Japan Skates

Hi folks.  This is Gregg  and I, with Mark, run Japanskates.com.  This is my first attempt at a blog so bear with me!  I’m running a bit behind so I’ll get to the pleasantries later.  I’m here in Lake Placid attending Skate America 2009.  I’d like to begin with my practice report from yesterday’s practice.    I scribbled some notes on the back of the schedule.  These were my observations watching Fumie Suguri practice.

Fumie began the practice with her straight line footwork.   I think she has increased her flexibilty and her moves looked very quick and rather dramatic. She performed them twice then went into her layback spins.  Her coach Alexei Mishkin often called out instructions  to her as she skated.  Can’t say I’ve ever seen that before.  He looks tough.

Fumie skated her free skate at practice.  Again she focused on the program component elements.   I think her footwork section looked very aggressive but with lots of emotion; very “Fumie like”.  She even did a move where she goes up on her tippy toes and chops up the ice.  Excellent!

After the free skate practice it was jumping time.  I’m going to  list what I saw as I typed it in my notes:

• Perfect triple lutz
• Stepped out of a triple salchow
• Blocked by Yu-Na on her second attempt at the salchow.
• Perfect double axel
• Perfect tripe jump combo.  I think it was triple lutz, double toe, double toe.
• Another popped triple salchow.  (I thought those were easy jumps?)
• Next try on triple sal perfect
• Again a triple salchow but two footed landing.

Now at end of practice she puts on a jump show to take advantage of the remaining minutes.

• Triple lutz at each end of rink
• Double axel, step, double axel combo
• Doubles a triple flip attempt.

She then took a bow, to much applause I might add, and left the rink. 

Overall this was a very aggressive practice.  I think she took the most advantage of the session compared to all the other ladies.  I am anticpating seeing her free skate in competition.

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