General Yuzuru Chat

[rockstaryuzu]

10 hours ago, peach-blossom said:

So I’ve been going through Twitter and Reddit and I see loads of posts saying people should “Support all skaters equally” and I don’t really understand this. Is this something unique to the sport of skating? I’m a pretty big cricket fan and it’s unthinkable for an Indian to say we should cheer Pakistan too xD (although that’s probably the nationalist aspect coming through)

Just wanted to know your thoughts!

If you go to a live competition, you'll understand it a bit better. Of course everyone has favorites that they're going to cheer for more, but when you witness all the skaters out there on the ice working so hard, it's impossible to have that 'us vs them' mentality that you get with team sports. You end up appreciating and enjoying all the performances of every skater. 

 

I have witnessed, just once, some extreme fans of one skater who decided to boo the next skater who came on the ice after him. The skater they were fans of noticed, and was furious, and sharply gestured at/ commanded them to shut up.  That's because what they were doing was incredibly rude and hurtful to the skater on the ice. The connection between audience and athlete in a rink is so different from in any other sport. It feels really personal. So the dynamic changes. 

 

But make no mistake, the banners and the stuffed animals only come out for the big favorites. Every skater gets at least polite applause. And every fall that any skater takes gets a gasp of concern (because they hit that ice hard), even if it's someone unpopular. No one wants to see people get hurt before their very eyes. 

 

That being said, it's perfectly normal to hope that your personal favorite will have the best skate. 

 

[SitTwizzle]

5 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

If you go to a live competition, you'll understand it a bit better. Of course everyone has favorites that they're going to cheer for more, but when you witness all the skaters out there on the ice working so hard, it's impossible to have that 'us vs them' mentality that you get with team sports. You end up appreciating and enjoying all the performances of every skater. 

 

I have witnessed, just once, some extreme fans of one skater who decided to boo the next skater who came on the ice after him. They skater they were fans of noticed, and was furious, and sharply gestured at/ commanded them to shut up.  That's because what they were doing was incredibly rude and hurtful to the skater on the ice. The connection between audience and athlete in a rink is so different from in any other sport. It feels really personal. So the dynamic changes. 

 

But make no mistake, the banners and the stuffed animals only come out for the big favorites. 

 

I believe there's a huge difference between rooting for a particular skater (or two, or more) and disrespecting the others! Even presence and applauds are hardly optional, booing is a shame.

[Geo1]

25 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

But make no mistake, the banners and the stuffed animals only come out for the big favorites. 

 

Didn’t you mean to say, “favourite” singular? 

[yumeaki]

I can fly for Yuzu but not for any other skater. 

“Support all skaters equally” will bankrupt me in this way. 

 

At a competition, I can clap for every skaters after their skates but I only send gift to Yuzu. 

 

The only way I 'support all skaters equally' is not to say anything bad of them but critique their skates is not saying anything bad imo.

[Dreamer]

14 hours ago, FlyingCamel said:

Random but I was scrolling through this Yuzu fan account on instagram (@/yuzu_yuzuru) and realised that Sergei Rozanov liked several posts from the 2018 Olympics days... wonder if he’s a Yuzu fan too 😯

 

I wouldn't be surprised....Russians have an appreciation for artistic figureskating, rhythmic gymnastics, ballet etc unlike your generic American....(I know I am generalizing)  who seem to think N**C is the best thing to happen to figure skating since sliced bread

[mercedes]

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

If you go to a live competition, you'll understand it a bit better. Of course everyone has favorites that they're going to cheer for more, but when you witness all the skaters out there on the ice working so hard, it's impossible to have that 'us vs them' mentality that you get with team sports. You end up appreciating and enjoying all the performances of every skater. 

 

I have witnessed, just once, some extreme fans of one skater who decided to boo the next skater who came on the ice after him. The skater they were fans of noticed, and was furious, and sharply gestured at/ commanded them to shut up.  That's because what they were doing was incredibly rude and hurtful to the skater on the ice. The connection between audience and athlete in a rink is so different from in any other sport. It feels really personal. So the dynamic changes. 

 

But make no mistake, the banners and the stuffed animals only come out for the big favorites. Every skater gets at least polite applause. And every fall that any skater takes gets a gasp of concern (because they hit that ice hard), even if it's someone unpopular. No one wants to see people get hurt before their very eyes. 

 

That being said, it's perfectly normal to hope that your personal favorite will have the best skate. 

 

I understand that perfectly and you are right but I fear this idea of supporting every single skater is seen as putting up banners for everybody,and sort of regulating the number of stuffed animals you can throw because otherwise other 'poor' skaters have to wait to skate or are under pressure,it seems to me like  moral police at work and I resent that.I've seen people claiming they are in FS for Yuzuru alone and other people telling them it's wrong,you are not a real FS fan and you should support more then one skater,sorry i cannot agree with this kind of behaviour.

[Figure_Frenzy]

12 hours ago, peach-blossom said:

So I’ve been going through Twitter and Reddit and I see loads of posts saying people should “Support all skaters equally” and I don’t really understand this. Is this something unique to the sport of skating? I’m a pretty big cricket fan and it’s unthinkable for an Indian to say we should cheer Pakistan too xD (although that’s probably the nationalist aspect coming through)

Just wanted to know your thoughts!

 

I think this stems from the assumption that figure skating is such a niche sport, there are not that many spectators to begin with, to the point where it seems like if a certain skater amasses a large percentage of supporters from the available spectators, there wouldn't be many people left to be other skaters' supporters, if supporting skaters works exclusively the way it works in other sports (football, cricket, hockey, what have you). Hence the message (mostly directed to this large percentage of supporters of this certain skater lbr) "support all skaters equally".

 

As @rockstaryuzu pointed out once you are at the rink you can't help but feel for all skaters to do their best, so you cheer for all of them, sending each of them the moral support. Outside the rink though? For me at least, while I have other favorites in FS, I still have my ultimate favorite, and it is him that I'll root for the most.

Also people seem to forget this but wanting Yuzu to win ≠ wanting other skaters to do badly (because you know, other skaters can do well but Yuzu does better and it ends up with him winning the comp).

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, Geo1 said:

 

Didn’t you mean to say, “favourite” singular? 

Hey, he's not the only one who gets banners and stuffies! Lots of skaters have a following. Although he's the only one who gets Pooh rain!

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, mercedes said:

I understand that perfectly and you are right but I fear this idea of supporting every single skater is seen as putting up banners for everybody,and sort of regulating the number of stuffed animals you can throw because otherwise other 'poor' skaters have to wait to skate or are under pressure,it seems to me like  moral police at work and I resent that.I've seen people claiming they are in FS for Yuzuru alone and other people telling them it's wrong,you are not a real FS fan and you should support more then one skater,sorry i cannot agree with this kind of behaviour.

To each their own, really. If someone wants to put up banners for every single skater because that's what they think is fun, then let them design, print, pay for, and put up said banners without hindrance, but don't expect me to participate.  On the other hand, also don't expect me to tell them they're wrong and should stop. It's important to realize all these arguments work in reverse, too -  last thing I want is someone telling me that I'm not a 'real' Yuzu fan because I happen to cheer for, say, Piper and Paul, as well. 

 

About the folks who say they're only watching figure skating for Yuzu (aka, they're only watching Yuzu)

1. Don't you think that this would make him sad? He loves figure skating so much and wants us all to enjoy it in all it's many forms and has said so in interviews. 

2. Those fans are quite free to do what makes them happy, provided they don't interfere with anyone else's enjoyment. For example, if you're at a live competition, don't disturb the rest of the audience by constantly moving around the stands and in and out of your seat while every else is trying to watch non-Yuzu skaters, because that's just rude. 

3. I personally wish for those fans to learn to enjoy all of figure skating because everywhere you look, there's amazing stuff being done in this sport. It's not just Yuzu. But that is because I think they're missing out on even more joy.

4. Certain of the 'only Yuzu' fans engage in some really scary, stalking-like behaviours towards him. This may be why certain other fans look at them askance. But that has little to do with what we're talking about and more to do with other issues. 

5. The whole 'you're not a 'real' FS fan argument smacks of gate-keeping to me. It's like saying, "only people who still mourn the 6.0 system can be real fans" or "only people who study the rule book obsessively can be real fans". Some people are going to be in it for different reasons than others, that's just life.  

 

 

 

 

[barbara]

4 hours ago, Geo1 said:

 

 

These people who advocate supporting all skaters must view figure skating from the point of view of non-owner dog lovers or cat lovers at a dog or cat show.

 

I consider myself a fan of Yuzu and not necessarily a figure skating fan. Before Yuzu, I casually watched figure skating during the Olympics if I happened upon it, but it was Yuzu’s skating that got me hooked. When Yuzu retires, I may not watch figure skating again, although time will tell.

 

Therefore, since I am totally invested in Yuzu, me bad and sometimes hope that some skaters have a disaster skate.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I feel the same (not embarrassed that Yuzu is the focus of my FS interest and that interest would plummet if not for him) about secretly hoping that certain skaters will have disaster skates.  Fall.  Screw up. Not be injured, though (except maybe a little bit), but definitely have bad skates, especially in they're in a competition with Yuzu - 

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, Figure_Frenzy said:

because you know, other skaters can do well but Yuzu does better and it ends up with him winning the comp).

In fact, Yuzu has said on more than one occasion that this would be his preferred way to win - for everyone to do amazing and have their best skates ever, and for himself to still win because his skating was the best of all. 

[SitTwizzle]

1 hour ago, Figure_Frenzy said:

 

I think this stems from the assumption that figure skating is such a niche sport, there are not that many spectators to begin with, to the point where it seems like if a certain skater amasses a large percentage of supporters from the available spectators, there wouldn't be many people left to be other skaters' supporters, if supporting skaters works exclusively the way it works in other sports (football, cricket, hockey, what have you). Hence the message (mostly directed to this large percentage of supporters of this certain skater lbr) "support all skaters equally".

 

As @rockstaryuzu pointed out once you are at the rink you can't help but feel for all skaters to do their best, so you cheer for all of them, sending each of them the moral support. Outside the rink though? For me at least, while I have other favorites in FS, I still have my ultimate favorite, and it is him that I'll root for the most.

Also people seem to forget this but wanting Yuzu to win ≠ wanting other skaters to do badly (because you know, other skaters can do well but Yuzu does better and it ends up with him winning the comp).

Well, if it were not for him, there would simply be waaay less spectators.

And each and every skater is "free" to become as good as Yuzuru Hanyu.

It is not as if he was loved that much purely because he is "cute" or thinks like that, as far as I am concerned it is because he is so much better than the others, that he managed to make a trump of inherent handicaps of figure skating*, and to invent a new form of dance, and it is wonderfully beautiful, and such things don't happen often in a life.

So, maybe not all fanyus are "authentic fans of figure skating", one can be merely drawn by the magic of his skating, but even these often come to discover more about figure skating and may love it, plus he clearly influences so many skaters in the best way, and it is so pleasant to watch them, to see the huge progresses, at least with singles, to see promising novices, juniors and new seniors growing... with different levels of competence/accuracy. Why should all figure skating public be dilettante? Why couldn't they be casual viewers, and diffuse a liking of the sport which can in turn bring other people to like it or to love it and even to practice it? The more, the merrier (well, the scarier sometimes, of course.)

 

 

* A bit like... (Sorry for those who felt offended by the anime.)

 

[mercedes]

46 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

To each their own, really. If someone wants to put up banners for every single skater because that's what they think is fun, then let them design, print, pay for, and put up said banners without hindrance, but don't expect me to participate.  On the other hand, also don't expect me to tell them they're wrong and should stop. It's important to realize all these arguments work in reverse, too -  last thing I want is someone telling me that I'm not a 'real' Yuzu fan because I happen to cheer for, say, Piper and Paul, as well. 

 

About the folks who say they're only watching figure skating for Yuzu (aka, they're only watching Yuzu)

1. Don't you think that this would make him sad? He loves figure skating so much and wants us all to enjoy it in all it's many forms and has said so in interviews. 

2. Those fans are quite free to do what makes them happy, provided they don't interfere with anyone else's enjoyment. For example, if you're at a live competition, don't disturb the rest of the audience by constantly moving around the stands and in and out of your seat while every else is trying to watch non-Yuzu skaters, because that's just rude. 

3. I personally wish for those fans to learn to enjoy all of figure skating because everywhere you look, there's amazing stuff being done in this sport. It's not just Yuzu. But that is because I think they're missing out on even more joy.

4. Certain of the 'only Yuzu' fans engage in some really scary, stalking-like behaviours towards him. This may be why certain other fans look at them askance. But that has little to do with what we're talking about and more to do with other issues. 

5. The whole 'you're not a 'real' FS fan argument smacks of gate-keeping to me. It's like saying, "only people who still mourn the 6.0 system can be real fans" or "only people who study the rule book obsessively can be real fans". Some people are going to be in it for different reasons than others, that's just life.  

 

 

 

 

1.mmm maybe?but what can you do?as you cannot force people to support more skaters as you said ,you cannot do the opposite.

2.of course,live competition apart I was more on the general way.

4.stalking is a crime,you get no argument from me for sure!

 

I agree to be respectful inside the rink and to always think twice before writing stuff online (or to harass skaters on their Social media accounts for example)but I just resent the idea that somebody has to tell me the right way to follow FS.Yuzuru will always be my fave no matter what,but I still enjoy watching other skaters,but if other people cannot what can you do?as long as they behave nicely during live competition it's fine by me.

[IceWings]

15 hours ago, peach-blossom said:

So I’ve been going through Twitter and Reddit and I see loads of posts saying people should “Support all skaters equally” and I don’t really understand this. Is this something unique to the sport of skating? I’m a pretty big cricket fan and it’s unthinkable for an Indian to say we should cheer Pakistan too xD (although that’s probably the nationalist aspect coming through)

Just wanted to know your thoughts!

 

Yeah, tell that to the ISU. When they start to "Support all skaters equally" with fair scores, then maybe I will too. 

 

[memae]

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

In fact, Yuzu has said on more than one occasion that this would be his preferred way to win - for everyone to do amazing and have their best skates ever, and for himself to still win because his skating was the best of all. 

 

We still haven't seen a clean Nathan vs a clean Yuzu in the same competition. Regardless of who wins (although, of course, I'd be hoping for Yuzuru), wouldn't it be a thing to see? 

 

My favourite event from my own athletic career goes right back to its early days when I was 12 or 13. It was 200m freestyle and there were 4 of us who were all chasing gold. We did that whole race in a line and we all touched the wall so close that we had to wait for results to know who won. I got the silver. We all did personal bests. It's the medal I'm proudest of even though I have a lot of shinies from much higher level competitions. It's just that we all gave it our all. It's the only race I've ever been in where I can say that we all had a great race. I didn't get silver because someone else had a bad swim. I didn't miss out on the gold because I had a bad swim. I won a race years and years later because the girl who touched first twitched on the blocks and was disqualified. Not nearly the same feeling. 

 

I think experiencing that perfect race when I was so young has a lot to do with how I perceive sport - besides football (the Australian kind), which is a different kind of thing. I wouldn't care if someone from my team had to illegally break someone else's ribs if it meant we won. In the heat of the moment, I'd probably even encourage it while yelling at the TV. But every other sport - I just want the best from everyone. If everyone does their best, the sport moves forward. That's how records get broken in swimming. That's how Yuzu imagined and developed the quality of his transitions. That's how he endeavours for the 4A.