Although I watched and enjoyed Mao's performance, there is a huge difference between her, what I thought was a style not yet "matured", to Irina's style and command of the ice. It will be delightful, however, to see her skating develop over the years.....42
Mao - WOW!
- Thread starter Ladskater
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- Jul 11, 2003
She remains for me, just another wunderkind with about as much maturity as the 3 previous teenyboppers who did nothing more than skate on a sugar rush giggling all the way through. Artistry? Most senior ladies do not have it, imo. One thing about Mao, her future looks much brighter than the previous 3.
Joe
Joe
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I didn't see Mao as blowing away Irina - i viewed it as Irina not skating particularly well for herself. Irina made a number of unusual mistakes and Mao was in the right place on the right nights to win.
Barring injuries and mental blocks, Mao will be a force to be reckoned with in the very near future.
I don't have a problem with her being blocked from Oly's. It's not as though this rule has been in place for a brief time. This rule has been around since 1997/1998 and the Jr champ exception was removed around 2000. So, it's definitely not a new rule. As others have noted, the Japanese Federation could have requested a rule change - Mao's been on the rise for 2 years now and her federation should have petitioned for a rule change as late as June 2004 without incident (I doubt they could've gotten it passed if they had started the process in June of 2005.)
Barring injuries and mental blocks, Mao will be a force to be reckoned with in the very near future.
I don't have a problem with her being blocked from Oly's. It's not as though this rule has been in place for a brief time. This rule has been around since 1997/1998 and the Jr champ exception was removed around 2000. So, it's definitely not a new rule. As others have noted, the Japanese Federation could have requested a rule change - Mao's been on the rise for 2 years now and her federation should have petitioned for a rule change as late as June 2004 without incident (I doubt they could've gotten it passed if they had started the process in June of 2005.)
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
When a new talented skater arrives on the scene it is hard not to spot what makes this skater special.
What makes Mao special is her fearless jump attack. She also is very poised, maybe not as polished yet as an Irina, but that too will come. She does each element with such ease, as Barb Underhill pointed out. Her artistic side is yet to be developed, but that takes time and certainly Irina would outskate her in presentation as Irina is a seasoned pro.
It will be interesting to watch Mao develop in the next few years. Let's hope that a growth spurt does not interfere with her great technical talent. What I most enjoy about her is her joy for skating shines through when she skates. It reminds me of why I love figure skating so much. It does not look like work when she skates. Most refreshing.
I look forward to seeing her skate again. Thanks for the comments.
What makes Mao special is her fearless jump attack. She also is very poised, maybe not as polished yet as an Irina, but that too will come. She does each element with such ease, as Barb Underhill pointed out. Her artistic side is yet to be developed, but that takes time and certainly Irina would outskate her in presentation as Irina is a seasoned pro.
It will be interesting to watch Mao develop in the next few years. Let's hope that a growth spurt does not interfere with her great technical talent. What I most enjoy about her is her joy for skating shines through when she skates. It reminds me of why I love figure skating so much. It does not look like work when she skates. Most refreshing.
I look forward to seeing her skate again. Thanks for the comments.
Enero said:
But where under the NJS does it say she has to do all the triples? It's about points and she racks them up on jumps like no one else!! Why do a triple sal when you can do a triple axel and get loads more points? Her jump layout is so far and away beyond what any of the other ladies are doing. All the combo's at the end getting bonus marks etc. She does do a 3sal and is working on a quad. Once she's got that I'm sure we'll see it. She was doing triple toe all last season but got downgraded on it so it's out till she can clean it up - which I have no doubt she will.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
Joesitz said:
I would agree about Baiul (very sloppy technique) and Lipinski (not as sloppy but technically off in some ways) who got some big wins with competitive nerve and youthful enthusiasm instead of real, you know, presentation. I don't think I'd include Hughes in that group. I thought she always skated a lot 'older' than her chronological age and didn't come across to me as a teenybopper (wasn't she the tallest one on the podium in 02?)
In a way, that made her disappearance from skating that much more disappointing. Her general demeanor was so much more mature than either Baiul's or Lipinski's. Unfortunately she got a bug in her brain about wanting to go to college at exactly the same time all her friends were going (like it was going to go somewhere) and by the time she decided that ordinary life was ... ordinary her technique was absolute gone and couldn't do anything more than a double.
I still haven't seen Asada skate but from reports, I don't care how many triple axels she has (believe it or not I love triple axels from ladies), she doesn't have a friggin' toe loop or a salchow! This is not a complete senior skater even if the deficincies of COP let her rack up the points.
First points of business for modifying COP:
- Zayak rule for Slutskaya positions (I refuse to call what Slute does a Biellmann)
- Zayak rule for 'level four' spins (only one per program) and footwork sequences (again only one allowed)
- jump distribution rule (ladies get some extra points for having 5 different triples, men get some extra points for having 6)
- triple/quad Zayak rule (quads count toward the Zayak total for a given triple jump, do a 4/3 toe loop combination and you're done with toe loops for that program)
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
True Mafke - Sarah Hughs did not present herself as a teenybopper but as a mature skater.
and the nitpicking begins.
Joe
and the nitpicking begins.
Joe
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
Mafke said:
To me, Sarah looked very juniorish in 2002 in her presentation. She too had the teenybopper personality in her presentation (and underrotated jumps).
The ISU has a different definition of a 'Biellman' position from yours- it was explained in one of the telecasts-, so Irina's is counted as a 'Biellman'.
I agree about the distribution of jumps. A skater needs to be able to do most of the jumps to get extra credit. Midori Ito and Tonya Harding could do all 6 triple jumps. Even today it is hard to find a lady that can do all 6 (Kimmie M. comes closest).
Vash
Mafke said:
Well how do you know she's not a complete skater if you've never seen her skate? I do wish people would do their research before making pronouncements and judgements on skaters.
So for you and anyone else who seems to think Mao is incomplete here's a little clip of her aged 10 at Novice Nationals. She didn't win - she was actually beaten there by Miki Ando.
http://www.sendmefile.com/00212491
Well whaddya know? She does a triple sal and a triple toe.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
floskate said:Well how do you know she's not a complete skater if you've never seen her skate? I do wish people would do their research before making pronouncements and judgements on skaters.
.... She does a triple sal and a triple toe.
My point is she's not a complete _senior_ skater, I have no doubt that she's the best junior in the world on reports of her doing only 4 different triples at the GPF. And where are her triple sal and toe now? She seems to have some technical problems (toe axel, flutz, I don't know what the salchow issue is unless practicing the quad is throwing off her timing on the triple) and I'm comfortable with her not competing as a senior, the only mistake the ISU made (defending ISU policy is a new and strange feeling for me) is allowing her to skate in the GP (if anything I'd raise the age limit to 17 for seniors period).
I'll try again. She doesn't need to do them!!!!!!!! 
Her toe and sal are being trained as quads aswell as the loop. It seems though that the loop - being one of her best jumps - she has no timing issues with. If she gets them I think we'll see them. Some skaters seem to work on new elements until the competition season starts then revert back to make sure they have the timing back on triples etc. Mao has been shown consistently on the news working quads throughout the season in practise. The 4sal seems to be a bit cheated (1/3) and often 2 footed, but she's not too far off.
So your point is that unless she has all 6 triples she's not a senior skater? So what about Sasha and Irina? Do they have all 6? No. Or MK who hasn't done a 3loop since Worlds 2004? Or Fumie who hasn't done a 3loop in how long?
And no loop for Freakin' either - is she just a junior then after 12 years on the senior circuit?
Her toe and sal are being trained as quads aswell as the loop. It seems though that the loop - being one of her best jumps - she has no timing issues with. If she gets them I think we'll see them. Some skaters seem to work on new elements until the competition season starts then revert back to make sure they have the timing back on triples etc. Mao has been shown consistently on the news working quads throughout the season in practise. The 4sal seems to be a bit cheated (1/3) and often 2 footed, but she's not too far off.
So your point is that unless she has all 6 triples she's not a senior skater? So what about Sasha and Irina? Do they have all 6? No. Or MK who hasn't done a 3loop since Worlds 2004? Or Fumie who hasn't done a 3loop in how long?
And no loop for Freakin' either - is she just a junior then after 12 years on the senior circuit?
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
floskate said:I'll try again. She doesn't need to do them!!!!!!!!
Her toe and sal are being trained as quads aswell as the loop.
And no loop for Freakin' either - is she just a junior then after 12 years on the senior circuit?
Freakin' ?
I'm aware that under stupid COP rules as they currently stand, skaters can get by with poor ump distribution. I may be in the minority but I think that skating isn't so much a sport as a _discipline_. That is, more more more isn't necessarily better. What's more important is doing things right, a point lost in COP where a single aspect of jumps (full rotation) has become the be all and end all and heavy clunky two footed jumps are fine. blechh
The standard for ladies skaters is 5 triples and yes, if a major competitor doesn't have one or more then I think they're not at the top of their game (or the discipline's ideals). But once a senior skater they're still a senior skater. My main point is, that if there are junior and senior divisions then that should mean something and there shouldn't be skaters competing in both.
You have no idea how depressing the idea of 15 year old girls practicing quads is for me (not just Asada but all the other little girls who are going to be ruining their bodies without ever making it into the big time).
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
But can an incomplete skater take down the top World and Runner Up Champions?Mafke said:
Joe
