Miki Ando: "I was just lucky"

[gsk8]

Miki Ando of Japan has won both her Grand Prix assignments (Rostelecom Cup of Russia and NHK Trophy), and is the first lady skater to have qualified for sure for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

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[SerpentineSteps]

Miki Ando of Japan has won both her Grand Prix assignments (Rostelecom Cup of Russia and NHK Trophy), and is the first lady skater to have qualified for sure for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

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Good for her! I've been rooting for her since Torino (a friend of mine actually went to middle school with her in Nagoya), and I'm glad to see her mature.

 

[dorispulaski]

"I'm actually not worried about the jumps. Miki's jumps are very consistent in practice, but maybe the rhythm in the beginning of the program is not right for her."

This is an interesting point and shines some light on the difficulties of picking the right music for each skater. Apparently many skaters skate in the rhythm of Carmen, or this year, Requiem!

 

[Spun Silver]

Miki seems to be very hard on herself. I hope she finds time to celebrate her achievements soon. I'm very happy to see her doing so well. This Cleopatra program fits her to a T and so does that gorgeous blue and gold dress - I hope she keeps it!

 

[schiele]

. This Cleopatra program fits her to a T and so does that gorgeous blue and gold dress - I hope she keeps it!

Me too! It's nice to see her skate to some decent programme that suits her style.. :thumbsup:

 

[Mathman]

This is an interesting point and shines some light on the difficulties of picking the right music for each skater.

A very interesting point indeed. We are used to debating whether the mood of the music suits a skater's persona, whether a skater can get into the character, etc.

A more important factor might be just elementary things like whether the tempo fits the timing of the jump entries.

I notice, for instance, in professional shows that feature a live band or singer, that the skaters are often struggling with timing and tempo -- and these are experienced performers who can skate to anything.

 

[janetfan]

A very interesting point indeed. We are used to debating whether the mood of the music suits a skater's persona, whether a skater can get into the character, etc.

A more important factor might be just elementary things like whether the tempo fits the timing of the jump entries.

I notice, for instance, in professional shows that feature a live band or singer, that the skaters are often struggling with timing and tempo -- and these are experienced performers who can skate to anything.

Many singers/bands tend to perform music "Live" at a faster tempo than what we hear on their recorded versions of the same tune. Even a band as experienced as the Rolling Stones will do this.

Sometimes it is the adrenaline rush many musicians feel at a Live performance but it should be noted that in a studio situation there is typically a producer supervising the session. One of the things producers typically find themselves doing is trying to slow down tempos - whether the music is uptempo or a ballad.

It is possible that a skater has an idea of the tempo of the song they will be skating to from the recorded version. Then, when they have to skate to it Live they are hearing something a little faster, or even much faster than what they expected.

Sure there could be other factors, but think this could be a possibility.

 

[Princesspts]

Really nice article!
It's interesting to see inside of Miki's head a bit. And I'm very happy that she is not just settling for winning her competitions and is focused more towards putting her best out there on the ice!
I also find it very interesting that she is looking more towards making her 3-3 combination more consistent, rather than focusing on the quad. Shows that she knows what is more important in the long run. :agree:

Good luck at the GPF, Miki!!

 

[sorcerer]

Nice interview !

Miki is always frank in answering to questions, however at NHK after the SP, she couldn't find words of answer to the question "how was your SP?" posed by a Japanese announcer from NHK. She really seemed to be disappointed with herself. But she said there was something very personal in her disappointment, though, which she didn't go in. She was too honest to say even just that, but that's her nature.