Neenah

Interesting idea.. should we start with the person with a thesis to write and an exam on the morning of their flight Trust me I feel enough shame for all of us but that doesn't make it easier to work while waiting to know who will be at Worlds (the main reason I keep checking the forum). I was really looking forward to that trip and it was to be my reward for finishing the first draft of my thesis, now I am not excited at all When you are not interested in the reward, your productivity really suffers

I do I have two deadlines before Worlds and one of them is the day before my flight to Milan Don't ask me why I am on the forum instead of working because I will definitely not see you post

I sure hope there won't be a "next queen" at all and that those girls will grow up to be amazing skaters that can push each other to greater heights. FS is a competition not a coronation and it is much better to have a number of skaters battling it out that one dominating queen. Also, as many have mentioned already, these juniors (boys and girls) are all still young and we have no idea what the end result of their growth is going to be, so predicting anything about their future is really not possible and I personally have decided not to invest in any junior for this reason, I don't won't the heart break For all we know, by 2022 there will be a new young wonder who will push all those girls aside and win the gold like Alina did

I have been thinking about this since the end of the men's competition as well. I totally expected at least one world record but it didn't happen, so now I am expecting very interesting scoring at Worlds

Mai's graduation ceremony

I haven't seen anything too bad either but I think he is most likely referring to things said after his injury. There was a lot of people dismissing him because of it and due to his "inconsistency" . I can only imagine how painful it must have been for him to see that while fighting so hard to heal and compete again. People in the situation Yuzu was in are more sensitive to negativity than they would normally be.

Let's forget about it and pretend that I can actually do math

I am 99% percent sure he is just trolling the media at this point. They keep asking about 4A, quints and the next Olympics and he keeps on upping expectations every time (which IMO clearly shows he is having fun at their expense) I am willing to bet money on Yuzu not having thought of what he was going to do after the Olympics at all, and that he is just saying whatever now because he has to answer those absurd questions. Give him a couple of months to rest, heal and think and we will know what he really wants to do. For now he is having fun so let us enjoy the ride as well Ps. I left a 1% for Yuzu being Yuzu

So much cuteness is a crime against humanity Someone should do something about it Something like giving us a 360 video of the whole practice maybe

I think he meant that Nathan apologized for not listening to him when he advised against the 4Lz and not about the bad skate, at least that is how I understood it. I thought there was something weird going on the whole season and the involvement of Nathan's family does kind of explain it. There was a apparent lack of direction or a clear plan and Raf was acting more like a cheerleader than a coach. I do think he is responsible and trying to push all the blame on the parents is not the way to go but I understand that it must be difficult to work with someone who is being pulled into different directions. Also, if the family was making the decisions then Nathan was basically following the media and not an expert's advice I hope they get things sorted out and learn from their mistakes, it would be a shame if something like that stopped his development or even worst, got him hurt

Something must be wrong with me because I am not sad at all. I know I will miss him so much but at the same time I'm very happy for him. I was a bit sad after the free when I thought about it most likely being his last competition. That all changed when I saw the photos of the reception he had at the airport and the other pics with his family and fans. He is happy and satisfied and I am so happy for him I agree that he needs time now for himself after devoting so many years to skating, so I will only wish him the best of luck and pray that his future endeavors are successful There is a real joy in watching someone who worked so hard achieve their goal and I am experiencing that joy right now with Yuzu, Javi, Aljona and others

Definitely

I think it is the normal cycle, we are just going through it a bit faster than usual

The general thread turned weird again

You don't need to a competitive sport person to do something like that, it happens naturally when you have a dream and you know you can make it come true with hard work and sacrifice. I know for I left my home and country, ruined my eyesight and recently my back pursuing my PhD and I don't regret any of it. It was my dream since high school which I worked so hard for and I will not let back pain or migraines stop me now when I am almost at the finish line. So, I do very much understand Yuzuru's feelings and why he did what he did because I am in a similar situation and have made the same choice he did

Believe me, there is nothing I wish more than for him to find a way around that sacrifice and I pray he stays safe. I am just saying that if he ever visited this place, wouldn't he feel better knowing that his fans respect his choices and don't think of him as a child who can't decide what is best for him (not saying that is what happened here, just that sometimes we do go too far and I am as guilty as anyone else).

If Yuzuru decided to try for the 4A or skate on an injured ankle, then that is his decision and we shall accept it. Yuzuru is not a child and he is the one who suffered (and still) is from hose severe injuries. He experienced the pain, stress, and frustrations and he knows more than anyone else what the real cost of pushing for his dreams and ambitions is. I know everyone is worried and only care for his well being but we are sometimes going too far with it and treat him like a child that needs to be protected or told what to do, but he is not. He is a man who is fully capable of making his own decisions and if he thinks something is worth the sacrifice then who are we or anyone else to tell him no. Yuzuru in not the first nor the last person to suffers for his dreams or pay a high price for them but as long as he get satisfaction from achieving them then it is all good, and it is better than living with the regret of not trying at all. I am sure we have all been in a situation similar to this before and can relate to his feelings Also, do not take anything he says now too seriously since he was in an emotional high and now deflated so don't expect him to give any real thought to questions about the future when he is still currently processing the past and present

At Worlds, I am going to cheer and pray for team Japan to win the three spots (don't care how or who places where). I do not want to deal with the "It is Hanyu's fault Japan does not have three spots" next year, it is not good for my blood pressure

To be honest, I am happy that Yuzu is talking about his injury and sharing details even if it is painful to us. The whole experience must have been (and probably still is) very frustrating and depressing and talking about it would help him move on from it to a better mental state. Also, by sharing his struggle, he shuts up any narrative others (mostly the media) would use to belittle his achievement or excuse underperformance by others. Though I admit that his comments about his words being twisted or used to hate on him still bothers me a great deal because it means he did see something like that and it hurt him. I hope they let him rest and spend time with his family and friends away from stress and skating. He needs to heal emotionally as much as he needs to recover physically.

I think Yuzu is mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted right now, which is why I really think it is unfair to have him do so many interviews one after another. He needs time to unwind, process what happened and think about what he wants to do as well as what he needs to do. I think if they talked to him in a week we may get different answers because he would have had time to rest and think and not just react like he is doing now

This comment is oddly specific, I wonder what is he referring to? what did he say that was used that way? i am curious

Yuzu stop smiling, it makes the photographer go crazy

This reminds me of the horror of oral exams

Why are they taking so many pictures of Shoma? He is not doing anything interesting and the sound of the shutters is annoying

Guys, can we wait for more information before we start planning his retirement party About his comments on the injury, I think he is most likely paving the way to withdrawing from Worlds because after his performance here people were expecting him to be better at Worlds. I've even seen talks about bringing back the 4L and 4Lz, so I won't worry yet and will wait for him to sort things out and tell us his plan himself