In the video I posted
http://igcdn-videos-c-19-a.akamaihd...-16/11867724_148888305445819_1818917738_n.mp4
I think Mao's 3F looked all the way round and I could only tell the 3T was ur on slo mo replay. But, she did such a good job of disguising it in real time with her beautifully smooth landing that I didn't see anything but a slight hook. However, I agree with
Sam-Skwantch that it is obvious Mao is not going full speed in the video and to me it appears she is trying to get used to the mechanics and motions of the combo at a slower speed. But, I also agree with
ultra that Mao (but there are other skaters as well) is held to a "stricter standard" than some other skaters. I didn't believe this at first until I started comparing rotation in slow motion.
For example, Mao's 3F / 3L in the Worlds LP which I believe was fully rotated was originally given a +1.3 GOE by the judges but subsequently received urs (bogus in my opinion) resulting in a loss of about 4 points on those two jumps, whereas ELizavetta's 3T / 3T combo in the Worlds SP 2015 was given a lower +1.0 GOE but she did not receive a ur call, even though I saw a hook on the backend 3T that several posters at youtube have commented on that looked like a definite ur to me. I am not trying to criticize Elizavetta or fabricate urs against her and I know that Mao does have urs sometimes. I am simply going by what my eyes saw and I am concerned that a similar situation could arise this season. I believe reputation is far too important in determining ur or "non-ur" calls and I don't subscribe to the idea that, "Well that's just the way it is and you have got to accept it." I can't change the scores or the results, but I can form my own opinion of them based on what my eyes have seen and share those views with other people. But, I also believe that reputation itself is often originally formed by harsh and lenient calls.
There is nothing wrong with lenient standards, nor unobtainable standards, so long as they are applied equally.
I agree with this quote because I believe the standards are often not applied equally, not just for Mao but other skaters as well.
Personally, I am glad that Mao emphasizes aesthetics in her jumps such as maintaining erect posture throughout, having tight symmetrical air position, the dynamics of delayed rotation accelerating into quick whipsaw motion, intricate transitions in and out, and beautiful balletic extensions and motions with expressive and elegant arm movements and the bonus of having exceptional height in her jumps for a non-power, ballet type skater.
Though the qualities of Mao's erect posture (as opposed to leaning deep into a jump) and delayed rotation sacrifice the height and complete rotation of the jump a bit, the beauty more than compensates for it in my opinion. I think urs are often barely visible and sometimes invisible in real time compared to these other much more obvious and highly aesthetic qualities, and in Mao's case (and I believe there are other skaters) my eyes tell me that sometimes called urs don't exist at all. I just don't understand why such huge deductions should be given to what are "called" under-rotations such as the draconican drop in value of Mao's fully rotated Worlds LP 2014 triple axel from a 8.5 base value with +1.6 GOE to a base value of 6 with a 0 GOE. While I think the call was bogus even if it had been legitimate it still seems like an overly harsh double punishment to me for Mao or anyone because it is something most eyes can barely see.
