Mao Asada | Page 167 | Golden Skate

Mao Asada

I'm so happy she's not going to NHK Trophy. I love the assignments she got - she will have 4 weeks between the events (SA - France - GPF) to recover and improve, while not losing momentum. I hope she'll deal with the time zone changes fine and acclimatize in time for the competition for all of the events.
 
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and joining specifically to ask if anyone is going to Skate America 2016 at Hoffman Estates, IL? I'm going, and it would be my first time ever to go to a figure skating competition/show, and I'd like to ask you guys what it's like to be at a skating competition like this, and also what types of seats are the best.
I'd like to go there and cheer for Mao, I'm very excited!
Thanks much! :)
 
YesWay said:
Mao coming to France... oh my... I was hoping for it, but didn't really expect it to happen!

Now very impatient for tickets to go on sale...
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Same here. I'm seriously thinking of going, if everything works out.
Paris is less than 2 hours flight for me and I was crazy enough to go to Japan just to see Mao at NHK in what might have been her last season then.
It cost me a fortune but it was an amazing experience I wouldn't trade for anything!

I wasn't even expecting to be able to see Mao live again, so I don't want to miss this opportunity!
 
solar said:
Interesting how she didn't get NHK this time. Both events are pretty stacked, so I wish Mao lots of luck!
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I can't help but think that not getting NHK has something to do with the spacing between the events. For example, Mao 's obvious illness during the NHK last year probably lowered her immunity when she did the Grand Prix Final two weeks later leading to her second case of flu which caused her to miss practice before Nationals just two weeks later, so it was kind of a chain reaction of setbacks in health that started at NHK. As far as being stacked in competition. whatever the scores, Mao is so stacked and packed with talent and the compelling ability to move people's emotions with the beauty and power of her skating that it often transcends the scoring system, like my mother from the US who has about as much connection to Japan as she does to Mars who she said that Mao's performance at Worlds was the most beautiful performance she had ever seen.
 
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yhmafan said:
It sounds so exciting! I'm happy for you! :agree2:




Same. while it’s predictable, I’m surprised Mao won’t be at NHK!! She may have to go through a tough season than the previous year :eek:
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While it could be debated, I think there is a very good chance that it will be an advantage for Mao not competing in the NHK. Mao seems to have felt the most pressure skating when she was in Japan last year. Compare her landed triple axels inside and outside of Japan. 3 of 5 outside of Japan with the one in the LP at Worlds looking nice to the eye in real time, while Mao only landed the triple axel 1 out of 5 times in Japan. As Mao has said herself, the triple axel inspires her to give her best performances. Also, I am glad that Mao will have more than two weeks to rest and prepare for Nationals. which served Mao so well in the 2009-2010 season when I think Mao gave some of her greatest performances at 4CC's, the Olympic SP and her stunning SP and LP at Worlds 2010, which was my favorite SP and LP performance combined ever up until that time. That season Mao skated at the Russian Telecom and Trophy Eric Bompard and she did not skate at the NHK.
 
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lydinh said:
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and joining specifically to ask if anyone is going to Skate America 2016 at Hoffman Estates, IL? I'm going, and it would be my first time ever to go to a figure skating competition/show, and I'd like to ask you guys what it's like to be at a skating competition like this, and also what types of seats are the best.
I'd like to go there and cheer for Mao, I'm very excited!
Thanks much! :)
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

I'm going to SA! Seeing live skating is fantastic! You get a much better sense of the skaters' speed and power in person than you can ever get watching on television.

Seat location is a personal preference. Some people like to be as up close as they can get, some like to sit further back to get a good overview of the rink, some like to sit behind the judges, some like to sit near the kiss-and-cry.

There is a thread in "The Edge" forum all about Skate America 2016 where you can ask questions about the competition, and a whole board which will become more active closer to the event under 2016-17 Figure Skating Competitions and Events>2016-17 Senior Grand Prix of Figure Skating>2016 Skate America.
 
gotoschool said:
Mao seems to have felt the most pressure skating when she was in Japan last year. Compare her landed triple axels inside and outside of Japan. 3 of 5 outside of Japan with the one in the LP at Worlds looking nice to the eye in real time, while Mao only landed the triple axel 1 out of 5 times in Japan. As Mao has said herself, the triple axel inspires her to give her best performances.
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I think skating in front of an adoring home crowd brings a lot more pressure than we fans realize. I think Mao will do great at Skate America. I'm sure there are many people who bought tickets when they heard she was coming! I can't believe I'm going to see her a second time now.
 
lydinh said:
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and joining specifically to ask if anyone is going to Skate America 2016 at Hoffman Estates, IL? I'm going, and it would be my first time ever to go to a figure skating competition/show, and I'd like to ask you guys what it's like to be at a skating competition like this, and also what types of seats are the best.
I'd like to go there and cheer for Mao, I'm very excited!
Thanks much! :)
Click to expand...
What's it like at a skating competition? It's awesome! you won't regret it!

One big thing I love about going in person is the music. When you watch skating on TV, youtube etc, it's always flat and compressed and lacking dynamics. But when you are there in the arena - you get the full dynamics, frequency range and volume, and it can add a lot to a performance. You can really feel the passion and emotion when a skater is interpreting it well, you notice small movements accenting subtleties in the music etc that you never spotted before...

Seats... well, specifically for Mao... take a look at some of her competition performances: you see where she normally lands her triple axel?

Sit right in front of that spot, and I promise you - the sight of Mao coming towards you on that curving approach, setting up the triple axel, and landing it right in front of you is something that you will never forget. It's an adrenaline rush that makes your hair stand on end, no joke.

Tricky to get a seat in that position for the competitions... but the practices... ah... it's quite possible to sit there during a practice session... ;-D
 
gotoschool said:
I can't help but think that not getting NHK has something to do with the spacing between the events. For example, Mao 's obvious illness during the NHK last year probably lowered her immunity when she did the Grand Prix Final two weeks later leading to her second case of flu which caused her to miss practice before Nationals just two weeks later, so it was kind of a chain reaction of setbacks in health that started at NHK. As far as being stacked in competition. whatever the scores, Mao is so stacked and packed with talent and the compelling ability to move people's emotions with the beauty and power of her skating that it often transcends the scoring system, like my mother from the US who has about as much connection to Japan as she does to Mars who she said that Mao's performance at Worlds was the most beautiful performance she had ever seen.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. Although I'm sure Japanese fans will be disappointed by not being able to see her compete at NHK trophy, it's better in the long run for her health.
 
lydinh said:
Hi! I'm new to this forum, and joining specifically to ask if anyone is going to Skate America 2016 at Hoffman Estates, IL? I'm going, and it would be my first time ever to go to a figure skating competition/show, and I'd like to ask you guys what it's like to be at a skating competition like this, and also what types of seats are the best.
I'd like to go there and cheer for Mao, I'm very excited!
Thanks much! :)
Click to expand...

You will love it and will be so impressed with what incredible athletes the skaters are...My seat preference is in the end, which a lot of people wouldn't like, but I find it very exciting as the skaters are skating right at us with full speed. I have Section 109, Row 6. I hope you have a wonderful time and attend many more competitions!
 
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OMG! Mao got France :yahoo:. I really want to go, I hope the organization will be better than Marselle GPF :palmf:
 
chapis said:
OMG! Mao got France :yahoo:. I really want to go, I hope the organization will be better than Marselle GPF :palmf:
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I hope you get to go. :hap85:She is so wonderful live. She was terrific at Worlds, and I can't believe I will get to see her again at Skate America!
 
chapis said:
I know, she is WONDERFUL/FANTASTIC/BEAUTIFUL :love:
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Can't wait to see her new Manuel de Falla programs. It will be hard to top Madame Butterfly but these new programs should be awesome.
 
chapis said:
I know, she is WONDERFUL/FANTASTIC/BEAUTIFUL :love:
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Just saw your location - would it make any sense for you to go to Skate America to see Mao rather than France? Non stop flights D.F. to Chicago on AeroMexico, :clap:
 
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chapis said:
Yes, but I am going to be working at Madrid oct-dec :)
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Oh, I see! I only thought of this because two of my friends just traveled to Mexico on Aeromexico. So happy for you that you will see Mao, no matter what city you are in! Buena suerte - que se divierta! :agree:
 
yhmafan said:
Since today (July 7) is Tanabata in Japan, some people image Mao as their “Ori-hime”　:luv17:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmsSdZkUsAAKWfW.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmwVNKTUIAA5c9K.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmwYeDiVIAAfPGQ.jpg
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Thank you for this information about the Tanabata Festival yhma fan and for the nice fan art. What a fascinating and imaginative story to base a festival on. I thought the heart breaking tragedy and rejoicing in the Tanabata Festival sounded like it could be a cultural influence on Mao because I have heard that Mao liked to read science fiction and she is a huge star. Even her dog's name Aero suggests Mao holds dear things associated with the sky and flying. So perhaps Mao identifies with this festival because it used a real life thing- love- and then places it in the context of sorrow in outer space - the stars Vega and Altair being separated by the Milky Way- and then rejoices or transcends the sorrow when they are united on the 7th day of the 7th month which also symbolizes the divine as in the seventh day for God. Seven also represents perfection and completion. So the story reminds me of the kind of desperate sorrow and turmoil found at the beginning of Mao's Rach II and Madame Butterfly which builds to a climatic release that purges the audience's emotions and leads to a transcendent celebration of great power that comes as close to perfection in terms of power of expression as anything I have ever seen. I also think these two performances have an otherworldly quality to them that is partly athletic- like a star prima ballerina on ice, but also the kind of genuine magic found in great acting performance by a big star in a movie or drama.
 
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