KatjaThera

I, too, want him to get that second OGM because he wants it really badly. I also want him to win it, because, IMO, nobody in the field deserves it more than him, based on overall talent and skills. There is this impression that the OGM should go to the athlete who has been the best over the past four years, it should be proof and crowning glory of that. In all truth, though, the Olympics is just another - much bigger, much more media covered and much more stressful - competition where whoever gets it the most right in those 3 minutes + 4 minutes and a half wins. And it has little to do with who has been dominating for the past 4 years. I'm not sure if that's encouraging or depressing lol. Yuzu's kuyashii face is hard to deal with and I don't want to think about how he would feel if he doesn't win. But as a survivor of everything he's survived so far, he'll be fine, eventually. Also, since there was talk earlier about aiming for podium instead of straight up gold, I have to disagree. Part of why I love Yuzu is his crazy ambition. It's probably because I have a similar attitude, but whenever I see Javi mentioning 'podium is fine, color doesn't matter', I feel disappointed. I know it's probably a healthier - and, in his case, more realistic - attitude, but I just can't understand how a competitive athlete can think like that. So I understand Yuzu very well. And I'd be disappointed if he was ever fully satisfied with second or third. Of course, that doesn't mean second at CoC14, in those circumstances, wasn't amazing (controversies aside), to give just an example of how sometimes circumstances play a huge part. And, in general, taking the performance into account, more than the score is important (SP at Helsinki particularly comes to mind). However, that he wants to win and goes for the win is a big part of why I admire him. Despite being almost 10 years older than him. And although I'm being repetitive, I'll say it again: I don't think there's much point in worrying about how much time he's had on the ice, in practice or in competition. Sure, more time is good. But come the Olympics, he could be in a perfect shape physically and mentally, and then still get a hangup somewhere, and fail. Or he could be in not perfect shape and still manage to pour that into a laser-sharp focus and blow the roof off. He's done both before. He's very unpredictable, but that's another of his charms. He's not an alien, and he's not a robot. He's a normal human being, who has ups and downs and weaknesses and strengths, but who does some absolutely stunning things when everything falls into place. Bottom line is, maybe what would make our lives as fans easier would be to enjoy the journey, too. And the nerves are part of the journey. If he were always spot on and you'd never have to worry, I think it'd get boring really fast (and he'd have even more haters :P). So, let's just try to enjoy it - even this not knowing what will happen, because that, too, is part of who he is - and cheer him on and be ready to be there if things don't go right, and treat him like the GOAT he is, whatever happens. We can't help being nervous, because we care, but it's all about how we deal with it. Trying to embrace it and put a positive spin on it should help, though, I think.

My message is there, too... Thank you for this! I probably would have never known it did make the board if not for this! As for the Yuzu anxiety... maybe it's because work is crazy stressful these days, but it hasn't gotten to me yet. I know he'll be more careful than usual and in a way, this will only serve to motivate him next year. I cannot imagine him retiring after such a season. He might even feel pumped up enough to try for the next Olympics, because this has been an awful Olympic Season. I also have no doubts he will be at the Olympics, no matter what. But I hope he takes his time until then and keeps that goal in mind. I hope they keep an eye on him and pace, comfort and encourage him properly at TCC

I admit, from the way the question was asked, I expected him to say he admired Yuzu, but he focused more on the mixed feelings. I always wonder how it must be to share the Ice with Yuzu, if you're not one of his fans... (I do chuckle a bit at "I won decisively". If he really said that, then his and Yuzu's definitions of winning decisively don't even belong in the same Universe with how different they are...)

Don't give me a heart attack, please. (Yeah, as if he'd ever come here...) Regarding all the doom and gloom... I get it, and if I started thinking about ifs, I'd be panicking, too. But for me, the bottomline hasn't changed. Even if he doesn't do nats or any other competition before the Olympics, I know he can win. Didn't we just agree he's the GOAT - or goat - a few pages back? Whether he will or not, I think is still mostly a mental issue. If he manages to focus - and Brian manages to make him really trust his training - then he'll wipe the floor with everyone. And I'm not sure how many competitions he does before that, or even how many hours of practice he puts in, will matter THAT much. Of course, those would help a lot by way of giving him confidence, but at the end of the day, whether he wins or not will depend only on those 3 minutes + 4 and a half minutes for the SP and FS. So from that POV, nothing has changed. We also have to remember Helsinki happened two weeks after an asthma attack that left him unable to practice with the music on - admittedly, we don't know for how long, but my impression is asthma attacks, especially if they're bad, take days to recover from. And yet, he did superbly. (And, yes, the SP, too. His mistakes were very small and took very little away from the performance, but were sadly very costly). So, really, the sky's the limit. It just sucks his path has to be so difficult. Also, regarding Brian and Tracy preferring Javi, I think there was a time when Brian said Javi was more likely to get gold, but it was when Javi was at the top, around when he got his titles, I think. Another thing they've said is Javi is their biggest success story, because of where he was when he went there and how far he's gotten since then. For that same reason, Javi's championships were perhaps a bit sweeter, and a Javi OGM would be as well. But I refuse to think any of them ever thought "I wish Javi would win over Yuzu." Also, that Javi has openly said he wants a medal at the Olympics and the color matters less, I think they all know who the OGM favorite is. It's true Brian has said Javi is more relaxed - compared to Yuzu's intensity - and that's why he competes better. Though to this day, I'm not sure really what that means, because Yuzu's results are still better. But yes, Brian isn't a fan of Yuzu's intensity, so he might feel Javi might have a slight upper hand. However, I believe Brian when he says he doesn't do favorites - and I'm sure it's not easy, either - and I also doubt anyone can honestly say that if both were perfect, Javi would win. His choice not to go for the higher BV options means he can only count on mistakes by the others. Which of course, doesn't mean he has no chance - as we've seen, he's beaten Yuzu, Shoma and Nathan this year - but if both are perfect, Yuzu is still top. And I doubt they don't know that. So, I don't think we have anything to worry about on that front. My biggest concern, TCC-related is still communication and language barriers. Although I'm sure it has gotten much better.

This makes me think @WinForPooh could be right... either that, or the press conference was about something else and she got a question about Yuzu and wasn't prepared for it. Because, surely, JSF can afford a phone call to Toronto to get a more proper update... But to do a press conference on his condition having just a LINE message is pretty...

To be honest, right now, I'd rather he doesn't go to Nationals, and instead gets himself an off-season in the middle of the season, to get his August perfection back by February. Yes, lack of in-competition practice could be an issue, but if he manages to go laser-sharp in concentration, that shouldn't matter so much. Of course, that's a big if. But it could be something else to work on until he get back to ice training. Also, in a way, I'd rather he remained a wild card until the Olympics and took his time preparing, both physically and mentally. If he doesn't go to Nationals, nobody will know what to expect and I think that'd be good in terms of pressure and expectations, especially if Nathan and Shoma do well in Nationals.

There have, actually, been a few skaters referring to him as "legend" in SNS posts, IIRC. And, of course, then there's Space Pooh

Wow, that is awesome... (I'll also possibly spend quite some time closely studying pictures of that, to see if my message might be there, too ) And I missed out on the birthday celebrations, but I really love the banner!

I admit, I'm not even fully familiar with the case, but, regarding athletes competing as OAR, would their federations support that? I wonder if it's 100% their choice with no potential repercussions. I agree, clean athletes fighting harder would be a better kind of 'boycott', but I wonder if that's realistically possible. I don't think athletes anywhere are completely independent. They might be free to make their choices, but not without possible consequences. And even if federations did say "suit yourselves", how would they be seen by the Russian people? It's not an easy decision, I think... Either way it sucks... (and I'm not even a fan of any of the Russian athletes)

The banner was after the withdrawing from NHK, organized by gladi. As far as I know, it was sent to TCC and she said she'll post a picture after it arrives there, or so. I think. @CupidsBow already explained how it works, one-upping in terms of making the most impressive and most likely to get his attention projects. (For example, with Yuzu, if TCC took and posted a picture with the banner, fans with some other project might get jealous. Or vice-versa.) I hope I'm too cynical, and that it won't happen, though. So far the Yuzu fandom seems quite peaceful...

I remember reading something about the ISU claiming copyright for everything filmed at ISU events, including fan footage (although, technically, video is strictly forbidden; I don't remember if pictures are, too), but I don't actually remember where that was. Japan I mentioned because aside from ISU events, most other footage online is from JP media, with only the occasional non-JP media. Anyway, the point is non-copyrighted footage is minimal, because Yuzu doesn't really appear in public if it's not at ISU events or in magazines/TV. As for one-upping, honestly, all the get well soon and birthday projects that popped up these days feel a bit like that already... though maybe it's just because of the withdrawal symptoms and my not being in the fandom last year. But seriously, there were how many different projects? (That said, I liked the banner and the map ones the most, too, because they were the most supportive and original, without crossing boundaries. Though I didn't actually send a message for the banner lol The two NHK letters were overkill already...) But yes, nowhere near those KPop horror stories and hopefully it'll never get even a teeny tiny bit close. I think it'd be cool if they hung up the banner for his birthday and threw him a little party then... Or at least take a picture of him with it and then he can quickly fold it and hide it away lol

The problem isn't so much about taking them down - and somehow I don't see people selling ad space as being particularly copyright conscious. But we also have to remember ISU claims the rights to every footage that is taken during ISU events. And everything else is either printed or online media. Non-copyrighted stuff would be just stuff like him posing for fans outside of venues, or those pictures taken with him at TCC or so. With Japanese copyright laws being extremely strict, we inevitably break them now and then, but my answer was more in reaction to the headphones or Pooh would be copyright infringement. Admittedly, it'd be copyright infringement more obvious and easily recognizable to the Canadian authorities, but, technically, just about anything would be copyright infringement ^_^; As for the other, I guess like @SparkleSalad, I'm really big on privacy. I'm also a fan of an artist who used to be an idol and was somewhat open about hating the intensity of the attention he got (admittedly, there are some disturbing rumors out there of how crazy it gets for idols), and he even wrote a song about how he felt about the attention and such. Also, personally, I have experienced unwanted attention, though nowhere near stalking level, and I hated it so much. A panel like that outside my work place, by someone I don't even know, would creep the hell out of me. Good intentions or not. To some level, he's used to it, but not in Toronto. Or not as much. Of course, the address of TCC is hardly a top secret, but still... I don't know. For example, all the ad panels in Sendai for the exhibition might have also been embarrassing for him - if he used the Subway, which he probably didn't - but that was official and different and something else. Even if it'd been fan made, he probably would have found it cute or so - albeit, still embarrassing to some level; or I'm just projecting. But in Toronto... (Though actually, I also felt super awkward at Ice Rink Sendai and even walking through Sendai. Because my only reason for being there was it was where Yuzu's story had started - and it wasn't open to visitors back then - so I felt a bit like a stalker. Especially since he was in Sendai, then. I actually skipped visiting the home town of one of my favorite musicians, because there wasn't anything to visit there and again, I felt like a stalker, although I had previously wanted to see the place he'd grown up in, as a way of getting to know him better. As I said, I am likely overthinking everything. I'm about as good at that as Yuzu :P)

Actually, any picture of Yuzu's face that isn't taken by the fan outside of a competition, with his permission, is also copyrighted or privacy infringement ^_^; Actually, in this case, fanart would have worked well... (though that's tricky, too)

I think in Japan, or even elsewhere would have been fine and fun. But that it's right next to the place where he feels safe and safely away from that kind of attention is what bugs me. And I understand what you mean re: fanart, I mentioned it, too, though it was more of an afterthought. I probably don't fully understand, because I don't do it myself, but somewhat, I do. I just think it's better if it's about skating. like, fanart of him skating. (I have in my head the image of a fanart of just his smiling face from Asaichi, that was nice, indeed, but...) Anyway, I don't necessarily mean focused on the stuff he likes, but just to think more about him. And of course, his favorite thing is skating, which brings me back to fanart of his skating being ok, especially if it's full body (by my standards, which might not be worth much lol).

I honestly don't get fans, sometimes... like, I understand wanting to show your support and let him know he is loved across the globe, but put yourself in his shoes, ffs. Canada is the one place where he can just be himself, without being a megastar, where he can actually walk down the street and just be a normal 22 year old. And in this safe world, he suddenly finds a billboard with his name and face on it. Like... seriously? If it were me, it'd be far more cringe-worthy and like a slap in the face, than "aww, that's so sweet!". Admittedly, I also don't fully get fans who send him tons of fanart - or well, if it's of him skating, that might still work, because it references his art, but when it's just off-ice, non-skating stuff... - when he's said he finds it embarrassing to look at his own face so much. And I know I definitely would, too. Drawing them is of course no problem, it's the sending to him I don't really get. But at least those he can give to his family, who probably appreciate them more and it sends a message about him inspiring people in their own art form. So I can understand it a bit and he's said he understands it, too. But I'd still rather send him stuff that means something to him rather than stuff that mean something to me. (Or at least try to balance it out.) Or maybe I've just got hangups because I've been accused of bothering a musician I admired, by someone, in a spiteful argument and that hit harder than all the other stuff she shot at me So now I'm extra careful and overanalyze my interactions with those whose fan I am ^_^; (I actually still feel a bit bad about my own letters at NHK and feel a bit like I overdid it, but... I'll never know, I guess.) My point is, he'll never say anything - I'm still a bit surprised he said what he said about fanart - because it'd be rude and he'd seem ungrateful, and of course, he appreciates the intentions. Which is why I think it's up to each fan to control him/herself and support him in ways that he can fully and honestly appreciate, and not feel like "well, I do appreciate the intention...".

They did NOT have this when I went there! Or maybe it's not at the JR station... they had the posters, but not this!

I don't think I have to teach you anything, because I did not think you are older than me... I am, admittedly, pretty bad at judging people's ages by appearance alone, though lol I guess we'll have to settle this in Milan lol

Same as no one having the heart to point out the Yuzuru spelling lol (I wonder if he'll look at the interview in Japanese and see it himself and wonder why...) But maybe it's just me, but I think his pronunciation isn't bad... his American accent doesn't seem too obvious (and he prounced suki properly!). He's super sweet, though! I hope Yuzu sees this and starts talking to him in Japanese at competitions to give him a chance to practice more! (well, if he doesn't already lol)

Haha Mission accomplished then! I'm happy if I seem younger lol And no worries, you didn't. (I remember I had a classmate in Japanese class once who was like 10 years younger and she'd heard how old I am in one of those "Introduce yourself" things and she kept talking to me in our version of keigo and that was SO WEIRD I had to tell her to stop lol And that picture is so adorable! I also saw somewhere Boyang has a thing for earphones, too. I wonder if they ever talked about that... (imagine Yuzu, eyes wide, seeing he has a chance to talk about his great passion in English, but not having the vocabulary for it... or maybe he does... lol) I would love to hear more about this! I love people who can do more than one thing... I've no technical experience, but my father is an engineer and I've watched him fix things a lot growing up. I also have a tendency to want to take things that don't work apart... hoping the problem is just wiring lol I don't really have the skills to identify other problems, unless they're glaringly obvious. It's kind of stupid, but I take pride in being able to put them back together without worsening the issues (except computer mice... somehow, I never manage those...) So I'd love to read about Yuzu doing it and I'm curious just how much tech knowledge he has... his classes seem more software than hardware geared... (And I'm amused he could fix PJ's phone when he reportedly doesn't have one, so technically, he shouldn't know much about them lol)

If we talk old, in 2004 I was close to graduating highschool... My mind/heart is still around that level @Aotoshiro just a quick thing, regarding Boyang's attitude towards Yuzu, in his official ISU biography, it says Yuzu is one of the skaters he looks up to. Not sure how accurate that is (I checked all the top 6 biographies at one point and this stuck with me).

Thank you for the translation! I think it didn't quite look like that when I went there two weeks ago... but it was getting dark and I was just happy to have finally arrived, after the walk through the wilderness - not really Though it felt like it lol - so I might have missed out on some details. Then again, it's Japan, a lot can happen in two weeks lol. Either way it looks great! I was personally a bit surprised... I had had a very different mental image of it, from the TV footage. I guess angles and perspective, plus my own pre-conceived ideas gave me a different image. Now I dream of some day learning to skate, then going back there for a skate...

Since I missed out on 2k celebrations, let me go back and post on the topics a few pages ago ^_^; I'm not sure Brian was against Javi being a flag bearer in itself, but he knew the kind of pressure it brought along. And adding to that Javi's gay comments scandal, it probably combined to affect his competition (the title of the article when it came out, was like "Spain's flag bearer said (...)!") But yes, in Japan seniority - and not necessarily in age as much as career length, I think, though they kind of go hand in hand - is a big deal. As for Noriaki Kasai... I remember I had a phase where I watched ski jumping and it was like 13 years ago, and even then the commentators called him a veteran. (I was shocked when I heard he's still competing... I mean when I was watching the top sensation was a 17 or so year old ski jumper... So I was given the impression that younger is better there, too. But it's awesome for him and I really wish he'd get that gold at 45!) To be honest, that's my biggest fear. Brian has pretty much said that he thinks the reason why men's FS in Sochi was such a mess was because of scheduling. SP ended late and the top 3 had media until really late at night. Then they had to wake up early for practice or so. I think it's a bit different now, because the events are in the morning? But that brings other complications (including no more practice that day). So I fear Yuzu's chances of getting his perfect performance - and breaking a WR at the Olympics - are greatly diminished by the stupid scheduling. Of course, he'd probably still have an advantage in that he has the experience of Sochi, while the younger kids don't, but... still. (I wonder if that's why it seems all GP events have SP and FP on consecutive days? Or was that the case before, too? I had only watched 4CC and Worlds live before and I think both those had a free day between) As for flag bearing at the closing ceremony, while it'd be cool, I think, personally, I'd rather not. If he wins his second OGM, his life will be mayhem with media pouncing on him all over again and I'd rather he gets a little break from that there at least. And probably not just Japanese media, as he'd be the first consecutive double OGM in FS since Dick Button. He also doesn't need it. Doesn't need the recognition or validation of being the flag bearer. He's already huge in Japan. He's a national treasure, even if not officially. He already carries the flag for Japan, virtually, everywhere he goes. I don't think there are many athletes out there prouder to be Japan representatives and showing it. Better let someone with less media exposure do that. (Hoping Japan gets other gold medals at the Olympics, whoever gets it/them should do it instead.) And let him get some rest and catch his breath before further facing the media storm. (A storm that, let's be real, will come, whether he wins or not. And surely every single interviewer will also ask about his plans for the future and retirement... I'm starting to hurt for him just thinking about it ^_^; ) Of course, not attending the closing ceremony might not in any way diminish the media mayhem, but... *shrugs*

I know. But Xylitol and magazines are like 2000yen max. Phiten content is at least 15,000yen... But I probably shouldn't have brought it up here. I PM-ed Hydro - also with a suggestion for an alternative solution - so we'll see what they decide. I know you're only being nice, so I'm sorry for pouncing! I'm just really sensitive to copyright stuff (it makes me cringe elsewhere, too, I just don't really care for those places as I do about the Planet). No hard feelings, I hope

Uhm... sorry to be a party popper, but I don't think sharing that publicly is a good thing? Copyright and all... I understand wanting to share with fans who can't get it, but that can be done more privately. As it is, if it's not against forum rules, it probably should be...

Aoi Honoo. That's the one I remembered, but it seems I remembered wrongly. To be honest, I do think he's lost even more baby fat and gained more muscle mass since 2012 at least. But 1-2% I'd say is a bit too much (as in too little)... I guess it wouldn't really surprise me though... I'm also pretty sure it changes anyway. Just like any normal person's weight also changes a bit from day to day (and surely his does, too). So all of this are probably approximate