KatjaThera

Oh, I agree, I think the chance of being reassigned is very small. In 2018 it worked because the switch from CoC to Helsinki was done before the GP assignments (IIRC). This time, it's too late. I just mentioned it since someone else was talking about that possibility. But I very much doubt it will happen. Honestly, canceling the GP would make a lot more sense at this point, but we know how the ISU is...

I agree that China probably gave up CoC as it's not really that important and I can easily imagine them thinking it's not worth the effort and potential trouble. If they held CoC and something bad happened, a lot of people would question their ability to hold the Olympics. Also, because of the structure of GPS, international participants to CoC - skaters, coaches, staff - would be unable to properly quarantine ahead of the event. That's not really and issue with the Olympics, when athletes can fly in early, be put in proper bubbles and continue their training in these bubbles, while also being tested regularly etc. The Olympics being the Olympics gives them a lot more freedom to impose safety measures - and it's unlikely many will protest, especially given the numbers coming out of Japan. I tend to think China puts China and Chinese people's safety - even if only because the economy suffers if your people are sick and/or dying, so it's in your best interest to do everything to quickly stop a pandemic; it's amazing how many other countries in the world fail to understand this... that super strict measures for a short time are better than more lax measures for a long time - first, so they will take decisions that benefit China first and foremost. If they have difficulties handling this new wave of infections or they get hit by another near the Olympics, I would not be surprised even if they postpone or cancel. But right now, the Olympics is way too far ahead to say anything. CoC itself is really far away and it's possible that by November, China will be safer to hold a competition in than other places, but they had to make a decision early on to give another country a chance to hold the GP event as well, and this was surely the easiest decision. While I'm not sure about the specifics, China is dealing with a new wave of infections and they do appear to have been quick to take measures against it, but I'm not sure if we are at a point where it's possible to draw a conclusion on those measures' efficiency yet. It is easier for them to take strict measures, though, so I expect they will and likely end this wave fairly quickly. But we'll see. (And I really hope Yuzu doesn't get reassigned to Helsinki - if they get the GP - because I would honestly be too torn about it. Traveling doesn't feel safe to me at all, even as a fully vaccinated person, but it would hurt like hell to give up the chance of seeing Yuzu again. But I've had covid and even if it was super mild, I most definitely do not want to risk getting it again. So, best not to have to make that choice...)

I forgot to reply to this, but I would love it if he brought back Sing Sing Sing! I've always loved that program for him and he seemed to have so much fun with it at CiONTU! Also, both Brian and Jeff have skated to that before, so it'd be a nice nod to them, too. I don't know how likely it is - personally, I find it hard to anticipate Yuzu's moves lately lol he definitely has a mind of his own - but I would love it!

Speaking of getting inspired by Yuzu costumes, as I was away, I don't know if this was posted here (though I think I saw a Yuzu fan account on twitter post it, so likely it was, hence spoiler lol)

I wouldn't mind it if that had been the Olympics, then I could say I was at the Olympics It was at ACI 2019 and was very sweet to witness in person, too! The Reddit comments were mostly cool, but some were also pretty . Like several people didn't just think it was the Olympics, they thought it was the Tokyo Olympics that just finished... and while FS was part of the Summer Olympics a few ages ago, it's not anymore lol It was the timing, I think, it confused people, since they've recently seen stuff like this from the Tokyo Olympics, so they just assumed this was as well lol I also found it funny how some people were like: Actually, Keegan is American, when people went on US vs Canada rants. (I have to say, my own experience is also that Canadians are very nice, but actually all the Americans I've met so far have also been very nice... Like all countries, those two also have both good and not so good people lol)

Sorry for the continued slight OT, but regarding the previous talk about the situation in China, I saw this thread on twitter and some people might find it interesting:

I think the Beijing situation is on and off. There have been times when traveling to Beijing, at least from some cities in China, was either impossible or required quarantine and/or regular testing. As far as I know, right now that's not the case. But because Chinese authorities seem to react really fast, that can change at any moment. Although, admittedly, my own information is also just from following various Chinese actors lol I did hear on the news that they are considering mass testing in WuHan, after some new cases, though, and some public events have been canceled (not entirely sure about locations, though). To be honest, at this moment, I wouldn't worry that much about Yuzu - and other skaters - being in China for the Olympics, but I would still worry about the trip there...

It seems to me that China is taking Covid - and always has - a lot more seriously than most other countries. So it wouldn't surprise me even if they did cancel or postpone, if things got bad. But 6 months is actually quite a lot, as the initial wave of pandemic in China was only around that long - they were already opening in April last year, if not even earlier - and they've probably learned from that, too. From what I've seen, every time there are new cases in an area, they shut everything down quickly, which has probably helped control things there. So it's not unlikely that China itself will be safe when the Olympics come along. I also think they are likely to take the safety measures more seriously and it's likely more athletes will be vaccinated by then, too. But, like I said, I also wouldn't be surprised if China ends up saying no can do, if this Delta wave hits them hard. If they do hold it, I tend to doubt they'll allow foreign audiences, but they would probably make exceptions for athletes and media, as long as they quarantine and get tested and/or are vaccinated. I doubt there would be stuff like in Tokyo now... (and honestly, as someone who loves Japan, this whole pandemic and Olympics thing hurts... they made such a mess of the whole thing...)

Thank you @rockstaryuzu, @ZuCritter, @IceWings for the warm welcome back And welcome to the new members! I'm a bit late to this, but if we're talking about songs to skate to as a message to those wishing he'd retire, how about Queen's Don't Stop Me Now? (Actually, since someone mentioned F1 earlier, I fell in love with this song ages ago when someone made a fanvideo for Kimi Raikkonen set to this song - among others - and it was so awesome lol I can't believe it's still on youtube, though the quality definitely feels prehistoric lol) As for the topic of netizens, we know that there are nasty people everywhere in the world - we recently had controversies in Europe, in relation to Euro 2020, too - who simply enjoy attacking others, and especially popular people. It's not even really personal, it's just a matter of finding an excuse to attack. For people like that, attacking and being given the satisfaction of seeing their attacks affect their victims - or their victims' fans - is a thrill. It's best to try to avoid giving them that satisfaction. But, unfortunately, they also tend to be really loud, so they often get noticed more than the rational people. Ignoring them is definitely the best thing to do, though. That's the lesson I've learned on twitter over the past year and a half in other fandoms, too.

Thank you very much! I will try to post more often again! (I have been watching you all from the shadows of my twitter account, though ) And actually, I fully agree with what you've said. The point of my post was rather to extend the perspective rather than to disagree with anything. It felt like some people were just expecting Nathan to have the same attitude as Yuzu and I wanted to explain a bit why I think that's impossible. But I fully agree that ALL athletes and especially champions in all sports have responsibilities towards their peers and the sport as a whole. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. It's really sad that many athletes shrug this off. In FS, especially given the delicate topics, a World Champion should stand up for their sport, for their fellow skaters. The go to answer to questions like the one Nathan was asked should always be along the lines of "I respectfully disagree. Figure Skating is an amazing sport with great diversity in every possible way and I believe everyone should celebrate that. All the disciplines are full of very talented and hard-working athletes who approach the sport in different and interesting ways. I believe the general public should put aside their prejudices and give it a look with an open mind. I'm sure many of them will be very pleasantly surprised." How wonderful would answers like this be? You'd think with the way so many people look down on FS, skaters would have more of a "us against the world" mentality... It still astounds me sometimes, the the ISU, instead of fully supporting the guy who lives and breathes FS, who's dedicated his entire life to it, who loves the sport more than anyone else and has contributed to its popularity more than anyone else and who has constantly tried to make the sport better, they support the guy who appears to be doing to pass the time and check some points on his resume and who shuns parts of what makes FS what it is and who apparently wants to change it to make it more appealing to people who probably won't care even then. It literally makes no sense... but well, that's ISU for you...

(who knew I'd make my comeback here talking about Nathan ) I know this topic has mostly moved to the Team USA thread, but since it has been discussed here again and there has also been some discussion about how Yuzu's attitude towards the subject is so very different from Nathan's, I hope it's ok to share a few thoughts of my own. But just in case, I'll hide it under a spoiler.

Regarding Ari saying it the MVS would be Nathan, I think someone mentioned it was a misunderstanding/mistranslation and Ari had actually said something like Nathan is the best (this season), not that people would vote him for MVS. Also, IIRC, the source was a Japanese interview, so it probably went through several translations and re-translations. I also wouldn't be surprised if Ari would say something like that just to stir the spirits and raise interest in the stupid awards, even if negative interest. I can't imagine any universe in which they would dare not give MVS to Yuzu. The award was quite literally made for him. People naming him is simply because they're asked. They're asked who they think should get it and they answer Yuzu, regardless of actual championship wins, because he's above that now. I don't think we should waste energy without knowing exactly the result. IF they do reveal the winners and Yuzu is not in it, then I'm all for a revolution, but until then, we can spend our energy on better things. Like looking forward to that NHK thing!

Being flagbearer in PC was a different issue. Kodaira Nao was his sempai, so he deferred to her. I think she also got two gold medals, while he got one. And she was also the team captain. And on top of that, he was tired, injured and probably just wanted to enjoy the ceremony a bit. He also disappeared right after they paraded, so he likely didn't stay for the whole thing, which I'm not sure he would have been able to do as flagbearer. Lighting the Olympic flame is a different thing. It's unlikely the one lighting it would be an active Summer Olympian - I don't think they usually are - and they do say there's going to be a theme of recovery from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and nobody is more of a symbol of that than Yuzu. That he's also a Double Olympic Champion is bonus points. And if it's seen as a further symbol to the recovery, I suspect he would do it, if only just for that. Whether they'll ask him or not and whether he'll accept or not, no idea. If he doesn't, we might never know either. I think it would be a good recognition of his value to the Japanese people, though, that's why I'd like to see it happen. And it would further cement his status. But if he doesn't want to do it, then he obviously shouldn't. As things are now, though, then I definitely hope he'll stay a hermit in Toronto. But under normal circumstances, depending on the reason given, I would like him to do it, yes.

Thanks for the update. I admit I haven't followed restrictions for Canada after Montreal settled. I don't think anyone is truly willing to travel now. Way too many unknowns. That, too... By next Spring, there will hopefully be a vaccine, but until then anything is possible. That's why the rest of this year looks pretty bleak IMO. Many people hope it'll be better in the Summer because it'll be warm and generally coronaviruses don't like warm weather. But there have been outbreaks in warm areas, too, most recently spring breakers from Florida, so it doesn't look very positive. I think for now we just have to take it a step at a time, hope for the best, but be cautious. It's why I decided not to invest money in planning for FaOI, although I want to go so badly again. I just can't see it happening or at least can't see it being safe enough to travel.

I think he's safer in any place that doesn't require him to go out and given that he is, as far as we know, still in Toronto, it's there. Traveling is a risk even at other times. The dry, recirculated air in the airplane, the crossing of time zones, the sheer tiredness of a long flight of over 10 hours, plus airport waiting times are always a risk of getting sick. I get colds virtually every time I travel long distance. I have spent flights home from Japan shivering continuously from fever and I don't usually get fevers. And that was without any viruses going around. We also know it has happened to Yuzu as well. It's why he had his accident in 2017, because he was stubborn enough to jump while not fully recovered from the strong fever he developed after traveling from Canada to Japan. Traveling is also likely to trigger asthma attacks, IIRC, so really, if it's not absolutely necessary, like for visa reasons, I hope he stays put. On top of that, given how lax Japan is, I wouldn't be surprised if his sponsors would have demands of him and it would be hard to refuse. And the media would try to get a hold of him and whatnot. Also, as far as I know, Ice Rink Sendai is closed and likely to remain so. If he's in Toronto, his contact with people is very limited and staying indoors is what he mostly does anyway. So definitely safer. Likely not more comfortable, but we're talking safety now, not comfort. In an ideal world, sure, it would be great if Yuzu could spend Summers with his family and stay at home and so on, but this isn't an ideal world. He usually has so many eyes on him and so many obligations in Japan. Personally, I think he feels more comfortable in Toronto by now, anyway, simply because in Toronto he can breathe a little and not be THE Yuzuru Hanyu 24/7. And even that aside, COVID-19 restrictions are not an excuse for a holiday. Even if most people stay at home with their loved ones, it's not a holiday, it's a siege. Comfort is not the top priority, safety is. And nothing is safer now than being a hermit with as few contacts as possible, which is what he is in Toronto. And also, it's not like he doesn't have things to do. There are games, there are his studies, just imagine how much he can study and how much he can think about skating now, with no real time restrictions. How much music he can consider and choreography and so on. I'm sure he'll get the itch, too, from being cooped up with no chance to practice, but he's a smart boy. He knows there are bigger things than skating going on in the world now, so he'll grit his teeth and find ways to occupy his time. Just like all of us. (Personally, I think my biggest regret for this Summer is Yuzu not getting to to be the one to light the Olympic Flame I wanted that really badly, but now I just want him to stay away and stay safe, even if they offer it to him. Maybe if they postpone he can do it at the new date...)