Wakaba Higuchi Fan Thread (vol. 1)

Rosewood, any thoughts on what happened to Wakaba in the FS in Austria? Maybe you saw an interview?
 
Spun Silver said:
Rosewood, any thoughts on what happened to Wakaba in the FS in Austria? Maybe you saw an interview?
Click to expand...
No info so far. I don't think Japanese media crew are in Austria. It's not even sure why Wakaba withdrew from Asian Trophy. My thoughts prior to Austria are in #26 & #28 earlier on this thread.
 
I agree with you, rosewood. I was disappointed on the lack of progress in the spins/choreography. Her programs are very disappointing to me :(
I also wish she'd do the 3 jump combo on a jump other than the 3F. She's going to get at least ! if not e, so she loses a lot of points on GOE.
 
Let's discuss Wakaba. (icymi, her Linz programs are the top of the list on this site: http://www.rinkresults.com/skater?skater_id=3386)

I was really unhappy at what I saw from her re PCS. I'll be blunt, I don't feel like she's progressed at all since last season in this regard. What was more perplexing is that it seems like she (her coach?) is loading up technically when that's really not Wakaba's main concern (flip aside - which doesn't seem completely corrected). Wakaba is very skilled technically - not just in 'jumps landed' but in her general technique.

Maybe some of our Japanese friends can weigh in - last season, Wakaba's technical was amazing and her PCS was weak relative to PCS but was nevertheless superior for a skater in her first year of junior. Going into junior season 2, her flip is still 'not the best', her artistic aspect is, unfortunately, similar to jr yr 1, and she's loading up on tech?
 
I think those junior level PCS are fine. She didn't skate so well at her first event and even messed up spins. Once she gets her sharpness and confidence back, those PCS should rise.

Frankly I am not a fan of her free skate but don't think her PCS is a burden. It is unfortunate that, by comparison, a couple of other junior girls from Japan, like Mihara, are skating so beautifully and also have comparable jump difficulty (not quality though).

I think adding in difficulty isn't a bad idea, I just hope the 3lutz3loop does not backfire because it is rarely credited in full and its over-practice can lead to injuries. I agree that fixing the flip edge is important.
 
I actually thought Wakaba did improve in the PCS area. At least that's what the pre-spin-fail SP looked like to me. She was so much faster and smoother than any other girl (even Maria or Mai), and I thought there was a little more audience connection there than last season. And then came the spin, and she looked lost. And the LP was a bit of a snooze since she was so focused on the jumps - but what else could she have done? She was so focused on getting these points to climb up the ranking, I wouldn't have expected her to put the performance aspect first. When she has her issues figured out I think her programs will be pretty nice, especially the SP :)

The only thing that's really an issue is her flip. Her spins aren't the best, sure, but I don't recall so many of our latest world champs to be known as great spinners (Mao being the only one, with Yuan having 'okay-ish' spins, and well, then there's Liza and Miki).
 
WanderlustTO said:
I was really unhappy at what I saw from her re PCS. I'll be blunt, I don't feel like she's progressed at all since last season in this regard. (...)
Click to expand...

Isn't it a bit unfair to judge her team's approach towards PCS basing on once competition? Looking at the programs she debuted this season, I'd say her team did a fairly good job having her try out different types of music and different styles. In my opinion, she showed improvement in her programs as far as transitions, attention to the music and projecting towards the audience are concerned. (Her 3F also looked pretty good in the shows and at JW).

"Somewhere Only We Know" EX - www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2qEV_L59HI
"Mambo" SP (DOI 2015) - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2uusfu_樋口新葉-2015-2016-新sp-doi-2015_sport
"Zorro" FS, show version (at PIW 2015) - www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qgb84_piw2015-wakaba-higuti_sport
"You Can't Stop the Beat" EX (Fantasy on Ice 2015) - www.dailymotion.com/video/x2s1v36_faoi2015-wakaba-higuti_sport

One program that didn't work very well (IMHO) is the Mambo SP - its construction (all 3 jumps at the end of the program) forces Wakaba to conserve stamina in the first half and as a result it doesn't look very... mambo. I wish she'd turn her Somewhere Only We Know EX into a SP, it suited her very much (and she only skated it 3 times). That aside, she seemed ready for the new season.

(...) and she's loading up on tech?
Click to expand...

The most likely reason Wakaba started to "load up on tech" was because she could handle it at the time. She seemed very fit until the withdrawal from AT, and even with whathever woes bothered her at the JGP, she still managed to land clean 3Lz-3L and 3Lz-3T in the second half. I think her problems lie mostly in a) lack of stamina/insufficient preparation due to whatever made her withdraw from AT, and b) mental issues. It isn't uncommon for young skaters with perfectionism issues to skate poorly because they are pissed at themselves for messing up something (see Mao's SP at Worlds 2007). She needs to learn to take minor errors in stride, nd perhaps it's for the best she fell apart here and not at Nationals/Worlds.
 
inskate said:
The most likely reason Wakaba started to "load up on tech" was because she could handle it at the time. She seemed very fit until the withdrawal from AT, and even with whathever woes bothered her at the JGP, she still managed to land clean 3Lz-3L and 3Lz-3T in the second half. I think her problems lie mostly in a) lack of stamina/insufficient preparation due to whatever made her withdraw from AT, and b) mental issues. It isn't uncommon for young skaters with perfectionism issues to skate poorly because they are pissed at themselves for messing up something (see Mao's SP at Worlds 2007). She needs to learn to take minor errors in stride, nd perhaps it's for the best she fell apart here and not at Nationals/Worlds.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. It's just bazaar that most of the discussion after Wakaba's not so good performances from JGP Linz was made, based on her possible injury, while there hasn't been any proof showing that she's actually injured. Instead she was able to execute the most difficult jumps in her FS. I'm also leaning towards the lack of concentration in SP (obviously), or it's her mentality influencing her performance, or else possibly she's been growing?

It's fair to say that let's see how it goes with the 2nd JGP for her to make any judgement. But I have a sense that Wakaba is a headstrong competitor. She's definitely very conscious about winning and losing. And it's interesting whenever I see her interacting with her coach at K&C, I always wonder how long her current coach can hold onto her and will her coach be able to make her seeing everything (not just jumps) in skating and to become a full-fledged, all around skater...
 
The Japanese Junior National is underway. And SP are just finished
Wakaba is in lead of ladies', with a clean program and a score of 66.83.
It is reported before the competition that Wakaba was actually suffering from lower back pain during the summer. But now it's cured. She had some minor adjustments to her SP, but it looks like she's still putting all her jumping passes during the 2nd half of the SP. And from twitter the on site viewer was praising her edge work during Stsq.
Good luck to the FS tomorrow!

NB: Actually, in another report from Junior Nationals says that, Wakaba was diagnosed with stress fracture during late summer, which explains her performances during the 2 JGP outings....
 
Last edited:
Great choice of choreographers. Not sure about the queen/princess part. I wonder which queen/princess? Turandot? Could work. Aurora? Please, no.
 
^hahaha Same thoughts. Not sure about the calm music part, either. A sassy short program by Bourne to an up-beat music could've been perfect for Wakaba next season. But I withhold judging till I watch videos. Wish Wakaba will appeal her presence in the senior field next season. All the good luck to Wakaba!
 
rosewood said:
^hahaha Same thoughts. Not sure about the calm music part, either. A sassy short program by Bourne to an up-beat music could've been perfect for Wakaba next season.
Click to expand...
Yes. I was in the minority who adored her Mambo Fantasy this year so I'm not really getting the switch to slow and princessy. But i trust Shae-Lynn to bring out something great in her, and Scali to help her dance even better.
 
rosewood said:
Wakaba is skating in Prince Ice World. It is the show where fans can talk a bit with skaters at the rink. This is a hearsay but her SP is by Bourne and LP is by Scali. Her SP's music is calm, and she's a princess or a queen in her new LP. Hmmmmmm.....
Click to expand...
sounds great. I just love her...and she's 'musical' enough to show well choreographically. I know i was very grumpy with her earlier this season on what, i personally, perceived as 'not the best' improvement in her performance quality from 14/15 to 15/16...but by the end of the season she was looking pretty good.

i predict next year will be GREAT!

lol. not gonna lie. i will cheer for her whatever.
 
 
rosewood said:
@WanderlustTO, come and watch these photos! They are photos of her new EX "Byakuyako" (same as Machida's EX) from Fantasy on Ice which took place this past weekend.
http://www.newscom.com/nc/displayOpenDetail.action?searchString=aflosports464083&search1String=wakaba higuchi fantasy 2016
http://www.newscom.com/nc/displayOpenDetail.action?searchString=aflosports464063
http://www.newscom.com/nc/displayOpenDetail.action?searchString=aflosports464062
http://www.newscom.com/nc/displayOpenDetail.action?searchString=aflosports463962&search1String=wakaba higuchi fantasy 2016
http://www.newscom.com/nc/displayOpenDetail.action?searchString=aflosports463958

I haven't watched this program yet, but got a vibe of her transformation into an actress on ice.:cheer: :watch:

I'm expecting this will be aired before long.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for these! She looks beautiful!

It's hard to tell just from the photos but she looks a bit taller and leaner even since world juniors.

I can't wait to see her programs for next year. She will be skating in senior?
 
WanderlustTO said:
Thanks so much for these! She looks beautiful!

It's hard to tell just from the photos but she looks a bit taller and leaner even since world juniors.

I can't wait to see her programs for next year. She will be skating in senior?
Click to expand...
Yes, she'll skate in senior field. She's guaranteed one spot for Sr GP circuit so far. I think she'll be given one more spot sooner or later considering her season best ranking .
 
Bumping up to cross-post this pre-NHK Trophy article in this thread & in Japanese news thread in GSD:

Higuchi makes big impact in first year as senior
Posted 11/25/16 by Wei Xiong, special to icenetwork
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2016/11/25/209611662
Excerpt:
The skater who is being called the "next Midori Ito" thanks to her powerful jumps (she practices the triple axel every day, and she is also working on a quad salchow) sees her biggest challenge as her program components, something a newcomer to the senior level always needs to fight for.
"If you look at the top senior skaters, all of them are doing difficult jumps -- some are trying two triple-triples -- but they don't get high scores because of the jumps only," Higuchi acknowledged. "Although I want to be consistent on my jumps and try more difficult jumps, there are so many things to be done -- I don't want to just focus on jumps but want to work hard on my basics, on my components, and improve the second mark."
Click to expand...
Wakaba Higuchi finished 4th at NHK Trophy and ended up just behind the 3 GPF alternates due to the tiebreak rules.

Here are her 2016 TdF performances:

SP (65.02): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydlOWT8UAEQ
FS (129.46, ISU PB): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVhbeGaruEQ
 
Last edited:
Time to revive this thread! :)

Wakaba was not named to Japan's Olympic team after finishing 3rd 4th at Nationals back in December but she was assigned to Worlds and just had a successful tune up in The Hague by winning Challenge Cup:

GOLD - Wakaba HIGUCHI JPN 203.94 1 1 SP Video (69.25) | FS Video (134.69)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Sylvia
Lorraine Hanlon Comanor: "I Was Supposed to Be on the 1961 Flight That Crashed, Killing the U.S. Skating Team"
Replies
1
Views
1K
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Frau Muller
Isabeau Levito Fan Thread!
2 3 4
Replies
106
Views
26K
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
T
24 Japan Nationals Women SP PBP
2 3
Replies
89
Views
3K
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
Sylvia
Davis/Smolkin and their transfer to Ice Academy of Montreal
2
Replies
32
Views
10K
fan
fan
T
Missing women at the Olympics since 1984
Replies
23
Views
7K
Seerek
S
Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information