Aiko Uemura (上村愛子)

[Mike]

Latest result from FIS Freestyle World Cup in Are:

Women's Dual Moguls:
1st - Hannah Kearney (USA) 1000pts
2nd - Aiko Uemura (Jpn) 800
3rd - Margarita Marbler (Aut) 600
.
.
.
.
14th Miki Ito (Jpn) 180


Aiko Uemura is currently ranked 4th in Women's Mogul overall standing with 339 points. (Miki Ito at 6th).

[Mike]

Just couple of 上村愛子's videos :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI5dCaWKZdE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSVNIoXMrss

[eLeung]

Just couple of 上村愛子's videos :


Good videos! Both movement and face are beautiful :):p:D

[HKS]

我凈系覺得條 run 好奇怪，mogul唔系mogul，而系平o既slope比人一個個窿咁鑿起，擺明惡意破壞，比著我會報警求助。

[GTFish]

The slope looks flat because of the camera angle. Wish I could 搞惡意破壞 together with Aiko but none of us could match her speed, not but a wide margin.

[jackwan]

from her skiing angle, the slope is pretty steep. I could not even imaging that a recreational skier can match her movement by a long shot.

[B2L2]

That's Blackcomb glacier, right? GT, you have been there, and probably missed Aiko by a year.

- Brian

[GTFish]

That's the Showcase run. Saw Akio once, practicing backflips at Naeba before a competition, simply amazing:D

[B2L2]

It's so close yet so far... < 0.8 point put her in 4th in this year Olympics.

She is 30 already and been to 4 Olympics. Just no luck for her on Olympics even she was doing not bad in last year's world cup. Any more Olympics for her? Who knows.

[Mike]

Fish, Too late...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZkVcGYnpGQ&feature=related

[skier]

I am surprised that their skis are very long -- especially Aiko Uemura's -- for this type of mogul skiing competition.

Any input as to why -- because they also need the speed (to get points) ?

(But such long skis certainly hinder the criss-cross movements coming down the mogul field.)

[Mike]

I am surprised that their skis are very long -- especially Aiko Uemura's -- for this type of mogul skiing competition.

Any input as to why -- because they also need the speed (to get points) ?

(But such long skis certainly hinder the criss-cross movements coming down the mogul field.)

I guess her skis are 6 inches taller than herself. Mind you the mogul competition skis are very similar to the tradition straight ski. So, with her skill level, that is not too long.
Ski length plays an important role on how your skis will perform and how comfortable you'll feel using them. For such a good skier competing in WC competition, the longer length will generate higher speed and she has all the fitness and ski technique to handle the length of her skis.

You can also refer (and comment) to the discussions on the following thread:
http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?p=78493#post78493

http://www.hkssa.net/showthread.php?p=78492#post78492

[skier]

Here is Jennifer Heil at the Olympics. She is only 5'4" tall and her ski is shorter then her height.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXpQtfgRpNQ&feature=youtu.be&a

[Mike]

Here is Jennifer Heil at the Olympics. She is only 5'4" tall and her ski is shorter then her height.


Shorter than her height? I doubt that - in your captured frame, her skis were at an angle to the vertical and the tips were at same level as her forehead.

Here is the video recording of Uemura's run in the same Olmypics. Note her skis were just about head height.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNB5gLvWvY0

[raylam9988]

I think the commentators had told the advantages of Jennifer's skiing style.

[Mike]

The FIS website list out all the competition results that Aiko Uemura has entered since 1995

http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=FS&competitorid=62923&type=result&bt=next&rec_start=100&limit=100