kiches

Actually the only competitions I can remember where gala practice was open was Skate Canada and GPF in Marseille. It’s probably standard not to have open practice for galas. Was it open at Rostelecom this year?

You can only repeat two types of triples or quads. Assuming his other repeat is the 4S if he added in another 4T he would no longer have been able to also repeat the 3A. All that aside, I think 4Lz would’ve been in his plan at some point regardless of what others were doing.

It’s so he can keep two of his beloved triple axels Plus I think there’s a stigma about the 4Lz being the harder jump attempted so far. People tend to get higher scores on other components when they add it in.

I actually don’t think Phil dislikes Yuzu but he’s said some questionable things about figure skating. I think his recent comment about Japanese fans being partisan just demonstrates how little he knows and understands of the sport and it’s fans. I’d be shocked if he’s actually talked to any Japanese fans or is even able to identify a Japanese from a Chinese one or an Asian-American. Couple that with his comment about Canadian Nationals and the inflation the US Nationals not being out of hand this year just shows he either doesn’t follow this sport very deeply or he’s got major national bias that he’s not willing to admit during the Olympic hype.

Some weekly Yuzu links. Waseda News in English announcing that Yuzu is representing Japan for Pyeongchang: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en-news/56534 Yuzu makes the weekly briefing again in the NYT site: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/briefing/week-in-good-news.html

He’s not obligated to send any photos or videos. I think just comments are what’s normal and expected for something like this where he wasn’t expected to show up any way.

This has been me basically since 2014 Cup of China. My body had woken up (maybe I was anxious, I definitely got acid reflex) and so I immediately went to check news/scores only to find out about the collision. Since then I found my body wakes me up before he skates so I just gave up and set my alarm to watch him live. Though i don’t need it because my body still wakes up early, and I still get acid reflex before he competes. I’m usually less nervous if I’m going to see him live. More things to distract me.

Let us know how volunteering goes! I'm tempted to go to Milan but I'm not sure how I'll feel after going to Pyeongchang. I recently organized my clear files and it fills up an entire binder - but I still want more . The Ajinomoto and new Tokyo Nishikawa clear files are high up on my wish list! I hope you had a chance to get the new ones too.

Saw this commercial during the NBC broadcast of US Nationals yesterday!

Don't worry, I'll pick up where you left off with those postcards on Sunday .

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/briefing/sessions-bannon-golden-globes.html Yuzu at #9 on the NYT briefing list.

@KatjaThera if you've ever seen some of Yuzuru's older documentaries before Sochi there was footage of him taking the subway in Toronto (when I went to Toronto for Skate Canada and did some sightseeing, I recognized the interior immediately when I saw it b/c of the documentary), so I don't doubt that there may be some truth to the bus anecdote. I think Yuzu USED to take public transportation to the TCC, but nowadays he's driven there. Due to his popularity I do think they have some non-standard protocols in how they transport him. They had him enter/leave from the back entrance at ACI last year due to the crowd, whereas the year before the crowd was much smaller and he came in through the front door like all the others. Sometimes that level of security is necessary to ensure his safety, although it makes me a bit sad that it's required. I think most fans at least respect his personal space and privacy outside of competitions.

Sorry, when I say the story is about obsession I (and the article) mean obsessive fans. He is clearly obsessed with figure skating, but I don't think anybody would fault an athlete for being so devoted to their sport. Don't worry, many of us here also have "extreme" stories about traveling to watch him skate - to me I liken it to fans of other sports traveling to see their favorite players or teams. In any regular sport this should be the norm! I'm certainly guilty of crossing the sea to watch him skate. Yes, the focus of the article was about obsession, but I think there was also a highlight of what some could see as an "unhealthy" level of obsession. On the whole I think the fans and perspectives included were more balanced than we find in other western article about him. I particularly liked the comments from the Japanese fan that was his neighbor in Sendai and the one that flew from Dubai. I think the less flattering accounts were of the woman who said she moved from China to Japan. I wish they had decided to include some non-asian fan comments, even the American fan they interviewed had a Japanese name - or even better, if they had some male fan comments! I think Jackie's quote itself is fine, because I think he's half exaggerating on purpose so it appears harmless to me. The mooks in Manhattan are also clearly at Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore chain - I can attest that my local Kinokuniyas in San Jose and San Francisco do not get the same selection of sports magazines or Yuzu content! To me, the article is okay overall as it at least offers varied degrees and stories of his fans - I just wished the writer had done a bit more research on actual figure skating since it's apparent he's not an expert and may not have even consulted one to proofread his work. I still want a print copy of this though, Yuzu in an American newspaper DURING US Nationals is rare, but probably an opportune time to publish such a piece.

I think this writer really only did see CoR. Jack Gallagher of Japan Times has tweeted about this article being written earlier. The author was supposed to see him at NHK too but because he WD... Anyway, I think the tone of this article was originally meant to be a bit different when they first gave it the green light, but after the injury and WD at NHK it became what it is.

I actually had the same reading as xeyra. The author even says “this is a story about obsession” and that’s not exactly a flattering line. Couple that with Jackie’s quote (which I’m sure was half joking) and I think it’s more an article about how his fans are obsessed with him. I do like that they put what country each fan they quoted was from to show not every one of his fans were Japanese, but it’s obvious they cherry-picked the more extreme examples to include. They also got some techcnical details wrong and I’m not a fan of how they framed his drive to up his tech, as I think he would’ve done it anyway even without his competitors competing the harder jumps. I AM surprised however that this is front page.

Be prepared for more buttons... I finished 4 designs over the holidays .

I’m almost positive he was talking about the gap between his SP score and Javi’s. Basically he needed to overcome their 10 point difference to lead overall. Basically he was trying to say “but I need to get more than 10 points [to overcome the SP lead]”.

@gladi the banner is amazing! I was stunned when I saw your post and video of it, so much care and time went into, thanks to everyone for their hard work. I hope it lifts Yuzu up.

With the announcement that Yuzu isn’t going to 4CC I’m pretty certain he’ll be participating in the team event at the Olympics as a warm up. To correct something I saw written above, a skater can do both the SP and FS during the team event. Yuliana, Plushenko, and Davis and White did in Sochi. You’re limited to a team with 6 selections, so somewhere down the line a skater or pair must do 2 team programs. Since Japan only has 1 pair and dance team I think we’ll have 2 different singles skaters doing SP and FS for the team event in both men and ladies.

I’ve gotten mine through proxy services and eBay, eBay usually turns out cheaper after fees.

@SparkleSalad I know how you feel. Any and all news seems to send me in a tizzy. This is not good for the heart.

I didn’t take it that way, I think anyone would think it’s crazy at this point too if he DID do nationals. I think they are clearly “milking it” right now for a bit of drama, and likely to build up the expectation for the WD. I think it’s just the way things work, he tends not to WD (or announce WD) until the very last min. I think as an athlete you want to keep the door open just in case you may need, or can, step through it.

I don’t think he’s in denial about Nationals. To be honest, I’m starting to think some of this news is just being sensationalist - as far as we can tell from the direct quotes from his messages they don’t mention Nationals. JSF also hasn’t mentioned if what they’ve revealed are ALL the messages they’ve received from him. We may not be getting the whole (clear) picture or are getting only bits and pieces of it, interjected with some conjecture perhaps on his participation. JSF likely havent announced WD because they’re waiting until the last minute, or he hasn’t actually submitted a WD.

I’m pretty confident we’re going to get another book and documentary released after Worlds.

Hmm, but, how do you do crossovers without both feet... But maybe it does mean he's been on ice (with both feet) but hasn't put great weight/stress on his right foot yet - i.e. jumps.