2023-24 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[rabidline]

The one thing I worry with Rino is rotating her jumps now that she is maturing. All women have to deal with that, so we will see. As to your point, I always consider Higuchi clearly more talented than Sakamoto, and you can see how that has gone. Wakaba is the better performer, but has struggled with injuries, consistentcy, and never has impressed her Fed or the judges in competition as Kaori obviously has.

Well there was a time where Kaori was wasting all her chances too and was on the verge of self-destruction by trying 4Ts but then made a wise decision to compete realistically within her abilities....... right on time when Rika Kihira started to implode due to injuries. And then Kaori started delivering the (visually) clean skates at the competitions that counted... right on time when the Russians started getting banned.

It's why I think the skill to compete is really underrated in figure skating, we talk about natural talents and X factor but when the skater themselves does not have that skill... competitive opportunities will come and go away just like that.

I like Rino and her skating so however and wherever she will skate, I will follow without expectations. Even as a fan I have to be realistic with how many chances she could have had if she had just a better sense for physical conditioning and health maintenance in the past, and she needs time to prove to JSF that she can deliver consistently and get to where Kaori is at right now. And the next opportunity for her is at Japanese Nationals.

 

[Joekaz]

Well there was a time where Kaori was wasting all her chances too and was on the verge of self-destruction by trying 4Ts but then made a wise decision to compete realistically within her abilities....... right on time when Rika Kihira started to implode due to injuries. And then Kaori started delivering the (visually) clean skates at the competitions that counted... right on time when the Russians started getting banned.

It's why I think the skill to compete is really underrated in figure skating, we talk about natural talents and X factor but when the skater themselves does not have that skill... competitive opportunities will come and go away just like that.

I like Rino and her skating so however and wherever she will skate, I will follow without expectations. Even as a fan I have to be realistic with how many chances she could have had if she had just a better sense for physical conditioning and health maintenance in the past, and she needs time to prove to JSF that she can deliver consistently and get to where Kaori is at right now. And the next opportunity for her is at Japanese Nationals.

As in all sports, luck and timing are huge factors. As in life in general. If Rika doesn't get hurt and the Russians aren't banned, Sakamoto isn't even number one in Japan, let alone the world, no matter how good a competitor she is.

 

[rabidline]

As in all sports, luck and timing are huge factors. As in life in general. If Rika doesn't get hurt and the Russians aren't banned, Sakamoto isn't even number one in Japan, let alone the world, no matter how good a competitor she is.

My counterpoint would be: Kaori could have injured herself trying to do those ill-advised 4Ts, or got so discouraged over how her 2019-2020 season ended and stopped skating. She was already talking about retirement back then!

 

[RatedPG]

I just want to say that I’m glad Mai competed. She was the highest scoring female lady from Japan. Good luck to her in the free skate. I have a good feeling that she can make the podium after seeing her short program

 

[rabidline]

Mai's reaction after her SP is lovely. Only she knows what it meant to choose to compete here.

 

[Joekaz]

My counterpoint would be: Kaori could have injured herself trying to do those ill-advised 4Ts, or got so discouraged over how her 2019-2020 season ended and stopped skating. She was already talking about retirement back then!

I agree she made the right decision, but she really had no choice. She has no chance at quads or 3As. It was either hang in there or retire. I don't dispute she does the best she can. I don't see how that changes the fact she got lucky with others having issues. But as I said, luck is part of sports.

 

[rabidline]

It was either hang in there or retire.

This is the choice. Arguably, the most important choice she had to make. And she chose to hang in there and fight with what she has, accepting the possibility of losing to the quads and 3As, the possibility of never winning an Olympic or Worlds medal. And look where she is. Luck is part of sports... but fortune do favors the brave.

 

[RafaelAstro]

Me after the short program:

 

[Joekaz]

This is the choice. Arguably, the most important choice she had to make. And she chose to hang in there and fight with what she has, accepting the possibility of losing to the quads and 3As, the possibility of never winning an Olympic or Worlds medal. And look where she is. Luck is part of sports... but fortune do favors the brave.

That is true. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. One thing I think that Kaori does not get enough credit for is physical conditioning. I always thought she looked a little heavy that year with the quad attempts. But I remember the next year she talked about changing her diet and I know she does alot of running. Not only that helps her skating, but she has been relatively injury free since. That is big if you want to maintain consistentcy.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

That is true. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. One thing I think that Kaori does not get enough credit for is physical conditioning. I always thought she looked a little heavy that year with the quad attempts. But I remember the next year she talked about changing her diet and I know she does alot of running. Not only that helps her skating, but she has been relatively injury free since. That is big if you want to maintain consistentcy.

Friendly reminder that in a sport that has perpetuated a long history of disordered eating and unhealthy attitudes about weight, making comments like this on an athlete's body are wholly unacceptable and can cause irrevocable harm towards the athlete's mental health and the culture within the sport, even if said comments are intended in good faith.

 

[Joekaz]

Me after the short program:

Lol, that was rough. This season it seams like mediocre is the winning formula. Wakaba looked nervous to me. She seemed tight on her jumps. A real shame because it's such a winnable competition. Everyone had trouble.

 

[Joekaz]

Friendly reminder that in a sport that has perpetuated a long history of disordered eating and unhealthy attitudes about weight, making comments like this on an athlete's body are wholly unacceptable and can cause irrevocable harm towards the athlete's mental health and the culture within the sport, even if said comments are intended in good faith.

Well I'm not afraid of the truth. The woman talked about eating healthier herself. In sports, the body is the central focus of everything, along with the mental toughness and discipline to train properly. It's not easy to do. Note, I said changed her diet, not went on a diet. Eating healthier is a big part of being a top athlete. That is the opposite of starvation. Novak Djokovic is a fanatic about what he eats, for instance. I've been plenty critical of parts of Sakamoto's skating over the years, but I give her credit here. I understand your concern. However, I think the best way to combat extreme dieting here is to crack down on excessive pre rotation and cheated technique on takeoffs. The obsessive need for rotation speed at the cost of proper technique is ruining the sport. Even without quads, just doing 3/3s properly is very hard, and cheated technique should not be tolerated because it forces everyone to find ways to get that last half turn in.

 

[Joekaz]

I just want to say that I’m glad Mai competed. She was the highest scoring female lady from Japan. Good luck to her in the free skate. I have a good feeling that she can make the podium after seeing her short program

She was smart to do a 3/2 and not push things. I was under the impression that she was more injured than she apparently is. Mai seems to know what she is doing here. This competition doesn't seem to require top effort to do well in anyway, lol.

 

[cohkaix]

I always thought she looked a little heavy that year with the quad attempts. But I remember the next year she talked about changing her diet and I know she does alot of running.

Not commenting on the other part of your comment, but here I'm only pointing out the false assumption. Kaori trained a lot that season, which was during COVID. She said it was due to that the rink was closed, and to keep her physical condition, she trained with other athletes (not from figure skating).

 

[Joekaz]

Not commenting on the other part of your comment, but here I'm only pointing out the false assumption. Kaori trained a lot that season, which was during COVID. She said it was due to that the rink was closed, and to keep her physical condition, she trained with other athletes (not from figure skating).

I didnt say she didn't train hard. I said the next season she said she changed her diet. There is no false assumption here.

 

[ptvvibezz]

Yuna was amazing, I thought she was underscored in the short and could've been 4th

 

[Joekaz]

Yuna was amazing, I thought she was underscored in the short and could've been 4th

Just about every girl was underscored except the Americans. Ridiculous tech panel.

 

[skim1001]

Entries for Nationals are out. Is there a reason why there are only 28 spots for the women? Looking back, it always had at least 30. Anyways, a bit sad for Mayuko and Ami.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Entries for Nationals are out. Is there a reason why there are only 28 spots for the women?

Top finishers including exemptions, not top finishers and exemptions. It was this way from the very beginning. The skater didn’t qualify if they didn’t have a Q at sectionals and wasn’t exempt. To clarify:

Western Sectionals

1. Mako Yamashita
2. Saki Miyake
3. Sae Shimizu
4. Natsu Suzuki
5. Miyabi Oda
6. Nana Araki
7. Yuna Shiraiwa

Eastern Sectionals

1. Yuna Aoki
2. Maria Egawa
3. Maaya Ishida
4. Chikako Saigusa
5. Marin Honda

Top 8 at Junior Nationals

1. Mao Shimada
2. Ikura Shida
3. Rena Uezono
4. Yo Takagi
5. Ayumi Shibiyama
6. Haruna Murakami
7. Riria Kono (not age-eligible for senior competition)
8. Kinayu Yokoi

Exemptions (due to top 3 at last season’s Nationals): Sakamoto, Mihara

Exemptions from Sectionals due to timing of GP assignment: Yoshida, Chiba, Kawabe, Matsuike, Sumiyoshi, Watanabe, Higuchi

That’s 28. The second group of exemptions still had to do well at regionals. Kono is a novice skater and doesn’t qualify for Nationals due to her age. They could have just moved down to the next age eligible skater, but they didn’t. I agree with this. It’s top 8, not top 8 age-eligible skaters. This prevents a situation where a skater places 10th at Junior Nationals yet still gets to go.

 

[macy]

i am so elated to see Wakaba back, she was just a breath of fresh air with all that power she has. i hope she continues to make strong comeback and stay healthy, i missed her so much!