What a great idea: Lucinda Ruh as a spin coach. She does indeed speak Japanese. In fact, I remember from a long-ago fluff piece on a televised pro competition (Landover, I think) that Yuka herself said that Lucinda's Japanese was fluent enough to have a conversation. Lucinda's father's business career took him to both Japan and the U.S. for several years at a time. I think Mao is gifted enough to benefit from spin training. Another wish-fulfillment idea...pigs might fly before it happens, but it's fun to imagine how it would go.
Who Will Be Mao's New Coaches?
- Thread starter Bennett
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What a great idea: Lucinda Ruh as a spin coach. She does indeed speak Japanese. In fact, I remember from a long-ago fluff piece on a televised pro competition (Landover, I think) that Yuka herself said that Lucinda's Japanese was fluent enough to have a conversation. Lucinda's father's business career took him to both Japan and the U.S. for several years at a time. I think Mao is gifted enough to benefit from spin training. Another wish-fulfillment idea...pigs might fly before it happens, but it's fun to imagine how it would go.
I know it's difficult to translate "奥手" (okute) into English. I think it means people who are too shy for relationships.
Oh,I appriciate it. It sounds better though I still think my translating was't that bad.
BTW, I hope Mao's mom find her daughter not only a proper coach but also a sweet boyfriend. It could enrich her skating and her life either.
Well I actually think that Mao's mom may have too big of a say. She may be wise, but is she wiser than the best coaches out there? I recall that she was influential in scrapping Lori Nichol, a move considered unwise by many posters here, and, if I recall correctly, she was also the one who was adamant on having TAT for Mao, a second move considered very unwise. But this matter does not concern just Mao's mom. Skating moms out there often overestimate their expertise and get involved in every aspect, often against the coaches' wishes and to the detriment of their children. True, I don't know Mao's affairs in an out, so I might be taking a false step here and there. But from what I've been able to gather, that's been my impression. I just wish skaters would march to the beat of their own drums and do what they feel is right. Mao's an adult now. She should take bolder strides to improve her skating, even if that means leaving her country.
I am just surprised that there seems to be so many claims on what Mao's mom is like when I don't recall hearing any reports about her mom being like that. Mao's relationship with Arutanian didn't end on good terms, but I feel it was bound to end anyways because the main reason she trained abroad was because of the lack of rink space in Japan. Once that issue was solved, she went back. As for the decision for TAT to be her coach, we can only see in hindsight that it did not work out. TAT has legendary status in the skating world, so I am not surprised that Mao and her mom wanted her as the coach.
Where is Lucinda Ruh now? She was an amazing spinner!
Thank you. I just checked her website. She is engaged and is getting married by the end of this year. I did not know that she speaks so many languages. Anyway, congratulations, Lucinda!!
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Oh, I love Lucinda.
Thanks for your update on Lucindah. Mao may not need a spin coach, but a spin consultant? She has beautiful postitions, very centered spins. She does not have the fastest spins, so in tough competitions when every point counts improving more on her spins may help since every point counts. I think spending a couple of weeks a year with Lucindah will help tht is all.
I agree with you. There will always be MOnday night QBs with 20/20 hindsight. Arutunian seems to be the interim coach for many skaters e.g. Mao, MK, and cohen
Mao is an adult and she is making adult decision of staying in Japan, after she has been there done that with training outside of Japan.
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Trainer and School
Someone might have already mentioned, but she has a full-time physical trainer who seems really great. I just read a book written by his team. To their surprise, Mao used to have body strength just comparable with regular highschool girls! Then they worked on a lot of physical training, corrected the inbalance of the body, addressed the chronic back pain (Mao never said that she had it in public though), balance training to help the entrance to the jumps etc. This training support team may be one of the best things for her in Japan.
Besides, given that she is a student, staying in the univ seems the most sensible thing to me (how come she "graduated" from high school? I heard that the teachers came to her rink to give her private lessons! Still, lots of absent days during her stay in the US makes me wonder how. I know her school won't care about her academic achievements anyway though, as long as she brings home medals). Despite the limited attendance, I think it a lot better to go to school when she can, rather than totally being out of campus when training abroad. She can make non-skater friends, too.
Someone might have already mentioned, but she has a full-time physical trainer who seems really great. I just read a book written by his team. To their surprise, Mao used to have body strength just comparable with regular highschool girls! Then they worked on a lot of physical training, corrected the inbalance of the body, addressed the chronic back pain (Mao never said that she had it in public though), balance training to help the entrance to the jumps etc. This training support team may be one of the best things for her in Japan.
Besides, given that she is a student, staying in the univ seems the most sensible thing to me (how come she "graduated" from high school? I heard that the teachers came to her rink to give her private lessons! Still, lots of absent days during her stay in the US makes me wonder how. I know her school won't care about her academic achievements anyway though, as long as she brings home medals). Despite the limited attendance, I think it a lot better to go to school when she can, rather than totally being out of campus when training abroad. She can make non-skater friends, too.
Well her school might not care about her academic achievemenrts, and none of us have seen her report card. But if I sepculate academically she is not an under achiever. It is interesting to see that skaters like Mao, Arakawa, Fumie etc are still keeping up with college/ university work while skating at such a high level. Most other skaters have given up college all together. How will Mao manage college and skating. Will her professors come to the rink too? Just curious
Back to topic many ppl think Lori is good for her, and I agree. Maybe Wilson is the best COP point getting choreographer, but I think Lori is a choreographer who has some of the best knowledge and understanding of music. For many ppl when they think of Mao as a skater they tend to think of 3a and jumps etc, I think of her artistry on ice. I think Lori brings out that aspect of her skating well, and Lori can find some of the most unique pieces of music.
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As for Chukyo Univ, they built a rink for Miki and Mao. That tells the whole story.
Arakawa and Fumie went to one of the top private universities, Waseda. Their admission offers were based on their special talent in skating. As far as undergrads go, the required workload in Japanese top universities tends to be a lot less than the US top institutions, and if you get in, you normally graduate (although I do not know the specific situations in the school they attended). But a table-tennis player, Ai Fukuhara, who similarly got admission from Waseda Univ because of her talent in sport eventually dropped out because she could not attend enough # of classes due to competitions/training abroad. Considering such a case, I guess that both skaters managed to graduate decently.
Who are coaching at the Chukyo univ rink?
Somewhat off topic or not, where is Yukina nowadays, is she coaching?
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Um, i'm an athlet(not a skater) and graduated from university 2 years ago without taking any course.(except some which I can't specify clearly here)
And i know Japanese skaters don't need to go to school and I heard Mao ddidn't go to school neither. And I can sense her lack of education by her limited command of Japanese.Anyway she will recieve her diploma and actually she has no time to go to school. But I think that doesnt matter so far as she express herself through her beautiful,creative and artistic skating. She is a great artist.
Miki and Mao don't go to school and don't take classes at all. I heard Yukari Nakano was an exception. She took school very seriously and you can sense how intelligent she is every time she gives interviews.
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- Oct 19, 2009
Actually what you say is not true. She became a college student last April. Then she said she wanted to take some Russian class to communicate with TAT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXSrIQgyLM This is the clip. So she must take some of classes she is interested in.
Speaking of coaches and choreographer, just after 2010 World Championship, I read an article that said she and her team would decide coaches by June and to go choreograph by May.
So, you call me a liar? That is all public relations ,actually. She doesn't take any classes and not Russian neither unless she teach herself at home. Don't judge Mao.Don't compare Mao with ordinary person. She just doesn't need it. Again, she is an artist.
