Geo1

It pisses me off whenever writers, commentators and other competitors openly state or otherwise suggest that Yuzuru is only about the quads. As everyone in this forum knows, he is a complete skater and has always aspired to be so. Most of you have probably seen this, but this is the link to a local Sendai TV interview which took place after he got his bronze medal at the 2012 Nice World Championships and just before he came to Canada to train with Brian Orser. During the course of this interview, the male interviewer asked Yuzuru what kind of skater he wanted to be – a jumper, a spinner, a skater – and Yuzuru answered that he wanted to be all of them – a complete skater. To this, the male interviewer interjected and said of course everyone aims to be a complete skater, but realistically what kind of skater did he aim to become. Yuzuru continued to maintain that he wanted to be a skater that is able to do everything well.

That's why Yuzuru is still the best.

I would hazard a guess that it isn't an injury – at least not a physical one. It may be the result of an injury to his ego stemming from his disastrous free skate at Skate Canada International. I had a feeling that he might withdraw from NHK Trophy after his result at Skate Canada International. This was even before reading the National Post article of October 28, 2017 "Patrick Chan falls apart in final Skate Canada International": http://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/patrick-chan-emphasizing-his-strengths-and-passions-in-final-season This is his final competitive season and he is scheduled to skate again at NHK Trophy November 10-12. He hinted at a withdrawal as a potential strategy. "I come to these events and the novelty is a bit worn off unfortunately." He sounds defeated, which is obviously to be expected after a performance gone sideways. But the bigger issue is that he wants no part of the quad revolution, and will have to defend the strategy all year. That too could get tiring.

We didn't have tickets to the short program at ACI. We did watch in on live stream, though – in Montréal. (May be the trick is to watch at a decent hour.)

Yuzuru's not so great short program performance was my fault. I watched it on live stream and jinxed him. Whenever I watch him live, he seems to do poorly. So I am not going to watch his free skate live. It was a triple whammy for me. First, I didn't get any sleep because I stayed up to watch the live stream. Second, I had the displeasure of watching Yuzuru underperforming his program. And third, I'm in my wife's bad books for not getting any sleep and staring at my laptop in bed. Mea culpa, mea culpa...

Please go ahead and start the best wishes thread for Yuzuru. Great idea!

I am sure that the new Chopin costume will look great, if not dissimilar to his previous ones. Regarding the new SEIMEI costume, I was at ACI and I initially thought that it was the old one since I was quite far from where he entered the rink. When he came closer, I realized that it was new, albeit similar. I think it looks great. This is trite, but what I wish for Yuzuru is that all of his goals and dreams come true this season and that he decisively wins the Olympic gold medal leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to who the absolute champion is. I also wish for Yuzuru that he wins his fifth GPF championship and third WC championship in a similarly convincing fashion. Wishing and praying for a completely healthy, injury-free season for Yuzuru with absolutely no regrets.

Just post it. We can never have enough translations. You've done the work. Don't let it go to waste!

It's a good thing that I'm retired and have time to devote to Yuzuru! (I'm also reading and almost finished "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett, Book 1 of his Century Trilogy.)

In order to assist our Hydroblade determine Prime Minister Pooh's birthday, I felt that it was my duty to do some serious research. This is what I found. It is my conclusion that the birthday of the actual Pooh Bear character is August 21, 1921, based on the following: AA Milne named the character Winnie the Pooh after a teddy bear given to his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin. The teddy bear was given to Christopher Robin Milne on his first birthday, August 21, 1921. (Christopher Robin Milne had been born on August 21, 1920.) Christopher Milne named his toy bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear he often saw at London Zoo, and "Pooh", a swan they had met while on holiday. October 14, 1926 is often referred to as Winnie the Pooh's birthday because that is the date on which the book, "Winnie the Pooh" was first published. However, according to lavasurfer.com (Winnie the Pooh FAQ), October 14 should not be considered Winnie the Pooh's birthday for the following reasons: "You will often see Winnie the Pooh's birthdate listed as October 14, 1926 – the date of the first printing of the book 'Winnie the Pooh'. Using October 14, 1926 as Pooh's birthdate is entirely unjustified. It is a fact (as presented in the book 'House at Pooh Corner') that Winnie the Pooh is one year younger than Christopher Robin. It is a fact that Pooh was given to Christopher Robin Milne on August 21, 1921 on the occasion of Christopher Robin Milne's first birthday. It is a fact that Christopher Robin's birthday is August 21, 1920. Therefore it follows that Winnie the Pooh's real birthdate is August 21, 1921." I found two other dates on the Internet associated with Winnie the Pooh. The first one is another suggested birthday and the second is a date known as "Winnie the Pooh Day". I think that the argument for February 13, 1924 being Winnie the Pooh's birthday is weak. According to Rose Eveleth of the Smithsonian.com dated February 14, 2014, Winnie the Pooh was born into the world on February 13, 1924: "On February 13, 1924, Winnie the Pooh was born into the world. His entrance wasn't loud or flashy, much like the bear himself it was simple and sweet: a short poem in Punch magazine by the author Alan Alexander Milne called "Teddy Bear." Both the author and the bear would later go by different names – A.A. Milne and Winnie the Pooh – but the poem is what brought the Winnie the Pooh story to the people. "In that original poem, the bear was not named Winnie. The name Winnie the Pooh didn't appear until December 1925, in a story published by the Evening News, a paper in London. Some say that the Pooh was added because Winnie (short for Winnipeg) wasn't particularly nice-smelling, for a toy bear." According to Sara Kettler of Biography.com (January 18, 2017), Pooh is honoured every January 18 and this date is known as Winnie the Pooh Day. That particular date was chosen because it's the birthday of Alan Alexander Milne (AA Milne), the author of Winnie the Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928).

You are right – it is a tail! (My old eyes are failing me!) I have edited my post.

I don't think Yuzu has to worry about any serious challenges from Kumamon in the most appealing butt picture category.

Narcissus Yuzu falling in love with himself? Perfect pairing.

I ordered Sportiva on the basis of what I read here on the Planet and also Figure Skaters Volume 7. I ordered Figure Skaters Volume 7 because of its ACI SEIMEI cover – no gloves! (So much for not judging a book by its cover!) They will not be delivering until October 23-26 because they will be delivered together and Figure Skaters Volume 7 will not come out until October 20.

You know I'm only kidding. It would have been too easy if I had an upside down banner and a couple of kids! Like drawing a moth to a light.

That's why my wife knows that she received personal fan service from him in the form of direct eye contact, huge Yuzu smile, and wave. We were the only people in that corner balcony when he came by and she was the only person standing, smiling and waving at him.

kiches and Floria posts basically cover Yuzuru's fan service and Floria's videos reveal a lot. What I remember is the following: When he came out just before the medal ceremony, he had his hands together and kept bowing to the audience as if begging for forgiveness. He did this in every direction. After the photo session with the three medalists following the medal ceremony, Yuzuru stayed back and allowed further photos of just himself after the other two skated away. After the photo session on the judges' side, the three medalists got together briefly for a picture by Keegan Messing's coach. After that photo was taken, Javi and Keegan looked like they might be heading off the ice. Yuzuru motioned with his arm to them indicating a skate around the rink for the fans. If it wasn't for Yuzu doing this, the other two may not have done it. During the skate around the rink, the other two went quite quickly. Yuzuru took his time and seemed to be making eye contact with individual fans or groups of fans as he waved. His smile never went away. My wife and I were the only two in the corner of the rink kitty corner from the Kiss & Cry. Our two friends were temporarily away from us taking pictures. When Yuzu skated by our corner, my wife was standing up and waved at him with a big smile. He looked directly at her, gave a huge smile and waved at her. Really made her day. (I don't think it had anything to do with me sitting there with an upside down banner and two captive kids sitting on my lap.) He seemed to take a long time leaving the ice after the skate around the rink. He kept interacting with the audience. He seemed reluctant to go. He spent a long time squatting and touching the ice as he left the rink. And as I said, throughout this whole period of time, his smile never left his face. He must've been crying on the inside, but he kept smiling. A very special guy.

Yes, it was great! (And can you stroke my head just a little bit longer?...)

Iirc, the swans got swept back into your box and all the ladies ran for the main entrance because there was a rumour that Yuzuru was about to arrive. Remember all the fans jamming the front staircase and entrance lobby? (Btw you know I'm only pulling your leg. I look forward to receiving a swan the next time we meet – hopefully, in Vancouver.)

I never got a swan at ACI. I did not have tickets to the SP so I missed seeing the WR SP live, had tickets to the FS so I had to watch Yuzu's disastrous FS unfold in front of my face, was transformed from a Baby Pooh to a First Pancake, AND never got a swan.... No wonder I'm suffering from PTSD.

I loved being a Baby Pooh. I am suffering PTSD from the sudden change to First Pancake....

Do Japanese fans of Yuzu still call themselves "Yuzurists"?

Yes! I hope so too. My hometown. Beautiful city. Spectacular geographical location. Multicultural/multiethnic. Very open and liberal minded. Cuisine from all over the world. Tons of Japanese restaurants and sushi shops. You guys will love it here. (So will Yuzu.)

Is that supposed to be a good feeling? I'm feeling kinda flat right now...

I come back from ACI to discover I am no longer a Baby Pooh! When did I become a First Pancake?