Toni

Yes, it's a half-truth. He'll pull a 4a out, reduce the quantity of jumps and dance his little heart out. He LOVES choreography and spins, ina baurs, astroblading, twizzles, etc.

You know who Yuzu reminds me of? A young Leonardo Da Vinci -- Now hear me out -- So we all know Da Vinci was one of the most gifted artists of all time; but he was also an inventor, an architect, a writer, a geologist, a cartographer, a botanist... you get the point. There are geniuses, then there's Da Vinci. The term cognitive scholars use to describe Da Vinci is "polymath." He was a genius in every single field. He is also the first person to design multiple flying machines, that the BBC commissioned to be made and discovered several of Da Vinci's ideas would have worked. If he ever actually constructed them, Da Vinci could have been the first person to fly. So, Yuzu seems to perfect everything he sets out to do. He literally has ALL the skills. Even event production. Yes, he underestimated how many people were in love with him and wanted to own many things with his beautiful face on them, but he still managed to pull off his show with utmost grace, making everyone around him joyous in the process. Do you see it? Yuzuru Hanyu = Polymath. Here's "proof." Yuzu juxtaposed with Davinci's machines and other creatures who shouldn't be able to fly:

Yuzu plans ahead for YEARS. I bet he breaks in multiple boots until they're perfect, then stores them in his closet. When he's competing, I bet he SHIPS two perfect pairs to himself wherever he's going (two, in case one pair fails.) He may even ship them in two separate shipments. On the other hand, he DOES have a special relationship with ANA. I bet the Pilots have a special storage area for their own stuff -- luggage that will never get lost because the pilots take it directly. If that's true, I definitely think they would agree to include Yuzu's skates in with their luggage.

Only a Yuzu fan would think that was simple... Ci what I mean?

Yes, and it looks like this, under the microscope:

Inserted.

My mood:

Hi, I did the e-mail verification and suddenly I couldn't see the video. It said it was locked and to let you know I was there. I'm a bit lost here.

Oh, and one of Etsy's crafters also makes these: https://www.etsy.com/listing/210601894/winnie-the-pooh-hat?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=yuzuru&ref=sr_gallery-1-13

Hi guys. We ALL need these gorgeous Yuzu coloring(4) and stencil(2) pages from Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisinYou?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count#items

The only trouble is, I was already too late and all the good seats are taken. I won't buy cheap tickets. I'm near-sighted, so I want to sit in the center and close to the action. Otherwise, I'd rather watch on TV (and now I have cable TV, so I'll be able to watch it on the Olympic channel.) I really believe (if his health cooperates) that Yuzu will try for the 2022 Olympics too, so I actually plan to get a ticket to that as soon as the tickets become available.

I know, huh? And Hamlet was amazing. I only pick EXTREME talent to obsess over. And Yuzu may be the single most extreme EVER, so he's already ruining my life.

Mee too. I follow Yuzu, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock actor,) and Lex Ishimoto (winner of So You Think You Can Dance.) I traveled to London twice to see Benedict in Hamlet and the Sherlocked Convention. I've driven to Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts to see Lex in After the Curtain with Travis Wall. And if I could get an actual GOOD seat for Vancouver GPF this year, I would go to see Yuzu in a heartbeat (I'm 90% positive he will compete.) HAHAHA! I bet you're right, I bet he just threw the sock in -- maybe he lost the match in the dryer? They may be opportunistic, but they were RIGHT!

Yeah? I already gave her all my money.

Exactly. He uses the steps and other choreography AS his prep. Boy's got talent Nathan only WISHES he had.

I don't know what you're sorry about; if you were being "mean" then there should be more mean people in the world :-) I only mean it LOOKS more spectacular from the point of view of the audience. The root of the word "spectacular" is "spectacle," which is only about how things appear. A standing 3A is certainly more amazing, but the spectacle of suddenly flying into a jump after building up speed and energy from a step sequence -- jumping higher and covering much more ice -- is more spectacular, even if it isn't as amazing.

I'm an old dancer, so I'm trying to convey a feeling only dancers have when they get that serotonin high. You labour until you go over a kind of barrier, where your breath becomes super steady, though you're breathing very deep and fast. Your whole body begins to feel like a dream of serenity. You can stay in this high for a long long time and if the dance is rhythmic it becomes very close to the feeling of the highest meditation. You can get close to that feeling running a marathon. You may begin, out of breath, but then it becomes a rhythm, running from head to toe. Your breath matches the rhythm of your footfalls. This feeling is heightened to the roof when that rhythm is employed in dance. If you've never experienced it, it's hard to explain, but there is literally no better, more relaxing feeling in the world, even when you're flying across the floor (or ice, in Yuzu's case.) I see it very plainly in Yuzu's eyes when he's doing his step sequences. He's experiencing this wonderful feeling.

Sorry, can't help you. If I were there, I'd be spending my rent money.

Yes, it's quite difficult, but "lazy rhythm" doesn't mean "lazy" in this case, it means that he's in complete control, basically weaving to the rhythm. It looks very relaxed and easy. Yes, he can do a 3a from a standstill, but it's not nearly as spectacular as when he sets it up this way. He gets all his power and best positioning from his crazy set-up. I notice he uses rhythm to center himself too. I bet that's how he meditates.

OMG! Jealous!

Ahh, John Curry. I loved him because I was a ballet dancer. He was also sooo long. 1972 was my first, though. I was eight. Meanwhile, we are like-minded, although I strongly disagree with one thing you said. I say Yuzu puts MORE preparation into his jumps than anyone else, not LESS. Remember that one of Yuzu's coaches (name? having a senile moment) specializes in gaining speed and energy from minute movements. Watch the lazy rhythm Yuzu develops as he works toward his jumps (his 3a is the best example.) Watch his feet -- effectively rocking side to side. He isn't launching into his jumps with no preparation. He's using all these steps AS his preparation -- not just to increase his speed, but to launch himself in the right direction. I think this is his most brilliant skill, and as a Tibetan Buddhist, I have a special appreciation for this talent. What he's doing is very Tantric -- to use the problem itself to solve the problem. He's so used to this counter intuitive prep, I bet he'd have trouble doing a straight run at a jump.

Growing up, I was so happy to watch figure skating on regular TV (I didn’t get cable until recently.) From eight years old on (1972,) that meant I could watch Worlds and the Olympics. But shortly after the rules change in 2004, they stopped showing Worlds on the local stations. That was when interest began to seriously decline because the artistry started to matter less than the jumping, and it was always the artistry that brought in the audience. 2006 was still okay. 2010 was annoying. THEN came 2014. Since I could only watch figure skating every four years, I was completely unaware of Yuzu, so I didn’t understand that the reason the men were all falling on their asses was because they were trying to compete with Yuzu. I got so frustrated watching them fall that I said “It’s not supposed to just be a fucking jumping contest” and I shut the TV off angrily – BEFORE Yuzu skated. I really wish I had waited, because Yuzu’s 2014 performances would have been enough to make me get cable TV and become as obsessed as I am now. (My goodness, they have an actual Olympic Channel!) To learn that it was Yuzu’s fault all the other men were falling gives me mixed emotions. I would rather they all skate clean, because I hate the interruptions. Even in this Yuzu beats the hell out of all the others, because he usually recovers so well from mistakes it doesn’t interrupt the flow. Sometimes, he even turns it into an interesting choreographic moment. I was born in the Philippines, lived in Turkey, and then Germany, before moving to the USA at 17, so I have a much broader world-view than many Americans. Thus I don’t care where an athlete is from; I cheer for the ones I think are the best. This means that even though I hate that all his competitors are falling, I’m so fucking proud of Yuzu for making them fall. Anyway, the coming rules change may help bring the audience back. Most of you are too young to remember when it was all about the artistry, with a few jumps thrown in to dazzle you when the music called for it. But you’re NOT too young to know how much more wonderful it is to watch Yuzu complete a complicated step sequence than it is to watch anyone else do ANYthing else on the ice. And now – for Yuzu – I’m here to stay.

Frankly, I'm just freaking ecstatic now!!! Also, this is just over the top INSANE!!! Nothing like this would ever be possible here in the USA, even is Yuzu was an American 2x Gold Medalist.

But if they actually lose money, that might hurt Yuzu’s chances with future financial backers. That’s why I think they should make it easy for people who want to support him to throw money at them. Merch should definitely be sold on-line.