cereus

How perfect that he began a video with the theme of "skate forward" with a reference to 3.11 and ended it with HYK, then had Seimei as punctuation.

Collectively we seem to think it's a close race for the best Chopin between the Olympic and 2020 4CC performances.

Interestingly the champions are also taller than average (in comparison to the worldwide average for men born in the same year they were), except for Scott Hamilton and Yuzuru: ETA: I wonder if there's something specific to figure skating that used to favor above average height or if it's just a manifestation of the same phenomenon that, for example, leads to taller presidential candidates in the USA generally getting more of the popular vote.

True! It makes it even more impressive when tall folks do land their quads.

He doesn't look 25 in this gif, though. And he often exudes a childlike (but not childish) joy-in-the-moment that absolutely is adorable, not that anyone around here needs convincing of that

It's been a while since I studied physics but I think it actually is harder to rotate and land quads for taller people. The longer the arms, the faster the hands have to move to get fully pulled in within the same amount of time, and being taller exacerbates the effects of axial tilt so it becomes harder to save jumps. Also since many of the current competitors started to learn quads before their growth spurts, I'm guessing the greater the change during a growth spurt, the harder it is to (re)learn the quads with the new height.

That's unexpectedly reasonable.

Oh but 4CC gave us both a sexy Ina Bauer and the hand sliding down the leg into the A spin Personally I think 4CC has a captivating lightness and serenity to it; it combines the etherealness of Chopin 1.0 with the confidence of Chopin 3.0.

Sorry for the quality but I had a bad connection, here is the new interview Brian Orser had with Skate Oakville https://t.co/LWHHm3p8YA — Mon (@monbrielle) April 9, 2020 47:58: talks a little about Yuzu's programs as part of his response to a question about his favorite programs

C-chan is so good to us, and to Yuzu. tbt C-chan's message after GPF 2019: CITIZEN CN: #WorldMovesForYou We know this result may not be seen as ideal for you bc you chase for perfection always. But C-chan is a firm believer that greatness & impressiveness aren't defined by score. We're grateful for another-#YuzuruHanyu #羽生結弦 pic.twitter.com/PZbyQj4xHj — Karen🌸❄️⛸️໒꒱ (@karen_hyaxel) December 10, 2019 -competition that you fought with all your might. We believe in your abilities, and we will continue to be by your side. — Karen🌸❄️⛸️໒꒱ (@karen_hyaxel) December 10, 2019

Thanks so much, Henni147, for putting this together! 1. Otonal in Semei for a similar reason--the way he attacks it. Also because it showed what he can do with it when he isn't already tired from the jumps. 2. My favorite costume swap is R&J 1.0 in Somebody to Love. I don't especially love this costume but the combination of program and costume felt like the realization of what the 1996 film Romeo+Juliet wanted to be: a modern telling of a timeless tale (if only the acting had been better). Also Origin in HYK because even though I love both Origin costumes, the HYK ruffles highlight the dynamism of that sequence. 3. Hope and Legacy in Etude (or vice versa), just to test a newly developed awareness. Watching all these encores created so much cognitive dissonance with all the mismatched costumes and programs, and not just because it disrupted familiar combinations. This really highlighted how carefully the costumes are designed to match the music and the programs, unlike some other skaters whose costumes (among other things) are almost interchangeable from program to program. The only program for which I didn't experience that cognitive dissonance was Seimei in any other costume; I wonder if that's because it's such an iconic program or if Yuzuru channels Abe no Seimei in a way that makes the costume immaterial to or just completely overshadowed by the character. At any rate, that's why I'd like to see H+L in Etude or vice versa; they have two of the most similar costumes and I wonder how much dissonance the differences between them might cause.

If there are insiders in our midst, personally I would rather not know it. That way it's easier to avoid the temptation to pester them for details , since I believe we should respect Yuzuru's clear desire for privacy.

Looks like you might be right!

I think Yuzuru also matured in his interpretation over time. So far each matchup has been won by the more recent performance. Fine wine and cheese, right?

What a contrast between the results in this bracket and the other one!

And I'm adding to it, except the chocolate binging wasn't just today but the last couple of weeks. When this work from home period ends I may not fit into my work pants anymore

ikr? I wonder if this is one of the reasons they had a green room at PyeongChang. Like, whoever owns the broadcasting rights went, "a dozen other cameras were on him at that time and we don't have exclusive rights to this?!?"

Thanks, everyone! What a wonderful treat. If having just skated to Seimei contributed to Yuzuru's great energy here, that emphasizes why he returned to it.

Geoblocked and I don't have a vpn Anyone know if it's available anywhere else?

Nathan didn't exactly do that, but in the press conference after GPF2019 he did say something to the effect of being miles behind Yuzuru in transitions. He might even have said in skating skills in general but tbh I don't want to watch that press con again to find the exact quote.

Search score is only one of the metrics they use. They also factor in social media followers and endorsement contracts. Athletes who are high on the list but have low search scores are really high in one or both of the other metrics.

Somehow these statements from the official website for Stockholm 2021 are particularly troubling after our collective experience with Montreal 2020: "All-Event tickets will be available in the end of May. Day tickets will be released in September." "The All-Event Passport is one ticket that enables access to all competitions and the Exhibition Gala at Ericsson Globe." "Tickets are not refundable. There will be no exceptions to this policy. The event schedule and the competing athletes are always subject to change." [emphases added] (not sure if this belongs here or in the Montreal 2020 thread)

Thank you! It was great fun to watch these back to back... and torture to have to choose. Does this determine which version goes up against the winner of the other bracket? And I'm curious, what's everyone favorite post-skate reaction?

This just gets harder and harder

Yes, but the way he got back up again!!