Team Japan

[sweetwater]

Misato and Takeru Komatsubara have withdrawn from Warsaw Cup due to Misato's ligament injury on her left arm. Yuhana Yokoi has also withdrawn to take part in GP France.

 

 

Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda and Rion Sumiyoshi are going to compete in JGPF in December filling Japan's host country slots.

 

 

 

[Paskud]

But of course they couldn't wait until next week.🙄

[sweetwater]

Rika Kihira updated her IGS and thanked her fan/fans for sending her beautiful flowers.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/rikaskate0721/2708626727490250638/

[sweetwater]

1 hour ago, Paskud said:

But of course they couldn't wait until next week.🙄

In case of others do well and win at junior nationals, maybe they can take a good rest and prepare for senior JNats in a better form. 

 

ETA (correction) : The winners of junior nationals automatically win a slot for junior worlds, so senior nationals may not mean anything for them.

[Paskud]

16 minutes ago, sweetwater said:

In case of others do well and win at junior nationals, maybe they can take a good rest and prepare for senior JNats in a better form. 

They are juniors. Who cares about senior nats?  It's JGPF and JWC that are insanely important this season, not any Japanese competition.

[sweetwater]

9 minutes ago, Paskud said:

They are juniors. Who cares about senior nats?  It's JGPF and JWC that are insanely important this season, not any Japanese competition.

The results in senior nationals also affect the allocation of international competitions next year, including the junior worlds, so to be able to compete at senior nationals is a chance.

https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/common/img/info/20210714_FS_Senkokijun.pdf

[Paskud]

4 minutes ago, sweetwater said:

The results in senior nationals also affect the allocation of international competitions next year, including the junior worlds, so to be able to compete at senior nationals is a chance.

https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/common/img/info/20210714_FS_Senkokijun.pdf

Maybe so, but:

1. In case someone else wins junior nats - it means they are already in JWC team, so I don't get this senior nats argument.

2. Announcement like that just few days before junior nats?😅

3. Rion isn't some outrageous choice, but not an obvious one either. Even when she keeps scoring well, she hasn't skated one clean program this whole season, even when East Japan is a pretty weak field and she has room for mistakes. Meanwhile both Ayumi and Ikura proved that they can land their jumps under pressure in much deeper competition. Not to mention Hana, her 8 triples FP that she skated cleanly few times in past already, two times junior nats medalist. And I don't care how West Sectional went. The field was deep and she has still highest scoring potential. Yet the decision already is made, uhm.

4. Let's be real, this means that Rion is supposed to be in JWC team too. No matter how junior nats will go, senior nats can easily adjust it. And JWC will decide JGP spots. And every spot posible is extremely important, because next season there will be Hana, Ami, Ayumi, Ikura, Sakurako, Mao, Kaoruko, Haruna, Rika and I still haven't lost hope that Momoka will come back. And in difficult situation like that, when Hana/Ayumi/Ikura have ZERO international experience and ZERO exposure to judges (look: point 3) - the assignment to the only competition before JWC that can give it is decided beforehand. Sweet, isn't it?

 

 

And whole situation could be easened, if not completely avoided, if Hana was send to JGP in 2019 like she deserved.

[sweetwater]

3 hours ago, Paskud said:

Maybe so, but:

1. In case someone else wins junior nats - it means they are already in JWC team, so I don't get this senior nats argument.

2. Announcement like that just few days before junior nats?😅

3. Rion isn't some outrageous choice, but not an obvious one either. Even when she keeps scoring well, she hasn't skated one clean program this whole season, even when East Japan is a pretty weak field and she has room for mistakes. Meanwhile both Ayumi and Ikura proved that they can land their jumps under pressure in much deeper competition. Not to mention Hana, her 8 triples FP that she skated cleanly few times in past already, two times junior nats medalist. And I don't care how West Sectional went. The field was deep and she has still highest scoring potential. Yet the decision already is made, uhm.

4. Let's be real, this means that Rion is supposed to be in JWC team too. No matter how junior nats will go, senior nats can easily adjust it. And JWC will decide JGP spots. And every spot posible is extremely important, because next season there will be Hana, Ami, Ayumi, Ikura, Sakurako, Mao, Kaoruko, Haruna, Rika and I still haven't lost hope that Momoka will come back. And in difficult situation like that, when Hana/Ayumi/Ikura have ZERO international experience and ZERO exposure to judges (look: point 3) - the assignment to the only competition before JWC that can give it is decided beforehand. Sweet, isn't it?

 

 

And whole situation could be easened, if not completely avoided, if Hana was send to JGP in 2019 like she deserved.

As to point no. 1, you are right. I realized it after posting my previous post, so I have corrected my earlier post. And if you are talking strictly about junior women, the chance of anyone making use of senior JNats would be lower than for men as Japan has only two JWFC slots for women.

 

As to points no.2, 3, 4, I had a different thought. Comparing the scores at regionals and sectionals, Rion has the second-highest average scores among Rion, Ikura, Ayumi, and Hana. So as you say, score-wise, this choice isn't obvious to everyone. But seeing their ages, Rion could be the one that needs WS points most because she is already 18. Although she can compete at the junior level for another year, seeing how younger skaters are developing, maybe it is time for her to move up to senior. In short, I am guessing that JSF used the host-country slots to support the older junior skater who is going to move up to senior and the one who has just moved up to senior. I feel bad for Hana, though. She was supposed to compete at Golden Spin, but its junior categories have been canceled. Hope she will get another chance in the second half of the season. Hope other girls do well this weekend, too.

[Paskud]

1 hour ago, sweetwater said:

As to point no. 1, you are right. I realized it after posting my previous post, so I have corrected my earlier post. And if you are talking strictly about junior women, the chance of anyone making use of senior JNats would be lower than for men as Japan has only two JWFC slots for women.

 

As to points no.2, 3, 4, I had a different thought. Comparing the scores at regionals and sectionals, Rion has the second-highest average scores among Rion, Ikura, Ayumi, and Hana. So as you say, score-wise, this choice isn't obvious to everyone. But seeing their ages, Rion could be the one that needs WS points most because she is already 18. Although she can compete at the junior level for another year, seeing how younger skaters are developing, maybe it is time for her to move up to senior. In short, I am guessing that JSF used the host-country slots to support the older junior skater who is going to move up to senior and the one who has just moved up to senior. I feel bad for Hana, though. She was supposed to compete at Golden Spin, but its junior categories have been canceled. Hope she will get another chance in the second half of the season. Hope other girls do well this weekend, too.

The only thing that World Standing really affects is skating order during some competitions. Not who goes to these competitions. Yes, TOP 24 has obligatory 1 spot during GP, bur that's it. 25th place and lower will not give you anything. You need thousands of points to be in TOP 24 and one competition will not give you this.

 

The important thing for Rion and Hana right now is Season's Best (total scores). Because TOP 24 gets 1 spot for GP and TOP 75 will be considered for receiving leftover spots. It's SB list that GP organisers take as a reference when inviting skaters. Which is how Sota, Rino and Yuhana got one GP each this June. Because they weren't in TOP24 SB (or WS), but still high enough. Which is how Mana later got Skate Canada (she was 30-something on the list; NHK was obvious, because it would go to Japanese lady anyway, so the only question was Mana or Yuhana, which... isn't really a question). That's why Koshiro wasn't invited anywhere - iirc he was 50-something, which is way too low.

That's also why it was a bit of a scandal that Davis/Smolkin got Skate Canada and Shevchenko/Eremenko nothing, when S/E were higher on the SB list.

And the easy part with SB is that you need only one good competition to achieve it. The problem is that you can't get it at every competition. Which is why challengers and JGP are so important.

 

And that's why it pisses me off that JSF doesn't send more skaterts to challengers. Rinka is doing amazing this season, but the only competition she will go to is Universiade (non-ISU competition). Akari landed two 3-3 in second half. Hana is a seeded skater, so she could go to senior challenger too. And two, while we are at it, because only one chance is beyond cruel. Yet they got nothing. The only skaters who received one (1) challenger each were the ones, who in last 2-3 years were considered Japan's top juniors, recently switched to seniors, but not received any GP. Who cares that Tomoe for a long time already is a mess. Who cares that some skaters don't peak in juniors, but somewhere later in seniors. And it's not like JSF bets on younger generation, because for example Rinka is younger than Tomoe.

[sweetwater]

@Paskud, I know how people in and out of this forum have been feeling about JSF's decisions regarding JGP and CS and why they are feeling that way. And as a Japanese who currently lives in Japan, I have already explained how the situation regarding covid here and how our governments' decisions would affect JSF's decisions. I don't see this discussion going anywhere, so I will try not to respond to this specific topic and bother you anymore.

[sweetwater]

BS Fuji will air the highlights of JJNats on November 23, between 16:00-18:00 (JST)

https://www.bsfuji.tv/figurejr2021/pub/index.html

[rockstaryuzu]

On 11/17/2021 at 2:37 AM, sweetwater said:

Misato and Takeru Komatsubara have withdrawn from Warsaw Cup due to Misato's ligament injury on her left arm.

I hope it's not too serious and she recovers quickly

[sweetwater]

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

I hope it's not too serious and she recovers quickly

According to her tweet, it is mcl ligament injury in her left elbow. I hope it heals quickly, too.

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, sweetwater said:

According to her tweet, it is mcl ligament injury in her left elbow. I hope it heals quickly, too.

Well it could be worse, it could be in her knee, which would probably have ended their season completely 

[sweetwater]

Interview with Shun Sato by Hochi Shimbun

https://hochi.news/articles/20211116-OHT1T51179.html?page=1

 

A rough translation

Spoiler

Shun Sato (17 years old, belonging to Fuji Corporation), who is aiming at an Olympic berth for Beijing2022 with the difficult quadruple jumps in his arsenal, gave an online interview to Sports Hochi until 16th this month. He is a talent who has won the title at JGPF2019 as the fourth Japanese man after Takahiko Kozuka, Yuzuru Hanyu, and Shoma Uno. The 17-year-old who admires Hanyu, and has set his goal in competing at the Olympics, is now trying to haul in the ticket to his dream stage, making his growth in his second senior year his confidence.

(Interviewed and edited by Megumi Takagi and Reika Kobayashi)

 

Sato has a vivid memory of the moment when the Olympics has become his goal. It was during Sochi2014. He was staring at the TV screen. Hanyu, a fellow Sendai native, became the first Japanese man to win the Olympic gold medal. Sato, who was ten years old at that time, was moved tremendously.

 

"The performance made me think, "I should aim for the Olympics, too." I have always been admiring him and have been hoping to do my best to be like him. I want to imitate his attitude toward training. I still cannot train that much without losing my concentration. I want to be able to maintain focus in my training.

 

He landed a quad Lutz at JGPF2019 and stood on top of the world. This season, he has included a quad Flip in addition to Lutz and toe loop in his FP. It was Hanyu who supported him to do so, saying, "If you can do Lutz, you will also be able to do Flip." Sato treasures the pendant Hanyu gave him when he was in kindergarten. Cherishing the words of the skater he respects in his heart, he competes in this Olympic season with a difficult jump layout that includes four quads of three types.

 

"I could believe that I would be able to do Flip because Lutz was more difficult," he said. "I felt pretty good when I gave it the first try in practice in May. Jumps are my weapon. I have always been loveing them and have been practicing them a lot."

 

At Skate America in October, he decided to compete despite having injured his left shoulder during the official practice. He stuck to doing Lutz, his weapon. In free skating, he attempted four quadruple jumps including the Lutz, and finished in fourth place.

 

"I thought about withdrawing as well, but I couldn't let everything I had done come to nothing, so I decided to try my best. My coach (Tadao Kusaka) told me, "Only you know your condition, so I'll leave the decision to you," so I said that I wanted to skate through the short program first. In that competition, I could skate with top skaters and gained a lot from it."

 

When he was in the first grade of elementary school, he got affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and couldn't skate for three months. He moved to Tokyo with his mother and resumed skating in Kawagoe, Saitama, with the help of Keiko Asano, his current head coach. There, he had a fateful encounter with Coach Kusaka, too.

 

"At that time, I was worried so much and badly wanted to skate because it was when I was becoming able to land jumps. It was a critical time for my skating. I think having moved to Saitama and found my coaches enabled me to have come this far. I trust them very much."

 

It is his second season as a senior skater. His efforts in building physical strength paid off, and he has become more expressive and consistent in executing jumps. Beijing Olympics next year is now within the range of him, but he is focusing on putting his all into each competition.

 

"At the moment, I think it is more important to do well in each competition than to focus my attention on the Olympics. I rather feel that I want to do my best in an upcoming competition than feel, like, "It's Olympics!""

 

He is taking part in GP France from 19th with Yuma Kagiyama, one of his peers.

 

"I have a strong feeling that I want to win (against Kagiyama) at some point. I want to do my best to skate clean and go up the ranks."

 

Following the footsteps of Hanyu, who he admires while improving himself through friendly rivalry continuing from his junior era, Sato strives for another height on the world stage.