rockstaryuzu

He didn't land it though. He almost did. 'Landing' means securely on one foot with a running edge, not falling. So when Yuzu says he hasn't landed 4A yet, what I take that to mean is that he's still crashing to the ice at the end,and falling over. It hurts just thinking about it.

he said he needs 1/8 more rotation to be able to land it (not landing it clean, just landing it). Think how long he's been working on this puppy to get to this point. I doubt he'd get the extra 1/8 rotation within the time from Worlds to WTT to make 4A landable.

or maybe they got a pass because they're the Olympic hosts? Not going to lie, I wish Canada would also withdraw, but it's a chance for the skaters to earn some money, too. And they probably need it.

If he does it at WTT.... I'm not ready. but from the sounds of things, 4A isn't ready either, so.

Oh Lord...that's where he got the injury that nearly prevent him from going to Pyeongchang. We have trauma. Lots and lots of trauma

I got around this by liking him for being a reasonably likeable young man off the ice, in interviews etc. I'll never like the scores he gets, so I try not to look too closely at that.

You also, need to join us over in

I've seen some of the clip in question and I was under the impression that it was old footage. Zhenya looks quite different now.

The spirit moves me to address the 'Yuzu's music is too Japanese' nonsense. mini rant ahead, be forewarned. I do not understand this issue at all. As in, I don't get why the music a skater chooses should make any difference to the marks. It's not the judges' job to have opinions on matters of taste - and that's all a music choice is, a matter of taste - that then somehow affect the scores they give a skater. It's the judges' job to score the skater on how well they skate along to the music that has been chosen for the program, to dispassionately and objectively grade the skater's performance. Whether a skater chooses Eminem or enka, the scoring criteria are the same according to the rulebook, or ought to be. So comments like the one made by Zhulin send me 'round the twist. They fly in the face of all logic and the scoring rules. Now, I do realize that when a judge is asked to score interpretation, that might be easier for them to do if it's a piece of music they've seen many times before, interpreted by many different skaters, and that ease of familiarity can be expected to affect the scores they give. BUT - a good judge who takes their job seriously should realize the inherent bias in this and strive to overcome it. It's not like it's difficult to educate oneself about various musical cultures and styles - these days a Spotify subscription and a pair of earbuds should do the trick - so why on earth is this cultural bias still being used as a justification for anything? Not 3 months ago, a song sung mainly in Korean, by a Korean band, debuted at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (Life Goes On, by BTS - I 100% recommend to all to have a listen). If that's not proof that music is a universal language, I don't know what is. Even if a piece of music originates in a different culture from one's own, anyone with functioning ears ought to be able to hear the notes and enjoy the melody. Maybe they won't have the same imagery or nostalgic associations with the music that, say, a native of the culture in question would have, but it doesn't mean said music is unintelligible or that it can't be enjoyed or that the listener will get nothing from the experience. Music is non-verbal communication, just like body language. You don't need to speak the same language as someone to understand the message in a friendly smile or a clenched fist. Nor, then, do you need to be (for example) Japanese to appreciate the sounds of the biwa or the shamisen. Musical notes are musical notes, they sound the same in any language. An A# is an A#. A drumbeat is a drumbeat. In short, don't tell me any piece of music is 'unintelligible' because of its originating culture. Don't tell me I, as a westerner, can't possibly understand or enjoy music from other cultures, either. Both statements are sheer twaddle and fly in the face of what music is, full stop. Anyone saying FS judges give low scores 'because they didn't understand the music of another culture' is simply making excuses for laziness.

That's a bit overblown...I doubt Yuzu is is anywhere near as obsessed as Captain Ahab. 4A is also probably not as murderous as Moby Dick proved to be in the end. I'm under the impression that the local government in Osaka could well shut it down. So they're going the Worlds route...hmph. Not going to lie, all I see is risk in that. I really, really don't understand the Canadian women's assignment...Gabby and Alison? really? is Gabby even still skating? Please see above - Team Canada from Worlds is currently quarantining so they're sending an entirely different group of skaters to WTT. It probably always was like this, it's just that the pandemic has exposed the situation. Someone else said it too, but Jason went to Chicago from Stockholm. I'm not sure he expected to be selected for WTT not unless they didn't go back to Canada yet, I think. Although, since they don't have to train to get in shape for WTT, theoretically they could quarantine in Canada after Worlds, then fly to Japan, they quarantine again when they get back...although it's a waste of their time and $$$ if they do it that way. Wow. I never would have expected it. Hope they keep this up. Yes. More judges from non-Soviet bloc countries would make a huge difference. part of the reason Russian skaters get so many candies is the lingering effects of former Soviet protectorates/republics all having their own judges on the panels and voting in lockstep with the Russians out of habit. Seriously, there should just be a limit to the number of judges you can have from each continent on any given panel. Ten judges, 4 continents where skating happens (Europe, Asia, North America, Australia/Oceania) = 2 or 3 judges max from each continent. Ugh, so irresponsible!

His own self.

I'll assume that's a rhetorical question...people plumb the depths of evil every day. Folks like Yuzu exist to show us there's another way to be.

I know right? I thought it was the dumbest comment I ever read in 27 years of scrolling the internet. That's the reason why there's 10 - count 'em, 10! - judges and a tech panel. To make sure there's enough eyes on the ice that they do catch everything. and this is probably the exact thing that cost Yuzu in his scores. Why they can't just give him the benefit of the doubt, I think we know too well. Kolyada is way better since his surgery and marriage. It's his first season back after a year off, and he's been looking really good. IMO I think he has what it takes and can bring it when it counts. Shoma is more flighty, but he's not the Olympic silver medalist behind Yuzu for nothing. With Shoma, it'll definitely be about having his mind in the right focus, though. As for fed support, Mishin is not exactly chopped liver, even if Eteri seems to be RsuFed's golden girl right now. I'm sure it's possible for Kolyada to get support if he needs it. He is the best Russian man on the ice right now, anyway, so if RusFed doesn't support him it's going to look mighty strange. As for Shoma, my understanding is JSF supports him to the full extent they're willing to go. IMO JSF just isn't into the international politicking for whatever reason. well, I didn't say they'd beat him all the time, just that I think they have the capability to do it, so a narrative that Nathan is unbeatable doesn't make sense to me at all. YOU need to join us over in The Planet's BTS Fan Club thread. Okay, that quote directly contradicts what I saw the guy say on Twitter. So, are trainee judges being outright told to ignore the rulebook, or are they being told 'quick is okay but not too quick" ? Ugh. Gaslighting, gate-keeping...whatever one wants to call it, it's raining on someone's parade when they're just trying to enjoy a hobby. The only 'gatekeeping' I support is gently educating new fans about things they might not know, like when we on the Planet help explain our Planet slang (eg Nessie) to them, stuff like that. The whole 'you're not a real fan unless' BS can take a flying hike. In my experience, these types of fans tend to be cranky kinds of people who dislike change. They got comfortable in quiet arenas with no competition for tickets or parking spaces and now they're mad that someone else is in on their good thing. That...just seems crazy to me. Who in their right mind would do this...of course knowing a bit about the more toxic aspects of fandom, I'm also on some level not surprised. There are definitely people out there who just want to freeze Yuzu in amber so that he never changes from the cute little noodle he was before 3/11 occurred. Unreal. I think Brian has a lot of affection for his skaters, and Yuzu in particular. Tracy and Ghislain, too. It's what makes TCC so good for so many. Of course it's not a fit for everyone, but there's something to be said for being treated with liking and respect. If Yuzu does decide that his interests lie in remaining in Japan instead of returning to Canada, I think Brian is going to miss him an awful lot. Wow. If my understanding of things is correct, a retired JSF judge saying those things about Yuzu's scores is the JSF equivalent of picketing and rioting outside ISU headquarters. It must be pretty bad if someone of that stature is going so far as to make public comments. Did they read the same interview we did? Because I'm pretty sure Yuzu all but said flat out he doesn't give a tinker's spit about 'releveance' or the scoring circus anymore, just let him do 4A in peace. ONE MORE THING: About Yuzu's speed: sit rinkside and try to follow him with your camera and keep him in frame, I dare you. this is something easy to do with all other skaters, but with Yuzu, the only way you're going to manage is if you zoom out and take a wide angle shot that includes the whole rink at once. Even the pro photographers lose him, even Jordan of On Ice Perspectives couldn't keep up with him (watch the SCI PW practise videos, you'll see what I mean). The other TCC skaters can sometimes manage to skate as fast as Yuzu, but not for long. Although I haven't yet seen Nathan live, the impression I get from video is that speed is less of a characteristic of his. ---- Okay, NOW I'm done sorry for the Wall O' Text.

A note about speed in figure skating. I was scrolling Twitter during the WC and came across an utter 'gem' *sarcasm* amongst the replies to one of Meagan Duhamel's posts about Nathan's PCS score inflation. Someone established amongst the figure skating world (who I won't name) said that judges are taught that speed can be used to hide sloppiness in the step sequences. It was totally illuminating. It explains why so many laboured, clunky, ungainly, utterly ugly StepSeq get high scores when Yuzu's lovely, lyrical, fast-flowing footwork earns bubkus -the judges are mistaking his speed and skill for an attempt to cover up sloppiness. This tells me two things: 1. judges need to stop using visual shortcuts like a skater's speed to determine score, and really truly look at what's going on where blade meets ice 2. Yuzu's speed works against him when it comes to scoring and slowing the StepSeqs down might force the judges to give him more points 3. ISU needs to stop training judges to take shortcuts in scoring skaters I am fully confident that even though Yuzu goes fast, he is doing all his steps and footwork correctly. It's not in the man's vocabulary to be any other way. But it does explain why someone slow like Nathan can get more points.

The thing is, Nathan was NOT consistent here at Worlds. he had a fall and a bad day in the SP, exactly as he did in PyeongChang. So even the 'Nathan is more consistent' narrative is not based on fact. Nathan has not yet beaten a fully clean Yuzu; every single time he's won, Yuzu has had problems in one of his programs. IMO the whole narrative about Nathan being the better skater is made up out of whole cloth and wishful thinking.

They weren't friends, just random people I happened to chat with while waiting in line or getting food, etc. You know how it is in those crowds.

Totally ignores the fact that Kolyada is fully capable of challenging and even beating Nathan, not to mention so could Shoma on a good day.

Talking about Toller Cranston's artistry and the Salt Lake bribery scandal usually proves my bona fides

and this kind of facial expression:

Hooo boy do they ever hate fanyus...there seems to be a general sense of offense over the presence of vocal and enthusiastic fans of any kind, though. There is absolutely a cadre of pearl-clutchers amongst long-time followers of the sport who think the whole fan experience should be more like watching golf. Had conversations with a few at various competitions and wow.

Welcome! Yuzu has proven his critics wrong so many times that I tend to consider 'experts' who prefer Nathan to Yuzu as being in denial of history, and therefore mildly delusional. I'm really not sure why they think the way they do. Nathan has lots of ability but IMO he's not better than Yuzu at anything.

Moscow 1980 was the last Olympic boycott...or maybe it was LA 1984? Either way, the IOC just completely ignores the situation and blithely carries on holding the Olympics as originally planned. The boycotting countries are simply left out of the Games. I don't know. My feeling is the pandemic will sink the Olympics long before boycotts come into play. The Tokyo Games are going ahead and goodness only knows how that will go, and once it's over I suspect everyone involved in organizing the Beijing Games will be looking closely at the outcome and make decisions based on that. It's what I'd do.

He has anything but! I don't mean to be rude, but let's just say that 'pudding butt' doesn't occur in humans until they're well into the obesity range and leave it at that

It shall be so, I decree it with my positive energy.