I just started with this picture of Miki Ando because I thought this shot was simply gorgeous.
There were tons of ups and downs in the 2011/2012 season. Seeing that this is the first part of my wrap-up posts, I probably will not be writing about the men’s event at Worlds as I said I would. I apologize but it’s been so long after the fact and I still can’t bring myself to watch the event. (On another note, I saw Patrick Chan doing an interview on a Chinese TV channel the other day…) So, I say, let’s not dwell on the not so pleasant events of this season (there’s enough unpleasantness in the world to deal with anyways) and think of some of the highlights this season. More
This is a recent video of Mao at The Ice skating show in Japan. I’m not a huge fan of the music or the choreography but it’s nice to see her landing her jumps. They’re a hair lower than I’d like to see them but she’s landing them and that’s a good sign for next season.
Whenever I watch Mao, I just can’t help but note her wonderful qualities like her great skating skills and her lyrical movement. I simply cannot relegate her to the position of “has been” like Caroline Zhang because she’s far from being a “has been.” She’s still sublime and she’s got fans who hope that her divinity can transfer to medals when the competitive season begins. For now, it’s encouraging to see that’s she’s still got a hopeful energy (her little speech in the opening program was pretty cute – it was all about giving happiness and hope to people after the devastating earthquake in Japan) and the beginnings of solid jumps.
Here’s to hoping that Mao can be competitive against Yuna and the baby Russian divas! Cheers!
~The Rinkside Cafe
For more videos from The Ice, the lovely people at ontd_skating have made a post about it.
Just a postscript: doesn’t Kanako Murakami’s skating in this show sort of remind you of Joannie Rochette? Not that being an Olympic bronze medalist is a bad thing, but I feel as if Kanako can do a lot better in terms of choreography.
Compared to her past record, it would seem as if Mao Asada is a lost cause in the international scene, her once brilliant star diminished. However, after watching her Liebestraume LP from this season (I felt a need to listen to the song after Johnny Weir mentioned it at his gig at Macy’s), I feel that Mao will get her comeback, although the extent of her success may be dependent on the success of the two up and coming Russian ladies, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Adelina Sotnikova.
Worlds:
Four Continents (this is probably the best performance of the season):
So after watching that LP, these are my observations:
I apologize for the lack of posts during the World competition, I’ve been horrendously busy in the past few days of my life with long overdue appointments with friends. I’m going to have to do some vigorous catching up and I’ll write a bit more later on.
So the most recent developments in the World scene include dethronements of two Olympic champions (well, three actually since one is a team of two): Yuna Kim and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. One dethronement was a little unexpected than the other. I’m pretty sure you can guess which is which. So let’s start with the ladies. I’m going to write about ice dance in another post.
After the SP, Yuna Kim was leading Miki Ando by a margin of 0.33 – all from the PCS mark. Here were their programs:
As much as I have a lot of issues with Morozov’s choreography I admit that Miki’s program was well skated and might have deserved a higher mark for interpretation. Sadly enough, I found Yuna’s “Giselle” program a bit boring compared to her other programs so I would’ve put her choreography and interpretation marks a tad lower. And a lower score for performance and execution, she did miss her first combination jump after all. Feel free to disagree but I thought Miki deserved to be the leader after the SP.
Speaking of leaders, Chairman Mao underrotated and two-footed her triple axel. I’m a bit surprised at her PCS though, her skating skills and transitions are as good as ever but she was still 7th after the SP.
The surprise skater in 3rd place was Ksenia Makarova. The girl was on… and being Russian didn’t hurt her either.
Before I end the bit about the SP, I’ll give a special mention to my favourite of the season Kanako Murakami. She didn’t skate with the same cuteness and energy at the beginning of the season but that smile on her face at the end of the program said it all. 8th place overall at her first Worlds is not shabby at all and she should be proud of herself. Although she doesn’t exude as much cuteness, I would hope that this marks the beginning of Kanako as a more mature and polished skater. I can’t wait to see her next season!
You can find the full results of the SP here. And for the LP results, click here.
So the LP came and went and that was when the dethroning happened.
Yuna singled her toeloop after her first salchow and did the worst thing you could do under the new scoring system: she popped a jump – her flip, which she was having issues with at the beginning of the season last year. I actually liked the music for this program and overall, it was a lot more pleasant to watch than her short. I hope that she uses it again next season should she decide to compete.
Miki brought it in the long and skated it with only 1 mistake – a step out on a double toe combination. I think despite her lack of musicality and icky choreography, this World championship win should be considered the best moment of her career. She hadn’t been top Japanese lady for a while (and even when she won Nationals this year, people still picked Mao over Miki to win. She stuck with harsh and undeserved attacks from the media after her disastrous results at Torino, didn’t make it to the podium in Vancouver but stuck it out and won.
We should also mention that Miki has improved quite a bit in terms of presentation (her sit spin is actually a sit spin!), consistency and extension since her 2007 World championship win.
I’m sure there are people out there who aren’t great fans of Miki but I feel that she deserves quite a bit of admiration for her tenacity and the speed and strength that she exudes on the ice. Her stroking at Worlds was, admittedly, a thing of beauty.
I think I’ll end here on a high note. There’s a lot more catching up to do before I can make more comments on what transpired at Worlds so I thank you for your patience.
Ok. This post was wayyy overdue and it would have been even more overdue if I didn’t have writer’s block for something else I should be writing at the moment. Ok. Worlds is in 5 days (wahhhh!!!) and the end of the figure skating season is near. I remember starting this blog at the beginning of this season. It’s been such an interesting experience so far. I hope that I’ll be able to continuing blogging next season, although there may be huge changes coming into my life very soon. In any case, ze ladiezzz.
Yuna Kim will be back in time for Worlds and despite not competing at all this season, she looks like the top contender. It looks like her extension has improved (she actually turns out her foot and points her toes!) and if her jumps are the same, I don’t see anything that could stop her from getting her World title back from Mao.
As for Mao, she’s gotten a bit more training time to get her jumps right but her season and her performances have been far from perfect. She did relatively well at Four Continents but I think Mao is looking towards long-term improvement and her jump technique will take a little while longer to perfect. If she loses to Yuna this season, I don’t think that Mao should see this as a loss, but rather another stone on the road of her career. Compared to Sochi (and her formidable Russian rivals that may come with it), this season really isn’t all that important. I’ll be looking forward to Mao next season and I pray that she’ll try some Shae-Lynn Bourne choreography. Or Marina Zoueva… her LP for Takahiko Kozuka this year is absolutely stunning.
Because of Mao’s rough season, though, Miki Ando looks to be a good contender for silver… or gold if Yuna messes up. As usual, Miki’s choreography leaves a lot to be desired but she’s been having a good and steady season after grabbing the Japanese national title and the Four Continents crown away from Mao. The big question at the moment is whether or not the postponement of Worlds has affected her conditioning and training. I feel that Yuna isn’t as affected by the change in schedule because she hasn’t competed all season anyway and Mao got some extra time to train. Miki, on the other hand had a steady season leading up to Worlds. Who knows how this change in schedule has changed her readiness for the World championships.
Another lady to consider would be Carolina Kostner, headcase extraordinaire. Pretty decent Grand Prix results and then she loses to a total nobody at Euros. Carolina has taken out many of the toe jumps in her long program, which is really frustrating (her triple flip, triple toe is one of the most impressive – the height, the distance!) and puzzling when you look at her marks this season. If the ISU or the judges feel the need to put a European skater on the podium, Carolina’s the girl, with or without her triple lutzes and flips. In order for that to happen, however, the Asians mentioned above will have to bomb their asses off for her to slip into the top three.
Also up for consideration is Alissa Czisny, who got a huge endorsement with Chrysler. She’s so sweet.
Alissa was a dark horse and surprise winner of the GPF this season and after a disappointing finish last year at U.S. Nationals, she grabbed her title back from Rachael Flatt. (Good riddance for that.) Alissa was one of the favourites going into 4CC when something absolutely puzzling happened: she finished behind both her teammates (Flatt and Mirai Nagasu who won bronze). Whaaa? So the question of the moment for Alissa is: did she peak too early? Like Carolina, however, at least one of the three Asians above will have to screw up if she wants to be in the top three, however, a top 5 finish is within her grasp if she can prove that she is no longer a headcase.
And before I end, I think I’d like to mention Kanako Murakami as a skater who might surprise us. Kanako is still young and up and coming but she’s shown us that she’s capable of great things… like snatching gold from right under Rachael Flatt and Carolina Kostner’s nose at Skate America this season. I’m hoping for a great top 10 finish for her at Worlds, which she can improve on in the next couple of seasons leading into Sochi. She definitely needs polish (and I hope she nails her double axel in her SP) but I can’t help but be excited for her future.
Podium predictions:
Gold: Yuna Kim Silver: Miki Ando (though my gut could be very wrong) Bronze: Mao Asada
What are your predictions for the ladies? I’ll be posting more predictions soon.
2010 has been a great year for figure skating. The Vancouver Olympics were absolutely amazing and it’s sad that the year is about to end. Let’s hope that 2011 will be just as amazing. For now, let’s stroll through memory lane and think of a few good times in 2010.
(More under the cut since this is a bit of a long post…)
So the results of the ladies competition for Japanese Nationals are in. With great heartbreak, I must announce that the new Japanese National ladies champion is Miki Ando. Mao placed was 10 points behind Miki in the free skate and dropped to 2nd place and though Akiko Suzuki was 4th in the free skate, she lost a bronze medal to the new rising star, Kanako Murakami. As a result, Akiko has lost her spot at Worlds but has a spot at the Four Continents. At least she has another chance to compete this season. That Fiddler in the Roof LP is wonderful.
In any case, this is Team Japan’s line-up for 4CC and Worlds:
Four Continents
Men: Takahiko Kozuka, Daisuke Takahashi, and Yuzuru Hanyu
Mao seems to have recovered from her poor performances on the Grand Prix circuit. The only major mistake in her short program at Nationals was 2-footing her triple axel. The smile on her face at the end of the program said it all.
Miki Ando is in 2nd place and Kanako Murakami is in 3rd. I fear that Akiko Suzuki is on her way of being dumped (she’s currently in 7th) in favour of the new rising star that is Kana-chan. I wish Miki Ando was the one excluded from the World team but being the only lady who won 2 golds in the GP circuit, that’s very unlikely. Kanako’s bronze at the GPF above her teammates makes her a strong contender for a spot at Worlds. Seriously, let’s just give at least one of Canada’s 3 spots to the Japanese men and women. If Akiko Suzuki came to Canadian Nationals (and I wish she would), she’d beat everyone. Anyways, here are more videos:
Oh Miki, you are a good skater with a lovely personality… please get better choreography.
Kanako lost concentration and singled her axel.
Akiko’s skate wasn’t too bad. Just an underrotated and stepped out of a 3Lz.
Daisuke has secured a position on the podium after finishing 4th in the SP. He recovered in the free skate and ended up with bronze. The Japanese though, have a new National champion… Takahiko Kozuka! Nobunari Oda finished in 2nd, obviously.
Aunt Joyce has the videos of the men’s SP posted here. Here are the LP of the top 4 men:
I was working on this post for a bit and then I hit the “publish” button without realizing that I did so some of you might’ve seen a draft of this post. In any case, I have a bit more free time at the moment but no skating competitions to report on so I think I’ll try and write a few posts that have been fermenting at the back of my head since I started this blog.
For this post, here are a few songs I wished current skaters could skate to. Not that it would ever happen but it would make me ever so happy. I know that many fans have their own fantasy programs and I’d love to hear it! I’m in need for new music.
Tomas Verner – A hip-hop-y version of Peter and the Wolf
I really don’t know why I chose this music for Tomas. As far as I know, no one has ever done a full rendition of Peter and the Wolf a la hip-hop. I just randomly started humming the tune for Peter and the Wolf one day and wondered what it would sound like it got remixed and hip-hopped. I found the above video on youtube (and loved it to shreds) and somehow my mind instantly thought of figure skating and an imaginary program and Tomas happened to be the figure skater. Now that I listen to it, I wonder if it’s even possible to wrangle a program out of this. Oh well, one can still dream.
Patrick Chan – The Devil’s Trill
I often express disdain for Patrick Chan on this blog and I fully admit it. I will not, however, retract my negative sentiments. I often criticize a skater’s skating in hopes that they will improve and I only venture into the realm of their personality when it’s really, really aggravating. I’ve been annoyed at Chan for winning medals he doesn’t deserve and for making rude, ignorant or hypocritical comments but I will grudgingly admit that he has talent and potential. Unlike CBC and the judges however, I do not believe that he has fully developed the extent of his talent to deserve the marks he gets (and a 9 in interpretation!) but hey, I’m sure whatever I say will incur ire from someone, somewhere and verbal lambasting is a regular facet to the fans of this sport. Nonetheless, I will stand by my opinions. With every competition and media interview, Chan has a chance to prove that he is an able skater who deserves his marks and a person who is not a completely conceited and hypocritical douche.
Perhaps one day, when he is truly deserving and a polite and PR savvy person like his fellow countryman, Jeff Buttle, he will skate my fantasy program to Tartini’s “The Devil’s Trill”. Not the cheap Vanessa Mae version, mind you. Consider it a compliment that I feel that he is the only one at the moment who can express this music. Especially the fast parts that come up in the “part two” video.
Takahiko Kozuka – Music from Forrest Gump
I want a man to skate to this even though there are very gentle parts to it. Takahiko has the lines, edges and musicality. Let’s hope he develops his interpretation to do this justice.
Mao Asada – Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.1
I’m not completely satisfied with this choice because I want Mao to express more than soft, piano or classical pieces.
Kanako Murakami – Music from Don Quixote
This program would be more experimental than anything. It would be an attempt to draw out a less cute, but more mature Kanako.
Wenjing Sui and Han Cong – Music from The Nutcracker
I know that the Nutcracker can be a bit overdone but these two are at the right age and level of cuteness to pull it off.
Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szalkowy – ???
Just anything that would force Aliona to design herself a nice costume for once.
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir – If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz (Exhibition), songs from Casablanca, Benjamin by Yo-yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor
Yes, I know that both songs have been done before by Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto and Kurt Browning respectively but I wouldn’t mind a reinterpretation. You know that these two will make you squeal and fantasize about them being together if they skate to Jason Mraz’s “If It Kills Me”. =P
As for Casablanca, I think they’d do it justice after the shadow left by Kurt Browning and Sandra Bezic. Not to mention that if they come up with a less-than-perfect program, it’d be a huge insult to one of the best films in the history of film.
Benjamin was absolutely impossible to find on youtube but I happen to have the CD where the song is from. The track is simply dreamy and beautiful, just like Tessa and Scott.
Meryl Davis & Charlie White – Masquerade Waltz
I’ve loved this piece of music since I heard it back when Mao skated to it. I think it’s one of my favourite pieces of classical music, if not my absolutely favourite, which is bad for figure skating programs because I get really picky when it comes to things I love. I’ve watched almost all men and ladies singles programs and ice dance programs I could find on youtube and nothing satisfies me at the moment. I wish I could say that I want my favourite ice dance team, Tessa and Scott, to skate to this but alas, I feel that Meryl and Charlie will be able to express this best. They have the exuberance and wild passion that is needed for this music, while Tessa and Scott are more refined and elegant. So please, Marina Zueva, make my wish come true?
Maia and Alex Shibutani – Music from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Maia and Alex have the clean, crisp lines, elegance and the energy to express this music. It’s absolutely gorgeous and should not be condemned just because it was used in a children’s animated movie.
Anyways, I want to go back to my book now that I have time to read it. See you soon!
Please write down your fantasy programs if you have any!
I need a dose of happy right now. Let’s get this show on the road. On a more random note, I want one of those panda ball plushies.
Rachael Flatt
Ok… let’s hope I don’t fall asleep. Nice 2A-3T combination. She looks a bit anxious going into this next jump. Fall. Spin faster, girl. Smooth 3F, although is it just me or am I seeing traces of Caroline Zhang toe technique in her? She just doens’t kick as high. As much as Rachael can try to act, she doesn’t exude personality on the ice. Doubled a triple lutz. Doubled? 3F (the screen flicked for a second). Singled loop. She should’ve withdrawn and let her injury heal. This is not a good skate for her. 3S-2T-2T – all really low, had to save the landing on that 3S. Sigh. That was a bit of a waste of time.
Miki Ando
She looked pretty good in warm-up. I was afraid her injury had put her down for the count. High and fast 3Lz-2T. Solid jump afterwards. (I missed it, sorry.) I actually really like that sideways sit spin she’s doing this season. And now, here is a lot of skating in one spot or pausing. 2A and what I think is a 3T but I didn’t see because the stupid screen flicked for a second. It keeps doing that. Nice 3F. Almost two-footed the next jump. Solid 3T. Nice 2A-2Lo-2Lo. The crowd loves her. Miki’s spins have improved a great deal over the years but her choreography still leaves a lot to be desired. Great skate for Miki. Too bad she’s buried too much in the standings. Her fate now belongs to the other skaters.
Akiko Suzuki
Her dress is my favourite ladies costume of the season. It looks better in movement than when she’s still though. She looks confident and happy going in. Lovely opening 3Lz. Beautiful 2A-3T. She always has a great energy going into her programs. Solid 3Lo. Her spins have really improved in terms of speed. Great 3F-2T. Doubled a 3F. Refocused for a 3Lo-2A. Great 3S. She has a lot more speed and power this year but she’s been having stamina issues in her LP this season. It looks like she’s on the right track now. Love how she puts so much energy and emotion in this step sequence. Wonderful performance by Akiko. That is what I wanted to see in the men’s competition. Bravo!!! This girl does not want her spot taken by Kana-chan, that’s for sure.
Kanako Murakami
Go Kana-chan! I love watching her before she does her program. She’s always smiling and happy, which makes me smile. =D First triple-triple of the night – 3T-3T. 3Lz clean. Popped 3F. Great recovery, 3F-2T. Lovely Kerrigan spiral. She really got into her knees in that 3Lo. Very Oda-esque. Beautiful 3S-2Lo-2Lo. This is the first time I’ve seen her skate her LP with as much performance quality and attack as her SP. Good skate by Kana-chan. And she’s beaten Akiko! Wow! Great start for her in the senior ranks. She is now guaranteed a medal.
Carolina Kostner
3T to open. Nice 2A. Another 2A. She’s really centered in her first combination spin. Beautiful 3S. Popped 3Lo but tacked on a 3Lo. Good recovery with a 3Lo-2T. Beautiful arabesque spiral. I’m really missing these spiral sequences in the ladies competition. 3S-2T-2T. Lost a bit of speed in the final combination spin. A very light and airy program. I love the choreography. Great skate by Carolina. I miss her huge 3F-2T combination though. I wonder hwo the judges will award her scores seeing that she had no flip or lutz. She’s beaten Kanako by 0.01. Wow.
Alissa Czisny
3Lz-2T opening. Clean 3F-2T. Look Morozov, people do pause in their programs, but not for more than 2 seconds! Great rotation speed in that flip (?). Alissa has wonderful spin positions and lines. Solid 3Lo. Great extension on the spirals. Best of the night. Another toe jump. Step out of a 2A. Another solid jump. Beautiful Y-spin and fast too! Omg… a pretty layback into a biellmann. Wonderful skate by Alissa Czisny. I also had doubts about the costume but it’s lovely when it’s moving. She know she’s won this competition. Good job!
I was hoping for a Japanese sweep of the podium but the skating for this discipline was sublime. Great performances for most of the skaters! Alissa has proven herself a competent and consistent skater and Kanako has really made a mark on her first year as a senior! A bronze medal over her 2 veteran teammates! Congrats! Now this is what I want from a skating competition!
Ok, I’ve had 1 hour of sleep in the last 48 hours. It’s about time I get some sleep.
The Rinkside Cafe 