The Mao cheer thread #3 - "For the love of skating"

I do too! Yes, wishing her pride and satisfaction in her performances. May they do justice to her great programs and take her straight to Worlds (skipping 4 Ccs -- enough is enough!).
 
Here are clips of Tuesday's morning practice. Sorry for the bad quality.

http://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/811149237010341888/pu/vid/1280x720/-Gke2Fjw54KyBajz.mp4
Mao: I cannot finish like this. At this point I forget about stuffs ahead of Nationals and just focus on Nationals.
Mao: Talking about my mental side, my heart was once broken up. hehehe It took long to recover from there. But now I bounced back. :)


http://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/811150719550005248/pu/vid/1280x720/Lf-kW0XwaY8YFbm9.mp4
Mao: I'm receiving good reactions [from my practices] and I less and less pop jumps. Finally I'm getting into good rhythm or seeing good images. Heading to Nationals, everything is going upward. (with this pose →（＾人＾）) I'll be happy if I'll be able to show good performances and it'll make my fans happy.
Mao (when asked about 3A): I need to work on [3A] a bit more. I'm working with wishing it'lll be ready for Nationals.
Mao (When asked about 3A at Nationals): If I land a worthy 3A [during training], I'll do it [at Nationals.] I'm not talking about consistency. If I can land a fully rotated 3A before Nationals, I'll do it there. Even if the rotated 3A is only one, I'll do it.
Mao (When asked about today's feeling): Judging by based on today's reaction [from training], I feel I'll give it a go.

http://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/811151355947544577/pu/vid/1280x720/xE4J6Gsysr_CJ4f3.mp4
Mao: Since my condition is going uphill, I'm looking forward to Nationals. It's a good sign. I'm having expectations from myself. :)
_____

Honestly speaking Tuesday's morning practice didn't look very good. But at least her jumps looked better than TdF. Maybe she's still cautious on jumps and doesn't have good power on the take off. But her edge on luz looked the best in this season as well as she looked getting back to her good rhythm in the take off on jumps. And, above all, I'm happy to see Mao smiling now! Go Mao! :cheer:
 
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Thanks to yhmafan for posting this tribute to Mao by a Japanese cameraman. I tried to translate it in google translate but the meaning was lost.

yhma's message
It’s a very good article about Mao written by a cameraman Mr. Yutaka Nagakubo. The article is full of love. I cried.

The title is “The cameras fell in love with her.”


【長久豊の撮ってもいい？話】

カメラも恋をする、と言ったら驚くだろうか。
冷徹な機械、ＩＣてんこ盛りでいまや家電製品のようになってしまったカメラに感情の入る余地などあるはずが ない。
だがボクの愛機はスケートをする彼女にいちずな思いを抱いている。
明るく照らされた本番の衣装は当然のように、暗い室内、コントラストのない地味な練習着の彼女にさえも、そ の姿を追いピントを合わせ続ける。
他の選手とは合焦率（ピントの合う確率）が違う。カメラのやる気が違うのだ。

だがキヤノンであれニコンであれ彼の恋敵は多いようだ。「実はオレのカメラも」という同業者は 数知れず。

　「真央ちゃんはピント合うんだよなあ」

　そう、片思いのお相手は浅田真央選手である。

恋の動機は単純なもの。
彼らのＡＦ（オートフォーカス＝自動焦点）機構は被写体の上下左右の細かなブレを嫌う。体軸のしっかりした 滑らかなスケーティング。
浅田選手やイタリアのカロリーナ・コストナー選手こそが彼らの好みなのだ。

１５歳、ピアノの鍵盤の上を弾むように跳び、ＧＰファイナルを制した真央ちゃん。

今は五線譜の上を滑らかに、時として激しく、隠れた音さえも表現していく浅田選手。
スポーツと芸術性の両立がフィギュアスケートの原点、その比重が時の流れとともに変わっていくのは自然なこ とだ。

ＧＰシリーズ・フランス大会以来、彼女についてさまざまな臆測の類いが飛んだ。だがカメラという機械はその スケーティング技術がいまだに世界トップであるという事実を語る。

全日本選手権はボクとボクの愛機は東京でお留守番。
同業のライバルたちは今季の印象的なアイラインメークを強調した写真、ステップの振り返りをアップで狙う（ こう書くとライバルたちも狙いづらいはず。
これも老かいなテクニックの一つ）であろう。
カメラに愛される浅田選手だからできる撮り方だ。演技後の彼女には笑ってほしいが、写真は再来年まで待って ほしいというのが、留守番カメラマンとわが愛機の本音だ。

２０１２年、フランス・ニースでの世界選手権を取材した。
そこには練習、本番を通じて連続５６回、トリプルアクセルを失敗する浅田選手の姿があった。だがボクの愛機 が心を奪われ、いちずな思いを寄せるようになったきっかけはそれではない。
抜けてしまったジャンプや氷に叩きつけられるような激しい転倒にも心折れずに５６回、立ち直っ た姿だ。

だから彼女は大丈夫、きっと大丈夫、絶対大丈夫。何度でも何度でも立ち上がると愛機が言う。

ボクもそう思う。

◆長久保　豊（ながくぼ・ゆたか）◆Sorry it's in Japanese. If someone could translate it into English it will be great.
smiley-happy105.gif
 
Today's photos
https://twitter.com/asahi_photo/status/811904750044094464
https://twitter.com/fukura_sparrow/status/811908276430532608
https://twitter.com/asahi_photo/status/811899921146126337

A clip of today's official practice
https://twitter.com/mdspl925/status/811875196457975810

Reportedly Mao chose LP for today's run-through. She did 2A, 3F and 3Lz in the program and skipped other jumps. Out of run-through she landed 3F-3Lo. As for 3A, she tried four 3A - two 3A(2f), one 3A(fall out), and one 3A(fall). She basically repeated the same comment after the official practice as she said two days ago which I translated earlier - her physical condition and technical stuffs are on upward wave. If she does one rotated 3A during one of official practices, she'll do it in the competition. Once her heart was broken up but after having various thoughts she came back to Nationals. She'll focus on delivering good programs at Nationals and forget about stuffs ahead of Nationals.
 
Here is a video from today's practice. Shame TV companies show only big tricks. I'd rather see other jumps than 3A to see how the whole program goes. Anyways she looks getting back her good rhythm on jumps. (The female reporter said Mao did two 3As in today's morning practice and she landed both of them. )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckC5BJGsCJo

Photo from today's practice
http://www.jiji.com/news/photos/photo_news/images/658/0022964296.jpg
Photo from yesterday's practice
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/img/s-sato2016122202asada08-ogp_0.jpg?20161222172340
http://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2016/images/asadamao20161223.jpg

This article says she landed multiple 3F-3Lo in today's official practice.
http://www.sankei.com/photo/story/news/161223/sty1612230004-n1.html

I forgot where I read but reportedly Mao did SP run-through today. Her jump layout was 2A 3F-2Lo 3Lo. She landed all of them.
 
This video has a bit more glimpses from today's official practice in the beginning and close to the end of it. When she asked about her current condition, she answered it's been on upward wave since around last week. Good for her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JrCXiDHATc

Daisuke is working as a reporter/interviewer during Nationals. This clip has a scene where Mao met him backstage.
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/812233463361220608/pu/vid/1280x720/aJJNmZWgkZ1BoidA.mp4
Mao "Ohhhh, Dai-chan!"
Daisuke "Ganbattene" (=Try your best.)
Mao "Ganbaru" (=I'll do.)

Go Mao! We are all rooting for you! :cheer:

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20161223/fgr16122305020003-n2.html
This is a Q & A done on the first day of official practices. When she was asked about her knee, she answered she took a week rest and it worked. The pain in her left knee is OK now.

ETC:
Some beautiful photos from today's official practice.
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0XYY-GUkAAsfOS.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0XYaFYVQAAM7OT.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0XYb62UQAAETHB.jpg
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0XYdGRUQAEokHR.jpg
 
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These videos brought tears to my eyes. I was at Skate America and I watched her look like she just wasnt ready. I've watched her poor experiences and read the negative reviews. To see her here smiling and saying she's feeling better just warmed my heart man. She looked so discouraged but her costumes and material this year are glorious.

What hasn't she overcome? I'm hoping for the best for her. I'm praying she makes the team. She's truly doing it for herself.
 
Thanks for all the updates, rosewood. Mao looks like she has improved her jumps and more importantly that she is enjoying her practices. In addition to trying to balance her workouts to manage her knee pain, I wonder if getting used to new skates which she has changed a couple of times (at least that is what I remember according to your posts) may have been an issue she is finally overcoming. In any case, I hope Mao is very happy with her performances and that we all get to see a bright and beautiful smile at the end of her SP and LP. This will show that she has performed great. I admit that I get too emotional watching Mao skate, which is a compliment to her since she has made me such a huge fan.
 
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gotoschool said:
Thanks for all the updates, rosewood. Mao looks like she has improved her jumps and more importantly that she is enjoying her practices. In addition to trying to balance her workouts to manage her knee pain, I wonder if getting used to new skates which she has changed a couple of times (at least that is what I remember according to your posts) may have been an issue she is finally overcoming. In any case, I hope Mao is very happy with her performances and that we all get to see a bright and beautiful smile at the end of her SP and LP. This will show that she has performed great. I admit that I get too emotional watching Mao skate, which is a compliment to her since she has made me such a huge fan.
Click to expand...

She is and has been a Risport girl for her whole career. She's also a Pattern 99 Rev girl. Kozuka had a blade he was working on that Mao offered to try but Mr.Sato vetoed that. She's not had skate problems that I'm aware of
 
arakwafan2006 said:
She is and has been a Risport girl for her whole career. She's also a Pattern 99 Rev girl. Kozuka had a blade he was working on that Mao offered to try but Mr.Sato vetoed that. She's not had skate problems that I'm aware of
Click to expand...
I posted earlier on this thread (maybe it was during Finlandia Trophy) that we found she switched to Kozuka's blades after finishing THE ICE (maybe around the end of August or beginning of September) and she was using them from Finlandia Trophy as well as at SKAM and TdF. But during the GP circuit Wilson Blades posted on their FB that they were building Mao's two pairs of blades to use later in this season. It seems Mao went back to Wilson's Pattern99 Revolution after finishing TdF. Now we are guessing Mao got used to the new blades and it's another reason which's contributing to her upward wave. Good for her. :)
 
Spun Silver said:
Does that mean in two hours?
Click to expand...
Right! But Fuji TV doesn't have live coverage. :revenge:
Here is a link to Sportsnavi's live pbp page. Mao's planned content on this site is 3A/3F+2Lo/FCSp/3Lo/LSp/CCoSp/StSq.
http://live.sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/live/sports/figureskate_all/7038

Here is a photo from Today's morning practice (done around 9:00 am). She tried four 3A including one pop, 3A(2ft fall), and a landed 3A according to articles published this morning. I guess she'll decide whether she'll try 3A in SP judging based on how she does in 6 min warm up. During an interview she said she wish to deliver two programs that she can be satisfied with.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20161224-00000004-dal-spo

My fingers and toes and everything are crossed for her good skate of today!! :cheer:
 
Ughhhhhh Mao popped 3A into 1A and landed 3F-2Lo 3Lo. She placed 8th by receiving barely over 60. :drama::drama::drama:

I read a report she didn't look devastated. In 20 min Fuji TV is going to air ladies' SP.

I guess it's impossible for her to win a spot for Worlds. :fragile:I dunno about 4CC at this point.
 
I wish the best for Mao tomorrow in the LP. She has given me more than any other skater ever so I wish she would relieve the pressure, relax, and give a performance she is completely satisfied with.

Having not seen Mao's SP performance and not knowing how to find it anywhere, it is hard to say, but many on twitter have commented that Mao's presentation was very beautiful and that Mao's score was too low for just missing the triple axel because even with it she would have 70 points at most or at least that is what I was able to make out from the online translation.

https://twitter.com/goddessofstsq
 
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She didnt just miss the 3A, she popped it and did a 3-2 instead of 3-3. D*** that 3A.

But at least she got the second highest PCS so it sounds like she performed the heck out of that program.
 
Fuji TV has not aired Mao's program yet but I heard she did not look disappointed. So I'm guessing she was OK with today's challenge. Maybe she was not unhappy with being in a shape which allowed her to try what she wanted to try there. She has her own scale of value so I'm waiting to watch/read something which tells us how she actually felt.
 
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