THE FUTURE OF JAPANESE SKATING
I'M SURE AS YOU ALL REMEMBER THREE YEARS AGO I MADE A POST ABOUT HOW MACHIDA AND YUZURU WERE THE FUTURE OF JAPANESE SKATING. NOW THE PREMONITION HAS COME TO PASS AND IT'S TIME FOR ME TO PREDICT THE NEW FUTURE OF JAPANESE SKATING.
j/k I really suck at predicting future skaters but I know many people are concerned about the future of Japanese skating with all the big retirements coming up, I am as well but I love staying positive so I'm always watching junior skaters to see if there are any I can see having a bright future in international competition :) I believe that Japan has a deep pool of talent, sure it's not as crazy deep as the Russian ladies but here are some skaters that might be able to keep Japan on the podium beyond 2014!
THE LADIES
So with Akiko, Mao and Miki all probably retiring next year (and Kanako always threatening to) who will be left for the ladies? Being captain obvious here, two things are most important for the future: 1. Being able to rack up PCS and 2. Being able to do and keep the hard jumps and combos.
I'll start with the obvious skaters first. Satoko Miyahara is obviously liked by the JSF and I like her too! She seems to be next in line for the top but she has a really rough road ahead. She already has a serious UR problem and my prediction for her is that she will have to completely rework her jumps not just to fix that problem but also to still be able to jump as she grows. My hope for her is that maybe after having a bad season or two she'll be able to come back with improved jumps and better than ever by 2018. She is even still young enough to be able to aim for 2022 after all.
There's also Haruka Imai. I find it hard to consider her the future of Japanese skating as she's had a lot of opportunities in international comps and rarely delivers. However she did come in 4th in the FS at nats this year and now I know for sure that I should never count her out.
Now the next two promising skaters I consider promising for similar reasons. Rika Hongo and Miyabi Oba are bother older and have decent jumps, therefore I feel like they can just focus on improving what they already have to work with and I think they both have the ability to do that.
Hongo has some really nice looking jumps even though she does still UR from time to time. She has the same coach as Akiko and I think some day he can coach her to the podium as well. I really hope that she delivers at jr worlds and goes senior next season.
I have to admit sometimes I kind of dismiss Oba because she has struggled with gaining the more difficult jumps and she did not have a great season this year. At nationals again she didn't place particularly well but she is working on her 3A which may not be the best idea but it is still exciting. I generally find her enjoyable to watch. I wish she would go senior next season but I'm not sure if her world ranking is good enough to receive a GP assignment.
Next up is Mariko Kihara, for me she's a HUGE maybe. She made a big splash in national comps this season by coming in first in the SP but then didn't do as well in the FS, mostly because she doesn't really have the flip and the lutz down yet. I think if she can get those jumps she's on track for a bright future. She has already had to come back from a serious hip illness so the fact that she's doing so well right now already proves to me that she's tough. I hope next season she gets two JGP events and does well.
Riona Kato had a good enough season on the JGP by finishing 3rd and 4th, the best of any Japanese girls but unfortunately wasn't able to do so well nationally. I think she has potential for the future because her jumps seem strong, she does need to work on a more difficult 3-3 soon though.
OK I know this is long but I'll start wrapping up the ladies soon ^.^;;
Now this is completely random and maybe there are a bunch of ladies that should be listed before her but I feel compelled to include her. It's Yuka Nagai... wait she wasn't even at nationals was she? Nope she wasn't, she didn't even come close to placing high enough at junior nationals to be qualify for senior nats. I mean look at her profile. Yup she has bombed every single nats she's ever been in both novice and junior. When she received a JGP the last two seasons of course I wondered why. She always manages to do well in regionals and sectionals but honestly there's not much competition where she's from. But when I actually looked at the protocol for a local competition I finally saw her potential. She skated a clean FS for the first time ever apparently and got 111. If only she could always skate like that she would be a factor in the future but rn I doubt it.
Wakaba Higuchi is the future of junior Japanese skating. She finished first at novice nats but didn't do so well at junior nats. She's a really great skater and I wish her luck in the JGP next season.
Alright now a quick run down of other current jr skaters that might have potential in the future but it's just too soon to tell. Yura Matsuda: JSF seems to like her a lot but she has a definite UR problem, her jumps are really small and to we really need another skater like that? ;; Kaori Sakamoto and Mai Mihara are both 13 and have iffy 3lz-3ts, I kind of like Kaori more but I think for them it's just too soon to tell.
Randomly here's Yuhana Yokoi, I just happen to like her. She's another Nagakubo student and for some reason this program reminds me of Akiko even.
And now I leave you with Marin Honda. She won't even be able to skate on the JGP next year but I really believe that if she stays on track and stays good that she could be just as popular as Mao in the future :D Of course that's a lot of ifs.
Now even beyond her I've heard good things about the two girls at the top of novice B this season: Moa Iwano and Rinka Wantanabe but they are the future of the future of skating XD
Oh boy that was long and I am sorry but now it is time for...
THE MEN
The men will be much shorter so don't worry haha. As deep as the mens field seems all you need to do is look around at the lower level comps to clearly see that there are definitely not as many boys completing on the level that the girls compete. Maybe that's a little worrying but I for one am not worried at all! First of all barring injury Yuzuru will probably continue to compete until 2018 and if he stays on this level (which he will unless injured) there is absolutely nothing to worry about, Japanese men will continue to receive full spots at worlds (whether they will really need them or not). Plus there is always the chance that Machida, Mura and Murakami will continue on and be able to do well.
So other than them who else? There is Kento Nakamura who is a gorgeous skater but like with Imai I find it hard to really call him the future of Japanese skating because he has been around for a few years now and has yet to prove himself (ofc he's even worse than her). There's also Ryuju Hino and Keiji Tanaka who have been constantly battling in juniors but both of them are lacking in many ways sadly. Keiji has always been a favorite of mine but I can see that he can be slow, has terrible spins, does a lot of two footed skating and hasn't been able to master the quad. Given the right program though he can draw in the audience, if he works on it I think he can be a popular skater.
Then there is Shoma Uno. He still doesn't have his 3A and his jumps in general are seriously eh, he will need to work on them in the future but he is still so young. I feel as if he's been around forever but he's only barely 16 and for a male skater that is young and I give him another two years just to straighten everything out, when he's 18 if he still doesn't have a 3A then that might be a problem. Enough with the negativity though, he made the last flight in mens at nats and did really great. My wish for him is to get his 3A and have a great season on the JGP next year.
Another skater I like is Sota Yamamoto so far his biggest achievement was last year when as a novice he managed to come in 4th at Junior nationals. This season was not so great for him, he skated some awful FSs BUT he is very young, only 13 and his jumps are so nice that there's no doubt in my mind he'll get his 3A and quad eventually. Ack when I look at his FS scores I know that I shouldn't consider him as a skater with more potential than Taichi Honda (who I don't have high hopes for at all) but I do.
So yeah that's it for the men! I really think the future for men overall is bright because of the success of Daisuke and the ongoing success of Yuzuru they'll be lots of young boys (and their moms) inspired to skate so I look forward to it.
As for dance and pairs yeah no.
j/k I really suck at predicting future skaters but I know many people are concerned about the future of Japanese skating with all the big retirements coming up, I am as well but I love staying positive so I'm always watching junior skaters to see if there are any I can see having a bright future in international competition :) I believe that Japan has a deep pool of talent, sure it's not as crazy deep as the Russian ladies but here are some skaters that might be able to keep Japan on the podium beyond 2014!
THE LADIES
So with Akiko, Mao and Miki all probably retiring next year (and Kanako always threatening to) who will be left for the ladies? Being captain obvious here, two things are most important for the future: 1. Being able to rack up PCS and 2. Being able to do and keep the hard jumps and combos.
I'll start with the obvious skaters first. Satoko Miyahara is obviously liked by the JSF and I like her too! She seems to be next in line for the top but she has a really rough road ahead. She already has a serious UR problem and my prediction for her is that she will have to completely rework her jumps not just to fix that problem but also to still be able to jump as she grows. My hope for her is that maybe after having a bad season or two she'll be able to come back with improved jumps and better than ever by 2018. She is even still young enough to be able to aim for 2022 after all.
There's also Haruka Imai. I find it hard to consider her the future of Japanese skating as she's had a lot of opportunities in international comps and rarely delivers. However she did come in 4th in the FS at nats this year and now I know for sure that I should never count her out.
Now the next two promising skaters I consider promising for similar reasons. Rika Hongo and Miyabi Oba are bother older and have decent jumps, therefore I feel like they can just focus on improving what they already have to work with and I think they both have the ability to do that.
Hongo has some really nice looking jumps even though she does still UR from time to time. She has the same coach as Akiko and I think some day he can coach her to the podium as well. I really hope that she delivers at jr worlds and goes senior next season.
Click to viewI have to admit sometimes I kind of dismiss Oba because she has struggled with gaining the more difficult jumps and she did not have a great season this year. At nationals again she didn't place particularly well but she is working on her 3A which may not be the best idea but it is still exciting. I generally find her enjoyable to watch. I wish she would go senior next season but I'm not sure if her world ranking is good enough to receive a GP assignment.
Next up is Mariko Kihara, for me she's a HUGE maybe. She made a big splash in national comps this season by coming in first in the SP but then didn't do as well in the FS, mostly because she doesn't really have the flip and the lutz down yet. I think if she can get those jumps she's on track for a bright future. She has already had to come back from a serious hip illness so the fact that she's doing so well right now already proves to me that she's tough. I hope next season she gets two JGP events and does well.
Riona Kato had a good enough season on the JGP by finishing 3rd and 4th, the best of any Japanese girls but unfortunately wasn't able to do so well nationally. I think she has potential for the future because her jumps seem strong, she does need to work on a more difficult 3-3 soon though.
OK I know this is long but I'll start wrapping up the ladies soon ^.^;;
Now this is completely random and maybe there are a bunch of ladies that should be listed before her but I feel compelled to include her. It's Yuka Nagai... wait she wasn't even at nationals was she? Nope she wasn't, she didn't even come close to placing high enough at junior nationals to be qualify for senior nats. I mean look at her profile. Yup she has bombed every single nats she's ever been in both novice and junior. When she received a JGP the last two seasons of course I wondered why. She always manages to do well in regionals and sectionals but honestly there's not much competition where she's from. But when I actually looked at the protocol for a local competition I finally saw her potential. She skated a clean FS for the first time ever apparently and got 111. If only she could always skate like that she would be a factor in the future but rn I doubt it.
Wakaba Higuchi is the future of junior Japanese skating. She finished first at novice nats but didn't do so well at junior nats. She's a really great skater and I wish her luck in the JGP next season.
Alright now a quick run down of other current jr skaters that might have potential in the future but it's just too soon to tell. Yura Matsuda: JSF seems to like her a lot but she has a definite UR problem, her jumps are really small and to we really need another skater like that? ;; Kaori Sakamoto and Mai Mihara are both 13 and have iffy 3lz-3ts, I kind of like Kaori more but I think for them it's just too soon to tell.
Randomly here's Yuhana Yokoi, I just happen to like her. She's another Nagakubo student and for some reason this program reminds me of Akiko even.
And now I leave you with Marin Honda. She won't even be able to skate on the JGP next year but I really believe that if she stays on track and stays good that she could be just as popular as Mao in the future :D Of course that's a lot of ifs.
Now even beyond her I've heard good things about the two girls at the top of novice B this season: Moa Iwano and Rinka Wantanabe but they are the future of the future of skating XD
Oh boy that was long and I am sorry but now it is time for...
THE MEN
The men will be much shorter so don't worry haha. As deep as the mens field seems all you need to do is look around at the lower level comps to clearly see that there are definitely not as many boys completing on the level that the girls compete. Maybe that's a little worrying but I for one am not worried at all! First of all barring injury Yuzuru will probably continue to compete until 2018 and if he stays on this level (which he will unless injured) there is absolutely nothing to worry about, Japanese men will continue to receive full spots at worlds (whether they will really need them or not). Plus there is always the chance that Machida, Mura and Murakami will continue on and be able to do well.
So other than them who else? There is Kento Nakamura who is a gorgeous skater but like with Imai I find it hard to really call him the future of Japanese skating because he has been around for a few years now and has yet to prove himself (ofc he's even worse than her). There's also Ryuju Hino and Keiji Tanaka who have been constantly battling in juniors but both of them are lacking in many ways sadly. Keiji has always been a favorite of mine but I can see that he can be slow, has terrible spins, does a lot of two footed skating and hasn't been able to master the quad. Given the right program though he can draw in the audience, if he works on it I think he can be a popular skater.
Then there is Shoma Uno. He still doesn't have his 3A and his jumps in general are seriously eh, he will need to work on them in the future but he is still so young. I feel as if he's been around forever but he's only barely 16 and for a male skater that is young and I give him another two years just to straighten everything out, when he's 18 if he still doesn't have a 3A then that might be a problem. Enough with the negativity though, he made the last flight in mens at nats and did really great. My wish for him is to get his 3A and have a great season on the JGP next year.
Another skater I like is Sota Yamamoto so far his biggest achievement was last year when as a novice he managed to come in 4th at Junior nationals. This season was not so great for him, he skated some awful FSs BUT he is very young, only 13 and his jumps are so nice that there's no doubt in my mind he'll get his 3A and quad eventually. Ack when I look at his FS scores I know that I shouldn't consider him as a skater with more potential than Taichi Honda (who I don't have high hopes for at all) but I do.
So yeah that's it for the men! I really think the future for men overall is bright because of the success of Daisuke and the ongoing success of Yuzuru they'll be lots of young boys (and their moms) inspired to skate so I look forward to it.
As for dance and pairs yeah no.