"No one knows Mirai's mirai" Nagasu cheer thread

[Spun Silver]

I still tend to think she should "just" go with the 2A (at least for the SP) at Nationals. The pressure will already be immense on most of the top ladies to position them well heading into the LP and I wonder if the 3A will not just add additional pressure...
But you never know with Mirai, perhaps the 3A adds to fuel her focus and energy!

I’m not a skater so tell me if I’m wrong, but given that she’s been doing the 3A in both programs since the summer, wouldnt it mess with her timing to change it now?

I dont want her to anyway as I have faith that she will land a great one eventually and I want to see it!!

 

[Coco]

I think the team competition lineup will impact who goes to 4CCs, which end on 1/28. It's almost a month before the ladies competition, but only 13 days (?) before the team competition.

 

[bardtoob]

I think the team competition lineup will impact who goes to 4CCs, which end on 1/28. It's almost a month before the ladies competition, but only 13 days (?) before the team competition.

Keep in mind that the 4CC is in a similar time zone as the Olympics, so it may be beneficial in some ways to go.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Keep in mind that the 4CC is in a similar time zone as the Olympics, so it may be beneficial in some ways to go.

Not in less you are going to stay there. How far apart are the events.

 

[Coco]

In the past, the skaters have rented ice time near the location of the Games for a training camp, near being relative. Four years ago, they were in Austria. In 2010, they were about an hour outside of Vancouver.

This year, I imagine they'll be in Japan.

 

[Sylvia]

Mirai and Jason were interviewed by Akiko Suzuki and a male host after the NHK Trophy competition/before the exhibition (fun to watch even if you don't understand Japanese ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRAP6xyIQE

 

[honey]

After watching the gala at NHK,I want Mirai to make that Body Language program into an SP. It’s fresh and different and so, so unexpected from her. LOVE IT. It would make her stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure what her plans are after this season, but if she sticks around, please bring this to the competition arena, Mirai!

 

[Spun Silver]

After watching the gala at NHK,I want Mirai to make that Body Language program into an SP. It’s fresh and different and so, so unexpected from her. LOVE IT. It would make her stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure what her plans are after this season, but if she sticks around, please bring this to the competition arena, Mirai!

That’s a great idea. It is a breakthrough program for her IMO. But of course, under the white light of competition it could turn into a mechanical routine.

 

[Sylvia]

Mirai and Jason were interviewed by Akiko Suzuki and a male host after the NHK Trophy competition/before the exhibition (fun to watch even if you don't understand Japanese ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRAP6xyIQE

Tom Zakrajsek watched this interview from the Narita airport and wrote about Mirai on his FB: https://www.facebook.com/CoachTomZ/videos/vb.424453407653386/1383540031744714/?type=3&theater

 

[Spun Silver]

After watching the gala at NHK,I want Mirai to make that Body Language program into an SP. It’s fresh and different and so, so unexpected from her. LOVE IT. It would make her stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure what her plans are after this season, but if she sticks around, please bring this to the competition arena, Mirai!

On further thought: it would be great if she could do that NOW since as you say it’s fresh and fits her so well, and it would let her escape the comparison with Med’s SP to the same music. I wonder if the same jump layout would fit the music. I doubt they are thinking about a last minute program switch but it ‘s an attractive idea.

 

[olympic]

I did one for Ashley, now here is my fantasy jump LP layout for Mirai

3A
3F-3T
3S
—-
2A-1L-3F
3Z
3L
3L-2T

 

[olympic]

I did one for Ashley, now here is my fantasy jump LP layout for Mirai

3A
3F-3T
3S
—-
2A-1L-3F
3Z
3L
3L-2T

ETA - 2A-3T-2T = 9.79 v. 2A-1L-3F =10.01. Did I do that right?

 

[giselle23]

After watching the gala at NHK,I want Mirai to make that Body Language program into an SP. It’s fresh and different and so, so unexpected from her. LOVE IT. It would make her stand out from the crowd. I’m not sure what her plans are after this season, but if she sticks around, please bring this to the competition arena, Mirai!

It's too late to change her program now. And that program was strictly exhibition, in my opinion.

 

[honey]

It's too late to change her program now. And that program was strictly exhibition, in my opinion.

I am clearly talking about for next year? Of course it’s too late to change the program for this season.

 

[worldsnice12]

Generally speaking it seems as people are quite harsh on Mirai (myself included..) and mostly focusing on what she has to improve. Now, I start to think it is a bit a shame instead of acknowledge the fact that she has scored pretty well in her LP's and finally got an ok SP under her belt. I mean, 129 points in the LP on the GP circuit is pretty good and I believe only Bradie has scored higher in a Challenger competition so far?
Of course, there are rooms for improvements but overall, we should be rather happy scoring wise as I cannot recall she has ever scored as high before the second half of the season and hopefully, there are more to come

 

[giselle23]

It's too late to change her program now. And that program was strictly exhibition, in my opinion.

Sorry--someone else wanted her to change it now. The posts sometimes blend together.

 

[baramin]

Now, I start to think it is a bit a shame instead of acknowledge the fact that she has scored pretty well in her LP's and finally got an ok SP under her belt. I mean, 129 points in the LP on the GP circuit is pretty good

This. I know she was 9th in Russia, but 122 in the free skate—I think that was her best GP LP score until NHK. If you look at her trajectory from Autumn Classic to Russia to NHK, she’s improving. I wish she were able to get one more shot at practicing competing with the 3 axel before nationals. Sometimes it seems like she needs to relearn how to compete every year, but she’s putting the effort in & I’m really excited about all she’s been able to do with her career over the past 4 years. Here’s hoping she skates her best in January!

 

[Jarrett]

https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/929772548656545792

Mirai's Spotify Playlist from US Figure Skating twitter account. That photo is so cute!

 

[Areski]

I like Mirai and I was happy with her good LP at NHK and to witness her being content. But at the same time I was upset that she did not seem to discern that they essentially robbed her of better score & placement that imo she deserved. There were ''One more to go'' words from her, we know that her focus is on making the Olympic Games but I think that the here and now escaped her perception. The thing is that she was unaware yet of how they were able to overscore Medvedeva (and what's more important in her context - Kostner). Sure maybe even more realistic scores would not be enough for the podium but still it felt bittersweet.

I want her to relax little bit too, I think it would help her 3A, kudos for going for that but those attempts so far are not close to quality that she can show in training. I feel that she gets tight on the entry still and is telegraphing it more. Even if she lands it she sometimes does not get any actual reward for that when she receives < call and lands on two feet, it's worth as much as 2A in this scenario. I was surprised that it was the carrot in LP, to me rotation on her toeloop on 3F-3T looked more doubtful in real time. That having said there are many positive indications from Mirai so far.

 

[GullyGirl84]

Eh, this was a tough field. Two women who were definitely on track to make the final, and one (Polina) who has a good chance of making the final (plus former GPF and world medalist Satoko, even though she is coming back from injury). It may have been closer if she had rotated the lutz and combo in the short, and Mirai didn't skate perfectly in the long either. While I'm still not convinced of the merit of using the triple axel in the sp, the worst scenario for Mirai would be for her to be falling on the axel/getting downgrades rather than just an under in the lp, and to let it affect the landing and rotation of her other jumps. She seems to be holding up after the mental game of not landing the axel perfectly in the LP very well so far...

I also think that Mirai is so used to technical panels dinging her jumps at this point that maybe it's hard for her to tell sometimes if the closer ones will be given credit, and doesn't want to raise her expectations too much (aka, like at NHK last year, I think that I caught her saying "I wonder why.." at her score). Better that she keeps expectations low and is pleasantly surprised at getting credit for her jumps, I think that she had a similar reaction (being pleasantly surprised) at her Japan Open score, as she had gotten pretty low scores the last two times she was there. I know people keep going on about Skate Canada and the strict panel there, but the people like Jackie Wong who were calling those skaters' jumps in real time were able to spot the unders (though it is frustrating how much a tech panel can control the destiny of these placements, aka, still not sure how Elena at that one grand prix got credit for her combination in the short..). The commentators for nbc, cbc, and Eurosport (though they're often so wrong about spotting people's unders anyway that I don't think they really count) noted how much cleaner Mirai's jumps looked in her LP here.

I also appreciate that she is well trained enough that she is getting better at improvising the layout of her lp when things don't go her way, instead of falling apart (aka, changing her ending LP triple loop at Rostelecom to a triple loop double toe double toe/changing to a double axel double toe double loop to avoid zayaking later in the program at NHK).

 

[bardtoob]

But at the same time I was upset that she did not seem to discern that they essentially robbed her of better score & placement that imo she deserved.

Mirai can only control her skating and her reactions to the situation.

For what it is worth, she has been robbed worse, and her response is to make herself happy by making herself better ... Rather than, you know, being driven to ... There is a movie about it coming out.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Mirai posted some more practice vids on her My Story IG. Click on her avatar: https://www.instagram.com/mirainagasu/

Of course I downloaded it for posterity! I'll upload it after the men's SP.

Once again, she nailed a 3A-2T-2T cascade combo in the vid as well as several other triple combos!

Keep working it Mirai!

 

[bardtoob]

Mirai posted some more practice vids on her My Story IG. Click on her avatar: https://www.instagram.com/mirainagasu/

Of course I downloaded it for posterity! I'll upload it after the men's SP.

Once again, she nailed a 3A-3T-2T cascade combo in the vid as well as several other triple combos!

Keep working it Mirai!

Wow . . . It looks like Tom is getting her to tack on a 3T onto anything. It is really something that he got her to do a 3S-3T. Remember, the 3S was not in her repertoire for years.

 

[olympic]

Mirai posted some more practice vids on her My Story IG. Click on her avatar: https://www.instagram.com/mirainagasu/

Of course I downloaded it for posterity! I'll upload it after the men's SP.

Once again, she nailed a 3A-3T-2T cascade combo in the vid as well as several other triple combos!

Keep working it Mirai!

I don't see the video

 

[Frida80]

Mirai posted some more practice vids on her My Story IG. Click on her avatar: https://www.instagram.com/mirainagasu/

Of course I downloaded it for posterity! I'll upload it after the men's SP.

Once again, she nailed a 3A-3T-2T cascade combo in the vid as well as several other triple combos!

Keep working it Mirai!

3A combo
3F+3T
3Lz+3T
3S+3T
2A+3T+3T

I think there was another combo I missed. But the first looked like a 3A+2T+2Lo. She’s looking strong! Ip

 

[bardtoob]

3A combo
3F+3T
3Lz+3T
3S+3T
2A+3T+3T

I think there was another combo I missed. But the first looked like a 3A+2T+2Lo. She’s looking strong! Ip

Don't forget the combo of Mirai's boyfriend + way to many DVDs at a Black Friday sale

 

[Frida80]

3A combo
3F+3T
3Lz+3T
3S+3T
2A+3T+3T

I think there was another combo I missed. But the first looked like a 3A+2T+2Lo.

Don't forget the combo of Mirai's boyfriend + way to many DVDs at a Black Friday sale

How many times have I done the same thing! With age comes wisdom, I guess!

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I don't see the video

Did you click on Mirai's avatar on Instagram? If it doesn't work, I'm going to upload the vids later on today for anyone who missed it (since the vids disappear after 24 hours).

3A combo
3F+3T
3Lz+3T
3S+3T
2A+3T+3T

I think there was another combo I missed. But the first looked like a 3A+2T+2Lo. She’s looking strong! Ip

You're right about the first one! I edited my post to make the correction!

I have not seen Mirai do a 3L-3T combo in years! And that one looked pretty good!

I wonder what she meant in that interview she did after NHK when she said 'more to come'? I wonder if she means to add a 3A combo after all? I'd love it if she did and love it even more if she tried it on the bonus! I do wish she did another competition before Nationals to try some crazy combo out!

 

[bardtoob]

Mirai is getting close to being that skater that can do the triple-triple-triple she said she couldn't do with her style of skating.

 

[GullyGirl84]

I don't care if we never see her land a triple axel in competition as perfectly as the ones she lands in practice-I love seeing Mirai's training clips, and she should be very proud of herself! I've seen others get annoyed with the clips, but I love seeing them from all the skaters.

I wish Mirai was going to Golden Spin if only to get some points, since she didn't get any from Rostelecom. She always does well at Challenger events, and Tom and Mirai were vocal about her wanting a second one. Though at least she can go out on a *high note leading up to nationals, with things going well at NHK, and can focus on training for nationals/working on her programs. I worry sometimes that Mirai will overdo it on the training because she wants it so badly (and she talked about this happening a few times last year), so one less competition is not a bad thing. At least she got that Japan Open third place team payday (she should have originally been given a Japan Open spot instead of being a replacement BTW, but I know that has more to do with agents/sponsors..).