micaelis

I have to agree that Yuzu will not be the one lighting the torch. If Kohei Uchimura is not competing then he's the obvious choice for torch-lighter, although I have to say he's young enough to continue competing. The other factor is that, as was pointed out, Yuzu remains an active competitor. There's also the factor that Yuzu will have almost certainly been used at some point when the torch passes through Sendai. If he were not involved there he would be a fitting choice to be the person who carries the torch into the stadium and passes it on to the torch-lighter. You can imagine the excitement generated there by the presence of arguably Japan's most popular athlete (or should I say 'most popular person'?) I can see, however, where there's a way for Yuzu to be the torch-bearer into the stadium, and that is by having him in Sendai receiving the torch as the last torch-bearer of the day finishes up, in this case in Sendai on day three for Miyagi Prefecture, thus Yuzu has not carried the torch. From there the torch will be transferred by vehicle to the next prefecture on the route. The planning is for there to be a ceremony at the end of the third day of the torch's relay through that prefecture in preparation for its departure to the next. Having Yuzu be the one who receives the torch at that event would be fitting, particularly with his identification with the recovery for the whole prefecture (and the other prefectures affected). That, I think, would clear the way for him to be the one bringing the torch into the stadium. PS - I think we should start thinking of starting a thread dealing with the Tokyo games. There is going to be an increasing amount of news and speculation regarding the games and the expected participants so it would be fitting to be ready here for the coming deluge of information (a regular 'Poohburst', we might say).

I see it as autobiographical. After all, hiding the severity of his injuries for two successive seasons from the world at large, concealing the stress as he worked himself through four years to get that second gold, giving his public only brief glances of the struggle he was having, those were years in which he was wearing a mask and now the mask has been removed. He's letting us know that it wasn't easy, wasn't easy at all.

We have to remember the relationship of Javi and Yuzu during their years together was predicated not only on their simultaneous training but on the fact that they were both consistent podium placers. In short, they were both solid members of the men's elite. That is not the case with Yuzu and Jason as much as Jason's skating might improve. As I see it, the elite men are all those who have scored over 100 in the short, 200 in the long, and 300 in the combined. Jason has yet to enter those exalted heights. Javi, however, did so more than once. With Yuzu it has been habitual to do so and when he fails to do so his skate is regarded as somehow 'off' that day. How the relationship between the two evolves I think it safe to say the influence will be more one way, Yuzu's influence on Jason. I can't think that getting proximity to Yuzu was not one of the factors guiding Jason's decision to move to Toronto. Brian, of course, has exacted a price from Jason if he expects to be at TCC, to get a haircut, and that haircut has done wonders for Jason's image. He definitely looks younger, although not as young as Yuzu, who actually is exactly eight days older than Jason. With the proximity to Yuzu I think Jason hopes that one trait of Yuzu's that in Jason is not very strong, the desire to win, might rub off. Yuzu, above all, is a fierce competitor, competing against all the other skaters and most of all competing against himself, since none of the other skaters are as good as he is. In ages past Yuzu spoke of being the 'absolute champion' and I think that is still the ultimate motive behind every other motive. What has probably surprised him, though, is that as he advances through the seasons he sees that he constantly has to redefine exactly what constitutes the absolute champion. At least right now he is consoled by the fact that there is no other candidate, however impressive that person's wins might be, who comes near to fulfilling Yuzu's notion of the absolute champion. It is still a one-person competition. In any case I think Jason's proximity to Yuzu has Jason also realizing the costs of being a living legend, the lack of privacy. I think Jason realizes that life amongst the lesser skaters makes it much easier to live a normal life outside the ever-present cameras and journalists. I'm not sure that Yuzu himself was prepared for the degree of fame he has achieved. Looking at Daisuke, for instance, Yuzu was able to see what 'normal' fame entails. Now Jason can see what iconic fame entails and given the insights we have into his personality I think he is probably glad that he is merely close to Yuzu and not Yuzu himself.

For those who are thinking that the earthquake might have disturbed Yuzu, I don't think they need worry. Yuzu grew up where earthquakes, if not a daily occurrence, still happened frequently enough to become routine for the Japanese. To compare a 5.3 to a 9.0 is like comparing a pygmy to a giant. A 5.3 quake is always of short duration, perhaps fifteen or twenty seconds. It's here and then it's gone. That wasn't the case with the 9.0 3/11 quake, which lasted for somewhere between five and six minutes. Actually, the strength of a quake can be to a large extent estimated according to its duration. Yuzu and the other Japanese in the arena would have taken things in stride unless the quake continued on and started strengthening. That, of course, didn't happen here. The interruption in the program was short, as was stated. I think the only remarkable thing about the incident is now Plushy can say his skating was literally 'earth-shaking'.

I haven't found a way to see it yet, but if POTO is the operative gala/exhibition program all I can say is FINALLY my favorite of his programs is getting the attention it deserves. The matching of motion to music in that program is, in my opinion, the best program he's done, although Otonal comes close. GPF 2014 is, as far as I'm concerned, Yuzu's greatest skate. There is an intensity there he rarely reaches and if it weren't for that fall late in the program he'd almost certainly have set a FS record. As it was he was salvaging a disastrous season and he did it with sheer bravado and a four and half minute adrenalin surge. The result was a margin of victory amongst the highest ever in a GPF. Yuzu showed what he could do when adversity was nipping at his heels. If I'm now able to see POTO in a darkened arena with spotlights on him I'm happy. I just hope he's using the POTO2 costume which is my favorite (followed by Origin's, which resembles a negative image of the POTO). As a sidenote I am hoping that Yuzu might skate a program dedicated to Nanami and for me that would be RJ1, a program much superior to RJ2. Making that his long program this season would be a fitting tribute to a coach who has been too much forgotten, the only coach to have ushered Yuzu through an undefeated season.

Yuzu's costumes for FaOI? He could do like Keegan did in his gala program last season and go shirtless. Keegan had the build and the program to make it work but I could see Yuzu doing PW without a shirt, possibly LGC , also, although I think that costume (the purple not the white one) really helped make the program there. In any case Yuzu's penchant for elaborate costumes is far greater than any of the other skaters out there, although we probably should take into consideration Yuzu now has the financial resources to afford almost any costume he and his advisors dream up. What I think might be interesting, since there are no strictures in gala and exhibition programs, would be for Yuzu to do a program in tights. We had a hint of how that might be with the LGC costumes. A Yuzu in tights might start a trend since tights are comparatively cheap and male skaters, like ballet dancers, have the physiques to make tights work.

Concerning Yuzu's injury and recovery, we should all take heart from the almost surrealistic spectacle of Yuzu receiving his gold medal at COR on crutches. It indicates he was definitely taking the injury seriously and I would assume continues to do so. At Worlds he came in silver, but that's understandable if we take in the likelihood he was skating 'safe' (just relatively). Ice shows this summer I think are probably a means to satisfy three things: his need for an audience, his desire to placate his Japanese fans who've definitely missed him on Japanese ice, and his desire to satisfy P&G, who not only sponsor the Fantasy on Ice shows but also have Yuzu as a major individual endorser. I do think Yuzu is going to skate super-safe in the ice shows this summer. The last thing he wants is to go into the upcoming season only partially healed. With the competitions he's missed over the last two seasons he needs to get some golds in competitions he's become a stranger to, and this after dominating before things started falling apart, meaning NHK, GPF and Japanese Nationals. There's a lot of gold he should have gotten but didn't because he was simply not present.

Mama Hanyu should have a Mother's Month, as far as I'm concerned.

Yuzu doing ice shows? Is he healed? I say 'go for it' on the shows. 'Do it cautiously' because of the injury factor. We don't have to expect and I'm sure Yuzu's fans in Japan do not expect to see Yuzu in competition mode. I think he feels he has to give something back to his fans considering the last two badly truncated seasons. He doesn't want to miss the GPF for the third consecutive year. The same goes for Japanese nationals. I'm sure Shoma wants an unasterisked championship (meaning Yuzu was here this time). So in the ice shows he skates really safe and leaves the fans still in ecstasy. That will work. It also gives him the opportunity for a prolonged stay in Japan. I'm sure he misses his homeland and his home city. A question - what program? He can dumb down any of his competition programs to make them safe or he can go with one of his earlier exhibition programs. The choice is his. The fans will be happy with anything. The thing we have to remember is that Yuzu hates skating in a vacuum. He wants the seats filled and the audience ready to cheer their hearts out. In the summer that means the ice shows. I have a strong feeling that Yuzu already has his music for next season's programs ready to roll and probably a general layout for them. Yuzu is always very organized. So the drought will be broken over the summer and everyone can be ready to weather the mini-drought between the last ice show and ACI (if that's on the agenda this year). All of us can also spend a great deal of time and a great many posts wondering which GP qualifiers he'll go to. Right now the coming months do not seem as dreadful as they were just a few days ago. So let's all get ready for Fantasy on Ice and be prepared for the upcoming season. If we're lucky and Yuzu's fully healed and stays fully healed we might get a repeat of his last season on the junior level where, according to one commentator, Yuzu 'won everything in sight'.

That's because he's the best skater ever!!!

Why do you think he received the People's Honor Award. Officially it was for the two Olympic gold medals. But it was also for his humanitarian outreach to quake survivors and other such gestures. Those elements reflect Yuzu the human being. Yuzu has always had empathy for others but it was put into overdrive by the quake. Yuzu realizes that he and his family got off easy after the quake. They didn't lose there home; none of them were even injured. Yuzu realizes that and he knows how awful the quake has been for tens of thousands of others. He is determined not to forget them and we know how strong Yuzu's determination can be.

If you see Yuzu in action back when, let's say 2014, you can tell the difference but in many respects Yuzu's appearance is ageless. As far as 'like an elf', I was thinking that if Lord of the Rings were to be remade, Yuzu would be a perfect Legolas.

Happy birthday to the Planet. I haven't been here from the beginning but I began lurking in the early summer of 2017 and formally joined later that summer so I've been around long enough to know how valuable it is. I haven't explored the Internet intensively but I do think this is probably the premier Yuzu fan site out there, at least of those using English as the base language. I know it is the premier site for me and I have to thank those who participate and bring forward so much information not simply about Yuzu but about skating in general. This is a valuable resource for the sport.

The very young Yuzu and the Yuzu verging on puberty were always cheerful, ever-smiling. Life was fun for him (at least skating life was fun) and there are few people I've seen at that age who merit more the title of 'urchin'. That was Yuzu's operative situation until 3/11. The earthquake gave him a massive dose of reality which he himself on more than one occasion has said radically affected him. We know the internal conflicts that ran riot in him trying to square off his continuing his skating as against a need for something concrete to contribute to the reconstruction. Yuzu smiled after the quake but his smiles were no longer almost omnipresent. He grew up a lot in those days immediately following the quake. I think one of the reasons he has that certain aura about him is that there are few athletes who have ever stared Death in the face. Yuzu with no exaggeration truly feared for his life that afternoon when he scrambled to get off the ice and out of the building. That experience has given him a depth rarely to be found in the ranks of elite athletes.

Since I feel that Yuzu's post-retirement future will involve him producing ice shows there are any number of dramatic settings he could use. If he's thinking primarily of restricting the shows to Japan anime themes would probably be high on the list of possibilities. If he is thinking of touring in east Asia then he might go further afield, perhaps a show featuring the Monkey King, a character found throughout the region. True international touring might focus on fairy tales that are found throughout the world or some other similar story. A Lord of the Rings show could go almost anywhere and sell plenty of tickets. Just some thoughts.

I couldn't have said it better. The GOAT is not simply the one with the most medals and the most records. It's the biography that goes with it, the accounting of the struggles encountered and overcome, the history of the engagement with the fans, Citing Michael Phelps is very apropos, He remade the record books but also his struggles overcoming the mistakes of a retirement by coming out of it and continuing on his winning ways - those mark him as a GOAT. My feeling is that he's the odds-on favorite to light the torch at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Two other GOATs also come to mind - Wayne Gretzky, who still owns the hockey record book and has a biography that includes raising a family and being a symbol of the well-lived life. Another is Babe Ruth, a baseball player, most of whose records are now broken, but they are his batting records, The fact is that Babe Ruth also has a stellar record of achievements as a pitcher. That combination will never again be seen in baseball. The thing we have to remember is that not all sports have GOATs, Tennis, for instance, lacks such for both men and women. Golf is the same way, although there are currently two strong candidates - Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. The thing is that those who have GOAT status have it because in one way or another they define their sport in all its aspects. That Yuzu has done and that nobody else currently skating is even close to doing.

Thoughts on Yuzu and Nessie - I am actually hoping some other skater hits the 4A first. I know that's rank heresy here but I'd hate to see Yuzu killing his skating career by getting some injury incurred while pursuing the 4A. There is more to the future of skating than a 4A and I think if that challenge is removed from the table Yuzu can focus on those other aspects of skating, many of which he is already the clear master. His advantage lies not only with his command of the PCS elements but also in his ability to make jumps that are not only technically perfect but an integral part of his programs. Yuzu's ability to handle dense, detailed choreography is one that gives him an advantage over most other skaters. Given all that I think it would be to his long-term advantage to concentrate on putting together and performing programs that would establish his reputation as a 'poet on ice'.

I've pointed this out before but I'll do it again. Yuzu's major is very advanced and technical. Cognitive science involves grounding in psychology, sociology, neurology, computer science, mathematics and philosophy. It's demands are great but when has Yuzu ever not taken up a challenge? Yuzu's already begun applying some of its principles by mathematically breaking down some skating moves and such. When's the last time a skater has analyzed moves he's making by using calculus to increase his understanding of it? We have to realize that if Yuzu weren't a world class skater most people would describe him as a nerd or geek. That distinction doesn't phase Yuzu in the slightest. I have a feeling that when Yuzu goes through commencement at the conclusion of his studies the ceremony will be broadcast live, further proof that for many Japanese Yuzu is more than a skater. It's that element, the element that makes Yuzu so popular beyond the realms of figure skating fandom that I feel makes the fans of other Japanese skaters so angry. They know that there is no way their skater can match up against Yuzu when it comes to qualities beyond simple skating skills. Quite simply, Yuzu is a superior human being.

Yuzu has himself a great deal of power, if he'd only learn how to use it. He has endorsement contracts with some powerful skating financers, particularly P&G. The threat of his retiring would be something they would not like to see any time soon. Competition organizers, who when Yuzu is competing can count on sell-outs at least for the men's events, value his presence (even if it means bringing in an extra contingent of flower kids to handle the Poohbursts). He should simply say that if the disadvantageous scoring continues he'll consider retiring to avoid the hassle. Of course I know, as all of you also, that Yuzu wants to compete as long as it remains possible for him to bring in the gold. In basic monetary terms Yuzu is worth considerably more than any other male skater out there. He should take advantage of that, wanting the scoring simply to be fair and not put to his advantage. It has been said that one should walk quietly but carry a big stick. Yuzu has a big stick and he should realize there are some times one needs to use it.

Yuzu has the financial resources to have his clothing expertly tailored for him, and by that I mean created from scratch. He should go that route for formal and semi-formal dress but I think athletic casual would be his informal dress, particularly since that seems to be his preferred mode right now anyway, I have a feeling that Yuzu's mindset is such that unless he's engaged with a video-game or at his studies he's in 'training mode', meaning he's either engaging in physical activities oriented around what he needs to accomplish physically or is mentally dealing with tasks directly tied into his skating needs. My suspicion is that Yuzu allows for no wasted time and he has articulated for himself goals he's pursuing, not simply for on ice but for his life off the ice. One thing is apparent about Yuzu - he does not like disorder in any aspect of his life.

I know what you mean about Kurt. Several times he has said things that I knew just by comparison with his normal commentary had been written and were waiting for just some opportunity to be inserted into his comments. They stuck out like the fabled sore thumb. Beyond that, though, I have noticed he has real respect for Yuzu and while not a member of the GOAT chorus he has never dismissed Yuzu's achievement as anything less than consequential. I remember one time when he remarked that Yuzu was the only person he knew who could have the audience absolutely riveted on him even when he's standing in the middle of the ice doing absolutely nothing.

I'm back!!! And things are not nearly as bad as I originally feared. Ultra-sound of my heart showed a slight flaw in one part but the doctor said it was inconsequential. The x-ray of my lungs showed nothing wrong there. Worries about blood pressure were pretty much dismissed as while I did have sky-high blood pressure when transiting to the hospital once there the pressure was marginally high now and then but by and large I was landing in the good to very good parameters. The extreme edema in my legs has been vanquished and I am now on a regimen to keep it from returning. The one last major problem, my extreme weakness, has me now beginning what may be several weeks of intense rehabilitation. Needless to say my spirits are immeasurably improved. Next thing - really want to thank everyone for the many messages of support I see posted here. I did not think I was that highly regarded here although I can say I have always tried to be of use to the Planet. I realize that my writing and intellectual skills are very well-developed but like Yuzu I try to remain humble and to use them in order to contribute ideas and observations that I think will be of interest to others. I have received a few personal messages over time by some thanking me but I need no thanks. The Planet has been for me a means to reach out to others who share my intense admiration for that very remarkable human being - Yuzuru Hanyu. And it has also been an invaluable resource to learn not only about Yuzu but figure skating in general. Now the good part. A perusal of the general drift of discussion about Yuzu seems to me to be trying to identify precisely what it is that makes Yuzu so remarkable, leaving aside his supremacy as a skater. Quite rightly there can be no argument about Yuzu's achievements on the ice. They are beyond compare and though Nathan might seem to be in the ascendant right now anyone who has an unbiased view of recent men's skating history knows that Nathan can't compare to Yuzu. But I won't go into details here. They've been already discussed on this forum. The im;portant thing to remember is that Yuzu is still the person all the other men are skating against in their training. LIke Johnny Weir once said - Nobody can beat a perfect Yuzuru Hanyu. If Yuzu skates with the quality he displayed during those record-rewriting two weeks in late 2015 there is nobody who can touch him. For us fans of Yuzu of course, we know that that scale of perfection is not something he routinely achieves although he does so often enough to have much of the skating commentariat seeing him as the GOAT or at least the best candidate for that status currently skating. The real issue currently under discussion is what it is that makes Yuzu so admirable for those who aren't figure-skating fans, those factors that make him and exemplar of the best of humanity in general. I've stated before but it can't be restated often enough. Yuzu's greatness lies in his sense of noblesse oblige, his sense that the exalted position which the admiration of the masses have placed him entails a responsibility to give back to them what he can to justify their admiration. Thus we have the visits to schools, to senior centers, to other venues, where, like members of the British royal family, he tries to help others who are not in such a privileged position as he possesses. Add that his conquest of the many challenges he has encountered, beginning with the earthquake but also his overcoming his all-too-frequent injuries, what emerges is the truth that there is something essentially heroic about Yuzu. He has slain no dragons but he has conquered situations that readily compare to dragons. Yet above all there remains that humility and openness that is so characteristic of Yuzu, that we see all so often in the kiss and cry as he awaits the judges scores and seeks to acknowledge his coaches and his fans. Yuzu is not afraid to shed tears and that fact, above all, reveals the openness that makes him so special. I could go on and on but the basic fact is that Yuzu is far more than a skater to his adoring fans. The only other athlete who possesses that same mixture of excellence and humility that Yuzu possesses is Wayne Gretzky. Both are national treasures in their respective countries, perceived by the peoples there as exemplars not only of athletic excellence but of human excellence. I think it is that fact that most riles those in Japan who admire others skaters. They know there is no way that their favorites can ever be viewed in the light that Yuzu is. Yuzu's brand of humanity is one that, unfortunately, is in very short supply in today's world, and it is the recognition of that fact that makes Yuzu's fans the fans they are.

Everybody, for those who believe in the power of prayer, I need all that I can get. I'm about to head to the hospital in order to have a number of things checked into and actions taken to ameliorate them. There are more than one issue involved so I don't know how long I'll be there. I'll be out of touch since I have no cell phone or tablet so I'll reestablish contact once I'm back home. Until then a grand silence from these quarters. This forum has become very important to me and I hope there will be some years left for me to continue to be a part of it so you can take heart from a line spoken by Arnold Schwarzenegger - I'll be back.

What we have to remember about Yuzu is his undoubted integrity and desire that all who compete against him do as well as possible. He wants to win by committing his clean skate after everyone else's clean skate. What we also have to remember is that it's basically only the American media buying into the notion that Nathan Chen is now the number one skater. Yuzu is still the skater other skaters train against, not Nathan. True number one is not a function of victories but of the notion of 'the one to beat'. That remains Yuzu and all the other skaters know that Nathan would not have beaten a Yuzu not skating through recent injuries. Nathan lucked out by skating against a Yuzu who was, as at the Olympics, skating on pain-killers. That is not a true victory, just as Shoma knows his three consecutive Japanese championships all have an asterisk, an asterisk symbolizing Yuzu wasn't there. As for judging, I think the message should be getting around that the judges are also being judged by the figure-skating fans, not just of Yuzu but of others (except perhaps the Americans). They want fairly-judged competitions. Other skaters want clean judging also since only with clean judging can their own achievements have credibility. While Nathan's skating is impressive, it would be nothing without his aerial antics and if a contest were held between Yuzu and Hanyu where no jumps are allowed Yuzu would clean up. In any case the season is now completed and the ice show season is just ahead. Except for Sendai I hope Yuzu stays away from the shows this summer and works extra hard to get his injury behind him and goes into next season with a clean bill of health and a resolve to skate as safely as possible in order to still remain competitive. I do think it imperative that he put together two programs that are intended to highlight his artistry as much as his athleticism. He did that with Otonai but I think he didn't quite pull it off with Origin. He needs a program with the power of RJ1 or POTO to claim the spotlight. Those were programs with over-the-top dramatics. I think also he should return to the spirit of PW and LGC for his short. Those two programs really highlighted the 'bad boy Yuzu' that every now and then surfaces. But to reiterate, we need a Yuzu who spends these next few months healing completely and then competing wisely to avoid yet another injury. Yet another abbreviated season is not what Yuzu's biography needs. We need a clean season with clean wins everywhere his skates touch the ice. In short, we need the Yuzu of 2009/10, Yuzu's last season on the junior level where, according to one commentator, he won 'everything in sight'.

I would think a bus tour of Sendai would pass by IceRink Sendai. It's undoubtedly a pilgrimage destination for Yuzu fans visiting Sendai (and I would say they comprise a hefty portion of those visiting the city).