The Satoko Miyahara fan thread - "This is a start in the true sense"

[Jun Y]

Congrats to Satoko for delivering a clean program at JO! Great redemption from US Classics. Perhaps the crowd knew Satoko upgraded her tech content from two 2A-3T to 3Lz-3T & 2A-3T ... I don't like the costume but I accept the flashing pink showed her bigger and her lines extended on the ice in person. It might be one of the reasons why she changed her costumes from the pretty soft pink dress to the awful unfortunate one.

Satoko's 2A-3T is sooooooooooooo easy. It's like she can randomly toss it out just strolling down the street. She can be hiking a mountain, swimming under the sea, doing calculus, or whistling and chewing gum while nailing a 2A-3T.

I agree the flash pink hurts the eye! But I guess Lori Nichol has insisted that this program absolutely MUST be skated in pink, no matter what shade. I suppose this program is all about an ultra-femininity.

Satoko's bi-directional skating is the most and the best among all current skaters. She turns CW and CCW with such ease and nonchalancem that one hardly notices it, except that strange slight dizziness in the viewer's mind.

Plus, the girl can ACT! Her expression is so precise and effective. I often feel that Japanese (or Asian in general) skaters have a cultural disadvantage in using their facial expressions to perform. It's extraordinary that Satoko, who is clearly a very shy and introverted person off the ice, can use her face so effectively in her skating to express a wide range of complex emotions and moods with subtlety and precision. The more I watch her skate, the more I have a girl-crush on her.

 

[rosewood]

Brilliant SP at SKAM.
for PCS. But at least judges gave her slightly better PCS than before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO3GdBnv6bc

Go Satoko! Pile up good skates every time!

 

[alexikeguchi]

Congratulations to Satoko on her first GP win. She just keeps cranking out those seven triple performances, and I'm glad the judges are finally starting to reward her quality in the component scores. She is one of the skaters I am really hoping to see live at Worlds this season.

 

[paskatefan]

She won my heart last year when she skated to the overture of "The Magic Flute" for her SP. Love her, and thrilled for her @ NHK Trophy! On to Barcelona, Satoko!

 

[tamms]

So happy for Satoko for finally winning gold at a GP! I would have preferred if she had won with her Miss Saigon LP tbh but in the end I'm just so glad she's finally being rewarded.

 

[MR-FAN]

AND she has the absolute best SP of all the ladies this season

 

[rosewood]

During the press conference for GP circuit, Satoko said one of her goals for this season was to win a spot for GP final. Happy for her! Congrats for winning the first gold in GP circuit & making a GP final debut!

 

[rosewood]

I found it very interesting that in a interview Satoko recently mentioned that she worked with someone from Takarazuka so that she can show herself bigger on the ice. Takarazuka is a long-run well known Japanese musical company which has females only. Seems it worked well for Satoko.
Re Takarazuka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh1ub1OntMg

 

[alexikeguchi]

Congratulations to Satoko for her fantastic performances in the GPF. Not only did she reach her goal of qualifying, but she won a spot on the podium with the silver medal.

 

[WanderlustTO]

Really thrilled with Satoko's performances at GPF - but I was disappointed by her PCS, particularly in the long program...I thought it was way too low.

 

[Debrah]

I really love this gal, she has a warrior spirit and the grace of a ballerina and great work ethic to improve each time out! My new fav Japanese lady

 

[ToFarAwayTimes]

Every time I see Miyahara I think the same thing. Everything else besides the jumps is better than all of her contemporaries (post-2014 era). The jumps are so small. But her style and everything else about her skating is a joy to watch.

 

[WanderlustTO]

^^ the jumps look better this year, though. i'm no longer so worried she's going to fall down spinning herself off the ice like i was last year.

 

[tamms]

Satoko may be tiny but she's definitely a queen on ice. So happy for her silver medal and that she's numero uno on the ISU ranking for ladies. An amazing accomplishment!

 

[ToFarAwayTimes]

^^ the jumps look better this year, though. i'm no longer so worried she's going to fall down spinning herself off the ice like i was last year.

Yes, I do think her jumps are better than last year.

The only thing I didn't like about Miyahara at GPF was her Riverdance program. She didn't seem to bring the energy for it like Akiko did. Hard to live up to Akiko though.

 

[rosewood]

Oh yes! Saotoko is NUMERO UNO on the ISU ranking right now. Congrats to her!!

 

[rosewood]

^^ the jumps look better this year, though. i'm no longer so worried she's going to fall down spinning herself off the ice like i was last year.

Recently I saw in a news clip that Satoko hired a personal physical trainer so that she can build her body to jump higher. Honestly speaking she still looks spinning on the ice before jumping up into the air but she's improving little by little.

 

[rosewood]

This news clip by NHK　has a glimpse of Satoko having an expression lesson with an actress from Takarazuka. It's always interesting to see how skaters work on expressions (artistry).
(04-15) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ipryg_1219-インタビュー-飛躍の秘密とは_sport

BTW, do you know Mao was named after an actress from Takarazuka whose name is Mao Daichi (whose first name means "true center" and surname means "mother earth"). Takarazuka is such a popular musical company in Tokai & Kansai areas where hometowns of Mao & Satoko place.

 

[rosewood]

The Satoko Miyahara fan thread - "This is a start in the true sense"

This thread's title is taken from an interview with Satoko after winning a silver medal at last season's Worlds. Her words got more reality with winning her first Championships' title at 4CC. Congrats to her!

SP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGLkMkGtD9k
FS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU6z9VBBHVA

Can't believe this tiny 17 yo girl has such a maturity in her performance. Every movement is exquisite. I can be a total uber (if only she can fix her jump techniques...) But she has lots of time to improve since she's only 17 yo.


Japan’s Satoko Miyahara strikes gold in Taipei

“It gives me a good feeling heading into Worlds,” said Miyahara, “I was a little bit nervous. I felt nervous even in my last jump, but I stayed calm and believed in myself. I’m confident about the elements of my free program and I’ve been doing well in big competitions this season, which led to this success here. At Worlds, there will be a lot more great skaters, so I would like to make sure not to be beaten by them.”

Four Continents: Satoko Miyahara claims ladies title

"I was nervous at the start but just tried to believe in myself and all the hard work I've done in practice," Miyahara said. "With elements I feel comfortable with, I was able to skate aggressively."

Even though she always looks calm, she has a blue flame in her mind.

 

[Spun Silver]

@rosewood, do you think she ever still jumps in the direction that comes naturally to her? I wish she had never had to change that.

 

[kwanoverrated]

She is coming along beautifully. If she could just get more power so she both: a)has bigger and better quality jumps with more flow, b)more speed and power over the ice, she would be almost unbeatable. That is the final piece(s) of the puzzle for her.

 

[VarBar]

It's only at the recent 4CC's that I noticed what a lovely skater Satoko is. She's so polished and with gorgeous edge quality and flow over the ice. A joy to watch. Don't know why it took me so long to realize how good she is but better late than never. lol

 

[paskatefan]

Ecstatic for Satoko & her win @ 4CC! Can't wait to see her @ Worlds! Stay healthy, Satoko!

 

[rosewood]

@rosewood, do you think she ever still jumps in the direction that comes naturally to her? I wish she had never had to change that.

I noticed she closed her official practices with a double jump (2Lo? I forgot) in her natural direction at a few competitions this season. So I think she is still capable of doing double jumps in the direction.

(BTW, this is a hearsay but I heard another reason (other than security) why Hamada let her change directions of her rotations was that Satoko didn't jump straight up into the air at the time, so Hamada thought it was easier for her to teach Satoko total different techniques by rotating in another direction than to rework on every different jump. I haven't read the article (on a magazine or something) yet, so I can't say I'm sure this info is correct, thought.)

ETA:
At the time Hamada's group's circumstances were much worse than now. There was a time Hamada's home rink was closed and she struggled with having enough ice time for her students. Later she managed to get good ice time at Kansai Uni's rink. So, we can't blame her even if she couldn't help changing Satoko's directions of rotations only for the reason of security.

 

[rosewood]

Sounds Satoko is ready for Worlds (actually she's been ready since Japan Open. ) She wishes to deliver as good programs as she does in daily training. Narration says she's been working on recoveries such as doing 3F-3T in the second half of SP in the case she made a mistake on the opening 3Lz-3T. It also reported that she has lots of other recovery plans.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3xi7z6_宮原選手インタ_sport

 

[Debrah]

I have my fingers crossed that the lovely, elegant and graceful Satoko, can break up the strangle hold the Russian gals have had on this event.

 

[PashaFan]

I have my fingers crossed that the lovely, elegant and graceful Satoko, can break up the strangle hold the Russian gals have had on this event.

Me too but not just the Russian ladies but the boost in points the American ladies will get too.

 

[bardtoob]

You should be proud of your 2016 World Championship performance.

I would have ranked you higher in both the SP and LP, and would not have held you back from the podium. Your skating is lovely.

 

[topaz]

I think Satoko was underscored in the PCS. I would have her higher. I think 3rd or 4th.

 

[PashaFan]

This girl got totally screwed in both the SP & LP. She was amazing & flawless.