest feeling is that Caprice will pale in comparison to Sasha Cohen's fiery tango (the snippets I've seen of it are extraordinary) & also Yuna Kim's James Bond program (equally phenomenal as Sasha's). These two latter ladies have what it takes to pull off sexy & fiery programs, whereas Mao is a different type of skater, more lyrical, soft, balletic. For what it's worth, I also felt the same way about one of my all-time favorites Oksana Baiul. Except for the "Feeling Begins" I never felt she had that natural sex appeal to pull off all those fiery tango programs she so loved. That type of program IMHO more suited someone like Nicole Bobek.

I wish Mao & her team wouldn't try to go head-to-head with Yuna in her specialty, but instead concentrate on what MAO DOES BEST! This reminds me of what Michelle Kwan & Kristi Yamaguchi said long ago, about not worrying about what your competitors are doing, rather concentrate on what you can do best. Kristi knew she couldn't outjump Tonya, so instead she focused on her superior presentation & on adding a 3/3 to her repertoire. This is *smart* thinking. And on that note Mao should be concentrating on what she does best ~ soft lyrical balletic programs that show off all her sublime subtle qualities ~ not trying to be a vamp, which just doesn't suit her. JMHO. I hope I'm wrong & she blows me away with her new Caprice SP. I would love to be proved wrong!


GOOOOOOOO MAO!!!!!!!

 

[christinaskater]

Caprice looks really promising for me!

I'd love to see Mao skate to the" Swan", "The Mission" or "Meditation of the Thais"

 

[mars]

Me too, ever since i saw Caroline skate to it, i wish that Mao would skate to Mediation of Thais...I think she would be wonderful...

But for some reason TAT is bent on giving music that is all about drama...nothing that is soft and beautiful which is what Mao's skating is, ethereal.

 

[Tigger]

Instead of the same old, same old, how about finding music that is powerful, but still has joy to it that would motivate both Mao *and* the audience?

Many of us are waiting and wondering why it hasn't happened yet, for that LP that could be made out of the music from LOTR : The Return of the King. It's all there on that soundtrack. Powerful dramatic music that's not a dirge, along w/light music as well.

I've always thought it would make a killer Olympic LP for someone out there and why it's never been used just puzzles me beyond belief!! It could work for Mao.

If only we lived in a perfect world....

 

[Blades of Passion]

You could create a dozen masterful programs from the music in Lord of the Rings.