Xen

You mean next season's EX? o_O I get the swan motif but would that be overdoing it?

Looking at poll results: most voted on LP: Seimei Most loved SP: Chopin Most popular EX: Swan What does Yuzu show for the Olys season: Chopin+Seimei+Swan Okay, he can stop lurking now....

That shirt though, the turtleneck+collared shirt combo. And both being black. Miles of neck. Maybe they could just stick with collared shirts or Vnecks.

Well, he really uses his time well. Guess he was doing this as part of his wrist strength exercise?

...4 mins, fits the new rules, I don't see why not.

I'm guilty of using spirals as a cool down move (copying TrollZu).

You know, it's kind of working....

Sound about right. Good centered spins for me, usually involve a feeling (going into the spin) as if someone took my left arm and shoulder and was leading it around a pole. Rather than go against that pull, I lean into the pole/pull, and voila centered spins. Wait till you try camel spins...ah the times I sweep the ice with my chest.

I will send my spiritual/mental pooh to PC with you guys. =) Please scream at the top of your lungs in our stead when he skates.

Yes, agreed. Just woke up and....what a news to wake up to! For those who mentioned that TE doesn't really do much for momentum: - Well I think TE works as a way for him to get a feel for competition, and personally I think the LP is more important than SP for him, since he's been able to hit SP with almost no practice as ACI demonstrates. But if Team Japan does not make it to the free, then true there is no point. -He could get a feel for competition by watching the TE SP for men's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think every team would be sending their first seed/medal hopeful for the SP, in which case. ii data. *cue Inui smirk* - @Sportymags mentioned flu being a problem. Considering that he will need all the precious practice time possible, catching the flu is the last thing he'd want. He might want to wait a bit and hear if there are any cases popping up in Team Japan's section of the village, and once assured there are none, he can move in. Though I'm worried if he goes there too late, so guess he's moving in on 12th or 13th? Give himself a small buffer. -Well, if you're going to be the international man of mystery, might as well take it to the extreme no? But in TCC, with the focus being on Olys and the TE, he has less media scrutiny and pressure. Not something he can avoid, no matter how JSF and his team tries to protect him, once he arrives in PC. Better to go in with little to none, get the events over with, and only take on the media later. -Tracy and Briand should both be still at TCC with Yuzu up until the 10th to whenever Yuzu arrives in PC, plus Brian should be reachable at hours outside the TE. So training wise, I'm not too worried? I keep on thinking of that one time Yuzu mentioned having homework from Brian, and how he worked hard to not disappoint his sensei-wonder what homework Brian left for him this time. Especially since Tracy is around monitoring the execution of said homework. Assuming for TE, all the countries send our their strongest, men's SP will be interesting. Patrick, Shoma, Mikhail, Boyang, Nate-if the lineup-are all capable of scoring well over 100 there. One little mess-up and you could lose position from the top 3. There is a distinct possibility that the highest SP could go to either Patrick or Boyang, if Shoma or Nathan are not careful. Add in Cha, Bychenko all with quads and capable of messing up the rankings further. As for momentum- after 4CC, the only one in the TE event with some international momentum is Boyang. The other guys are at next to none. Shoma sure, has JNats title, but that can get overshadowed by the fact his three recent international outings he has had unclean skates and lost 3 in a row (IdF, GPF, 4CC). Nate has won GPF, but does anyone want to be reminded of how he won? He hasn't won the free skate against either Shoma or Yuzu, winning by tiny margins from his SP points. I also don't think the continuous rubbing of "Nathan is Balletic" does him any favors-if you hype expectations up on his artistry, some judges may be disappointed, some may also not enjoy having "artistry" rubbed in their faces-politics wise, thanks for the giant bull's eye on the back since there's no one else on team USA they need to really maneuver for/against. On the other hand...my colleagues won't get to see me freak out in the office.

can't help you...I can't stop jumping once I start either....

It's okay, neither have I. Where I am, sometimes I feel like the only fanyu not gushing over his looks (because I do.not. gush.).

You mean "A Clean Nathan can only be beaten by a clean Yuzu" right? That I find more believable. =D Though personally, I think it's possible a clean Shoma may edge out a clean Nathan too if no tech calls are made. @KatjaThera: Hmm, I wouldn't say Boyang's scores are stable, but rather than Boyang tends to peak late in the season. So while I consider him very "wild" early in the season, he has been relatively stable in the large important competitions like Worlds, since 2016. His scoring potential this season is probably 305-310 range if he goes clean, if 4CC serves as basis (and that wasn't completely clean has he had - GOEs). But his scores are very beatable, by clean Nate, Shoma, Javi relatively easily. So Boyang's podium chances depend on himself going clean, and largely on other guys splatting ( only way his PCS will be higher than 85 in the long). However, he is a very "my pace" sort of person, and is looking more at long term goals, has less pressure and may actually perform-good thing considering the schedule. For the actual schedule- the guys I think could handle the schedule are Boyang, Shoma, Nate and Yuzu. Despite Yuzu being a man of mystery, I would imagine he's been training to the PC competition schedule for a while. That recent photo has him looking more tired than normal, so I wonder if he's been doing morning RTs to adjust to the stamina requirement. But Yuzu has always been more about mental space-physically I think he can usually pull reserves of stamina out of don't know where. Shoma I view in a similar way, and with his senpai back, I think he may feel calmer. Boyang I think has more stamina than people think he has. Nate is young, the stamina isn't the issue (nerves and pressure will be). But the no set layout strategy-other than just splat risk, what if he zayaks? As for Patrick- you made me concerned actually, because I remembered what happened with Plushenko in Sochi. I hope that doesn't happen, since Patrick is so focused on the team event it seems. Skating order-I would find one skating order highly amusing. Imagine what would happen with GOEs and PCs if we start the last flight with Javi/Patrick going clean, then the quadsters, followed by a clean Yuzu last. PCS go high---mid---high?

You might have to do a lot of things against your wishes, like kissing the ice, though giving Maia a kiss on the cheek is something most would kill for....well, how does it feel to be a snot-wiping-paper dispenser?

Mine is actually fairly similar to yours. So instead of doing a pros and cons list, I'll list my analysis of the men's. Personally, I'm thinking that the guy who wins will need to score solidly above a 315 total, 320+ ideally. To podium, above 305. So, for the guys: -Yuzu: with the helsinki layout and a less than ideal SP, he managed to go over 320. I've tried calculating and if he sticks with a 5 quad layout and goes clean, it's possible for him to nab over 340 total, if he manages something like grabbing 95% of his perfect possible FS score, and go about 109 in the SP. -Shoma: he has potential, since Loco not so clean last season did well, and he went over 315 total. His scores this season have been generous, but his consistency doesn't seem to be as good. Plus, the issue is whether or not he will get tech calls (4cc did call him) - Javi: maybe? I'm not sure his BV is enough, but provided he goes clean, podium is definitely possible. -Patrick: um, unlikely. -Boyang: I see 4CC scores as probably closer to what he'll get. 305-310 if he goes clean (and depends much more on others splatting). -Mikhail: well if he goes clean 300+ is possible, but above 310 is a stretch, depends also on others bombing -Nathan: 320 is a stretch, 315 is possible, but other guys need to bomb enough to give him space. So far in the GP series, he's had issues in the second half, and looking at his protocols, it seems when he starts having issues, it continues for a bit longer than just a single jump. Kind of like pop-fall/sidestep-pop, or fall-pop-pop type of pattern. Yes he was fine at Nationals, but he's always been fine at Nationals, so I don't take it as an indicator. Other factors: - The guys I think most dependent on going clean affecting their scores: Boyang and Nathan. Boyang's PCS I think were affected by him going clean. Nathan not going clean has been capped at around 88 (only slightly higher than Boyang). Anyone else going before them and being clean might deflate their PCs a bit further. -Tech panel calls: I also have an odd feeling, especially with the 4CC scores, that there might be a weird chance that tech panel might do its job, since the backlash hasn't been small this season. Yes, I'm aware that it's a low chance, but something in 4CC got me thinking-even if 4CC had issues too. So assuming politics kind of implodes, and tech panel does some work, and judges don't go crazy by throwing PCS for quad quantity, the guys with the most stable scores are Yuzu, Boyang, Javi (universally loved) and Patrick (it can't go lower anyways). Nate and Shoma might find the biggest score fluctations, especially if they don't go clean.

I can never look at devote Pchan fans the same way again....

Um, those frame styles are pretty common and popular in Asia. At least in China, a lot of the more hip guys go for those frame shapes (or slightly bigger ones). He honestly looks like a college boy/new graduate school boy from my part of the world-all wholesome and nice, and won't your mom be so happy to meet him type. Lol...I bet a lot of moms would be if you took him home with you.

...but he's smiling at you, s-m-i-l-i-n-g, that's not shady at all.

I want perfect revenge for the guys who missed GPF, due to injuries or other maladies.... The 05/06 season vibes are ridiculously strong this year.

That would make headlines- the deity and his fanboys go head to head. Granted this time he is going to compete against 2 of his fanboys (Dimitry Aliev and Boyang) at minimum.

2022 is going to be the war between the Yuzu fanboys.

I wear contacts for skating, and glasses normally. I think the greater issue is astigmatism?

Photo 1: meet your new awesome math and physics tutor. Photo 2: see what happens if you remove his glasses and try to force feed him a parfait. Watch him deathglare away all food items.

I'm wondering what content they'll use? White T-shirt version 9999999? Or did they do a special super secret shoot before he crawled into the cave known as TCC ice rink? It's coming out before he's had an event at PC.

I'm not sure if this is okay to say here? When I look at some of the data on Shoma's SP, and then hear comments about his good knee bend, and his skating skills, there's a part of me that is slightly dissappointed that he doesn't do more, especially in the free program. It's a bit like...you know he's good and he's capable of it, but sometimes you feel like you're not actually seeing it in action? The winter SP steps, yes I see it has complexity, but why none of that in the free? Personally, I'm liking his Loco Long from last season better than turandot this season. There's a certain sharpness, a bit of staccato breakage of his program in Loco (arms mostly) that made it more interesting; Turandot on the other hand is very "rounded", it's not punctuated by anything that makes me stand up and watch. Anyways, it's Olys and I don't expect anything drastic, but I hope for different programs in the future.