GreatLakesGal

My first thought was that these guys can't keep their hands off him.

Based on what we're seeing right now, I think Nathan is the skater most likely to keep Yuzu from winning a second OGM. He's looking strong right now and seems to have better nerves than Shoma--and he's beaten Yuzu twice. Also, the US Federation is quite strong and they appear to be putting all their political strength behind Chen. That said, the ice is slippery and the Olympics is especially unpredictable. Javi, for example, could end up surprising everyone and winning it all.

So adorable!

Good article by Lynn Rutherfold about Karen Chen, who is quoted as saying: "I do know in the beginning I felt like the stupidest person on the planet," she said. "I went through all this trouble, with costumes and choreography and all that, and then to go back to these programs. But it's all about the learning experience, and I did learn a lot from these changes." I was thinking that this was a learning experience for her and I'm glad she sees that too. She's getting a lot of criticism for going back to her old programs; I wish people would cut her some slack and give her credit for experimenting with different music and choreography.

https://waseda.pure.elsevier.com/en/organisations/department-of-human-informatics-and-cognitive-sciences Looks like Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences are one department at Waseda. I'm curious as to how close he is to graduating.

A truly vomit-worthy piece of so-called "journalism." It's so ridiculously over-the-top that I'm not sure if it even functions as good PR for him because those interested in figure skating tend to be fairly well educated.

What a sad and depressing list.

From those comments it would appear that mother Jana is a Skating Tiger Mom.

Someone over at FSU said she was diagnosed with a "crack in the metatarsal bone on the right foot." Don't know if that diagnosis is accurate or not but, if it is, I can't imagine her skating in the GPF. It's possible that could even be a season-ending injury for her. I hate Olympic years. I really, really do.

Was just looking through my mail and saw this in a catalog: https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Art-Glass-Ornament/World-Peace-Crane/116430

I wonder when we will get an update on Yuzu's condition.

Yuzu's ankle injury may prove to be a good thing? Really Brian? Really?

Is Phil Nathan's PR guy now?

Beautiful!

I had heard that she's been photoshopping herself but I had no idea it was this extreme.

No, the two Brians were most certainly NOT friends. Where in the world did you get that idea? Orser used to laugh dismissively at interviewers who asked him that. That loss was particularly painful for him because the results were so close. And I think Brian has been pretty clear as to why he is training Javi on separate ice. To his credit, he hasn't tried to sugarcoat it. When there are millions of dollars in endorsements on the line, there is a limit to how friendly a competitor is likely to be with their fellow competitors. Many have made much recently of Ashley Wagner's friendship with Gracie Gold. But that only happened after Gracie was no longer a threat to her--which is perfectly understandable.

There is no way the Rock Star of Figure Skating will be able to escape the media craziness that is the Olympics. I hope he can find a way to handle it. Yuzu seems to me to have become more anxious over the past few years, not less. Perhaps because I'm a former psychiatric nurse it's easy for me to see it in his facial expressions and body language. Another more obvious sign is that Brian finds it necessary now to coach Javi in a separate rink from Yuzu. The tension at TCC must be through the roof.

Has anyone posted a link yet to Phil Hersh's article on Yuzu? I miss a lot of posts (can't keep up with you guys!) but I didn't see it in his News thread: http://www.globetrottingbyphiliphersh.com/home/2017/11/14/hanyu-skating-olympics-jumps-korea-japan Phil believes Yuzu should forget about the quad lutz and also wrote:

Yes, he should only do Nationals if he is fully recovered AND if he has had sufficient time to train. Otherwise, he should skip it. He has nothing to prove at this point. Even those annoying guys who do The Skating Lesson were saying he should skip Nationals and save himself for the Olympics. Interesting how some of Yuzu's most vocal critics are suddenly so solicitous about his well being now.

I feel exactly the same. And annoyed at myself for subscribing again to IceNetwork since I did that primarily for the GP events. I watched a few NHK videos this weekend because I was curious to see how the American skaters did there but I'm not really invested in anyone except Yuzu.

Here in the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes region of the US, "sorry" is typically pronounced much like the word "safari" would sound if you removed the "f". Not an "aw" sound but an "ar" sound.

It's a wonderful sign. The printing is very good, the ribbon colors are exactly right, and those tiny animals are adorable. Just ignore any troll comments. Anyone who cares about Yuzu would applaud your efforts, not criticize them.

I would be shocked if he started practicing the 4Lz again. I just hope he can still do the 4Lo for the Olympics after working so hard to master it. Finally took a look at the men's SP scores. I wonder if Patrick regrets withdrawing now.

meoima, Danibellerika posted earlier that a Japanese friend told her that Yuzu was back home in Sendai.

You know who my thoughts are also with? Ghislain Briand. Poor guy. He's subbing for Brian and then this happens. Must be horrible for him. He seems like a real sweetheart too.