Danibellerika

I think with a healthy Satoko the front runners would be her and Marin for those two spots, therefore it's essentially a do or die situation for Wakaba to make the team so she might as well go for it. She was also behind Mai every time this season internationally (and for JSF Nats isn't the be all end all). Personally Satoko and Marin are my preference but if Wakaba earns it I wouldn't argue it. But she will need the 3A to make her case.

No problem. I know it's not cheap and every little bit helps!

I'm sending another donation your way! I'll try to send what I can per month.

I took a hiatus from the skating world after 2010 until 2013 when I noticed Yuzu and thought he was awesome. I wasn't fully invested and ubering him at the level I am now (because it takes time to build up these types of feelings) but I liked him instantly, kind of like how I liked Plushenko and Sasha Cohen instantly. Love at first sight. And I hadn't really gotten into fandom yet either though I did join golden skate before the olympics. I should check out my old posts then for lulz. But in general I mostly kept to myself and some friends (though they weren't really fans of him, just skating fans in general). So I actually was cool as a cucumber especially because when I was watching him he was winning. I thought I'd be in for another Plushenko where I could sit back and relax and let the wins stack up. He made me feel that way all the way up until the Sochi men's free because he was doing so well in the team SP and singles SP. I didn't see the events live because I was at work, but I saw had two falls when the results came up and was bummed because I thought Chan would have it . But then when Chan was done the page refreshed and Yuzu was still #1 and I was like . But now it's a completely different ballgame and I am a mess of nerves about the whole situation (because it is a roller coaster being his fan), thinking about all types of scenarios that could go down. And maybe I am completely insane for being willing to shell out thousands of dollars to see this all live. So I'm trying to figure out the correct mental space for myself but I saw something on Facebook that I absolutely have to buy: I was directly where he does that combo for the SP and LP and I saw him do an awesome one in warm-up for the SP. And the LP too. Here's my footage of this beauty in the practice (at 4:46): When he did it in the SP I was mainly focusing on him doing the revolutions and he got the revolutions, but then when I saw the leg go down I was freaking out that he wasn't going to get the combo and then he did so I was somewhat relieved but knew he left a LOT of points on the table. Going back a bit to anyanee's comment though, just elaborating on it more I will say that even in my nervousness, on some level watching live is more bearable because you are analyzing things. It's like a weird mixed bag. Even the warmup for the LP when it wasn't going well I wasn't bummed in the moment (though it could have been the wine). I was just preparing for a possible disaster while being in a blank space. But then the first loop by me was beautiful and then everything else was too, including the 4 Sal combo where I completely lost my sh*t. I guess I would say that the anticipation building up to things is unbearable (because I needed wine to calm down), but in the actual moment it's all just happening so it's hard to react. I think Boston was the same, but I wasn't as nervous. I was just really sad later (and then hit up the bar).

Not a fan, but it's not like she's skating for Russia or Japan where eventually she'd have a problem getting out of nationals at all. It's not like any of our up and coming prospects are turning heads.

My godmom calls him Pooh boy. My mom really likes Yuzu though and calls him Yuzu now. She thinks he's cute, lol.

I am not personally attracted to Yuzu (he is cute and adorable for me, but it comes from a platonic place), though I grew up loving boy bands (well, Backstreet Boys) and so I would have to see comments nonstop about how they were all gay and girly. So I guess in a sense it doesn't bother me. All ended up married with their own families. And if you add N'Sync to the mix the only gay one ended up being Lance. And that's a realistic representation in the world (I think stats are that LBGT people are typically 10% of the population, and of course there's bisexuality, varying degrees of it, and then people willing to be open about it). But one thing I do know is that Yuzu is completely comfortable in his own skin and has plenty of options available to him, so if anybody's bothered by that it's pure jealousy.

On/off Topic but last night I submitted my last paper of the semester!! Now I have a two week break until summer classes and I feel like I don't know what to do with myself. I guess I can FINALLY finish up that tumblr review of Worlds. I am oh so fashionably late, but I don't mind reliving the glory again

Must be nice to fall into doing a sport and you just so happen to have something really important that makes you do things better than others. In other news. I'm a little bummed. My friend who I thought got lucky in the olympic lottery read the site wrong and it was only the requests she was looking at . So she didn't get anything and her coworker ended up with Level B Team SP which I already had, but I guess less markup is a little improvement. So I guess we'll try again in September. At least we have Level B team SP, Level A Men's SP, and Level C Men's LP, so it's something.

Roundoffs =/= backflips. For actual backflips I recommend checking out Surya Bonaly (who did it as a entrance into her sal for the lulz), Michael Weiss, Scott Hamilton, or even Mama Orser himself:

Oh I see. Last I saw it was the other way, haha. Nice!

Love the new layout!! Great work, guys! The banner is also awesome! I think the only thing I would change would be to list Yuzu as "2014, 2017 World Champion" but I love the pics with the gold around his neck. Our boy deserves the best!!

We don't know until we know. It's just going to come down to who delivers what on those two nights. I do prefer a good balance though honestly. I hated that Evan won without a quad. And I won't like if Nate wins with a jump exercise as a long program and not much else. I do like him, and I like his short the best compared to his long. I get that he's doing what he can do to win at all costs. And Raf knows good and well that as long as you deliver the tech then the PCS will be there. He gloated about some of Ashley's PCS, like skating skills and transitions. She scores well there despite not doing much, so he doesn't bother with them for her.

I'd like to think they're prophetic rather than incorrect, and they meant Yuzu 2017 World Champion rather than 2016 LOL that's a creative way to think about it

I know this question wasn't addressed to me but the food, the anime, the games--that is personally how I became a Japanophile. I watched my first anime at age 10 (Sailor Moon), not knowing that's what it was. It really ramped up in high school when I met new friends (some of whom I'm still friends with today) and we would trade anime VHS tapes and CD-roms (I'm aging myself). I discovered that I preferred watching subtitled anime so much more than badly acted dubs. They offered Japanese at my high school, but I ended up taking Spanish the whole time and then it was my minor in college. But after my minor was completed I took Japanese classes because my university offered it as well. And after I graduated I found a personal tutor. I don't watch anime much at all anymore (still haven't even seen YOI), but I still enjoy learning the language, the culture, the food, the friends I've made. I've been there 3 times now and it just feels like a home away from home for me. I would love Yuzu no matter where he skated from. But being from Japan he feels a little bit like the home team for me.

This is mine. Ask and you shall receive. Thanks ^^. "They have terrible stats on these people" LOL! I dont remember the warmup being this painful, haha. But it was mentioned by many commentators so I wanted to go back and check. LOL well their stats did suck. Yuzu 2016 World Champion? Yeah, it SHOULD have been that way, and if it were I likely wouldn't have been in Helsinki because seeing him win in person in Boston would have been good enough (though honestly it was a lot more rewarding with Helsinki and I was happier than I think I would have been in Boston). Boyang, 2x WBM? Not until 45 minutes later. They needed to get it together. :hachimaki: The warm up was all a blur in the moment. I think I was trying to prepare my mind for disaster when I saw the axel and loop flops (I can hear myself grumbling a little at the botched 4Loop). But he very quickly made me forget about it when it was game time and left me screaming with happiness (and that video has 10,000+ views now) :acceptable: :bow: :bow: Yuka rocks. If anybody knows a thing or two about edges and skating skills, it's her. :bow: :bow:

This is mine. Ask and you shall receive.

That's my issue mainly. I don't want the idea to be that he is only important for Japanese skating. He is important for skating, period, and that shouldn't have a nationality.

I hear he likes McDonald's actually. But i bet it's Japanese McDonald's :P I doubt they taste the same (because at least here, mexican McDonald's and american McDonald's taste completely different) I've been to Japan and it tastes the same for me. It's just they sometimes have different menu items, like a teriyaki burger for instance. I hear he does go to McDonald's in Toronto from time to time. Oh and by the way, America is the home of his beloved Winnie the Pooh (a la Disney). So Maybe I can put Pooh on the US flag and get the point across. "The Home of Winnie the Pooh supports you...zu!" Sporting my Pooh ears was enough for fans to get the point. ETA: I was made aware that Pooh has English and Canadian roots. But I'll say that "home" doesn't have to be "birthplace".

I couldn't resist tweeting about that Yuzu article. [tweet]862407312509734913[/tweet] Aiiiii!! So sweet!! Such a pretty cat :love: Thank you! He's my baby. :s_yes

I hear he likes McDonald's actually.

I remember seeing the actual video of him petting the cat. I love kitties. This is my own little fur baby. http://i65.tinypic.com/282m4ue.jpg (excuse the mess in the back, I was packing) So seeing that Yuzu loves kitties is just <3<3<3. Also that's sweet that Javi is allergic to his cat. That gives him brownie points from me :s_tongue

So true. :devil: The US reseller is Co-Sport and they are already sold out for now, but maybe they'll get additional tickets? I got my initial set from them, though the seats weren't as good. Thanks! I heard that they are packaging the tickets with accommodations, or with tickets to another sport. Though I did still see a link for individual tickets purchase on their site. None available yet though, but will definitely be on the lookout. They have ticket packages but none are men's singles (or at least those sold out already). Those sold out first when the individual ticket sale originally happened. And then they got a new wave of tickets a couple of weeks later without warning and they went fast then too. So it's worth checking. For hotel stuff, when I saw the prices were $5k-$15k I just kept it moving and didn't bother looking.

It seems Takeshi's listening skill was much improved by watching the DVD of The Man in the Iron Mask hundreds of times according to the podcast above. And congrats to the ticket for Olympics! I'm so excited. I wanted to go, but it seems it's the beginning of the semester of my university (if my entrance is permitted...). That's why I’ve given up so far. But if yuzu goes to WC 2018, I shall go to Milano. Maybe we should try doing that in Japanese! :smile: Thank you! That's wonderful about you going to university! If you can make it to Milan, cheer on our boy! :goe: Here's hoping he shows up as the 2x OGM!! Please skate gods, please please :bow: :bow:

I recommend taking formal classes to solidify grammar, intonation, pronunciation, etc with someone else that is a native speaker or completely fluent. But there are probably a lot of youtube videos you can use as well as a ton of Google Play or iPhone apps to use on your phone or tablet. I do self study myself nowadays with a couple of apps, but I feel better about it because I at least had that foundation. I feel like with most apps, if I tried them out without knowing the grammar I'd be lost.