KatjaThera

If it's true and Fuji's confession thing was this, it's kind of funny and sad for Fuji that their grand scoop got scooped from under their noses lol (Maybe it's karma for all the footage they can't be bothered to release!)

Kyodo isn't the most reliable news source, IIRC - some time back, I remember they had some inaccuracies - so I'm looking forward to seeing more Japanese media covering it or JSF making a statement. But until then, loved the pictures with Nam and looking forward to Javi waking up and seeing them! lol

I'm not sure the deadlines are necessarily a proof of anything... it's not like the update came right after the deadline and there's still the possibility of a mistake popping up. As long as we don't know exactly how ISU's system works, how the music info is submitted and how the website is updated (to know how easily a mistake can pop up), it's hard to say, IMO, how likely it is that it's true or that it's a mistake. That's my take as well. IF he does change it, I'd be really curious to hear why. I'm sure he wouldn't do it without a good reason, but I can't really imagine what that reason could be at this point. Though actually, there are a couple of scenarios I can imagine. And now I should take my own advice and sleep...

Yuzu did very vaguely hint that he would have wanted to do 4A at Olys... (I guess that was before he realized just how hard it is? No idea, but he did speak about it and said he 'has to think about it for the Olympics' in an interview before his injury). So it's not entirely impossible he has had a Seimei layout with 4A in mind. But I don't think the 6 weeks he had are enough to bring it to life properly. I'm not sure even the next 6 (is it?) to Worlds are enough. And really, it's so OOC. If this was fanfic, I would stop reading, because no way would he do that. But then again, if he somehow does do it, I'll trust him to have a good reason for it, that will probably blow our minds when he tells us lol I also don't have high hopes that the Fuji confessions are anything life changing. But like I said before, it's Yuzu and anything is possible... Whatever it is, overlord, bring it. I'm ready! (or so I say now lol)

S-PARK isn't for another almost 17 hours, though. Get some sleep people! (Says me who fell asleep, startled awake to the impression the light fixture was swaying and has yet to go back to sleep That's what an earthquake earlier this week did to me, though I didn't actually even feel it when it happened lol) Yuzu will do what Yuzu does anyway, even if you sleep even if you don't. So might as well do

lol as fun as this would be, it's sadly extremely unlikely to be possible. We know Yuzu did only two programs at FaOI, instead of three because of stamina. Having to do multiple competitive programs in a season is too crazy even for him. Also it would be unlike him not to give each program all the attention it deserves That's the other reason why I have a hard time believing this... it's very unlike him to do a mid-season program switch, after all the work he's put into developing Otonal and Origin, to suddenly decide to give up on them... especially after saying Origin is meant for 4A and he will keep doing it until he nails the 4A... (or maybe that's what he meant... after he lands 4A in practice, he quits Origin and brings back Seimei and the top secret ideal Seimei layout with 6 quads he'd wanted for Olys but the injury prevented him from doing And this change is actually him announcing that he has landed 4A... lol My imagination just got a kick from the overlord's crazy ways - or the ISU employee's innocent mistake lol )

I wonder how the freak out would have been if they had put in something else, something new, maybe something nobody would have been able to properly identify lol And so far IFS tweeted it as if it's actual news - I doubt they have any info we don't, though - and Max and Jackie are wondering just as we are. I still believe it's a mistake, but it seems like more and more people are starting to believe it? His brain works in mysterious ways, so I generally believe anything is possible with Yuzu lol (It would be quite insane, though)

You know what would be funny? If Yuzu waltzes in on Monday, all big smiles, and the press asks: "ARE YOU SWITCHING BACK TO CHOPIN AND SEIMEI???" Yuzu: "Eh? No, no, that was a mistake." Everyone: *relief and/or headdesk* Yuzu: "But, I am doing 4A in my free " Everyone:

Don't skaters submit music, planned content and so on when they arrive and get their accreditation? On the cd that cannot possibly be a usb because usb is evil? I really can't imagine he would bring them back, but it's fun to join the freakout lol

I'm in the mistake camp. It makes little sense to bring them back for one competition and while Chopin is fine, Seimei was never meant for 4A, so unless he gave that up or there's a lot more he's never told us, it makes no sense. And if even if it had been or he'd given it up, changing programs in the middle of the season is very unlike him and makes little sense as far as muscle memory and practice goes. Then again, we already know he's crazy (and love him for it) so who the hell knows (I would be ROFLMAOing so much, though, if he did Chopin 4.0 and Seimei 3.0 after all those complaints about recycling)

(If I understood correctly) Yuzu says that he improvised quite a bit, particularly that the hand movements during spins were his own addition. That spins are generally free and that matching gestures to the music is one of his specialties, so he does that (it's one 'weapon' he has). But while he doesn't say it directly, there are hints that there are other changes in choreo - after the jumps are done, to match his feeling at the time - too... now I'd be curious for FS pros who can identify steps and such, to analyze the different LGC and see if there really were changes and how big changes. But if true, I guess it further goes to show how amazing Yuzu's musicality is, that just letting himself be carried away by the music, as opposed to just strictly following a plan, resulted in such an amazing and on the beat program.

Javi also recently spoke about the hardships of going from a competitive athlete to a retired one in a Spanish interview (I sadly didn't save it). He actually said that he'd been easing himself out of the competitive mindframe, by doing things unrelated to competition even during the competitive season. That's why he started doing ROI even before retiring and would also do other unrelated events. I remember I was actually pretty mad that he wasn't focusing more on competition, especially with the Olympic season looming, but in fact he was a lot smarter than me. He was doing it all, as part of his retirement plan and now I see how smart that was. He says it helped. Of course, staying busy, having projects also helped. But it was still a huge step, going from practicing every day, with a strict schedule, to having a lot of time or being busy in different ways. On top of that, he also had to get used to living in a new place, in Madrid (I'm not sure, but I would guess he previously lived with his parents, while I suspect he now has his own apartment there). New routines, new activities, new living conditions. Yuzu will probably be the same, regardless of where he chooses to live. But I think for Yuzu it will be much harder. He virtually lives for figure skating. For competitive figure skating. He'll need to plan carefully for retirement, because otherwise I think the drop will be much worse for him. Of course, all competitive athletes, figure skaters and otherwise, focus a lot on their careers and sacrifice a lot. But most of them have a life beyond it, too. They relax, they go out, they have fun with friends. I'm sure Yuzu has moments when he disconnects, too, or he'd go crazy, but even so, 90% of his life seems to be focused on his competitive career. He doesn't seem to have much of a life beyond it. I hope I'm wrong. I think this was part of his post-Olympics confusion, too. I'm not sure he'd ever thought about what happens after he gets the second Olympic Gold. So after he did, he was a bit lost. He wasn't ready to retire - I wonder if he ever thinks about his life as a pro skater, beyond the ice shows, because ice shows don't happen every day and it's not the ice shows that are the problem, it's the time that he needs to fill in between the ice shows that is the problem - but he also didn't have a clear goal. He latched onto the 4A goal and ran away with it, but I think he was still a bit lost until he competed again and the fire started again. I wouldn't be surprised if he sometimes does think it'd be better if he just retired and spared himself the pain and frustration, but I'm not sure he's ready to face his life without competitive figure skating. On top of that, there will be the issue of where to live. It appears it's hard for him to live normally in Japan - and I think it'll be years before that gets better, if it ever does - but I'm also not sure he'd want to stay in Toronto, either, because he's now targeted there, too and it's no longer as safe as it used to be. He'd also surely be reluctant to keep his mother away from their family any longer, so he'd either have to stay back by himself, go home and try to make the best of it or find a new place and learn to manage by himself. I hope he takes the time to think about it well and plans for it. That's why I think people who fear he'll just pop up and say: hey, guess what? I'm retiring. Bye! are underestimating the impact of retirement. I think Yuzu is aware of it and it would be out of character for him not to think about it. Some think him doing SOI this year might mean he's going to retire after Worlds and so will spend the Summer doing ice shows. I hope it's actually him preparing himself for a future of doing that, maybe next season. I hope he'll ease himself into retirement, a la Javi. I think he will try to get his GPF and Nats and Worlds titles one more time before retiring. But whenever he does do it, I hope he thinks about it carefully and plans for it. I worry a lot more about how retirement will hit him than I worry about not seeing him in competitions anymore, tbh.

Tracy hasn't been sitting in the KnC with Yuzu for a long time, anyway, so as long as Brian and Ghislain are there, he'll be fine. I don't think the chances of Jason not going to Worlds are very high, so probably Tracy will get an accreditation, too, and since Worlds is in Canada, she might travel with them anyway. Then again, with Evgenia not going, and if somehow Jason doesn't make it either, it might make more sense for her to stay at TCC and watch over them. But we'll see. Either way, there's little point worrying at this time, IMO. I admit I was surprised to see 4CC and WC also have the one coach per skater rule, but I guess since there are so many skaters, it makes a bit more sense, so as not to have a hundred coaches around.

Both of those pictures are from last Summer (August, I think). Though I agree Yuzu is more flexible than that... but it could be he just wasn't trying hard enough lol We know he does stretching and pilates, so it's totally plausible for that to be him. But it does seem like Yuzu is at TCC, because that Joseph video was new and that did look like Yuzu skating by. I'm not really surprised, to be honest, but I do hope he got to rest a bit. (Or if he flew straight back to TCC, that Brian forbid him from entering the rink until he was fully rested again...) Also, it seemed Jason was there, too, and others, so I guess skaters were mostly back to work anyway.

Happy New Year everyone!!! I've finally managed to catch up with the thread after my long weekend in Madrid. Seems a lot of things have been discussed while I was away and while I'm tempted to ramble on about some of them, maybe I shouldn't lol Though, because I can't help it, some rambles under spoilers, after all Here's to a wonderful 2020 with many joyful moments, successes, dreams coming true for everyone and hopefully many more peaceful and happy times among fans than in previous times! Oh also, I'm now also contemplating going to Worlds, though I still haven't 100% decided yet...

Not Planet Hanyu, that's for sure! (sorry, couldn't resist lol) Don't we have a thread here of Yuzu magazines and books? Maybe we should point him to that and mention that Amazon has international versions, too lol (Actually, speaking of Adam's book, I was half tempted to buy it, out of curiosity, then gave up. Someone on twitter was doing a summary of the interesting bits, but I lost track on seeing if she updated that thread...)

I agree with @airi Yuzu said from the beginning of the season that he wants to do more competitions and he needs more mileage on the 5 quad layout and maybe even on 4A, instead of just going straight into Worlds with it. Before, he was either injured or it wasn't worth the effort, but this time it might be. I don't think it needs to tell us anything about his plans. I get why people are worried and there have been some comments here and there, but overall, I'd actually be surprised if he retired at the end of this season. It sounds like he still has things he wants to achieve. I'm not sure he'd be happy with just doing 4A once - and that is in the admittedly unlikely case he'll land a clean, +GOE version of it on first attempt... it's 4A, after all, not 4Lz or 4Lo. And I think he might want to try different layouts, too. And maybe even try to work towards a 6 quads attempt. But even leaving aside the crazier stuff, I'd be surprised if he'd be happy with not trying to perfect 4A. Also, when I first heard the candle bit, it didn't sound to me as dramatic as it seems to have to a lot of other people... He is 25, he was the oldest at GPF, so one way or another, his career is nearing its end. But that doesn't mean it has to end this season. It could, but it could also end next season or even after the Olympics, if he's feeling crazy enough. At the end of the day, I think it depends on how honest he's been in his comments. How much Nathan fires him up and how exactly he feels about the scoring: if he's feeling as hopeless as most of us, or if he's feeling rather more fired up and angered and wanting to fight back - through his skating. It could be either of those. But another thing I mentioned elsewhere, is also whether he's ready to retire, ready for a life without competitions and I really don't think he is. I think it's not unlikely he'll stick around and find new goals, because that's something he knows how to do and less scary than stepping away from competitions. And lastly, it might also depend a bit on the result of these JNats. Because if he wins by a landslide, he'll possibly worry about the state of Japanese Men's FS and perhaps also feel a responsibility to stick around, either until Shoma gets used to his new surroundings, or until the younger guys catch up. If not, it'll be one less thing for him to consider. Not that he should, but we know what he's like. Bottom line is, we don't know what he's going to do, and honestly, I'm not sure he does either. He'll maybe do a lot of thinking over the next few months, and perhaps most of all after the Worlds FS.

I'm not sure having kids has much to do with it. There are many people who work over the holidays, and people without kids should have as much right to have time off over the holidays, too. Brian may not have kids, but he has a partner and I'm sure they would enjoy spending Christmas together, rather than with Brian traveling the world. Also, Tracy's kids, as far as I know, are all grown up and Ghislain's too, except for his youngest. Maybe he could actually take his family along and have a nice little holiday in Japan. Many kids would love that, I think. But rather I suspect he'll be heading home after JNats and be home just in time for Christmas, while Brian will be off to Russia, maybe even be joined by Tracy? I think Zhenya having extra support at RusNats would be good. As for the competition over the holidays, that's exactly it. Russians (or at least most of them?) don't celebrate Christmas on December 25th, so it's not that big a deal for them. On top of that, sports competitions don't often take religious holidays into account. There are almost always Formula 1 races on Easter - whether Catholic or Orthodox - for example. Anyway, I do hope we won't have any more coaching dramas. Honestly, I think Zhenya can use Brian's help now more than Yuzu. It'll be a near mission impossible for her to get a spot on the Euro and/or World team and she can use all the support she can get in this quest. On the other hand, for Yuzu, if he skates like he did in any of his competitions so far, it should be a walk in the park for him. His only real competition is Shoma, if he's pulled himself together. He even said at the press conference after the GPF that he's thinking of not doing 4Lz - or 5 quads - at JNats. And it makes sense, because he doesn't really need to. Although it's true he usually doesn't skate that well at JNats, probably as it's usually the drop after the GPF peak. So we'll see. But technically, it shouldn't be any harder an event than his GP events. So, if it came to the point where Brian had to choose, I'm pretty sure they would all agree Brian is needed in Russia more. (Although the fan drama would be... something, if that were to ever happen.) But, Brian's said he's doing both, so... even better!

From what we've heard, both Brian and Ghislain will be going to JNats. Ghislain was mentioned in the French article and Brian in Phil's, I think. There was some talk I think about how Brian would have to rush from Japan to Russia. but it shouldn't be that difficult - and not something he's not used to (a few years ago, he was joking about always having to travel on Christmas, for JNats... well, he had a break from that for three years, time to get back to business lol). I think JNats are a bit earlier than usual this year, too, which probably helps. And the rule of 1 coach per skater is only for the GPF. Even the regular GP events don't have that rule. Nobody really knows why that rule exists... maybe it's a budget thing, though at the end of the day, since it's Juniors + Seniors, the event is the same as a regular GP event, as far as number of competitors goes, so I don't get it... I doubt any national championships has such a rule. Even in Japan, I think many skaters have more than one coach.

I actually bought a one year subscription for Japan TV earlier this year, but I think I'll switch to iSakura pro for next year. I tried it around NHK and the quality is really good and you can watch in browser which helps a lot. And you can save videos. Always a plus. (And it has a travel channel, which is 100% up my alley) Now, regarding JNats and iSakura, for Fuji TV, you can get the Mini, for BS Fuji and regular Fuji, the Basic, for CS Fuji, BS Fuji and regular Fuji, Pro Plus. But it also depends what you want to see. If you only want to see the top skaters, i.e. the last groups, you only need regular Fuji. If you want to see others as well, BS Fuji is also enough (except ladies SP, for that you do need CS Fuji). For the MOI highlights, regular Fuji is again enough, but for the full MOI, you'll have to get a separate round for BS Fuji (another 3 days around Dec. 29th). Then again, given that the difference between the three types of 7 days subscriptions is only 1$ and 2$ (Mini is 6$, Basic is 7$, Plus is 8$), getting the Plus is definitely easiest. It just depends how much you're willing to spend, unless you chose the free options, of course.

To say Brian stopped Yuzu from getting new quads when he went to Toronto is over simplifying things. Also, Yuzu did add the 4S to his FS after moving to Toronto, even though it was more miss than hit in competitions and it continued being unstable for another season. Back to the first thing, Brian stopped him because he believe that getting the best possible skating skills was more essential. Not just because Brian is obsessed with skating skills, but because high skating skills give the skater better control and make it possible to execute elements more effortlessly. So, the skating skills improvement wasn't just to up Yuzu's PCS, but also to aid his jumping and generally make things as easy for him as possible, stamina-wise (since we were talking about stamina and asthma not long ago, too). It took time, of course, but Yuzu recognized the merit in it. It also proved right to do skating skills first, and work on jumps second, because while improving his skating skills, Yuzu initially lost his jumps, because he had much higher speed going into jumps, because of the better skating technique, and would lose control on the landing and had to re-learn how to time things. If he'd worked on getting more quads first, well, first of all, he probably wouldn't have been able to do them because of stamina. Then he probably would have ended up in a situation like Boyang's. Who first went for the jumps and then started on the skating skills and as we can see, he's still struggling with both. Ok, maybe Yuzu's natural talent and the fact that he already had a pretty good base, would have prevented things from being that bad, but it still shows that the proper order of doing things is the one Brian recommended. On top of that, Yuzu has always been prone to injury. We talk about NHK '17 and COR'18, but when Yuzu sprained his ankle at worlds 2012, he mentioned having a long-term injury with that right ankle (I forgot the exact term, sorry). And we know of at least 3 or 4 other instances when he sprained it (Worlds 13, COC'14 and again in practice while rushing to recover from another issue in 2015 or 2016, forgot which). I don't blame Brian for thinking adding quads is not worth the risk if they're unnecessary. I agree that Yuzu was right about 4Lo and 4Lz and that he foresaw the quad battle when few people ever did only goes to further show how amazing he is. And Brian did relent on the 4Lo, after he understood Yuzu's reasoning: wanting to stabilize it ahead of the Olympic season., and wanting to get it stabilized before re-focusing on the whole package, because jumps are part of the whole package. I think it was after that that Brian handed the reigns to Yuzu, because he realized Yuzu had his own ideas, views, goals and plans to achieve them, while he became support. I'm sure Brian tells Yuzu whenever he thinks something is a bad idea and I'm sure Yuzu listens to his views, even if he might not agree with them. The way they work is very admirable, but by now, Yuzu is in charge and Brian has made it clear that Yuzu makes all the decisions himself. I'm sure Brian - and Tracy and Ghislain - advises him, but at the end of the day, the decision is Yuzu's. So I really don't think we need to add any concerns of Brian holding Yuzu back technically on top of everything else. Yuzu still won Sochi at least in part due to his higher technical level at the time. He was hated by Patrick and Dai fans then, for being all about jumps and technique and not having high artistry and PCS. He also still won Pyeongchang with only 4S and 4T - as both Brian and Plush said he could; although it's likely he would have needed the 4Lo, if Nathan had been clean. He is still adding 4Lz and working on 4A and 4F at 25, improving more than all his peers technically, too. And his jumps actually have proper technique, too. The main reason Yuzu didn't have 4Lz and 4Lo as an advantage was his tumultuous career. He was jumping clean 4Lo after Sochi. But the post-Olympic season was riddled with injury and illness, there was no way he could work on incorporating the 4Lo. The following season was the foot injury, from beginning to the end, plus the pressure. Not much chance for 4Lo either. Then he did add the 4Lo, but it was the pre-Olympic season already and others were doing 4Lz and 4F already. He recognized the threat and pushed for 4Lz in Oly season as well. Brian was not happy, but let him make the decision. We all know what happened - though I still don't blame that on the 4Lz. That injury and then the one on the 4Lo set him back again, so he couldn't go after the 4Lz and 4A after Olys either. But he is doing it now. And also, his technical advantage WAS the quality of his jumps and skating in general. Remember, the overall SP+FS record of 330 was set with nothing but squeaky clean, super high quality 4T, 4S and 3A only, and only 2 quads in the SP and 3 in the FS. And it stood the barrage of 4Lo, 4Lz, 4F. And the only reason it fell now is because of the unfair scoring. BUT even so, it took 5 quads, 2 3As, 4Lz and 4F and unfair scoring with undeservedly high GOE and PCS to beat it. That should tell you just how high Yuzu's quality advantage was. Even Javi, who got high PCS and pretty high GOE as well, training at the same rink, never really got close to that score. I do think Brian never thought the scoring discrepancy would ever become this ridiculous, which is, admittedly, naive. In a normal world, Yuzu's quality advantage would trump others' technical advantage. But it's sadly not a normal world anymore, so Yuzu's working on Nessie - out of necessity, too, not just to make his childhood dreams come true.

There were some rumors among fans about Yuzu and FaOI, but honestly, I'd be very surprised, since he is the star of the show. If he stops doing FaOI, it'll crash and burn, as there is no one to fill in. I think it's been said that one of the regulars will stop attending FaOI, but if that's Yuzu, they might as well put an end to it. Tessa and Scott won't be going, either and Plushenko does multiple shows anyway. Johnny I think is retiring next year as well, and many are saying Jeff might be retiring soon, too. On top of that, I'm not sure Yuzu will be doing much for the Olympics? Even the rumor that he might be the final torch bearer is for now just a rumor and while he might do it for Sendai at least, that's not much. I doubt he'll get too involved otherwise, partly because he won't want to take away the spotlight from the actual athletes and such. And also, the Summer is an important time for him to train. He can still train while doing ice shows, but not so much if he gets involved in the Olympics. Of course, unless he decides to retire after Worlds, but I'd still be surprised if he did.

If Doug is a TCC member - no idea if he is, just saying - then I'm not sure there's much Brian can do to prevent him from going there and speaking. As long as he doesn't reveal actual, strategic info - which he doesn't seem to have access to - I think he's fairly harmless. All fans know better than to take that stuff too seriously anyway. As for Phil, Brian refusing to speak to him would likely only make things worse and Phil would be able to make a bigger story of it, saying Brian won't talk because there really IS trouble in paradise. Brian can't really win here. Maybe he hoped that fans would know to read between the lines of Phil's article and ignore the crap. IMO, the way Brian handled the Denis Ten issue was a mistake, but I think his heart was still in a good place. I think it was the same kind of reaction a parent has towards a child who falls but doesn't actually get hurt, just scared, by saying "Come on, it's not that big a deal, get up." (And no, I'm not saying Brian is treating Yuzu like he's a child. It's just an attitude people sometimes take to things like this, in an attempt to lower the tension, and the parent-child example is the one that comes to mind quickest). Trying to make the issue seem less like a big deal in order to diffuse the moment, precisely to take away the attention from Yuzu and put the whole thing behind. Giving the example of Max and Javi as a way to handle the issue and that entire attitude were wrong and I'm sure Yuzu did not appreciate it, which perhaps made him shut himself inside himself even more, which only made the whole Boston mess worse. I hope they eventually spoke about it and Yuzu was able to explain why the incident upset him so much. From what I remember reading, Brian did understand Yuzu was upset, but was trying to force him to move on, rather than dwell on it, because there wasn't really time for that, hence pretending to have a more flippant attitude. It backfired, possibly, but the intention was good. And I'd like to think he learned from it. I think Yuzu didn't handle that season very well either, because it seems he didn't communicate much with his coaches - I'm sure his struggles with English were part of it, too, and maybe that's part of why he's been making an extra effort to improve his English - around then. And perhaps even before. There's footage - in the first DVD, I think - of Yuzu practicing in 2013, ahead of Worlds and asking Tracy for a break, but, at least in that footage, he failed to tell her that the reason why he needed a break was because his leg was hurting, although you can see from her expression that she knows something is not right (we all know he competed at Worlds with a bad knee and then sprained his ankle on top of it, too). Also, ahead of Boston, Brian was saying in interviews that Yuzu had been injured, but was all healed by then. Which I always wondered if he was just playing Yuzu's game - we know Yuzu insisted he was fine ahead of Olys, too, only to later reveal he wasn't at all - or if he was really kept in the dark until right before the event (because I think he did know during the competition, at least). So I think there are communication issues on Yuzu's side, too, whether they come from him, his team, or his fed. But at the end of the day, everyone makes mistakes and, especially when those who make them pay for them simply through the immediate consequences, I think learning from them and doing everything possible for those mistakes not to happen again is more important than pointing fingers and throwing blame. If Yuzu ever says otherwise, I'll re-analyze my take, too, but until then... I'm not sure if it's an official stance on the planet, but aside from the occasional marveling, I think we try to avoid focusing too much on Yuzu's physical attributes, as good and pleasant to admire as they are. In my case at least, it's because I want to make it clear that the reason why I admire is Yuzu is for his skating and personality, and his looks are just a bonus. Especially since many non-fans are quick to dismiss Yuzu fans as fangirls who are only into him because of his looks. This is still a public forum, for Yuzu fans, and if we focus too much on his looks, antis will find yet another reason to attack and dismiss us. Even media often tries to make it look like we mostly love him for his looks - it's happened to many fans who have been interviewed, I think, to have the reporters try to turn the conversation to how good looking he is and many of us having to say: but that's not the point. But that's just IMO. (Actually, this reminds me, when I was in Helsinki, a Japanese lady behind me actually talked to me in English a bit - her English was very good - and at one point she asked me if I think Yuzu is handsome and I told her that sure, he is, but that's just a bonus etc. what I said earlier, and she looked at me and said something like: "as a Japanese fan, I want to thank you for saying this." Which made me think that Japanese fans are probably sick of that approach, too.)

I think a lot of people are reacting in a too emotional way to this TCC thing. What could Brian have said that Yuzu hadn't already said? That Ghislain had encountered some trouble and was being delayed? If people had just left it at that instead of trying to look for further, deeper reasons, everything would have been fine. We don't know if Brian could talk about the stolen passport - if there's a police investigation, depending on the jurisdiction, the information they can reveal could be limited. And if he had acknowledged the problem on Tuesday, he would have been assaulted by "So why aren't you going to Yuzu then?? Why didn't you go in the first place??" and that wasn't something he could properly address. Revealing any issues - even just communication ones - with Yuzu, his team and/or JSF would only create more discussion that Yuzu seriously didn't need. I still don't get why people couldn't just take his words, accept them and do what he did: wait and make the best of it in the meantime. Instead, everyone started freaking out all over the place and looking for additional information everywhere. We really need to calm down sometimes. Yes, we worry, but we need to trust Yuzu a bit more, tbh. He knows what he's doing, even when he's going crazy. Also, like others have said, it's JSF who obviously have the last word on Yuzu. They are the ones who submit information to ISU. They are the ones who release statements on him. I'm sure if TCC ever dared do that, there would be a huge mess because I'm pretty sure they are not allowed to. Japan is very strict on stuff on like that. It would be either JSF or ANA as Yuzu's main sponsor/technical employer who should speak up. I'm not sure even ANA can do it as long as Yuzu is an active skater under JSF jurisdiction. JSF should have come out and explained the situation, that only one coach was allowed, Yuzu's pick was Ghislain, but unfortunately due to unforeseen problems, he was delayed in arrival. Brian said that any attempt at changing coaching accreditation should come from JSF, too. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Kobayashi asked Yuzu and Yuzu said no, not to create more of a fuss and that he'd just wait for Ghislain. Truth is, I doubt anyone knew how long it would take. Ghislain could arrive ahead of Brian, but probably wouldn't have accreditation anymore and what a mess would that be. Either way, all JSF could have said was stuff Yuzu said anyway, but that wasn't enough for people. This age's obsession with knowing everything is quite annoying to be honest. If Yuzu says it's fine, can't we just believe him it's fine? At least until we know more? As for Yuzu being closer to Ghislain, I think it's true, and partly because Brian has to be impartial, while Ghislain can dedicate himself mostly to Yuzu. Another big part is that apparently Yuzu and Ghislain are soulmates when it comes to jumps. When Ghislain mentioned his interest in biomechanics of jumps, it was like BINGO. I'm not sure how much Yuzu can discuss his studies in English, but they obviously share a common interest and probably have very similar attitudes towards jumps. I think putting them in contact was really great of Brian - though whether or not he saw this coming is questionable, as I'm not sure Brian knew Yuzu's interest in jumps was so detail oriented in 2014. That said, Yuzu has always made it clear that he understood Brian's focus on skating skills and all the other stuff aside from jumps and that he has adopted that as his philosophy. He wants the jumps, but he doesn't want jumping competitions. He focuses and obsesses over jumps, but only to perfect them to a level where he can include them in his intricate choreography without having to sacrifice anything. And I think Brian knows that, but it must still be hard to watch over Yuzu when he does these things and just let him do it and try to advise him so he won't get injured in the process. He knows Yuzu has to make his own choices, and I'm sure it's not always easy for him to watch Yuzu following through on these choices. At the end of the day, Brian is only human, too, he's not going to be perfect or react perfectly at all times. But I wonder how many coaches would hand off as much power to their skater as Brian does? How many coaches would say: "ok, you're the boss, I'm just here to support you"? TCC respects Yuzu and his decisions and they treat him like a responsible adult. Why must we make a mountain out of every molehill when TCC is literally the best training place in FS? Maybe some people don't know how much and how viciously Brian was attacked after Yuzu moved there. How people were accusing him of mistreating Yuzu, worsening his asthma, destroying his style, trying to sexualize a teen and even some conspiracy theories that Brian was trying to ruin Yuzu to make the path clear for Patrick and Javi. Of course, these were a few crazies, but it's the same type of people who overreact on everything and create a fuss. And then there was the post-Boston mess when so many fans went after Brian, blaming him for focusing on Javi too much and how it was his fault Yuzu fell apart in the free. The comments then were really vicious and many called for Yuzu to leave TCC. Good thing Yuzu is more mature than that and he talked it out with his team. My point is Brian and TCC aren't perfect, but from every problem that has ever arisen, they have learned and made sure it didn't happen again. Yuzu obviously cares for them and appreciates them and on this, I trust him to know better whether they are good for him or not. Also, I'm pretty sure that face to face and towards them, Yuzu isn't really the type to keep quiet if he's unhappy with something, so I'm quite sure the issue will be discussed, solved and settled and measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again. But instead of just moving on, we're letting Phil Hersh revive the whole issue. When we know he loves to stir up things and especially enjoys upsetting Yuzu fans and then insulting them. Do you honestly think if Brian had said: "JSF submitted Ghislain's name and I was surprised as I only found out about it later. But then I spoke to Yuzu and he told me he knew I was busy and wanted to give me a break, which was very nice of him, especially as I'll be away for the holidays again, with the double whammy of Japanese Nationals and Russian Nationals. On top of that, he was aiming to bring back 4Lz and for that, having the jump specialist Ghislain made more sense, so as usual - and as I had suspected - Yuzu had solid reasons for his choice and I fully agreed with it, once I knew the whole story." Phil would actually publish it like that? It wouldn't fit his narrative. Nevermind that his title is "Trouble in paradise?" but the very first statement Brian makes, that is quoted is that no, there is no trouble in paradise. Although, of course, Phil made full use of Brian adding an 'I think' or so there, that still throws a shadow of doubt, while Brian probably just didn't want to speak for Yuzu before speaking with Yuzu. Brian has gone through many painful moments with his skaters, Yuna leaving did serious damage, to the point he once said he promised himself not to get emotionally attached to skaters anymore. Obviously he's failed in that, and thankfully so, but that will also mean that every bump is likely to hurt him more than any of us. The time spent before he and Yuzu finally clicked must have been hard. Yuzu's CoC accident must have been hard, as well as the rest of that season. Shanghai must have been hard, trying to balance his reactions. Boston was probably a nightmare. Yuzu's injury then probably adding to it. The Loop madness was probably hard. Then the Lutz madness. Then his emergency surgery, framed by his top two skaters, OGM candidates falling apart. Javi going silent, Yuzu injured. Having to balance between them again, when Javi had to continue his training, but Yuzu frustratingly couldn't even jump. Making it work somehow, only to then spend months not knowing if either of them was coming back and having to be ready to support whatever decision they made. Losing other skaters he spent much time, effort and emotion on (Stephen, Lilbet, Gabby, though maybe her a bit less, as Lee was always her main coach) Yes, even seeing that Yuzu clicked so much more quickly with Ghislain and growing closer after the NHK injury, must have caused mixed feelings, because that's a normal human reaction. Having to watch over Yuzu through another injury. I'm sure even witnessing the scoring mess and trying to find a strategy to fight it. And I'm sure he wasn't smiling and shrugging while watching Yuzu sitting alone in the KnC either. But when what one does or doesn't do on SNS matters more than what they're probably feeling and thinking - and that based on years of actions, rather than just words - well, no comment on that I guess. And just for the record, I'm not saying Brian was correct in his actions, but what he did/didn't do, IMO, does not, in any way, justify all the outrage, and I'm not just talking about the comments on his instagram (which I also haven't read and have no intention of reading). It was all just amplified by people's negative emotional stage, but I hope we can all step back and just let it go already.

I'm actually kind of disappointed by how quick people are to start accusing Brian everytime something doesn't go quite right. He's been the target of fans anger so many times, from the first time Yuzu moved to TCC. Maybe he's not PR savvy, but that's not really his job. His job is to coach and he's a damned good coach. TCC is probably the best coaching environment in FS. But fans are so quick to start attacking them if ever something is not perfect. Until Yuzu comes out and talks crap about TCC and says he was disappointed in his coaches - which, let's face it, it's unlikely he ever will - maybe we shouldn't attack people close to him? It's natural to feel and express concern, but IMO, it's gone too far. Brian didn't steal Ghislain's passport and he didn't murder anyone. I'm almost surprised nobody went after Joseph and the other TCC kids because they dared have fun and post on instagram instead of sitting there lighting up candles and praying for their sempai. Yes, it wasn't ideal, but whether you like it or not, Yuzu is an adult and it was a difficult situation that I'm sure he learned a lot from and, IMO, it should have increased his confidence, because he did so well on his own. I can't imagine how Brian must have felt being attacked like that and how Yuzu will feel having to face his coach and maybe apologize for the whole mess - because he's Japanese. Brian posted a picture with another student smiling. What a terrible crime... But we don't know that he didn't and Phil just didn't feel it was worth mentioning. Sadly, journalists do that all the time. I spent at least 15 minutes talking to the guy who wrote that New York Times article on Yuzu in 2017. All he wrote was that I was anxiously waiting for news after his injury. I spoke about how I liked Yuzu for his skating and his flow on the ice to a guy from Nikkan Sports. He asked me how Yuzu compares to famous men in Romania. My brain blanked, because I care for none, so I said I like him better. All he wrote was that I think Yuzu is much better than the famous men in Romania. My point is, journalists select statements that fit their agenda and ignore the rest. So while I can believe Brian said all Phil wrote, I don't believe that's all he said. (Even in TV interviews with Yuzu, you can see sometimes they cut his answers short and that annoys me so much, because maybe what they cut off was actually super interesting)