Toni

Unless Japan opens up without quarantine time for vaccinated travelers, it looks like my only opportunity to see Yuzu live in competition will be ACI - IF he goes back to TCC, and IF they hold ACI with an audience. So I, too, really hope he skates for another season, but I don't think he will. I think he's going to retire. He may even give up his Olympic spot if he already lands 4A by then. BUT, he's so popular, he may tour with ice shows around the world afterward, so cross your fingers. Your logic is very sound. PW makes perfect sense for the Sochi Gala.

Yuzu was turning 20 in only 1 month at that time. As an adult, he had a right to make decisions for himself. I've had concussion before. It feels VERY different from other head injuries. Since Yuzu also had a concussion before, I'm sure he could also tell the difference too. He was also never unconscious, and he rolled into multiple different positions on the ice before the medics got there, so he obviously didn't have a broken neck. The medics probably spoke to him as they approached on the ice, so they didn't just go grab him and pick him up, either. So I totally disagree, I trust Yuzu's decisions. He was very intelligent and analytical even at almost 20, and he had the help of a Doctor in making that decision. It was the right decision for him.

Thank you for finding that! Well, the big danger of head impact is that the brain literally bounces against the inside of the skull and bleeds. I had a concussion once. It was a very particular feeling. You can actually feel your brain bounce. It's very very alarming. Since Yuzu had a concussion when he was younger, I'm sure he recognized that this didn't feel the same.

I suspect Yuzu has hit his head many many times in training. He can probably feel a difference between a concerning pain and just a headache. He was also never unconscious; he just had the wind knocked out of him and he couldn't breathe. Natasha probably didn't have any experience and probably didn't know the warning signs, which is why she refused a medical evaluation. But the Doctor who evaluated Yuzu was a sports doctor who probably had lots of experience treating concussions and looking specifically for brain injury. It's true, after Natasha died, there was much more awareness here in the USA. They instituted helmet rules all across sports.

Thank you so much for the details and sources. I read all of these sources, and both autobiographies, but I have a terrible memory for where I learned any given fact. This comment is SO useful!

They followed the protocols. He was properly evaluated for concussion before being given the choice to skate. On the recordings, Brian told him repeatedly that he didn't have to do it, and that his health was more important. Yuzu was given all the information he needed to make his decision. He was also extremely well experienced in injury management from many years of falling on the ice. If you've ever been in a bad accident, you know you feel disoriented even if you don't hit your head. The Doctor also told Yuzu he didn't have a concussion. By the time he got back on the ice, he seemed perfectly lucid to me. He actually did a magnificent job, not forgetting anything he needed to do. He nailed the choreo and step sequences. I believe the falls were because of the sprained ankle and injured thigh, not disorientation. If I was Yuzu's coach, I would remember how intelligent and knowledgeable Yuzu is, and I would trust him 100%.

True, true.

Don't worry, it's easy. Just duplicate the tab before you comment. On one tab, choose "Quote." Now it's ready for your reply. Leave it blank for a moment. Go to the other tab and translate it. Write your reply, then translate it. Copy your English response and paste it in the other tab, under the quote. That way, you won't change the original text. Have a great day

Knowing Yuzu, he probably just TOLD JSF that he was going to skate. He made up his mind and no-one was going to stop him. He probably didn't tell them just how much pain he was in. He let them check him for concussion and that was that.

True. True. Ballet appears light and graceful, but the dancers are actually always in pain. Yuzu will have a lot of pain from those injuries when he's old. By the way, can you do me a favor? When you quote me, the text is not the same as what I said. I think you're translating my text into French and then translating it back into English. Please replace your translation with my original English text. I only ask because the double translation is actually changing the meaning of my words, so it isn't actually a quote anymore. I will appreciate it very much.

I was in a ballet troupe when I was young. Pain is just part of the life for certain professions. You know how Yuzu laughed as he showed his black and blue knee to that lady in the video? That's actually a typical reaction to injury. Dancers show off injuries like they're old soldiers, bragging about war wounds. You should see the feet of prima ballerinas. I was never that good, so my feet never got as mutilated as theirs, but I remember the odd pride they had, showing off their injuries. Don't worry, Yuzu will be alright, even if he has to stop skating due to injury. Never forget, this is the life he CHOSE, with full knowledge of the dangers.

The people who gawk at traffic accidents, hoping to see death and mayhem are just disgusting. But the people who make me really mad are the ones who are angry at Yuzu's coach and others because they think Yuzu should have been FORCED to withdraw - people who wanted others to take his right to choose away, as if he were a stupid child. Yuzu didn't make that decision lightly. EVERYTHING is in his calculation. To recognize him as the GOAT is to recognize that YUZU is the one in control of his destiny.

Is there some glitch on the app? It kept making word salad of my comment. I finally gave up editing it with a somewhat acceptable version.

I regularly watch CoC POTO (the program, not the fall.) I don't watch out of curiosity, but out of extreme pride. It reminds me that Yuzu is a hero made of the strongest steel. He knew that if he didn' t skate, that would have been the end of the season for him. He would not have been able to go to the GPF. I watch, knowing that this incredibly brave boy was skating with a sprained ankle, an injured thigh, a huge contusion across his abdomen and midriff, two bleeding head wounds, a massive headache, AND the extreme psychological strain of having to suppress his emotions! Yet he powered through that program, racking up all the points he needed to continue his season, never forgetting the choreography, and still managing to bring passion to the program. I cry with him when he gets his score. He was holding his breath until he knew he could go on. He was so happy, he became a complete mess, finally letting out every emotion he'd been holding back. If Yuzu were a soldier, he'd be the sort who might be wounded terribly on the battlefield, yet throw another wounded soldier over his back and save him before he allowed himself to collapse. When people talk about Yuzu's mental strength, CoC POTO is the single biggest example you can find.

What a good point!