WinForPooh

It does make a difference to lines but unless you're actively looking at toes, stiff skating boots mean that except during long, held spirals or layback spins, it would be hard to tell if a skater does point their toes! I mean if TSL or the now infamous Joe were asked, without being given time to look it up, if Javi pointed his toes, or if Andrew Dodds points his toes, or if Kevin Aymoz points his toes, or if Deniss Vasiljevs does, or if Stephane does or Nobu does or Evan Lysacek did, do you think they'd be able to tell you? They'd have to go back and rewatch at least a few of them to be sure! But they've already got opinions about all of those skaters regardless of their pointy toes. The pointy toes debate about Yuzu is, to me, a sign that they really can't come up with anything else wrong and if they can't find faults with Yuzu, then damn he must be pretty much perfect as a skater. Because we know they're trying. They're really trying. I mean I haven't a clue if Stephane is a toe-pointer, but I think he has gorgeous posture and beautiful lines, I can know that without ever looking at his toes.

That's the thing, I think. He is different, he's nothing like what the ideal male figure skater is supposed to be, and yet he is the ideal male figure skater, I think it's been blowing their petty, narrow minds.

It does feel kind of nitpicky sometimes because men don't actually do many of the moves where pointy toe is really evident - like spirals, obviously, and layback spins.

Yeah I had that moment, too, I didn't understand how you could do it wearing skating boots. I don't want to start anything but if you wanna see exactly what it means, look at spirals by Yuna Kim and Sasha Cohen. Many people dislike Yuna because she didn't point her toes, and Sasha is still loved for how she did. Basically holding the line from hip to the tip of the toe, instead of holding it till the ankle and then letting the foot kind of just be there.

I do love Yuzu's lines, but they are different from what's taught under the so-called classical training. Which I can also appreciate very much, Jason has them! Yuzu's posture became dramatically better when his stamina increased and he learnt to control some of that wildness that's part of what makes him very special. It's not to some people's tastes and that's fine, but to say he has bad lines would be nonsense. Also he has started to really make an effort to point his damn toes, look at the tiny spiral in Origin!

Bruce Springsteen. Yuzu skate to Bruce Springsteen, choreographed by Daniil. The points will just come tumbling in. Okay, sure, Jan. I mean Joe.

And also the classic, I was lifted by boys and I like it, ISU make pairs rules less archaic. (To the tune of I kissed a girl.)

That's it, isn't it? We're getting LLL and The Greatest Showman mashup, and a Carmen, and a Katy Perry Ex.

Sorry, my mistake. It's an anime thing, from Bleach. I got a glimpse of your dp when it popped up on a notification and in my trash mind it looked like a reference from the anime. Then you posted and I saw what it actually is and it's obviously POTO lol

@AkaneYamashina Is your DP Hollow-Yuzu?! It's Phantom Yuzu lol!!!!!! I thought it was a Bleach reference from some interview I missed when I saw the tiny dp pop up!

Anyway, he is quite wrong because after Worlds, I think the vast majority of people (at least the ones who don't have US-is-best tattooed on their brains) couldn't understand why Yuzu didn't win that free skate.

That's true, this chap is damning a lot of people by assuming he is the standard-bearer for Western tastes, which he obviously is not, he's only the standard-bearer for the US figure skating machine's sense of superiority. lol Somebody show him the Planet Hanyu on Earth map.

Ah, I see. That's an odd way he has of saying that Western standards are very narrow and need a whole rehaul. I suppose Yuzu should skate to Taylor Swift to appeal to Joe Inman, then. That's also a pretty weird way of just straight up admitting that Yuzuru is so damn good that they have to fall back on racial and cultural biases to criticise him (as if that reflects more on Yuzuru than on them)!

And it was a whole big thing, I was a very casual viewer back then and I remember this. I think it's the Plushy-Lysacek quad-no-quad artistry thing.

Isn't the Joe Inman quote about Plushenko? The Plushenko-Lysacek saga? I refuse to listen to TSL because they're just straight up alternative fact spouts so going off only the tweet, isn't that what it's about? Not Yuzu?

I hope things get better. But it is true that more than his (astonishing) achievements, it's how he glows with joy when he skates after it all that's really inspiring.

Throwback Tuesday!

That's pretty much how I feel, too. I think Otonal was more suited to adaptation for CoP, even if ACI Otonal was better choreographically and conceptually. That's also because that music is a bit... Well, I think it's Yuzuru's skating and presence that gives that SP its qualities, the music itself feels kind of bland to me. The Origin music has a lot of character, and add Yuzu's fire to it and that programme, as conceptualised, would have been incredible. Like, create a universe kind of energy. But that was compromised because he wanted to win again. I think perhaps when Yuzu is finally at a point where he really, completely feels like he did before ACI - when he's finally ready to retire and go out on his own terms - maybe that would be the time to bring Origin back, without any compromises.

It was a deliberate choice, that one was beneath me. You don't get to complain about my puns ever again after that. I am disappoint.

Aww. I guess he exhausted the quality cat content with the 31 questions.

I'd be surprised if Yuzu kept Origin, mostly because so much will have to be changed to CoP-optimise it that it might as well be a whole new programme. In which case he might as well change it to something judges would appreciate better, Origin didn't get nearly enough love. I woke up very early and blearily looked up to make sure the Planet was still up and in its orbit lol definitely addicted

Oh that makes much more sense!

A goat, a mushroom, a bee, a cat... a pumpkin? No, an orange!

I'm so happy to have our home back!!

I say we directly petition the Overlord, the skating gods have, lately, been rather unreliable and sleeping on the job, I think they need a harsh performance review and a boot up the bum. Anyway, people keep complaining whether he recycles or not, it's like they're all looking for nits to pick at Yuzu, so why shouldn't we ignore all the Skating DiscourseTM about recycling and hope for something Yuzu would be familiar with and we'd absolutely go nuts for?