Mirai Nagasu

[evangeline]

FS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoodJHypADw&feature=mfu_channel&list=UL

Some jump problems (2A-3T<, 3Lz two footed, weird 3F<<) but at least she's repeating the 3Lo now

Spartacus!

Meh.

I admit, I'm a bit disappointed with the selection of the Adagio from Spartacus for Mirai's LP this season. Adagios are nice, but I feel that Mirai is more than nice...she's spunky, feisty and exciting. I would think that she needs some music with more oomph that will allow her to show off her speed and attack. Does anyone know who choreographed Mirai's programs this year? Is it Lori again?

 

[Tinymavy15]

Adagio from Spartacus is a very mature piece of music, and was pleasantly surprised by her presentation of the music, her arms seem to reach farther and feel the music with more depth, which is certainly what this piece requires. I feel that it might not be showing Mirai off to her best advantage as so much of the music and story seems a little over her head...
see this stunning ballet rendition of the adagio to really understand what I am trying to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86v05kSTZ3Y

I hope Mirai can grow more into this piece, and I have to disagree with most of the above who feel that the Tango is not her style. From what I have seen it is a great vechicle for her spunky style.

 

[jatale]

...see this stunning ballet rendition of the adagio to really understand what I am trying to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86v05kSTZ3Y

Wow! L. Semenyaka was amazing in that piece! Thanks for the pointer!

 

[janetfan]

Uh-oh, we just saw Mirai skate to more serious music and she wasn't smiling the whole time

I think Kanako and Mirai suffer from having such beautiful smiles - and yet when they show it too much they get criticized for being too "light."

Then when they skate to something more serious some of the same fans are saying "Mirai and Kanako need music that shows off their spunkiness and cuteness." :sheesh:

The day I learned about life 301 one of the first lessons was "you can't have it both ways."
I like Mirai's new program and realize she just got back from touring in Japan. Fairly doubtful she would be at her best but I like what I see so far.

I think with some tweaking from Lori and Frank helping her this program could be memorable.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I still like the way Mirai moves over the ice, her effortless acceleration and exceptional posture/body carriage and stretch make her one of my favorites.

I see Frank wanting to expand her range of expression, making her presentation more versatile and mature and all aimed at 2014.

 

[demarinis5]

Loved both Mirai's SP and LP. It is early and I suspect of all of the ladies will be tweaking their programs. I agree with Hernando regarding the direction Frank is aiming for Mirai.

 

[heyang]

It's still early - there's plenty of time for her to grow into this routine. Recall Michelle Kwan at age 15/16 when she performed Salome. At the beginning of the season, she seemed like a young girl pretending. By World's, she was Salome.

Personally, I don't feel that Mirai has had that breakthrough performance that has changed her from an athlete to an artist. I'm sure she'll get there - if not this season, then soon.

 

[kalle]

Finally!
This is the first LP since her Dvorak program that I find absolutely gorgeous
She looked very tired and the jumps were obviously not there today but for me, she could turn it into one of her finest program so far in her career..
I am not so sure about the SP, I like the fact that she is trying a Tango but I was hoping it to have some kind of highlight and I cannot help missing a spiral or something like that..I hope it will grow on me as the season goes on but it felt rather "empty" comparing to Laura Lepisto's fantastic Tango program.Ok that was a LP but still, every little move went perfectly with the music and it is something that I miss in many programs these days..
But overall, nice programs for Mirai and I hope she will peak at the right time this year!

 

[janetfan]

It's still early - there's plenty of time for her to grow into this routine. Recall Michelle Kwan at age 15/16 when she performed Salome. At the beginning of the season, she seemed like a young girl pretending. By World's, she was Salome.

Personally, I don't feel that Mirai has had that breakthrough performance that has changed her from an athlete to an artist. I'm sure she'll get there - if not this season, then soon.

I always thought Kwan's "Salome" was first rate, especially for such a young skater.

I saw it back in '96 and have watched many times on YouTube.
If I was judging I would have placed Lulu first.

In pageants anyone can win - but in real sports a champion must be clearly beaten to give up their title.

I saw no such thing and thought Lulu deserved to win.

 

[Mathman]

Objectively speaking , Michelle had better spins, a better spiral, and more detailed choreography, plus she did seven triples to Lu Chen's six.

Lulu skated with exquisite charm and grace, and got three first place ordinals from the judging panel. Interestingly, one of them was from the U.S. judge, who was also the only judge to given Chen a first place ordinal in the short program.

- but in real sports a champion must be clearly beaten to give up their title.

You are thinking of boxing (in the olden days before they put in their equivalent of the CoP. ) In boxing, the champion held the title until someone took it away from him. In sports where the title is for a fixed term, like one year, the title expires and is up for grabs the next time around, with no expectation of favoritism to last year's winner.

 

[R.D.]

I think Nagasu showed she belonged with her Oly debut. However, something happened very soon after and she began to doubt herself (again). I don't think she has regained that confidence yet- at least as of the end of last season.

How this year turns out for her will be very telling as to where she is headed, and how her career is likely to pan out.

 

[janetfan]

Objectively speaking , Michelle had better spins, a better spiral, and more detailed choreography, plus she did seven triples to Lu Chen's six.

Lulu skated with exquisite charm and grace, and got three first place ordinals from the judging panel. Interestingly, one of them was from the U.S. judge, who was also the only judge to given Chen a first place ordinal in the short program.


You are thinking of boxing (in the olden days before they put in their equivalent of the CoP. ) In boxing, the champion held the title until someone took it away from him. In sports where the title is for a fixed term, like one year, the title expires and is up for grabs the next time around, with no expectation of favoritism to last year's winner.

The US judge was obviously a superior judge with impeccable taste who voted by what he saw on the ice.


Michelle did 7 triples and Lulu did six but some of the jumps were equal and a few by Lulu I thought were much better.

That was a close competition and to be honest I watch Lulu's LP several times a year.
Michelle's win felt the same to me as Tara's win in Nagano.

In both cases I thought the more mature and beautiful skater wuz robbed.

 

[dorispulaski]

I also thought Mirai looked as though the programs were rather new to her...and that could indeed be because of the touring with the Ice that she has been doing.

 

[Jammers]

It's only early August the programs are new to her. Just look at Mirai early last year in the GP season and then at FCC. There is no comparison. And this season hasn't even started yet. I doubt she's even in really good shape yet. I just hope she really puts it all out there this year because the competition is going to be fierce. Alissa,Rachel,Ashley.Agnes,Christina, Vanessa the list goes on and on with all the girls she is going to have to beat this year. I just hope mentally she is stronger because that is what is holding her back from even greater things.

 

[kalle]

It think I've told this story before, and it probably won't make me very popular; but I guess this is also related to the fact that the only time I met her she acted very strange, like a scared, sad little mouse, looking like she didn't even understand English. And that was the evening of her SP win at Worlds! I was confused, but I attributed it to unfortunate timing. I mean, who knows what was on her mind when I bumped into her. But then the next day I watched practice and she spend a whole lot of time 'perfecting her smile' with Frank Carroll. And though I imagine a lot of skaters do this, witnessing this really weirded me out. Ever since, I just can't see Mirai's 'cocky smile' in quite the same way.
.

This is interesting because I also met her that evening. It was at the "Eataly" mall and for me, she came across as rather shy and did not really wanted to talk to a stranger as myself!

I got a nice picture though and when I later met Akiko Suzuki, she came across as being a bit shy as well.With Rachael, it was different, she seemed more at ease with having strangers around her and was very easy going. I don't see Mirai as a "weird" person but I am not sure she always know how to deal with the media and/or her fans..These things does not come naturally for everyone..

 

[R.D.]

well, different people will handle the situation differently...

not everyone is comfortable around strangers. I know there are many times I'm not.

 

[christinaskater]

I think Mirai that the programs have great potential!

I really see her doing Piano Concertos and a Miss Saigon LP would be nice! She is very special but I am thinking of really glorious music that would really inspire the fire within her.

I agree that Frank has a great direction for Mirai. He really wants to emphasize the emotional growth and maturity.

I also agree with the smiling personas of Kanako and Mirai- and how their effervescence has been interpreted as juniorish..

 

[kwanatic]

I like Mirai's programs so far. I like the tango piece and I think once we see it with all of the intended jumps (I doubt she'll stick to that 3lp as her solo jump), I think it'll be better. I'd love to see her add some of that fire and spice she added to it when she skated at Sun Valley. Even with the blurry camera, I could see that she was performing more and that's what she needs. As for her Spartacus LP, I hope she and Lori reconsider the placement of some of the jumps and elements...but overall, it has potential to be a decent program for her. I like the contrast of the tango piece to the Spartacus piece. The tango will showcase her fun and exciting style of skating, while the Spartacus piece highlights her excellent carriage, extension and challenges her to find a deeper level of maturity to express the music.

I'm hoping this is Mirai's season to really put it all out there. She didn't have the opportunity last season because of the injury; she ended up playing catch-up for the majority of the year. Mirai's had a good summer with touring and everything and hopefully she'll stay injury free and finally live up to the standards she's set for herself in terms of being the best. She says that a lot, that she wants to be the best; now it's time to prove it.

 

[feraina]

I don't see Mirai as a "weird" person but I am not sure she always know how to deal with the media and/or her fans..These things does not come naturally for everyone..

Well, I saw a lot of Mirai off the ice at Glacier Falls this past weekend, and she was very smiley and relaxed, joking around with friends while she warmed up in the sun outside the rink. She was probably just overwhelmed by the amount of attention raining on her after winning the SP at Worlds - not expecting to do nearly so well.

 

[Trewyn]

This is interesting because I also met her that evening. It was at the "Eataly" mall and for me, she came across as rather shy and did not really wanted to talk to a stranger as myself!

I got a nice picture though and when I later met Akiko Suzuki, she came across as being a bit shy as well.With Rachael, it was different, she seemed more at ease with having strangers around her and was very easy going. I don't see Mirai as a "weird" person but I am not sure she always know how to deal with the media and/or her fans..These things does not come naturally for everyone..

That's so interesting! Thanks for sharing your story! So you sort of had similar experience with Mirai, with her coming across as if she really didn't want any interaction with a fan? But yeah; she might just be naturally shy towards strangers? At the time it just struck me as odd because she seemed so extraverted in interviews, joking about quads and stuff like that.

I never got a chance to see Rachael except at practice where she ignored the fans, which a lot of skaters do, they have other things to focus on. She always rushed out after a performane too, but again, that is something a lot of skaters did.

Akiko came out very, very late that SP night, after the ice dance had already started, but I was determined to catch her then instead of her 7 am morning pracice She was definitely shy too. And I imagine she just wanted to get out of there after that bad day. But I had a big photo of her that I was hoping to get signed and when she saw that her face just lit up in happy surprise. She didn't say much (I'm not sure how good her English is) but I thought she seemed really sweet Also, I was in the VIP section for (only) the Ladies LP and I came to the earlier WUG to watch Akiko. There was absolutely nobody there except some Japanese men that were there for Akiko. No idea if they were familiy or coaches or fed people... Anyway, I told them I was a big fan and I had brought Belgian chocolates to throw on the ice for her and they were so nice, bowing and and nodding the way Japanese do

 

[R.D.]

Wouldn't knock her too hard for that. I've had mixed experiences too encountering skaters (no negative ones though- most positive, a couple neutral) and I just chalk it up to how comfortable they were, and how comfortable I was.