What is the best strategy for amazing Asada to challenge incredible Kim at the Games?

[skateluvr]

I just watched YuNa's SP from Zagreb. Overscoring. A fallout of double axel, and she outscores Mao's by a smidgen much better SP at GPF???? It gets me mad. YuNa is lovely, but that skate was far from her best SP. And they scored it like it was. Poor Mao. No breaks next year either It seems.

 

[sweetskates1]

Mao will earn silver again unless she lands axels and completes all planned triples.

 

[CarneAsada]

Mao's SP at the GP final had a two footed and downgraded triple axel which is a much bigger mistake. I dont know why you are surprised Kim scored slightly higher.

It was a 1 foot landing that got a < mark, a borderline call. The LP Axels were the problematic ones (fall, underrotated and landed on two feet).

 

[Cherryy]

If you're asking about a certain layout I'd say it's the one she currently has. She'll concentrate on the 3A now and I think she'll be able to land them at the Olympics. It will be easier for Mao to land an underrotated 3A-2T than a 3F-3L. Apart from this, she has to focus on the 3F-2L-2L as it's her second highest scoring jumping pass if rotated.
Some could make a case for her to replace a 3S with the 3Lz, because even though she always will get and edge call, she actually rarely missed the jump while she often doubles the salchow or has other troubles with it. I still think a salchow is better, but I could see the point here.
The best thing is that she's not THAT far from doing it as some people claim. I could easily see her doing 6 out of 7 jumping passes perfectly. But well, I agree, I'm a bit biased, so the last thing I said is very subjective.

 

[ice coverage]

I am a bigger fan of Mao than Yu Na I admit (although I still think Yu Na is objectively the favorite for the Olympic Gold). I apologize for the title and how it is worded if it offended anyone though, as it was never my intent. I do think Mao is a wonderful skater, but so is Yu Na of course, even if her skating doesnt move me the way Mao's does and I admit I am a bigger fan of Mao.

Thx for your post, PTF. Apology accepted.

And thanks to the mods for changing the thread title. Happy for both the amazing Asada and the incredible Kim. :yay:

 

[aftertherain]

I am a bigger fan of Mao than Yu Na I admit (although I still think Yu Na is objectively the favorite for the Olympic Gold). I apologize for the title and how it is worded if it offended anyone though, as it was never my intent. I do think Mao is a wonderful skater, but so is Yu Na of course, even if her skating doesnt move me the way Mao's does and I admit I am a bigger fan of Mao.

Not accepting you apology because you didn't need to give one. Hah.

(But golden411 has always been a bigger person than me anyway. )

 

[CarneAsada]

If you're asking about a certain layout I'd say it's the one she currently has. She'll concentrate on the 3A now and I think she'll be able to land them at the Olympics. It will be easier for Mao to land an underrotated 3A-2T than a 3F-3L. Apart from this, she has to focus on the 3F-2L-2L as it's her second highest scoring jumping pass if rotated.
Some could make a case for her to replace a 3S with the 3Lz, because even though she always will get and edge call, she actually rarely missed the jump while she often doubles the salchow or has other troubles with it. I still think a salchow is better, but I could see the point here.
The best thing is that she's not THAT far from doing it as some people claim. I could easily see her doing 6 out of 7 jumping passes perfectly. But well, I agree, I'm a bit biased, so the last thing I said is very subjective.

The 3F-2Lo-2Lo is of utmost importance to Asada, even more so than whatever she chooses as her first 2 passes. It was the first thing that let her down in her Vancouver LP, it has been very inconsistent with regard to underrotations, and it is worth over 10 points if landed well. She can afford a mistake on the Axel if she gets the rotations in, and although she'll probably never get a 3F-3Lo ratified again she can at least get some points for it like we saw at 4CC and WTT. She cannot afford a mistake on the 3F-2Lo-2Lo as a mistake on that usually means a < somewhere, killing both BV and GOE.

 

[Cherryy]

The 3F-2Lo-2Lo is of utmost importance to Asada, even more so than whatever she chooses as her first 2 passes. It was the first thing that let her down in her Vancouver LP, it has been very inconsistent with regard to underrotations, and it is worth over 10 points if landed well. She can afford a mistake on the Axel if she gets the rotations in, and although she'll probably never get a 3F-3Lo ratified again she can at least get some points for it like we saw at 4CC and WTT. She cannot afford a mistake on the 3F-2Lo-2Lo as a mistake on that usually means a < somewhere, killing both BV and GOE.

Definitely true, she has to perfect it. When I was watching this combination on GPF (video) even before she did a mohawk you could see she had little space, so I think this mistake is a stupid one, but still, it happened and should not happen again.
I still think the first 2 jumping passes are extremely important, as they certainly will affect hugely the way Mao will skate her whole free skate, she'll probably have more confidence and all.
She should concentrate on the 3A and on concentration. She is able to skate cleanly and what she lacks in my opinion may be the lack of stamina to perform such a difficult layout or solely the concentration not to make any stupid mistakes.

 

[hurrah]

1. Go to Nationals and test out that 3-axel so that she can gain as much familiarity as possible doing it in competition.
2. Participate in the team competition so as to gain familiarity with the ice and atmosphere at Sochi.
3. Physically, she's in shape now to go to Sochi tomorrow if need be, so don't overtrain.

That's all.

 

[NMURA]

Skate a clean SP. The one at GPF is OK.
The Olympic technical panel is not so strict.
Expecting 77 pints (42+35).

One triple Axel in the FS.
Land 7 triples.
Expecting 150 points (76+74).

That would be enough.

 

[bebevia]

I feel that, although Mao is set on the Gold and status, she can be happy to perform the best of her career. I sense that she's capable of self-fulfillment from the artistic breakthrough (that I feel) last two seasons, and the woman she's just began to live. Yuna may not matter too much of a barrier for her journey as we think.

 

[hikarikame]

Where Mao is going now, she can definitely get at least silver, as long as she keeps it up to the end. But if Yuna skates a clean program, she will definitely take gold. The programs she debuted at Zagreb looked hard, and she was clearly holding herself back. I thought it was from her still-healing injury, but apparently she was just nervous. Imagine the terrifying choreography for those two programs with the confidence Yuna had at 2013 World's.

I want Yuna to win gold, but I want Mao to do well too. She is absolutely a gold-medalist skater and deserves to retire with clean programs at Sochi too.

 

[pec0]

>But if Yuna skates a clean program, she will definitely take gold.
why, may i ask?

 

[Ruffles78]

There's no special strategy to it. Attack everything and land the jumps. That's all she can do, and that's all anyone else can do as well.

While I really like Yuna's short program, her long program seriously lacks verve, and I was not at all impressed with the choreography. There was nothing Adios Noninos about it. If I was a judge and both skated cleanly, I would give it to Asada. This is my personal opinion. Now, if Yuna's program is improved and she skates with the gumption she did at last years worlds, I might change that opinion.

 

[Blades of Passion]

I'd really like to see Mao go for the 8 Triple program, but it would be ironic and probably the most reliable layout for pulling a big score if she went for two 2Axel+3Toe combos in her LP. Mao has become so consistent on that combo. Yu-Na takes hers out because of the new rules and then Mao comes in and does two of them? LOL. The layout would be:

3Axel
2Axel+3Toe
3Flip+2Loop+2Loop
-----
2Axel+3Toe
3Sal
3Flip
3Loop

 

[CarneAsada]

I'd really like to see Mao go for the 8 Triple program, but it would be ironic and probably the most reliable layout for pulling a big score if she went for two 2Axel+3Toe combos in her LP. Mao has become so consistent on that combo. Yu-Na takes hers out because of the new rules and then Mao comes in and does two of them? LOL. The layout would be:

3Axel
2Axel+3Toe
3Flip+2Loop+2Loop
-----
2Axel+3Toe
3Sal
3Flip
3Loop

What a slimy, point-grubbing layout. I would have to wash my hands after watching it. Though perhaps Mao should move the 3-2-2 earlier if it helps her rotate the loops.

 

[Nadia01]

>But if Yuna skates a clean program, she will definitely take gold.
why, may i ask?

See how she scored in Vancouver & London when she skated clean.

 

[Jammers]

Yuna would be well advised to compete at least once more before Sochi. It's expecting a lot of her to not hardly compete at all again and be like she was last season.

 

[Colanboy]

What a slimy, point-grubbing layout. I would have to wash my hands after watching it. Though perhaps Mao should move the 3-2-2 earlier if it helps her rotate the loops.

Yes. "Point-grubbing" is exactly the point of competition.

 

[Blades of Passion]

What a slimy, point-grubbing layout. I would have to wash my hands after watching it.

I think you'd be washing the saliva off your hands after witnessing Mao take the Gold medal.