What did Heiss do to Miki Ando???

[Misplaced Gymnast]

Much as I enjoy Miki's skating when she's on....well...this year, it seems she never is. Wasn't she 6th at Japanese Nationals? Should she have even been here? I'm really not wanting to be mean.

 

[Frau Muller]

Much as I enjoy Miki's skating when she's on....well...this year, it seems she never is. Wasn't she 6th at Japanese Nationals? Should she have even been here? I'm really not wanting to be mean.

Good point. This was a point for heated argument after Japan Worlds. Yukari Nakano (4th at Natls and Japan's top Olympic-eligible finisher at Grand Prix Finals) should have gone to Torino. Even 5th-place finisher at Natls, Yoshie Onda, was much more impressive than Ando at Natls.

It all comes down to money....ye olde marketing...Miki, with her prettier face & marketability, had garnered more commercial endorsements than either Nakano or Onda. Her 'soup can' had been minted, so to speak. It would have been embarrassing for the Japanese federation & their $pon$or$ to send anybody but the three preselected ladies whose faces were plastered all over the country's billboards: Fumie, Shiz & Miki.

 

[attyfan]

...
And didn't CHJ coach Timmy to the world stage? Yeah, I know, long standing posture problems that neither Frank nor Audrey could correct, but, hey, I don't think you can actually call CHJ the kiss of death...

Linny

IIRC, Tim came in 10th or 11th at Worlds while being coached by CHJ. His was fourth (and Nat champ) after his first season with Frank, and it was under Frank's coaching that he won his two world medals and his Oly bronze.

 

[lotusland]

Most often dance cotumes look horrific up close, in person, but from a distance, up on stage and under the lights, they are a completely different and wonderful looking garment. Hopefully, Miki's short program dress was the exact reverse ... televised poorly but looked wonderful in person. :think:

 

[cell]

This was the worst costume/choreography makeover since Robin Wagner took Tarasova's glorious "Swan Lake" and turned it into a "Swan Puddle" (to quote rgirl) for Sasha. When Miki ran into the boards I thought she was channeling Midori Ito.

You mean Robin Lake?

 

[Mathman]

It all comes down to money....ye olde marketing...Miki, with her prettier face & marketability...

Good point abount marketing, Frau M. But -- eye of the beholder -- check out this pretty face:

Yukari

MM

 

[Frau Muller]

Mathman - I happen to think that Yukari is just as pretty as Miki. I was just talking about the opinions of Japanese marketing firms. Apparently, in Japan, Miki's sort of beauty 'sells' better than does Yukari's look. Just a fact - not my own opinion.

 

[soogar]

In terms of marketing, it's not a "beauty" think but more that this has been Yukari's break out year therefore she hadn't been picked up by advertisers to hype. Miki had a broken toe a few weeks ago (I believe she had it at Japanese Nats) and that probably is affecting her.

As for Miki's costume, all black looks great on the ice as it's very common for skaters to wear that during practice and testing. But all black did not come off well on the television at all. She did look clunky.

Yukari should have been sent.

And yeas, Fumie was robbed in the SP, should have had a much higher score.

 

[Gipson]

It all comes down to money....ye olde marketing...Miki, with her prettier face & marketability, had garnered more commercial endorsements than either Nakano or Onda. Her 'soup can' had been minted, so to speak. It would have been embarrassing for the Japanese federation & their $pon$or$ to send anybody but the three preselected ladies whose faces were plastered all over the country's billboards: Fumie, Shiz & Miki.

It was not simply marketing. Many countries do not select their team based only on nationals. The Japanese team was chosen based on the two most recent seasons.

 

[bethissoawesome]

Totally disagree on the marketing issue. Is Miki pretty and marketable? Yes. Was that the reason she was chosen? No. She was national champion twice (2004, 2005) and finished 4th and 6th at Worlds. She had a bad season, but then again, Shizuka had a lackluster season but capped it off with the Olympic Gold (well-deserved). It doesn't hurt a country to believe in their skaters' potential.

 

[mamo]

japan believes in miki. yes she more marketable. she's young and has the qualities the japanese love. and she has proven herself in the past couple seasons. being junior world champion, first lady to land a quad at int'l competition, and 4th in worlds, multiple medals in the gp series. she did rack up the points the japanese fed decided to go with this olympic season. so sending here was no mistake. she just had a bad year. great programs with potential, but she must be having problems... confidence perhaps, awkwardness with a developping body. new coach, new rink, new choreography. plus tons of media attention and unforgiving fans.

a word on the costumes.. i heard it was designed by someone really renowned.. like an oscar winning costume designer. so she was excited to wear them for her programs, even though i liked her original customers better.

the japanese lady usually have pretty decent dresses, more simple, than the flashy-in-your-face by some european skaters.

 

[Misplaced Gymnast]

I disagree with sending Miki based on past results just as much as I objected to Kwan being sent for the same reason. When push comes to shove, it has nothing to do with past results. It has everything to do with what you can do NOW, as Miki (and Shizuka) proved to us last night.

 

[Nadine]

Miki-chan,

Watching you last night made me feel guilty that I abandoned skating for the last two years due to COP. Up until that point you were my favorite skater, and I realized that last night you still are (no lie). How I could kick myself for not watching skating since that time, especially your journey, as it is painfully obvious to me that you got lost somewhere.

Go back home, Miki-chan, go back home to Japan.....take time off.....and decide what you want to do with your life. Don't come back for your country, come back for yourself. Otherwise, it will be a waste. And I'm not talking about the waste of your one-in-a-billion talent (that too), but rather a waste of you, and only you.

A champion not only needs natural talent, which you have coming out of your ears (lol), but also discipline, discipline, discipline, and *natural* drive to be the very best. And to be the very best you have to B-E--L-I-E-V-E! Otherwise, as I stated before, it's a waste.

Arigatou, Nadine

 

[Gipson]

I disagree with sending Miki based on past results just as much as I objected to Kwan being sent for the same reason. When push comes to shove, it has nothing to do with past results. It has everything to do with what you can do NOW, as Miki (and Shizuka) proved to us last night.

Clearly, but the NOW you mention is still in the future when a team is chosen so any selection process is based on results prior to the competition.

 

[Debbie]

That was Miki? I thought it was her evil twin sister!

 

[Misplaced Gymnast]

Clearly, but the NOW you mention is still in the future when a team is chosen so any selection process is based on results prior to the competition.

True, but I'd still take the results of the Nationals ("NOW" when they happen) over "She was really good 12 months ago." Michelle clearly was *not* in the same shape this year that she was last April.

And, as others have pointed out, if past results are so important, Brian Boitano & Peggy Fleming should have been on this year's Olympic team.

 

[Nadine]

P.S. (i.e. addendum to my earlier post) ~ before you know it, four years will be here in the blink of an eye, as 2002 honestly seems like yesterday. So I hope Miki stays in, as 2010 will be here before she knows it.