General Yuzuru Chat

[SuperMin]

17 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Welcome to the Planet, and there's a couple things you may be slightly mistaken about:

 

Gogolev is still at TCC, and Brian is still the head coach there. So technically, Brian's still one of his coaches. Lee Barkell works closely with Brian and the team at TCC. 

 

Also, Stephen Gogolev is 13. He's a little young to have "unceremoniously dropped Borser like a bad habit before the JGPF, de-listed him from ISU website as if he wanted everyone to know it." 

 

IMO it's a little early to be calling Stephen Yuzu's successor. Yuzu's still around, you know. No successors until he's done the r-word and stopped competing. Plus, if there is a successor to be named, don't you think Rika Kihara fits the bill a lot better? 

 

 

My error, apologies, of course I meant the parents, not a 13 year old child.

Also, my point exactly, too early to be calling anyone Yuzu's successor.

Peace be to all.

[salty]

you guys, if watching sports animes all my life has taught me anything, is that even the most unimpressive looking sport can be incredibly cutthroat and difficult. Every professional athlete works blood, sweat, and tears to write their name in the book of history so let's celebrate them instead of bringing anyone down

 

((completely OT - but while im on the subject of sports animes if you guys haven't watched Ping Pong: the Animation can you really say you have lived?))

[salty]

43 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Of course they work hard to get where they are. However, they don't have the character and integrity, honesty and general overall goodness Yuzu does, so to my mind he's head and shoulders above them. 

 

Plus, I just hate basketball in general (and NFL football, and soccer. I can tolerate baseball and enjoy hockey but most of the major league sports leave me cold). So I'm not inclined to be impressed by the sport's athletes. IMO rugby has far better role models and is way more entertaining to watch. 

 

 

 

to be fair, didn't Lebron open up a school for underprivileged kids in chicago? Lebron is pretty up there in terms of philanthropy and legendary skills 

 

also we dont even know what that horse has done for its country. maybe he goes around volunteering at soup kitchens for homeless people

[Paskud]

3 minutes ago, salty said:

also we dont even know what that horse has done for its country. maybe he goes around volunteering at soup kitchens for homeless people

But imagine: a horse on a GOAT list 

[shanshani]

44 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Welcome to the Planet, and there's a couple things you may be slightly mistaken about:

 

Gogolev is still at TCC, and Brian is still the head coach there. So technically, Brian's still one of his coaches. Lee Barkell works closely with Brian and the team at TCC. 

 

Also, Stephen Gogolev is 13. He's a little young to have "unceremoniously dropped Borser like a bad habit before the JGPF, de-listed him from ISU website as if he wanted everyone to know it." 

 

IMO it's a little early to be calling Stephen Yuzu's successor. Yuzu's still around, you know. No successors until he's done the r-word and stopped competing. Plus, if there is a successor to be named, don't you think Rika Kihara fits the bill a lot better? 

 

 

It's also possible that Brian is just too busy with senior skaters this year, considering that Evgenia and Jason have joined TCC and Jun is now a full time senior.

 

I'm all for Rika as Yuzu's successor

[rockstaryuzu]

14 minutes ago, salty said:

also we dont even know what that horse has done for its country. maybe he goes around volunteering at soup kitchens for homeless people

You never know! There are therapy horse-riding programs for autistic people where I'm from, maybe that horse does tons of volunteer work! 

 

I realize there are problems with making sweeping generalizations but...your average figure skater is far more likely to be an upstanding citizen in other areas of life, than the average major league athlete. But figure skaters are also usually younger and make less money, so they probably encounter fewer temptations to go off the rails, as well. 

17 minutes ago, Paskud said:

But imagine: a horse on a GOAT list 

Best satellite post ever.

[kaeryth]

 

 

[kaeryth]

 

[kaeryth]

 

[Sammie]

15 minutes ago, kaeryth said:

 

I miss him 

[sweetwater]

37 minutes ago, kaeryth said:

 

So there is another photo exhibition, the first part of it is going to be held during Dec. 14-26, the second part is going to be during Jan. 3-16, at Sendai Ennich. Open except for Thursdays (Jan. 3 is an exception) from 10:30 to 18:00.

[EisElle]

6 hours ago, Anzi said:

Lol, we'd better keep this only in this thread.

 

tbh, the basketball players also pay amounts of effots to achieve their goals. Like Lebron, Curry and Kobe these are the very athletes we should pay homage to.   

 

But certainly there is no such a sport can combine strength and aesthetic together as figure skate does and what makes FS so attractive maybe still attributed to Yuzu's achievements.

 

What I am surprised by this rank is in launched by an AMERICAN sport TV program. In this context, a non-western athlete can win over a insanely popular American sport star is unexpected. (Lebron is really what A people called legend)

 

Also, given the sport culture in US....the popular sports tend to be aggressive and masculine, like football and basketball. Yuzu in this rank is the only existence of the integration of softness and strength. Gymnastic can be taken into account but no so much as FS. Yuzu is just so prominent, and I'd like to see him in a higher place. 

true, all top athletes need a huge amount of dedication and efforts to reach... well, the top   

Personally, tho I'm usually more inclined to celebrate the achievements in niche sports, not because basketball or baseball players (or football players I often complain about LOL) are less amazing in their field or as human beings, but merely because they already get enough recognition for that (AND money, too)... so it's nice when things like this ESPN list bring to people's attention the amazing achievements in sports that get less exposure I'm not a sport person myself and I ignored many of those names or I had only 'heard' but not paid particular attention to them, it's nice to know there are so many driven and exceptional people around the world, each of them doing their best and challenging new things  

And I'm very, very proud that Yuzuru, an asian male figure skater, made to that list. I've read the criterions they used and I bet that being the first in 66 years to win 2 OGM + his wins by a huge margin in November weighted a lot. Figure skating doesn't have as many big competitions and chances for medals as some other sports, so just 'counting' medals and titles it can look Yuzuru isn't as 'dominant' as some of the other people listed, but things like 'being the first in 66 years' gives a huge historical perspective on how difficult and rare is to be a 'Yuzuru Hanyu' in a sport like figure skating...

 

@SuperMin others already replied, but anyway

Spoiler

Stephen is so young I wouldn't either hail him as a successor yet nor being judgmental about a change of coaches that can have many reasons (what I've read is that parents wanted a coach able to focus only on him, which one can admit is good and reasonable, especially is the skater is still in the development phase and isn't be a seasoned skater with experience in what work he needs to do and who's able to do that on his own... but even if reasons were different and even if Stephen one day might leave TCC, nothing bad, just what usually happens when what a skater wants or need changes

And it's absolutely true that Yuzuru is amazing, still having enough love for the sport and enoough hunger for competition to be willing to compete after not one but two OGM... I feel you're right about Nathan, and I'm excited about how much better these 4 years till 2022 can make him, but tbh is way too early to guess anything about Stephen

OT but with the shadow of Canadian men curse at Olympics and basically the whole canadian skating across disciplines not looking particularly good at the moment, I don't envy Stephen, he's gonna have so many expecations on his shoulders...tbh I'm kinda glad Brian isn't the main coach anymore because I was worrying that, despite Brian's experience and growth as a coach, Brian himself could feel the pressure of delivering gold to Canada as a coach, after he failed as a skater...after all, he's coached two skaters to OGM and one of them twice, wouldn't media and people and himself almost expect him to continue the golden streak, and this time with a Canadian man? so, idk if before OWG he's gonna the main coach again, but for now it's certainly good that the hype train and pressure of coaching the Canadian hope for gold has lessened a bit for both skater and coach

 

I understand sometimes it can be annoying to see people rushing to find "the next big thing", especially when the current "big thing" is still  competing and it doesn't look like he's willing to relent his gold medals and his records easily     but think about that like this: skaters don't just come to exist. They don't happen in a void. Figure skating is a beautiful journey that started more than a century ago and underwent so many changes, challenges and evolution and each new generation has brough something new and different and worth and left their legacy for the next generation. So it doesn't matter if one day there will be a 9-times World Champion and 3-times OGM hailed as 'the GOAT', it won't cancel nor diminish what Yuzuru is and has done for the sport, just like Yuzuru hasn't erased the legacy of FS pioneers like Ulrich Salchow or innovators like Dick Button or legends like Yagudin and Plushenko and the legacy of skaters like Johnny Weir or Jeff Buttle, who may be less titled than the big names but still have brought something special and unique to the sport. All those years and decades of legacy are in Yuzuru's skating, and he's used that as his foundations. Now he has built and is still building his own legacy, and new skaters ---starting even from his current rivals like Boyang, russian ladies (under the guidance of fanyu Daniil LOL), JunHwan, Stephen (and, who knows, maybe little Vadim Voronov and Sasha Plushenko, too, one day) will be challenged and inspired by Yuzuru and will build their own skating legacy thanks to Yuzu too  

 

3 hours ago, kaeryth said:

 

 

hey isn't the lady in the first pic the POTO lady?* I remember her performance was posted in this thread a while ago, I have the video saved it was so lovely but also so scary This videos are amazing too, unicyclists can do such amazing things! More knowledge I've acquired thanks to Yuzu

*ETA: maybe not, the costume is similar but not the same

 

 

2 hours ago, kaeryth said:

 

1 hour ago, kaeryth said:

 

imagine being greeted by a giant pic of smiley&soft HYK Yuzu waiting for you with arms wide open....best welcome ever

[Anzi]

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

You never know! There are therapy horse-riding programs for autistic people where I'm from, maybe that horse does tons of volunteer work! 

 

I realize there are problems with making sweeping generalizations but...your average figure skater is far more likely to be an upstanding citizen in other areas of life, than the average major league athlete. But figure skaters are also usually younger and make less money, so they probably encounter fewer temptations to go off the rails, as well. 

Best satellite post ever.

That program sounds fantastic!!! I'd like to work in if I was a trained staff~

[Moria Polonius]

3 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

ESPN covers all sports.

 

Heh, it's like they picked 15 people from most popular in the USA sports and then went, "Wait, we've got 5 more slots to fill, brain storming time!" On that list there's no ski jumping, no skiing, no cycling, no track and field other than running, no volleyball, no handball, no ping pong, etc etc... Are there no dominant athletes in those sports?

 

I love the horse though, from the blurb it reads like it should be #1 though.

[SuperMin]

@LadyLou  thank you for your insight.  You are very wise.