micaelis

I see it that he conceives through inspiration, particularly when editing his music for a program, but then he and his choreographer take that inspiration and turn it into a finished program. That's how the greatest creative artists work. They take their inspirations and work them until they're in a shape to present to the public. If one looks simply at inspiration, what essentially is there is an an entry from a diary. The true artist then goes and turns what is in that 'diary' and makes of it a novel, a painting, a poem, a symphony or, in Yuzu's case, a finished program. True artistry always involves taking a body of raw material and putting it into a shape that can be presented to the world at large.

You can make the meter work if you change the last phrase to - And in Pooh forest bind them.

I doubt it. I doubt that there's even a hieroglyph for 'ice'. Except for the green belt along the Nile most of Egypt is very HOT desert.

Thank you. I knew somebody would have the details. At least I was on the right track.

Actually each skater takes approximately 10 minutes. There's four minutes for the program, plus the minute or so where the skater takes his place and prepares to start. That's five minutes. Then there's the period after finishing where the TV audience watches the recap of the just-completed performance and then every eye is focused on the kiss and cry while awaiting the judgment of the judges. All told, there's nearly ten minutes there. And don't forget that usually before the last group the zambonis are brought out to refresh the ice plus there's the nearly ten minutes that occurs between each group (the introduction of the skaters and the six-minute warm-up). I don't know if at Worlds they cut the low-scorers to leave just twenty-four, like they do at the Olympics, so that could have some effect on how many skaters are skating the long-program. There are thirty-five skaters skating the short program. Whether it's all thirty-five or just the top twenty-four, we're still looking at the final group starting somewhere between three and four hours after things get underway.

As a holder of a PhD in English and former teacher of university English literature, all I can say is Bravissimo!!! ('bravo' in Italian increased exponentially).

At the time of the 2013 Japanese nationals Yuzu had the record SP score. He had lost his record to Patrick in France (the only time in the historic records period that anyone broke a record Yuzu had set) but at the GP final two weeks later he reclaimed the record. Patrick still had the FS record but Yuzu would break that record at NHK 2015. Yuzu at that time was clearly the preeminent Japanese skater when the Japanese Olympic team was assembled. And momentum seemed to be going for Yuzu. So Yuzu went. After that Yuzu lucked out (as he himself admitted more than once). Yuzu broke his own SP record at Sochi and then went on to skate less than perfect in the free. His lead from the SP and the fact that almost everyone (including Patrick) who was in contention did not skate well meant that Yuzu took the gold. I'm sure all of you have seen that short clip of Yuzu off the ice checking up on the rankings and discovering, to his surprise, that he was first. He knew that it was a combination of skill in the SP and luck in the free that he got the gold. One of the driving forces in his aim to get gold at PC was to have a 'clean' Olympic win, which he indeed did have there. As for the situation this season, in the enforced long break between Moscow and upcoming Saitama Yuzu has had, essentially, a second summer break, just as he had last season. With memories of last season's amazing recovery I'm sure that he and Brian and Yuzu's medical team, moved forward with caution as Yuzu once again took to the ice and began training once again. Yuzu knows what he did last season in recovering and I'm sure he's applied the lessons learned then to this season's situation. At least he knows that he can take the gold as he did last season. He did it once, he'll do it again, and that fact must have given him encouragement to keep going. The thing is that all the other elite men know what Yuzu did last season leading up to PC and you can be sure none of them is dismissing Yuzu in the coming showdown. Yuzu is the one to beat and Nathan, Shoma and Boyang (and several others) are training with the certainty that the Yuzuru Hanyu they'll be facing next month will be a Yuzuru Hanyu in top form. They dare not think otherwise. They, like everyone else, must remember Brian's advice - Never underestimate Yuzuru Hanyu. They won't.

I only wish! But if Yuzu gets gold and unleashes Nessie, Worlds couldn't get any better. As far as world rankings go, pay no attention. Going into next season you can be sure all the other elites will be trying to beat Yuzu. He's the only one that matters in their game plans and let the formal list be damned.

We're in the home stretch. Worlds are just over three weeks away and I don't think it an exaggeration to say that TCC is the world's dominant training operation. Yuzu will be there, representing Japan; Jason will be there, representing the US; Zhenya will be there, representing Russia; Jun will be there, representing Korea. Junior Worlds are the week after next and while I don't know all of the juniors who are training at TCC, two of them, Stephen and Joseph, are the two regular Canadian entrants to Juniors with Stephen being one of the heavy favorites for gold. Also, Conrad is one of the three alternates. Looking at medal hopefuls, both Yuzu and Zhenya are amongst the favorites for gold and all in all TCC will be having its own version of March Madness next month. PS - I really think, with all the top skaters TCC has, that there should be a thread here dedicated to TCC.

What we've discovered over the years is that over the past several seasons Yuzu has owned his programs in a way that I doubt most or even any other skaters do. He edits his music while laying out his program as he proceeds. He then goes to a choreographer and they fill in whatever details are needed to make the program complete. Yuzu is in the driver's seat every step of the way. He has the intelligence and ingenuity to make the base value of his programs as high as possible without putting him into dangerous territory of overextending his formidable technique. He knows how good his overall skating skills are and he factors in his knowledge of those skills to fill out the PCS elements. I have a feeling that he puts a base value on his PCS numbers just like he does with his TES. We have to realize, as we've seen over the years, Yuzu's preeminence today depends on the fact that not only is he technically a superlative skater but he is also a superlative strategist. That's why he keeps winning.

I know there are inevitably people who will complain about Yuzu going to Worlds without having competed at Japan's nationals. They should look at it from the other side, the Japan Skating Federation's side. The JSF wants to do as well as possible at Worlds since the results there have impact on how many athletes Japan can send to various competitions next season. For Japan not to send a consecutive two-time Olympic gold medalist, a two-time World Champion (with another two silvers and a bronze added for good measure), a four-time GPF winner and the dominant skater over the last several seasons, well, that would be insane for them. If they didn't send Yuzu the complaints you would hear then would be incredible (perhaps riots in the streets LOL). The JSF knows that Yuzu is still the number one skater today, even if statistically it goes elsewhere. Other male skaters are not training to top Nathan or Shoma or whomever. They see Yuzu as the guy to beat. So Yuzu goes to Worlds, the best chance Japan has to nab the gold. Shoma and the other top Japanese skaters go mainly to fill out the podium for a golden Yuzu. Make no mistake about it, except for the American media, the media are going to be following Yuzu every step of the way at that competition. He will almost certainly get as much media attention as there is (except for Nathan's USA groupies) for all the other men combined. That's a fact of life. If there are those who complain that Yuzu going is denying some other Japanese man presence on Japan's delegation, they should recognize the reality. Yuzu goes because his presence there means the men's events will be sold-out and the media there will give the entire competition more exposure than there would be if Yuzu wasn't there. 'Can Yuzu make it three World golds?' will be the dominant meme of the whole competition, dominant over the ladies, the pairs and the dancers. Yuzu will be topic number one there and the JSF knows that. It's that simple. Yuzu goes and those who don't like that can lump it.

You're getting all those 'Happy Anniversaries' from others so I'd better add my 'HAPPY ANNIVERSARY'. They say as you get older time seems to go so much faster. I have to agree that this last year has simply flown past. It doesn't seem to work that way for looking ahead to Worlds, though. That seems as far away as Christmas does to a kid. I just hope that next year we'll be celebrating the anniversary of your third World Championship.

A serious question - Will Javi be present at Worlds? If he is, might he, on the basis of his being a two-time World Champion, be allowed to watch from behind the boards? I don't see him sitting in the kiss and cry but I do think it might be possible that he might be 'backstage' and able to greet Yuzu after (potentially) a record-setting victory skate (maybe with Nessie introduced for the world to gape at). One last thing and that is I see a record Poohvalanche since those of Yuzu's fans who haven't been able to follow him around the globe have a ton of plushies that have been waiting for him finally to be at home. He hasn't competed in Japan since 2016's NHK. That's a long drought for the hometown folks. I know about the supposed limit on gifts being thrown only from the premium seats but I can hardly think with Yuzu involved it will be strictly enforced. If there are signs it will be I can see those higher up in the stands giving their offerings to Yuzu fans in the premium seats. The old Three Musketeers motto - All for one and one for all. Anything to paint that ice yellow although we should say that Pooh is gold and not yellow.

I fully agree here. The energetic mood of the second half requires many quick movements and its flow would be sabotaged by a jump at that point. Right now the program works dramatically, moving from the strong, imperative moves going right along with the music and then, after that big spin taking off rapidly into a frenetic, passionate sequence with it all climaxing with the final spin, but the ending is really a touch of genius, coming to a conclusion with a soft gesture accompanied by a soft chord in the music. Every time I watch this program I become more impressed by it. It's in the vein of Chopin but I think its progression and coherence are immeasurably better than Chopin. As far as I'm concerned it's the best short program Yuzu has skated and the reason is its dramatic coherence from beginning to end. Any jump in the last half would, quite simply, destroy the whole edifice. Considering the scores he's racked up with this program my advice is 'if it's not broken it doesn't need fixing'.

If you want big and burly, how about some sumo wrestlers?

Thank you. I didn't know it existed.

I know it's off-topic for this thread but for those who haven't been keeping track at 4CC Jun is in second, Jason's in sixth and Nam's in eighth. This is continuing to be Jun's breakout year and I think it almost certain he'll be seen as a medal contender in Worlds. One additional note - Nathan isn't there even though the competition is in his neighborhood. I would have thought he would be wanting to show off for the home-town folks.

These last two seasons have been eye-openers for Yuzu. Judging by his use of crutches in the medal ceremony in Moscow last year I think he's finally realized that injuries have consequences, potentially career-ending consequences. Had he not made a public proclamation of his determination to master the 4A he might be deciding that a 4A is not worth the rest of his competitive career or even his skating in toto. Leaving the issue of the 4A aside my feeling is that much will depend on how well he is doing in competition. If he's been collecting golds right and left despite the best efforts of the other elites he might figure it's worth it to keep himself going through the 21/22 season. What's fascinating is the potential for TCC to have a medal sweep in Beijing, with Yuzu, Jun and Stephen Gogolev (who if he continues to improve the way he has from last season to this will be most definitely a medal contender) filling the podium. Just who gets which medal they'll sort out there.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that poor saguaro cactus on the right is in its state because of drought. Lack of moisture would have left the other healthy cactus in a similar state where they would both be limp and shriveled up. My feeling is that it was the victim of a lightning strike (they do have thunderstorms in deserts, just not as many as many other places). The lightning hit the cactus and super-heated the water in it causing it to explode just the same as trees do when lighting strikes them. However I can sympathize with the poster's complaint. The security at TCC is such that many a nation should copy its tactics to keep things from leaking and it is, I agree, a very long time before we will again see Yuzu on the ice. So we must soldier on and fill our days with replays of skates he's done in the past, with discovering interviews and documentaries we haven't yet seen and stare at all too many vids wishing we could understand all that spoken and written Japanese all over the place. I envy those who know Japanese. Their Yuzu world is much fuller than us others is.

The 2014 GPF free skate is my favorite Yuzu performance, my favorite Yuzu program and my favorite Yuzu costume. Considering all the travail Yuzu had had in the season up to that point it illustrates clearly for me Yuzu's ability to fight back when he's down. The collision in Shanghai followed by the meltdown at NHK left Yuzu almost in ruins. He made it into the final by only a small fraction of a point and his free skate was marred by only one fall late in his program. If he hadn't fallen he probably would have set a free skate record (although he did do that the next season, twice in fact). I just marvel at his sheer confidence and determination in that performance and it is the one performance I keep going back to. I could never tire of watching it. PS - watch the vid at the point when Yuzu is just getting off the ice. Just behind him you'll see one of the flower boys retrieving a brown bear (not a Winnie the Pooh) that is nearly as large as he is. I always laugh when seeing that. It's only matched by the giant goldfish we saw leaving the ice a few seasons later.

Fundamentally I agree with you but I think you haven't taken your comparison of figure-skating with other activities. You err, I think, in comparing figure skating to certain types of popular musicians. There is some legitimacy in your statement but if I were making the case, I'd say that figure skating more closely resembles ballet, particularly in the sense that ballet, like figure skating, has a vocabulary of standard moves. What many people don't know is that there are ballet competitions and the approach of the judges in those is very much like the approach figure skating judges do. In ballet competitions it is very much a mix of athletics and aesthetics and make no mistake about it, a trained ballet dancer, male or female, is a trained athlete. Ballet competitions, though, have even less of a following than figure skating has. But the principles in both are the same. The one difference is that ballet in performance is much more widespread than the figure-skating version - ice shows. Moreover by and large ballet dancers at the top of the pecking order generally occupy a social position appreciably higher than an elite figure skater, part of this being that particularly with the well-established ballet companies there are direct links between the elite dancers and the public, particularly those wealthy donors who keep many companies financially afloat. One thing that was hinted in the post I'm discussing was that the really popular sports are generally team sports and fans' energies tend to be fixated on the teams as a whole, although individual players are singled out by fans but even then the fans generally see those individuals as part of the team they are supporting. Should the player change teams the following generated in his first team tends to lose interest as he picks up support from fans of the new team. I will say something about Yuzu fandom, however, and it is a phenomenon that fascinates me almost as much as Yuzu himself fascinates me, and that in my several decades of life I have never encountered fans as focused and passionate as Yuzu's fans are. The most visible aspect is the inevitable avalanche of Pooh bears that follows every Yuzu skate. That is totally unique and I have never encountered anything similar in any sport. Another element is that so many fans, and not just the Japanese ones, follow Yuzuru from one competition city to another. As one commentator said of him, "Everywhere he goes it's a hometown crowd." One final observation about the coming Laureus awards, I think both Tiger Wood and Lindsey Vonn are probably out of the picture as both have received Laureus awards in the past, though not in this category. Another is that Yuzu's life includes one element that raises his struggles to another level, and that is the earthquake. The image of him struggling to leave the ice rink and get outside while still wearing his skates is one that is especially dramatic and the fact that he has devoted so much of his time and money over the years to help others get past their experience of the quake elevates him to a higher position. I am personally of the opinion that his People's Honor Award was as much a recognition of his charitable deeds as his Olympic triumphs. All in all I think the odds are probably 50/50 of Yuzu receiving the award. If he doesn't it's no great loss for him. He didn't volunteer himself to be a candidate, unlike his entry into a skating competition, so while he can appreciate the honor he won't lose any sleep if he doesn't receive it.

This is actually meant seriously - Those fans up higher will take them down lower to those fans in the premium sections and have them throw throw their Poohs onto the ice. To imitate a statement made about Yuzu - Never underestimate the passion and resourcefulness of a Yuzu fan.

I'm really not to worried about the judging coming up at Worlds. For one Yuzu is a major cash cow for figure skating and because of his endorsements he has some pretty heavy hitters corporation-wise who have his back. They won't want to see their boy mistreated by the judges. Second, the competition is in Japan, essentially on his home turf. They know they are being judged as much as Yuzu is being judged by them. They'll do things right if they want to get out of the building alive (an exaggeration, but you should get the point). Third, if Yuzu unveils a Nessie worth anywhere from 3-5 GOEs (not that I'm expecting but it's nice to dream) they'll have to give points not only for that but for everything else but even without Nessie the judges know they're on best behavior. As far as Yuzu, himself, he'll skate what is needed to get the deed done. It would be nice to see the TV audience share of the broadcast in Japan. There won't be many TVs in that land that AREN'T turned to Yuzu. Some final thoughts, however, in reference to Poohvalanches. It's been ages since Yuzu has skated in front of his home-nation fans at home. There are going to be so many Poohs tossed down onto the ice that they should schedule Yuzu to skate last for both SP and FS or have a real army of flower children ready to retrieve then. We're going to see a cascade of Poohs that will top the charts. One final thought and all of you hear won't like it. If Yuzu unveils Nessie and takes gold, I wouldn't be overly surprised if, considering that injuries have kept him out of most of the last two season, Yuzu decides to retire. Yuzu wants to keep skating before an adoring public and he'd like to see himself exiting in a blaze of glory.

Earlier comments along the line that Yuzu is skating on a wholly different level I think are right on. I've commented before that I think Yuzu's skating has taken on an almost mystical aura. He's not skating. He's meditating. He's contemplating. He's praying. Whatever we call it what we can say for certain is that it's not skating for points. It's skating for perfection. As to the ever-elusive 4A, with all the time Yuzu has had to work on it I think if we want maximum theatricality, given that there are no Olympics this year, the World Championship is the ideal time and place to let the world know Yuzu's made the grade. For maximum impact I'd do it the first time in the Short Program, so that it will have maximum power to discourage the other skaters. Seeing that they'll find themselves saying - How can we ever beat that - knowing that if he's done it once he can do it again, in the Free Skate, and if Yuzu feels totally confident he'll do it twice in the free skate, the second time in combination. After such a tour de force I think psychologically the rest of the field will figure the contest is for the silver.

I know this is a bit off-topic for this 'Yuzu' thread but I'm wondering have plaques gone up at TCC for his European championships and will they put one up for this last and final one?