General Yuzuru Chat

[andchipzz]

8 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

That article in the tweet also mentions that he wrote a song for/inspired by Yuzu. I had no idea about that... but the song seems really hard to find, too (I found it on Apple music, but as I don't do Apple, I'm not sure it'd be downloadable after paying or if you can only listen on iTunes... I'll be looking into it later.) I admit, with them actually being friends, I'm even more curious about the song that I would normally be lol They seem to be cute and spastic and a tiny bit awkward - perhaps because of cameras, too lol - together... it's quite adorable

Yuzu called Fumiya Sashida -- Sasshiii!! That's very close. LOL cute.

[IceWings]

8 hours ago, sweetwater said:

They became friends during FaOI2012 while performing Hana ni nare together

  Hide contents

Backstage of Medalist on Ice (JNats EX) 2012 where they reunited

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28e5li

While making Hana wa saku for NHK in 2014

 

 

 

Here is an English sub of this clip. It starts at 5:53. Yes, they are adorable together!

[andchipzz]

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSkateOntario%2Fvideos%2F393451088232407%2F&show_text=1&width=560" width="560" height="426" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

https://www.facebook.com/SkateOntario/videos/393451088232407/

 

This is some interesting talk btw Scott Russel and PJ Kwong. Scott is saying about most memorable performance in his 17 years old experience as sport reporter/commentator/analyst, and he mention one-two sentence about Virtue/Moir,  Patrick Chan (fantastic in his hey day), Duhammel/Radford,  Papadakis/Cizeron, and also this quite long confession:
 

"I'll throw in one more because he is a good Ontario guy. And that's because he trains part time in Ontario. But you have to be in the rink, if you are ever fortunate enough, all you people out there, to be in the rink when Yuzuru Hanyu skates. If you can be in the rink, he is, I mean, takes your breath away. The guy is that good. And he is so committed mentally and physically to what he does that he leaves -- you know there is an old expression leave everything on the table, around the field, on the play, around the ice -- he leaves everything on the ice. I don't know if I have ever seen a guy like that."

They talk more about Yuzu's intense personality. And then they are talking about how fun it is when two titans are pitted against each other like Yuzu vs Nathan in 2019. And then about what it was like with Yuzu vs Javi in 2015. 

The overall discussion is also very interesting, and it explains more or less what happen btw CBC and ISU.

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, andchipzz said:

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSkateOntario%2Fvideos%2F393451088232407%2F&show_text=1&width=560" width="560" height="426" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

https://www.facebook.com/SkateOntario/videos/393451088232407/

 

This is some interesting talk btw Scott Russel and PJ Kwong. Scott is saying about most memorable performance in his 17 years old experience as sport reporter/commentator/analyst, and he mention one-two sentence about Virtue/Moir,  Patrick Chan (fantastic in his hey day), Duhammel/Radford,  Papadakis/Cizeron, and also this quite long confession:
 

"I'll throw in one more because he is a good Ontario guy. And that's because he trains part time in Ontario. But you have to be in the rink, if you are ever fortunate enough, all you people out there, to be in the rink when Yuzuru Hanyu skates. If you can be in the rink, he is, I mean, takes your breath away. The guy is that good. And he is so committed mentally and physically to what he does that he leaves -- you know there is an old expression leave everything on the table, around the field, on the play, around the ice -- he leaves everything on the ice. I don't know if I have ever seen a guy like that."

They talk more about Yuzu's intense personality. And then they are talking about how fun it is when two titans are pitted against each other like Yuzu vs Nathan in 2019. And then about what it was like with Yuzu vs Javi in 2015. 

The overall discussion is also very interesting, and it explains more or less what happen btw CBC and ISU.

I find it pretty cool that they're (SkateOntario) streaming sectionals/regionals, even for the novices. That's some good public service there. 

 

And Scott Russell is absolutely right.

[andchipzz]

29 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

I find it pretty cool that they're streaming sectionals/regionals, even for the novices. That's some good public service there. 

 

And Scott Russell is absolutely right.

 

Actually I didn't expect him to have such a positive experience about Hanyu. He strikes me as very neutral (or more the chasing sensational story just like any other reporter out there, in lack of more flattering word). So it is a very nice surprise I think, that he personally feels that ways about Yuzu. And because I am a cynic, there is a sliver of thought in me that he might flatter fanyus for views, but then, Skate Ontario is not really targeted to international audience, isn't it? And also, if they assume that most fanyus are Japanese, there is really no point in flattering the fanyus, so it is more like, Scott ended up promoting Yuzu to the bigger Canadian audience. lol.

Anyway, my take is, as we all know, media as a whole always has bigger agenda, so even if we might listen to commentators who downplay some skaters' (Yuzu) achievement compare to others (Nathan or Shoma), well, they might not personally think that way. And the opposite is also true, I guess. And also it is also right, that the greatest interest in sport comes from the rivalry. There MUST always be rivalry, therefore there will be exchange of domination. And especially in sports like FS, without propping any other skaters of the new generation, ISU is in a very great danger of losing its biggest star in history, without having any replacement.

Interestingly, this is what is so fascinating about Yuzu. He organically usurped Patrick Chan who was in the peak of his career with such an excellent strategy, he hold his own against Denis Ten and Tatsuki Machida, he had great rivalry and friendship with Javier, and now he is challenging Nathan. Oh yeah, there is also this handover thing from Plushenko to Yuzuru, considering the fact that Plushenko retires in the same competition in which Yuzu breaks Olympic record.

Plushenko and Yuzu are different kind of skaters, but interestingly, the both of them has a very similar spirit, and I feel that among all skaters existing in this galaxy, Plushenko might be the only person who understands why Yuzu pursues competition like he is doing now. I honestly don't see the same spirit and passion in current generation of skaters. I think, by the time Yuzu retires, we're gonna have to wait for many years before there will be other skaters who have the same drive. Plushenko must be mighty jealous, because one thing that he hates is, the fact that his rivals tend to retire after winning against him LMAO, and here is Yuzu, who is given a chance to take revenge again and again.

[Yuzurella]

This new tag is about pecs?

Anyway, Yuzu looks beautiful on the pic!

[Old Cat Lady]

2 hours ago, Yuzurella said:

 

This new tag is about pecs?

 

Lol, I guess that video of Yuzu squeezing his pecs is popular.  I forget who, but I saw these pics floating around twitter.  Can you see the difference between last year and this year? Maybe up half a cup size?  Origin looks slightly perkier in the middle but with his back arched the opposite way it's hard to tell.

 

 

eta: oops. forgot the credits. The Origin says Rika H. on the pic so a fair guess it's hers. Otonal pic I believe was originally on an inside skating article? But was tweeted by Pamigena.

[Paskud]

3 hours ago, andchipzz said:

 

Actually I didn't expect him to have such a positive experience about Hanyu. He strikes me as very neutral (or more the chasing sensational story just like any other reporter out there, in lack of more flattering word). So it is a very nice surprise I think, that he personally feels that ways about Yuzu. And because I am a cynic, there is a sliver of thought in me that he might flatter fanyus for views, but then, Skate Ontario is not really targeted to international audience, isn't it? And also, if they assume that most fanyus are Japanese, there is really no point in flattering the fanyus, so it is more like, Scott ended up promoting Yuzu to the bigger Canadian audience. lol.

Anyway, my take is, as we all know, media as a whole always has bigger agenda, so even if we might listen to commentators who downplay some skaters' (Yuzu) achievement compare to others (Nathan or Shoma), well, they might not personally think that way. And the opposite is also true, I guess. And also it is also right, that the greatest interest in sport comes from the rivalry. There MUST always be rivalry, therefore there will be exchange of domination. And especially in sports like FS, without propping any other skaters of the new generation, ISU is in a very great danger of losing its biggest star in history, without having any replacement.

Interestingly, this is what is so fascinating about Yuzu. He organically usurped Patrick Chan who was in the peak of his career with such an excellent strategy, he hold his own against Denis Ten and Tatsuki Machida, he had great rivalry and friendship with Javier, and now he is challenging Nathan. Oh yeah, there is also this handover thing from Plushenko to Yuzuru, considering the fact that Plushenko retires in the same competition in which Yuzu breaks Olympic record.

Plushenko and Yuzu are different kind of skaters, but interestingly, the both of them has a very similar spirit, and I feel that among all skaters existing in this galaxy, Plushenko might be the only person who understands why Yuzu pursues competition like he is doing now. I honestly don't see the same spirit and passion in current generation of skaters. I think, by the time Yuzu retires, we're gonna have to wait for many years before there will be other skaters who have the same drive. Plushenko must be mighty jealous, because one thing that he hates is, the fact that his rivals tend to retire after winning against him LMAO, and here is Yuzu, who is given a chance to take revenge again and again.

Without scoring nonsense, rivalry narrations around Yuzuru wouldn't exist. So if popularity of sport is in danger, then unfair scores are okay? This may be a reason (or one of them), but not an excuse to justify current situation.

And no, there is no need for rivalry. In many sports there are untouchable stars and media worship the ground they walk on.

[Henni147]

5 hours ago, andchipzz said:

Anyway, my take is, as we all know, media as a whole always has bigger agenda, so even if we might listen to commentators who downplay some skaters' (Yuzu) achievement compare to others (Nathan or Shoma), well, they might not personally think that way. And the opposite is also true, I guess. And also it is also right, that the greatest interest in sport comes from the rivalry. There MUST always be rivalry, therefore there will be exchange of domination. And especially in sports like FS, without propping any other skaters of the new generation, ISU is in a very great danger of losing its biggest star in history, without having any replacement.

 

I cannot speak for others, but for me one outstanding athlete has always been a 100 times more captivating than an even field of less known competitors. That was the case with Usain Bolt in athletics or Michael Phelps in swimming. I probably wouldn't follow these sports today without these superstars, who were miles ahead of the rest and broke records over and over again.

 

The difference is: in athletics, swimming etc. you cannot control the outcome of a competition with biased scoring. The athlete who crosses the finish line first, wins the competition. So if you are the best for 3 or 4 Olympic cycles, well... then you are the best for 3 or 4 cycles. No one can stop you from winning and your incredible dominance and longevity gets properly reflected in the competition results.

 

Did anyone complain that Phelps' dominance over four Olympic cycles was boring? Or Bolt's? I can't remember. Did their dominance harm the sport? I would say that it rather increased the popularity. In swimming you cannot say that with Phelps' retirement the sport suffered, because now we have other superstars with Caeleb Dressel and Adam Peaty. I think, Dressel has the potential to even surpass Phelps in the near future. So I agree with @Paskud here.

 

If Yuzu was unbeaten for two or three cycles, would it really be that bad for the sport? The only active skater who was able to beat Yuzu in his senior career is Nathan. He's the only one, who's statistics would be negatively affected by a Yuzu dominance streak. For the rest it wouldn't make a difference really. Can Nathan carry on the sport after Yuzu's retirement? I wouldn't be surprised, if Nathan himself retired after Beijing as well. Ideally he continues until 2026, and then? ISU needs a new poster child anyway.

 

So... In my opinion it's complete nonsense to create artificial rivalries that do not reflect the true quality differences between athletes. If you have one superstar, support him as long as you can and if there is no upcoming talent to carry the torch, you still can create narratives. But as long as you have someone really really really good, you don't need any narratives. Quality speaks for itself and should be rewarded properly.

 

My guess: this made-up rivalry between Yuzu and Nathan has absolutely nothing to do with worries about the post-Yuzu-era. The only goal is to crown a champion from the US again. Here and now.

[Lunna]

18 минут назад, Henni147 сказал:

Ideally he continues until 2026, and then?

And then or before (I'm not sure Nathan will stick around after Beijing) USA will have Alysa maybe if her jumps hold up or Vince will be up there, it's more about strong feds wanting their skater on top and less about made-up rivalry. I always wonder why JSF is so weak in political field, having tons of sponsors from Japan, maybe cuz of not so long popularity of the sport comparing or just simply bad politics. 

[andchipzz]

But, for casual viewers, and this is what I notice when I listen to some commentaries (or supposed analyst) since I backtrack videos from the time Yuzuru start to shine. That even though figure skating itself is not actually the kind of sports in which there is a race and rivalry, they always try to make it as if there is rivalry. For Yuzuru, there has been Takahashi, Chan, Machida, Ten, Javier, Boyang, Shoma, now Nathan. For us, who are fans, we obviously are going to support Yuzu no matter what. But in this context, media bet for a good story that will attract casual viewers. Honestly, for sports, I will say that easy win is less interesting than a win gain through great struggle. If you don't really have someone you are rooting for, a good story about rivalry will help you to hook on THAT rivalry. So if there is any potential of rivalry even if it is artificial, media will eat it up. Even Japanese media will eat up that story about rivalry.

 

Because, as y'all have emphasized again and again, unlike tennis, or swimming, or motogp or F1, in which you can immediately see the race, figure skating does not work like that. A race will not happen in an organic way, but instead must be crafted. Therefore, a story about someone pushing himself to the limit making progress each competition, is remade into a battle in which the one who will win will be the one with the highest score.

It is a whole different case with talking about USFS pushing their agenda. This is what I personally think on why they push athleticism more than artistry. Some of it I think, relate to gender stereotype and diminishing interest on figure skating in US especially among males. There is prejudice to how figure skating is a girly sport until this day in US, right? It is obvious from the way they dress their athlete to be stereo typically manly/masculine that they want to be rid of that image. Especially, when the representative figure skaters on TV of the recent years are Johnny Weir and Adam Rippon, who are people with diva-like and stereo typically feminine behavior. So they want to portray male figure skaters as superhuman athletes with powerful jump to gain more interest in male figure skating. They push this POV because the next batch of figure skaters will hopefully came from generation that grew up with superhero movies. It goes hand in hand with Nathan's potential of course.

But it is just me though, and I don't claim to really understand what is happening behind the scene. Let's say that as a general viewer, this is what immediately visible. 

[Murieleirum]

On 10/16/2019 at 1:22 AM, kaeryth said:

Artists x Yuzuru snippets!

 

 

 

 

 

-----

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ooooh finally, I was wondering when was anyone gonna mention the glissando deal. For the life of me I can't understand pianists who do it so easily, my fingers hurt so much when I do it! Poor Kiyozuka-san. 

[andchipzz]

31 minutes ago, Lunna said:

And then or before (I'm not sure Nathan will stick around after Beijing) USA will have Alysa maybe if her jumps hold up or Vince might stick around, it's more about strong feds wanting their star and less about made-up rivalry. I always wonder why JSF is so weak in political field, having tons of sponsors from Japan, maybe cuz of not so long popularity of the sport comparing or just simply bad politics. 

Uuuuh this is very confusing indeed. I think a lot of it came from financial capacity of the fed. I read about it somewhere that the subsidy for JSF is not actually that big. Worse is the fact that Japan judge tend to score their own athletes (like Rika and Yuzu on the last comp) lower than the average score given by judges of the same competition. And it is very question mark, because usually there is a national bias, right? 

[andchipzz]

4 hours ago, Yuzurella said:

This new tag is about pecs?

Anyway, Yuzu looks beautiful on the pic!

 

4 hours ago, Old Cat Lady said:

 

Lol, I guess that video of Yuzu squeezing his pecs is popular.  I forget who, but I saw these pics floating around twitter.  Can you see the difference between last year and this year? Maybe up half a cup size?  Origin looks slightly perkier in the middle but with his back arched the opposite way it's hard to tell.

 

 

eta: oops. forgot the credits. The Origin says Rika H. on the pic so a fair guess it's hers. Otonal pic I believe was originally on an inside skating article? But was tweeted by Pamigena.

 

This is like Yuzu being unintentionally sexy. And people like this is always sexier than those who is obviously forcing themselves to look sexy.  for this tag.

[Lunna]

15 минут назад, andchipzz сказал:

Worse is the fact that Japan judge tend to score their own athletes (like Rika and Yuzu on the last comp) lower than the average score given by judges of the same competition. And it is very question mark, because usually there is a national bias, right? 

That's why I don't care much that Japan for WC will have it's judge only for ID, then rus judge and us judge are of course in all disciplines.