Japanese Nationals Dec. 24 to 26 | Page 23 | Golden Skate

Japanese Nationals Dec. 24 to 26

skfan

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/101227/spm1012270503003-n1.htm
Akiko says her jumps were not in good condition before the competition. She doesn't think she will compete at Sochi but she cannot retire with this result. She wants to conclude her armature career in more satisfying way.

In today's Nikkei, she said she wasn't in good condition but she did her best. However, she wasn't able to do jumps without thinking anything. She was thinking to decide whether she'd retire or not after each season, but she cannot retire with this result.

Akiko also wrote on her twitter. "Thank you everyone for supporting me. I will make a new start after refreshing mentally and physically. I will pursue my dreams a little further."

I took the liberty of translating her message on twitter because I wanted to share it with her fans who do not understand Japanese.

Thank you so much for translating that. Sad that she's disappointed but glad that she will grace us with more skating.

Olympia, I always admire your eloquence and optimism. As a fan of Michelle, I have also realized how she wasn't the same after she left Lori. Sadly, the same can be said about Lori. The pair together (with Caroll) was just a magic combination. I much prefer Lori's choreography for Mao to TAT's but I also feel she has become predictable over the years. So I'd like for Mao to seek out other choreographers in the future.

i would love to see what renee roca can put together for mao, although the truth is i'm so much happier with lori than i am with TAT that mao can stay with lori a while as far as i'm concerned--she hasn't been with lori long enough for anything to get stale.

olympia, i am a michelle fan as well but i don't have to insist that michelle is the ultimate best at everything and in terms of hand and arm movements mao certainly is ahead of michelle.
 

ayayukiituka

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Every exhibition programs were gorgeous,lovely and beautiful. Can't wait to watch them on youtube again!!
 
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genki

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Thanks Mirunna.
Wow, wow, Mao's ex made me speechless. Breathtakingly beautiful. Commentator said something like," This program showcases her basic pure skating. Not a trick or gimmick. Mao has that." I agree, but I really wanted them to shut up. You do not need words to appreciate art like this, period.

Don't you think her skating is becoming more and more like Kozu's?
Kudos to Coach Sato. Kudos to Yuka (for Jeremy) Yeah!!
 

prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
First of all...as others have mentioned here, I was also very pleasantly surprised by Miki's gorgeous SP. :eek: It's not what I expected at all. I thought it was a well-choreographed, expressive program, and her dress is stunning. Her LP is a little less riveting, but congrats and good job on nailing all her planned elements.

As for Mao...! I don't know what to say. On the one hand, we all know she is the World Champion, and we all knew she was re-training her jumps and had a dismal GP outing. On the other hand, I knew that if last year was an indication of anything, it showed that Mao has an incredible capacity to bounce back, never admit defeat and deliver when she sets her mind on it. And yet, I was still surprised at how well she skated in her Nationals. Nice SP - I wish the red flowers on her torso were arranged in a diagonal instead of like a bra; I think that would be awesome - but no major complaints. And her LP was simply breathtaking. I've said it before, and it still strikes me: I love Mao's modest little nod that she makes when she gives a performance she's pleased with. :biggrin:

I'm happy these two sweet, talented ladies finished 1-2. :love:
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
I just want to know why the Mens Champ gets such a huge cup whereas the Ladies on the podium get such little, albeit beautiful, ones?

:think:
 

wonderlen3000

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Now if the Japanese Federation has decided that Mikki should have been the champion, OK. She skated very well, possibly well enough to win. But please don't insult our intelligence by giving her a 137, 10 point lead on Mao & Kanako in the free. Especially when Murakami won a bronze at the GPF when Ando could only place 5th. I add this to say that there is no way Mikki's skating skills are that much better than Kanako's and definitely not Mao's. These comments are NOT meant as knocks against Mikki. I like her. She is what she is - a great athlete. I'm thinking more about the injurious judging of Mikki's LP at this point.

Well thats why its call National lol. Rachale Flatt get 130++, same with Rochett 140++ its supposed to be inflated to keep the viewer happy.

If Miki skate the same performance at world, it would be around 125-128 at most.
 

SerpentineSteps

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
First of all...as others have mentioned here, I was also very pleasantly surprised by Miki's gorgeous SP. :eek: It's not what I expected at all. I thought it was a well-choreographed, expressive program, and her dress is stunning. Her LP is a little less riveting, but congrats and good job on nailing all her planned elements.

As for Mao...! I don't know what to say. On the one hand, we all know she is the World Champion, and we all knew she was re-training her jumps and had a dismal GP outing. On the other hand, I knew that if last year was an indication of anything, it showed that Mao has an incredible capacity to bounce back, never admit defeat and deliver when she sets her mind on it. And yet, I was still surprised at how well she skated in her Nationals. Nice SP - I wish the red flowers on her torso were arranged in a diagonal instead of like a bra; I think that would be awesome - but no major complaints. And her LP was simply breathtaking. I've said it before, and it still strikes me: I love Mao's modest little nod that she makes when she gives a performance she's pleased with. :biggrin:

I'm happy these two sweet, talented ladies finished 1-2. :love:

First of all, I think you should be an example for figure skating fans. Obviously a fan of Yuna as can be seen by your pic, but appreciative of good skating, regardless of the skater.

I was also impressed by these ladies' programs, but the one that stood out to me was Miki's SP. I'm admittedly partial to her--and I think the music helps her--but I thought it was simply breathtaking. I kept on saying that I wanted a combination of a vulnerable SP (à la Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence from '05-'06) and a powerful FS that showcases her strengths (like her Organ Symphony program in '08-'09), and I think we finally got just that this season. Shame that Morozov didn't see that until this, post-Olympic season. Hopefully for Sochi...
 

SkateSkates

Medalist
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
This just shows the amount of competition in Japan. All three ladies could have won the world championships with those performances - what other country could this happen in?

First of all, Mao's comeback. I have always been a Mao fan, so I am thrilled she was able to come back from her earlier struggles to skate these performances. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of her short program, but her long program is breathtaking! I don't care if she flutzed - the jumps was big and beautiful, and carried speed in and out of the jump the way she did back in 07/08. Personally, I thought she should've won, but I guess I am somewhat biased :)

Next, Miki's perseverance. The smile at the end of her performance was beautiful, but I wish she would smile like that DURING the program. Mao smiled throughout her performance, so I don't understand how Miki's blank expression led to higher Interpretation scores. Anyway, her triple toe was AMAZING!!!
(Miki and Morozov in K&K made me uncomfortable. I know they have a relationship, but still, his hand was a little close to a certain area...)

Finally, Kanako's rising. Although I'm not a huge fan of her costume (it looks like she took half of Mao's and half of Miki's and sewed them together), I like her expression, especially in the slow section (loop then axel then sal). Hopefully she will perform like this at world's. Maybe there will be a Japanese sweep :)
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Still though, Mao did not complete her end technically. She did 4 non UR/non edge call triples. (2 3F; 2 3L). 3Z go an edge call, 3A was UR and she doubled the Salchow. She also did not do a three-jump combo. (Base value 54.53)

Kankano actually had better technical content. 6 non UR/edge triples with four different types triples (3F, 3L, 3-3 toe loop, 3S). She had a 3Z edge call. (Base value 57.00)

Miki had five triples but most were on the back end and included four different types of triples (2 3Z, 1 3L, two 3T, 3S). (Base value 58.66)

Miki should have probably gotten less PCS than Mao, but should be a point or two higher than Kanako's and I agree her +GOE on her non jump elements is a little high.

So in the end, I would say Miki is still a deserving winner, but she should have not won by 10 points...maybe more like 2 or 3.

I agree with that. Miki deserved to win because of the mistakes and lower overall content of Mao (despite the triple axel). However Miki's PCS were absolutely ridiculous even under grossly inflated National scoring format, and she should have only barely won rather than won by 10 points. Mao's PCS should have been much higher.
 

Violet Bliss

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Without Yuna and Joannie, the descipline started this season as Ladiezzzzzzzzz. Mao was stuck in revamp and the field was filled mainly by evil twins. Then these beautiful young ladies showed up and surprised us at the GPF. And the Japanese Nationals presented to us World Champion calibre skates so many Men should envy. Mao is almost back in form and Yuna is coming back for the Worlds. Each will have to fight to earn a medal. Ladies competitions are now unpredictable because of the depth instead of inconsistencies. Worlds will be exciting again, even before the influx of all those marvelous Russian Babes.

Congratulations and kudos to Miki, Mao, and Kanako. :clap:
 

Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
UPDATED LIST (for National Record Holders in Single Figure Skating):


Men = J. Ferguson Page (BRITISH) & Oliver Honer (SWISS) = 11

***Honorable Mentions with 10 = Carlo Fassi (ITA), Nobuo Sato (JPN), Bo Mothander (SWE), Hans Landh (SWE), Alain Giletti (FRA).***


Women = Gabriele Seyfert (GER) & Andree Joly (FRA) = 10

***Honorable Mentions with 9 = Maribel Vinson-Owen (USA), Michelle Kwan (USA), Chen Lu (CHN), Midori Ito (JPN), Surya Bonaly (FRA), Constance Wilson-Samuel (CAN), Anne Karin Dehle (NOR).***


I loooove history, so have had a blast fact checking, searching, being awed & wowed. For instance, I was blown away when I discovered Andree Joly also won 11 Pairs National Championships with her partner (later to become her husband) Pierre Brunet! :eek: Holy cow! Not only that they're also two-time Olympic Gold Medalists in Pairs (would've been 3time, but they refused to attend the 1936 Olympic Games because of Nazi Germany at the time). Btw, his bio says he medalled 10times at Nationals, but that's an error, most likely confused with his wife's 10. :) Oh yeah, they also went on to become renown coaches, having coached Carol Heiss & Scott Hamilton. :)^) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrée_Joly
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
I agree with you on all counts. And isn't it great that both Miki and Mao have such incredible perseverance? Both just keep going no matter what, even through defeat. People have given both of them up for finished, and it's like motes of dust in the sunlight to them. They just keep going, and they keep getting better. As you say of Mao, everything about her skating is gorgeous. You and I are both Michelle fans, so you know that it takes a lot for me to say that any element is better than Michelle's, but I think Mao's arm movements are more beautiful than post-Lori Nichol Michelle's. They are balletic in their placement, yet completely natural in their flow. I could watch Mao endlessly, and I hope she does achieve her wish of winning ten Japanese championships, so we get to enjoy her at her peak for many years to come.

Miki is someone I admire greatly, both as a skater and a person. If she wins Worlds, I might be disappointed on behalf of Mao and YuNa, but I won't mind it at all. It takes a lot to hold your own as a skater in Japan these days, and notice that Miki's been at or near the top for more than five years. Good for her!

Kanako I've only seen once, at Skate America. She's certainly worthy of taking her place in that exalted group. And she might even get better! Isn't it amazing? We are lucky viewers indeed.

I so agree... sigh, I could watch Mao for hours too. She is one of those skaters. I don't know why but I've never appreciated her as much as I did watching the videos of Japanese nationals, even though her programs were far from her best. I guess with her struggles this season I really missed her and she grabbed me from the moment she started moving. I thought, wow, now, THIS is a really special skater. I mean, I knew that already but it hit me in a different way this time.Thank goodness for her comeback and I hope she does well at worlds.

I also agree with whoever said that Lori was best with Michelle and that since she has become a bit predictable, if always lovely. I like Mao's program a lot though. Mostly, it's just such a relief from last year's LP. Perhaps the choreo could be more original - but Mao is one of those skaters that can make almost any choreo even better than it is.

Miki's victory is well-deserved. Good for her. I actually have yet to see her SP, though looking forward to it. I agree with MKF - she is definitely among those most improved and I really admire how much she has improved her stretch. Her camel spin has more stretch than Mao's, IMO. This is the best she has skated her LP all season and I enjoyed it. But she needs something - more joy in her skating, I think. I remember Irina Slutskaya - not an artistic skater but she has a sort of fire and pep that made up for it at times. Miki needs something like that. Not that she should emulate Irina's style but she should find someway to transmit her own joy in skating.
 
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let`s talk

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Miki and Morozov in K&K made me uncomfortable. I know they have a relationship, but still, his hand was a little close to a certain area

Weird that they never officially announced their "relationship" if some people keep insisting that they saw "it", with the candlestick.
 

skatinginbc

Medalist
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Miki and Morozov in K&K made me uncomfortable. I know they have a relationship, but still, his hand was a little close to a certain area...

I actually found it very disturbing, especially many years ago when Miki was barely an adult and Morozov was still wedded to Shae-Lynn Bourne. Gosh! I saw that in the K&K his hand kept crawling up to the lap of his new student. Right then, I knew that the newly wedded Shae-Lynn needed to find a divorce lawyer soon. Now that Miki has grown up, and I believe they are truly in love, but that child-molesting image is still daunting my brain whenever I see his crawling hand.
 
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Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
I agree with that. Miki deserved to win because of the mistakes and lower overall content of Mao (despite the triple axel). However Miki's PCS were absolutely ridiculous even under grossly inflated National scoring format, and she should have only barely won rather than won by 10 points. Mao's PCS should have been much higher.

I don't think Mao's content was actually much lower, though? All of her spins were better. Her spiral sequence was infinitely better. Her footwork sequence was better. If the difference in their base values was only 4.5 points, then Miki should have had an even smaller technical lead over Mao after factoring in GOE, because Mao's elements were better overall.

And then when you factor in PCS (where I believe Mao should have been something like 8 points ahead) it's a clear victory for her.

Looking at the protocols, Miki received +4.8 points in GOE for her non-jump elements. I find this to be laughable. Her spins and spiral should be receiving 0 GOE. The footwork sequence maybe deserved +1 GOE but that's it...which would come out to +.5 points, in comparison to the very deserved +5.8 points Mao received for her non-jump elements.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Wow I didnt realize Miki received that many points for GOE on her non jump elements. That is indeed absurd (and yes I did see her performance). It is clear the Japanese federation sees her as there #1 over Mao and trying to politik her with ridiculous scores. I guess they dont trust Mao totally again yet.

I guess I was being kind to Miki. She probably didnt deserve to win over Mao at all, all things considered.
 

Mirunna

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
I read somewhere Mao plans to do two 3A in the LP again. No wonder, after losing the LP by 10 points to Miki at nationals(I also find the margin to be quite absurd!). Maybe the 3A is her confidence booster, we all saw, after she lands the 3A the rest of the program goes well. I just hope it's not to much for her, I really want her on the podium at worlds
 
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