Yatagarasu

Ok I can safely say we are ready for new programs, with or without the skirt, long, braided hair or perms.

*raises hand* Mmm with long hair just divine. Maybe he can have a longer top, like a slight skirt... ETA @Hydroblade ahaha jinx. At the same time. Maybe something more subtle but yes. Also I get the feeling @meoima is going to murder us all.

Ooh Sleeping Beauty! Fairies! Carabosse? Lilac?

It would! Nice, nice, nice. Black, yes please. I am afraid red is taboo, unfortunately, but black isn't. Mmm.

Well, we should probably skip Swan Lake but it doesn't have to be a prince. Can be a lady too Those braids would fit in so well.

I don't know why my brain goes Russian! Ballet! but it does.

Uhh, imagine Yuzuru with longer hair. Longer, braided hair. I could ... go for that, I really could.

I'd be crying with laughter all season, negl. Then it wouldn't matter what his programs were like.

But actually Zhenya and a pixie cut might look good. I now suddenly want to see it. A bald Yuzuru ... perhaps because he knows he'll end up costing Brian all his hair this season? Wild. @Sombreuil Blond with a perm?

On a different note, looking how both Jason and Gabby have had a major look change, what if the whole of TCC joined them? Is that why Zu is postponing media day? Dun dun dun

That is seriously something. If we go back, he had one 4th post that CoC mess, then another season of 1st and 2nd places, then another, except for one 4th place again. It is only the season prior to that one that we find a mix of placings but that is 2011/12! So since 2011/12, he has placed either 1st or 2nd in all his competitions, except twice. Six years! I know Plushenko has a better record, he had 7th straight years of mostly 1st places with a smattering of 2nd but he is considered the most consistent one in modern history. And his programs and Yuzuru's programs are quite different (it's simply how skating advanced, nothing against Plush, on the contrary). I am not sure many top skaters can approach Yuzuru's consistency.

Whoa, Jason looks so good Should have done this sooner but bless you Toronto

I honestly do not care one whit if they gush about someone else. It's something that happens all the time, especially when it comes to national bias. It is the other that bugs me and tbh, the worst for me had always been that they started that inconsistency story when he was coming back post-Boston but never once mentioned how injured he had been. Heck, during CoR 2017, NBC mentioned how Yuzuru had had knee trouble before and how that might have affected him. Meh. Of course, everything else too.

General audiences do retain, as we've seen time and time again. They won't form their own opinions that differ to those of commentators if they are constantly being 'taught' by those commentators what is good and what is bad in specific ways. The only way they will form a different opinion is if they get interested about figure skating enough to learn about it and become more than a casual fan. 2012? We are talking about 2016/17 and 2017/18 but all right. One, it is not consistency as the one we're talking about here. Two, his results are consistent and while he isn't 100% consistent in his quads, not a single male skater is. This increases with the increase of variety of quads and he is not in any way less consistent than the rest of them. Not to mention that their talk about inconsistency has a very clear agenda. Or is it by accident they never once mentioned he was injured post Boston? Never mind the gravity of that injury. They do mention other skaters being injured - when that is official or not. I'm not attacking you, just as much as nobody is bashing commentators. Since you were implying it is perhaps factually true that Yuzuru is inconsistent, I merely said I'll wait to see how, beyond this Brian Orser comment. Their job is to provide facts while they commentate, which they do not do, when it comes to BESP and Yuzuru Hanyu. They not only do not provide facts but they spin out into orbit occasionally with other comments. Nobody is bashing these people if they point out in which way their commentary is problematic.

Except they were not because the general public has the impression that Yuzuru's mistakes aren't called and that his scores are undeserved. You are of course free to not care at all, just as much others are free to care. It still doesn't make this bashing but criticism founded on facts. Not how reality works. General public who listens and trusts in what BESP, or other, commentators say are neither fans of our caliber, nor antis. They are regular people who listen to commentating as a guide during competitions and who trust in what those commentators are saying. They will give weight to their words because they trust them to do their jobs. USA public didn't think Adam Rippon had some amazing program that was underscored just out of the blue; they thought that because they don't know skating and their commentators hyped Adam up to the Moon. When did Brian call Yuzuru inconsistent? In what context? And regardless of that, journalists are there to present facts. I mean you're welcome here to present to me factual evidence how Yuzuru is inconsistent. I'll wait while I think how I have to go four years back to find a competition where he wasn't either 1st or 2nd. And that competition came after CoC 2014. That's your prerogative but nothing to do with what we are talking about.

And this is also not correct. As I said, Chris Howarth? He was a British competitive figure skater, who wasn't just anybody. He is the 1981 British National Champion. He competed at Europeans, Worlds and also at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He is now Glacier Skating Academy Director, as well as BESP commentator. Nicholas Slater? British competitive ice dancer who not only won a bronze at the Euros but participated at the Olympics twice. Mark Hanretty? British ice dancer who was third at Nationals with his partner, and participated at Euros and Worlds. Simon Reed is a journalist but on the other hand, even as a journalist should have at least basic information correct about someone like Yuzuru.

Criticism isn't bashing though. In case of BESP, and I don't see a reason not to talk frankly, everything changed when Shoma Uno started training at the rink of one of British Eurosport commentators (Chris Howarth). This is when their commentating experienced a very clear shift. I don't need commentators to gush about Yuzuru. I do need them to give correct basic information, it's the minimum they should fulfill and they don't. As @WinForPooh already said, some of the incorrect comments take root and then persist, even within Yuzuru's own fandom. It isn't just the UR, their continual insistence how Yuzuru is inconsistent is yet another thing that has taken hold. Two seasons ago, while not even once mentioning how injured he had been post Boston, or that he had even been injured, they played on the inconsistency card, while ignoring that even then he actually wasn't compared to other men and then toyed with the idea that he's over the hill and too old. That all just transferred into this past season where they opened up their commentary of his CoR SP with words that Yuzuru hadn't been at his best last year (2016/17) but had still "ended up" with a World title. That stellar start of season then continued on into the FS commentary where we had to listen to them talk about Shoma Uno (surprise, surprise) who wasn't even part of CoR. Because judges consider Yuzuru 9 out of 10 component skater and Shoma Uno doesn't have an Olympic title behind him to help him - ie Yuzuru's scores are undeserved and poor Shoma Uno, so underscored when he is a better skater, with better programs than Yuzuru. I really couldn't care less they stan Shoma now; I do care about the misinformation and malicious implications they are spreading. We may know they're wrong, or not care, but in reality most of the people who listen to them at best know a little about figure skating, and during the Olympic season, the one in four crowd knows even less so they will rely on the commentators to tell them the correct information, something that they aren't doing.

The sound was a bit off for me so am not sure about the slightly odd transition between the two songs but yes, she really makes it work! I think it'll be as good as the two previous ones. One has to give her major kudos for just going with the things that suits her, without trying to play the usual game. Which just makes me cheer for her all the more, negl! Fingers crossed she manages to return to full form.

I saw Hana's yesterday. While it's awesome she's trying, her 3A is very clearly a UR. They did ratify it but local competition, small competition. They'd call it right away at JGP.

One has to be super careful there though because considering some of the history, it is so easy for it to become more of a parody. There is this though! I admit, I don't really see Zu and Bollywood but yes, there's plenty of things that can be tried.

Not possible I think because tbh, how? From what I understand, he's not back to proper training, in terms of competitions? So ACI is too close, no way is a month and change enough. But I do think something later, a Senior B or even a challenger is more likely. I don't know about the title, a lot will depend on the Russian men. If Kolyada can stabilize his Lz, if Raf helped, then it's going to be tight. And then there's Aliev too. Since the judges couldn't care less about prerotations, he's safe in that regard. Javier has the reputation of course but he really does have to be fit.

I forgot about JO Yes, probably though it will be more difficult this time around I'd think. I wouldn't be surprised if he were keeping himself in good shape but even training for ice shows is different to actually competing at Euros. I know he has been quite dominant in all these years but still. Great to hear you're going to the show though! I hope you'll give us a full report! Hopefully they'll start announcing soon.

Roman Savosin SP Granada by Agustin Lara FP Piano Concerto No 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov, performed by David Garrett Well someone had to go for Rach 2 @sallycinnamon The music choice for the FS is really neat, I love it. Music for the SP is not my cup of tea but she makes it work, I think it's going to be really good for her. Great choices.

Does he mean he wishes he was back training? I am sure it must be weird for him, considering but also since he does plan on going to Euros, he has to get started because I don't see him just jumping in without at least one other international.

Viktoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov RD: Verano Porteno by Astor Piazzolla performed by Raul Garello FD: Air by Bach, Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani by Kreisler