fireovertheice

6 minutes ago, Yatagarasu said:

Though admittedly, the 'no transitions' bit is something that amuses me as an attempt  on Zu 

Do you mean that's someone said that Zu has no transitions  ? Where ? Who? When?

43 minutes ago, LadyLou said:

My point is, if you're going to disregard the song you're skating to, why did you choose it (keeping the lyrics)?

They could have used an instrumental version. If they weren't given permission or absolutely wanted a song with lyrics, they could choose another song that fit what they wanted to portray.

It's not like there is shortage of songs with sassy feeling, sung by whichever type of voice you want. But they chose this song, sung by this guy and with this lyrics, so both the voice and the lyrics became part of the song, so imo it's different from when you have to skate to classic or something like PW, where you have only the music and whatever feeling it inspires in you.

What is even the sense of choosing a certain piece if you're just going to say "I do what I what" with it? I don't demand the interpretation to be literal, but at least not completely different!

(which is why I liked the program better before I considered the song itself. I still like the program a lot and I don't even care about any of this when I watch it because I don't listen to the lyrics at all, which is quite easy for me given I'm not even native english speaker, but I think judges should care and this disconnection should be evalued in IN at least. Quoting from ISU: "The personal, creative, and genuine translation of the rhythm, character and content of music to movement on ice." Yes, it says personal and creative, but I'd like to point out it doesn't mean do whatever you want, it still has to be connected to the piece. And "Expression of the music’s character/feeling and rhythm, when clearly identifiable". Imo those lyrics do contribute to the character/feeling of this particular piece. The pure enjoyment of a program might have nothing to do with this, just like it can have nothing to do with difficulty, quality crossovers, lacks of TR and so on, but how the program needs to be judged is a different story)

to all this: you wrote exactly what I think about it!

3 hours ago, Larsy said:

Ah, peccato! Io ho preso i biglietti per il men short e free. Però al men short vado da sola 

Purtroppo per motivi di lavoro potrò esserci solo venerdì e sabato: quindi niente men short anche per me ma solo il free... Mi auguro che tu possa tifare per Yuzu (se ci sarà, come spero) per tutt* noi durante lo short!

Ciao @Larsy bentrovata!

io andrò ai mondiali di Milano ma purtroppo non abito nè a Milano, né nelle vicinanze sorry.

12 minutes ago, Yatagarasu said:

Some practice info:

 

Zhou: 3A, 3A2T, 4S, 4T, 4F, 4Lz, runthru (4Lz3T, 4F(ur), 4S, 4Lz, 4T(step,hand), 3A(ur,fall), 1A, 3Lz1/2Lo3F(footdown))

Miner: 2A, 3A2T, 3A, 4S(step), runthru (2S, 3A2T, 3Lz3T, 1A, 3Lo, 3Lz1/2Lo3S, 3F, 3S), 3Lz1/2Lo3S

[x]

Thank you! Through your link I saw also the data for Nathan.

It seems that his layout could be 4F3T, 4F, 4S, 3Lo, 4T2T2Lo, 4T, 3A, 3Lz2T (so no 4Lz?) x

And that the runthru in practice was far from the best of it. i.e. 2F, 4F3T, 4F, 3Lo, marked, 2S, 3A, 4S...? xx

Has he problems with the 4lutz now (I hope not health problems) or what's the strategy behind it?

So, I am late for the party, as usual, and you said already all about programs, jumps (UR) and scores.

Still, please, can someone of you explain to me which is the concept of Nathan SP? I love the rythm of the music and Shae Lynn did the best coreography for Chen skills, but what is trying to interpret here? And does he know that? It should be important for the scores of IN...that to me in this performance was almost not existent.

And maybe it's because the concept at the base of the program is not so clear to him and his team - besides Bourne, oc - that Vera Wang came up with this kind of costume (it refers to the colors of piano keyboard?)

I get that they want to sell it like the fresh and contemporary program in contrast to all the classic pieces mostly chosen by the others, but the song and its words are playing under the skating without any meaning?

I look forward to hearing a convincing explanation, please.

Per aspera ad astra   

Best whishes for a HAPPY (and better) NEW YEAR to YUZU and all HIS SATELLITES ! ... and what better than a wonderful "Norre stellata"...?!

While waiting some news about Yuzu (I hope soon...) I also continued with my not much useful counts .

This time I checked how many crossovers and 1-foot turns/ change direction Yuzu had in his last three seasons LP/FP and combining them with the different jumps layouts used. This is the result:

Some observations:

- despite the increase of difficulty in the jump layout, his programs didn't become simpler o voider in difficult transitions in between;

- it is clear that passing more difficult jumps in the second part of the program caused a little increase in crossovers in this section (and a decrease in the first); however it has always been balanced by difficult transitions, also if a little bit more in H&L, probably because of a different composition of the program/music rythm too;

- there has been an increase of difficult turns in the StSq from last season, maybe to try to receive always a Lv4 for StSq;

- ChSq of Seimei is a bit longer and with more difficult turns and steps vs. crossovers than H&L

- this season Seimei improves the old version not only in difficulty of the elements, but in the StSq too, following the direction already taken with H&L. There is a slight increase in crossovers in the second part, anyway balanced with an increase of difficult turns too, also if in a minor quantity.

Seeing what the other top men have done or are doing (we will see also what Nathan will actually propose at Nats), is admirable what he has done last two season and what he is trying to achieve in this: increasing difficulty of the elements without decreasing difficulty of transitions and the overall quality and balance of the programs. I really hope that he can fully recover, to give to himself and to us one of his beautiful and astounding performances at Oly.

Looking at this numbers, what do you think ?

What did they ask to Wakaba to make her cry (again...)?  

And what did she answer? Thanks !

I have joined just for the announcement: happy for who has made to partecipate to Oly. So sad for Mura, but mostly for Wakaba and Mai, also if Keji and Kaori deserved their spots. No doubt for Yuzu: I hope we will hear something from him soon.

Last thought after I have watched the performances of men at JNats and RNats, and before GPF: I realised every time how great has been what Yuzuru achieved at last WC! And how much I miss him competing...

5 minutes ago, Yatagarasu said:

No Yuzu at 4CC as expected.

Is Shoma going to 4CC or...someone else? Thanks in advance

I hate all those CMs! Also during warm up...?!

Good luck to all the girls of the next groups, Mai and Wakaba in primis, so that they can be happy with their perfomances and with themselves !

28 minutes ago, Fay said:

He's wooden, but he landed his jumps...

I could have not said better !. To me from now on Samarin will be "the wooden man"...I think anyway that between Russia and Italy is a tough race in overscoring PCS of the favourites...We will se what North Americans are capable to do (Japanes Nats seems to me to be more equilibrate till now...).

Sorry to bother you again with this: which channel / hour on FujiTV ? Thanks!

I really hope for Yuzu that what Ms. Richards says is true (thank you @IULIANA to de-lurke to let us know this, but rightfully asking for a confirm).

Frankly I would tend to believe only to official statements coming from / his team, because these days we have seen a lot of articles, posts, tweets and so forth based on rumors, bad translations and whatever else @CupidsBow already mentioned.

Waiting from good news from him (but now I think we will know them only after Nationals), I needed to look again to this video, because his skating is also more beautiful without music ...

This was also for his birthday but I found only today (by kuwa eyoki). Most important: I always thought that someone should use this music piece - "Defying gravity" by Idina Menzel, from "Wicked" musical - for a video about Yuzu !

And an other one with a sort of Christmas / Winter mood spirit made by Cơ Huyền:

And this by Aika  with the cute fanart of runrun!:

9 minutes ago, GreatLakesGal said:

 My worry is that he'll push himself to the point where he can't even skate in shows anymore because of injury.

 

We know that he strives for perfection and he likes very much to win and to go beyond his own limits. But we all also know that he is very intelligent and smart. I do not think at this point of his life and sportive career he wants damage so much his body (and also his soul: he likes so much to skate in comps and in shows...).

This seems to be the update about Yuzuru released by Kobayashi - JSF today (translation by Iron Klaus):

https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/940846021558628353

Other translation of one part of interest (by rabbit 1234 on GS, I am not getting to copy and paste the link right now):

"I found that the ligament damaged was more prolonged than normal sprain.
From now on, I'd like to start standing on the ice and centering on the left foot, just starting with a simple slide such as a stroke or a cross, gradually increasing the load and enabling a turn with the right foot".

The sounds of same expression is a little bit different. In the first translation it seems that Yuzu have still to start to go back to the ice; in the second, it sound more close to be done or just started.

19 minutes ago, kaeryth said:

 

My eyes aren't great but I think it's just the lighting?

I thought too at the beginning. But it looks so greenish at Nebelhorn: is that possibile also with a warmer/ more yellowish light ? That's why I asked of the eventual performancs before...

Thank you for all the other links

I think that were his achievements in TES (as Fay said a quad and an above average mastery of the 3A) and his overall scores at junior level that make / suggest him was better to pass him among the senior ranks. I think that normally it starts with an invitation of the FED and then is the skater with his coach to decide. And I can't imagine Yuzuru holding back.

For example, following his wikipedia profile, his victory at the 2008–09 Japan Junior Championships with a total of 182.17 points, not only qualified him both for the Junior National Championships and the World Junior Championships, but also earned him an invitation to compete already on the senior level at the 2008–09 Japan Championships, where he placed 8th: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzuru_Hanyu.

He was already a prodigy then, and if you listen to most of the commentaries of the 2010 and 2011 senior season, most of then depict him as the new "real thing" , the "true talent" or "a supreme young talent" among the men.

I think that Shoma waited more to pass among the seniors because he could not get the 3A, that is a required element among the seniors. He started to land the Axel after he succeded with the 4T in 2014. He started to skate in the senior circuit the season after (when he was almost 18, if I am not wrong):  http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/05/27/126706104

3 minutes ago, Fay said:

Can you name any other 15 year old now who'd join the seniors? Jun Hwan is young, but... dogged with injuries, poor boy. An a growth spurt. 

Yeah, I can see how far he progressed within these few years, but... there's something touching in that wildness, too. Overflow of energy...

Yes this. Absolutely. I could not say better than you did .

It's the aspect for which I always appreciated him more and above all the others male skaters since 2012: his energy, his passion and the total commitment to the program and the performance, that touch you anyway, also when they are not perfect. I chose my nick thinking of him: to me he is like a beautiful fire flying, jumping and dancing over the ice. A joy to wacth (in Italian: "Un piacere per gli occhi e per il cuore").

I hope he can recover well, to skate soon and so to warm again our heart.

4 minutes ago, Fay said:

He must have skated it in summer shows, but what's the likelihood of finding any videos from those? 

I think that will be very hard, but maybe Japanese fans know them or where to find them?

Thank you so much @Fay for the link of Nebelhorn (I have already looked also at the FS , the EX and the finale of the gala ; I started  to follow him just after Nice). How already amazing he was...Really: where you can find now a male skater like him among the youngs 16-17 years old...(and maybe also 18 )?

41 minutes ago, Fay said:

Guys, can anyone help me - did Yuzuru change his Etude costume after Nebelhorn 2011? Because in this video his costume looks quite different... - there's a green part in the centre and it's more like H&L... 

 

 

I didn't see this before, but it seems you are right. The green stripe at Cup of China has gone....

Nebelhorn was the first time he showed this program?

In the meantime I checked also the protocols of the alst JO and WTT, to look at the success of 4 quads (clean lands and positive GOEs) for Nathan and Shoma. These are the conclusive remarks and the percentages >

In the last 10 comps (first Chall.B 2016 to last GPF) Nathan landed 1 quad in one, 2 quad in six, and 4 quads only in three. In these last the GOEs have never surpassed 2.43 and are in average about 2.00 for 4Lz and 4Lz combo, much lesser (0.50-1.80) for the other quads.
If we want to add JO 2017, Nathan landed only 2 quads with positive GOEs, initial 4Lo and the 4Lz combo.

In WTT 2017 Nathan landed 3 quads with positive GOEs, the initial 4F combo, the 4T combo and the single 4T.
TOT. success rate 10 comps x 4 quads with positive GOE: 30%;  adding JO and WTT > 25%

In the last 10 comps (first Chall.B 2016 to last GPF) Shoma landed 1 quad in one, 2 quad in five, 3 quad in three and 4 quads only in one (Lombardia Trophy at the beginning of this season). In this last he GOEs have never surpassed 2.00 and are in average about 0.80-1.80 for the other quads.
If we want to add JO 2017, Shoma landed only 2 quads with positive GOEs, initial 4Lo and the single 4T.

In WTT 2017 Shoma landed again only 2 quads with positive GOEs, the same initial 4Lo and the single 4T.
TOT. success rate 10 comps x 4 quads with positive GOE: 10%; adding JO and WTT > 8,3%

Are these success rates and quality marks so good to let think people to go easily and to skate clean and well with a 5 quads layout now ...? Maybe it would better to consolidate a 4 quads layout before to attempt something more difficult...or not?

This observation could be applied also to Yuzu, obviously (25% success rate in 8 comps + WTT if we consider the minus GOEs applied only for the 1loop/combo: 33%).

1 hour ago, xeyra said:

Daisuke Takahashi was injured before the pre-Sochi JP Nats and was still halfway to recovery when he competed at Nats, finishing 5th and worsening his injury. He went to Sochi still but his performance suffered because he didn't recover properly. The situation, of course, was different then considering the deep men's field in 2013 so he felt like he had to compete to be sent to Sochi. It's different now and Yuzu doesn't need Nationals to be chosen so he doesn't need to force himself to compete before he's ready. 

 

Kobayashi's words from the translation above kind of makes me think she's aware of that situation and probably doesn't want a repeat. It also seems they're waiting and willing to accommodate Yuzu's requests. 

I think that you could be right. Also the time when this new came out let me think that here they waited the final results and took in consideration the fact that with a Shoma showing not so strong, if Yuzuru is not healed properly, it's not the case to risk anything with him.

Frankly, not having news till now, I was afraid he was not capable to recover to the point to compete at Nat on a sufficient good level, i.e. for him to be sure to win over Shoma or to be able at least to give a high profile perfomance also without Lz.

In this case his body and also his mind have the command over all factors: if they are not well yet, better to wait and use the time from here to PC in the best way possible, i.e. healing and training properly.

We will wait for other news in the next week. In the meantime all the best whishes to our Alien King whichever decision he and his team will take in regard to Nat.