GreatLakesGal

Wow! What fantastic news to wake up to this morning! Skating skills has been the one area that the anti-Hanyu fans have successfully used against him, negatively comparing his skills to Chan's. Let's do some positive PR work for our guy and make sure this quote gets the attention it deserves.

Yes. I think there are significant pros and cons for including or not including that 4Lz and I'm guessing that Brian is probably very much on the fence about it too. Patrick Chan has talked about how much energy it takes--both physical and mental--to complete those quads and how doing them can negatively impact the rest of your program.

Oh my god! He didn't have his gloves on last night! Can't believe I didn't realize that until now! So of course his skate didn't go well. Mystery solved.

This is the best explanation I've read so far as to why his skate went so terribly wrong for him.

I was thinking this exact same thing while soaking in the bathtub just now. Also, you've said before that he doesn't skate well when he hasn't skated recently, which was also the case here.

It's possible that he's consciously changed the way he approaches practices now, relaxing more and not trying to be so perfect when it doesn't count.

If Yuzu had not been so intent on practicing the 4Lo at Skate Canada last season, it's very likely he would have beaten Patrick. That's what Brian said and I think it's a reasonable assumption.

Why do they need to line up for it the night before? Don't they have all event tickets that would get the ticket holders into the practices?

That's a shame about Josh Farris. Not really surprising though. I was shocked when he announced a comeback. IMO, not worth the risk to his health.

Focusing on what his costume might look like is a great way to take one's mind off Yuzu's knee. For example, will our dear meoima ("I hate horrendous costumes") like it or be horrified by it? Pretty soon we'll know!

I think that's why it's so important for skaters at the elite level to have strong teams behind them. In the USA, where I live, I've noticed that many of our top skaters seem to be lacking that--for example, Ashley Wagner and Mariah Bell. If their teams were stronger, I doubt there would be so much drama over their music choices for this year.

That's what I would ask Brian if I were a journalist. Pain is such a tricky thing though. Looking forward to the great costume reveal tonight. Will there be a major change for Chopin #3?

He's really something, isn't he?

As soon as I saw those photos of Yuzu arriving in Montreal I knew that something was wrong--he doesn't look happy in them at all. Then I came here and found out why. Not being able to practice before the first comp of the season must be so hard for him. But on the positive side, I agree with those of you who think his relationship with Brian is excellent now. I work in academic medicine (education of medical students & residents) and so find skater/coach interactions fascinating. I've closely watched the Yuzu/Brian relationship develop over the years and they are definitely the closest I've ever seen them.

Skate Canada is known for its "sketchy" judging and I'm delighted Yuzu is not competing at that event this year. As for Canadian fans, I'm sure many do like him but much of the cheering he receives at Canadian events comes from his non-Canadian fans who travel there just to see him skate. I think it's pretty obvious from online fandom that there are many Canadians who really resent him for winning the OGM instead of Patrick. And Brian Orser has admitted in interviews that he does get blowback from Canadians for his coaching of non-Canadians.

Why do so many American women underrotate their jumps? Poor coaching technique?

Brilliant observation, Murieleirum.

No one should be sorry about not liking a particular skater; this isn't the Planet Chen forum and we aren't part of his PR team. His skating did not appeal to me when he was in juniors and it still doesn't. I also don't find him an appealing personality, in part because it's so obvious that he sees skating as a means to an end as opposed to having a genuine passion for it. Imagine what skaters like Jason or Adam could do if they had been as genetically gifted for rotating jumps as Nathan.

Notice that once again Brian brings up Javi's chronic housekeeping challenges. Are there no cleaning services to be had in Toronto? And "Most skaters feel guilty about rest. Javier’s probably different." Brian is known for having a wicked sense of humor and it's easy to see why. That was awesome.

Uno does not possess "Hanyu's charisma." Shoma certainly does have charisma, as do many other skaters. But nothing close to Yuzu, who is charismatic both on and off the ice. In all my years of watching figure skating, I've never seen anything quite like him. It's why those people in the Helsinki arena were crying for him when he finished skating to Hope & Legacy.

I think Gracie's family situation has made it impossible for her to focus on skating. I work in health care in the US and her father's problems must be quite serious for him to get his medical license suspended. I feel so bad for her.

Do you think he was sober when he had that done to his hair?

As soon as I heard Elizabet's SP music, I immediately wanted to watch "The Bad News Bears" again (the original version with Walter Matthau). I'm always reminded of that wonderful film whenever I hear that music.

Maybe a bit too ambitious? Tanos, Rippons, attempting a 4S when so many of her other jumps look shaky. I wonder how invested Brian is in her skating at this point. He's got so many other top notch skaters, including Canadian Daleman.

Just tried to post a video of Elizabet Tursynbaeva's SP at Thornhill but the video was taken down just as I was posting the comment.