MK at Japan Open

[kuchana]

Hey ya'll..I know most of ya'll have seen Japan Open but I got to see it tonight!~:) I was so happy to see MK skate again...it seems a long time since I've seen her skate...the old familiar feelings when I watch her came back again..my heart pounding...this joyful feeling inside in as I saw her skate, well..it was just wonderful to see her skate:) I definitely can't wait to see her skate tomorrow with Hands that I've heard the buzz about in the past...I also noticed another skater...Chisato Shiini from Japan...it was unbelievable to hear that she had won the Junior Nationals and then because she won they let her skate in Senior Nationals and she won that,too! So it must have been quite an experience for her to skate with Michele and Maria...I noticed also as she skated that some of the music was the very same one Michele skated to in Romanza...I have to admit I prefer Michele's program with that music moreso than Chisato but it was refreshing to see a young skater with such potential as her skate. Does anyone know what happened to Fumei? I can't remember her last name...but anyway...I'm so happy to see MK again and can't wait to see her in Nat'ls next Friday!~ And oh I have a question...it says on Heather's Figure Skating Page that the Ladies' Long in Worlds is going to be on ABC but it doesn't mention Ladies' Short. I thought Ladies' Short would be on ESPN like it usually is?

[Buffy]

I can't wait to see Hands tomorrow night either! Everytime I see ADITL I like it better! I didn't really like it at first, but now I love it!

[TripleLutz]

Fumie Suguri was 3rd at this year's Japanese National Championships. Chisato Shiina won and Arisa Yamazaki was 2nd. Yoshie Onda was 4th and Shizuka Arakawa (who won in 98 and 99) was 5th. Fumie Suguri, Arisa Yamazaki, and Yoshie Onda will be competing at the Four Continents in Osaka, Japan in late February. The highest placer will take the one spot that Japan has for the Senior Worlds. Chisato Shiina will be competing at Junior Worlds definitely, but the Japanese federation may send her in place of Yoshie Onda for the Four Continents.

[NicoleMarie]

ok Kuchana I TOTALLY agree with you. I was just a few days ago saying how I felt that Michelle had lost that "wow" factor. But I watched aditl and smiled the whole time...then rewound it and watched it again...then rewound it and watched it again...and again and again....and I'm pretty much speechless....I've put my foot in my mouth. Michelle put so many inventive moves into that program....I guess when half the skating world is using your moves you come up with new ones...just the way she was using her body, shoulders....arm movements....it made me promise I'll never ever EVER EVER say that she doesn't have spark because she proved me wrong..which I was happy that she did. And was it my imagination......her spins seem much faster than they were before..and of course the Button Approved Layback..I felt hers was the best in the competition. But through it all that smile she always seems to have gets me everytime...and i'm really really looking forward to nationals...unfortunatly I won't be able to watch friday's untill after work...around 1 am but Saturday next week I've already put the word out do NOT call me and do NOT expect me to go out because "my girl" is on. Does anyone else get the strange looks I get? Well, like I said, after watching tonight I'd have to say that anything I've said in the past....can I take it back? Oh and I can't WAIT to watch hands tomorrow. and Go Suryia...she surprised me by skating as well as she did...it's too bad she's not olympic eligable anymore because all of the sudden things are getting interesting...with Irina, Marie, Michelle....Sarah Hughes quickly moving up...Ohhhhh I'm just so excited :) (excuse the rambling just got off work and everyones sleeping and I have noone to talk to bout this, and I know my mom will disown me if I wake her up at 3:30 am to talk bout Michelle...as much as she likes her...hehe)

[lavender]

Michelle was the highlight for me. I also notice that part of Chisato music was romanza and all could of think of was michelle's program.. After that I know for sure that if I was another skater that I wouldn't use michelle's music. It just that no one does it like michelle. Did you see how michelle said jokingly about people not believing that she skate and go to school. She must read the boards.

[Teddy99]

Big smile on my face! Michelle truly rocked the SP yesterday and she didn't need the 3FL to win it either! Can I just tell you "Miss Roz I can only do a double axel" was truly getting on my nerves. I had to scream to the TV, would you shut the hell up! GRRRRRR!! Then when Chisato skated to Michelle's music, yes, it's Michelle's music...all I kept thinking was OMG she's doing nothing for this music, and I kept thinking of what Michelle did during parts of the music when she was just doing basic strokes! so I had to watch my Cherie tape and see Romanza a couple times before I went to bed last night:) I'm so glad Michelle looked happy out there, she was enjoying the music, she skated with lots of speed...she was AWESOME!!! Teddy99 keeper of the title "Michelle Kwan #1 Skater of the Decade!"

[tteller]

USFSA web site says that the ladies SP will be shown from 10-11 PM, Friday, Feb. 11th on ESPN. Just an fyi....

[Rene]

in the L.A. tv guide it says 7:00pm. Michelle's layback was really beautiful in the short.

[taf2]

OK, I'm a couple of days behind, because a friend taped Japan Open for me & I just got finished watching it. Michelle was unbelievable in "Hands"-even better than the USFSA comp. I thought the judging was really strange, esp the fact that in the sp, Michelle got 5.8's for presentation, and Maria got 2 5.8's as well with her flawed program. What was that all about? Can you say "held up"? What is it with this woman? Are there Russian soldiers holding guns on the judges? And why didn't Todd win? I couldn't believe Alexi's scores were better than his, with his mistakes. But at least, I got to see Michelle be perfect in both programs.

[mano]

Did that lady Delino something or other say that Michelle skates at one rink in the morning, goes to class then skates at a different rink at night? I thought it was just El Segundo on weekdays and Arrowhead on Weekends.

[kuchana]

hey taf2 I totally agree with you about Todd and Alexi! I couldn't believe that Todd didn't win with his superior performance whereas Alexi's was ridden with mistakes throughout the whole thing! What's wrong with the judges???

[MarcellaMichelle]

My favorite was in the Kiss and Cry when Frank Carroll looked at the scores and you can hear him say "U.S. Judge 5.7?" and then make a face and then Michelle smiled. That cracked me up! I also agree about Todd and Alexsei. Just bizarre there.

[MariKat19]

I was so thrilled when Fumie won the Four Continents! I thought that jennifer kirks scored were way too low though. she deserved second.the only reason they scored her so low was to keep her placed UNDER angela nikodinov so that the u.s doesn't look like they made a mistake in selecting the ladies team for worlds(WHICH THEY DID!) to have only one decent skater.shizuka arakawa did not skate very well. yoshie onda reminded me very much of midori ito and kind of yuka sato too the way she skated so powerfully; i thought she deserved third behind jennifer. She did not have that long leg graceful look that fumie has however. I was dissapointed that japan didn't send chisato shiina instead of shizuka arakawa, although everyone says that chisato should stay in juniors. I don't agree with that because Yukari Nakano is in Juniors and she is an incredible jumper- she kind of owns japanese juniors. She took second in the junior grand prix while ann patrice mcdonough won- go A.P!!