Japanese skater/skating news & updates

[Pierre]

If you consider his age and how little he trains compared to many top skaters, it truly is impressive how technically strong he is. Amazingly talented.

Regarding his future, I, too, worry about body changes (and his asthma), but my gut (OK, my hope) is that his impressive abilities will survive mostly intact. As for how he will handle presentation and artistic growth, I am rather confident that he'll be able to handle the artistic side of this level of skating quite well, because I think that's the kind of person he naturally is. Of course, this season will tell us much more about what the future holds for him.

[BittyBug]

ETA: Has anyone ever attempted this before?

Abbott uses that entry fairly regularly, I believe. Can't think of anyone else though.

[poths]

Yuzuru doing 4T-3A


I can't wait to see him at Nebelhorn. I hope we'll get videos.

Goodbye Oda. Could have been a multiple world medalist had you a hint of intelligence. Now he'll be off the team and retire a could have been. Wow, Im pretty gloomy

[Vagabond]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d4nM...tailpage#t=30s

Lutz entry, counter turn into triple axel and it looks soooo easy. Gaspworthy!!

ETA: Has anyone ever attempted this before?

Matthew Savoie may have done it. I remember seeing a video in which he used that entrance on either a double or triple axel, but I am not sure which.

Midori Ito used to use it for her entrance for double axels in her short program back in the late 1980's, but I am sure I have never seen a video of her trying it on a triple axel.

[allezfred]

Goodbye Oda. Could have been a multiple world medalist had you a hint of intelligence.

Something like this might have helped.

[LilJen]

Hanyu's 4t-3x is amazing but I was almost more amazed by this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d4nM...tailpage#t=30s

Lutz entry, counter turn into triple axel and it looks soooo easy. Gaspworthy!!

ETA: Has anyone ever attempted this before?

Yep, Matt Savoie did a back counter (rocker?) into a 3A once. Can't remember what program, but then he was the King of Difficult Entries.
Jeremy Abbott regularly does a swing choctaw into a back 3, forward 3, triple axel. Sometimes into the lutz.

[smarts1]

Me too. She seems like someone to watch for 2014. She has soft knees on the landings of her jumps. At times she seemed slightly tilted in the air, but was still able to land the jumps. Looks like a diamond in the rough.

I have not yet watched Courtney's skate, so I can't comment on who should have won.

As much as I like Risa's skating, Risa won't make it that far. Her flip and lutz technique are pretty horrendous and she already has underrotation issues at this stage in the game. At least she can stand up on her jumps...

[robinhood]

As much as I like Risa's skating, Risa won't make it that far. Her flip and lutz technique are pretty horrendous and she already has underrotation issues at this stage in the game. At least she can stand up on her jumps...

that's a statement... however, you're wrong. everyone, even the ones in the top, have underrotation issues. Risa's basics seem solid enough, and she seems one of these skaters that will mature and develop slowly but steadily.
I'd worry about other juniors being a flash in the pan before her

[bartek]

Matthew Savoie may have done it. I remember seeing a video in which he used that entrance on either a double or triple axel, but I am not sure which.

Midori Ito used to use it for her entrance for double axels in her short program back in the late 1980's, but I am sure I have never seen a video of her trying it on a triple axel.

Irina Slutskaya did it in her short programs (seasons 2004-2005 and 2005-2006) for a difficult/creative entrance bullet for higher GOE. What I liked about her double axel from those shorts is that she also had difficult exit - nice spiral coming out of it. The bad thing was that her usual big height sufferd from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUGoN...tailpage#t=92s

[gingercrush]

What can people tell me about Satoko Miyahara. Just saw her SP was lovely. She seems to be a good jumper. Spins aren't there yet and she didn't seem to have any breathing space in her program at all. But really nice.

[Sylvia]

What can people tell me about Satoko Miyahara.

Miyahara has placed 4th at the last 2 Junior Nationals, one of her coaches is Mie Hamada (former coach of Yukina Ota), and she became age-eligible for the JGP this season when she turned 13 in March - link to her ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00012461.htm

[mysticchic]

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news good story about Takahashi and Tran!

[MikiAndoFan#1]

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news good story about Takahashi and Tran!

Thank you so much!

[NMURA]

Official announcements (September 21)

Florent Amodio and Alena Leonova are invited to Japan Open.

Upcoming JGP assignments
AUT - Keiji Tanaka, Sei Kawahara, Kako Tomotaki, Miu Sato
ITA - Yoji Tsuboi, Satoko Miyahara
EST - Ryuichi Kihara, Risa Shoji

Probably Kihara was moved to EST by the coache's request.

[kwanatic]

Review of JGP Baltic Cup

http://thenakedice.blogspot.com/2011...es-review.html

I really like Satoko Miyahara too. You can tell she's going to be really good when she gets older b/c she's already so expressive! I love to see that in younger skaters.

[Ziggy]

Review of JGP Baltic Cup

http://thenakedice.blogspot.com/2011...es-review.html

I really like Satoko Miyahara too. You can tell she's going to be really good when she gets older b/c she's already so expressive! I love to see that in younger skaters.

The attempts at bitchiness fell really flat.

And Miyahara's pre-juvenile "expression" was .

I was so pissed off that she placed above Cesario. Yes, Samantha had a horrible flutz but her overall level of skating was out of a different league.

Cesario had much better spins and presented her programs way better. And her jumps were huge.

[NMURA]

Looks like some Americans are really shocked to see "mature" Cecario was beaten by "juvenile" Miyahara. I must say the gap between them is even bigger than the "flutz". Miyahara could increase 4-5 points in TES with no risk by including two 2A-3Ts (like Lipnitskaya). why does she attempt the 3Lz-3T, anyway? It's not so "rational" to practice different (difficult) combinations for SP and FS. Sotnikova did different 3-3s in last season but we all know the reason. I think some judges have appreciated her (seemingly irrational) technical ambitions, which could be translated into high expectations for future. I've heard Miyahara's idol is Mao Asada. Once you could master the 3Lz-3T, the next step would be obvious. Frankly, I think she's more like little Midori Ito.

BTW Miyahara has gained more points in spins than Cesario.

[Lara]

You do realize Ziggy is far, far from American?

[kwanatic]

The attempts at bitchiness fell really flat.

And Miyahara's pre-juvenile "expression" was .

I was so pissed off that she placed above Cesario. Yes, Samantha had a horrible flutz but her overall level of skating was out of a different league.

Cesario had much better spins and presented her programs way better. And her jumps were huge.

Well if we learned anything from JGP Brisbane, we know that the judges have no problem focusing in on one aspect of a program rather than looking at the program as a whole. That was my issue with Courtney Hicks versus Risa Shoji. Shoji had the better overall performance but Hicks won...

I'll give credit where credit is due to Miyahara for at least attempting to bring something else to her skating. No her presentation isn't as polished as Cesario, but it's nice to see a 13 (or is she 14?) year old doing more (or trying to do more) than just skate and jump.

[Hedwig]

I sooo wish I could see Miyahara's SP on youtube but it is geoblocked in Germany. Is there any other site where it is uploaded to?