Geo1

Hi Henni, I am so happy for you that Todd Eldridge expressed so much gratitude for being on that list! It makes all of your hard work worth it when someone famous from that list legitimizes your effort with such heartfelt appreciation.

I used to be on my high school wrestling team when I was in grade 12. That was also the year that I earned my shodan (first degree black belt) in judo and qualified for my first Canadian National Judo Championships. My parents started me and my younger brother in judo when I was nine years old in order to build self-confidence and stand up to anti-Asian racism and bullying. Based on my knowledge and experience, I think that you are right. At 53 kg Yuzu would compete in the lightest weight category – 55 kg (non-Olympic class) in men's freestyle wrestling and 57 kg in men's Greco-Roman wrestling. He has a lean, muscular flexible build as well as very powerful muscular legs. As you say, he is also very strategic and quick of mind and body, all of which would serve him well once he learned the proper techniques. (I also think that the ladies would appreciate how Yuzu would look in his skintight, spandex wrestling singlet. For underwear, wrestlers have three options: regular briefs, jockstrap or nothing.)

I don’t think so and I hope not. Yuzu wants to win this championship so he’s not going to jeopardize it with a quad Axel unless he is confident of a successful execution. He has been training on his own without one-to-one coaching by Ghislain so I do not think he is ready. If he thinks he’s ready and is planning to attempt one, more power to him.

I think that most satellites on the Planet know the following story, but for those who don’t, Yuzu dedicated the 2017 Worlds Gala exhibition program, “Notte Stellata”, to Brian Orser’s father who had passed away on March 3, 2017. Brian, who usually leaves the world championships early before the Gala, stayed to watch Yuzu and Javi perform their exhibition numbers at rink side. Following his exhibition performance of “Notte Stellata” Yuzu came up to Brian and said, “That was for your father,” or “I was thinking of your father.” Brian was deeply moved by Yuzu’s compassion and this brought them closer together. The following is the translation of Brian Orser’s own words in his book “Team Brian” found in EleC’s World: https://elechicca.tumblr.com/post/179636880375/team-brian-translations-yuzurus-tribute-to Edit: @YuzuNekozuu beat me to it!

Yuzu’s roundhouse kick with skates = instant decapitation!

But maybe you’re subconsciously interested in wrestling Yuzu…

Welcome to the Planet! Feel free to ask as many questions as you want.

Yuzu has come a very, very long way since he sought Stephane Lambiel's advice regarding the quad toe when they were performing in the same ice show. He revealed this to Shuzo Matsuoka in his November 7, 2011 interview on Hodo Station at about 10:50 of this video. Shuzo is surprised when he hears that Yuzu had asked Stephane about the quad toe and said: "Eh? You asked him? Pretend that I'm Lambiel-san and show me how you asked him." Yuzu laughingly said, "I'm too embarrassed!" Shuzo said, "Approximately (how you asked him) is OK." Yuzu said, "Show me please! That is basically how I asked."

The only time they competed against each other was in the team short program. Evgeni Plushenko scored 91.39 which was the highest he had achieved and Yuzu was just limbering up with his team short program score of 97.98.

You’re absolutely right! I was mistakenly thinking of Yuzu entering the arrival lobby of Incheon International Airport with a phalanx of security guards while self-consciously trying to shorten his arms because the sleeves of his blazer were way too short. Wrong Olympics! Sorry!

I wonder whether Shoma was walking around with a Japanese team blazer with sleeves that were too long? Maybe the JSF mixed up their jackets...

This is supposed to be a commemorative story about Yuzuru Hanyu, so why would they spoil it by adding the unnecessary line at the end? "Changing of the guard at the World Figure Skating Championships in Milan as..." An unfinished sentence with no story following it and Yuzu was not even there. When I saw this, I thought WTF? Why is this here?

Funny, it’s the first thing I heard. (Probably because I talk like that myself.)

Since the earthquake occurred only 3 ½ hours ago and it’s approximately 2:45 AM in Japan, I have the feeling that Yuzu and his family would not be able to sleep. I have this mental picture of them sitting together and giving each other comfort.

The day I fell down the rabbit hole…

Poor Yuzu must have had a terrible flashback if he was at Ice Rink Sendai when the “powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck late Saturday night” (Japan Times) at 11:08 PM. My wife and I are hoping and praying that Yuzu and all people affected by the earthquake are safe, that there will be no significant aftershocks, that power will be restored quickly to all people experiencing a blackout and that all the damage will be repaired in a timely manner.

Only 689 times? Is your dedication flagging?

Japanese sizes are smaller than their Western equivalents. Depending on the style, M may be the smallest size available and they have sizes like XXXL for bigger Japanese men. I also think that Yuzu likes his casual clothing loose fitting. Besides, Yuzu may be slim, but he is 172 cm or approximately 5'8" tall after all.

Since Winnie the Pooh plays such a big role in the life of Yuzuru Hanyu and Pooh bear would not exist if Christopher Robin had not seen Winnie the Canadian black bear at the London Zoo in 1926 and Winnie would not have been at the London Zoo at all if she had not been rescued by Canadian soldier-veterinarian then Lieutenant Harry Colbourne in White River, Ontario, in 1914, unofficially adopted by the Fort Garry Horse and taken to England, it may interest you to know that there is a 1 1/2 hour Canadian made for TV movie (2004) called "A Bear Named Winnie" starring a young Michael Fassbender as the indomitable Harry Colbourne which chronicles just how this little bear from Canada became the inspiration for Yuzu's war buddy and constant companion.

This morning I was surprised to see a Google Alert regarding another article (dated January 30, 2021) by the same reporter, Michael Alberty, again using Yuzu's skating as a superlative way to describe a Pinot Noir: "6 Oregon Pinot Noirs that stand out in a crowd "Flavors of bittersweet dark chocolate and wild strawberries positively glide over taste buds like Yuzuru Hanyu on open ice. The Ansel makes it way too..." Unfortunately, you cannot read the article unless you are a subscriber to the Oregonian/oregonlive.com, but the relevant portion of the article was reproduced in the Google Alert (quoted above). https://www.oregonlive.com/wine/2021/01/6-oregon-pinot-noirs-that-stand-out-in-a-crowd.html I am tempted to contact Michael Alberty to find out whether he is a Fanyu. The first article in July was about rosé wines on ice and so made some sense to connect it to Yuzu and may be dismissed as a one-off, but this article is about Pinot Noir wines with nothing to do with ice and may be indicative of an all too familiar obsession...

His lower body is not bad either…

Well said. I am also having positive vibes since I saw Yuzu at JNats.

It seems that Yuzu has had this habit of balancing on one leg for a long time. When he was interviewed by the local Sendai TV station in 2010 following his World Junior Championship victory, he said that he had a weird habit of wanting to stand on one leg. "I want to get good balance so I stand like this." (At approximately 10:09 of this 14:21 video.)

Fay is correct that it is A. A. Milne's birthday today and that Winnie the Pooh would not exist if he had not been born. Winnie the Pooh's official birthday, however, is August 21, 1921 which was the date Christopher Robin received the teddy bear on his first birthday. The original name was Edward Bear (a.k.a. "Teddy" Bear) but it was not long before Christopher Robin changed the bear's name to "Winnie-the-Pooh" after his favourite lovable bear from the London Zoo. Christopher Robin added "Pooh" after a swan they had met on a previous visit. Winnie was an orphaned black bear from the northern town of White River in Ontario. A veterinarian by the name of Harry Colebourn was travelling across Canada to embark on overseas duty in the First World War in England with the Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps. He purchased for $20 the little black bear cub from the trapper who had killed the orphaned cub's mother. Lieutenant Colebourn named the bear after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and she became an unofficial mascot of The Fort Garry Horse, a militia cavalry regiment to which he was attached as a veterinarian. In 1914, the now Captain Harry Colebourn learned that he was being shipped to France and decided to settle Winnie in the London Zoo. https://www.google.com/search?q=why+is+August+21+Winnie+the+Pooh's+birthday%3F&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA831CA831&oq=why+is+August+21+Winnie+the+Pooh's+birthday%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l2.12656j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/06/29/winnie-the-pooh-birthday#:~:text=How is that possible you,birthday — August 21%2C 1921. https://www.northernontario.travel/algoma-country/experience-the-birthplace-of-winnie-the-pooh

Birds stand on one leg to rest and nap. Maybe that explains Yuzu’s natural ability to fly…