Does Mirai need a change of coach ? | Page 8 | Golden Skate

Does Mirai need a change of coach ?

kwanatic

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Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I mentioned that earlier (the whole "test the Japanese waters" thing). Sitting out a year might not be that bad for Mirai. She'd have a full year to focus on training and the good thing about moving to Japan is there are a lot more sponsors who back figure skating in that country than there are available here in the states for Mirai right now.

Next year Japanese nationals will not be the dogfight it was this year. As of now all three medalists are retiring (Mao, Akiko and Kanako). That leaves Satoko Miyahara (the heir apparent) and Haruka Imai (the most complete) as the top competitors in Japan. Satoko is still very tiny and needs time to develop. She's the favorite to take that #1 spot but that's assuming her already tiny and iffy jumps survive her next growth spurt round...and I'm not too sure they will. Haruka is a lovely skater and is definitely the most complete skater out of all of the others left. However, she's been on the scene for a long time now and hasn't really made a mark.

Japan will need a 3rd lady. Mirai is established already and can score well when she skates well. If you add in the solid jumps (and more personality) plus the backing of the JSF, Mirai could be the #1 in Japan. I don't understand why the USFSA would be reluctant to release her...unless they were scared she'd move to Japan, become awesome and then kick the US skaters' butts. All of their attention is firmly on Ashley, Gracie and Agnes...Mirai is barely an afterthought to them. With Polina Edmunds, Karen Chen and several others coming up, the USFSA won't hold the door open for Mirai...hell, they've already shut it.

I'd like to see Mirai compete for Japan. I think the support and appreciation from that country would do wonders for her confidence and we might see more of the skater she used to be. Mirai is still young and, if skating for Japan renews her love for the sport, I say she should go for it.:cool:
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Deciding to give up one citizenship over another is NOT a light matter. Nor is moving to a country/competing for a country full-time. Mirai grew up in the U.S. and is just as All-American as Gracie Gold or Ashley Wagner. Yes, she has embraced her Japanese heritage, but that doesn't necessary mean it's right for her to give up her U.S. citizenship so she can skate for another country for just a few years.

I do not think that skating for Japan will necessary solve all of Mirai's problems (or perceived problems, anyway). Yes, skating is extremely popular in Japan, but there's another side to that coin. If the USFSA pressure cooker was too much for her, how is she going to handle the even bigger pressure cooker of Japan? This is the country where Midori Ito had to apologize for getting a OSM. And where its skaters are in the press all the time and, at worse, the subject of tabloid matter (see Miki Ando). If Mirai is just as inconsistent in Japan as she's been in the past here, she will get an even bigger beating there.

Definitely more power to Mirai if she feels like skating for Japan is the right move for her, but I'm find it presumptuous that some think that doing so would be a guaranteed slam dunk for her skating career.


Next year Japanese nationals will not be the dogfight it was this year. As of now all three medalists are retiring (Mao, Akiko and Kanako). That leaves Satoko Miyahara (the heir apparent) and Haruka Imai (the most complete) as the top competitors in Japan. Satoko is still very tiny and needs time to develop. She's the favorite to take that #1 spot but that's assuming her already tiny and iffy jumps survive her next growth spurt round...and I'm not too sure they will. Haruka is a lovely skater and is definitely the most complete skater out of all of the others left. However, she's been on the scene for a long time now and hasn't really made a mark.

Japan will need a 3rd lady. Mirai is established already and can score well when she skates well. If you add in the solid jumps (and more personality) plus the backing of the JSF, Mirai could be the #1 in Japan. I don't understand why the USFSA would be reluctant to release her...unless they were scared she'd move to Japan, become awesome and then kick the US skaters' butts. All of their attention is firmly on Ashley, Gracie and Agnes...Mirai is barely an afterthought to them. With Polina Edmunds, Karen Chen and several others coming up, the USFSA won't hold the door open for Mirai...hell, they've already shut it.

Satoko and Haruka are the most well-known because they are in seniors now, but that does not mean Japan lack up-and-coming skaters. The reason we're not aware of them is because the top three senior spots has been locked by the same four skaters (Miki, Akiko, Kanako and Mao) for the entire quad. Rika Hongo (who finished 6th behind the top skaters) has done quite well on the JGP (finishing 3rd and 4th in her events this year and 2nd and 5th the season before that). She also has several combos under belt: 3T-3T, 2A-3T, 2A-1L-3S. In addition, nearly everyone in the top 12 were able able to execute a 3-3 or 2A-3T combo during one or both segments of the competition.

Beyond that, Marin Honda is a promising skater who can do 3Z-3T, though we'll need to see if her technique and such can hold up as she gets older.

So while I think the competition field will be much lighter, I don't quite think it as depleted as it seems.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Kwanatic, you make some really good points. At her young age of 20, a year off to train and focus on life in a new country could be a good thing. It would be a tough decision for her. But I hope she chooses what she feels is best and we see her out on the ice skating with joy soon!
 

carriecmu0503

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Also, USFS would have to agree to release her which they may not. There were issues with dancers changing countries with one country not releasing...

A skater does not need a release to skate for a country they are a citizen of. The ice dancers you mentioned had difficulty getting releases because they were not citizens of the country they wanted to switch to. Pair skaters/ dancers have to sit out one year to switch countries; single skaters must wait two years before switching, per ISU rules.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Deciding to give up one citizenship over another is NOT a light matter. Nor is moving to a country/competing for a country full-time. Mirai grew up in the U.S. and is just as All-American as Gracie Gold or Ashley Wagner. Yes, she has embraced her Japanese heritage, but that doesn't necessary mean it's right for her to give up her U.S. citizenship so she can skate for another country for just a few years.

I do not think that skating for Japan will necessary solve all of Mirai's problems (or perceived problems, anyway). Yes, skating is extremely popular in Japan, but there's another side to that coin. If the USFSA pressure cooker was too much for her, how is she going to handle the even bigger pressure cooker of Japan? This is the country where Midori Ito had to apologize for getting a OSM. And where its skaters are in the press all the time and, at worse, the subject of tabloid matter (see Miki Ando). If Mirai is just as inconsistent in Japan as she's been in the past here, she will get an even bigger beating there.

Definitely more power to Mirai if she feels like skating for Japan is the right move for her, but I'm find it presumptuous that some think that doing so would be a guaranteed slam dunk for her skating career.

Very true. I don't think it'd be an on-a-whim decision. It'd be something she'd have to truly think about and discuss with her family...but it is an option. Sometimes change is good for people.

Japan's landscape has changed quite a bit since the times of Midori Ito. Midori was the trailblazer for Japan which means she had more pressure than anyone b/c she was the only one. 20 some odd years later, Japan is one of the top figure skating countries in the world. The road is always easier to navigate if someone has been down it before.

That's not to say if Mirai decided to skate for Japan that all of her issues/troubles would evaporate. Mirai already has some popularity in Japan but I'm sure she sees the media circus that surrounds Mao and the other top ladies, so she'd have to decide if that's something she'd want to handle. There would be more public scrutiny placed on her as well...again, something to weigh in a Pros and Cons list as well as moving across the world, leaving her friends and family in the US, etc.

The upside to doing it is the resources that would be at her disposal. Unlike the US, Japan is much more invested in their skaters which means Mirai would probably be afforded better opportunities there than she receives here in the US. In addition to that, figure skating is commercially lucrative in Japan so sponsorship alone is an incentive. More sponsorship equals more money and more money equals more/better training and instruction and security once she decides to retire competitively. She could go into show skating, commentating, etc. There are a lot more opportunities for a figure skating in Japan versus the US.

Skating for Japan probably isn't the magical band-aid Mirai needs for her skating career but it is an option that comes with both good things as well as certain unwanted things. It's all based on what she wants to do.

Satoko and Haruka are the most well-known because they are in seniors now, but that does not mean Japan lack up-and-coming skaters. The reason we're not aware of them is because the top three senior spots has been locked by the same four skaters (Miki, Akiko, Kanako and Mao) for the entire quad. Rika Hongo (who finished 6th behind the top skaters) has done quite well on the JGP (finishing 3rd and 4th in her events this year and 2nd and 5th the season before that). She also has several combos under belt: 3T-3T, 2A-3T, 2A-1L-3S. In addition, nearly everyone in the top 12 were able able to execute a 3-3 combo.

Unlike in Russia, where every single season there is at least one junior skater who is making waves and winning, Japan doesn't have any major prospects ready to break onto the senior level right now. More importantly, with Mao, Akiko and Kanako gone, Japan will be without a star. Satoko and Haruka will be the top ladies but neither has star quality.

Rika Hongo can jump but that's all she can do right now. She reminds me a lot of Gracie Gold last year: jumps and speed but is quite boring overall. When her jumps go south, she has nothing to fall back on. Rika is a decent prospect but she needs a lot of work. More importantly, she lacks that star quality.

Riona Kato and Miyabi Oba have potential as well but none of them stand out from the pack. No one is that star Japan will be looking for next season.

As of right now, Marin Honda is the only up-and-coming star I see for Japan. She has that "it" factor in spades, but she's only 12 years old which means she has several years before she'll make it to the senior level. That's not to say another skater won't emerge next year or that Mirai could be that star Japan needs, but the point is there will be a vacancy at the end of the season.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
This strays a bit from the topic at hand, but along with Mirai's eligibility to choose Japanese citizenship, Agnes is also able to claim citizenship in Poland. That could at least allow her to compete at Europeans and maybe make it to Worlds at some point.
 

ivy

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
2 years is too long for Mirai to be away from skating at this point. I'd like to see her keep US citizenship but train in Japan. I think it might help her focus and pick up a Japanese sponsor
 

Gigi13

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
I agree with Ivy I think training in Japan and picking up a sponsor at Japan will help Mirai out a lot.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
It would be tough for Mirai to lose the prime years of 20-22 due to ISU rules re country jumping. Those are the years when a skater should be nearing her peak competitively.
 

Sasha'sSpins

Medalist
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Country
United-States
I think Mirai needs to retire and go to school. She is a very inconsistent skater which seems to stem from the fact that she only wants to actually skate about half the time she's competing. The other half of the time it looks like she is dutifully going through the motions of being a competitive skater in order to satisfy someone else's expectations for her life...or she's holding on to some half-hearted notion that by putting in just enough effort to not totally embarrass herself, she'll magically be considered really good. That being said, if she works hard and tries to fully rotate those triples, she can be competitive with the other ladies. She just seems to lack inspiration and passion most of the time.

Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine. :rolleye:
 

Sasha'sSpins

Medalist
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Country
United-States
2 years is too long for Mirai to be away from skating at this point. I'd like to see her keep US citizenship but train in Japan. I think it might help her focus and pick up a Japanese sponsor

I like this idea the best. And Mirai did say that her training in Japan was a dream come true for her! Perhaps the dream can become a more permanent reality. She speaks the language, has friends and family there and seems quite comfortable there too. :biggrin:

I posted this in the Mirai fan thread but here it is again in case anyone missed it:

Naomi Lang made this comment on her FB account: "So good to see Douglas Razzano and Mirai Nagasu at the Ice Den today working so hard towards Nationals next week. Show 'em how it's done guys! I'll be the loudest one in the stands next week cheering for you." https://www.facebook.com/naomi.lang.73?hc_location=stream

I'll be amongst the loudest too cheering for Mirai. :clap::rock:
 

MK's Winter

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
I like this idea the best. And Mirai did say that her training in Japan was a dream come true for her! Perhaps the dream can become a more permanent reality. She speaks the language, has friends and family there and seems quite comfortable there too. :biggrin: I posted this in the Mirai fan thread but here it is again in case anyone missed it: Naomi Lang made this comment on her FB account: "So good to see Douglas Razzano and Mirai Nagasu at the Ice Den today working so hard towards Nationals next week. Show 'em how it's done guys! I'll be the loudest one in the stands next week cheering for you." https://www.facebook.com/naomi.lang.73?hc_location=stream I'll be amongst the loudest too cheering for Mirai. :clap::rock:

I really think this is what Mirai is aiming for. It's not far fetched to believe that she could be the top lady in the US again. She was twice (sorry I think she won in 2010 hands down) was 4th at the Olympics. Ashley has enjoyed a resurgence, why can't Mirai.

I really think training in Japan will pay off for her, I feel that she has found a training environment that works for her and it sounds like she is working hard. I'll never count Mirai out because when she is on she could be that one that can shake up the podium a bit. With rotated triples and sass to match she could take it all. I believe that she has it in her and will be cheering for her as well!
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
I really think this is what Mirai is aiming for. It's not far fetched to believe that she could be the top lady in the US again. She was twice (sorry I think she won in 2010 hands down) was 4th at the Olympics. Ashley has enjoyed a resurgence, why can't Mirai.

We see Mirai in practices and warm-ups doing jumps that could put her at the top. The question is whether she has the competitive nerves necessary to do them when it counts. She has looked tentative skating her programs for several years now. I sometimes think she has had so many missed opportunities that it adds more pressure to skate clean when she has a chance to place high, like last year's nationals.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
I think she only trained properly that first year she won Nationals and 2010 (meaning run throughs), so she wasn't confident in her ability to deliver. If she has been training run throughs in Japan, perhaps her confidence will return under pressure.
 

MK's Winter

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
We see Mirai in practices and warm-ups doing jumps that could put her at the top. The question is whether she has the competitive nerves necessary to do them when it counts. She has looked tentative skating her programs for several years now. I sometimes think she has had so many missed opportunities that it adds more pressure to skate clean when she has a chance to place high, like last year's nationals.

Being in Japan I think she's had a great training environment, look at all of the great skaters she was around. Kinda similar to training with Evan in 2010. I think it will be a great push for her.
 

Sasha'sSpins

Medalist
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Country
United-States
I really think this is what Mirai is aiming for. It's not far fetched to believe that she could be the top lady in the US again. She was twice (sorry I think she won in 2010 hands down) was 4th at the Olympics. Ashley has enjoyed a resurgence, why can't Mirai.

I really think training in Japan will pay off for her, I feel that she has found a training environment that works for her and it sounds like she is working hard. I'll never count Mirai out because when she is on she could be that one that can shake up the podium a bit. With rotated triples and sass to match she could take it all. I believe that she has it in her and will be cheering for her as well!

Agreed (and ITA that she won in 2010 - hands down!).
 

lovintabbs85

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 8, 2013
Who was the lady with Mirai during the SP? And why have articles been saying that Mirai has been "coaching herself" since leaving Evidente? There was another article that says that but below is Hersh's article.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._1_gracie-gold-mirai-nagasu-surprises-aplenty


ANYWAYS I WENT BUCK WILD DURING MIRAI'S SP!!!! WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO ELATED FOR HER. She is the total dark horse for the FS, everyone is counting her out, love it tho bc less pressure for Mirai and it may motivate her to prove them wrong.
 
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