KendallKlaire

I love all this debate on the costume Personally, I love the theory that it may be a blend of previous costumes (Otonal, Notte, Chopin). I would've preferred if it wasn't blue so it wouldn't remind me of Otonal but I actually don't mind the overall design of it! I actually love the collar... and I think it looks better in movement than it does when stands still (which may be the point?)

Johnny Weir also reposted the 4A footage on his Insta Stories - it's nice to see that both of Yuzu's main idols do support them (even if I don't necessarily like either of them myself...) This 4A drama honestly makes me appreciate and love Yuzuru so much more. Regardless of what happens during Nationals, I'm just so happy the Yuzu is pushing himself and the sport so much right now. This season has been a mess so far with drama and injuries, that with Yuzu intentionally driving himself towards this "impossible" goal is actually making me reappreciate this sport. (Not sure if anyone gets what I mean haha...) The ladies are a Russian mess rn (love my Japanese ladies though!) and the men have been quite boring IMO this season thus far. Nathan is going to recycle the programs he thinks will get him the OGM (and being praised for it...) Vincent is fighting to overcome Nathan (I will throw my TV out the window if Vincent get the OGM) and Yuma's become the new JSF fav (with a chance of sneaking in for the OGM). Yuzu save us!

Not going to lie, my Fanyu ego is rising a lot recently because of just how Yuzu's confirmed participation has reignited the GP's interest in figure skating. Suddenly Yuzu's trending on Twitter in Japan and he's getting huge spreads in papers, pretty sure the media is more excited than anyone cause Yuzu=sales. Despite the last few months of the Grand Prix series with Yuma and even Nathan, Shoma, Vincent drama/victories, I feel like no one was actually that interested or invested in figure skating this season. PR'ing does nothing to create a genuine star after all... I'm just so excited to see Yuzu again after so many months. New SP, new costume, perhaps new photos of him in a suit? I'll take all of it!

When I saw these statistics my first thought was honestly "gross". The fact that women in Russia can hardly continue skating past 18 is just crazy. It drives me mad that the ISU does nothing but encourage this type of training. It also is really upsetting to me that I should be excited to see women finally jumping quads and triple axels, but it doesn't matter because the way they train is unsustainable. I couldn't care less that a 15 year old is jumping quads when it's very likely her body won't hold up for another four years (till the next Olympics) and she'll retire soon.

I think the ways in which the media narrative, both Japanese and internationally, will spin Yuzuru's third Olympic appearance may be more of a reason I'm not so keen on him going...It's inevitable that the media will be talking about Yuzu going for a third OGM as his overwhelming desire however Yuzu has made it very clear in interviews thus far that he really doesn't have an interest in that. His goal has been to land the 4A in a way that satisfies him. If he wants to land the 4A at the Olympics then that is his main focus. If that remains his main focus, then it's going to be really annoying for me to have to listen to the media coverage and hype about Yuzu aiming for a third OGM when that's more of a second priority (at least as how I interpret his words). If Nathan wins the OGM while the media is spinning their story it's going to be unbearable to hear about his "triumph" over the 2x Olympic champion. And as much as I would love for Yuzu to be the flag bearer I doubt it will happen. The schedule of the opening ceremonies, team event, and mens event run very tight together I believe. I wouldn't be surprised if all the figure skaters (or male single skaters) skip it. But he might get voted as the flag bearer and he may feel too obligated to refuse. We'll see

AHHH, I'm so happy with have official confirmation! (Still crossing all my fingers and toes that nothing happens to him!) All I want is for him to have a safe competition, even if he's not completely clean (2020 Nationals was a miracle IMHO). I hope he is healthy and doesn't try to push for the 4A or even the 4flip if he's still not sure of it. I'm still anxiously awaiting his decision with his SP. I really hope he debuts Rondo, it's perfect for him. I doubt he would recycle LMEY this year since it didn't get the scores it deserved. I honestly feel the judges really knock down Yuzu when he does rock programs, it's clear the judges are telling him to stick to piano music (and then Yuzu is the one who gets criticized for using it all the time )

Looks like he's competing!! (barring any last minute disaster) Wondering if his programs are going to be decided more last minute? I could understand if he decides not to debut a new SP this year at nationals given its an Olympic year (reusing Tenchi is a no brainer though). HOWEVER, given all the apparent effort and passion he has for Rondo I how he does debut it (fingers crossed!!!)

Don't know if this was shared, but can anyone translate? All arrows point to Yuzu, guess we know who the main character is lol This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

I've always had very mixed feelings on parents acting as coaches. Usually parents are involved anyway (helicopter parenting i.e. Vincent Zhou or Yuna Kim's mom) but I feel just having your parents as a coach adds more stress to training and the child-parent relationship. However, now that Yuma is receiving JSF support his father may feel Yuma can do anything (add more jump and, ugh, quints) and get ridiculous scores. I believe Yuma does love skating, but I can't help but wonder if his relationship with his father will remain so healthy (I'm just skeptical given recent developments with Alysa Liu and her father). I do think Yuma is a great talent and will take over the men's field once Yuzu and Nathan leave, but he does not deserve to score so high over other young Japanese men like Shun or Kazuki (my personal fav after Yuzu). The JSF favoritism is so obvious that it is hurting Yuma's popularity I think. From what I'm understanding from Japanese Fanyus on Twitter, Yuma is being pushed A LOT before nationals.

Honestly I believe that might be it for Alena...She was already on the bottom of Eteri's girls this season (as sad as it is to say since she's my favorite). I'd be shocked if she goes back to competing after this season, she may start doing shows but I could see her stepping away from the sport altogether given the treatment she's been receiving from Danny G. It's so sad given how much potential she had. 18 truly is the cursed number for Eteri's camp. Once girls reach that age their bodies either break down or they get injured to the point where they are simply replaced by the next generation of girls coming up from juniors.

Honestly this is true now! This morning I read a comment on the Figure Skating Reddit by someone who said they were watching a recent competition (not sure which one) with their boyfriend who asked them what the point of having skaters skate to music was?! Like, I know the musicality in skating was declining, but OMG it's really bad that people are even asking what the point of having music is. Is really so bad that people just want to watch people skate around and jump? This is why I love Yuzu's skating so much. He embodies the music and is an excellent performer. I don't think anyone can match him with this (especially in mens skating). Very excited to see his new SP!

Curious about opinions on Illia Malinin? (He's probably been mentioned in this forum somewhere before) He calls himself quadg0d on IG and seems cocky AF. He's got all the quads for sure, yet he seems to be a bit inconsistent with landing them. His parents were Soviet skaters so he's certainly inherited their drive and is coached by his mother. Illia is aiming for the 4A and quad combinations. Other than that I don't know much about him, but he seems like a cockier version of Nathan as a 17 year old (he looks up to Nathan). Even without knowing much about him something just rubs me the wrong way...

Okay so I know that this may belong in the IDF but I have to RAGE a bit. Perhaps I'm crazy but I'm just so mad right now... The Yuzu erasure this season is REAL you guys. I don't mean in that in the sense of him not competing and generally being absent but in the NARRATIVE sense. Like there is no narrative coming from the Americans, Russians, or the Japanese media/federations that are building any sort of road or support of Yuzu competing or winning ANYTHING this season. In their eyes he's done and over. What made me write this was just watching the NBC IDF coverage and hearing the commentary of Johnny, Tara, and Tanith. The praise in which they lavish Yuma in is almost ridiculous. I like Yuma and think he has a lot of promise but he's not *there* yet. His performance at the IDF was not his best and yet the commentary was trying SO HARD to convince us he was stunning and the OGM dark horse (and sure maybe). But it's as if they're watching Nathan skate, the praise is endless! If Yuzu was skating all they would talk about is how it compares to Nathan, no such endless compliments for him. Which leads me to another thing... Johnny during Yuma's skate commented "Yuma is bringing a new era of Japanese male dominance" but like... where did it go??? Yuzu has won the last 2 Olympics and won his GP assignments in 2018 & 2019. Have you forgotten? He hasn't left the Worlds podium since 2014 and has the respect of the skating world. I get that Yuma is fresh blood and will likely succeed Yuzu but the way they are pushing this narrative that now that Yuzu is out for the GP he no longer exists or is relevant is infuriating. I'd argue a lot of the current figure skating audience exists today because of Yuzu. I just find it cruel how the sport he lives so much is erasing him and diminishing his achievements.

As much as it was expected, still sad knowing we'll have to wait another month (at least) to see Yuzu again. Of course it's the right decision and I hope Yuzu continues focusing on the best treatment/recovery possible. But now the big question will be if Yuzu will compete in Nationals or skip that as well? It seems this injury is either not as severe, or Yuzu has had more time to recover, so it seems more likely he will compete in Nationals this year versus as it was in 2017. Although the JSF has said Yuzu will not be counted out if he doesn't compete, I see a lot of comments (that I should ignore) that Yuzu should compete at Nationals because he doesn't enjoy the privilege of being the only Japanese gold contender (love Shoma but he was not expected to get gold in 2018). Yuma does have a shot if Nathan, Shoma, or even Vincent (ugh) mess up (and maybe if Yuma changes his SP). The JSF certainly has Yuma in first place and Shoma, given his competitions this season, has the second slot. Yuzu, on the basis of his world standing alone, should be guaranteed the third slot. But honestly, given comments from Yuzu himself it really doesn't seem he has the desire to compete at the 2022 Olympics like he did four years ago. I feel that if he was able to do the 4A prior to the Olympics he would have retired or refused the Olympic spot. I believe that if he does go to the Olympics and he's in good shape he certainly can get on the podium, but if it's anything less than gold the media coverage over XYZ defeating 2x OGM Yuzuru Hanyu will be unbearable.

To be honest I have a feeling Yuzu may REALLY want to go to Sochi because he does need to test his new short program somewhere (we all know he typically pancakes the debut of his programs). As much as I don't want him to go to Russia, not only because of his injury, but because of high COVID cases, I think it would be good if he can do a competition before nationals (given he goes to nationals). For all we know his injury may not have been as severe as last time and may have just needed a few weeks of rest. The best case if he does go to Sochi is that he performs his programs with watered down content so he doesn't risk injury. Sure he may not even medal (though I'd expect he'd land somewhere on the podium) but at least he can test the SP, run through his FS, and figure out his physical condition. He can still withdraw if he really doesn't feel up for it, we shall see.

I agree that it may seem unfair if the JSF selects Yuzu for the Olympic team over the boys who have been competing all season, HOWEVER, besides Yuma and Shoma none of those other guys (Shun, Sota, Kao) have been able to deliver consistent results that would put them in medal contention at the Olympics. World ranking and results over the last 3 years does matter and are taken into account when making the team selection. On that basis alone Yuzu would be selected - even if he does not go to Nationals. The only ones who would be upset with putting Yuzu on the team despite his absence would be the coaches/parents of those other boys and the bitter JSF officials who don't like Yuzu anyway. I believe almost everyone expects Yuzu will be chosen for the team regardless. The outcry of Yuzu being left off the team would be deafening. As has been said before, Beijing REALLY wants Yuzu to compete, and by extension, I believe the IOC also wants Yuzu in Beijing since he is THE STAR of the winter Olympics. The only understandable reason that Yuzu would be left off the team is if Yuzu himself requests it or refuses to go.

Was seeing this on Twitter and this makes me wonder, how does the JSF select their judges? Did they actively select judges who judge Yuzu harshly and overscore Americans? It doesn't look good for them and makes the whole idea that Japan and America have reached a "deal" for Olympic medals not very far fetched. In the men's event America gets the gold with overscoring and Japan's chosen one gets the silver (I don't mind Yuma but he got GOE/PCs goodies last week). Barring any disaster this weekend, if Vincent gets ridiculous scores and Shoma gets screwed by rotational calls (both Shoma AND Vincent have issues) then something is definitely up.

Oh it hurts so much knowing we could have seen Yuzu this weekend...Please heal and rest up!

Very intrigued by Yuzu's SP music choice. I feel that the music has so many variations that only he could emphasize well in his skating (the way he captures moments of tension especially). I'm really looking forward to it!

Okay, I feel like I experience all 5 stages of grief this morning. I opened Twitter and saw the news after I woke up and felt my heart break. I have been counting down the days till we got to see Yuzu again only to see that he injured that same ankle. I was so happy to have something to look forward to but now.. though honestly, as devastated as we all are for not being able to see to see him I know that what he must feeling is inevitable worse. I am sending him all the warm and positive vibes to help his healing! However, this does throw some major question marks for his future. NHK trophy was probably going to be his most "safe" competition (in his home country, no overseas travel required) but now he only has the Rostelecom Cup in Russia before Nationals and I honestly don't know if I'd want him to risk going to Russia right now. Since he's missing NHK he may feel he has to go which I understand, though we have no idea what the extent of his injury is. If he's going to continue therapy and on-ice training then I don't think it's as bad as his 2017 injury. As others are mentioning, this is a near repeat of what happened before the 2018 Olympics, but with some new factors to consider. Yuzu is older, this ankle has been a major problem for some time, and now there's a new young medal contender - Yuma. Personally, I didn't sense Yuzu wanted to go to Beijing with the same fire he did for Pyeongchang, but now that he's missing competitions to debut the 4A he may go after all. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes to Nationals to qualify for the Olympics (given his injury is manageable) since the JSF will see Yuma as their great hope in 2022 for a medal. They probably won't give Yuzu a "free" pass like last time.

Honestly if I had a preference for how Yuzuru operated this season (not as if I have ANY control over it) I'd say Yuzu competes in the NHK, drops out of the Rostelecom cup (due to the high infection rates), and then competes at nationals. If he's landed the 4A (to his satisfaction) by then I could see him retiring after a home competition, but if not he'll probably go to the Olympics. Just what I'm thinking right now

OMG OMG OMG if Yuzu lands a 4A at NHK it's over! Game over, done, finished. HOWEVER, I have to wonder if this interview was done some time ago? Or was it done more recently? Has he landed it in practice? Or is he still working towards it? I don't want him to put too much pressure on himself, like feeling like he has to land the 4A at NHK and anything less is failure. All I am looking forward to is seeing him again (and hopefully new costumes and a new SP...)

The lead up to Skate America is riling up my interest in figure skating again and I honestly think the sport is just getting so ugly right now. Beyond unfair scoring there are issues of sexual predators getting away or not receiving the banishment/punishment they deserve (Vanessa's statement is just built on lies...), homophobia by Russian coaches and commentators not being addressed or punished by the ISU (absolutely pitiful), and just the low career sustainability by athletes in general (skating isn't the lifelong career it used to be). This is all just making me think that after Yuzu retires I'm really not sure I'll keep watching and that's really sad. Beyond Yuzu I love the Japanese ladies, but their federation really doesn't offer them the same level of support the Russians get (inflated scores at home may mean better scores abroad). I'm rewatching Yuzu's programs in anticipation for the NHK trophy and am falling more in love with Heaven in Earth. I love all the subtle gestures and especially how the tension in his body tightens and relaxes with the music (especially after the 4t-3s in the second half). I also love that Yuzu really takes care to tell a story with his program and I feel he was so into it he had to take a few seconds after his finishing move. I really hope he lands his 4A to make him feel this program is complete. I'm also very excited to see a new SP! With his interviews lately I don't think he views going to the Olympics as an important thing to him, and honestly I'd understand if he retired after Japanese Nationals in the style of Machida if he landed his 4A by then (as heartbroken as we'd all be). But that's all up to Yuzu.

Ahhhh, YES! That's it! Thank you!

Absolutely agree. This reminds me of what Oksana Baiul(?) said in a recent interview about how quads are impressive for a second, but what's interesting about the rest of the program? People get bored of things so fast. Sadly, as excited as I should be about women jumping quads, I am already bored or unimpressed by it because the girls doing them are mostly Eteri girls who seek to win above creating a complete program. Because I know that the judges will go crazy with points even without transitions, great skating skills, or interpretation, what even is figure skating now? On another topic... can anyone link me the video where Yuzu's triple axel is being used in a classroom for ISU training to recognize a perfect +5? Not that they know one when they see one haha