2022-23 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[brakes]

I will remember forever how before 2019 Worlds there was a poll on sports.ru with 66% of voters favouring Rika to win World Championships vs their beloved Alina and Evgenia. Even Russian figure skating fans being all crazy and devoted to their girls couldn't deny Rika class and domination at that time.

Wish her full recovery, because she is undeniably somebody special on fs scene.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Rika is currently in 6th place after the SP at Chubu Regionals. She went clean (save for a level 2 spin) and scored a 56 something and landed two triple jumps: 3S+2T and 3T. This is a lot better than I expected and I hope she does well enough in the free to qualify for Nationals.

I also hope she dumps Japan Open and both GPs. Or at least Skate Canada. She simply won’t be in internationally competitive shape by then.

 

[lileychristie]

I'm so happy to see Rika performing well - and most importantly, to see that she looks happy herself

Hope she's not pushing herself too hard now, I'd so hate to see her injury regressing again
I agree, it's probably best for her to withdraw from all international assignments for now and just focus on fully recovering for nationals. Please take it easy Rika

 

[YuBluByMe]

JGP 4 was cancelled and the skaters assigned will be re-allocated amongst the remaining three JGPs. Yoshida and Mone Chiba were originally assigned to compete last week but now Chiba will be competing next week along with Shimada. Yoshida will be competing at JGP Italy.

Remaining JGP Assignments:
JGP Poland 1: Shimada, Chiba
JGP Poland 2: Shibayama, Kushida
JGP Italy: Yoshida, Nakai

 

[surimi]

Wishing Rika good luck tomorrow

 

[Jeanie19]

Wishing Rika good luck tomorrow

Good luck, Rika.

 

[cohkaix]

Rika's planned elements for FS (for reference only, of course):

# Planned element Description 1 3S Triple Salchow 2 2A Double Axel 3 2Lo Double Loop 4 2S+2T Double Salchow+Double Toeloop 5 FSSp Flying Sit Spin 6 3S+2T Triple Salchow+Double Toeloop 7 2A+1Eu+2S Double Axel+Single Euler+Double Salchow 8 2Lo Double Loop 9 CCoSp Change Foot Combo Spin 10 ChSq Choreographic Sequence 11 StSq Step Sequence 12 LSp Layback Spin

 

[RatedPG]

Rika's planned elements for FS (for reference only, of course):

# Planned element Description 1 3S Triple Salchow 2 2A Double Axel 3 2Lo Double Loop 4 2S+2T Double Salchow+Double Toeloop 5 FSSp Flying Sit Spin 6 3S+2T Triple Salchow+Double Toeloop 7 2A+1Eu+2S Double Axel+Single Euler+Double Salchow 8 2Lo Double Loop 9 CCoSp Change Foot Combo Spin 10 ChSq Choreographic Sequence 11 StSq Step Sequence 12 LSp Layback Spin

Perfect layout for her. I was imagining the layout and these were the jumps I thought about with the only exception of putting the combo 3S and 2As in the first half and the solo 2A and 3S in the second half. Also, I thought of putting one 3T in there instead of the 3Lo in the first half. I hope this is enough to hold on to the 6th or 7th spot.

 

[RatedPG]

JGP 4 was cancelled and the skaters assigned will be re-allocated amongst the remaining three JGPs. Yoshida and Mone Chiba were originally assigned to compete last week but now Chiba will be competing next week along with Shimada. Yoshida will be competing at JGP Italy.

Remaining JGP Assignments:
JGP Poland 1: Shimada, Chiba
JGP Poland 2: Shibayama, Kushida
JGP Italy: Yoshida, Nakai

Oh no! Chiba only gets one event. But, if she comes in third and scores higher than Kushida, I wonder if Chiba gets to stay on Poland.

 

[readernick]

Rika has basically qualified to Nationals with smart watered down content.

Chubu Regionals (block) 2022

Rika Kihira

3S2T
2A2T
2Lo
1A fall
3S
1A2T (turn)
2Lo

As long as she participates in Skate Canada, she has a bye to Nationals. Based on the fact that she has been practicing jumps for about a week and did this, she might be ready for Nationals if she is smart about training and doesn't hurt herself again. Hopefully, she doesn't try to get all her jumps back before SC. She needs to be careful.

 

[Dawn825]

As long as she participates in Skate Canada, she has a buy to Nationals. Based on the fact that she has been practicing jumps for about a week and did this, she might be ready for Nationals if she is smart about training and doesn't hurt herself again. Hopefully, she doesn't try to get all her jumps back before SC. She needs to be careful.

I wish she would get a buy just by being a former National Champion. It's difficult to see how competing at SC will benefit her in any way.

 

[cohkaix]

Rika doesn't have a buy but gets a 'bye'. And it has nothing to do with being a former National Champion but is due to her GP assignments (which gets her a 'bye' to the sectional.)

 

[lileychristie]

Rika doesn't have a buy but gets a 'bye'. And it has nothing to do with being a former National Champion but is due to her GP assignments (which gets her a 'bye' to the sectional.)

Is it her GP 'assignment' that gives her the bye, or her GP 'participation'?
If it's assignment, then if she withdraws from her GP she still gets her bye?

And if it's participation.... I wonder, if she skated the SP but withdraw from the FS, does she still keep her bye?

I hope JSF is using common sense and willing to make exception for Rika here, as I don't really see any good for her to compete in her GP assignments. Rinka taking over Rika's spots will be a win-win, Rinka might earn a medal or two while Rika can focus on fully recovering for nationals and perhaps 4CC and Worlds after that.

 

[rabidline]

Is it her GP 'assignment' that gives her the bye, or her GP 'participation'?
If it's assignment, then if she withdraws from her GP she still gets her bye?

I'm actually curious about this too. If she WD from Skate Canada, does it mean she needs to skate at Western Sectionals or will the "bye" stands? If she WD from Skate Canada citing injury, will she be deemed as injured as well for Western Sectionals and be taken out from Nationals qualifications?

Also, Rika's funding from JSF (currently Class A) was upgraded because she got international GP assignments (she's invited by the GP hosts). If she WD from her GPs, what happens to the funding? Will it be taken away from her as well? (Last season was a different case since she got Special Class funding because of her Nationals win, not because of her GP assignments).

 

[readernick]

Rika doesn't have a buy but gets a 'bye'. And it has nothing to do with being a former National Champion but is due to her GP assignments (which gets her a 'bye' to the sectional.)

Indeed, thanks for catching my typo. She does not need to "buy" anything.

I do wonder if she is required to participate in both GPs that she is assigned to in order to keep her bye or if she only has to participate in one?

 

[RafaelAstro]

Is it her GP 'assignment' that gives her the bye, or her GP 'participation'?
If it's assignment, then if she withdraws from her GP she still gets her bye?

And if it's participation.... I wonder, if she skated the SP but withdraw from the FS, does she still keep her bye?

I hope JSF is using common sense and willing to make exception for Rika here, as I don't really see any good for her to compete in her GP assignments. Rinka taking over Rika's spots will be a win-win, Rinka might earn a medal or two while Rika can focus on fully recovering for nationals and perhaps 4CC and Worlds after that.

I agree with you, but let's not forget that these are Rika's spots so she is the one deciding to compete or not, I hope she is smart and chooses to practice to nationals and other regionals if needed, but if she wants to use the gp as practice she has all the rights to do it even tho it's not something wise in my opinion,

 

[lileychristie]

I agree with you, but let's not forget that these are Rika's spots so she is the one deciding to compete or not, I hope she is smart and chooses to practice to nationals and other regionals if needed, but if she wants to use the gp as practice she has all the rights to do it even tho it's not something wise in my opinion,

Yes, agree that they're Rika's spots and it is her decision. However, I hope JSF will support and encourage her to make the right decision by ensuring that her nationals spot is secure even if she withdraws from her GP.

Fingers crossed both Rika and JSF are smart enough to make the best decisions

 

[cohkaix]

Both Kaori and Wakaba attended an awarding ceremony for Olympians today:
News in Japanese

So it turned out that Kaori had an injury prior to the Lombadia Trophy: she broke her right little finger's bone due to a failed practice on 2A and hit the fence (well, at least Kaori seems to be okay with the injury now). I think she knows her results from 1st competition and where to work on (mostly the spin levels and jumps). She'll work towards those through each competition.

As for Wakaba, it seems she was using the competition to see where she stood (in terms of her condition). It looks like she'll skate in the upcoming Tokyo Block (regional competition) this weekend [*NB: Wakaba is not required to participate to advance to Nationals, but she can choose to enter the competition still.]

 

[RafaelAstro]

Hey Mone was perfect today! Beautiful skating, hope she does good as well in the free, Mao was good but her combo got calls, still in second but I know she will come stronger in the free

 

[YuBluByMe]

I think Chiba should’ve been first even had Little Mao been clean. The judges wouldn’t have gotten that right, though. Mao is consistent and has plenty of room for the free so I’m not worried about her. Chiba can medal here and maybe Japan can slot her in next week. She’ll already be there, after all.

…it’s a damn shame that there will be only two Japanese junior ladies at Junior Worlds. Hopefully, this will be corrected in March.