memae

The way she looked at GPF announcing she was skipping the gala gave vibes that she might have been sat down and spoken to already/

Omg I was so annoyed. Like, first I jumped out of my skin because of the noise and then I saw Sui trip and realised exactly what all those nuisance streamers meant re: end of gala fun. Like, how did the event organisers pass up the opportunity for quad battles with Anna S, Sasha, Nathan, and Yuzu all at the same event for the first time?

They're both such dorks enough for it deep down too. Nathan can have all the swagger he wants, but we all know he knows that sequence edges into cheesy. Imagine that side-by-side after a side-by-side 4T-eu-3F. I'd die.

Omg yes.

Can confirm!

I hope it means they can't compete as a team under Russian athletes. Like, any team comprised of 'independent' athletes should be open to all independent athletes, regardless of where they are from. It makes it difficult to organise selection, etc, but then it also isn't just a loophole for Russia to have teams that just aren't competing under Russia's flag/name. Like, athletes of contested states, etc (Tibet, for one very contentious, polarising example that I'm a little hesitant to bring up but I don't have time to think of anything else right now) who don't want to compete for the official state should be eligible for such independent status as well, and should be able to compete on a team comprised of such athletes. It's tricky and I'm not sure I fully agree with the idea myself, but there's something that doesn't settle well with me about teams of independent athletes from the same banned country competing as a team. Russia doesn't get to fly its flag but it's not like Russia won't count those medals as its own. So, for figure skating - no team entry at all, or no team that doesn't open selection up to other independent athletes (of course, Russia being the skating powerhouse of the world means that despite open selection, only Russians will be selected, but that's not the point).

Lol, I didn't think it was that subtle.

The Master of Chaos said in the GPF press con that his dream program has all 6 quads (paraphrasing) so.... everyone hold your breath another year or so. ALSO: thank you everyone for coming to my assistance in recalling Shoma's and Nathan's quads. I knew there'd be a bunch among us who'd know the details

At a Challenger event in 2017

I'm sure he's landed 4Lo. I'm iffy about 4Lz. I can't think of any but maybe it's slipped my mind.

That Nathan Chen called 4Lo "scary" and explained his feelings about its approach and axis in the press conference is pretty telling about its difficulty. He's one of few skaters to land a 4Lo and I think he's still maybe the only skaters to land 5 different quads in competition (I think maybe Shoma might have but I'm trying to think if I've ever seen him land a 4Lz as opposed to 4F(?)) so he'd know better than anyone.

Does anyone know if Aliev is okay? I was worried he hurt himself in the free at GPF. Also, Zagitova withdrew from the Gala because of an injury from a fall in the free and she looked wrecked when she was announcing it to the crowd. She was so sad. Perhaps too sad for something as simple as missing a gala. I wonder if perhaps she's thinking her time is up. If she's unable to train for Russian Nationals and she is unlikely to make Montreal... Well, it seemed like she was in a pretty dark place when she was telling everyone she wasn't skating in the gala, like she's given up on herself (or Eteri has).

For me, Montreal was a dream. I loved it there so much and I always tell anyone who's going on an extended trip to that area of North America to go check it out. But March weather is terrible. There are lots of museums and galleries, there's the old town, lots of gorgeous parks, lots of places to eat and drink and have fun (especially near the universities), some beautiful old buildings (churches/cathedrals, especially), great shopping (the Plateau is heaven for anyone into vintage). It has its own vibe. I'm obviously very biased towards Montreal, but I do think it's quite a special city and it's worth checking out on its own, even without the lure of Worlds.

Bell Centre is always expensive. When I lived in Montreal the only time I ever went to the hockey was when I was in ON for a week because tickets at home were beyond anything students could afford.

I want to see the face his mum made back. I bet she is perfectly capable of returning that glower lol

The way he just stares down at them as what's happened dawns on him lol I hope someone brings it up in an interview one day because I want to know what happened afterwards. Like, did he have words with Mum or did he suck it up, decide to be grateful he has someone to pack his clothes for him, and stay quiet? Also: Brian and Javi when they realise and try to avoid eye contact lol

This is still the best 5 seconds of footage I've ever seen lol

I'm kinda expecting it to be one 'cool' type of glove for the hand he's been wrapping up for the slide he does.

I really quite adore that even Nathan, for whom Yuzuru is the biggest opponent, fondly calls him "Yuzu".

He did say the real costume (and glove!) were coming. Maybe we'll get a look at GPF? I hope it's a real proper costume.

If Yuzu's Origin 2.0 or Shoma's costume doesn't win this silly ISU award, I hope it's Nathan Chen's bus shirt just for the satisfaction of my inner troll. I can't tell if the Russian girls' costume change gimmick will get them the votes simply because it got them so much attention or if Yuzu's fanbase will pull through just by sheer numbers.

Literally said I was responding to the semantics and not the comment. Now that I've read a translation of the comment, I stand by what I said. Kavaguti clearly implied that she meant fans who are problematic, not all fans of Yuzu. Semantics is also a very real field of study, so no need for the quotation marks.

It's because there's exponentially more of them/us as a whole. There's more problematic fans simply because his fan base is so large, so more attention is drawn to them than problematic fans of other skaters.

First, they're singled out simply because there's more of them. And I don't think there is anything wrong with being a fan of Yuzu rather than the sport, but to me it seems incongruous to be a fan of someone who is so gracious, respectful, and supportive (and it really is part of why people adore him so much) but then not behave in a way that he himself exemplifies. That is to say, fanyus who aren't into FS so much as Yuzu are fine if they're respectful of other skaters and the sport even though they aren't that interested. It's like difference between being friends and being friendly. I haven't read the actual comment from Kavaguti. I'm just responding to the semantics of 'fanyu' because I'm a linguist and can't resist.

I think the term 'fanyu' is up to interpretation, and a lot of it. It can't be ignored that he does have fans who are rude and spiteful of other skaters (the trash talk Nathan gets, for example - whether he deserves his scores or not, there's no reason for the scorn and loathing he gets directed at him as a person or athlete), who ignore rules (sneaking cameras in where they're not allowed, blatantly throwing Poohs at ACI even though it wasn't allowed), who applaud and cheer so loudly at practices when Yuzu does anything even if it's another skater's run-through. Those are things we see happen too much. There's also fans who don't even show up for the first group at events or who leave after he's skated (and I get that lots of people are time-poor and things happen, but not all the time for everyone). All those things suggest that those fans are fans of Yuzuru himself and not of figure skating as a sport. If they were they'd support other skaters, they'd direct their frustration at feds/ISU/media instead of skaters, and they'd follow their own idol's lead to be respectful of others and of rules. There's a distinction between the 'fanyus' that cop a bunch of flack (because they deserve it, quite frankly, if they're going to behave that way) and 'fanyus' like those who spent 2 days and a billion posts worrying whether singing Yuzu 'Happy Birthday' during K&C at GPF would be disruptive to other skaters and ultimately deciding on a more appropriate time to sing it. Unfortunately, we all get lumped in together.