Satoko Miyahara | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Satoko Miyahara

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I already posted this at the Skate Canada thread.

As for those who seem intent on downplaying Satoko's performance, the crowd's reaction speaks for itself because the biggest standing ovation I saw for the women in the LP was for Satoko, and I also liked her LP the best.

I thought Satoko skated with a high degree of artistic polish and in a light ethereal style which reminds me quite a bit of Lu Chen, especially when it comes to the way she strokes across the ice, though her jumps are smaller and her spins and spirals are more flexible.

It was the end of her program that captivated me the most because of the way Satoko glided in an arabesque that curved across the rink and transitioned subtly into a serpentine turn and a series of pirouettes with her right hand positioned delicately atop her head, as a ballerina in a music box that mirrored perfectly the gentle tinkling on the piano keys. Then, she exited this position with finely drawn out extensions of her arms and legs, and balletic turns before dashing to her final triple flip. Next, she began with a counterclockwise camel before dropping into a broken leg sit spin. Finally. she did what I think no other lady in the competition did: she immediately switched the direction of her rotation to clockwise before dropping into a shoot the duck sit spin, then rising to conclude with a rapidly rotating I spin.

Even though it would be nice if she could vault higher, I really love Satoko's skating the way it is. That last spiral and spin sequence with the triple flip in between was mesmerizing.
 

firal

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
The choreography and music for Miss Saigon just works so well for her; I think she is not a very "expressive" skater in terms of facial expressions and engaging the crowd, but this program worked.
 

thoakun

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 7, 2014
I already posted this at the Skate Canada thread.

As for those who seem intent on downplaying Satoko's performance, the crowd's reaction speaks for itself because the biggest standing ovation I saw for the women in the LP was for Satoko, and I also liked her LP the best.

I thought Satoko skated with a high degree of artistic polish and in a light ethereal style which reminds me quite a bit of Lu Chen, especially when it comes to the way she strokes across the ice, though her jumps are smaller and her spins and spirals are more flexible.

It was the end of her program that captivated me the most because of the way Satoko glided in an arabesque that curved across the rink and transitioned subtly into a serpentine turn and a series of pirouettes with her right hand positioned delicately atop her head, as a ballerina in a music box that mirrored perfectly the gentle tinkling on the piano keys. Then, she exited this position with finely drawn out extensions of her arms and legs, and balletic turns before dashing to her final triple flip. Next, she began with a counterclockwise camel before dropping into a broken leg sit spin. Finally. she did what I think no other lady in the competition did: she immediately switched the direction of her rotation to clockwise before dropping into a shoot the duck sit spin, then rising to conclude with a rapidly rotating I spin.

Even though it would be nice if she could vault higher, I really love Satoko's skating the way it is. That last spiral and spin sequence with the triple flip in between was mesmerizing.
I admire your ability to describe what makes certain skaters so captivating to watch. It's always interesting to read graceful comments by eloquent fans. :thumbsup:
To get back to the topic, it's at least a good thing that Satoko's lutz has improve. I still remember 2 years ago when Satoko delivered a very good FS to my uneducated eyes and placed 7th. She was dinged for both flutz and lip and << jumps. That incident probably prompted her to work harder and now her jumps have been ratified more frequently.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Her attitude of being a serious student and working hard will surely improve her jumps; they are already noticeably better than last year.
I believe, barring injury, that she will be the new star of Japanese figure skating. It took me a while to warm to her but now that I have, I like her a LOT.:biggrin: As others see how well she performs at each competition they will grow to respect and truly appreciate her qualities as a skater too (I mean you, ISU JUDGES!).
She can only improve from here.
 
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NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
I believe, barring injury, that she will be the new star of Japanese figure skating. .

She's almost injury free. I know Miyahara since 2008 but never heard of such things.

I don't consider that she will be a "star" in Japan. Miyahara doesn't have tangible appeals to the general public (looks and character) . Only knowledgeable FS fans like you may appreciate it. Miyahara will be the leading Japanese lady ("ace") for a few years. Her most important "mission" is to obtain three spots for the 2018 Olympics. As long as she can fulfill the role, the JSF will push her for that purpose. Miyahara doesn't need to worry about worlds spots for at least three years but she's continually receiving pressure from younger "future" rivals. That is a good position to keep mental strength and technical improvements.
 

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I admire your ability to describe what makes certain skaters so captivating to watch. It's always interesting to read graceful comments by eloquent fans. :thumbsup:
To get back to the topic, it's at least a good thing that Satoko's lutz has improve. I still remember 2 years ago when Satoko delivered a very good FS to my uneducated eyes and placed 7th. She was dinged for both flutz and lip and << jumps. That incident probably prompted her to work harder and now her jumps have been ratified more frequently.

Thank you for your compliments. Hopefully, Satoko will get more credit for her beautiful efforts in the next competition, especially in PCS.
 

inskate

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Here's a short program about the skaters competing at NHK:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2b7bhk_141127-s-plus-あす開幕_sport

The part about Satoko starts at 1:23. She says her goal at NHK is to skate the best program she is capable of right now and skate with speed. She wants to skate a better program than at Skate Canada. They talk about her jumps and her attempts to improve them. One of her tricks is to practice jumping in the opposite direction. Another is to adjust the position of her arms and head on the take-off (she used to rotate her head/body ahead of the blade on the landing foot). :agree:
 

ioanna

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Here's a short program about the skaters competing at NHK:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2b7bhk_141127-s-plus-あす開幕_sport

The part about Satoko starts at 1:23. She says her goal at NHK is to skate the best program she is capable of right now and skate with speed. She wants to skate a better program than at Skate Canada. They talk about her jumps and her attempts to improve them. One of her tricks is to practice jumping in the opposite direction. Another is to adjust the position of her arms and head on the take-off (she used to rotate her head/body ahead of the blade on the landing foot). :agree:

Thank you for sharing and translating inskate. I hope she fulfills her wishes and skates better programs than at Skate Canada - she deserves another standing ovation, this time on home ice. I'm still hoping she can somehow make it to the GPF.
 

jimeonji

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Thank you for the translation, inskate - t's very interesting to see her train jumps in the other direction. I am hoping for a NHK win for her with flawless performances of her two breathtaking programs.
 

leolion11

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Thank you inskate! I also wish she can perform two outstanding programs at NHK, and in front of a home crowd too :)
 

satine

v Yuki Ishikawa v
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Rooting for clean skates & a podium finish for her at NHK :cheer:
 

BounceAround

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
I hope she has a great free skate! After watching the super slow-motion on some of the top programs, I don't think the technical calling was consistent.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Fun fact: while watching the NBC broadcast, they mentioned that Satoko actually lived in the US for a number of years. The family moved to Houston for work, and she learned to speak excellent English at a young age.
 

firal

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Fun fact: while watching the NBC broadcast, they mentioned that Satoko actually lived in the US for a number of years. The family moved to Houston for work, and she learned to speak excellent English at a young age.

Yeah I heard that too. Now I'm super curious to see her speak English!
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
She's so shy though, she barely even speaks in Japanese. :biggrin:
I love her skating and her hard-working attitude. I think she has a great chance of being national champion this year.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Yeah I heard that too. Now I'm super curious to see her speak English!

We may be surprised. I didn't realize Daisuke Murakami spoke perfect American-accented English until he won NHK and NBC interviewed him.
 

Becki

Medalist
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Satoko's freeskate is the best among ladies this season!!! She can do it.

I really like her free skater. There's something about her skating that's so exciting to watch, and she's so adorable too :)

I want to hear her speak English hehe
 

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I posted this earlier this season after watching Satoko's freeskate at Skate Canada.

It was the end of Satoko's program that captivated me the most because of the way she glided in an arabesque that curved across the rink and transitioned subtly into a serpentine turn and a series of pirouettes with her right hand positioned delicately atop her head, as a ballerina in a music box that mirrored perfectly the gentle tinkling on the piano keys. Then, she exited this position with finely drawn out extensions of her arms and legs, and balletic turns before dashing to her final triple flip. Next, she began with a counterclockwise camel before dropping into a broken leg sit spin. Then, she immediately switched the direction of her rotation to clockwise before dropping into a shoot the duck sit spin, and rising to conclude with a rapidly rotating I spin.

Even though it would be nice if she could jump higher, I am impressed with Satoko's skating the way it is. That last spiral and spin sequence with the triple flip in between was mesmerizing. Hence, she received the only real standing ovation in the competition.
 
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matmuh

what are levels anyway
Record Breaker
Joined
May 2, 2014
I posted this earlier this season after watching Satoko's freeskate at Skate Canada.

It was the end of Satoko's program that captivated me the most because of the way she glided in an arabesque that curved across the rink and transitioned subtly into a serpentine turn and a series of pirouettes with her right hand positioned delicately atop her head, as a ballerina in a music box that mirrored perfectly the gentle tinkling on the piano keys. Then, she exited this position with finely drawn out extensions of her arms and legs, and balletic turns before dashing to her final triple flip. Next, she began with a counterclockwise camel before dropping into a broken leg sit spin. Then, she immediately switched the direction of her rotation to clockwise before dropping into a shoot the duck sit spin, and rising to conclude with a rapidly rotating I spin.

Even though it would be nice if she could jump higher, I am impressed with Satoko's skating the way it is. That last spiral and spin sequence with the triple flip in between was mesmerizing. Hence, she received the only real standing ovation in the competition.

i love that part too, my favourite!:love: perfect harmony and match with the music :love:
 
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