General Yuzuru Chat

[memae]

31 minutes ago, Henni147 said:

 

It's very difficult to compare athletes of different sports, but I agree with you.

 

a) Both Phelps and Yuzu are THE Olympic faces. Phelps of the Summer Games, Yuzu of the Winter Games.

b) They are famous for their longevity. Even if they didn't win every single competition, they were always among the top favorites for the gold for decades.

c) They shine with their versality and total package. Phelps was the best medley swimmer of his era and unbeatable in every position (except breaststroke). Yuzu is famous for his total package as a figure skater, who combines hardest technique with appealing choreography like nobody else.

 

Phelps still holds an IM WR from Beijing, so even past his 'era'. It's a bit hard and all to compare skating scores to swimming records just because of the sheer number of events in swimming and because of the subjectivity of the judging in skating vs the precision of timing races, but I do think that Yuzuru's accomplishments in skating and the sheer amounts he has broken WRs by are equivalent to Phelps still holding a world record over a decade later.

[Daiskiel]

1 час назад, Henni147 сказал:

A few minutes ago Neil won the European Masters 2020 with a historical 9:0 whitewash in the final. 

Is that a sign for Yuzu and 4CC...? 

 

Glad for Neil, he is one of my favs also)) Though my eternal love was and is Stephen Hendry))

 

Do you know what announcement will Yuzuru make before the 4CC???

[rockstaryuzu]

52 minutes ago, barbara said:

I had thought of Michael Phelps in relation to Yuzu a while ago - both elite athletes with long careers - but I was thinking about Yuzu and what he will be facing at whatever point in the future he does retire. Michael Phelps has talked openly about how overwhelming his depression post-competition was.  That there were times when he didn't want to be alive.  Michael Phelps felt, and feels, that the organizations that athletes rely on (for our guy, it would be JSF and the Olympic committee) should be doing something.  He "blamed the U.S. Olympic Committee for failing to help athletes transition from the grueling demands of training and competition to the letdown that inevitably follows."  Michael started talking openly about this with a month or two after the 2018 Olympics and, at the same time, there was the question about Yuzu and would he continue to compete.  Yuzuru is at a very different popularity level, of course, and even when he ends competing, he isn't going to disappear.  But it will be, I think, a difficult transition. Yuzuru has a different support system and, I hope, will see the next phase as a challenge he embraces. (And no time soon, please...)

Kaetlyn Osmond recently gave an interview where she said exactly the same thing. I think she mentioned that Skate Canada is trying to get something in place to help their retiring athletes, but it's only in the starting stages. 

 

For that matter, skaters do have it a bit easier than swimmers, in the sense that there's an established professional path for skaters into the performing arts world, coaching, judging, etc. Whereas for swimmers there's really nothing. You can coach but the daily training routine ends cold turkey for a lot of people. I never got beyond local/provincial level competition, and I still hit a profound depression after I quit and gave up swimming seven or eight workouts a week. I can only imagine how much worse it was for Phelps at his level. 

 

Yuzu at least has a sense of purpose in his work for Tohoku disaster recovery, and that will be going on for a very long time, so hopefully things will go smoothly for him when the time comes.

 

But that time is far far off in the distance, I hope. 

[micaelis]

2 hours ago, Henni147 said:

a) Both Phelps and Yuzu are THE Olympic faces. Phelps of the Summer Games, Yuzu of the Winter Games.

b) They are famous for their longevity. Even if they didn't win every single competition, they were always among the top favorites (if not THE top favorite) for the gold for decades.

c) They shine with their versality and total package. Phelps was the best medley swimmer of his era and unbeatable in any position (except breaststroke). Yuzu is famous for his total package as a figure skater, who combines hardest technique with appealing choreography like nobody else.

Yuzu is considered as great as he is not simply because of his skating but of the mystique of his personality and the focus he has shown consistently into now his tenth year of senior competition.  There are differences between him and Michael Phelps but each possesses a charisma that is more than just the result of their athletic achievements.  When one considers how Phelps had retired and then got into some difficulties with his private life and how he returned to the sport, cleaned up his act and dominated it for one more Olympic cycle we are reminded how Yuzu has come off of two straight years of truncated seasons due to a right ankle that just would not behave itself.  Phelps is now truly retired and he can probably not have to worry about having sufficient income during the remainder of his life.  There is one honor, however, which will be coming up in 2028.  The third time Los Angeles hosts the summer games and I'm willing to put money on the likelihood that one Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympian in history, will be the one to light the cauldron there.  If Yuzu's career ends the way it should, in a blaze of glory, preferably Olympic glory with a third straight gold, then you can be sure if during his lifetime Japan holds a third winter games it will be Yuzuru Hanyu, the most successful Japanese winter athlete, who will be doing the same.

[KatjaThera]

Javi also recently spoke about the hardships of going from a competitive athlete to a retired one in a Spanish interview (I sadly didn't save it). He actually said that he'd been easing himself out of the competitive mindframe, by doing things unrelated to competition even during the competitive season. That's why he started doing ROI even before retiring and would also do other unrelated events. I remember I was actually pretty mad that he wasn't focusing more on competition, especially with the Olympic season looming, but in fact he was a lot smarter than me. He was doing it all, as part of his retirement plan and now I see how smart that was.  He says it helped. Of course, staying busy, having projects also helped. But it was still a huge step, going from practicing every day, with a strict schedule, to having a lot of time or being busy in different ways. On top of that, he also had to get used to living in a new place, in Madrid (I'm not sure, but I would guess he previously lived with his parents, while I suspect he now has his own apartment there). New routines, new activities, new living conditions.

 

Yuzu will probably be the same, regardless of where he chooses to live. But I think for Yuzu it will be much harder. He virtually lives for figure skating. For competitive figure skating. He'll need to plan carefully for retirement, because otherwise I think the drop will be much worse for him. Of course, all competitive athletes, figure skaters and otherwise, focus a lot on their careers and sacrifice a lot. But most of them have a life beyond it, too. They relax, they go out, they have fun with friends. I'm sure Yuzu has moments when he disconnects, too, or he'd go crazy, but even so, 90% of his life seems to be focused on his competitive career. He doesn't seem to have much of a life beyond it. I hope I'm wrong. I think this was part of his post-Olympics confusion, too. I'm not sure he'd ever thought about what happens after he gets the second Olympic Gold. So after he did, he was a bit lost. He wasn't ready to retire - I wonder if he ever thinks about his life as a pro skater, beyond the ice shows, because ice shows don't happen every day and it's not the ice shows that are the problem, it's the time that he needs to fill in between the ice shows that is the problem - but he also didn't have a clear goal. He latched onto the 4A goal and ran away with it, but I think he was still a bit lost until he competed again and the fire started again. I wouldn't be surprised if he sometimes does think it'd be better if he just retired and spared himself the pain and frustration, but I'm not sure he's ready to face his life without competitive figure skating. On top of that, there will be the issue of where to live. It appears it's hard for him to live normally in Japan - and I think it'll be years before that gets better, if it ever does - but I'm also not sure he'd want to stay in Toronto, either, because he's now targeted there, too and it's no longer as safe as it used to be. He'd also surely be reluctant to keep his mother away from their family any longer, so he'd either have to stay back by himself, go home and try to make the best of it or find a new place and learn to manage by himself. I hope he takes the time to think about it well and plans for it.

 

That's why I think people who fear he'll just pop up and say: hey, guess what? I'm retiring. Bye! are underestimating the impact of retirement. I think Yuzu is aware of it and it would be out of character for him not to think about it. Some think him doing SOI this year might mean he's going to retire after Worlds and so will spend the Summer doing ice shows. I hope it's actually him preparing himself for a future of doing that, maybe next season. I hope he'll ease himself into retirement, a la Javi. I think he will try to get his GPF and Nats and Worlds titles one more time before retiring. But whenever he does do it, I hope he thinks about it carefully and plans for it. I worry a lot more about how retirement will hit him than I worry about not seeing him in competitions anymore, tbh.

[Songster01]

On 1/19/2020 at 1:13 AM, KatjaThera said:

Tracy hasn't been sitting in the KnC with Yuzu for a long time, anyway, so as long as Brian and Ghislain are there, he'll be fine. I don't think the chances of Jason not going to Worlds are very high, so probably Tracy will get an accreditation, too, and since Worlds is in Canada, she might travel with them anyway. Then again, with Evgenia not going, and if somehow Jason doesn't make it either, it might make more sense for her to stay at TCC and watch over them. But we'll see. Either way, there's little point worrying at this time, IMO. I admit I was surprised to see 4CC and WC also have the one coach per skater rule, but I guess since there are so many skaters, it makes a bit more sense, so as not to have a hundred coaches around.

 

I assume Jun will also be at both events and now that we know that Jason is on both teams, TCC should have three coaches at 4CC and Worlds: most likely Brian, Tracy, and Ghislain, since Ghislain travels with both Yuzu and Jun. 

[Pammi]

3 hours ago, KatjaThera said:

I worry a lot more about how retirement will hit him than I worry about not seeing him in competitions anymore, tbh.

Such a thoughtful post.
Same. I worry about him too, and how (and where) he will manage a different life. It needs a different skill set to the one he has focussed on. His amazing resilience and ability to adapt will come in very handy though!

 

[Henni147]

16 hours ago, Daiskiel said:

Glad for Neil, he is one of my favs also)) Though my eternal love was and is Stephen Hendry))

 

Do you know what announcement will Yuzuru make before the 4CC???

 

Sadly I missed Hendry at his competitive peak (I became a Snooker fan in 2014). I rewatched some of his matches and appreciate his amazing skills. However, it's just not the same feeling, when you know the result already... 

 

I have no idea what kind of confession before 4CC that will be, but the word "confession" sounds quite... serious?

I hope that it won't be anything sad  My little heart needs good Yuzu news.

[Paskud]

Hi!

What have I missed during last month?

[rockstaryuzu]

10 hours ago, KatjaThera said:

He doesn't seem to have much of a life beyond it.

I think this is where his university degree comes in. He's studying some pretty difficult but interesting stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if he threw himself into academia as fully as he now throws himself into skating and became a researcher. 

[rockstaryuzu]

27 minutes ago, Paskud said:

Hi!

What have I missed during last month

Same old same old. Yuzu's retreated to the bat cave and we're trying to keep ourselves entertained while we wait for 4CC

 

[Paskud]

3 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Same old same old. Yuzu's retreated to the bat cave and we're trying to keep ourselves entertained while we wait for 4CC

 

soon

Any ideas what will be his ex at 4cc?

[Veveco]

42 minutes ago, Paskud said:

Hi!

What have I missed during last month?

Yuzu petting cats 

[Paskud]

3 minutes ago, Veveco said:

Yuzu petting cats 

WHERE?!

[micaelis]

10 hours ago, KatjaThera said:

 

Yuzu will probably be the same, regardless of where he chooses to live. But I think for Yuzu it will be much harder. He virtually lives for figure skating. For competitive figure skating. He'll need to plan carefully for retirement, because otherwise I think the drop will be much worse for him. Of course, all competitive athletes, figure skaters and otherwise, focus a lot on their careers and sacrifice a lot. But most of them have a life beyond it, too. They relax, they go out, they have fun with friends. I'm sure Yuzu has moments when he disconnects, too, or he'd go crazy, but even so, 90% of his life seems to be focused on his competitive career. He doesn't seem to have much of a life beyond it. I hope I'm wrong. I think this was part of his post-Olympics confusion, too. I'm not sure he'd ever thought about what happens after he gets the second Olympic Gold. So after he did, he was a bit lost. He wasn't ready to retire - I wonder if he ever thinks about his life as a pro skater, beyond the ice shows, because ice shows don't happen every day and it's not the ice shows that are the problem, it's the time that he needs to fill in between the ice shows that is the problem - but he also didn't have a clear goal. He latched onto the 4A goal and ran away with it, but I think he was still a bit lost until he competed again and the fire started again. I wouldn't be surprised if he sometimes does think it'd be better if he just retired and spared himself the pain and frustration, but I'm not sure he's ready to face his life without competitive figure skating. On top of that, there will be the issue of where to live. It appears it's hard for him to live normally in Japan - and I think it'll be years before that gets better, if it ever does - but I'm also not sure he'd want to stay in Toronto, either, because he's now targeted there, too and it's no longer as safe as it used to be. He'd also surely be reluctant to keep his mother away from their family any longer, so he'd either have to stay back by himself, go home and try to make the best of it or find a new place and learn to manage by himself. I hope he takes the time to think about it well and plans for it.

 

That's why I think people who fear he'll just pop up and say: hey, guess what? I'm retiring. Bye! are underestimating the impact of retirement. I think Yuzu is aware of it and it would be out of character for him not to think about it. Some think him doing SOI this year might mean he's going to retire after Worlds and so will spend the Summer doing ice shows. I hope it's actually him preparing himself for a future of doing that, maybe next season. I hope he'll ease himself into retirement, a la Javi. I think he will try to get his GPF and Nats and Worlds titles one more time before retiring. But whenever he does do it, I hope he thinks about it carefully and plans for it. I worry a lot more about how retirement will hit him than I worry about not seeing him in competitions anymore, tbh.

My suspicions are that Yuzu has been preparing for retirement for some time.  The first indication was Continues with Wings.  Why?  What we got there was Yuzu not simply as the skater in an ice show but as the 'maker' of the ice show.  I really feel that Yuzu is planning, upon retirement, to go into the producing of ice shows, shows where he could implement his own philosophy of what figure skating is about.  Another area he might involve himself with as part of his ice show activities would be choreography.  We know he has not only been choosing his music but editing it so that as he goes along in doing so he's also laying out his basic choreography.  I feel that he might be doing the same for other skaters in his shows. 

 

Then there's the matter of his university major - cognitive theory.  In one documentary about him it shows him applying some of the mathematical principles he has learned to using them as the means of describing the dynamics of specific jumps.  I don't think it's incorrect to say that Yuzu is a geek (in the positive sense of the word) and that he's a geek who just happens to be a world-class skater.  His obsession with ear-phones is just the tip of the geeky iceberg showing above the surface of the water.  All in all I have few worries about a Yuzu entering retirement.  Just as he stated his goal of two Olympic titles way back in the early years of his competitive skating (the novice years) we see how he is capable of setting long range goals and pursuing them with an almost obsessive focus.  His retirement will be equally planned out.

 

As far as a third Olympic gold?  My feeling is that the end of this season will tell the tale.  I don't think Yuzu would feel it proper to retire in the season before an Olympic season.  There would be the appearance that he is afraid of losing.  Also, though, there would be Yuzu's typical concern for the other Japanese skaters.  He would want them to have sufficient time after learning there was now room at the top to adjust to the reality that the Olympic experience was now a distinct possibility for them.  That Yuzu would think that way is merely another manifestation of the sportsmanship and concern he has for others that had him cheering so sincerely for Javi when Javi was on the ice.

 

 

So keep your attention on Yuzu after worlds this year.  If he doesn't retire it means he's going for the gold in Beijing.