General Yuzuru Chat

[rockstaryuzu]

5 minutes ago, Danibellerika said:

 

I mean, you can't beat the convenience.  And Brian loves to bring the whole gang.  

Yes. However I noticed last year that Gabby went to an even smaller competition in Scarborough or Yorkville (which are both even closer to TCC than Oakville)... can't remember where exactly. So there are other competitions they could use for the purposes of first pancakery. 

[raebia]

6 hours ago, kaeryth said:

 

 

I am so very thankful for the english subtitles!

 

I feel this is an important interview.

 

I can understand his motivation and mindset a little bit better now ( and yes, writing this, coming home from work I get the impression that it is one of my aspirations during the last years: understanding Hanyu Yuzuru from far, far away😅😅).

 

As I had to turn away and close my eyes during Nathans free skate when it happened, this was my first time I saw his jumps in Saitama.

 

So now. I dont mean no disrespect, I became to make a difference between Nathan the fair sportsman and his media image wich I hate:

 

but is it me ore IS Yuzuru jumping more elegantly? And I am not talking about technical merits here, but about aestetics — Yuzurus jumps, they take my breath away, Nathans dont. 

 

Is it the costume? The height? It doesnt matter to me, but it is my deeply felt conviction, speaking as a laywoman in regards to figure skating:

 

I simply love Yuzuru jumping😊😊😊😊😊😊😊.

[Danibellerika]

6 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

But the reality is that in Canada and the US, the current system for skater development is something that grew organically over the past 50 - 100 years, with periodic investment from various levels of government. And in Russia, the Soviet system of training athletes the way one might recruit and train an army has shaped the system they have today. And even then, the only one of those three that reliably produces top athletes is the Russian one. And all three countries are winter countries to begin with, where most of the people go out and do things like skating for relaxation and enjoyment every day, and there's a large base of athletes to choose from.

 

If JSF is trying to do it from scratch according to some artificial template of success, they have their work cut out for  them and no mistake. 

 

And infrastructure is better too than Japan with their over crowded rinks.  I'll always wonder what the potential for Satoko's jumps could have been if she was able to jump clockwise, her natural inclination.  But in Japan it was too dangerous to allow it. 

[yuzuangel]

I just booked my airbnb for ACI...I feel a bit insane. LOL.

 

Either AirBnBs are already booked out or people haven't listed their rooms on AirBnB yet so they were a bit expensive. But I found one that was pretty cheap and only 5 min walking distance away.

[Danibellerika]

5 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Yes. However I noticed last year that Gabby went to an even smaller competition in Scarborough or Yorkville (which are both even closer to TCC than Oakville)... can't remember where exactly. So there are other competitions they could use for the purposes of first pancakery. 

 

Were they worth any ranking points though?

 

[rockstaryuzu]

Just now, Danibellerika said:

 

Were they worth any ranking points though?

 

Must have been, because Keegan and Nam were also there. 

[rockstaryuzu]

2 minutes ago, yuzuangel said:

I just booked my airbnb for ACI...I feel a bit insane. LOL.

 

Either AirBnBs are already booked out or people haven't listed their rooms on AirBnB yet so they were a bit expensive. But I found one that was pretty cheap and only 5 min walking distance away.

I think I might go for a hotel this time, even though they're further away... I liked my AirBnB last year but I felt really weird about staying in someone's house like that. 

[KatjaThera]

3 hours ago, meoima said:

First of all, if this were the usual tabloid post they would have done this

- Do not post full name and said something like "a source from JSF said".

- Add another controversial line saying "another reliable official from JSF said".

 

So, while I do agree that there is a possibility the words were not 100% correct, I would say, the possibility of the reporter quoting everything the chairman said is higher. Another note, the words were even put in a dialect, which means the writer did not even bother to "edit" the words or standardize the statement. Please notice that there is a name and a position in there. If the reporter lied outrageously, the chairman could always make a clarification, which he did not.

 

Second, the translation did not use the word "politics" for the skaters.

 

And last but not least, as many comments have stated, there is nothing morally wrong in the article to the point it needed to be twisted from the original meaning. The whole thing is not something too controversial to the point the reporter had to "make up lies" to grab attention. It does not worth it.

 

Does the Federation want to support many skaters all at once? Nothing wrong with that. Do they want to brag that they have done a lot for the sport? Fine. But the way they talked about it and the way they executed their ideas at WC make people angry.

 

Well, I have checked with my own friend who lived in Japan for 30 years and it seems nobody there takes Tokyo Sports seriously. Now if this were in sanspo or so, then maybe, but tospo is... probably not even worth denying.

 

That said, there isn't really anything controversial in this. I didn't want to come right out and say it for the sake of diplomacy, but that translation is inflammatory and it's interpreted through the translator's own feelings, who seems to be a Yuzu fan, Yuzu who often seems neglected by his own federation (which, btw, I do not disagree with).

 

Beyond that, with a little help from my friend to fill in the gaps I had, what the guy is saying is basically:

- The popularity of FS in Japan is a result of what they've done so far (they = JSF = Team Japan, essentially) - what exactly they've done is better detailed later. Hint: camps

- Anyone can win. It's not just Rika, there's Satoko and Kaori as well and the National Champion is actually Kaori. Japan's strength is shown by the fact that any of them can become champion. That this had been their goal for a long time.

- They mention their training camp system, that all the ladies champions have been through and that's where he mentions the polishing and development of talented skaters. Since the camp is JSF organized, it's only natural they'll take credit for that.

- There was the Arakawa era, the Asada era, and there's now. (he did not say current era and by the way, he's still talking about ladies, which last I checked, Yuzu was not) - also going to that straight from talk of the camps.

- The controversial star comment is actually also in relation to the training camp system. That's where he says it makes no sense to focus on just one star emerging from these camps, but rather promote multiple skaters, because focusing on just one will eventually lead to failure as a long term process. So they always focus on multiple skaters and that's the process they will stick to.

- The very last paragraph is not even hinted at being what the Ito said. So the "He also stressed that" is 100% inaccurate. The phrase says that if Shoma were to beat Yuzu, and another heroine aside from Rika would appear, it should be the start of a new era for Japanese FS. That's the author's conclusion alone, but in tune with what was said. If that were to happen, and a Japanese skater who could overcome Yuzu came, you can bet he'd be the happiest about it.

 

Overall, the article is mostly about ladies fs and the JSF camp system for finding talented skaters, with brief mentions of Yuzu and Shoma just for kicks. And there's nothing really controversial in it. (Except for the writer who appears to be trying to be interesting but failing.)

 

There is also no word in there from Ito about the organization of Worlds, which is where most issues were, so I have no idea how those two are supposed to even be connected.

 

All in all, a poor translation with poor interpretation and taking out of context led to a lot of outrage about literally nothing.

 

Now, can we chill a bit and not blow up at every little thing that appears controversial on twitter, please? (If not, that's fine, but I'll probably need a break if so )

[Vadrouille]

30 minutes ago, yuzuangel said:

I just booked my airbnb for ACI...I feel a bit insane. LOL.

 

Either AirBnBs are already booked out or people haven't listed their rooms on AirBnB yet so they were a bit expensive. But I found one that was pretty cheap and only 5 min walking distance away.

Can you give us the address please. Last year I found one Airbnb but quite far from the arena. Is it the same arena like last year?

Thank you.

 

[EisElle]

6 hours ago, Henni147 said:

Yuzu has achieved so many nearly impossible things in his career, but this season he has done something absolutely impossible:

  Reveal hidden contents

Yags and Plushy are fanboying over the same person without eating each other   

LOL so true! (Goats stanning Goats? they awknowledge their own kin)

 

 

5 hours ago, ralucutzagy said:

 

this puts things into perspective...I thougth there would have been more names tbh. Plushenko has "only" 5 (tho he wins the OWG medals count I suppose), no Patrick with his 3 WC golds and Javi with his 7 Euro titles (because they missed podium or didn't go).

It says a lot about how hard it is to not only to reach the top but to stay there for several seasons. And most of those names belong to the 6.0 era, when it was "easier" for already established names to remain on top...(and at least a couple of names belong to an era when the field wasn't as populated as in other moments in the history of men FS).

Awesome 

 

 

4 hours ago, Seorose said:

 

that's so sweet

 

also,

 @Salior your signature is killing me hands....Origin costume...gloves...HANDS!!!!

 

 

3 hours ago, Salior said:

yep, hopefully the 4cc curse doesn't affect him though lol. Nathan and Shoma got 4cc gold and bombed the Worlds D: 

At this point, I don't want him to get 4CC gold if it means sacrificing WC especially next season, with WC in Canada better kuyashii 4CC than kuyashii WC...but of course Yuzuru can go and break the remaining curses next season...

starting all necessary vodoo and prayers to skating gods now

 

2 hours ago, ralucutzagy said:

that's a way to talk about "stars" and "developing the sport all-around" that I find balanced and I like.

It also reminds me of Machida's words about building a "figure skating culture".

But stars and mega-stars are what sparks the interest, I think to an extent "starts" are always going to be necessary, in a sport like FS that often requires a great deal of time, dedication and money to follow and attend. There has to be some really strong push to make people want to get in the sport.

Japan has been blessed with quite an endless string of legends till now, something that's pretty rare even in countries like Russia, who is strong in all disciplines an has an even longer tradition. It would be unreasonable to expect to always find stars, so IMO it's fine that JSF focuses on having many medal hopefuls, but I hope JSF can really learn to push all their skaters at once and that they will work on thinking about their own skaters first. Other feds (and foreign media) aren't as nice and Jpn skaters always get the short end of the stick...

also, I hope Mai&Kaori can get better facilities. If one thinks about their difficulties (+ Mai's chronic health issues) it's amazing how much they have been able to do. But if supported they can go so much farther

 

 

2 hours ago, sallycinnamon said:

Next season ACI will be between 12-14 September in Oakville

 

https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/20654-isu-communication-2234/file

 

Isn't it earlier compared to other years?

I guess that, if things go smoothly for Yuzu, we can expect Media day around half of August then? Already in calculation mode

 

Also...is it already that time of the year? starting predicting assignements?  gosh, it feels like it was yesterday we were losing our mind while waiting for GP assignments and snatching tickets, isn't it too early?

Anyway, assuming Yuzu takes part in GP and assuming he's helthy () my predictions are SC and COR or IDF and NHK, depending on who gets NHK between Yuzu and Shoma. tbh I'm rooting for COR more, at least we'd get fancams and well, both evens are half-cursed anyway In theory this time Yuzu and Shoma can met, too, but I hope JSF will be level-headed like last GP series and won't make them go against each other.... ahhh why are you off podium, Shoma?

I'd be honestly scared if Zuzu got CoC...that event is pretty cursed too but I guess many thousands of fans (and chinese fed) would be delighted...and would make sure to give him the most epic Pooh storm ever

 

re: other competitions next season

under spoiler because long

Spoiler

tbh I don't think Yuzu should compete too much. He should choose his competitions carefully and arrange his peak accordingly. He shouldn't overdo. He is young, yes, but he'll be in his tenth year as senior skater, after having jumped loads of quads and with an ankle (and in general a body) that is never gonna be 100% like it was. He's never really taken a pause in 10 years (injuries aside) and it can be mentally and physically exahusting to do as Rika or Shoma (and even Shoma this season calmed down). It's also possible that, no matter what he'd like to do, his ankle won't let him have competitions every two or 3 weeks, that he'll need to take a week of rest/rehab before going back to training. Heck, the info we have about his weekly training routine in TCC are: a couple hours of on-ice training daily + with a couple days of rest. A good guess for those numbers is that his body wears out easily and he needs more time than others to recover.

Having loads of competitions can help with consistency maybe (not always), but Yuzuru is past needing that much competitive experience. If really needed, he can control his mind pretty well.

taking part into a competition means that he'll push himself harder and also that he'll force himself to land jumps that would have been better popped (or avoided). Of course he risks injuries when training too, but there's an inherent feeling of "I MUST succeed" in comp that IMO at this point in his career won't give him much advantage in terms of new jump/layout stability, but will bring many more risks.

 

It's not by chance that veterans sometimes take a season off or skip GP.

It doesn't look like Yuzuru wants to skip GP (if he wants to compete against Nathan he has only 2-3 chances next season), if his body allows him to go. Given how much reputation matters, and how short judges' memory is (and GP is the main comptition in first part of the season, winning a B comp with inflated scores won't have the same weight), that's probably also a smart strategy.

I don't see how trying to do more senior B comps could help him, even if he'll bring a new element. He's brought 4T3A just fine this season despite all the hurdles and while I can agree that 4Lz (and even more, 4F and 4A) might be harder, he managed to land that sequence in the second half and there was an element of instability and novelty in the sequence anyway, given how he had to leave out the hop between the jumps.

I think Yuzuru will want to do a challenger early in the season (and ACI would be the most logical guess) because he needs it to test his early layout (and get back a bit of competition feeling).

Hopefully this time he'll manage to reach JNats unscathed... speaking of which, I wonder if he's still going to be seeded skater despite WD again from Nats, or he'll need to go through selectionsI don't remember how it worked...

 

 

 

 

[Katt]

ACI is quite early this year, its the first CS event. I don't know Yuzuru could compete that early. Maybe he could skip CS event, or do the later one, like Nebelhorn trophy

[Henni147]

1 minute ago, Katt said:

ACI is quite early this year, its the first CS event. I don't know Yuzuru could compete that early. Maybe he could skip CS event, or do the later one, like Nebelhorn trophy

 

If that happens. OBERSTDORF, I'm coming! 

[EisElle]

10 minutes ago, Henni147 said:

 

If that happens. OBERSTDORF, I'm coming! 

nebelhorn also has gala, right? (but does it stream practices? And are practices open?)

 

ETA: when is Finlandia throphy? he likes Finland and he's competed at FT a couple of times (iirc Jun Hwan went there too)

 

ETA 2: @SuzyQ thanks for your concern, the Matsuoka interview has already been subbed by bluflame

I've seen it, loved it..love how Yuzu and Matsuoka exchange laughs, and as always I love the way Yuzu puts his feeling into words and gestures and sounds

[yuzuangel]

26 minutes ago, Vadrouille said:

Can you give us the address please. Last year I found one Airbnb but quite far from the arena. Is it the same arena like last year?

Thank you.

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12362678?guests=1&adults=1

 

It should be the same arena.

[Marte]

7 minutes ago, LadyLou said:

Hopefully this time he'll manage to reach Nats unscathed... speaking of which, I wonder if he's still going to be seeded skater despite WD again from Nats or he'll need to go through selectionsI don't remember how it worked...

 

 

 My mind went blank, I think this year they were doing an exception, I read about it somewhere months ago. But next year? It could be that he has to qualify for nationals.....lol