General Yuzuru Chat

[Crow]

31 minutes ago, shanshani said:

I love reading the comments from some of the really old videos. (Usually reading youtube comments is not advised, but these tend to be good.)

 

for instance, from 8 years ago

 

Speaking of Youtube comment sections...I ofc had to go re-watch the GPF FS from Yuzu since it was mentioned here, and the comment section, oh boy! There is a lot of fire there. I wonder if ISU gets a tan reading it 

[FlyingCamel]

There’s one on his 2010 rostelecom cup sp (his first senior season) that says “Hanyu is utterly exquisite. He will be the greatest ever.”

Got goosebumps reading it cos it turned out to be totally true

[peach-blossom]

On the topic of old videos, I rewatched hana ni nare from NHK 2012 and I was struck by the expressiveness in all his movements. 

 

 

Also, he immediately shifted from the melancholic-yet-hopeful aura of HNN to PW’s rebellious bad boy vibe xD (But seeing him do the pistols pose in the HNN costume was the best combination!)

 

Really, I’m so glad I discovered Hanyu back in 2018. Now I get the chance to relive all his achievements while he’s still competing. 

[memae]

2 hours ago, shanshani said:

I love reading the comments from some of the really old videos. (Usually reading youtube comments is not advised, but these tend to be good.)

 

I love listening to Tracy's commentary of his programs from before he went to Toronto. There's a couple out there and honestly, if you didn't know and she didn't mention anything about his coaching, there's no way to tell from her commentary that he wasn't already one of her own. She's such a mom to all skaters, regardless of who they skate for or are coached by. 

 

My favourite is his 4CC debut and Tracy mentioning his skating skills not being up to scratch with the top of the field yet because he's so young (she says it so that you know she had no doubts he was going to catch up with them). The best thing about that comment though is it in comparison with her commentary from his SC 2019 SP about the steps ("He's laughing but we'll have words after the competition"). She saw what he could be when he was young and he has gone on to fulfill (if not entirely surpass) that potential - and, even better, she got to be part of that journey as one of his coaches.

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, FlyingCamel said:

I’m honestly very skeptical about how realistic it is to land 4A in competition in a month’s time when he said he hasn’t landed it yet in practice  I think he said he would hope to make an attempt but he doesn’t think he’ll land it successfully if I remembered correctly? (Someone correct me if I’m wrong haha)

 

Then again we never fully know what he’s thinking because he’s so enigmatic

Well, there's nothing stopping him from making an attempt at the Gala instead, if it's sorta ready but not competition ready. I don't think he'll do that, but still. 

[Henni147]

12 hours ago, ralucutzagy said:

Abt the post above! Don't worry, Elvis, nobody ever considered you a beautiful skater ... ugh ... 

 

Imagine how all these super 'masculine' men probably feel... 

 

Thousands and millions of ladies of every age group, nationality and cultural background pray day and night for the health, success and wellbeing of a 25 old adorkable Japanese man, who loves sparkles, feathers and Pooh-plushies. They buy every single magazine, DVD, clearfile and product with his face. They spend hundreds of dollars and travel around the globe to watch his competitions and line up for hours in the cold outside to watch his practice sessions...

 

Gosh, these blokes must explode innerly that their muscles and testosterone don't interest anyone 

[SitTwizzle]

Well, Yuzuru Hanyu has got more muscles and testosterone than them all, and this may well make a good deal of his attractiveness to women.

Sorry for speaking of the only man I really really know, my husband, in no way could he be as flexible as Nathan Chen, etc, when he looks at Yuzuru Hanyu he finds in him both grace and manliness because he is himself a natural dominant, protective and secure and he acknowledges a peer without problem or shame.

It is not the same with insecure males seeking females (of course there will be no problem with other male characters). They try to abide by a model they believe to be attractive to ladies (and is so, to some of them), and it is this model we tend to call "toxic masculinity".

[rockstaryuzu]

Well, open question here - is there any men's singles skaters on the scene right now that don't have at least some artistic (for lack of a better term) side? I can't think of anyone that is like, well, super 'macho' in their presentation at the moment. No one is flexing muscles and doing karate programs. I feel like men's skating has moved on, and the pursuit of beauty in the performance is more of a thing.  

 

Maybe 'refinement' is a better word to use? I mean, I find Keiji Tanaka very masculine, but not at all 'macho', if you can follow what I'm trying to convey. He's refined. Even the Russian lads, who are obviously trying to be 'manly', have a refinement to them that maybe you wouldn't have seen in Elvis' day. 

 

[Geo1]

On 2/20/2020 at 10:08 AM, memae said:

 

I love listening to Tracy's commentary of his programs from before he went to Toronto. There's a couple out there and honestly, if you didn't know and she didn't mention anything about his coaching, there's no way to tell from her commentary that he wasn't already one of her own. She's such a mom to all skaters, regardless of who they skate for or are coached by. 

 

My favourite is his 4CC debut and Tracy mentioning his skating skills not being up to scratch with the top of the field yet because he's so young (she says it so that you know she had no doubts he was going to catch up with them). The best thing about that comment though is it in comparison with her commentary from his SC 2019 SP about the steps ("He's laughing but we'll have words after the competition"). She saw what he could be when he was young and he has gone on to fulfill (if not entirely surpass) that potential - and, even better, she got to be part of that journey as one of his coaches.

 

My favorite Tracy Wilson commentary regarding Yuzu is still 2012 Worlds in Nice during the NBC coverage.

 

This was Yuzu's last competition with Nanami Abe as his coach and just a month or so before he would be going to the Toronto Cricket Club where Tracy would be one of his coaches.

 

I tried finding this video, but I couldn't. Just a few of the comments made by Tracy:

 

"When Yuzuru is on, his jumps are sensational. When he is off, his falls are spectacular. Opening with a quad toe – he's on!"

 

"Just 17 years of age, he is so exciting to watch because he holds nothing back!"

 

"Challenged by asthma, you can see he's gasping here."

 

"He's just a kid we will be watching going into Sochi! What an upside he has!"

 

What an upside indeed!

[memae]

There's a refreshing confidence about guys who are okay with being cute or wearing sparkles or whatever. It seems so much more natural than the aggressive/assertive macho kind of confidence of guys who have to remind everyone how masculine they are every twenty minutes and rag on guys who aren't 'real men' like they are. They're especially nasty or try-hard in figure skating, I think because they want so desperately to distinguish themselves from the skaters they see as 'feminine'. The thing is, the guys who don't care will end up showing more variety across their careers (and perhaps then also more skill) because they don't shy away from anything. 

 

We've seen Yuzu from all sides. He's got some very masculine programs - the air he takes on for Seimei and Origin is macho AF. We've seen him switch to something absolutely delicate at the same events for his Gala ex - Haru yo Koi and Notte Stellata particularly. We've even seen him change faces like that from one minute to the next during practices when he runs through different step sequences. He seems very comfortable in who he is and what he likes. That's the true confidence the world should want to see in men. The idea that 'macho' is the only acceptable version of masculinity is so ridiculous. Let the poor guys have some sparkles and flounces without questioning their membership to the tree house. 

[Fay]

18 minutes ago, Geo1 said:

 

My favorite Tracy Wilson commentary regarding Yuzu is still 2012 Worlds in Nice during the NBC coverage.

 

This was Yuzu's last competition with Nanami Abe as his coach and just a month or so before he would be going to the Toronto Cricket Club where Tracy would be one of his coaches.

 

I tried finding this video, but I couldn't. Just a few of the comments made by Tracy:

 

"When Yuzuru is on, his jumps are sensational. When he is off, his falls are spectacular. Opening with a quad toe – he's on!"

 

"Just 17 years of age, he is so exciting to watch because he holds nothing back!"

 

"Challenged by asthma, you can see he's gasping for breath here."

 

"He's just a kid we will be watching going into Sochi! What an upside he has!"

 

What an upside indeed!

There you are. 

 

[SitTwizzle]

17 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Well, open question here - is there any men's singles skaters on the scene right now that don't have at least some artistic (for lack of a better term) side? I can't think of anyone that is like, well, super macho in their presentation at the moment. No one flexing muscles and doing karate programs. I feel like men's skating has moved on, and the pursuit of beauty in the performance is more of a thing.  

Unfortunately, I feel that Nathan Chen has a potential to be a complete skater, rather on the less artistic side of course but a performer; but lately I was struck by the fact he was doing nothing more than bare elements with crossovers in between (which is explicitly forbidden by ISU rules and rarely seen even with novices I believe?) and these elements "as he can", without any "adaptation to the program". So, without lacking any artistic talent, at the moment (GPF particularly) I really see nothing artistic/performing in his skate.

[HRvF]

13 minutes ago, Fay said:

There you are. 

 

Boy, I love this skate so much, I always seem to be crying by the end... beautiful emotion 

(Somehow the fall makes it even more perfect - didn't he have an injury here? He said his left leg got tired from compensating for the right I think?)

 

And lovely commentary by Tracy!

[FlyingCamel]

21 minutes ago, Fay said:

There you are. 

 

His step sequence here is absolutely sensational! Can’t believe he had such artistry at just 17 years of age

I wonder if it’s something he’s born with? Or does he have life experiences that shape him into such an artist

[SitTwizzle]

8 minutes ago, HRvF said:

Boy, I love this skate so much, I always seem to be crying by the end... beautiful emotion 

(Somehow the fall makes it even more perfect - didn't he have an injury here? He said his left leg got tired from compensating for the right I think?)

 

And lovely commentary by Tracy!

He had sprained his right ankle during the practice before the short program. I suppose this is why he was "only" 7th at this short program.
This "superhuman" will, with the physical pain, added certainly to his expression. I never dared to watch the 2014 Cup of China skate while injured, but this, I am too hooled to avoid it though I feel somehow guilty.

 

FlyingCamel, he had survived the March 2011 earthquake which hit his hometown while he was practising at the rink, his parents' home was damaged beyond repair, etc.