KatjaThera

Actually, I kind of remember the NBC broadcast focusing more on Javi at that point, and you could occasionally get glimpses of Yuzu in front. But yes, still not both. I still don't understand why NO ONE, in gala and ice show choreographers have never had the two of them skate together like that, showing off the full extent of their top level skating skills and Brian and Tracy's teachings. You have the two most complete skaters of the moment right there and you don't take advantage of it to make mouths drop... what a waste! (though of course, it's possible they don't want to... though I can't imagine why) As for press conference, I don't think the Sochi ones were ever broadcasted, either? It's kind of ironic, because lately, I think ISU has broadcasted press conferences on Youtube (not sure if all, but many). So if it'd been mainly ISU, we might have gotten them. But it was IOC...

(Obviously, I knew he was retiring, but to keep hearing it just keeps driving it home and ugh...)

I really like Patrick in that... now I kind of want to see all nice Yuzu and Patrick moments. Since they were such fierce rivals (and there was quite a bit of drama), it's really nice to see them getting along!

I don't think you've missed my point, so it's ok But I'll explain a bit more what I meant, just to be safe lol I understand all of that about GOE, I just think it's not really enough. For example, as far as GOE guidelines are concerned, an SE 3A is the same as Yuzu's trademark back counter 3A. I'm sure many - including one Takahito Mura lol - would argue, though, that the latter is more difficult. However, if there's no benefit for trying something more difficult, why do it? It's hard to argue that SE-3A doesn't hit the same bullets as back counter 3A, but I think the latter should get rewarded more. I understand the GOE bullets being guidelines actually does give judges a bit of freedom to do this, but IMO, that's not right. As long as GOE is grade of execution and not grade of difficulty or grade of quality. To me, execution is simply that: you execute an element, and you have a standard by which you judge how accurately the element was executed. And yes, that does include some measure of difficulty and quality. However, the guidelines are so vague and kind of generic that it doesn't really tell you THAT much. And for GOE, I'm not sure it even should. (Also, maybe I should point out, this is from the pov of someone who is still somewhat new to FS. Maybe if I'd been into it for longer, that notion of 'execution' would have changed by now for me, too.) I also think 11 grades of execution aren't enough to truly differentiate the quality of the elements, simply because there are too many things that should be taken into consideration to be able to cram it all up in 11 grades of execution, out of which only 5 are positive. Also, my impression on PCS is that it's mostly looking at the program as a whole from various points of view, while I'm thinking about individual elements. Someone can have an awesome 4Lz and a rather unaesthetic spin (that still manages to hit enough bullet points to get a decent TES score). A quality score for individual elements could easily be a 9 for the 4T and a 4 for the spin, while normally, few would give a 6.5 for the average (reducing it to just two elements for simplicity.) I guess my biggest issue is that judges are given a check list. And then they're told "Here, have a check list. But you know, it's kind of optional, so... it's up to you. Figure it out." It's a really half-hearted way of doing things, IMO. Either make the check list clearer and mandatory or figure out something else. I know I'd feel really lost as a - rookie; I guess the veterans already have their own standards, which may or may not have much to do with the checklist - judge if I were faced with that. (My boss does that to me sometimes... gives me only half the facts and nothing really strictly clear and leaves me hanging, to try to figure out the rest myself. I absolutely hate it when it happens! So I guess this reminds me of that. ) I actually tend to think it might be easier for them, too, if the bullets were mandatory as opposed to guidelines. Much more straightforward and easy to follow. Not that it'll happen lol

Since Stephen will possibly be the grand hope of Canada by Beijing, PCS might come his way. Also, I doubt Brian will let him go to seniors without starting to work on the skating aspect. He can debut in seniors at 15, so two years might just be enough to get a reputation. That said, I do think his biggest problem might be the growth spurt. I also think Yuzu was really lucky because he hit his really early on, so it didn't affect him all that much, and since then, his growth has been slow and steady. I think Stephen does still look like a child, not very tall and very slim and it remains to be seen what body shape he will develop into. Not everyone is naturally slim and/or tall. So I agree that it's too early to say what Stephen will be doing in 4 years. Or even in 8 years. (I had a classmate in high school who was very short and skinny throughout three years of high school, then suddenly shot up to where he was one of the tallest in class, in the last year, so around 18 years old. As far as I know, boys don't stop growing until their mid 20s or so.) It's similar to people getting excited about Trusova doing quads at 14, IMO. It's awesome she can do them now, but it doesn't necessarily mean she'll be able to still do them in a few years. Thank you! I guess it makes sense... (though to me Yuzu is infinitely more marketable ^_^; )

120 million yen is the equivalent of over 1 million USD and over 900,000 EUR... and this without an agency to handle his image. Amazing, indeed! (I admit I'm now curious who was number one...) And the only ones higher are comedians and show hosts who have been around for decades and so have had time to solidify their popularity. I think all of them have been on TV for longer than Yuzu has been alive.

Actually, I'm thinking some of them might even appreciate it? (Or I'm just being super idealistic, believing there are good judges out there, too...) As it is, they have to use GOE to differentiate quality, too, and that just makes it extra confusing. Like: how can I give this jump 5GOE when there might be a much greater jump later on, more deserving of 5GOE? So they don't. And we'll again see very few +5GOE (just like we saw few +3GOE), because it's some mythical element that only the very best should ever achieve (unless it's a favorite skater doing it, then it's +5 by default Just to be mean). I don't think that should be the case. (Then again, that seems to be the case with 10s in PCS, too... they're afraid to give 10s because it's supposed to only happen with an all time best and surely there could come something better, right?) Alternatively, maybe instead of giving -5GOE to +5GOE, they should give marks depending on what bullets they hit. A skater who hits 3 bullets, should get 3 points. One who hits 5, should get 5 points. Then the bullets would actually have to be analyzed, which I'm pretty sure isn't done now. (Someone also mentioned once that judges should be forced to tick boxes corresponding to each bullet, instead of picking a number from -5 to +5. That'd work, too.) Of course, it definitely leaves a lot of room for screwing up, but IMO, the bias would also be even more visible. Like judges giving a 9.5 to a low, barely enough distance jump, and a 9 to a high, long distance one would really stand out as biased. Which might not have any consequences and create even more controversy, but at least it'd be clear. As for too subjective for tech, yeah, possibly. Though it's still do to with technique, in a way. And it's not like it's not subjective now. I'm sure many judges give the marks based on impression, without actually thinking about the 'guidelines'. There's bad technique, good technique and better technique. Those who go the extra mile should get the bonus points over those who only do the bare minimum. I think it'd definitely encourage skaters to work even more on technique and quality of elements, rather than just quantity. For example, a skater with 5 quads might not even need really good technique or high quality, because the BV of the elements will be enough when he nails them. So why bother on anything other than stabilizing the jumps? But if both technique and quality were rewarded even more than they are, then his chances of winning on BV alone will decrease. I think in some ways the GOE changes this year are good, but it still bugs me, that GOE = quality because I don't think it should be so. At least not under the current guidelines. Though at the end of the day, this discussion is quite pointless, because nobody's going to ask me what I think could be done to improve FS That said, I'm still really fuzzy on how PCS is judged. I'm sure the quality of elements is supposedly included in one of the categories, but none of them seem to fit that, intuitively, just based on what they're called. I know someone linked me to the ISU rules on that before, but I think my brain short-circuited before I could make sense of them ^_^;

I've also put forward the theory that it could be a pulse oxymeter or a device that combines a regular heart rate monitor and a pulse oxymeter. With his asthma, constantly measuring his oxygen saturation while exercising would make sense. We don't actually know, though. The fact that wearing heart monitors when exercising is very normal - not just for athletes, but people who jog a lot and such also do it - makes it more likely it is that. As for why not on the wrist, first of all, as @LadyLou said, accuracy - it makes sense a heart rate monitor at least would be more accurate the closer it gets to the heart, anyway - but I think it's also for practical reasons. Figure skaters fall a lot and their hands are far more involved in the falls than their chest. I'm sure it'd be extra uncomfortable bracing a fall with a hand that has such a device strapped to the wrist, but you also risk breaking it. That risk is far more reduced for a chest strapped one.

Sadly, that's a good point, but half-hearted rules - or guidelines - still annoy me, even if they don't get applied even like that. That's why I said "quite fair". There have been exceptions, but everyone gets a score happy judge or two at times, so I think it's quite balanced. And anyway, when Yuzu was still up and coming, the judge candy was far more modest than it is now. It took Yuzu years to get into the 9s in PCS - and even then, there was outrage. How long did it take Shoma and Nathan? As for the JSF thing, I'm sorry, I think I made it sound more dramatic than I meant it, but I gave my opinion - which is really just that, an opinion and impression, I have no proof for it - a bit above, under spoiler.

It's not really the place to discuss this, but the GOE talk reminds me that I recently thought they should have an additional score. GOE is just grade of execution and as long as the bullet points are fairly clear, anyone who ticks them all should get all the GOE they deserve, regardless of what anyone else does. HOWEVER, I believe they should have an additional score for the quality of each element. I guess they are technically included in the PCS, but they're not really properly evaluated. For example, two skaters both jump a 4T from steps, they have good height, good position in the air, good landing. They both deserve the same amount of GOE, for ticking the same boxes. However, one skater has a buttery smooth 4T with huge distance and super high and extra creative landing and very difficult steps going into it, while the other has just enough to tick the boxes. Then skater 1 has a higher quality for a well executed 4T, while skater 2 has a lower quality for a well executed 4T. A difference should be made between the two and that difference should be an extra score, marked 1-10, but individually, for each element, like GOEs. If you just bunch them together like PCS, the judges will just give them by general impression anyway, without analyzing in detail. Also, if one skater had great quality jumps and poor quality spins, for example, the score would be different if each element had its own quality score, as opposed to giving an overall score for elements - for example, if some of the elements are impressive enough, the judges might be tempted to give a higher overall score, ignoring how poor the other elements are. I'm kind of surprised nobody has suggested something like this. THIS would really make a difference between skaters, because just GOE isn't enough, IMO. Ticking the GOE boxes shouldn't really be impossible, because it's grade of execution, not quality of execution. And I think it's fair to give a score for how well the elements were executed, then give bonuses to who executes them better (which is, naturally, subjective, hence, PCS-like scoring). Back to Yuzu, while it's true he is the cash cow, I think ISU likes to pretend they have no idea. I don't think Yuzu ever really got any help from ISU. His scores have always been quite fair. He's also never really had the kind of political support other skaters have had, because even in Japan, he's not really the one they'd rather have on top. So I doubt ISU consider him very much when making their plans... (or maybe they just happily rest on the fact that if he gets lower scores, he'll just work harder to get on top again, so they don't really need to worry about helping him )

I'm sure you didn't mean anything bad about it. Like I said, I believe it doesn't even really matter much, anyway. But it can open the door to much worse speculation, so IMO, it's best to just take his word for it. I'm also ready to admit Yuzu does bend the truth or hide things at times, but it's always done as part of his strategy and in direct connection to skating. He's also never 'lied' (I wouldn't call them outright lies myself, but that's a matter of interpretation) about having health issues, it was always the other way around, claiming to be healthy when he wasn't. So, to me, it'd be completely out of character for him to claim allergies if he doesn't have it. Thank you for the lengthy explanation! In his case, I'm inclined to believe it is allergy and not intolerance, because he said he did drink sake after his 20th birthday. And yet only mentioned the allergic reaction for the first time after surgery, some 3 weeks later. If it had been intolerance, there should have been signs from the first time he tried alcohol, no? Either way, if the effects are negative to him, it's only natural he won't drink, regardless of whether it's really allergies or intolerance. (Although it is interesting, the stuff we learn from being Yuzu fans. I still remember checking back on old GS threads and finding everyone researching the urachal remnant disorder ^_^; ) I think it's hard not to be a lightweight without practice. I used to drink socially and was quite ok with alcohol, but after going on a diet that also forbade alcohol for two years, I became extremely lightweight, to the point where a sip of beer made me instantly sleepy. So in his case, it makes sense he'd be extremely lightweight. Especially since the only account I know of was also probably his first time drinking. Or even if not first, definitely among the first times.

I'm not separating them. I was just giving a counterargument to @glilikoi saying he can say he's allergic to get out of social drinking situations, by saying that in the book, he mentioned it in a context not at all related to social drinking. I have no idea if just the rubbing alcohol experience led him to think he's allergic and he decided not to take chances, or if he actually tried drinking and got a reaction again. Only he knows. And, I admit, I'd never heard of alcohol allergy before, but there are some really weird allergies out there, so who am I to say I know better? (For the record, I've been thinking I might have coffee allergy, because I feel sick every time I drink coffee; though it might be a blood pressure thing, rather.) Depending on how bad the reaction was for him (hives are bad anytime, but hives after surgery, when he was probably also in pain and stuck in bed and, if I remember correctly, had antibiotics issues as well, on top of it all, definitely not fun!), it might be enough to make him very reluctant to test if drinking will also cause a reaction. My bigger issue with speculating whether his allergy is real or not is that it opens the door for speculating on all his health issues and that's just too close to where haters go when they want to talk crap about him. So, as far as I'm concerned, he says he's allergic and that's why he won't drink, so I'll believe it. It's not like it really matters, anyway.

I'd rather we don't speculate about Yuzu possibly lying about his allergy. He's very open about other likes and dislikes and even if he used it as an excuse to get out of drinking in social circumstances, there'd be no real reason to say so publicly. Especially as someone who hates showing weakness and making excuses, I think he'd rather say he doesn't like drinking to inventing an allergy. Anyway, there are different types of allergies. There are the really bad ones and the not so serious ones, that are more of an annoyance. His alcohol allergy sounds like the annoyance type, but I can't blame him for preferring not to break out in hives (which is much more than just a flush, since there is also itchiness.) Also, the first time he described his post surgery allergic reaction, in his book, there was nothing to do with drinking alcohol, so there was little reason for him to lie about it. Whether and how much that stretches to cover drinking alcohol as well (though thinking about it, if his body reacts just to contact with it, ingesting it should actually cause a bigger reaction, I think), only he knows, but if he says he's allergic and that's why he doesn't drink, I'll choose to believe him. He definitely seems to be one of those people with a more sensitive immune system, who tend to develop multiple allergies and be more prone to health issues. Which only makes everything about him even more amazing. *shrugs*

Well, he mentioned it in Asaichi, when there was a question about whether he drinks alcohol and he said he's allergic. I think the allergy started when he had his surgery, which was a few weeks after he turned 20 and became legal and probably had sake with his father and grandfather (I think it was). Like you said, it's probably not that bad and he could probably have some alcohol now and then if he really wanted to, but I don't think he wants to. I don't really remember the not liking part, but even if he had, I think he didn't have enough time to really develop a taste for alcohol, enough to want to drink even despite the potential (because, like you said, it's unclear if he'd have a reaction from a simple beer or so; then again, many allergies start after heavy exposure to the allergen, and just because what started it was the strong rubbing alcohol, it doesn't mean he won't react to less strong alcohol, as well) allergic reaction. Someone who enjoys drinking might think it's worth it, though. (The way, for example, Javi won't give up cats despite being allergic to them. Though it's a different type of allergy.)

Thank you for compiling all the info again! I think it'd be great to have no commentary versions of all the shows, but even just a few would be great! And yesterday there was a broadcast of FaOI Niigata on BS Fuji. I hadn't heard about any other broadcast... and since we've known about all the other local broadcasts, I'm thinking there might have been some confusion? Though a local broadcast that might make it to youtube would be great!

It's not about legal age. Yuzu is allergic to alcohol. (Admittedly, it might not be very bad allergy - seems he just breaks out in hives - and he could maybe try it, but I don't think he got to have a taste for alcohol, so it's probably not worth it.) And this talk reminds me I bought a bag of chips in FC Barcelona colors for my father, because he's a fan and it just laid around the kitchen for over a year until it expired and we threw it out, because my father doesn't eat chips But a beer would be easier to keep just for the sake of it... it would be a bit of a shame, if one of the limited edition beers were not actually drunk, though... So I'd vote empty can, too. I'd get one >_>

I don't remember what was the first yuzu-flavored thing I tried, but I think it was during my first trip to Japan and before I became a Yuzu fan. I loved it instantly, so coming to love both Yuzu and yuzu was more of a happy coincidence for me lol Last year on the day I went home after the NHK experience, I had yuzu-pan and it was pretty good! Also, the warm yuzu drinks in the winter in vending machines in Japan are awesome!

As others have said, Yuzu is just short for Yuzuru and a lot of people use it and have been using it since long before he had a lot of fans. (I think some people have said his family also calls him Yu, but I have no idea about that; he doesn't look like a Yu to me so it seems weird lol) However, even people close to him pick up on the Yuzu-yuzu thing. For example, (some of) the guys in Pandalion, as well as people at Ice Rink Sendai, call him Yuzu-pon. Adding -pon to names isn't unusual and it's a cutsey suffix, but in Yuzu's case, it's obviously also a pun, and reference to yuzupon.

I think it's because generally, pictures and videos are forbidden at TCC. Of course, selfies and pictures where people in it have obviously consented, will get a pass, because it's not super strict. As proof, we also sometimes get to spot Yuzu in other skaters' short videos etc. But generally, pictures and videos are forbidden. It's part of their philosophy of offering the skaters a safe place where they can just be and train and not have to worry about what the world thinks or their public images. Like Brian said, they can have good days, bad days, breakdowns and not fear it'll make it out for all the world to see and know. It'd be safe. Of course, nothing like that in that picture, but it shows an attempt at following the rules and respecting the others' privacy. (Though it would have been better to take the picture with the rink as background.)

I still vote for an adult version of the Bolero costume. Black, sparkly, and partly see-through (possibly mesh, but whatever) weapon of mass destruction. And if you top it with LGC hair...

I'm curious: where did you hear that? I would be very surprised if it was one of his new costumes, since it was very Gundam (unless he does Wings of Worlds as one of his programs, in which case there'd be an implosion of epic proportions; although admittedly, neither the costume, nor the choreography seemed very developed...) As for the costumes, I'm guessing he had a big closet somewhere where he keeps all of them. And wears them again when/if he sees fit. Last time he wore Hana ni nare was last year for the Yokohama class. He's worn other costumes as well, like lately he's been wearing that Ienai yo white shirt a lot, multiple times, and CiONTU (as well as the Takashimaya exhibition) showed he definitely has them all on stand by (though at times they need slight modifications to be worn again, like the cut sleeves on Zigeunerweisen). No idea about FaOI group costumes, though... I wonder if he gets to keep those, too... Then again, no idea what FaOI organizers would do with them, either, aside from maybe starting a museum at some point.

I think they were just pointing out that Bruno today wore the same pattern yukata as Yuzu did then ^_^ ETA: Totally OT, I wonder if these are related to It which disabled TCC last Summer? LOL *imagines David raising raccoons and setting them free in TCC when he wants a day off; or Brian and David raising them and setting them free in TCC to force Yuzu to take time off lol*

Found it, though it's a bit different than I remembered: https://wherespacepooh.tumblr.com/post/165164014274/brian-orser-interview-at-yh-2017-18-media-day

lol I think we can relax. He could be landing one every day at TCC, but I still don't think we'd see it until he brought it to a competition. It'd be his ultimate secret weapon and he wouldn't want to show it until it'd be ready for competition. So I don't think we'll see any TCC practice 4A or attempts at 4A until then. ETA: He could even do it at media day and we probably won't know until he wants us to know. Remember 4Lz-3T last media day. Last media day, Brian said Yuzu had been jumping 4A and 4F at times, too, but not seriously practicing them. (gladi has many interviews translated, including that, but I don't the link handy by) Yuzu said the same about 4A at ACI, I think. That he's been trying it - he denied he's landed it, but knowing Yuzu that doesn't necessarily mean anything; he also said he wasn't doing 4Lz last year - but that he hasn't been training it properly. I was also very intrigued when someone asked him about taking 4A to the Olympics and instead of saying "No way, I can't train it this season!" he said "I don't know. I/we'll have to think about it." I wouldn't be surprised if they are downplaying his success with it, but all things considered - injuries and the not high speed progress of previous quads, namely 4Lo only two seasons ago, 4Lz last season, but not much chance to develop it, injury in Summer 2016 and again injury this year - it's really hard to believe 4A is ready to see the light this season. Then again, Yuzu is Yuzu, so I'm kind of ready for anything

Maybe Yuzu will get a cameo again and in the end steal the princess