Oda to Miss Nationals

[Iceman]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sp2...All+Stories%29

[kwanfan1818]

What are the selection criteria for the Japanese World team this year?

[Jeschke]

with hanyu constant rising, i expected oda not making the worlds team this year, but i hoped for a competition. i doubt the japanese federation will go for a face2face challenge at 4cc.

[doctor]

with hanyu constant rising, i expected oda not making the worlds team this year, but i hoped for a competition. i doubt the japanese federation will go for a face2face challenge at 4cc.

What do you mean by "face2face challenge"?

[genevieve]

I think Jeschke means sending both Hanyu and Oda to 4CCs and letting their result there determine who goes to Worlds (assuming Takahashi wins Nats and Hanyu comes in 2nd)

ETA: Does Japan only have 2 spots for men?

[Ziggy]

Japanese Federation always decided the World team before the Four Continents, IIRC.

Hanyu better get sent to Worlds or .

At this stage Oda should either retire or represent Azerbeijan.

He would have made pretty any other National team easily but I don't really feel sorry for him. He messed up so many chances in the past and he seems to have peaked.

[HisWeirness]

Japan has three direct Mens entries to both 4CCs and Worlds.

[RockTheTassel]

I think Jeschke means sending both Hanyu and Oda to 4CCs and letting their result there determine who goes to Worlds (assuming Takahashi wins Nats and Hanyu comes in 2nd)

ETA: Does Japan only have 2 spots for men?

Japan has three, and Takahiko Kozuka is also in the mix.

[SamuraiK]

I think he's out for the season then. He has messed up so many times and JSF won't give him the benefit of doubt specially with so many great guys up and coming.

On the positive side, this may open up the 4CC team for Machida, Mura or Murakami, which will be a great opportunity.

I'm still about his fail at maths and the lost bronze at Moscow

[Vash01]

It seems difficult for Oda to make a strong come back next season, given the talent pool in mens field in Japan.

[genevieve]

Japan has three, and Takahiko Kozuka is also in the mix.

Of course he is.

[briancoogaert]

I wish him a speedy recovery, but I'm afraid we won't see him again at Worlds. I mean, Takahashi, Kozuka and Hanyu are such a strong team.

[Marco]

It is a shame that Oda's failure to think on his feet cost him 2 Worlds bronze medals (2006 and 2011), a National title (2005/6) and an Olympic berth (2006). And he also lost a season to his drink driving incident. If none of these happened, he probably could have a run against Kozuka who is also a world medalist but also not skating his best so far this season or Hanyu who is a promising up and comer but still no world medals to boot.

Alas, with what Kozuka and Hanyu accomplished these 2 seasons, and with him still not medalling at Worlds 5 years out, there really is no strategic or political reason to support Oda for the world team anymore. (and his recent programs have sucked real bad)

This is such a pity because he has always had it all (bar the head).

[Seerek]

Interesting of the possibility of 4CC spots opening up if Oda is not sent - Tatsuki Machida won Golden Spin of Zagreb last week with a 228+ combined score...(which would have been 7th best overall of the season had it been ISU recognized).

[paskatefan]

Wishing Nobu a full recovery!

[overedge]

I read the thread title as "Ode to Miss Nationals", and thought that someone had written a poem about when winners of skting competitions used to get sashes like beauty pageant winners

[Wyliefan]

I read the thread title as "Ode to Miss Nationals", and thought that someone had written a poem about when winners of skting competitions used to get sashes like beauty pageant winners

I thought it meant that Oda was going to judge a beauty pageant. We must not be awake yet.

[ltnskater]

Japanese Federation always decided the World team before the Four Continents, IIRC.

Hanyu better get sent to Worlds or .

At this stage Oda should either retire or represent Azerbeijan.

He would have made pretty any other National team easily but I don't really feel sorry for him. He messed up so many chances in the past and he seems to have peaked.

Hmmm, I recall back in 2005, the Japanese Federation used 4CC to determine who out of Fumie Suguri and Yoshie Onda would go to worlds (Miki Ando and Shizuka Arakawa had already made the world team), but looking back, Fumie was a 2 time world medallist in 02 and 03, and both Fumie and Yoshie competed at nationals.

Yes, I'm pretty sure they will send Hanyu to worlds, you don't have to worry, along with Takahashi, Kozuka will probably make it as well being the world silver medallist, but I seriously doubt they will announce their world team after 4CC giving Oda the opportunity, as he's not even skating at nationals. (And if he was, I think the decision would still be made at nationals, unless something bizarre like Oda coming in 3rd, Takahashi in 4th).

[Ziggy]

Japan has three direct Mens entries to both 4CCs and Worlds.

Takahashi, Hanyu, Kozuka.

It's what I want from Santa for Christmas.

Plus Machida for the Four Continents team.

I'd prefer to see Murakami over Oda too. He's boring but he's been improving massively.

Oda is obviously a huge huge talent but in addition to what Marco has listed, another thing that has massively held him back IMO was that he never found his own style.

The best programs he's even hard IMO, are the ones he won Junior Worlds with. And that was many seasons ago.

His choreography has been consistently dissapointing and his performance ability consistently lacking.

He's had many years to develop it but failed.

It's just so frustrating. His jumps are beautiful when they're on (soft, nicely extended landings), the basics are there. It just never came together.

[Ares]

Hmmm, I recall back in 2005, the Japanese Federation used 4CC to determine who out of Fumie Suguri and Yoshie Onda would go to worlds (Miki Ando and Shizuka Arakawa had already made the world team), but looking back, Fumie was a 2 time world medallist in 02 and 03, and both Fumie and Yoshie competed at nationals.

That was a unique circumstance because Mao won the silver at Nationals that year but was not eligible for Worlds. If Mao had been old enough, both Suguri and Onda would have stayed home. No skate off necessary.

In addition the JSF was put in an awkward position because they were using the GP series as part of the selection process for Worlds that season, and Onda qualified for the GPF. At Nationals Fumie finished 3rd, where Onda finished way down in 7th. After the Japanese Nationals both could make a legitimate claim for Mao's spot, so a skate off at 4CC was necessary.