General Yuzuru Chat

[MatchaBeans]

11 hours ago, micaelis said:

Does anyone know for sure that Yuzu can't swim?  If he can, there's a pool at TCC in which he could do laps to build stamina.  Swimming's much safer than running for stamina building since one doesn't risk injury to knees or ankles there.  The recent near-collapse at the end of his FS at GPF does serve to remind us that he still has asthma and thus he has limits to what he can do that the others skaters do not.  Just another reminder to us of how Yuzu's battles even include his own body when seeking the perfection he knows he can achieve.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if he can't swim, since he has said he can't ride a bike

Does anyone know how exactly asthma affect athletic performance? When I first started following figure skating, the most memorable impression I had with Yuzu (apart from his brilliant performance ofc) was that he is always out of breath by the end of his performances, even the short programs. Even now, he still has shortness of breath at the end. I did not notice this in any other skaters, including the female skaters. Is this because of his asthma? Does asthma affect stamina directly? 

 

 

 

[Indiiea]

Actually, when my dad saw Yuzuru breathing after his NHK fs performance this year his first question was if he had asthma.

[KatjaThera]

49 minutes ago, MatchaBeans said:

 

I wouldn't be surprised if he can't swim, since he has said he can't ride a bike

Does anyone know how exactly asthma affect athletic performance? When I first started following figure skating, the most memorable impression I had with Yuzu (apart from his brilliant performance ofc) was that he is always out of breath by the end of his performances, even the short programs. Even now, he still has shortness of breath at the end. I did not notice this in any other skaters, including the female skaters. Is this because of his asthma? Does asthma affect stamina directly? 

 

 

 

From what I've read, as asthma can affect one's ability to breathe properly, it obviously leads to stamina issues. When Yuzu moved to Toronto, many fans were upset that they couldn't immediately see the improvement in stamina - in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, though it was only natural as his programs also became more difficult. But TCC did focus on finding ways to improve his stamina and minimize the effort required of him when skating - which was part of why Brian kept emphasizing skating skills. Having a more controlled way of skating makes it possible for the skater to not have to muscle through and pace themselves more. Of course, it took time, but Yuzu's stamina has improved greatly and I think directly proportional with his improvement in skating skills and so on as well. I'm guessing exercise is generally considered good for people with asthma, because it's essentially training their lungs to work better. (There were also mentions about how after moving to Toronto, he once got a bad attack that left him unable to train for 10 days or so, apparently partly because he hadn't gotten used to the environment change.)

 

This time, he was as tired as he was because he did a five quad layout he hadn't trained properly for. He hadn't done proper work to increase his stamina so he could do a clean program with five quads. I think generally, Yuzu's stamina gets better as the season progresses, as he gets more and more training for that particular program - I'm guessing breathing patterns depend on the layout, too, I can't imagine you breathe the same during steps, spins and quads, so when the layout changes, so do the demands on his lungs, and more conditioning of his entire body, lungs included, help increase his stamina.

 

In 2017, for 24H TV, Yuzu spoke for the first time more about his asthma. They didn't say how bad it is, but they said he's managing it by wearing masks, to protect his airways and taking medicine, which to me sounds like he really has to manage it constantly, and it's not generally normal, and only now and then it gets bad. They also mentioned he had an attack two weeks before 2017 Worlds, which is when he described that it hurts and it feels like he can't get any air into his lungs and that he wasn't able to do proper runthroughs then. In the same video, he also talked about how at 15 he met speet skating Olympic champion Hiroyasu Shimizu, who won an OGM despite also having asthma and Yuzu apparently told him he wanted to be an Olympic Champion, but he had asthma (implied that he didn't think he'd be able to win, because of that), and Shimizu told him it's ok, he can still win, he just has to work harder than anyone else. Which as we know, he did.

 

Another thing that has been making me wonder was the stuff Yuzu said this Summer, about how he gets really tired during ice shows and he basically sleeps between the opening number and his own performance. I know he gives it his all, but I can't help but wonder if this tiredness is also related to his asthma, because it's not that normal, for a 24-25 year old to be so tired, he needs to sleep between performances. And he's still totally wiped out at the end. (At FaOI, I admit I didn't really like Liza's skating, but I had to admire her stamina. Her program with the violonist - the name escapes me now - was more energetic and demanding than most stuff all other skaters do even in competition, as it was really fast and she was in constant motion.) All this makes me wonder just how severe his asthma is. He rarely talks about it and even when he does, he tries to gloss over it, because he doesn't want it to be an excuse.

 

Anyway, all in all, it all goes to further prove how incredible he is as an athlete, IMO. And I'm sure he will work on his stamina. I doubt anyone watching him gasping and blue at World 2012, ever thought he would one day do a clean 4 quad program - Worlds 2017, and he didn't even look THAT exhausted then, and we now know this was not long after an attack - or that he would ever land 5 quads in 4 minutes - or rather less than that. A clean 5 quads and 2 3As layout is not impossible to achieve. Even a 6 quads program, maybe, some day. He will will them into existence. The bigger concern is still his ankle, IMO. The asthma he has already proven that he can fight against and win.

 

(ETA: And this reminds me of all the things one learns as a Yuzu/FS fan... how many of us haven't googled/researched asthma, swimming for asthma patients, urachal remnant syndrome, lisfranc injuries, ankle injuries, jump mechanics and so on... plus everyone learning Japanese (even just some choice words, like Yuzu's #1 fav. kuyashii). Personally, the other day I was explaining Russian nicknames to someone and had to laugh at myself, because I know no Russian, but some things you just learn as an FS fan. And yesterday I made an effort with my very bad French - despite learning it in school for 10 years >_< - to read the Ghislain article, and amazingly managed to understand most of it. And some time back, I also read Javi's book in Spanish, though I never in my life thought the Spanish I learned from listening to music and watching soap operas as a kid would ever be put to such use. It's amazing how much figure skating gives us, beyond just the joy of watching beautiful and incredible skating...)

[kaeryth]

Asthma can be narrowed into 2 components - inflammation and constriction of the airways thus making it harder to breathe properly. When you do elite sports training / exercise, you need more oxygen - this means you start breathing faster and heavier to compensate. It also means your heart rate increases to circulate more oxygen at a faster pace . For a person who has asthma, this could trigger a broncho-spasm which constricts your airways making it harder to breath.

 

As for what triggers Yuzu's asthma, I'd say a combination of allergens (he's known to have had allergic reactions to things) and exercise / sports. Doing winter sports definitely doesn't help him in that department because dry, cold air is known to cause asthma symptoms (the dry air can irritate the lungs triggering a reaction).

 

I think this is partly why he does more off-ice training now to lessen any asthma attacks from cold air.

[rockstaryuzu]

2 hours ago, MatchaBeans said:

 

I wouldn't be surprised if he can't swim, since he has said he can't ride a bike

Does anyone know how exactly asthma affect athletic performance? When I first started following figure skating, the most memorable impression I had with Yuzu (apart from his brilliant performance ofc) was that he is always out of breath by the end of his performances, even the short programs. Even now, he still has shortness of breath at the end. I did not notice this in any other skaters, including the female skaters. Is this because of his asthma? Does asthma affect stamina directly? 

 

 

 

Asthma does three things: it makes the muscles lining the respiratory tract spasm, constricting the airways, the tissues of the airways swell, and it makes the body produce more mucus. So 3 different things happen to close off the airways, so as a result it becomes harder to breathe, and the lungs get less oxygen. So for an asthmatic athlete, they're already at a disadvantage before they even begin because their body can't always draw in enough air to keep their performance up. 

 

 

Edited: sorry, I just realized two others have answered already. 

 

Anyway, allow me to contribute something from my own personal experience as an asthmatic athlete: you go for months between attacks where your breathing is completely normal, so at those times you can train normally. But an attack can hit you out of nowhere and leave you coughing, wheezing and gasping.  And when you're having an attack, it feels like you're trying to breathe through a plastic straw. Breathing out is almost as hard as breathing in. And your whole upper body has to get involved so your chest and back heave trying to breathe in. 

 

If his attacks are anything like mine, he'd be in a lot of discomfort when they happen, but perfectly fine when they don't.

[RockstarYuzuru]

It breaks my heart that some fanyus vandalized a historic building because they were upset at ISU. I wish some fans can find better ways to express themselves. Isn't one of the reasons why we support Yuzuru so much is because he is a respectable, kind, and considerate person? Why can't some fans follow his example? I just don't want this to affect Yuzuru since I know people will always find a way to use this as an excuse to hate him even more. 

[quadaxelwin]

1 hour ago, RockstarYuzuru said:

It breaks my heart that some fanyus vandalized a historic building because they were upset at ISU. I wish some fans can find better ways to express themselves. Isn't one of the reasons why we support Yuzuru so much is because he is a respectable, kind, and considerate person? Why can't some fans follow his example? I just don't want this to affect Yuzuru since I know people will always find a way to use this as an excuse to hate him even more. 

 

 

I heard on twitter that area had restricted access, meaning it might have been one of the volunteers that vandalized.

But it was a fan account's opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. 

 

 

[Sweetangelyuzu]

4 hours ago, holina said:

Late to the swimming discussions, but the image of Yuzuru in swimming trunks or an all-black wet body suit rising from the water is now stuck in my head 

[Sombreuil]

2 hours ago, kaeryth said:

 

 

As for what triggers Yuzu's asthma, I'd say a combination of allergens (he's known to have had allergic reactions to things) and exercise / sports. Doing winter sports definitely doesn't help him in that department because dry, cold air is known to cause asthma symptoms (the dry air can irritate the lungs triggering a reaction).

 

I think this is partly why he does more off-ice training now to lessen any asthma attacks from cold air.

My son has very severe asthma, the needing to be admitted to hospital from time to time kind, and he described trying to breathe on a very cold day as like hitting a wall of ice - the lungs seize up and literally won’t function.  

[Sombreuil]

8 hours ago, Tabby said:

 

I think they meant physically old lol they said they could see the difference between young (Nathan) and old (Yuzu) because apparently Yuzu bends his knees too much when he lands...

Honestly, there's no point trying to make sense of it since there isn't any sense. I guess the propoganda has set in, since now some people think stiff knees is the way lmao

This is very irritating.  I hate it when people become fans of a particular athlete without any previous knowledge of the sport and assume that their way of performing skills is correct and actual correct technique is wrong or old fashioned.  I saw it in gymnastics - a fans footage of the HB with their favourite American gymnast who was so much more ‘athletic ‘ and ‘exciting’ than the Japanese ( who won the event) who did the same skills.  He wasn’t either, what he was was sloppy and uncontrolled and sloppiness and lack of control only beats beautiful perfect movements when the gymnast is doing really difficult skills where BV makes up for deductions on the quality of the movements, like Epke Zonderland.  Sound familiar?

 

[robin]

3 hours ago, kaeryth said:

cold air is known to cause asthma symptoms

 

This just made me remember that Torino‘s air was so dry that it gave me a cough and a sore throat (altho that is also partly due to all the screaming and the 4As). That must not have helped his stamina last week either....

[wildstrawberry]

 

 

[kaeryth]

 

 

[glilikoi]

9 hours ago, mokjakarma said:

I haven't gotten over GPF yet and there's already a countdown to the next comp 

I feel very grateful for this autumn's long streak with lots of Yuzu content at relatively short intervals! Often this is the kind of thing where people say "you only notice how good it was when it's gone", but I think these past seasons, Yuzu fans have learned to really appreciate every moment they can support him in competition/just see him at all. In a way it's kind of wistful, like 'we need to make every competition count because there may not be that many left", which can also be a negative thought if it puts pressure on Yuzu. That's why I think it's best to just focus on the present and be happy that he's still competing, even though the awareness of why it's important can be a little painful. In any case, this season especially, I've just been feeling so full of fondness for Yuzu and really wanting to support him 100%, so I'm very glad there have been lots of opportunities this autumn. It feels like such a privilege! 

 

Does anyone know if the JNats are easy to watch online btw? I'm not in Japan now and have no idea if they are streamed anywhere (since it's Japan I guess not on Youtube or anything). Would we need some kind of a subscription or will there be an unoffical stream? This is the first comp after ACI where I'm not drowning in work/stress and would actually be able to watch it in full, so it would be nice to know if that's possible. 

[kaeryth]