What is the best strategy for amazing Asada to challenge incredible Kim at the Games?

[drivingmissdaisy]

The important thing for Mao is have have beautiful landings on her jumps, and to focus on rotating her doubles so she isn't giving away easy points. The 3F she landed in the SP of the GPF had beautiful flow out, and that is how she will need to land her jumps to get the +1 and +2 needed to win.

 

[Krislite]

This is probably her best shot:

3A
3F
3Lo+2Lo
---------
3F+2Lo+2Lo
2A+3T
3S
3Lo

Still very ambitious, but more "realistic" than two triple Axels or eight triples. It is both very difficult but also offers a non-zero chance of going clean.

Her most important strategy, though, is to go clean in the SP. She can't afford a mistake like last season's SP at Worlds.

 

[Barb]

This is probably her best shot:

3A
3F
3Lo+2Lo
---------
3F+2Lo+2Lo
2A+3T
3S
3Lo

Still very ambitious, but more "realistic" than two triple Axels or eight triples. It is both very difficult but also offers a non-zero chance of going clean.

Her most important strategy, though, is to go clean in the SP. She can't afford a mistake like last season's SP at Worlds.

I think it will be very important who going to skate first in LP, if Mao skates after Yuna and Julia she can to know about their performances and scores and she can to decide if go with easier layout or if she needs to risk everything to win, though knowing to Mao may be even if she doesn´t need a big score she will do 2 3a.

 

[CarneAsada]

Yes. "Point-grubbing" is exactly the point of competition.

I think you'd be washing the saliva off your hands after witnessing Mao take the Gold medal.

There's a difference between going for difficult content that happens to score a lot of points and relying on double Axels and 3Toes to get you around 18 points. I actually respect the former. Though your 2A-3T idea makes me wonder if it is possible for Mao to do 2A-3T, 3F, and 3A in the short program. That would be kind of funny.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Though your 2A-3T idea makes me wonder if it is possible for Mao to do 2A-3T, 3F, and 3A in the short program. That would be kind of funny.

That would be riskier because I think she's more likely to UR the 2A-3T rather than the 3R-2R. But she is having issues with the 2R which I find inexplicable given her jumping ability.

 

[mary01]

The funny thing about Mao is even though she is a phenomenal jumper and has done some of the hardest womens jump layouts over (the layout she did cleanly at the 2007 Grand Prix final is THE hardest ever done cleanly by a women I believe, even over Lipinski or Ito), her jump technique is actually not that great. She has alot of jumps with iffy technique. It is better now than it used to be though as she sacrified the early part of this quad to perfect her jump technique. It still isnt surprising she has problems with some of the easier jumps. At one point she couldnt do either a triple toe or triple salchow, but still did super hard programs with triple axels, and various triple something-triple loop combos.

She always had a 3t in her jump layout through the years, and the only time she didn't do the 3S was in 2009-2010 where she replaced it for another triple with a higher BV. But put it back in her arsenal the following year.

 

[jaylee]

She always had a 3t in her jump layout through the years, and the only time she didn't do the 3S was in 2009-2010 where she replaced it for another triple with a higher BV. But put it back in her arsenal the following year.

No, the only time she attempted the 3S was in the 2008-2009 season on the Grand Prix, and it was gone by 2009 4CCs and 2009 Worlds. It was otherwise omitted during that quad, 2006-2010, and she brought it back for the 2010-2011 season.

Mao didn't attempt the salchow much (if any?) as a junior, either, and in 2005-2006, Mao did not have a 3T in her jump layout, so yes, it is true that there was a time when Mao had neither a 3T nor a 3S in her jump layout (but had the 3A and 3F/3Lo).

Interestingly enough, had Mao perfected the 2A/3T back then, she probably would've won 2007 Worlds--her 2A/3T was downgraded in the FS and it cost her the gold.

 

[mary01]

At Skate Canada in 2007 Tracy mentioned Mao had lost her triple toe (she already wasnt doing a triple salchow by then). Her programs there consisted of only the triple flutz, triple flip, triple loop, and multiple double axels arranged in various ways. By the Grand Prix final she had her triple toe back and it was included in 1 of the 2 triple-triples she did there.

There was one occasion where she didn't do the 3t and suddenly she lost it... seriously? well then I have to say she quickly must have gotten it back then

 

[CarneAsada]

No, the only time she attempted the 3S was in the 2008-2009 season on the Grand Prix, and it was gone by 2009 4CCs and 2009 Worlds. It was otherwise omitted during that quad, 2006-2010, and she brought it back for the 2010-2011 season.

Mao didn't attempt the salchow much (if any?) as a junior, either, and in 2005-2006, Mao did not have a 3T in her jump layout, so yes, it is true that there was a time when Mao had neither a 3T nor a 3S in her jump layout (but had the 3A and 3F/3Lo).

Interestingly enough, had Mao perfected the 2A/3T back then, she probably would've won 2007 Worlds--her 2A/3T was downgraded in the FS and it cost her the gold.

She attempted the 3S a long time ago, in 2002 and 2003. I hear the reason she lost her 3S was because she was trying to learn a 4S (there are videos of a few attempts somewhere on YouTube, none close to clean though). During her senior career pre-2010, in addition to the 2008-09 season, she attempted the 3S at a few cheesefests: 2008 Japan Open (doubled) and at 2009 Japan Open (popped).

Actually, there was a point in time when the only triples in her layouts were Flip, Flutz and Loop (her 2007 GP events, where her 3A was MIA). She filled the rest of her program with double Axels and double Loops. Fortunately for our eyes, that period was short - only two competitions.

 

[mary01]

No, the only time she attempted the 3S was in the 2008-2009 season on the Grand Prix, and it was gone by 2009 4CCs and 2009 Worlds. It was otherwise omitted during that quad, 2006-2010, and she brought it back for the 2010-2011 season.

Mao didn't attempt the salchow much (if any?) as a junior, either, and in 2005-2006, Mao did not have a 3T in her jump layout, so yes, it is true that there was a time when Mao had neither a 3T nor a 3S in her jump layout (but had the 3A and 3F/3Lo).

Interestingly enough, had Mao perfected the 2A/3T back then, she probably would've won 2007 Worlds--her 2A/3T was downgraded in the FS and it cost her the gold.

There is a difference between not having and not including some jumps. if Mao (or any other skater) didn't have a jump, she wouldn't be able to put the jump in her layout and pull it out and put it back in when she felt like it. She had this jump as a junior as a senior, before she began reworking her technique and after!

Unlike most skaters, Mao did use great variety of layouts through the years, she didn't fear or hesitate to change jumps, combinations and even change their placements in the program during a season.

 

[CarneAsada]

There is a difference between not having and not including some jumps. if Mao (or any other skater) didn't have a jump, she wouldn't be able to put the jump back in her layout and pull it out and put it back in when she felt like it. She had this jumps as a junior as a senior, before she began reworking her technique and after!

Jaylee said in her jump layout, not whether Mao actually had the ability to do the jump. Basically the same as your saying "not including".

 

[Robeye]

Yuna would be well advised to compete at least once more before Sochi. It's expecting a lot of her to not hardly compete at all again and be like she was last season.

Well, Jammers, it looks like your much repeated advice is not going unheeded. Korean media has confirmed that Yuna registered for Korean Nationals over the weekend.

They will be held January 3-5.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Though your 2A-3T idea makes me wonder if it is possible for Mao to do 2A-3T, 3F, and 3A in the short program. That would be kind of funny.

Yep, she could do that!

LOL, now I want Mao to set a record for most 2A-3T combinations performed in one competition.

 

[Krislite]

Yep, she could do that!

LOL, now I want Mao to set a record for most 2A-3T combinations performed in one competition.

Hmm... Seems I'm unclear as to how a 2A+3T is allowed in the SP. Is it because Mao is planning a solo 3A? If a lady can't do a solo 3A, then she would need a solo 2A, and since she can't repeat the 2A in the SP, she can't do a 2A+3T. Am I understanding that right?

 

[Blades of Passion]

Correct!

 

[aftertherain]

Hmm... Seems I'm unclear as to how a 2A+3T is allowed in the SP. Is it because Mao is planning a solo 3A? If a lady can't do a solo 3A, then she would need a solo 2A, and since she can't repeat the 2A in the SP, she can't do a 2A+3T. Am I understanding that right?

So does that mean: 3A, 2A+3T, and 3Lo? She can do that?

 

[gourry]

So does that mean: 3A, 2A+3T, and 3Lo? She can do that?

I think so! But then she will be in trouble in case she doubles her planned 3A.

 

[CarneAsada]

Yep, she could do that!

LOL, now I want Mao to set a record for most 2A-3T combinations performed in one competition.

I think the best part of this is imagining Scott Hamilton screaming "FIRST WOMAN IN HISTORY TO LAND THREE 2AXEL-3TOES IN A COMPETITION!"

 

[Franklin99]

I think the best part of this is imagining Scott Hamilton screaming "FIRST WOMAN IN HISTORY TO LAND THREE 2AXEL-3TOES IN A COMPETITION!"

Oh crap...I can totally hear Scott repeating your words verbatim if that happens.

 

[CarneAsada]

It is evident that the two 3A strategy has not been working so far for Asada and moreover a silver for a sloppy skate is not guaranteed. Unless she can land the layout 9/10 times in practice, she really should go back to the 8 triples with 1 modification (changes in bold):
3A
3F-3Lo
3Lz
2A-3T
3S
3Lo-2Lo-2Lo
3F

Her 3Loop is quite steady and I don't remember her missing the 3 jump combination with an initial 3Loop on the occasions she's tried it. If she doesn't go for the 3-3, she can replace the Lutz with a Loop. The "8 triple plan" is all that she needs - water down if needed, attempt all the jumps if needed.