2018-19 Japanese Ladies' figure skating

[rikaquegira]

omg, my heart is melting!!!

https://twitter.com/misshanyu/status/1066474349438345218

look at them!!! so cute!!!! :luv17:

 

[lanceupper1114]

Her reaction when she saw her scores really broke my heart. So so underrated it kills me. She needs to be super clean to bios those PCs marks. Also, when she makes a mistake, shoe loses it in performance immediately. Ie: nationals sp, France fs

I thought she burst into tears from joy because she knew she made he podium, not because she was upset. Funny how people can interpret things differently.

 

[theharleyquinn]

It's this kind of scenario that i had in mind. Imagine 1) Kaori 2) Wakaba 3) Mai 4) Rika 5) Satoko (Not impossible) at nats, while Rika and Satoko medaled at GPF. I can see fed giving spots to Rika and Satoko. Even if they put nats results in first in past seasons. Given what happened last season, medalists should get the big spots.

I think Satoko will get a spot no matter what.

 

[zanadude]

If she's in, nats will be the event the most watched in Japan this season

We'll have to check the BS Fuji ratings on that. I don't think that Miyu draws as much attention as she used to, as she has started looking much less like a "child" actress.

I thought she burst into tears from joy because she knew she made he podium, not because she was upset. Funny how people can interpret things differently.

The Japan broadcast will begin shortly, so we will soon hear the actual reaction described straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[Dreamer57]

I'm really happy for Marin. She's improving. And we saw how beautiful her programs are. If she had done a disaster like at SA, i think she would be in the cimetery in JSF mind. Now i think a top 5 at nats is not totally impossible. And a top 5 can mean a 4CC selection. I hope that Raf's work will make her rotate faster. Her jumps are already a bit higher, she just needs to increase the rotation speed.

I hope that the top 5 at nationals do get to worlds and/or 4CC! The national champion will most likely get to attend both.

 

[zanadude]

OK, criteria for Worlds selection in Japan are published:
https://twitter.com/tsubakindy/status/1065311496362553344

For Ladies&Men Singles (3 spots available):

1. The winner of Japanese Nationals will be chosen

2. One athlete will be chosen by judging comprehensively between athletes who met criterias below
---(a) Ranked 2 or 3 in Japan Nationals
---(b) Top 2 in Grand Prix Final Standing
---(c) Top 3 ISU personal best scores by the time Japan National ends.

3. To gather 3 names aside from the ones chosen in point 1+2
An athlete will be chosen from judging comprehensively between those who met the criterias below:
---(a) Athletes who met the requirements from point 2a to 2c but were not chosen
---(b) Top 3 of ISU Season World Rankings
---(c) Top 3 of ISU Season's Best Score

To qualify for the spots, participation in Japan Nationals is mandatory ( the selection of substitutes are not limited by this) However if an athlete has archieved top 3 in past World Championship fails to compete in Japan Nationals due to inevitable reasons such as injuries, an evaluation will be made of the athlete's performance before the said injury happened, based on the criterias cited above. Some considerations will be made by seeing the conditions before World Championship.

I don't think that 2c English is correct. My reading of the Japanese from the tweet is "The top 3 skaters in the World Ranking at the time the Japan Nationals competition has ended".

As of today, that would be Higuchi, Mihara, and Miyahara that qualify for consideration for slots 2 or 3.

My translation of criteria for women:
1. Satoko Miyahara is in. (99%, unless injured).
2. Rika Kihira has very good chance, but needs to deliver at least once, ideally two times of the following three (France GP, GP Final, Nationals)
3. Mai and Kaori, if they won't achieve GP Final, it will be very tough journey through Nationals, but achievable.
4. They have opened the door for Wakaba Higuchi, despite the injury, but she will need to be footperfect at Nationals.
5. Mako Yamashita and Yuna Shiraiwa, they should overcome herself at Nationals and hope for some mistakes of others.
6. Yuhana Yokoi, she has outside shot and enough quality to be on some circumstancies in top 3, but considering criteria virtually no chance for Worlds this year (maybe 4FC, if lucky? )

2. Kihira has likely already earned consideration for spot 3 via Top 3 of ISU Season's Best Score condition.
3. Sakamoto has done this, but still needs to finish ahead of either Kihira or Miyahara in the competition, as only the top 2 from GPF earn consideration via this criteria.
4. Higuchi has already earned consideration for spots 2 and 3 based on her passing condition 2c. Furthermore, she's earned consideration even if she doesn't compete in Nationals based on 2nd place performance at Worlds (Miyahara also from her 3rd place finish there)
6. She must have already declared herself a senior by now to go to Worlds. Best she can do is qualify for Junior Worlds (assuming she first qualifies for Nationals, based on results of tonight's Junior Nationals results)

 

[Shanshani]

I think barring some kind of a disaster/injury Rika and Satoko are almost certainly locks for the Worlds team. Rika has the highest scoring potential of the senior ladies by a massive margin and could realistically challenge for 1st, but even if she turns out to still be inconsistent I think JSF would want to give her the experience so she can better handle the pressure the next go-around. On the other hand, even if Satton's spot as number 1 Japanese lady is looking less secure, she's still the consistency queen so unless tech panels start coming down really hard on her jumps they'll want her. So that means the rest of the ladies will have to fight it out for the 3rd spot. hwell:

 

[zanadude]

"Giving someone experience" should not be a consideration for someone being sent to Worlds, as the participants have a very important job in retaining the three spots for Worlds next season.

If you want to give someone experience, you send them to 4CC.

 

[Shanshani]

"Giving someone experience" should not be a consideration for someone being sent to Worlds, as the participants have a very important job in retaining the three spots for Worlds next season.

If you want to give someone experience, you send them to 4CC.

Good thing it's not the only reason to put Rika on the team then, since like I also said she's the one with the highest scoring potential most realistic shot of being on top of the podium.

 

[Joekaz]

As in previous years, yes, these are the criterion that result in a pool of skaters that JSF selects from, but JSF has been pretty straightforward in appointing the top X from Nationals (unless a guaranteed spot from GPF is written into the rules, e.g., Miki in 2010, or they have a huge reputation going in like Daisuke Takahashi (5th) in 2014 or Yuzuru (injury) in 2017, which none of the current ladies do), so I could definitely see a nationals where it's 1-Satoko, 2-Rika, 3-Wakaba, and they send those three.

(In fact the only scenario in which I could maybe see them knocking the 3rd place finisher off the team would be if their skate was very flawed and Satoko or Rika place in 4th after having medaled at GPF with 2 clean programs)

I agree. Remember last year they chose Kaori for Olympics even though Wakaba was more qualified by the criteria. The criteria is just used to form a pool that they can choose a skater from. And since it's very easy to get into the pool its basically just cover for the JSF to pick whoever they want to go. However since Wakaba has never been a fed favorite it would benefit her to win. Especially if its Kaori or Rika behind her. They are both popular with the fed. Satoko is pretty much in for sure just off her body of work.

 

[zanadude]

Good thing it's not the only reason to put Rika on the team then, since like I also said she's the one with the highest scoring potential most realistic shot of being on top of the podium.

Good thing my comment wasn't specifically referring to Rika Kihira.

 

[zanadude]

I agree. Remember last year they chose Kaori for Olympics even though Wakaba was more qualified by the criteria.

There is no "more qualified by the criteria", with the exception of winning Nationals. Those are merely the criteria for being considered; from amongst this pool, they choose the participants for whatever reason they want, not as some weighting system of the qualification criteria.

 

[Joekaz]

There is no "more qualified by the criteria", with the exception of winning Nationals. Those are merely the criteria for being considered; from amongst this pool, they choose the participants for whatever reason they want, not as some weighting system of the qualification criteria.

You took my quote out of context. If you read the rest of what I said you will see that I agree 100% with what u just said. Lol

 

[TunaKeem]

So heartbroken for Mai. She could have won with that 3S and be going to GPF then there would be 4 Japanese ladies in the GPF. Mai has been so unlucky every season I have been following her. Wondering if anyone has any idea if she is training any new jumps/combos to make herself more competitive since the judges are so hell-bent against giving her the PCS scores she deserves?

 

[zanadude]

You took my quote out of context. If you read the rest of what I said you will see that I agree 100% with what u just said. Lol

Not quite, since you introduced the concept of "more qualified by the criteria", which doesn't exist. You either qualify by the criteria or you don't.

 

[GoodMorningGrapeseed]

I'm hoping they field different teams for 4cc and worlds. Worlds: Rika, Satoko, Kaori and 4CC: Mai, Wakaba/Marin, Mako.

 

[zanadude]

I'm hoping they field different teams for 4cc and worlds. Worlds: Rika, Satoko, Kaori and 4CC: Mai, Wakaba/Marin, Mako.

Rika Hongo or Rika Kihira?

 

[theharleyquinn]

I'm hoping they field different teams for 4cc and worlds. Worlds: Rika, Satoko, Kaori and 4CC: Mai, Wakaba/Marin, Mako.

Marin really needs more international competitions to get her unfairly low PCS up. I hope she goes to 4CC but it's tough when there are so many ladies on the bubble with her.

 

[Joekaz]

Not quite, since you introduced the concept of "more qualified by the criteria", which doesn't exist. You either qualify by the criteria or you don't.

I just did a poor job of explaining I guess.I meant to illustrate what u are saying by using the Wakaba example since she satisfied more of the listed criteria than Kaori, yet Kaori was selected, since all you have to do is get into the pool. Once in it's up to the fed as to who they choose. So anyway I think we do agree.

 

[zanadude]

I just did a poor job of explaining I guess.I meant to illustrate what u are saying by using the Wakaba example since she satisfied more of the listed criteria than Kaori, yet Kaori was selected, since all you have to do is get into the pool. Once in it's up to the fed as to who they choose. So anyway I think we do agree.

Okay, but I still think that that way of putting it just muddied the issue. Ticking off more than one of the boxes is a way of adding to your overall body of work, and that may be considered in the selection process...but they could have also just consulted astrologists that said "You need a Virgo on the team!" and chosen the also-qualified Rika Hongo on that basis alone, and that too would have been perfectly fine based on their rules.