GreatLakesGal

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa, Hydroblade. Sending him healing thoughts and you calming ones from the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.

I too have always thought he was deeply affected by the 2011 earthquake. Lovely post.

Regarding Vincent and his issues, my belief is that his primary problem is that he suffers from mediocre coaching. You see problems with all of Tom Z's skaters, including Mirai. It's a shame because I do rather like him; unlike Nathen, I think there might actually be an artist inside him struggling to emerge. But he desperately needs a better coaching team. Unfortunately the US seems to be seriously lacking in that department.

https://www.gofundme.com/joshs-eye-and-brain-therapy-fund Some very sad news about Josh Farris.

I guess now we know where Vera got her inspiration from!

I hope someone on Yuzu's team is working on a way to disguise his tissue box so that Yuzu can still have Pooh with him. Because how can Yuzu skate without first tweaking Pooh's nose? No Pooh at the Olympics would be tragic. Perhaps a slip-on cover of some sort that makes Pooh look like another animal. But which animal? I'm rather partial to that poodle from Yuri on Ice. But given how cat-like Yuzu is, maybe a feline would be better.

Brilliant! You rarely see any articles about figure skating like this in American media and never see writing like this about a Japanese skater. I feel like sending a thank you note to the writer!

That's quite some weather in Toronto--coldest in 100 years? Wow. We are getting reports in the US now that the flu is widespread in 36 states. Apparently they goofed on the flu vaccine and its effectiveness may be as low as 10%. Not good news.

I find it way more than just a "bit" sad. Very depressing to read that, although not totally unexpected. I've often thought that there might be a lot of teeth clenching behind Yuzu's lovely smile. So many expectations and so much pressure to behave perfectly at all times. But in his rare unguarded moments, I do think you can see the weight of all that on his face.

How lovely to wake up on Christmas morning and see such overwhelming (and well-deserved) support for Yuzu. And that cardboard cutout of him at the press conference was absolutely brilliant!

My fear was that he would go to 4CC and re-injure himself and not be able to compete in the Olympics at all. I'm relieved he's not doing 4CC. And I believe throwing it all on the line is the best strategy at this point. Get in the best physical shape possible and then go for it. And as Floria just said, doing well at 4CC guarantees nothing and he could still bomb at the Olympics.

But that could also work in his favor. Yuzu seems to have fallen into the trap of overanalyzing and overthinking his skating instead of just lacing up his boots and trusting his training. Just as Javi's foot injury distracted him from his nerves at Worlds 2016, everything that has happened to Yuzu this season might also serve as a useful distraction for him.

That's one gal he never should have gotten involved with in the first place. Mistress 4Loop was more than enough.

Just watched Javi's FS. Maybe he would have done better if Brian hadn't been with him.

I wish a journalist would write an article about the double standard when it comes to men's and women's FS costumes. Imagine what an outcry there would be if any of the women showed up for ANY competitive skating event and skated in what looked to be street clothing they purchased at a department store.

They certainly are taking their time announcing his withdrawal from Nationals.

I think what happened at 2016 Worlds was also a major crisis for him. He went into that competition the only favorite to win a gold medal and it ended up being a disaster for him, made much, much worse by Brian's over-the-top joy at Javi's winning again. I believe this led to his coaching crisis where, per Brian, they all had to sit down in a formal conference room and work out their issues. That, along with his injured foot, must have taken a great emotional toll on Yuzu.

This thought has crossed more than your mind, believe me. I'm guessing that he will try to skate through it but, if it's too bad, I hope he doesn't do that. He already has one OGM and he's more than proven that he deserves to hold that title. Plus the two World titles and all those Grand Prix and National titles he holds. I know many of you want Yuzu to keep increasing his technical difficulty but I would like to see him be allowed to continue to develop his artistic side. His swan program is so beautiful; I want to see more of that Yuzuru. My worry is that he'll push himself to the point where he can't even skate in shows anymore because of injury. ETA: I don't know why Nationals is even being discussed at this point. How could he possibly be in shape to compete there when he's been off the ice for so long?

This is what worries me--that he won't be sufficiently relaxed to skate his best. The Cricket Club always has mock skating events before worlds, right? So they probably will have one before the Olympics. Yuzu hasn't done them in the past but perhaps he will this time if he's physically able.

Some folks over at FSU (and other places) suddenly sound quite upset over the possibility that Yuzu's injury (or injuries) could keep him out of the Olympics. It's like they suddenly realized how great he really is. Better late than never (I guess).

Winning a gold medal is not enough to make you highly marketable anymore, especially for American skaters. You need a certain level of charisma to become an athletic superstar in a field like figure skating. Remember Evan Lysachek? I doubt most non-skating fans do. If you asked Americans which US skater won the men's OGM in 2010, I doubt very few could tell you. And if they guessed, they would probably say Johnny Weir because he's occasionally seen on TV doing non-skating related commentary. One exception to this might have been Gracie Gold, who could have been her generation's Dorothy Hamill. Beautiful and highly likable. Too bad it didn't work out for her.

As Nathan's fellow American I don't feel awkward or sympathetic about that. He's skating for a strong federation and, as a result, often being overscored--something for which he should be very thankful. If he wants to be as popular as Yuzu with skating fans, he needs to stop whining and earn their love and respect. Showing more humility would probably be a good idea too.

It really is awful news, although not unexpected given how serious ankle injuries can be. I never expected him to do nationals but it's concerning that he still is not on the ice at all. As for competing at 4CC, I think that could be very risky for him as he might re-injure himself. A better strategy might be to just go for broke at the Olympics and hope for the best.

I just watched Bradie's FS again with the Brits commentary and they were ecstatic in their praise of her, noting not just her jumps but her difficult transitions. If she can skate like that at US Nationals, she could easily win it.

I don't believe Nathan has any intention right now of skating past this season. I think the plan is to go for broke now, win an OGM, cash in as much as possible, and then retire from skating. He and his team seem to me to have a "now or never" mindset--although obviously they would never be stupid enough to admit that. I believe Nathan sees skating as a means to an end. He's no Paul Wylie when it comes to skating. ETA: To whoever complained about this post being speculative: Yes, of course this is speculation on my part. Note the use of the phrases "I don't believe" and "I think" and "I believe." Most of what is posted on this forum is speculation about what Yuzu and the other skaters will or won't do. And it seems highly unlikely to me, an American, that any American skater would continue to skate past 2018 if he or she won an Olympic Gold Medal--especially someone who wants to pursue a medical career.