Rika Kihira

[breadstal]

Rika is a mental giant this season, great comeback, two clean triple axels. That improvised Eu combo got me shook 2nd nationals medal in row, that's really nice especially with boots problems. She's going to 4CC for sure with Kaori.

 

[Shanshani]

I'll try to calibrate my expectations more realistically next time. The possibility of her winning everything this year was just so tantalisingly tasty.

Of course it's natural to want Rika to win everything, there's nothing wrong with wanting your favs to win all the time! It's more about whether it develops into an expectation.

 

[Fluture]

I‘m honestly a bit reserved on Rika doing quads next year. I know she wants to push the sport forward but I admit, I prefer a layout with three 3As over two programs, than one with one or two (messy) quads in the FS. I‘ll wait until we have some news but I think for this season the main focus will be on combining the GPF SP with the NHK FS. That‘s why I think it will be important for her to get as many experience in competition as possible. So, both 4CC and Worlds.

 

[lzxnl]

they will definitely send her, i don't see them not sending her. She needs to stay competitive and stay in the eyes of the judges but also improve her consistency.

@lzxnl you're not scared of making controversial statements are you? you're going to bring the russian ladies stans here again i personally don't want to compare Rika to the russian top ladies, i always compare Rika to yesterday's Rika and try to imagine where she could go & what she could do next!

About the quads, you don't just start practicing them a few months before you try them in competition, it takes time. she has been practicing them since the off season last year it seems (?) and she continued working on them this past summer, she needs to reach a certain level of consistency before she can have a layout that includes them. Hamada is not going to send her on the ice with a wonky quad, that's not the path they've been taking with Rika. I don't think they practiced it that seriously yet because she was still working on consistently landing her current layout, which has been working out more than fine in the FS, still struggling with the cursed SP but she has 2 more international competitions to skate clean SPs and hopefully 2 clean programs. In my opinion they see just how consistent Rika's 3A has gotten so it makes sense to go for the upgrade now. I don't think they'll go for the 4T this season, i don't see where they'd try that. At 4CC? I believe they'll want her to just go clean after a difficult showing at nationals. Worlds is out of question, they would not risk it at the most important competition of the season. In my opinion, if the 4T works out fine, we'll see it first probably on her instagram then at summer ice shows (i cannot remember how many times she attempted the 3As this past summer, so many falls, and popped 3As, it all payed off in the end) or at her challenger next season.

I just pray that she stays healthy all through it.

I really am not afraid of saying things on my mind
However I try to make sure I don't attack anyone (but Med's scores a few years ago were asking for it, and I'm only mentioning the scoring).

I know where they could trial her 4T. WTT. Why not? If she gets invited for that, that would be the perfect competition to try a 4T, if she does one at all this season. I am genuinely curious if she'll struggle more with a 3A or a 4T next season. But yeah, I love the idea of training at ice shows. I guess it does mean we get to see one program earlier, which may or may not be a bad thing? Still, getting paid to train the 4T in a pressure environment is a sweet deal

Will we see her beat her SP record at 4CC? The level 2 spin

 

[leoleo]

I‘m honestly a bit reserved on Rika doing quads next year. I know she wants to push the sport forward but I admit, I prefer a layout with three 3As over two programs, than one with one or two (messy) quads in the FS. I‘ll wait until we have some news but I think for this season the main focus will be on combining the GPF SP with the NHK FS. That‘s why I think it will be important for her to get as many experience in competition as possible. So, both 4CC and Worlds.

Well, her team told the media they'd be resuming the 4T practice after nationals so it is happening whether we want it or not I trust Hamada with Rika so i am not too worried. I live for a good 3A as well but i believe Hamada will make the right decision, if her 4T is not good and consistent enough i doubt they'll risk it (it's not Hamada's style) and especially since competition is set to become a lot tighter next season. We have yet to see what it even looks like now, the only 4T we saw from her was a blurry probably ur one after a few days of attempting it :think: but she said herself it has gotten better. It's all just plans so far so there's no need to be nervous. Let's hope she gets new boots ASAP first and gets ready for 4CC it's time we get those 2 clean programs.

 

[thexfireball]

I agree that if it’s not consistent she won’t put it in. But if she’s able to land it consistently then I don’t see why not. There may be times where they’ll be “messy” - just like some of her 3A attempts. But that comes with doing high risk elements. It’s better to put it in as soon as possible so it gets more consistent with time. She does want to aim for Beijing after all.

 

[gotoschool]

My biggest congratulations to Rika is for coming back from her mistakes in the short and her frustrations with the instability in her boots to land two of the most beautiful triple axels from a woman I have seen with marvelously tight spirals, excellent acceleration and snap, really fine height and distance and full rotation, with a fabulous triple toe on the back end and her artistry, expressiveness and elasticity and fluidity of movement to the music and flexibility in spins combined with expressive power was mesmerizing. To me, she is a truly an inspirational skater whose performances are likewise exciting and full of suspense, anticipation and a rollercoaster of emotion. I was also really impressed with how quickly Rika thought on her feet by quickly improvising a single jump with a double salchow tacked on the end (I believe) after a triple lutz.

 

[Fluture]

Well, her team told the media they'd be resuming the 4T practice after nationals so it is happening whether we want it or not I trust Hamada with Rika so i am not too worried. I live for a good 3A as well but i believe Hamada will make the right decision, if her 4T is not good and consistent enough i doubt they'll risk it (it's not Hamada's style) and especially since competition is set to become a lot tighter next season. We have yet to see what it even looks like now, the only 4T we saw from her was a blurry probably ur one after a few days of attempting it :think: but she said herself it has gotten better. It's all just plans so far so there's no need to be nervous. Let's hope she gets new boots ASAP first and gets ready for 4CC it's time we get those 2 clean programs.

Yeah, we’ll just have to wait and see. So far I like the approach her coach has taken so I‘ll just have to trust and be patient.

I‘m more worried about the boots. Doesn‘t it take some time to be fully confident and comfortable with new boots again? I remember some ladies having lots of problems with that before the start of the season... I hope she gets this problem sorted because it‘s one thing when she loses to nerves or a messed up jump but another one when she‘s mentally and physically ready to do all the jumps but her boots ruin it.

I want two clean programs from Rika but if I had two choose, I‘d rather have them at Worlds than at 4CC. But of course both times would be the ultimate goal. Let‘s see.

 

[leoleo]

So it seems she motivated herself by thinking "if i cannot do it here, i definitely cannot do it at the Olympics" :eeking: she is so dramatic i love her! The things that go through her mind It's like she's an anime heroine in her head.

I'm just dropping her post FS interview here in case someone wants to translate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqC32M_aess

@ Fluture: about the boots, i think skaters have said it takes weeks or about a month to break into them.

 

[zanadude]

Great comeback! Probably the best result we could have hoped for after the short. Actually, maybe it's better that she didn't win this time, as now she knows she has a rival that will capitalise on her mistakes. This will only serve to make her stronger!

Will Rika be sent to 4Continents? I think she needs competitive experience as much as possible.

Assignments will be made official a bit after the men's competition wraps up.

Based on how they've done things in the past, my gut feeling is Kihira, Sakamoto, and Mihara for 4CC, and Kihira, Sakamoto, and Miyahara for Worlds.

 

[lzxnl]

So it seems she motivated herself by thinking "if i cannot do it here, i definitely cannot do it at the Olympics" :eeking: she is so dramatic i love her! The things that go through her mind It's like she's an anime heroine in her head.

I'm just dropping her post FS interview here in case someone wants to translate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqC32M_aess

@ Fluture: about the boots, i think skaters have said it takes weeks or about a month to break into them.

I mean...she's 16 as well, how many of us weren't dramatic as teenagers? XD
Anything to make her land the 3A in the short works for me. Given what she's faced so far, I don't think she can spook herself out of it.

 

[DiamondDust]

Congratulations Rika!!! That was a fantastic skate! I liked how she faked a bad landing to a euler.:cool2:

 

[zanadude]

I'm just dropping her post FS interview here in case someone wants to translate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqC32M_aess

All mistakes are my own. This translation is worth what you paid for it.

Interviewer: This is the Japan Nationals Second Place Finisher Rika Kihira. Please share your thoughts on the result.

Rika Kihira: Um, but really, I thought I was frustrated with finishing second, but Kaori tried really hard in this competition, so I want to prais...um, I think she really tried hard, and I have no regrets about my performance, so overall I'm relieved.

I: After the short program you were fifth, but you battled back to finish second, bouncing back from the failed triple axel. What did you learn from the experience that allowed you to recover?

R: Um, I was really anxious all day today, though I didn't know where that anxiety came from, but I was able to fix my boots to my liking, and they held up throughout the performance, which I am very grateful for, so I had a really valuable experience.

I: This year we strongly felt your feelings towards dedication to the triple axel. Could you describe those feelings towards it?

R: Um, really, it wasn't a jump that came easily, but I was really able to focus, and I think that it took all of that focus to be able to pull it off. As for the short, recently with the boot issues and such, I really haven't had a good feel for the jump. Amidst all of that, I'm really happy to have pulled off a performance like that.

I: Last year as a junior you finished third, now in your first year as a senior you finished second. It seems that you are consistently "stepping up". How would you like to use this experience as you face the world's skaters?

R: Um, really, the Japan Nationals was a nerve-wracking experience, but even as I did not arrive with the best preparation, I was still able to pull out the best I was capable of, so this was a whole new experience, so this was another example of overcoming adversity that I can use, so this was a great competition for me.

I: Thank you very much, and congratulations.

R: Thank you.

 

[leoleo]

@ siberia82 thanks as usual
& zanadude: wait you speak japanese? Thanks for the translation, i did not expect to find a translator here, usually i wait for someone on twitter or tumblr to do a summary of her feelings (would you be around more in the future to help us out from time to time? just taking my chances here)
She is frustrated about not winning, obviously! Hopefully it motivates her for the next competition.

A video of the victory ceremony in case you guys missed it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwfEdAJrB0A
And a cute interaction with Kaori after the FS results i wanted to share https://twitter.com/oay19830504/status/1076952139572736001 :luv17:

Another interview translation where she talks about what she did to tape her boots properly
https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/1076922257786785792
She is grateful to her boots for standing by her and allowing her to land her jumps now time to ditch those snake boots! :dev2:

 

[leoleo]

Rika sounded nervous and unsure in the interview. I hoped her silver medal-winning FS has given her some confidence!

She always sounds unsure during interviews, i think she is not good at dealing with the media yet. She always hesitates or cuts right in the middle of a phrase to say something else

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Rika will go to 4CC and Worlds

 

[leoleo]

Amazing, 2 more international competitions. More chances for her to try and get 2 clean programs and break world records :agree:

 

[Fluture]

She will face big competition at both events but I think it will only make her stronger. I hope she gets both programs cleanly once this season at least, they are both so beautiful (even though I really, really prefer the FS as it‘s way more unique)

 

[leoleo]

Also why would would silver give her "confidence"? If anything, it should fire her up to get gold again. She was undefeated all season and she said she was frustrated about not winning at Nats. 4CC is going to be so exciting for me, all 3 japanese ladies there are favorites of mine and really strong girls Rika has to give her best there.
I am sad that we probably won't get any content until february tho. I'm gonna be bored as hell unless JPN TV does some tv coverage or something since they're in love with her these days.

 

[zanadude]

Amazing, 2 more international competitions.

I imagine we will see her at the World Team Trophy event as well.