General Yuzuru Chat

[Paskud]

59 minutes ago, Newprogramsplease said:

I just signed up hearing he is repeating his programs from last last season. I hope the judges don't underscore him for repeating his old programs on the pcs. They shouldn't but I'm afraid they will.

Hi! 

[Melodie]

55 minutes ago, Umebachi said:

 

Found the video of Hickstead, the famous jumper of Eric Lamaze, doing four clear rounds with four different riders.  It was from WEG 2010, how time flies!  Since this is off topic, I have put it under spoiler.   To make this a bit more topic relevant: Hickstead was like the Hanyu of show jumping - he had wings under his feet.

FEI (the ISU of equestrian sports) has now gotten rid of the final four rider rotation - it was probably becoming too risky with these expensive horses.  If you think ISU creates controversies, it's even worse with FEI - especially because horses can't speak up about mental and physical abuses like the human athletes can (well, maybe not, given all the recent revelations...)   Sadly, human behaviour is predictably the same across all sports categories.   I am following Figure Skating and Dressage now, can't handle more than this, emotionally.  

 

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This is cool! But, I should've made it clearer What I wanted to ask is if we can find the link to the footage on Arakawa-san doing the H&L step sequence . I'm so sorry 

[monchan]

https://twitter.com/kirayh12/status/1224046072995074048

ISU should have paid him to promote for their sh*tty awards.

[Paskud]

2 minutes ago, monchan said:

https://twitter.com/kirayh12/status/1224046072995074048

ISU should have paid him to promote for their sh*tty awards.

Yuzuru, I love you with all my heart and even more.

And that's exactly why I will NOT take part in this farce that most likely will end as an insult to you.

[Umebachi]

27 minutes ago, Melodie said:

This is cool! But, I should've made it clearer What I wanted to ask is if we can find the link to the footage on Arakawa-san doing the H&L step sequence . I'm so sorry 

 

Oh, I wish I knew where to find it.  It must have been late 2016 / early 2017, before the Worlds 2017.   Perhaps @ralucutzagy might have it archived under H&L?  It was in an outdoor ice rink and she was showing the clusters to Nobu, iirc.  I cannot remember the exact location or date.  

[rockstaryuzu]

4 hours ago, Crow said:

Well to carry on the conversation I would have him skate Jason's "Love is a bitch"  

That would be awesome! Not sure if it'd work entirely for Yuzu, but then I never thought it would work for Jason (he's such a happy puppy for such a sour song) either, and it did. 

[rockstaryuzu]

4 hours ago, ZuCritter said:

Origin, for all its complexity and its grace notes, doesn't give him that opportunity

See now, there I'd disagree. When he did the Origin step sequence at ACI this past September, I felt like I was watching young 2012 Yuzu throwing himself into R&J 1.0 all over again - he gave off that exact same sense of ferocious passion and abandon. It took me by surprise, actually. And it was so, so wonderful to see. 

[KatjaThera]

Personally, I think the problem with Otonal and Origin is that they were conceived at a time when Yuzu was somewhat aimless, after the Olympics. While he was going through his zen period and had no real goals aside from 4A, so he had the possibility to do two programs that were less focused on the technical in a points-winning sense. And he assumed he would have the time to develop and perfect them like that. Only the zen period ended quickly, and then he had to scramble to tweak them to become more points-winning focused. And more technical. And for over a year he's been trying to have his cake and eat it, too: keep the original spirit of Otonal and Origin, as very artistic, very intricate, very detailed programs, but also increase the technical, add more quads and win with them. I believe, while very different from H&L, Origin has the H&L complexity that requires a long-term delicate polishing in order to bring it to its best possible shape. But Yuzu has been under so much pressure to win, to not lose to Nathan, that he couldn't give himself the time to focus on that polishing. He's basically been running after two rabbits and it backfired on him. So I think he needs to take a step back. And I think, unless he has decided he's finally had enough - which would be totally understandable and I'd fully support it - it might only be temporary and, if, instead, he's decided to go for Beijing, after cleaning his palate with Seimei and hopefully something entirely new next season, he might bring it back for the Olympic Season and properly tame it. But he needs to regain his power, control and confidence as a tamer of wild programs, first and for that I fully support his choice to step back. Origin is a beast and he can't tame it half-heartedly, as he's been trying to do, split in two, between increasing technical to try to beat Nathan, and developing the program as it'd meant to be developed.

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, Newprogramsplease said:

I just signed up hearing he is repeating his programs from last last season. I hope the judges don't underscore him for repeating his old programs on the pcs. They shouldn't but I'm afraid they will.

Welcome!

[barbara]

2 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

See now, there I'd disagree. When he did the Origin step sequence at ACI this past September, I felt like I was watching young 2012 Yuzu throwing himself into R&J 1.0 all over again - he gave off that exact same sense of ferocious passion and abandon. It took me by surprise, actually. And it was so, so wonderful to see. 

Both his Origin and his Otonal step sequences are exhilarating. Sometimes I watch them on Youtube and concentrate only on his feet.  They are magic all on their own.

 

[rockstaryuzu]

2 hours ago, Umebachi said:

 

Found the video of Hickstead, the famous jumper of Eric Lamaze, doing four clear rounds with four different riders.  It was from WEG 2010, how time flies!  Since this is off topic, I have put it under spoiler.   To make this a bit more topic relevant: Hickstead was like the Hanyu of show jumping - he had wings under his feet.

FEI (the ISU of equestrian sports) has now gotten rid of the final four rider rotation - it was probably becoming too risky with these expensive horses.  If you think ISU creates controversies, it's even worse with FEI - especially because horses can't speak up about mental and physical abuses like the human athletes can (well, maybe not, given all the recent revelations...)   Sadly, human behaviour is predictably the same across all sports categories.   I am following Figure Skating and Dressage now, can't handle more than this, emotionally.  

 

  Hide contents

 

 

What a lovely horse - looks so eager to get out there and jump! Definitely like Yuzu.

 

 

Also, general comment to all:

 

I've started posting  draft badge designs over in this thread, if anyone wants to weigh in. 

 

 

[barbara]

4 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

Personally, I think the problem with Otonal and Origin is that they were conceived at a time when Yuzu was somewhat aimless, after the Olympics. While he was going through his zen period and had no real goals aside from 4A, so he had the possibility to do two programs that were less focused on the technical in a points-winning sense. And he assumed he would have the time to develop and perfect them like that. Only the zen period ended quickly, and then he had to scramble to tweak them to become more points-winning focused. And more technical. And for over a year he's been trying to have his cake and eat it, too: keep the original spirit of Otonal and Origin, as very artistic, very intricate, very detailed programs, but also increase the technical, add more quads and win with them. I believe, while very different from H&L, Origin has the H&L complexity that requires a long-term delicate polishing in order to bring it to its best possible shape. But Yuzu has been under so much pressure to win, to not lose to Nathan, that he couldn't give himself the time to focus on that polishing. He's basically been running after two rabbits and it backfired on him. So I think he needs to take a step back. And I think, unless he has decided he's finally had enough - which would be totally understandable and I'd fully support it - it might only be temporary and, if, instead, he's decided to go for Beijing, after cleaning his palate with Seimei and hopefully something entirely new next season, he might bring it back for the Olympic Season and properly tame it. But he needs to regain his power, control and confidence as a tamer of wild programs, first and for that I fully support his choice to step back. Origin is a beast and he can't tame it half-heartedly, as he's been trying to do, split in two, between increasing technical to try to beat Nathan, and developing the program as it'd meant to be developed.

Agree 100%.  Origin is a beast.  But it will take more than his brilliant artistry and incomparable transitions and jumps to beat NC - he needs fair judging.  So, along with our support for him during what must be a quite trying time, we should all wish on the evening star, every evening, that Worlds has unbiased, fair judging.

[Newprogramsplease]

15 minutes ago, barbara said:

Agree 100%.  Origin is a beast.  But it will take more than his brilliant artistry and incomparable transitions and jumps to beat NC - he needs fair judging.  So, along with our support for him during what must be a quite trying time, we should all wish on the evening star, every evening, that Worlds has unbiased, fair judging.

 

 

 

Maybe he needs to skip ice shows during summer and work on 2 new killer competition programs. I think he needs new killer programs more than the quad axel. Yuzu is the full package whilst Nathan isn't. Yuzu should play to his strengths. 

[Paskud]

2 minutes ago, Newprogramsplease said:

Maybe he needs to skip ice shows during summer and work on 2 new killer competition programs. I think he needs new killer programs more than the quad axel. Yuzu is the full package whilst Nathan isn't. Yuzu should play to his strengths. 

4a is his dream since forever. He WILL do it, no matter what.

[Umebachi]

21 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

Personally, I think the problem with Otonal and Origin is that they were conceived at a time when Yuzu was somewhat aimless, after the Olympics. While he was going through his zen period and had no real goals aside from 4A, so he had the possibility to do two programs that were less focused on the technical in a points-winning sense. And he assumed he would have the time to develop and perfect them like that. Only the zen period ended quickly, and then he had to scramble to tweak them to become more points-winning focused. And more technical. And for over a year he's been trying to have his cake and eat it, too: keep the original spirit of Otonal and Origin, as very artistic, very intricate, very detailed programs, but also increase the technical, add more quads and win with them. I believe, while very different from H&L, Origin has the H&L complexity that requires a long-term delicate polishing in order to bring it to its best possible shape. But Yuzu has been under so much pressure to win, to not lose to Nathan, that he couldn't give himself the time to focus on that polishing. He's basically been running after two rabbits and it backfired on him. So I think he needs to take a step back. And I think, unless he has decided he's finally had enough - which would be totally understandable and I'd fully support it - it might only be temporary and, if, instead, he's decided to go for Beijing, after cleaning his palate with Seimei and hopefully something entirely new next season, he might bring it back for the Olympic Season and properly tame it. But he needs to regain his power, control and confidence as a tamer of wild programs, first and for that I fully support his choice to step back. Origin is a beast and he can't tame it half-heartedly, as he's been trying to do, split in two, between increasing technical to try to beat Nathan, and developing the program as it'd meant to be developed.

 

I fully agree.  You may recall that it took three seasons to get the refinements on Chopin Ballade.  Now it seems to come so easily to him.  Origin is a beast - an unrelenting dance movement with multiple complex geometric shapes being formed.  I felt that he will need more muscles and masculine brute force (like Plushenko's) to make it work.  He may need two more seasons to get his body into that shape... 

 

For his short program, I wish he had chosen to develop Ave Maria as JW tribute instsead of Otonal.  I am sure he has very specific and intense childhood memories associated with Otonal, but Ave Maria musically holds so much more promise for artistic exploration and development, like Chopin's Ballade.  One can dig deeper into the music and discover new emotions, new dimensions.  Alas, Otonal has major limitations from this perspective...