General Yuzuru Chat

[freeyafanfan]

1 hour ago, kaeryth said:

Awwwww...

 

LOL somehow Pooh and friends fit in perfectly here 

 

and Happy 2000+ guys wow how time flies 

[micaelis]

4 hours ago, Xen said:

As for flag bearing at the closing ceremony, while it'd be cool, I think, personally, I'd rather not. If he wins his second OGM, his life will be mayhem with media pouncing on him all over again and I'd rather he gets a little break from that there at least. And probably not just Japanese media, as he'd be the first consecutive double OGM in FS since Dick Button. He also doesn't need it. Doesn't need the recognition or validation of being the flag bearer. He's already huge in Japan. He's a national treasure, even if not officially. He already carries the flag for Japan, virtually, everywhere he goes. I don't think there are many athletes out there prouder to be Japan representatives and showing it. Better let someone with less media exposure do that. (Hoping Japan gets other gold medals at the Olympics, whoever gets it/them should do it instead.) And let him get some rest and catch his breath before further facing the media storm. (A storm that, let's be real, will come, whether he wins or not. And surely every single interviewer will also ask about his plans for the future and retirement... I'm starting to hurt for him just thinking about it ^_^; ) Of course, not attending the closing ceremony might not in any way diminish the media mayhem, but... *shrugs*

I can see about his foregoing the honor of bearing the flag come the closing ceremonies.  I can REALLY see about the media storm and that's because figure skating has never before had a figure who is not only a superstar but verging on becoming iconic.  At least Yuzu has experience in handling the media so for him much of the media storm will pretty much the same.  Actually I wonder, if Yuzu doesn't get gold in PC, how the one who 'dethrones' the king will handle the media since there's no skater out there who has lived in a bubble the way Yuzu has since Sochi.  If I remember correctly what someone remarked many, many pages ago, Yuzu is the only skater for whom security is a very real concern, thus Yuzu's very own 'Secret Service' detail. As for the fact he already carries the flag of Japan, that is evident every time he skates when the stands contract a case of 'Japanese measles' with a red-and-white rash everywhere you look.  The question of retirement?  I'm sure many of his competitors would like to see him retire.  It would mean room at the top, but I don't think those who run skating competitions would like to see that, because Yuzu competing means a full house, although it also means hiring extra flower girls.  The ice after a Yuzu performance tends to be rather messy.  All in all, though, all this is revolving around what transpires during a mere seven minutes total come next February.  It's hard to think how Yuzu has had everything these last three-plus years revolving around those seven minutes, since I'm sure after his gold at Sochi, even when standing at the top of the podium getting his medal, that he wasn't even then thinking of the words Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered at the end of one of his films - "I'll be back."  Yuzu's every skate over the years since then has been about those seven minutes this February.  The attitude he has carried with him all these years can be used to define 'determination'.  What I'm thinking is if in winning the gold medal at PC, he might not already be thinking of making it a threepeat at Beijing in 2022.  After all, he'll only be twenty-seven then.  Plushenko was thirty-one when he started competing in Sochi, before his withdrawal for medical reasons.  Some food for thought.

[sallycinnamon]

 

 

[sweetwater]

Happy 2K+ pages and we are now in 2002, the year of Salt Lake City Olympics! (or the next year of the SLC, maybe?)

 

Meanwhile, in Sendai, renovation of Ice Rink Sendai seems to have been finished.

There’s a nice message on the welcome board:
"People gather through sports and talk to each other.
Voices of teammates, supporters, spectators resound in the city and invigorate it.
The voices spread and travel, and the liveliness of the city attracts more people.
Many people gather and improve each other, and it bears an international athlete (t/n: or "international athletes")
His/Her/Their success encourages people and they become proud of their hometown.
The pride is passed down to next generations, and the courage makes the future vibrant."

[KatjaThera]

5 minutes ago, sweetwater said:

Happy 2K+ pages and we are now in 2002, the year of Salt Lake City Olympics! (or the next year of the SLC, maybe?)

 

Meanwhile, in Sendai, renovation of Ice Rink Sendai seems to have been finished.

There’s a nice message on the welcome board:
"People gather through sports and talk to each other.
Voices of teammates, supporters, spectators resound in the city and invigorate it.
The voices spread and travel, and the liveliness of the city attracts more people.
Many people gather and improve each other, and it bears an international athlete (t/n: or "international athletes")
His/Her/Their success encourages people and they become proud of their hometown.
The pride is passed down to next generations, and the courage makes the future vibrant."

Thank you for the translation!

 

I think it didn't quite look like that when I went there two weeks ago... but it was getting dark and I was just happy to have finally arrived, after the walk through the wilderness - not really Though it felt like it lol - so I might have missed out on some details. Then again, it's Japan, a lot can happen in two weeks lol. Either way it looks great!

 

I was personally a bit surprised... I had had a very different mental image of it, from the TV footage. I guess angles and perspective, plus my own pre-conceived ideas gave me a different image. Now I dream of some day learning to skate, then going back there for a skate...

[Forcefield]

16 minutes ago, sallycinnamon said:

 

 

 

Yay!

 

Makes me wonder, how many athletes do ANA sponsor? Because Yuzu is always wearing their jackets if not the Team Japan jackets or similar, and who else is wearing it. Idk is it something ANA just have as merchandise for some random reason? Plus someone has to design it. Can't tell if its changed over the years or not though.

[kiches]

7 hours ago, kaerb said:

Which is why it worries me a little that he won't have had as much comp experience of consecutive SP/FS days. 

 

Actually not all competitions have a day between the SP and FS so he’s experienced no gap before. I think it actually happens quite often in the Grand Prix for one or two disciplines, and Autumn Classic was also back to back. 2016 Skate Canada was also back to back, and I believe Rostelecom also had the men’s SP and FS on consecutive days.   Of course the media and press conferences are probably much shorter, but the Olympics are in the morning so I’m curious what type of practice schedule they’ll have. 

[Floria]

Video!

[lilsailor]

ay page 2003 - im now 4

[Altie]

1 hour ago, lilsailor said:

ay page 2003 - im now 4

And my daughter is just born...

 

(but I was a young mother, I'm still young !! I'm still... *sobs*)

[SydneyH]

23 minutes ago, lilsailor said:

ay page 2003 - im now 4

I'm now 3 yeah 

[PapiandPooh422]

Wow! You're all so young! I'm 8.

[Xen]

Man, you guys are young! I feel so old. 

[yuzuangel]

yeah, im old... you guys are tiny

[Hydroblade]

i was 11