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“Who cares about the landing on the Salchow when Yuzu’s wearing leather pants?” Indeed.

Good for you! I studied Japanese on and off when I was younger, but watching Yuzu has given me the motivation to really work hard and study consistently. It’s so rewarding to be able to understand bits and pieces of Japanese footage. Understanding Yuzu himself is still beyond me, though - he talks so fast and uses such complex sentence structures that I still get completely lost. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but we do have a Japanese study group thread on here, too.

Okay, here's the rule they're citing from the tech panel handbook: "Spin in one position with change of foot: less than 2 revolutions in a basic position on one foot If a spin in one position with change of foot is executed with a basic position with not less than 2 revolutions on one foot only and no basic position with not less than 2 revolutions on the other foot, it will receive: In Short Program “no value“. In Free Skating it will be marked with sign “V”." So the claim is that Yuzu didn't hit 2 consecutive revolutions in a basic position after the change of foot. I was a little harsher than Jackie when I rewatched the spin frame-by-frame (not sure his thigh is quite parallel to the ice when Jackie started counting) and I still got 2 revolutions before he changed positions and broke the basic position for a second. It's a ridiculous call. Especially given what passes for a "sit position" for many other male skaters - sometimes if you watch closely they never get parallel.

Thoughts on the programs: LMEY: A quick review of my Youtube history since Christmas will tell you I really like this one. It's fun. It's upbeat. It showcases a side of Yuzu I thought he might have put away for good. And he likes skating it! The K&C audio catches him saying 楽しかった ("that was fun") while watching the replay. It's been too long since he seemed that happy while skating. From a choreography standpoint, my only complaint is that he needs to commit more to one particular moment near the beginning. You all know the one, I'm sure. You can't get away with something that surprising and only half do it, although I'm not sure how much more he can do while skating. Also, maybe his arms get a little wild during the StSq? They fit the music, but I can see a judge who was inclined to do so knocking off a GOE point for it. I can't see him only competing with a program twice, but I do worry that if the Olympics go forward, it won't seem a "serious" enough program for a gold medal contender next season. Which is dumb IMO but alas, as I am not an ISU judge, my opinion doesn't matter. Also, from a costuming perspective, I'd like to see him go with pants that are a little more fitted and more matte with that top. Might restrict his movement, though. H&E: Oh man. I got goosebumps. The placement of the sit spin with the music is probably my favorite musical accent. The program itself is brilliantly constructed. Somehow, he and SLB have managed to create a 4 quad FS with 2 backloaded 4T combos that still has breathing room. My major concern is being able to increase the base value if needed without interrupting the choreography. Let's face it, if Nathan manages to do a 6 quad free skate now that his 4Lo is back, Yuzu will need 5 quads minimum to compete with him. Also, will some judges be Eurocentric enough to think that it's a rehash of SEIMEI? H&E and SEIMEI are obviously completely different, but that's not the view I've seen in certain corners of the Internet. Of course, the people saying that complain when Yuzu does his more lyrical, elegant programs, and they complain when he steps a little out of his comfort zone - so I suppose to them he can't do anything right and therefore, their opinions on him shouldn't matter at all. As a pair, I think they showcase two completely different aspects of his skating and personality brilliantly. I'm curious if he'll hang on to them next season - he'll likely only get to skate them twice this season, which seems a shame. Especially going into the Olympics, it might be nice to keep them, as they'll be familiar by then but no serious critic could say they're overused. (Selfishly, I hope he keeps them. I look forward to possibly being able to see them both live one day.)

Honestly, though. I have a sick (but improving) family member and therefore am locked down in a true quarantine, not just social distancing. I can't be in the same room as another human being for the next week. The fact that Yuzu is competing is a bright spot indeed. So, selfish though it may be, I am incredibly thankful that he's skating at nationals.

Keep in mind it will definitely need some cuts - the song is about 1:30 too long to be an SP. The right cuts will decrease the repetitiveness a lot. With cuts in the right places and the right choreo (and there's no team I trust more for that than Yuzu and Jeff) it's going to be great, I'm sure.

That's what we're here for. Welcome!

AAAAAHHHHHHHH why did they cut to commercial now???

Oh, you're ahead of the iSakura stream by about a minute, then. Must be because you're watching in Japan?

Oh man, we are so getting Mezamashied. But with the badminton players before the commercial break, maybe sports is up next? A girl can hope.

Live News α should be Fuji, right? Not that I'll be able to understand more than bits and pieces, but when has that ever stopped me from watching his interviews?

My coach told me to send her some music ideas for a program and we'd start working on one. Of course, now my mind's gone completely blank. My taste in music tends toward the dramatic, but I don't have the skill to pull anything like that off. One of the downsides to being an avid FS watcher is that you get all these choreo ideas that you'll never be able to do. I'm tempted to send her a playlist with a bunch of warhorses as a joke. Also, I can fairly consistently get a slow backspin around for a few revs now. So... yay?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2020/12/08/sexual-abuse-french-figure-skater-morgan-cipres-charged-florida/6490137002/ Cipres has been charged with a felony and a warrant is out for his arrest. Good.

Double post, sorry!

1022 days for me - I watched the PC Men's SP because I had some free time and I always liked watching figure skating during the Olympics. (Except for Sochi, I was too busy with school and didn't watch anything there.) I saw Ballade and was completely entranced. I had no idea someone could move like that.

And then the gala is on the 20th - that's a lot of time to ask off from work. Hopefully we can all travel by then, and we can get tickets!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAwXS9LSqZ/?igshid=pqee3cyeg1nf Instagram’s not embedding for me either - but Fear/Gibson are dressed (and skating) as Yuzu and Pooh for Halloween.

He WHAT. Although the lyrics aren't exactly wrong...

Well, we do know he thinks bees are cute, so... you never know what he might show up wearing.

Not as a solo axel-type jump, that has to be a double or triple. But it should theoretically be fine as a solo quad jump or as the quad in combination.

Careful now. Don't give him ideas.

I guess we're not the only ones missing Yuzu.

They can’t put it off too much longer, Skate America is in 4 weeks...

It sounds like he really is trying to create a healthy training environment for his students. Good for him. Does the article really keep mentioning Lysacek, or is Google translate leading me astray?