Team Japan

[barbara]

9 hours ago, Paskud said:

What I need to sacriface for more Tom D programs.... 

I don't want her with Wilson. I don't want her with Lori. I don't want her with Ge. Even Shae-Lynn is now unlikely.

Tom D and Rika were such a good combo. He believed in her so much.😭😭😭😭

Rika spending part of her training at TCC doesn't say anything about her choice of choreo will be.  It's a smart move for her. She must have quads to compete with the little Russian girls.  And I don't think the team would have accepted her as a student if they thought they wouldn't have the time for her (or for the other skaters.)  It's a win-win, especially for the girls.  

[Paskud]

9 minutes ago, barbara said:

Rika spending part of her training at TCC doesn't say anything about her choice of choreo will be.  It's a smart move for her. She must have quads to compete with the little Russian girls.  And I don't think the team would have accepted her as a student if they thought they wouldn't have the time for her (or for the other skaters.)  It's a win-win, especially for the girls.  

Of course it will. Tom D works with very very few skaters.

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, Paskud said:

I wonder if we will get an interview with Brian?👀👀👀

As much as I like Brian, I really don't want him giving an interview about Rika too soon, and that's solely because Brian somehow always manages to say something clumsy that comes out wrong. Would not want that to happen again. 

 

IMO, Rika's going there for Ghislain, who by all accounts has developed a really interesting method for gaining quads using biomechanics. She would be silly not to use every tool at her disposal to get a quad or two under her belt. Like it or not, she'll need them this season going up against the Russians. 

 

It probably doesn't hurt that Brian's on record as saying Rika's 3A is 'perfect' during a skating seminar he was giving.

 

.

.

.

Ooh. Wait. Wait - 

 

- what if --

 

Omg I'm afraid to say this out loud but: 

 

What if Rika wants to try for 4A? What if that's why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SitTwizzle]

15 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

As much as I like Brian, I really don't want him giving an interview about Rika too soon, and that's solely because Brian somehow always manages to say something clumsy that comes out wrong. Would not want that to happen again. 

 

IMO, Rika's going there for Ghislain, who by all accounts has developed a really interesting method for gaining quads using biomechanics. She would be silly not to use every tool at her disposal to get a quad or two under her belt. Like it or not, she'll need them this season going up against the Russians. 

 

It probably doesn't hurt that Brian's on record as saying Rika's 3A is 'perfect' during a skating seminar he was giving.

 

.

.

.

Ooh. Wait. Wait - 

 

- what if --

 

Omg I'm afraid to say this out loud but: 

 

What if Rika wants to try for 4A? What if that's why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She may go there for Ghislain Briand's "biomechanics of the quadruple jump" but she may also go there to enrich her body language and skating skills with Tracy Wilson. Who, by the way, being better at PR than Brian Orser (how I like this "fail" in him though), may speak first?

But I don't think they will give a special interview for Rika Kihira's move.

[Paskud]

37 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

As much as I like Brian, I really don't want him giving an interview about Rika too soon, and that's solely because Brian somehow always manages to say something clumsy that comes out wrong. Would not want that to happen again. 

 

IMO, Rika's going there for Ghislain, who by all accounts has developed a really interesting method for gaining quads using biomechanics. She would be silly not to use every tool at her disposal to get a quad or two under her belt. Like it or not, she'll need them this season going up against the Russians. 

 

It probably doesn't hurt that Brian's on record as saying Rika's 3A is 'perfect' during a skating seminar he was giving.

 

.

.

.

Ooh. Wait. Wait - 

 

- what if --

 

Omg I'm afraid to say this out loud but: 

 

What if Rika wants to try for 4A? What if that's why?

 

I know. I just hoped that he would tell us something more. For example how often and for how long she will go to Canada.

I hope she knows that she still needs to quarantine herself after traveling.

[Paskud]

Just now, SitTwizzle said:

She may go there for Ghislain Briand's "biomechanics of the quadruple jump" but she may also go there to enrich her body language and skating skills with Tracy Wilson.

Well, that she already has with Hamada.

[SitTwizzle]

22 minutes ago, Paskud said:

Well, that she already has with Hamada.

Yet Tracy Wilson will certainly teach her different things. I don't mean getting a better quality, I mean getting more variety.

[memae]

11 hours ago, Paskud said:

 And what can Medo show her?

 

 

I think Zhenya has guts, perseverance, and a training ethic that is above and beyond. Brian has even mentioned her approach and how hard she works at training, and he's been coaching Zu for years so it's not like he hasn't seen someone take training seriously before. 

 

Zhenya has gone from strength to strength at TCC even though she hasn't had the same success competitively. She's still fighting. That's probably a good thing for Rika to see in action and makes Zhenya an inspiring person for her to be around, especially at the moment when Rika has been pushed to the side by the same girls who pushed Zhenya out. 

[Paskud]

1 minute ago, memae said:

I think Zhenya has guts, perseverance, and a training ethic that is above and beyond. Brian has even mentioned her approach and how hard she works at training, and he's been coaching Zu for years so it's not like he hasn't seen someone take training seriously before. 

 

Zhenya has gone from strength to strength at TCC even though she hasn't had the same success competitively. She's still fighting. That's probably a good thing for Rika to see in action and makes Zhenya an inspiring person for her to be around, especially at the moment when Rika has been pushed to the side by the same girls who pushed Zhenya out. 

Rika already has her work ethic ideal and it's Satoko. Since when Rika has problems with work ethic, wtf?!

[SitTwizzle]

2 minutes ago, memae said:

 

I think Zhenya has guts, perseverance, and a training ethic that is above and beyond. Brian has even mentioned her approach and how hard she works at training, and he's been coaching Zu for years so it's not like he hasn't seen someone take training seriously before. 

 

Zhenya has gone from strength to strength at TCC even though she hasn't had the same success competitively. She's still fighting. That's probably a good thing for Rika to see in action and makes Zhenya an inspiring person for her to be around, especially at the moment when Rika has been pushed to the side by the same girls who pushed Zhenya out. 

I don't think Rika Kihira has been "pushed to the side". She was injured last year and had to avoid several jumps. I was really sorry not to see her, once recovered, at Worlds.

[memae]

4 hours ago, SitTwizzle said:

Oh, thank you! My poor English again.

 

To be fair, it's a tricky expression. You can say 'half-decent' to mean exactly that (my first thought is a tray of mostly burnt cookies and finding one or two that are 'half-decent' and salvageable) but most of the time it's deliberately downplaying something when we mean 'excellent'. I guess it's a bit sarcastic or light-hearted like that.

[memae]

Just now, SitTwizzle said:

I don't think Rika Kihira has been "pushed to the side". She was injured last year and had to avoid several jumps. I was really sorry not to see her, once recovered, at Worlds.

 

Yeah, I know she was injured but I think the timing really wasn't in her favour. These Russian girls came through strong when she was struggling through the season - we know how that looks comparatively and how that influences judging. As it was, she was already getting underscored in PCS, especially compared to the Russians. She's really going to come back guns blazing to shock the ISU and the judges into remember that she is absolutely something to behold and perfectly capable of beating any of the Russian girls.

[SitTwizzle]

I just had a stupid idea, but as I find it funny...

Rika being, in Western countries, a nickname for Erika, she could "rename" herself Erika, so we could have the "three Es" competing against the "three As" (now maybe Alina, Alena and Anna, as Alexandra left the team, though certainly not the competition)?

[Paskud]

4 minutes ago, memae said:

Yeah, I know she was injured but I think the timing really wasn't in her favour. These Russian girls came through strong when she was struggling through the season - we know how that looks comparatively and how that influences judging. As it was, she was already getting underscored in PCS, especially compared to the Russians. She's really going to come back guns blazing to shock the ISU and the judges into remember that she is absolutely something to behold and perfectly capable of beating any of the Russian girls.

She wasn't struggling. She was one of the most consistent skaters last season.

[memae]

6 minutes ago, Paskud said:

Rika already has her work ethic ideal and it's Satoko. Since when Rika has problems with work ethic, wtf?!

 

I didn't say she had problems with work ethic so I don't know that the 'wtf' is necessary. 

 

I pointed out that even Brian marvels at Zhenya's work ethic and he's been coaching Yuzuru, who we know trains like a beast. My point is that even after everything that Zhenya has been through and even though things don't look promising for her competitively, she's still persevering and she's still training in a way that makes Yuzuru Hanyu's coach take note and make mention of it in interviews. It's going to be important for Rika to be able to look to the future and fight for it after having had such a rough season. She doesn't need Zhenya around for that, obviously, but it will probably be a nice bonus of that training environment. You can take inspiration from more than one person for the same thing.