KatjaThera

Hate to be a party pooper, but I think the SP might stand for special, since it's followed by show. News every is an NTV show, so they're probably doing more 24H TV coverage. There will very possibly be new footage from the Ice Rink Sendai "ice show". But IIRC, SP is common shorthand for special in Japanese. ETA: Though I see lots of Japanese fans getting excited in the thread, too, so hopefully, I'm wrong. Though why just the SP?

The footage was most likely filmed on July 3rd and 4th. I doubt he did more than one trip to Tohoku and the visit to the school was on the 3rd. The visit to the ladies was probably on the same day (he's even wearing the same clothes) and he said the show was 'tomorrow', so, must have been the day after. So it was all right before going back to Toronto.

It's on NTV (aka NiTere, aka Nihon TV), Aug 25th, around 8:30-8:40pm JST. Now they're just doing all the before promo, they have 24HTV promo stuff every day until it officially start tomorrow. (I actually remember there was even more last year...) (H&F Day 2 also airs tomorrow, but not sure what time. Channel is most likely CS Asahi 2, though) ETA: Fixed it. Initially typed 24th for some reason. Also, I remember they said 25th-26th. I don't know if that's just because the show itself runs until the 26th or if there will be something more Yuzu by the time it ends. There will definitely more footage not included in the actual broadcast, in future days, though.

"A goat for the GOAT!"

Thank you!

Javi was talking about himself, being only 27 and yet being in pain from the long term effects that skating at such a professional level has. Here: (I'll leave translating to the resident Spanish speaking members, I understand most of it, but have trouble translating properly ^_^; ) Source: https://www.granadahoy.com/deportes/Levantarte-anos-BduelaBBhasta-almaB-dificil_0_1267673401.html While Javi has his own issues - particularly his knees - I'm not aware of any big injuries (aside from the Boston thing, but to be fair, I also haven't researched properly). And still, he's in pain. I don't think I want to imagine what it already probably is like for Yuzu, who has had multiple injuries to slowly chip away at chances of a regular life after retiring.

You know, it's 4am in Japan. I have no idea if it's the same for sports stuff, but for music, press releases with news were often: "To only be published after 5am JST", which was also in time for morning TV (like our beloved Mezamashi lol). So in the unlikely case that anonymous tip had any truth in it, there's still time (22nd also isn't over yet in Canada, I think)... (Although with JGP - any Brian and/or Tracy sightings? On Facebook they mentioned 4 or 5 skaters from TCC there, apparently - and Shae in Japan and Brian's show in Muskoka on Saturday and Javi also around there, I'm not holding my breath lol) This is in light of "4000 members, so cue in media day!" hopes...

Honestly, I don't want to hear anything about Yuzu needing to win in Beijing to prove himself. Not even as a joke. Anyone not convinced already is simply not worth the effort. This kid has most probably ruined his body already and, if Javi's words are anything to go by, will probably spend the rest of his life in pain, all in order to get two Olympic Golds. IF he goes to Beijing, I want him to do it because he wants it and he can do it. Not because he feels he has anything left to prove to anyone. I would love for him to win a third gold, but he's already proven himself and it's high time he puts his health first. I would love nothing more than his health allowing him to compete for many years to come, but I do not want him to force himself in any way that will affect that health anymore, because he feels he still needs to prove himself. He really doesn't. Not to anyone who would be worth that effort and sacrifice. (Of course, the 4A quest is different... he wants that badly, so it can't helped. And he's mostly doing it for himself, anyway.)

I knew they were goat plushies even before I clicked! lol I'd actually like that... imagine the baffled media trying to figure this out

I think Yuzu could win 5 Olympic Titles and some would still not consider him the GOAT, simply because of personal bias or because different people have different definitions for GOAT. Like you said about Dick Button, some say he was very dominant and consistent. I admit I never saw him skate, so I'd like to ask: did he have rivals close to his level? Because Yuzu was never alone at the top. First there was Patrick mostly, though others close by as well - Javi, Tatsuki, Daisuke, Denis on his great days - then there was Javi, then there was the coming of the youngsters. Did Dick Button win his second gold medal against 4 rivals who were in better physical condition and 3 who also had a theoretical technical advantage? But even without that, against 4 rivals, 3 of which had just as high chances of gold (sadly, Boyang is constantly underscored, so his chances were smaller from the start) I believe winning the way Yuzu has been doing for 4 years now, against strong rivals, and constantly improving and challenging himself - it's easier to be consistent if you don't take risks; not saying this was Dick's case, because I have no idea - is far more impressive than being dominant over a field of skaters not really at the same level (or close it). Especially if one also takes into account the fact that out of these 4 seasons, there was only one in which he wasn't injured or otherwise had big health issues. On top of that, given the sheer level of technical skills required to win now and everything skaters have to do on ice now, I believe there can be no comparison to before. There were skaters who were pioneers in their time and who set standards in their time and who perhaps dominated in their time or who battled strong rivals in their time (thinking Plushenko and Yagudin) and maybe who, if they were part of this generation, would be as good as or better than Yuzu, but simply given that FS is at a much higher level of difficulty than before, to me, any achievement now trumps achievements in the past. So IMO, saying Dick Button or anyone else in the best is the GOAT, despite his achievements not really being very different from Yuzu's - 2 Olympic Gold Medals, because they're apparently the most important - is simply a reluctance to award the title to Yuzu, maybe out of respect and admiration for Button, or maybe because people generally have trouble awarding superlative titles to contemporaries. I'm not sure how many of those considered 'best of the best' in different domains - music, literature, math, science etc. - were considered that by their contemporaries as well. Many people only award titles like that in hindsight. Also, Yuzu already is the first person to land a ratified 4Lo. So it's not like he doesn't any firsts in that sense to his name. (Also every time he's tried a quad in competition for the first time, he's landed it and with positive GOE, I think. I don't think there is a statistic like this for other skaters, but it'd be interesting to see if there are many who have this.) Anyway, overall, for me, I find the fact that Yuzu can develop gradually over the season and isn't perfect out of the box, as well as the fact that he wins or has great results, despite mistakes or despite not having as high a technical content as always, far more impressive and inspiring than if he were picture perfect, day in, day out. I'm not sure even he'd like that.

I actually think Yuzu might need Brian more. On top of the arguments already given, I think not having Brian around upsets Yuzu's rhythm and his routine and I think it showed to some extent both times Brian wasn't with him (WTT '17 and NHK '17). On top of that, I think generally, Brian knows how to read Yuzu and how to deal with him if he's not in an ideal shape and has experience in doing so, whereas I'm not sure other coaches do. Even if they've been around and they've seen how Brian does it, that's not the same thing. (There was also an interview with Brian on icenetwork in 2016 in which he was talking about how Yuzu was not used to Brian being away from TCC so much in the lead up to the season and wasn't comfortable with it (seems it's either disappeared or subscription only now, so can't link to it, but I saved it). Of course, things might have changed in 2 years, but still, it hints at Yuzu needing Brian around, even if just for his own mental calm. Not necessarily Brian doing anything, but just him being around helping Yuzu feel like everything is ok and normal.) It would be interesting, though, to see if all the time spent with Ghislain in the lead up to the Olympics has changed that. With Evgenia, I don't think that deep relationship has had time to form yet, so she can probably do just as well with other coaches, like Tracy. I think it'd be nice if David was there, too, especially since he is, like he himself said, kind of like Switzerland lol Neutral in the "war" between Eteri's camp and TCC.

Well, like I said it wouldn't have to be quite all the bullets (actually, a different amount of bullets, depending on level, would also make sense; Like 2 bullets for novice, 4 for juniors etc.; and IF they made it so judges check bullets instead of giving numbers, it'd even be really easy to implement). But just looking at those bullets as they are, I believe a top level senior skater should be able to do most if not all of those things. My ideal would be that skaters get 0 for elements executed correctly (where correct, incorrect and extraordinary should be clearly defined, and they'd become the categories for bullet points) and positive for anything beyond that (the extraordinary), negative for incorrect execution. But it's just a random idea, I didn't actually sit and think it through in detail Writing this, I think again, the best and easiest quick solution would be if judges checked bullet points instead of giving marks. I think it'd actually be a bit easier for them, too, and it's really not hard to implement. (And this goes for PCS, too, if there are bullet points there, too)

Well, where you start would depend on what exactly the mistakes considered are and also what can be added as extra. I don't think negative scores for elements would be a real issue, because I don't think overall negative scores are possible. What my idea essentially is is to change what executing an element correctly means. So even rookie skaters would have to learn to them correctly - ie by these standards, or, like I said, a slightly more permissive version - from the beginning, to get the points. (Although admittedly, I did not take them into consideration). I guess what I had in mind with this is that there are skaters who get plenty of points just from base value +n%, depending on what it is, so why bother do all the other difficult stuff for extra GOE? Especially when that adds the risk of falling. And the higher the base value, the higher the GOE, regardless of whether they add stuff to it. If however, the GOE standard itself was changed and the requirements for 0 were more severe, they'd have little choice but improve their technical skills. For example, here in school, you need to get a mark of 5 out of maximum 10 to pass an exam. My idea for FS is as if in this system, instead of 5, you made the passing mark be a 7. You automatically raise the level like that. Many students only study enough to get the 5. But if the passing mark was 7, they'd have to study more and learn more, in order to get the passing mark of 7. Although at the end of the day, none of this would be necessary if judging were done properly, so I guess it's back to the usual...

I'm no technical expert, but to me, all of these bullets for each thing (maybe ever so slightly more permissive, though not much...) should actually be the basic stuff to get 0. And from then on start piling up points to reward the truly outstanding skaters. Like... why should a choreo sequence that does not have good ice coverage or excellent commitment and control of the whole body get +3? Or a spin that doesn't have creativity and originality as well as that excellent commitment and control blah blah? Or a jump that doesn't have Very good body position from the takeoff to the landing? OK, let's say timing it to the music could be a bonus thing - though it really shouldn't be; want jumps to mean something? Make it mandatory to have them timed to the music - same for steps and creative entrance - though IMO, at least steps should also be mandatory. (And by mandatory I mean basic requirement for 0 GOE.) That would definitely balance things out far more than increasing GOE scope, IMO and set a higher standard for skaters. They say skaters now have much higher technical difficulty right? So reflect that in the GOE bullets in a different way, by increasing the stuff they need to do to get 0 GOE. (Admittedly, I am severely spoiled by Yuzu, but if you really want to level field, why not level it up? Force the others to climb up to his level, not try to bring him down to every one else's level?) Blah, I have no idea why I get so fired up on this alternative things when nobody will ever even consider them lol But hearing that GOE is a mess already is no surprise... And if the messes continue, it will just give judges an excuse to throw candy - "It was just my opinion, look at other competitions, it's perfectly normal for GOE to vary wildly between judges!" - and that's just ugh. And it is even more frustrating when the powers that be at the ISU say the same the things we do on forums, but then go an do something completely different, roundabout and confusing...

It seems there is no training camp this year and I guess it could be possible he won't be at Beat the Heat and leave it all to Javi, but the poster definitely hints he'll be there. Could it be that with Stephen starting in juniors, he'll get another main coach? (Assuming Brian did go with him to competitions before, of which I have no idea.) Or maybe Brian wants him to learn to be less dependent on him from an early age (remembering Javi and Yuzu's performances when Brian was out of commission last year >_>) As for Jack's question, I was sure Yuzu had won when I saw the TES at the end of Shoma's program. The difference was too small to cover the SP difference, it was unlikely the TES would increase and even if so, not by much and there was no way he would get more PCS than Yuzu. But the first time I thought he would win was right before the 6 minutes warmup, when they showed him, rink side and he smiled. It was a very rational reaction of "OMG, he's smiling! OMG, he's relaxed! OMG, he's gonna win this!!!!!!"

It's a small event, organized by the Brian Orser Foundation. I think the only one who has been sort of regularly there is Javi, though I found Gabby went to a previous event, too. I think (I haven't had the chance to properly research) that previously there was a sort of skating camp, and the show was a sort of gala at the end of that. Also, in 2013, Kurt Browning was also involved, it seems. Link to some basic info about this year's show: http://www.portcarlingskatingclub.ca/beat-the-heat-summer-skating-show.html

That's kind of sad...

lol But if it's not a troll, we'll all be wondering who it was that spilled the secret lol The thing is, usually Brian's show was preceded by a sort of Summer Camp and skating classes in Muskoka, and with Javi already in Muskoka, I wondered if maybe Brian will be there, already, too. In which case, it would be unlikely, as media day won't happen without Brian. But there is nothing to confirm there will be a Summer Camp or indeed anything in Muskoka until Saturday, so nothing to contradict this possibility.

Hmm... it's possible I guess... At least we won't have to wait too long to find out if it's true or not...

He could probably post and block comments every time (I think Instagram has that option?), but he could still get tagged to stuff and I'm not sure he could block messages, so... yeah. Better not. On the other hand, if he weren't so 'mysterious' and private, it could be that some fans would stop being so desperate... but I don't think it's worth it to try it. That said, depending on his plans post-retirement (I know what I dream of for him lol), he might then open a website, at least, to further promote those plans. Javi has a website, but it's not really up to date (I just checked it yesterday and it even has errors).

*imagines Yuzu popping up on instagram one day and his first post is: "Hi! I have instagram now! Btw, here's a quad axel! Enjoy!" * Truth is, in a way I love how popular and successful Yuzu without having SNS, a website, an agency or even actual managers that we know of... It also means he probably has full control of his image and activities, more than he'd have if he had any of those things (he wouldn't have time to keep track of SNS or micromanage a website and an agency or managers would just tell him not to worry his pretty head about things unrelated to skating and make decisions for him). OK, he probably hands a lot of control to his mother, but still. She's his mother, not some stranger.

I think you're right. At worst, pain does imply injury, but IMO, injured is still different from damaged (damaged to me implies something more permanent). Also that "ashi" I took it to mean the whole leg or maybe even both legs, especially since he then goes on to talk about the knee. And I haven't heard of other translations, but I'm not exactly the greatest finder of Yuzu things lol It's now so... Brian did say it made him nervous that Yuzu was ready for the Olympics in August, but that in the end it was a good thing, because he could fall back on that when he got injured. But knowing he messed up his body already then in order to achieve that... I personally always cringed a bit at how adamant he was about not getting injured in the Olympic Season, like he was jinxing it. He also seemed somehow... dark about it, to me. But in fact, it seems he was sort of injured from the very beginning... I guess that could explain why he seemed dark... But the thing about "If you win, it's your merit, if you don't, it's my responsibility" is something that would never work with Yuzu, I think. (And it's probably quite far from Brian's own philosophy, where he wants his skaters to own what they do on the ice and take full responsibility for it, even if officially, when required, he will take it on their behalf - see CoC14. The important thing is for them to feel that responsibility.) He did have a website. You can find it if you search Web Archive. No idea why it was taken down... I'm sure they had their reasons...

Just to clarify, he doesn't literally say "Dear me." It's more of an exclamation. What he says is the Spanish version of the much better known Italian "mama mia!" So more of an "Oh, boy!" sort of thing ^_^ And in other news, seems Javi is back in Canada, judging by his new instastory. I'm guessing he's getting ready for Brian's show on Saturday... (I wish I lived around there... $60 to see the show and hang out with them? What a bargain! I'm paying 130EUR to meet and hang out with Javi and whoever else will be at his show lol)

Maybe they'll make another trailer for the new season like the one for the Olympics, and give us teasing images of their new looks...

Jun seemed normal in that teaser video with Jason and Gabby... so there's still hope lol (Although admittedly, his hair was mostly covered)