rockstaryuzu

Then he'd have to come back next year. But this is very serious news. I'm glad the ISU isn't taking any risks though.

Poor Yuma's like, 'WTH, senpai?'

The way Nam roped all the others in, too!

Not sure we should be writing Yuzu off from winning gold just yet. Ice is slippery, anything can happen.

Yes. I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I remain of the opinion that he has used a sports psychologist at some point. I just wanted to make it clear that sports psychology is not the same as clinical psychology or therapy.

So it's really that colour. Wow.

My eyes might be deceiving me. I thought I saw him twice.

This!

@Geo1 I don't want to take anything away from what you've said here, but I would like to clarify a definition which may have been a little lost in the shuffle: Sports psychology is not therapy. A sports psychologist does not provide counseling in the traditional sense. The sole purpose of sports psychology is to get the athlete into a winning mindset. With that endpoint in mind, a sports psychologist will help an athlete to visualize winning performances through guided imagery, teach them relaxation techniques to control pre-event nerves, help to define and set clear performance goals, establish routines and rituals that help an athlete get their mind in the game, and so on. Sports psychologists aren't there to listen to an athlete talk about their emotional state, they're there to help identify the things the athlete is doing/thinking that either add to or take away from success. Given that Brian is the originator of http://www.peakperformanceskating.com, a system that does exactly all those things, and based on things Yuzu has said in interviews, the chances are pretty high that he has, at the very least, benefited from using sports psychology, even if he doesn't actively consult a sports psychologist. But really, it's not just North American/ Western athletes that do it. Sports psychology is like having the right skates or the right nutrition - just another thing that gives you an edge over the competition. At the top levels of sport, if you're not, at the very least, practicing guided relaxation and visualization exercises, you're leaving points on the table for others to grab. Given how much Yuzu likes winning, I can't imagine him turning his back on such tools. So, anyway, just wanted to clarify what I was talking about there.

I guess he can't help but be aware of what the fans think about what he says, but this just makes me . He thinks too much about this stuff. What a man.

Yes. In other words, consider Yuzu in context, his context. Not the viewer's context.

Can't really talk about Yuzu without taking his culture into account.

I mostly agree with this. Yuzu's been skating a long time, and scoring has never been fair. If he couldn't handle unfair scoring, he would never have lasted in the sport. That being said, I still want to see the scoring become more fair and objective. Not just for Yuzu, but for everybody. Particularly I would like to see an end to Rusflation. And guys, it's a given that Yuzu has a sports psychologist or has worked with one in the past. Every top athlete does. Mastering the mental game is an essential component of high performance sport. Yuzu knows this better than anyone. He's worn out and tired in this interview, for whatever reason. That doesn't mean he's on the verge of a breakdown. Why can't he just have an off day without everyone panicking? He needs a hug and someone to tell him it'll get better, for sure. But maybe that's all he needs right now. Or maybe he does need a therapist. Either way, it's not ours to speculate about.

It is Canadian content, after all...no matter how hard we try to pretend Bieber isn't one of ours...

Conbini ( like 7-Eleven) or bookstore, maybe? Or a Lawton's? Those are the places I would try first, if I were in your shoes. Good luck!

Now I get it. Thanks

Yuzurious: the luxurious feeling of having watched Mr. Hanyu set blade to ice

And let's not forget the following superlatives: yuzurific yuzurious yuzuful, or hanyuful yuzuritive hanyumonous never mind hanyuconomy, here comes hanyulexicology.

I can't claim credit for that one; the term has been kicking around for quite some time.

Was thinking the exact same thing. Imagine being a 40th century archaeologist unearthing such a collection and trying to interpret it: Dr. Archaeology: It appears that in the early 21st century, a cult arose around the figure of a youth who was said to fly over the ice on blades. Our researchers have unearthed thousands of ritual objects associated with said cult, in many sites across the planet formerly known as Earth. At its height, millions of people, mainly but not all women, adored this god-like figure. Dr. Social Anthropologist: The cult appears to have begun as a subset of the much larger worldwide obsession with competitive sport. Adherents were known to spend days at a time admiring their idol within the frozen temples that they called 'ice rinks'. Considerable time, energy, and expense were poured out to train competitors for the young 'god', who would then be summoned to compete for the edification of the masses watching. Dr. History: this cult, known at it's height as 'Hanyuism', eventually petered out in the 28th century, but not before inspiring unparalleled frenzies of devotion, such as the tossing of millions of fabric bears onto the sacred surface of the rink to conclude the competition ritual. Dr. Archaeology: Hanyuism has receded into the mist of time as nothing more than a 2000-year-old legend, until today. With the discovery of these troves of carefully preserved 'clear files', as worshippers called them, we now have incontrovertible proof that Yuzuru Hanyu really did exist. Dr. Social Anthropology: ...as impossible as that may seem. I mean, really, who would ever believe in the existence of a man who could rotate 4.5 or 5 times in the air above the ice, and land without harm? Dr.History: There are days when the Santa Claus myth seems far more plausible to me.

Again, off topic so spoilered: Like,

Off topic completely, but, I was thinking about it, and I feel like Nathan's movement style has a bit of Alvin Ailey* in it. Maybe more than a bit. *Scroll down the page for the video, you'll see what I mean Agree/disagree/ or should we just get back on topic already.

Gonna go out on a limb here and say that Japan will be dominating Men's skating for years to come, what with all these little guys looking up to Yuzu and chasing his back...