barbara

I am still so bummed I haven't been able to wear my badge yet. But it's ready.

And the heart - if only he'd painted it purple, it would have ben totally over the top. He is SO cute.

The geologist (me) is not voting at all. Ice is a truly remarkable substance (it weighs less than water, even though it's the same thing chemically) but only considered a mineral/rock if it's naturally occurring, like in a glacier. I (again, as a geologist) have to say that I think olivine is pretty boring but is part of so many rocks. And I love green minerals, but olivine can't remotely compare to emerald or dioptase or even malachite. So, rink ice is not a mineral. But vote away.... for Yuzu.

I might be more inclined to purchase something like this if there was even a half tiny chance of seeing him skate live. Alas - no chance.

Oh, I hope so, too. I understand that Korea is now 70% vaccinated, so Jun should be (though he falls in the "young" group - he's an international athlete so I believe he'd have had his shots.) Thanks for the tweet!

Legitimate geologist here. And I don't consider ice a mineral, but I understand why the votes are coming in the way they are. And it coming down to ice or olivine? Not even fair.

This might not be the correct forum to post this on - but I know a lot of us have VPN's so we can watch Yuzu skating without being restricted by country...

If they have to announce entries and are a week after Finlandia, why hasn't Finlandia announced entries yet? That's the one I thought Yuzu would go to, if any, because it works into his schedule and it isn't an Olympic rest event (what "test event" means.....)

Where do we actually have spectators?

Rika does not have to quarantine when entering Canada (I am presuming she is vaccinated as the JSF said they would have their skaters vaccinated by August.). Who knows what rules will be in place for any country two months from now. I hope Japan gets their percentage of vaccinated up.

Any known update to Jun's plans? Canada is now open to international (vaccinated) travelers without them having to quarantine, so he could, hypothetically, fly back this week.

I love all those things - his gentleness, his artistic interpretation, his technical finesse, his transitions, his humanity - and, hello! His speed! He is SO fast.

R+J has been used by multiple skaters (Jun, for instance - but a very different version). I would think that Nam will have totally different choreo and probably even a different version of the song. Unless he states he's doing an something to commemorate Yuzu, I would think his take will be original.

I think this is the only place I've ever heard about Yuzu interacting like a regular person with a friend.

And then there's this from the OC

What do those symbols stand for? He doesn't have any repetitions in his name.... (Clearly I know zero Japanese...)

Tokyo forged ahead - but a year postponed. Will they postpone?

This needs to be a poster.

Has the IOC made sense to anyone in the last couple of years? Who did they use to develop this schedule? Flipping the individual men's and pairs events would obviously be better. If they have released multiple versions of the skating events schedule then they can correct this - probably after different federations complain about this. And, knowing Boyang is also at a disadvantage, it's clear that this is all IOC and not anyone in China. Does anyone know how far in advance of the 2018 games a final schedule was published?

Welcome back - but, what? There is some other sport to watch? It's a relief to have only one sport I am truly passionate about following (not that there aren't other sports I enjoy watching or participating in) - though, really, it has been a very dry 18 months being a FS fan - it's necessary to have other interests.

I could be wrong about this, but I really don't see a lot of Trumpsters being into FS one way or the other, so if NBC thinks toxic masculinity in Men's FS is going to draw a bigger viewing audience, they're probably wrong. No matter what NC say between now and the Olympics, people who love FS will watch, but not because of him.

I can't, offhand, think of a male skater, in the past couple of decades, who is as "masculine" as Plushenko, yet Origin is an homage to him. He deftly mixed pure power with artistry. And I don't think he'd ever say that Yuzu's artistic and interpretive approach to the sport is anything but brilliant. (And Yuzu is just as explosive and physical as NC - he's just also capable of including art in his skates.)

We know the original of what he said was deleted but NC has issued an apology. Appropriate and likely suggested to him - but,,,

She's also, actually, while born in Japan, has spent most of her life in the US. I still think she was a fine choice, but not typical.

While Canada will be open to international travelers, and we all feel that Yuzu will be vaccinated because he is one of the senior skaters (Rika and Shoma have definitely been vaccinated), will his mother be? Doubtful. And doubtful that Yuzu would return without his mother. I hadn't thought about him maybe not wanting to uproot her, but that could be a contributing factor to any decision he makes. I also truly believe that he needs Ghislain to achieve the 4A, so, if Yuzu is unable, or unwilling, to return to Canada, we can hope he will get the help he needs to achieve his dream. Will the IOC have any influence on the judging at Beijing? Or will ISU dominate? While I am rooting for all the athletes currently in Tokyo, and hoping they stay healthy, I am almost hoping that the viewership bombs. I'll watch replays of my favorites, but am trying to avoid as much of the NBC coverage as possible, since they are, truly, the dominating force behind the NC push.