Hey everyone,
I was gleaning the Mao forum for Japanese Nationals news when I came across this: "Let’s face it, no one has a more charming, disarming smile than Mao Asada. All of Yu-Na’s dark, dramatic, divaness is no match for the megawatt power of Mao’s beautiful, beaming smile!! Yu-Na Kim might make the audience jump up and cheer, but I think only Mao can leave the audience speechless and in tears."
I don't want any Kim vs. Asada catfights. I've had enough of those, really (and I really love both skaters. I despise those silly bot fights). I'm actually curious as to what you guys think of this skating fan's comments. What's the biggest difference between Yu-Na and Mao? Can this difference be applied to the greater skating field? Are there two different groups of skaters? The ones that make you jump to your feet to root for them and the ones that reduce you to tears? If so, which skaters fall under each category? Rather, which specific performances? Is the demarcation actually very faint, and does brilliant skating accomplish both?
Are the big stylistic "camps" of ladies' figure skating "divaness" and"beauty and grace"? Is one to be valued over the other? Or is that a product of figure-skating-stereotyping -- the whole ladies skaters should be in pastel colors, gliding on the ice to soft ballet music?
I actually thought Mao would fall under the cheer "category", as her skating is an amazing feat of athleticism centered around jumps (the dominating thought is "will she successfully execute that 3A?"). Of course, that's not to say that her performance is just that; it's so much more, but no one can deny that key to her performance is that single jump, the 3A. I was jumping all over my living room when I saw her 2008 GPF LP (she became the first lady to ever land two 3As in one program. Simply mind-boggling). Kim's performances have reduced me to tears, not so much because the content itself was touching (it still was, but that wasn't the only factor), but because of the context of the performance (the 2007 World FS, the amazing "Lark Ascending", which is arguably the most emotion-evoking of her programs. Such a lyrical, graceful, delicately beautiful piece. Kim started out so strong, but eventually fell twice because of her injury. I thought her gold was fixed until she fell. She was just so beautiful that I cried.) Her success story is also touching. This is a skater who considered quitting after her junior world champion gold because she couldn't afford to skate. The mind-boggling talent almost came to an abrupt end because she could never get decent boots. I actually cried while watching a documentary named after that program, "Lark Ascending."
Well OK enough of my ranting. What do you guys think?
I was gleaning the Mao forum for Japanese Nationals news when I came across this: "Let’s face it, no one has a more charming, disarming smile than Mao Asada. All of Yu-Na’s dark, dramatic, divaness is no match for the megawatt power of Mao’s beautiful, beaming smile!! Yu-Na Kim might make the audience jump up and cheer, but I think only Mao can leave the audience speechless and in tears."
I don't want any Kim vs. Asada catfights. I've had enough of those, really (and I really love both skaters. I despise those silly bot fights). I'm actually curious as to what you guys think of this skating fan's comments. What's the biggest difference between Yu-Na and Mao? Can this difference be applied to the greater skating field? Are there two different groups of skaters? The ones that make you jump to your feet to root for them and the ones that reduce you to tears? If so, which skaters fall under each category? Rather, which specific performances? Is the demarcation actually very faint, and does brilliant skating accomplish both?
Are the big stylistic "camps" of ladies' figure skating "divaness" and"beauty and grace"? Is one to be valued over the other? Or is that a product of figure-skating-stereotyping -- the whole ladies skaters should be in pastel colors, gliding on the ice to soft ballet music?
I actually thought Mao would fall under the cheer "category", as her skating is an amazing feat of athleticism centered around jumps (the dominating thought is "will she successfully execute that 3A?"). Of course, that's not to say that her performance is just that; it's so much more, but no one can deny that key to her performance is that single jump, the 3A. I was jumping all over my living room when I saw her 2008 GPF LP (she became the first lady to ever land two 3As in one program. Simply mind-boggling). Kim's performances have reduced me to tears, not so much because the content itself was touching (it still was, but that wasn't the only factor), but because of the context of the performance (the 2007 World FS, the amazing "Lark Ascending", which is arguably the most emotion-evoking of her programs. Such a lyrical, graceful, delicately beautiful piece. Kim started out so strong, but eventually fell twice because of her injury. I thought her gold was fixed until she fell. She was just so beautiful that I cried.) Her success story is also touching. This is a skater who considered quitting after her junior world champion gold because she couldn't afford to skate. The mind-boggling talent almost came to an abrupt end because she could never get decent boots. I actually cried while watching a documentary named after that program, "Lark Ascending."
Well OK enough of my ranting. What do you guys think?
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, but never cry...
