Fumie Suguri failed to qualify for Japanese Nationals again

[ioana]

I think this article from early 2011 on icenetwork is what a lot of people are talking about

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

icenetwork: Could you tell us about your plans for the future?
Suguri: First of all, I really want to go to worlds next year (she is the second alternate this year) and of course also to the next Olympics. My coach is Russian and I really respect Russian culture and history. I wish [that] I can go to Sochi.

ETA: google translate seems to say she wasn't all that sure about Sochi after Sectionals. If any Japanese speaker could help with a more accurate translation, that would be much appreciated.

Said "The goal of on is not that the slip the program itself can be satisfied.'s Finish is to skate" in December is scheduled to participate in the meeting qualifying national polity, very "for Olympics Sochi 2014 I was eager, "I want to come out but I think.
１２月には国体予選会に出場する予定で「自分自身が満足できるプログラムを滑るということをしていない。や り遂げるのがスケートをする上での目標」と語り、２０１４年ソチ五輪については「大変だと思うが出たい」と 意欲を見せた。

[gkelly]

One extreme:
Suguri honestly believes that she is skating as well as ever, or close enough that as soon as she puts in a little more training time or gets over a current minor injury she'll be back to her peak standard, and that qualifying for another Olympics is an achievable and reasonable goal for her to be working toward, to the exclusion of other professional goals. She is not focused on earning money to support herself as an independent adult, let alone support her training, and therefore needs to take money from her family or solicit handouts from fans, etc.

If all that is true, I would agree she is deluded and wasting her own time and other people's money, but since I don't need to watch or give her money it doesn't hurt me in any way.

Other extreme:
Suguri is completely realistic about her current standard of skating. She loves to go to the rink to train and is able to support herself and her training through on-ice performances (and off-ice appearances with fans who want to honor her earlier accomplishments) and/or coaching skating. She also likes the goal-oriented aspects of preparing for and entering competitions. Since she is still able to perform at an average, non-elite senior level, the most appropriate competitions for her to enter within Japan are senior-level regional competitions. She knows that if she should skate as well as she used to, she could qualify for national and international events, she'd be happy to compete at that level again if she should qualify, and she will say so if asked, e.g. by fans or reporters. But she doesn't expect to qualify and doesn't consider her regionals participation to be a waste if she doesn't qualify; she enters these competitions solely because she enjoys competing and enjoys preparing for competitions as a source of personal satisfaction alongside her professional commitments.

I don't know which of these two interpretations is closer to the truth. Most likely it's somewhere in between. Either way, as an outside observer, I just find it interesting that she's still going and holding her own at a regional level with skaters half her age.

[Jeschke]

ETA: No idea about the Olympic criteria, but for the past few years most spots were determined based on Nationals, and only one (if any) based on things like highest finisher at the GPF, or whatever might be the case. It looks like they learned their lesson from 2006.

lesson? it's the kovtun-menshov story, but obviously more comprehensible.
ando, as a world junior gold medalist, 2x top6 finisher in worlds leading to torino and in gpf of 2005/2006 was chosen instead of onda (and nakano). onda never achieved that big results internationally, nakano was just seen at 4cc. it ws no scandal chosing ando but it went wrong and she had to learn of that.

i'm not sure japanese fed had learned: ando is (imho) the only real japanese thread along with asada for a (gold)medal in sochi. murakami no way, suzuki only if everything will work for her, superb program by her, mistakes by others.
japanese will chosen their olympic members out of those 4 (if ando will appear and i will pray until the second the ladies competition will start in sochi). ando has a reputation and the fed will do what they can to get her to sochi (if she is willing to).

back to suguri: for all the skeptics: she opened her exhibition in oberstdorf with a clean 3toe and landed a gorgeous 2axel later. so she can still land a triple
german presenter talks about a circle for her in oberstdorf as she had her first international experience there 15years ago at nebelhorn trophy. she will go on for one year and then her career shall be over.

btw: joubert gave a taste of his gladiator-program, hot costume, sexy guy

[ioana]

lesson? it's the kovtun-menshov story, but obviously more comprehensible.
ando, as a world junior gold medalist, 2x top6 finisher in worlds leading to torino and in gpf of 2005/2006 was chosen instead of onda (and nakano). onda never achieved that big results internationally, nakano was just seen at 4cc. it ws no scandal chosing ando but it went wrong and she had to learn of that.

The JSF chose to name their Olympic team based on a point system that year that took into account results from past seasons as well. Ando was already starting to struggle before the Olympics and Nationals, with a 4th place finish at NHK (behind Nakano who was on a tear that year and won, Fumie and Liashenko). Then she went to the GPF final where she finished behind Nakano yet again and in 4th place. She was 6th at Nationals and looked completely out of sorts. There was a lot of talk about Miki being sent because she was featured in several ads and was already considered a lock for the Olympic team the season before. Based on any criteria in 2006, Nakano had outperformed Ando. But JSF based their Olympic team on results from past seasons as well. They stopped doing this after Turin, which was what I meant by learning their lesson. It's fairly obvious a lot can change from one year to the next and prior form is no guarantee of future results.

What the Russian federation did with Kovtun and Menshov is somewhat different since they already said the 3rd skater will be named at their discretion. JSF had some convoluted point system in place, using results from 2004-2005 as well as the Olympic season, which is why Nakano never stood a chance, even though she was in much better shape and getting better results in 2006.

Fumie's gala program should be up shortly, with both a 3toe and 2axel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqA9...ature=youtu.be

[Jeschke]

thanks for that, didn't know that there was such a points ranking system.
i will be excited to see, what the japanese fed does in the upcoming season if ando may comeback or if any of the youngsters or imai or nishino or S U G U R I will outskate one of the actual top3. let's wait. i have my doubts.

[Jeschke]

german commentator (during oberstdorf gala)very harsh: no way she is competetive in japan
poor fumie

[Sylvia]

But it's true right now, so not "harsh," right? gkelly can always be counted on to be "the voice of reason."

Thanks for the 2011 article/interview link, ioana. Suguri finished 7th at that Nationals and so what she said then wasn't as unrealistic-sounding as it would be now.

[falling_dance]

Thanks for the 2011 article/interview link, ioana. Suguri finished 7th at that Nationals and so what she said then wasn't as unrealistic-sounding as it would be now.

She also made the final flight after a clean short program.

[ioana]

She also made the final flight after a clean short program.

You're right; she was 5th after the short. Honestly, after seeing the gala program, I don't think getting back to Nationals is an unreasonable goal for next season. How well could she do is a whole different story, but making it to Nationals is doable provided she stays injury free.

[kwanfan1818]

7th at Japanese Nationals is about as competitive as 7th at US Nationals when Kwan/Cohen or Weir/Lysacek were dominating, especially for a skater with Suguri's resume, but it's not entirely delusional, even if it depended on misfortunes of others.

IIRC, the controversy over Ando and the allegations that it was sponsorship that got her on the 2006 team was that she was held up at Nationals so that she'd have the number of points necessary to earn a spot based on the formula.

[ioana]

IIRC, the controversy over Ando and the allegations that it was sponsorship that got her on the 2006 team was that she was held up at Nationals so that she'd have the number of points necessary to earn a spot based on the formula.

She was a good 17 pts ahead of Aki Sawada who was 7th that year. I could be wrong, but I remember there was some discussion about changing the entire point system for the 2006 Olympic team, but then they realized that could mean leaving Miki behind (and pissing off big-time sponsors like Toyota in the process), and went ahead with the old system. This was a while back, so you could be right, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%E2..._Championships

[kwanfan1818]

Then I didn't recall it correctly . 17 points is pretty definitive.

[Katarzyna]

I think Katarzyna's comparison was more about pointing out Witt knew she no longer was a medal contender, but she still came back and competed even when she knew her results wouldn't measure up to her gold medals in the 80's.

Actually that was my point that some skaters might keep on competing / return to eligible competition just for loving it and not so much for success as they'd be aware that they might not reach their previous level. And still a lot of people will be happily watch their skating!

Fumie's gala program should be up shortly, with both a 3toe and 2axel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqA9...ature=youtu.be

Thank you for the Link!

After all the nasty remarks I red here, I’m pleasantly surprized, as I expected it to be a quite horrific skate with only single jumps.
But shockingly nice skate with great energy from Fumie and fun to see her skating two completely different styles!

[CantALoop]

well..

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/atmoney/new...OYT1T00722.htm
some Fumie related news.

Daimaru Department Store will sell 25 lucky grab bag "photo session with Fuimie"
( I wonder if this is including skating lesson) for 10000 yen( Over $100)

Do you buy one?

I'd rather spend my 10,000 yen on this.

[Iceman]

Fumie did get her college degree, and I read recently that she works for a management company, which makes it possible for her to practice only in the evenings.

[blue_idealist]

Fumie did get her college degree, and I read recently that she works for a management company, which makes it possible for her to practice only in the evenings.

Oh.. really? At least she's not bankrupting the parents anymore. For some reason this makes her seem way less delusional.. and less practice actually explains subpar results.

[Vagabond]

Someone who holds a degree from one of Japan's top universities, works full-time, and nearly qualified for Japanese Nationals at the age of 31 deserves , not

Happy 32nd Birthday, Fumie Suguri. I hope you next season.

[PeterG]

Oh.. really? At least she's not bankrupting the parents anymore. For some reason this makes her seem way less delusional.. and less practice actually explains subpar results.

So does that mean we can no longer spread the "bankrupting the parents" lie over and over and over and over again?

[falling_dance]

So does that mean we can no longer spread the "bankrupting the parents" lie over and over and over and over again?

It's not a lie if you're angry enough when you say it.

[rayhaneh]

So does that mean we can no longer spread the "bankrupting the parents" lie over and over and over and over again?

Noooooooooo! Don't say that! I wanted to continue the party - I even bought whole new 8 inches steel-plated stilletoes just for the occasion

I hope I can get a refund? *hopefull*