rockstaryuzu

I want him to keep doing the Lotte chocolate commercials...he takes them so seriously it's fun to watch. I could definitely watch a show where Yuzu makes pastries and sweets. ☺️ As for game shows, he'd be very entertaining on one of those obstacle course ones, but somehow I can't imagine him doing it.

Do you think maybe Pooh-san also has his own set for those times when he's resting quietly on such a shelf?

Hopefully, not as uncontrollable, though.

Also, I believe Brian tends to advise his skaters against doing this kind of promotional work while they're actively competing. If I'm not mistaken, he's on the record in more than one interview as saying that agents and endorsement contracts are nothing but a distraction to the skater, and that there'll be time enough to get those types of things after retiring from skating. The reality is that Yuzu's now in the zone where advertisers are always going to want him, so he can pick and choose on contracts and hold off until he feels it's time to take advantage of offers.

Or, to put it in a nutshell, as another friend and recent convert to the Hanyu side did : He's superb, and it doesn't hurt that he's adorable. I have to agree with you that Patrick and now Nathan were/ are unlikely to ever reach a similar status, but that has a lot to do with how skating is regarded in North America vs in Japan. I've no doubt that had either of them been Japanese/ Japan-based skaters, they'd have their own massive fandoms. And I suspect that if Boyang really starts winning, and starts maximizing his programs to make the most of his own skills and style, he will have a Yuzu-like following of his own, at least within China. But you are right, it's very hard to beat Yuzu's backstory, personality, physique, and skill for appeal. And he's got that pure and intense thing going g for him too. I agree that if skating ever sees another one like him, it won't be anytime soon.

I wondered about that too.

Yeah, he's not small exactly, it's just that he looks it next to some of his competitors. And his waist is impossible, I've never seen a man with a waist that narrow.

I hope you'll get to see him again. And I really think he's reached rock star status. It's troublesome in that that kind of fame is not what skating's all about, and it's not like he asked for it. On the other hand, there's no way to stop his star from rising now, he's already got 2 OGMs..

Agreed, but since I couldn't see him at that point because of all the groupies crowding around the athlete's entrance blocking everyone else's view, the screaming was how I knew he'd taken off his jacket...so it serves a purpose. And I'm not sure those kinds of fans will be there as much at the actual GP events on account of the ticket prices being so much higher.

Someone needs to go there and put up a sign front of it saying "4A"

They so cute! I really want a gif of Yuzu doing that head shake/hands out gesture.

Showed my mom more 'Yasari Hanro' last night. She loved Otonal and Origin, was spellbound by PC Seimei and enjoyed Sochi R&J 2.0. She's normally a woman unmoved by such things so watching her fall under Yuzu's spell is really something. I'm not sure she'll ever get his name right, though.

I didn't actually scream, for similar reasons. I've never felt so clumsy with a camera though. Tracking him in the lens is nearly impossible. You almost have to try and anticipate where he's going next and stay ahead of him. I did, however, think I would faint from the excitement before he came in. Something to do with having forgotten to eat because of my stomach butterflies I guess... There was one more first impression I had that I want to mention as well: 8. He's just a normal kid, how on earth does he handle everything that's on him? His character must be something else.

I understand the feeling.

First impressions were: 1. There he is! He's real! 2. He's smaller and more ordinary than I thought. 3. No wait, look at him move. He's not one bit ordinary. 4. This guy doesn't just love skating, he lives to skate. 5. The habits of a champion are really different from the habits of everyone else. This was really obvious in the practices. 6. He moves SO FAST!!! 7. He's gracious to a fault.

Ay caramba. I can't believe it's been a week since I laid my very own personal eyes on Yuzu IRL, for the first time, at the ACI open practice.

Great recap and an enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe not the schedule, but I'd love to know what kind of workouts they do in a more general way.

I'm sure they do something. Lambiel's group just posted a photo of them on spinning bikes, didn't they? Skating alone probably doesn't give enough volume of cardio work to get the body's energy systems trained properly for competitions. So they've got to put in the work some other way.

@quadaxelwinBrian's said in previous interviews that he believes in 'good, old-fashioned fitness' as part of a skater's regimen so I've no doubt Yuzu does do all those things. Probably does a LOT of box jumps and squats to train those legs for 4A takeoff.

Nothing quite like looking back at the past to appreciate the now. Although the Sochi men's final will always sting just a little...even though I'm Yuzu's fan and know he had the better skate, that whole evening was just a splatfest.

Yeah, he went full-on natural curl at ACI. It was cute. But the man needs better choreography for his FS. SP was great.

Yup. And to tell him when it was time to grow his skills and learn new things.

Agreed, but we do have some promising up-and-comers. And Kevin Reynolds is still giving it the old college try.

The thing that bugs me about Patrick, when you look back, is that all of his issues are problems that could have been corrected by the right coach. But especially in the latter half of his career, it just seemed like none of his coaches were willing to tell him what he needed to hear. And that's a shame, really. But I am going to say it again: in person the guy exudes massive charisma on the ice. You can't get the effect from watching him on TV at all.