- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Well, yes and no, LOL. If you count that "e" as a flip, then taking the downgrade into account, her 11 jumps were:
3F
3F
3F
2A
2A
2A
3Lo
2Lo
2Lo
2Lo
2Lo
Ladies' Long Program
- Thread starter museksk8r
- Start date
3F
3F
3F
2A
2A
2A
3Lo
2Lo
2Lo
2Lo
2Lo
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
Taking the top 5 from Skate America and Skate Canada, it's interesting how things shape up at the moment.
Mao ASADA JPN 177.66
Yukari NAKANO JPN 169.43
Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 168.18
Kimmie MEISSNER USA 163.23
Emily HUGHES USA 162.42 (taking her higher score from SC)
Miki ANDO JPN 161.89
Caroline ZHANG USA 153.35
Ashley WAGNER USA 150.06
Mira LEUNG CAN 139.14
Emily at Skate America had 140.50, so a rough average of her 2 scores would be 151.46, putting her below Caroline Zhang.
Mao ASADA JPN 177.66
Yukari NAKANO JPN 169.43
Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 168.18
Kimmie MEISSNER USA 163.23
Emily HUGHES USA 162.42 (taking her higher score from SC)
Miki ANDO JPN 161.89
Caroline ZHANG USA 153.35
Ashley WAGNER USA 150.06
Mira LEUNG CAN 139.14
Emily at Skate America had 140.50, so a rough average of her 2 scores would be 151.46, putting her below Caroline Zhang.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
Wow, she has some work to do before Worlds then. With her limited # of triples she really needs the triple axel or even 2 of them.
I was thinking Mao would be very difficult for Caroline Zhang to catch up at 2010 Olys. Not any more. Apparently both Mao and Zhang have bad flutz, but at least zhang have 5 triples on paper. I think 3A will be difficult for Mao to maintain when she grows even more in the coming years. So on paper, she will only have 3 triples left...
Yu-Na will have an edge... But she's hardly a clean long program skater... Ando is not very exciting... This race is wide open.
Yu-Na will have an edge... But she's hardly a clean long program skater... Ando is not very exciting... This race is wide open.
Mao got her 3T back this summer. I don't know why she did not attempt it here - perhaps because she has originally 3F-3T planned in her LP (she was trying them in the practice, but had some step-outs) so no place for another 3T in the original jump layout.
Here's a link to her practice showing her doing a single 3T:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSuKnVqhcXY
I think it was wise of her to tone down her jump content here. She would win hands down anyway and what she needed was a clean performance to boost her confidence for TEB.
I love her program, it is much, much better than Czardas. Great choreo - a little bit tentative here, but it is understandable considering this is the first time she attempted more complex choreography in the LP.
I think some of the people are being too harsh on her. She did a tremedous job improving her impression, posture, upper body movement and step sequences and worked on her spirals and spins, plus she got that 3T and 3F-3T even though it is now only in practice.
She could, of course, spend all the summer practicing jumps and skate with 8 triples here, but I'm pretty sure that then the consensus would have been: "Oh, another mere jumper. Couldn't someone with more artistry win..?"
The road to Vancouver is still long and I think it is a good move on the Team Asada's part to try and improve all aspects of her skating, not just concentrate on jumps.
Just IMHO.
Here's a link to her practice showing her doing a single 3T:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSuKnVqhcXY
I think it was wise of her to tone down her jump content here. She would win hands down anyway and what she needed was a clean performance to boost her confidence for TEB.
I love her program, it is much, much better than Czardas. Great choreo - a little bit tentative here, but it is understandable considering this is the first time she attempted more complex choreography in the LP.
I think some of the people are being too harsh on her. She did a tremedous job improving her impression, posture, upper body movement and step sequences and worked on her spirals and spins, plus she got that 3T and 3F-3T even though it is now only in practice.
She could, of course, spend all the summer practicing jumps and skate with 8 triples here, but I'm pretty sure that then the consensus would have been: "Oh, another mere jumper. Couldn't someone with more artistry win..?"
The road to Vancouver is still long and I think it is a good move on the Team Asada's part to try and improve all aspects of her skating, not just concentrate on jumps.
Just IMHO.
As far as her spins go, Mao has only 2 attractive positions - the Biellmann and the Y-spin. Everything else is rather slow and ugly.
The 3T looks quite good, I hope she starts to put it back in her programs. Whether she'll be able to keep her jumps at the same high level, however, remains to be seen.
The 3T looks quite good, I hope she starts to put it back in her programs. Whether she'll be able to keep her jumps at the same high level, however, remains to be seen.
I think some of the people are being too harsh on her. She did a tremedous job improving her impression, posture, upper body movement and step sequences and worked on her spirals and spins, plus she got that 3T and 3F-3T even Just IMHO.
I actually think her presentation, flow & artistry are excellent. There's not much room to improve. It just goes with different programs every year. The key is still for her to maintain jump ability....
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
I think the main contenders for the 2010 Oly Gold will be Asada, Kim, Zhang, and Meissner, and maybe Nagasu or Flatt. I really dont see Ando as a big contender, I think she has already peaked, I am not hoping that, it is just my sense.
I do think you will see more clean longs from Yu-Na in the future. She dealt with injuries last year which hurt her long programs.
I also think you will see a much much stronger Mao later in the year then now, scary for her competitors since she can still score big now.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
I'm holding out judgment on Zhang and Nagasu until I actually see them skate at a senior World Championship. The US has had too many promising junior skaters to not fulfill all their potential in the senior ranks. Right now I think the 2010 Olympic picture includes YuNa Kim, Mao Asada, and Kimmie Meissner. I'd LOVE to see a lot of surprises though!
I think her crossfoot upright spin, pancake, pancake with a twist (too bad she does not do it anymore in the competition), I-spin (again, too bad it's only in exhibitions) are quite beautiful.
Her camel, donut and layback got better, although still not perfect. She still needs to improve classical position on the layback, stop dropping leg on donut and get more speed.
She had great spins as a novice, but it seems that as she strated growing up it spoiled her balance and she lost most of them. She is getting them back now - she admitted that she does not like practicing spins because it makes her feel sick
, but she aims to improve them to perfection. Again, it's probably not something that can be improved in 2 months only, or we'd have Lambiels and Ruhs left and right.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
It was!Hopefully I will be able to stay up tonight to watch all this later. SOunds like it was a wonderful competition.
But in a way, the SP was more exciting.
In the LP. when all was said and done, it all came out the way everyone knew it would.
Also because according to the protocols Zhang's flutz is not that bad, but Mao's lutz is really bad.
Zhang received an average of -1 for her flutzes, but Mao received twice a lot of -3 for hers.
Zhang is really young and if she works well she can come with a real lutz. If she really fix her lutz, she will be
:agree: to me!!! Plus she is working on her salchow and trying it at the competitions. Mao is years that she doesn't fix her lutz, nor salchow, nor toe-loop.
My impressions from the CBC coverage.
OK, I am now officially a Leslie Hawker fan. Lovely program, well done. :
Joannie versus Yukari. I could go either way. Both excellent. The triple Axel tipped the balance. Yukari's leg wrap still drives me nuts, but I guess it doesn't lose her any CoP points.
The triple Axel sure looked underrotated to me, but hey! it's a triple Axel! I guess tyhe tech specialist knows best.
Did you guys see the interview with Mao afterward. She spent the whole time looking at the big screen TV off to the side while the interviewer was talking to Morosov, and also while the translator was translating her answers to the interviewer. Looked like she didn't know (or care) that the interviewer was even there.
I was also impressed with Hawker. I agree with Tracy Wilson, she's been working on her in-betweens and is now a much-improved whole skater. I thought her marks could have been better (PCS in particular).
The 3x was really underrotated IMO and should have been downgraded. Combine that with what I thought was pretty egregious overmarking in her SP and I think Rochette really should have had the silver.
I found Asada's attitude in the interview to be ungracious and inappropriate. Really off-putting. Quit behaving like a 10 year old having a tantrum. It came off as arrogant and diva-ish. If you don't want to do an interview, then don't. Don't sit there and rudely ignore the person who's just trying to do their job.
I don't want to be harsh with Mao, but IMO a real champion should have 5 types of triples.
Michelle Kwan did have all the triples minus the 3A. All of her triples had a perfect technique. She struggled with her loop in her late years, but she fixed her flutz.
It is also because of this that I consider MK a real FS champion!!!
Michelle Kwan did have all the triples minus the 3A. All of her triples had a perfect technique. She struggled with her loop in her late years, but she fixed her flutz.
It is also because of this that I consider MK a real FS champion!!!
Last edited:
For me the LP was much more exciting - at least those performances that I have seen (I missed the 1st group). I prefer seeing good performances that surprising ones. 
CBC just replayed Mao's LP. I was not able to apprectiate it fully before because I was too concentrated on the elements to look at the whole picture, but I must say I think it was a gorgeous program. Just amazing artistry-wise, gorgeous posture, great musicality. Jump content needs a bit of work and rethinking, but still it was much better than her LP at SA last season.
CBC just replayed Mao's LP. I was not able to apprectiate it fully before because I was too concentrated on the elements to look at the whole picture, but I must say I think it was a gorgeous program. Just amazing artistry-wise, gorgeous posture, great musicality. Jump content needs a bit of work and rethinking, but still it was much better than her LP at SA last season.
???
I didn't find anything inappropriate in her behaviour. I think she might have just tried not to accidentaly laugh, because the translator was doing a really bad job, what she said didn't quite match with what Mao said (and I think the translator forgot what Mao said at the beginning altogether). Mao's reply was really adorable and funny.
I met Mao personally and never have I seen her acting like a diva. She's very friendly, considerate and really polite.
I found Asada's attitude in the interview to be ungracious and inappropriate. Really off-putting. Quit behaving like a 10 year old having a tantrum. It came off as arrogant and diva-ish. If you don't want to do an interview, then don't. Don't sit there and rudely ignore the person who's just trying to do their job.
--A couple of things: Mao was obviously distracted by seeing footage of what I believe was of herself skating the LP on the TV behind her. Also, it's always tricky figuring out whether one should look at the interviewer/camera or look at the translator. It didn't help that the translator didn't seem succinct in her questions or answers.
I didn't find anything about Mao's demeanor divaesque. Distracted maybe, but not intentionally ungracious or malicious.
--A couple of things: Mao was obviously distracted by seeing footage of what I believe was of herself skating the LP on the TV behind her. Also, it's always tricky figuring out whether one should look at the interviewer/camera or look at the translator. It didn't help that the translator didn't seem succinct in her questions or answers.
I didn't find anything about Mao's demeanor divaesque. Distracted maybe, but not intentionally ungracious or malicious.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Welcome to Golden Skate, Billeh. Thanks for joining us.
Mao is just a young kid, but, yeah, if she is confused about proper protocol, someone should explain it to her. You look directly at the interviewer both when speaking and when listening. The translator stands at the side and both parties are supposed to pretend that she is not there and that they are talking directly to each other. (The interviewer then thanks the translator after the interview is concluded.)
Mao is just a young kid, but, yeah, if she is confused about proper protocol, someone should explain it to her. You look directly at the interviewer both when speaking and when listening. The translator stands at the side and both parties are supposed to pretend that she is not there and that they are talking directly to each other. (The interviewer then thanks the translator after the interview is concluded.)
