2016-17 State of Japanese Ladies Skating

[venx]

I think I'm going to bookmark this thread and bring it back in February when Marin will win her Olympic gold.

 

[Maria Victoria]

With Satoko's withdrawal, I hope it will be the substitute, Rika, who will serve as the emotional anchor of this young team considering she is the most senior and the only one with previous Senior Worlds experience. (And i saw from http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014150.htm that Mai has not even been to Junior Worlds; what a meteoric rise she has had this season!) Rika has not had the best season so far, and some have written her off, but she can redeem herself with a solid skate at Worlds. I am hopeful she, Wakaba, and Mai can still secure three spots for the Olympics. Japan will need all three spots considering its talented juniors who will turn senior next season as well as of course the return of the injured veterans (Mao, Satoko). Wishing the TJ ladies all the best!

 

[mermaidfestavol3]

I'm not panicking quite yet (okay I'm panicking a little bit). Fight on, team Japan!

(Oh Satoko, why did you have to get injured )

 

[breadstal]

Please nail your FPs, girls.

 

[ioanna]

Between Wakaba getting grossly underscored and Mai making a huge mistake, it just seems like the stars weren't aligned for Team Japan. If Mai hadn't made that mistake, maybe they would have had a better chance at keeping 3 spots.

 

[FlattFan]

Between Wakaba getting grossly underscored and Mai making a huge mistake, it just seems like the stars weren't aligned for Team Japan. If Mai hadn't made that mistake, maybe they would have had a better chance at keeping 3 spots.

Wakaba is getting what she supposed to get. She's just not that good. Look at her history over the year, her score is no where near the top tier from junior to senior. Don't know why JSF is pushing her so hard.
Mai has to be pristine clean to get over 200. She's also another girl that can't deal with pressure when they put pressure on her shoulder.

Poor Satoko, took everything in and gave her all everytime.

I'm offended that people were saying Satoko is dealing with injury, and thus, shouldn't skate.
Wakaba, Rika both are dealing with injuries as well. They are doing their part. JSF should have strong arm Satoko into going. I think if they guarantee her a spot on the Olympics, she would have gone and place a lot higher than these 3.

 

[narcissa]

Mai has to be pristine clean to get over 200. She's also another girl that can't deal with pressure when they put pressure on her shoulder.

Didn't you say a few weeks ago that Mai is going to be as consistent as Satoko and is going to replace Satoko soon?

 

[FlattFan]

Didn't you say a few weeks ago that Mai is going to be as consistent as Satoko and is going to replace Satoko soon?

No, I said Mai has an angle to usurp Satoko. If she can prove that she's as consistent as Satoko, then they have a consistent skater to catch low hanging fruit. At that point, they don't need Satoko anymore.
Turn out, Mai is more comfortable skating under an umbrella. It's psychology, a child is more confident to explore or do well when under a watchful eyes of her parents. When alone, the child is more likely to be timid and not doing so well. Mai had no pressure with Satoko anchoring. Once Satoko is out of the picture, she's falling apart. Biggest mistake of the season in the event where it carries the most weight.

 

[ioanna]

Wakaba is getting what she supposed to get. She's just not that good. Look at her history over the year, her score is no where near the top tier from junior to senior. Don't know why JSF is pushing her so hard.

I looked at her history over the year. She was 3rd at TDF and 4th at NHK. She was getting mid 60s scores for programs with mistakes. She skated a clean program here and was held down. She actually is very good.

I'm offended that people were saying Satoko is dealing with injury, and thus, shouldn't skate.
Wakaba, Rika both are dealing with injuries as well. They are doing their part. JSF should have strong arm Satoko into going. I think if they guarantee her a spot on the Olympics, she would have gone and place a lot higher than these 3.

Offended? :con3: Are you even aware of the difference between a recent hip stress fracture and a foot injury (from which Wakaba has already healed)? Here's a quick search on google:

If the stress fracture is left untreated, and the bone continues to weaken, the fracture can displace, or cause the bones to go out of alignment.

Hip stress fractures are particularly concerning if they displace. Because of the delicate blood supply to the bone of the hip, a fracture can lead to injury of this blood supply and a condition called hip osteonecrosis. For this reason, doctors often get very concerned when they suspect a stress fracture of the femoral neck in the hip.

The important concept is to stay under the level of pain. If you avoid activities that aggravate your symptoms, then it is often possible that hip stress fractures will heal without surgery. Surgery is needed if there is a concern that the fracture may displace. As mentioned, displacement of a hip stress fracture has very serious implications for long-term health.


Source

 

[FlattFan]

you are their doctor? you know what they are dealing with specifically?
WebMD will tell you it's cancer for everything.

 

[ioanna]

you are their doctor? you know what they are dealing with specifically?
WebMD will tell you it's cancer for everything.

I don't need to be a doctor to be aware that stress fractures (especially hip stress fractures) are very serious injuries.

 

[FlattFan]

What's Rika's injury? Is it serious? Seems serious because she's free falling.
Satoko's injury is manageable because she felt pain during GPF and she somehow managed to get her silver medal there. Won J national 2 weeks later.

 

[janav]

What's Rika's injury? Is it serious? Seems serious because she's free falling.
Satoko's injury is manageable because she felt pain during GPF and she somehow managed to get her silver medal there. Won J national 2 weeks later.

Rika has bone bruise if I remember correctly.
Anyway, nobody here is in position to judge decisions of others, especially when health is concerned. Seriously, people

 

[lishazard]

It's odd that Wakaba's PCS were so low here. It's a beautiful program to beautiful music, and she did a great job. She is the Japanese silver medalist, I would've thought she'd be getting the PCS boost with Satoko's withdrawal.

Chances seem pretty low that they'll be able to keep their three spots. Poor Mai, I hope she redeems herself in the free skate.

 

[Seren]

Wakaba is getting what she supposed to get. She's just not that good. Look at her history over the year, her score is no where near the top tier from junior to senior. Don't know why JSF is pushing her so hard.
Mai has to be pristine clean to get over 200. She's also another girl that can't deal with pressure when they put pressure on her shoulder.

Poor Satoko, took everything in and gave her all everytime.

I'm offended that people were saying Satoko is dealing with injury, and thus, shouldn't skate.
Wakaba, Rika both are dealing with injuries as well. They are doing their part. JSF should have strong arm Satoko into going. I think if they guarantee her a spot on the Olympics, she would have gone and place a lot higher than these 3.

Do you have any idea what you are saying? Satoko is injured. Skating on a stress fracture is incredibly dangerous. To do so risks further damage and more serious injury. Satoko has worked hard this season- I'm sure she wants to be and if there was any way she could do so safely I'm sure she would be there. I'm offended you are suggesting she should risk hurting herself for the sake of 3 spots. It's just a sport, the skaters themselves are more important.

(And I have a degree in human physiology and a doctorate in physical therapy. I don't know the specifics of her injury but I know what I'm talking about when it comes to injury healing times).

And Wakaba is a very good skater- she is very young (just turned 16) and has tremendous talent. She is still maturing as a skater but deserves the accolades she gets. This is both Wakaba's and Mai's first worlds- and they are under a lot of pressure.

 

[FlattFan]

Do you even know what I said? I said her team made the right call to not send her. JSF made the wrong call to send injured skaters.

If they are going to send injured skaters, might as well send Satoko. Give her the option, get 3 spots, your spot is guaranteed. If you refuse to go, and we have 2 spots, u need to win to earn your spot.

Spare me the fake outrage, how dare you suggest they send Satoko who's injured. Other girls who are going are injured, too. You ain't their doctors, you don't know what repercussions they have.

 

[AnCho]

I am sorry if this is rude or if i misunderstood your post, (or if my most replies in this thread currently is toward your post, flattfan, but there are some points in your posts that i respectfully disagree.). It seem to me that you think JSF should push her to go regardless of her injuries when you said, and I quote "JSF should have strong arm Satoko into going. I think if they guarantee her a spot on the Olympics, she would have gone and place a lot higher than these 3". you actually think JSF should force her (hence the words"strong arm") to go even though she is badly injured? Then you imply that if JSF dangle the Olympics spot to lure her to Worlds, Satoko would go. With or without the Olympics spot bait, she would go if she was not that injured l, i woukd think? I find it belittling to the skater to imply that Satoko was using her withdrawal as a tactic or leverage to get a guaranteed spot, not her achievements. I feel the statement that I quoted takes her injuries too lightly. There are different type and severities of injuries. Some are manageable and athletes can still perform, but some are not.
Injuries can get worse and worse if the athletes force themselves, even when their bodies finally told them to stop and heal. Eventhough she can endure during GPF, pushing herself when she has experienced the pain can worsen the condition, which apparently seems to be the case. If Satoko's injuries are manageable, do you honestly think she will give up her chance to fight for her team? She is not the type of skaters who give up without a fight. Even when she faced a lot negative comments on her jumps, her expressiveness, she didn't give up but she works hard to rectify the issues.

You voiced the question yourself whether Rika was facing serious injuries which cause her performance to freefall. If this is what you think, than Rika is actually a clear example why pushing yourself while you're injured can be a boomerang against yourself. I am not belittling her injuries or her dedication, but when an injury has significantly and detrimentally affect the athletes performances, than one has to think whether it is wise to force the athletes to the breaking point. I agree with your comment that jsf shouldn't send an injured skater, but this should also apply for Satoko. I didn't know why JSF sends Rika if she is injured, they must have their justificatios (again, this is not a shade thrown at Rika please). I just wish that Rika can have proper rest and healing too if the injuries began to adversely affect her performance. Just want to say though, when an athlete has to withdraw from a very important competitions, usually it means something much more serious, which might have already affected the athletes psychologically. I would say Mao was an example. Her injuries have caused her poor performances, which caused her to feel despondent (i recall she said that she felt like she lost everything in one of interview, if I am not mistaken). To lose confidence in oneself is perhaps, in my amateur opinion, worse than the physical injuries.

I am not saying that this is what happen to Satoko. I am not her doctor, just like others also not. All i know is that Satoko has to take painkillers just to practice. If it happens to that extend, the injuries are not that manageable, in my opinion.

Peace all. Sorry if I sounds rude or offensive, no ill intention whatsoever.

On the positive notes: all the best to the girls in FS. It's never easy but Fighting for Wakaba, Rika, Mai!!!!:agree: All the best for Satoko recovery as well.

 

[TheCzar]

Understandably all the girls here are under immense pressure, and part of it is that both Higuchi and Mihara are both so young. Miyahara's state can't be helped- she needs to recover. However, we all know it could not have come at a worst time because after today's event, it's beginning to look like there will only be two spots next year.

Who's to blame? No one. But I'm afraid that this World Team here may well be remembered as the trio that lost the third spot.

 

[ioanna]

I would say all of the senior ladies' injuries happened at the worst time. Sure, Satoko has the worst injury but her senior team mates have all been injured or going downhill. Asada (knee injury), Hongo (bone bruise), Higuchi (foot injury), Murakami (she basically can't jump anymore), Nagai (complete meltdown and she was showing a lot of promise). The situation was bad even before Satoko's hip pain became unbearable. Relying on a single skater to save the team isn't wise. It's not 2013 anymore; the Russians are dominating, the Canadians are rising. It's an extremely competitive field with very little room for mistakes.

 

[sweetwater]

Satoko, Wakaba, and Rika all have been dealing with injury this season and they did not skip the earlier competitions. Why? Because they wanted to compete at bigger competitions later in the season. Chance to compete at championships itself is valuable, but it also gives them a chance to earn points to get Olympic berth next season.
It’s not like JSF is protecting someone and forcing others to compete for 3 spots only to give a spot to the protected person. Satoko is also risking something to heal herself.
I don’t want to see any skater injure him/herself, but they are athletes and they have their own reasons to compete. I just wish them good luck and hope they will be able to skate the way they want to, and will be able to take time to heal themselves before next season.