The Mao cheer thread #3 - "For the love of skating"

[rosewood]

Article about today's official practice with an interview with Mao
(my rough translation)
.....
Asada focused on checking the step sequence part which she brushed up in Tronto, Canada prior to this competition. "Well done," she deepened her self-confidence. "I don't think I need it so much," she revealed she avoids doing 3A in both programs here like she didn't do it at Finlandia Trophy which was her debut competition of this season. That said, she plans to up her technical difficulty by adding 3-3 bombo in FS. "Two more years are left. My motivations will grow as the season progresses comparing to last season. I wish I'll increase my momentum from here," she increased her excitement for the pre season of the Olympics which is her ultimate goal.
......
Mihara is making her debut of Sr GP series. "I'm excited to skate with my idol Asada-senshu. I wish I'll skate relaxed and cheerfully," she revealed an episode with Asada which happened when she met Asada a day before "Yoo-hoo, she said to me, and it made me very surprised."
_____

The episode Mihara said is so cute! People know Mao is very accessible type person, but they are usually surprised when something happens to them in person actually. lol Go Mao and Mihara, and Mao's younger sister Kanako too!

 

[rosewood]

Found this conversation on twitter @clairecloutier with Radford and Inside Skating. Many thanks! Glad people who saw Mao's LP in person fell in love with it. @clairecloutier, I wish you'll share your impression of Mao in person when you have time. @arakwafan2006, you are welcome too. Have fun at SKAM, guys!

 

[arakwafan2006]

Grabbing my rental car now and heading out. I am super excited. I actually am meeting friend of mine there from out of the country. Sleeping last night was impossible.

 

[rosewood]

More detailed interview done after today's official practice.
http://bylines.news.yahoo.co.jp/kiyoshimio/20161021-00063514/
(my rough translation)

Q: How was the official practice?
Mao: Looking back the practice, in the beginning my body responded well, but in the second half I was a bit tired and I sometimes lost my timing, that said my overall skating was not bad.

Q: How did the two week go prior to this competition?
Mao: In Canada I brushed up my programs' choreography and stsq, also I checked my spins, and I got my program's overall flow reviewed.

O: How did you do your stsq [today] which was brushed up in Canada?
Mao: It was OK.

Q: You did 3-3 as well?
Mao: At this point I plans to do it in FS.

Q: This is your first event [in GP series.] How are your feelings?
Mao: I'm getting into a mood. Maybe I can say my condition is not bad.

Q: How about your knee?
Mao: I've had troubles in my knee. I listen to my body when I'm working.

Q: Are you keeping yourself away from working too much due to your knee?
Mao: It's not only due to my knee, but also due to my age. I think I need to keep myself away from working recklessly too much. Maybe you can say it's due to my knee in that meaning, but the point is I'm basically working at a pace which fits my age.

Q: In the past you once avoided doing 3A. How do you accept the current case? Is it different in your feelings?
Mao: I don't think 3A is that needed at this point. It's fine to do 3A when my condition goes up and I'm prepared to do it. Axel is not everything at this point. It's fine to do the things I should do now.

Q: How do you enjoy skating the programs for this season?
Mao: I use the same music in my both programs. It's so fun to play different roles in the programs. That said, they are competitive programs and they have lots of elements to do. They are two tough programs actually. But, costumes, make-up and hair-do, all of them work together in the finished programs. Such thing makes me enjoy skating those programs.

Q: Where do you place this competition?
Mao: If I can go to the final, it would be great. But it will make my schedule tough as well. I don't think I'm at my top form at this point. My goal here is to do what I can do now and receive the levels. I mean Lv4 for everything, in both SP and FS.

Q: At what point do you plan to pull your condition up to your top level?
Mao: I mean I can do 3A when I'm in my top form. I can't say when it'll be yet. I will not rush. I'll go with seeing the responses from my training.

Q: Can it be Worlds and not Nationals?
Mao: Nationals is a very important competition. I think I'll do 3A there.

Q: Are you still stick on winning?
Mao: In Sochi I was not able to leave good results. That said, I was able to show my best performance. In a sense results are important but in another sense showing my best performance is important too. It tough to choose one from the two. Two years are left to me, I wish I'll show my best performance, if I'll receive good results for it, it'll be great.

Q: What are your motivations for this season?
Mao: Count down has started. Only a couple of years are left to go. My motivations will grow as the season progresses comparing to last season. I'll go with my full force this season too. And I wish I'll continue increasing my momentum next year.
_____

I'm very sleepy now and my translation is very rough. Sorry.

 

[rosewood]

Grabbing my rental car now and heading out. I am super excited. I actually am meeting friend of mine there from out of the country. Sleeping last night was impossible.

Woohoo!

 

[inskate]

Best luck to Mao! I hope she can skate without any pain and achieves all lvl4

 

[gotoschool]

Here is a beautiful photo of Mao's spiral in her freeskate. Just slightly blocked by a watermark.

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...mens-free-skate-of-the-in-picture-id613285460

Another great spiral photo from Worlds 2016 Madame Butterfly
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos...ies-free-skate-program-of-picture-id518891558

Here are some big photos from her SP. Bewitching.

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/R...S1AEUFLYRFAA_RTRMADP_3_ICESKATING-FINLAND.JPG

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/R...S1AEUFLYRHAA_RTRMADP_3_ICESKATING-FINLAND.JPG

 

[gotoschool]

rosewood or anyone who knows, does Mao begin her exhibitions facing the judges, though of course exhibitions aren't judged? I am trying to figure out how where to sit when she does elements like pirouettes close to the audience because I am planning to see her perform again at Trophy de France. I may pull the trigger on the tickets before I can get an answer. I just hope she goes to the gala. By the way just to say again, Mao's Cello Suite in her last stop of The Ice (KITAKYUSHU) is one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen. Buttery arms gracefully gliding through the air with refined extension, playful pirouettes and acrobatic Russian splits, a stunning barrage of spins that dance across the ice with each element flowing into the next in one continuous stream like a fabulous dream from which I never want to awake.

 

[gotoschool]

I wish Mao all the best in her performances at Skate America. I hope most of all that they give her great joy and satisfaction and that they inspire those who watch with a sense of supreme beauty and passion for her artistry and athleticism.

 

[Spun Silver]

I feel like Mao is better prepared for the GP than she has been in a while. I have all faith in her to deliver two beautiful performances. Perfect? Who knows. But full of grace, technique and originality, yes. Go, Mao!

 

[rosewood]

SP runthrough from today's official practice.
https://youtu.be/R7Cl_1yVqHo

Mao skates really big. It's for real. Wish all the luck for her. GO MAO!

 

[gotoschool]

I loved Mao's performance. She had a lot more attack this week, her steps and speed were much crisper. Her skating skills were fabulous. Her delivery more mysterious. Her make-up was bewitchingly heavy and her attitude was even slightly angry. I am beginning to sense the ritual element- The exorcism of the ex husband from her mind- as she urgently seeks to break that ties that bind. I heard Mao's blades aggressively come to a stop at the end of her program with a spray of ice and a slighly menacing look. I looked carefully at the ur call on the 3F. It was her biggest jump with nice loft and she took off with less than 180 degrees of pre-rotation and landed with at least 2 1/2 rotations in the air not counting pre-rotation if not a little more to my eye. This is plenty of rotation for a triple jump once pre-rotation is taken into account. Other skaters are taking off with around 90 degrees more pre-rotation than Mao and it is ignored in calculating rotation. So, why are urs called at all if the take off point is not considered? So, what I believe to be an erroneous call slashed almost 4 points off of Mao's score. Secondly, Mao was given a level 3 on her step sequence which to my mind is simply wrong. How much more agility, pirouettes and rapid crisp but gliding blade work does she have to do in keeping up with such haunting music? Her double axel was huge but received less than +1 GOE. Many have commented and I completely agree- Mao obviously has better skating skills than Ashley Wagner yet she is given a lower score in skating skills. I believe this is objectively wrong based on observation of edges and smooth fluid speed with minimal pumping or obvious effort. So, overall I think Mao skated well, but I believe her scoring was harsh on the ur and obviously didn't reflect her superior skating skills. As far as choreography and artistic interpretation I also liked Mao the best: there is a great deal of haunting mystery with a sense of aggression and alluring intrigue and mysticism in her performance that has a high degree of sophistication and hearkens me back so I want to see more.

I think the ISU is purposely trying to drive Mao into retirement because her scores do not reflect the high level of her performance,just as she was underscored at Worlds 2016 also in the US. I sympathize a lot for Mao now giving such an impassioned and what I think was a clean skate with a knee injury. I hope she will know that so many of her fans loved it and that we value it so much more than the judge's and tech crew.

 

[arakwafan2006]

I really enjoyed Mao's performance. She had a lot more attack this week, her steps and speed were much crisper. Her skating skills were fabulous. Her delivery more mysterious. Her make-up was bewitchingly heavy. I heard her blades aggressively come to a stop at the end of her program with a spray of ice and a slighly menacing look. I looked carefully at the ur call on the 3F. It was her biggest jump with nice loft and she took off with less than 180 degrees of pre-rotation and landed with her blade forward. This is just at to within border and with the small amount of pre-rotation especially I believe it should be counted good. That is at least 2 1/2 rotations if not a little more to my eye. Other skaters are taking off with around 90 degrees more pre-rotation than Mao and it is ignored in calculating rotation. So, why are urs called at all if the take off point is not considered? I feel it is erroneous to call urs if the take off point is not considered at all and only the landing point is analyzed. Secondly, Mao was given a level 3 on her step sequence which to my mind is simply wrong. How much more agility, pirouettes and rapid crisp but gliding blade work does she have to do in keeping up with such haunting music? Her double axel was huge but received less than +1 GOE. Many have commented and I completely agree- Mao obviously has better skating skills than Ashley Wagner yet she is given a lower score in skating skills. I believe this is objectively wrong based on observation of edges and smooth fluid speed with minimal pumping or obvious effort. So, overall I think Mao skated well. I wish she could add the triple axel to the program, but I believe her scoring was harsh and obviously didn't reflect her superior skating skills. As far as choreography and artistic interpretation I also liked Mao the best. I sense that Mao has given in to an unusual but intriguing taste to mystery and myth in her music choice and I find it intriguing. Pop music choices may have more mass appeal but I prefer Mao's choice.

Ashley had confidence like none other and good speed but EVERY woman had weak steps except Mao.


I wonder if Mr.Sato has taken Mao as far as he can.

 

[arakwafan2006]

I'm over the moon about the free skate but not Mao's short. I'm also really disappointed that her scores were so low. Mao went for the easier short and lost to Gracie ?

 

[gotoschool]

Ashley had confidence like none other and good speed but EVERY woman had weak steps except Mao.


I wonder if Mr.Sato has taken Mao as far as he can.

Skating skills are most truly displayed and put to the test when intricate steps have to be made in rapid succession. Since Mao had the strongest steps as you yourself say, it shows that she has the best skating skills and that this element was erroneously scored because Mao should have had the highest in this category. Mao attacked her steps with a high level of confidence especially considering she has a knee injury. But, I also disagree with the ur call and think she should have had level 4 on steps. If Mao had been given the level 4 she deserved in steps, had the triple flip counted good as it should be, and been given the highest score in skating skills at the very least, though I also preferred her artistry and choreography, she would and should be in the lead.

What I love about Mao so much is the subtlety and complexity of her expression and the way she combines it with her rapid dancing steps and the impeccable positions and extensions she makes with her body. It is a complete picture set to motion with little or no overt posing because she is too busy expressing herself through her movements, extensions and steps at the same tiTme. Mao is incredibly expressive with her face as shows in still shots of this performance. For lack of a better term, I consider Mao to have an eastern style in this program which is intriguing, mysterious, alluring and ominous that makes me want to come back for more. I prefer Mao's style to a more overt what I consider overwrought style with more obvious posing. Of course, others may like it more, but I don't.

 

[Karpenko]

Not a 6 or 5.75 in sight!

Skating skills should've been 9's, but I hope the panel sees how close she is to 2nd place and say to hell with this in the free. Let it rain.

The SP today was the most alive I've seen Mao in a performance this year (and a long time) , she's also so well put together. I consider this a success, and she's 2nd after the warmup in the LP which works IMO

 

[Spun Silver]

I am with you, gotoschool -- a level 3 for that brilliant step sequence makes the judges look crazy.

Big picture: Even with Mao watering down her content and getting (unfairly) dinged, the scores are very tight going into the free. Ashley skated lights out (I loved everything about her program too!) and is only 5 points ahead. Mao has a lot of room to grow her SP score (a lot more than Ashley) so I'm very optimistic both about a podium finish here and the rest of the season.

I guess my one concern with this SP is that Mao is not really projecting an intense mood of a witch's spell, a scary black swan, or Spanish fire. Right now she is mostly executing fabulous choreography. It's understandable given what a complex program it is. She is still getting it under her blades. Her smile at the beginning is not evil! Be evil, Mao! Show ferocity and cruelty! It is a tall order for gentle Mao! Especially when skating a program this difficult. But I hope she will work on that aspect of it as well as upping the elements.

 

[lala]

She was underscored in PCS!

 

[gotoschool]

I am with you, gotoschool -- a level 3 for that brilliant step sequence makes the judges look crazy.

Big picture: Even with Mao watering down her content and getting (unfairly) dinged, the scores are very tight going into the free. Ashley skated lights out (I loved everything about her program too!) and is only 5 points ahead. Mao has a lot of room to grow her SP score (a lot more than Ashley) so I'm very optimistic both about a podium finish here and the rest of the season.

I guess my one concern with this SP is that Mao is not really projecting an intense mood of a witch's spell, a scary black swan, or Spanish fire. Right now she is mostly executing fabulous choreography. It's understandable given what a complex program it is. She is still getting it under her blades. Her smile at the beginning is not evil! Be evil, Mao! Show ferocity and cruelty! It is a tall order for gentle Mao! Especially when skating a program this difficult. But I hope she will work on that aspect of it as well as upping the elements.

his

I disagree. I sensed much more intensity and bewitching qualities in Mao this time. She was even fierce in the way she attacked the steps and carved her edges throughout the performance but the entire piece is not only about being fierce; the mood it sets is also melancholic, confused and brooding and to me Mao brings out this more subtle complexity well. If I look closely there are many moments when it was difficult to even tell which way she was moving. I feel a bit like I have been thrown into a whirlwind with all the rapid 180 degree turns, pirouettes, leaps into the air, zig zag and circular turns which mirror well the foreboding and disorienting tone of the music: a bit like being thrown into a witches' cauldron. This is truly high art combined with stellar skating skills. I think Mao goes far beyond merely giving a fierce expression and rather embodies the mood in her entire bodily movement so that the face is merely subsumed into the whole which if you look at photos is very apt in expressing the haunting mood.

I think Mao was deflated for the reasons I gave in an earlier post so I don't think she should be 5 points behind (in fact I think she should be first as I said above). There are even more reasons I have discovered such as Ashley getting a higher GOE on her double axel when Mao's is much better and Ashley getting higher GOE on her UR call when Mao got negative GOE on a bogus ur call since she had about 2 1/2 rotations in the air. Ashley amazingly even got a higher score on her step sequence which I think is wrong. I must say I respect Mao for having the guts to compete at a scoring disadvantage while injured and giving such compelling performances (they are so beautiful).

 

[gotoschool]

I hope the free program Mao dreams of in her mind will take place in real life.

 

[gotoschool]

Mao's red outfit is totally gorgeous and The beauty of Mao's skating, spirals, expression and spins in this program is stunning like droplets of water glistening on a rose in the sunshine both alluring and with mix of innocence during the spiral and spread eagle. Weepingly beautiful. The step sequences was totally mesmerizing. The first three jumping runs and the triple loop were nice as well. Her triple lutz was beautiful. If Mao is injured or not feeling well, I hope she will stop to take care of her health now. It seems it is the entrance to the second double axel where Mao first experienced problems just like at Finlandia which is probably due to pressure on the left knee. During practice at Finlandia, Mao was also smooth through the first 3 jumping runs and then needed to take a break from jumps.

 

[Spun Silver]

This is desponding. Has she said what went wrong?

 

[inskate]

It's a shame about the missed jumps, but perhaps missing the GPF would be for the best. I wonder whether Mao would consider withdrawing from her second event to give herself even more rest; I think it would be the best choice. I think practicing more intensively actually made Mao's condition worse than at the Finlandia Trophy.

The choreography is so lovely (as is the new costume) that I really hope Mao will be able to skate it at her 100% at Nationals (and Worlds). She looked a bit down here; even after performing well in the SP. Maybe it's the pain, maybe she's just not happy at not being able to go all out... I hope to see her happy again, like after CoC 2015 SP

On a more positive note, her 3Lz, although a bit UR, hasn't received an edge call this time! I think her technique is becoming mostly stable, now the issue is with the execution (that is, being healthy and paint-free enough to skate with enough speed to achieve good ice coverage and to attack every jump pass as she did at Sochi).

I wonder if Mao is going to be invited to the Gala? I would love to see her Bach EX again, even without any jumps

ETA:

This is desponding. Has she said what went wrong?

I don't think we'll hear anything detailed from Mao; she notoriously avoids revealing anything that could be perceived as an excuse.

Her coach said that the left leg injury she sustained early last season is still bothering her and they have to take it easy in the practices for now. I think things went wrong simply because of the pain and perhaps lack of stamina. I think the 2A-3T -> 3S sequence is challenging for her, because both of those jumping passes put a lot of pressure on her left leg, and she tends to miss the following 3F (both in practices and in the competition).

Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything that can be done except to wait for the leg to heal.

Nobunari Oda had a similar injury, acquired back in the 2010-11 season. He tried to just skate through it (practicing 3A and 3T despite the doctors advising against it) and ended having to miss the entire 2011-12 season. It took him a long time to get back in form, but he managed a couple of excellent performances before his retirement. He underwent a surgery after retiring, but still has a great 4T-3T combo under his belt (and managed to smash his LP PB at Japan Open 2016, haha).

I hope that if Mao manages her condition carefully, she'll manage to avoid surgery. Good luck, Mao

 

[gotoschool]

This is desponding. Has she said what went wrong?

I am going to say that along with inskate's insightful information, several posters noticed including me that Mao was sweating heavily after her performance with fatigue and that she was sniffling a lot and wiping her nose yesterday during the short program. So, I think it might have been a combination of this and the knee injury that probably caused more jumping problems than during the Finlandia Trophy. Just like during the Finlandia Trophy, Mao began to have problems with jumps when she attempted her 2nd double axel because of the pressure on the left knee as inskate mentioned.

 

[rosewood]

I've been kind of busy and I haven't watched much or read articles a lot but I'm happy to see Mao called her luz as correct edge! The caller was strict to everyone (mostly) so I'm OK with the tech panel (in both SP and FS) to some extent. Maybe step seq got Lv3 due to rule changes since very few skaters got Lv4 at this competition. I wish Mr Sato will get a feedback from the Japanese caller (Ms Kawai). My biggest concern is her left knee. I kind of wonder if her flip and sal were affected by the knee pains to some extent (adding to axel). Happy she got Lv4 for all spins here. She reached some of the goals but left a doubt whether she can afford to run this season fully. I mean if her knee pain is very serious, I think skipping Trophee de France would be a better choice. Maybe she's considering about the ISU ranking which is related to starting order at Worlds. But if she can't execute enough triples at Nationals, she'll not be able to be sent to Worlds to begin with. Anyways I'll update info in a couple of days. I loved her FS despite the jumps in any ways. Thanks Mao for staying in this sport. <3

 

[Spun Silver]

Do we know what her knee injury is, other than "pain"? And if anything happened between Finlandia and SA to exacerbate it, other than normal practice?

I hope she will make the wisest decision about her future comps and of course I hope the injury heals soon.

 

[Miki89]

Really wish for good performances from Mao this season. Her long program is probably my favorite from her ever. Also, I'm really sad to see the number of negative posts on GS forum (some wishing for her to retire already.). I feel the same seeing comments on Gracie. I am not sure because I don't have access to competition sections here but it seems like fans here are not as negative toward skaters. I am always puzzled about why some people continue to watch and then complain about certain skaters' performances when it's obvious they stopped caring about this skater a while ago or maybe from the start. If I don't care for a skater, I don't spend time watching his or her performance. I know at a live event, it's hard to do that, but you can definitely do so with videos. It can prevent a lot of stress imo.

 

[arakwafan2006]

Something is definitely up. Not that Mao is super consistent but she has been really bad in competitions. Watching her just stroke around the rink, not frantic not stressed but just divine. It could be that her time is just up or she hasn't gotten her rhythm. Dave Lease interviewed her and i fell more in love. For Mao's sake, I hope that she does well.

She landed Flip/Loop in the warm up but in the competition she almost crashed into the boards and ran out of room for the Loop. She was so calm and poised in the warm up and seemed confident.

I won't speculate about her injury. I will just wish her well as i always do

 

[gotoschool]

f

 

[gotoschool]

Here are some marvelous photos of Mao's performance:

https://postimg.org/image/7ph3hssxx/

https://postimg.org/image/qvxa37r1n/

https://postimg.org/image/ab9nkjm43/

https://postimg.org/image/m8r9p20qh/

https://postimg.org/image/w3813n1vj/

https://postimg.org/image/6xdgsmrab/

https://postimg.org/image/6u211mz8b/

https://postimg.org/image/dz1c87fel/

https://postimg.org/image/kzq5mtoap/

https://postimg.org/image/d52yijebf/

https://postimg.org/image/5w6kmupjh/842ab88e/

https://postimg.org/image/ymnl3zo7h/

https://postimg.org/image/vdt3o8jnb/

https://postimg.org/image/urijhjkgz/