Mao Asada

yhmafan said:

According to some recent articles, she said she isn’t yet prepared for 3A so she would pass on it this time and also still feel questionable about 3-3, too.

It can be said that the condition of her injury is quite no-good?

In any case, Go MAO!

Click to expand...

Oh goodness no. I'll be patient for that Mao 3A and whatever 3-3 combo she's got in store so long as she's healthy.

Remember the good old days when WRs can be achieved by a program and a performance like this?

I loved Mao's performance and her new ponytail look I wish her only the best. In a way, it's more relaxing for me to see her taking it easy and not pushing herself too hard this early in the season because that means I won't be stressed out all the time watching her! I'm glad she still enjoys skating enough to still be putting out beautiful performances.

I am worried that Mao might not podium at Nationals this year, with Wakaba turning senior and Satoko / Rika still consistent, and we won't see her skate again in the second half of the season. Her programs are so promising and would look so beautiful with more mileage.

On the other hand, I'd rather see her recover fully from her knee injury than continue to train and compete. I can't imagine doing her difficult elements, particularly sit spins, being that great for recovery. I don't care if she makes it to Olympics 2018, I don't even care if she wins another medal now. I just want her to have Rachael's Nationals 2012 Firebird moment, and retire gracefully and without regrets.

Mao's make up, outfit and pony tail are so stunningly beautiful and wonderfully wild in her SP. Her grace, elegance and commitment to the performance are consummate and her spins, expressions and steps are vision of loveliness and for that reason her PCS should be higher. But, her left knee injury seems to be bothering her more and more. If it has lasted this long and gotten worse, maybe she needs surgery to fully recover and give her the kind of performance she dreams of in her mind, though I loved her performance the way it is. It is great to see that she still gets and gives so much pleasure to her fans in the stands as shown by all the flowers she receives and her big smiles in appreciation.

Maybe part of the issue is switching back to Revolution Blades, so maybe this requires some adjustment time. Whatever happens, I hope Mao thinks first of her recovery and doesn't confine her idea of skating to just competition in the future because her exhibitions are the most extraordinary in evoking the spirit of an era like her Renaissance piece - Cello Suite- and in channeling the grief of a nation into a message of hope and inspiration in her New Jupiter. No matter what happens, Mao will always be my favorite because she moves me in a way no other skater is capable of. There is a feeling to me that she is held to a higher standard than the rest and that her subtlety and refinement are kind of a beautiful savory relic from the past that is often cast aside by the judges.

Even if not at 100% it was still a beautiful performance and I think she was underscored in PCS. But I am thankful she is still out there competing. I want to see her finish her career on a high and the way she wants it to.

jenm said:

Remember the good old days when WRs can be achieved by a program and a performance like this?

Click to expand...

Thanks! Seeing the trend of inflation in the current field, this program/performance deserves at least +5 :yes:

As reported on the women's FS thread, quite a few posters said the rink was a disgrace because there were puddles for the first group evidently and quite a few skaters had a lot of falls. Mao's step sequence was great tonight and her skating, spirals, spins and expression were truly beautiful. Despite the mistakes, her PCS seemed too low to me. I am also glad she changed back to the more fiery red costume. I hope Mao takes the time now to get healthy and seek treatment for her left knee whatever and however long it takes and then chooses in her heart what she truly wants to do. Until she is healed, I hope she will stop trying to be a hero when she is too wounded to go into battle. I love her skating and she has nothing left to prove to me because she has given me the most beautiful and inspirational performances I have ever seen.

So sad for Mao, but I wish her nothing but lots of rest and good health in preparation for nationals! I think her PCS should absolutely be higher as well.

Just came back from the arena. Mao was lovely, but it was very obvious she wasn't well and she knew there was not much she could do from the very begining. She was hardly attempting any jumps in the warm-up, although I saw her land a nice triple loop and a triple salchow.
It seemed she didn't just accidently double the flips and lutz in the actual performance, but rather that she wasn't even trying to go for the triples in the first place.
The salchow was probably a different story though.
Whatever is bothering her, it must be serious and I hope she gets better soon.
I'm sure she knows what is best best for her, but I don't think this is doing her any good.
I want to see a happy and healthy Mao again soon! Whether it be on competitive ice or off it.
She deserves the best and I want her to finally get it.

Will try to write more about the competition when I have more time...

So heartbroken for Mao that I'm too afraid to watch her FS. I think I'll wait for the TV broadcast tonight. Meanwhile, I've been reading news about how she cried during the interview afterwards I hope she heals properly and we can see her healthy the next time we see her compete.

mikaboo said:

So heartbroken for Mao that I'm too afraid to watch her FS. I think I'll wait for the TV broadcast tonight. Meanwhile, I've been reading news about how she cried during the interview afterwards I hope she heals properly and we can see her healthy the next time we see her compete.

Click to expand...

Nooooo Mao don't cry ;__; my heart is broken just thinking about it. Competitively or not, I just want to see her smiling face again while she skates.

mikaboo said:

So heartbroken for Mao that I'm too afraid to watch her FS. I think I'll wait for the TV broadcast tonight. Meanwhile, I've been reading news about how she cried during the interview afterwards I hope she heals properly and we can see her healthy the next time we see her compete.

Click to expand...

I don’t know even ..if I can watch her performance….

Sometimes, I easily forgot that she is now 26 y/o, wonder if this sport is extremely hard for women over 25 than we’re thinking. Especially for skaters who have been doing harder layouts for a long time. I don't know...
I now come to think that she might be better to withdraw nationals if her injury would not heal properly as her healthy should be consideration the first.
I would respect her decision nonetheless though

Here is an article in Japanese about Mao. This is my best attempt to piece together some of the meaning from google translate. It says that Mao said she lost her confidence and that she was crying because she had a lot of negative feelings like frustrartion and disappointment about not jumping well." rosewood also translated Mao's comments, "Neither jumps nor skating... nothing is going well." It makes me really sad to hear that Mao cried from these feelings. Mao then said, "She wanted to get back to a skater's / performer's life and that she wants to stimulate that feeling once again." Her injury isn't mentioned in the article. The article then says the next round is the Japanese National Championships. I read in an another article that Mao said she had not been doing well in practice either.

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/1737457.html

In the Japan Times, Mao said, "“I’ve lost confidence in myself but I hope I’ll be able to bounce back from this disappointment at the national championships,” Mao said, referring to the Dec. 22-25 competition in Osaka.

“I’ll have to be determined and have a strong will,” the 26-year-old said.

So, I guess Mao is planning on competing at the Japan Nationals. I will support her in whatever she decides but I really wish she would concentrate on recovery.

The beauty of Mao's skating, her picturesque spins and finesse, musicality depth of subtle and complex emotion in her performances is profound and undeniable, but it doesn't get her the points she deserves. She is lowballed in PCS and GOE, nitpicked and judged far too harshly in jump tech and step sequences. She better than any skater I have ever seen shows the obvious flaws and biases in the scoring system which seems to have become technically based ice jumping based on reputation while looking at only the landing and not the real total rotation and basing PCS on the tech score that results from this bias as well as power fed connections and status, which Mao does not have.

Comment about some announcers. I am disappointed in Tarasova. After having such a close relationship with Mao, she criticized her in the SP for not challenging more difficult elements and didn't bother to mention or find out about her left knee injury which has been well publicized. This is consistent with the biased media coverage lately including such harsh criticism on eurosport such as why is she still competing and their refusal to do due diligence and find out about Mao's injuries.

Mao said in tears, "Everything has gone so I'll have to build up from the start."
http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASJCF22XYJCFUTQP003.html

And Oda's tweet
"Everything has not gone, you have many people who support you wishing you'll skate with smile again".
https://twitter.com/nobutaro1001/status/797674155227287552

I still believe in you, Mao!!

Everyone has their downs. Mao is currently lacking in TES but Oda is right, not everything has gone. Her artistry still strong and we cheer for you Mao!

gotoschool said:

Comment about some announcers. I am disappointed in Tarasova. After having such a close relationship with Mao, she criticized her in the SP for not challenging more difficult elements and didn't bother to mention or find out about her left knee injury which has been well publicized. This is consistent with the biased media coverage lately including such harsh criticism on eurosport such as why is she still competing and their refusal to do due diligence and find out about Mao's injuries.

Click to expand...

From what I have heard, TAT said some good things about Mao and her mother in the SP and it’s understandable since there were some competitors from her country.
yea, it’s a bit annoying but still understandable.

yhmafan said:

From what I have heard, TAT said some good things about Mao and her mother in the SP and it’s understandable since there were some competitors from her country.
yea, it’s a bit annoying but still understandable.

Click to expand...

I honestly don't find it understandable because when I was young I used to watch baseball and football a lot and the announcers were always conscientious about mentioning which competitors had injuries and Mao's injury was publicly announced after Finlandia and at Skate America. I don't think it is right for a network to air such a performance and to ignore the injury while letting one of its commentators criticize in this case Mao for allegedly taking it easy when injury was the reason for not including the triple axel. The fact that it was Tarasova who said it makes it more disturbing. This biased coverage also plays into what I think is the ISU's continual underscoring of Mao. Tarasova has also called at least one jumping pass a ur on Mao that was in fact called good even with the very strict calls Mao receives, and I have never heard another announcer call as many urs on Mao as she does.

Otsukare-sama, Mao! 2 of your GP are over finally, it's time for you to rest well , sleep well , and eat well!

btw, I do respect her and Lori's choice of two such beautiful, but very difficult and risky programs to the same music with two complete different images/projections in SP and FP this season. Who else can pull that off? I'm very much looking forward to how beautifully she will perform in the second half of the season. :yes:

Not good results in Paris this weekend? 'So what?', I would say. Knee injury, bad ice condition, etc., she knows the reasons, so does her team. The lowest placement ever in her glorious career? Again, 'so what?' We, the fans and media people got too used to seeing her win after win and good placements. If now is the lowest, it means she only GOES UP from here. :yes: Doctors, coaches, conditioning trainers, etc., there are professionals to help her get out of this situation. Then, what her fans should do? Let's not worry too much. Let's stay positive and stay hopeful. Do we?