General Skating Chat

[WinForPooh]

On 01/12/2017 at 12:03 AM, Xen said:

My 2 cents about Yuzu's skating. 

I think as fans, we really love his skating, but casual observers might not. And that unfortunately might just be due to the music choices.

You know, I don't really agree. I was a very casual observer who happened to watch H&L. It's not like I didn't ever watch skating before, but I watched it very casually and I knew nothing about it, just that it's a very beautiful sport. Yuzu's H&L is what made me want to understand skating.

 

When I joined the forum, and ever since then, I noticed that there are a LOT of satellites like me - ones who saw Yuzu's H&L pretty randomly and decided that this sport was worth getting into. There are a lot of people who saw YoI and watched a few skating videos, and suddenly found themselves pretty hooked on Yuzu, too. That's why Yuzu fans aren't exactly held in great esteem by 'proper' skating fans, I feel - because a lot if us are perceived to be people who just like him, not skating. Until you get into skating and start interacting with Yuzu's fans, you don't really get to know of how adorable he is, especially if you don't know Japanese. The fact that so many people who would've been considered casual observers started following skating because they saw Yuzu - not anybody else, saw him, especially H&L - that speaks to his appeal even if you know nothing about skating. That's down to his performance and interpretation. He turns casual observers into... well, people who obsessively read rules and check protocols and watch skating documentaries and videos. All that has made me appreciate his skating, but before that, before I even knew how many kinds of jumps there were, I just fell in love with his performance because it made me feel as if I had watched the complete athletic and artistic performance on ice. If that isn't the power of his performance and interpretation, I don't know what is.

 

ETA: The only other performance I've seen that made me react so instinctively was Jason's Riverdance at the nationals. I saw it only after I started learning a little about skating, but it's the closest I've felt to how I was completely drawn into a world created by a skater.

 

[Xen]

21 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

You know, I don't really agree. I was a very casual observer who happened to watch H&L. It's not like I didn't watch ever skating before, but I watched it very casually and I knew nothing about it, just that it's a very beautiful sport. Yuzu's H&L is what made me want to understand skating.

 

When I joined the forum, and ever since then, I noticed that there are a LOT of satellites like me - ones who saw Yuzu's H&L pretty randomly and decided that this sport was worth getting into. There are a lot of people who saw YoI and watched a few skating videos, and suddenly found themselves pretty hooked on Yuzu, too. That's why Yuzu fans aren't exactly held in great esteem by 'proper' skating fans, I feel - because a lot if us are perceived to be people who just like him, not skating. Until you get into skating and start interacting with Yuzu's fans, you don't really get to know of how adorable he is, especially if you don't know Japanese. The fact that so many people who would've been considered casual observers started following skating because they saw Yuzu - not anybody else, saw him, especially H&L - that speaks to his appeal even if you know nothing about skating. That's down to his performance and interpretation. He turns casual observers into... well, people who obsessively read rules and check protocols and watch skating documentaries and videos. All that has made me appreciate his skating, but before that, before I even knew how many kinds of jumps there were, I just fell in love with his performance because it made me feel as if I had watched the complete athletic and artistic performance on ice. If that isn't the power of his performance and interpretation, I don't know what is.

 

I wonder if it's a male/female difference of opinion then? Granted I talk about skating a lot more with male skaters outside of this forum, and there are more adult male skaters in my rink than female ones, and of the ones practicing jumps, spins etc, the only female skaters doing them are under 17 years old. And the general preference in terms of IN and PE from people I know is that Javi is ranked above Yuzu, and of Yuzu's programs Seimei 1.0 ranked above H&L.  But I would wonder then that Javi's, Shoma's, Patrick, Yuzu's POTO and Seimei then, are what we normally associate with Figure skating's artistry- dramatic, flamboyent, intense. So when a program like H&L comes along, we kind of don't know how to categorize and process it. Subjectivity being what it is, I can see the appeal of Javi's IN and PE with programs such as Malaguena and Blackbetty-it's closer to what we would associate with figure skating, and the certain solidity that they have versus the fluidity and delicacy of Yuzu's skating, is probably what people expect from male figure skaters, especially if like judges, they've been around a while. 

 

Granted, there were artistic  male figure skaters with a more delicate style- Jeffery Buttle, Johnny Weir, Todd Eldridge, Paul Wylie. But I would even then argue that such a style is more the exception than the norm, and quite a few have been accused of being too effeminate. 

 

Personally, I objectively know H&L was the harder program, but subjectively I like Seimei more than H&L. Part of it sadly is the music-Seimei's drama does draw me in more easily than H&L, H&L is more like music I would use for meditation and concentration. Which means, H&L is actually the harder music to express and portray on ice. 

 

Edit：You guys are lucky. Even though people I know like Yuzu, they don't actually feel emotional connection with his programs that often. So we usually just talk forever and forever about his technical perfection. It's more of an objective fact that he's the most all-around skater (maybe some of the guys just don't want to debate me since they can't win). But I think it's more the ease of his technical elements that sell him more than the music/drama that is used by other skaters. 

[SparkleSalad]

12 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

You know, I don't really agree. I was a very casual observer who happened to watch H&L. It's not like I didn't watch ever skating before, but I watched it very casually and I knew nothing about it, just that it's a very beautiful sport. Yuzu's H&L is what made me want to understand skating.

 

When I joined the forum, and ever since then, I noticed that there are a LOT of satellites like me - ones who saw Yuzu's H&L pretty randomly and decided that this sport was worth getting into. There are a lot of people who saw YoI and watched a few skating videos, and suddenly found themselves pretty hooked on Yuzu, too. That's why Yuzu fans aren't exactly held in great esteem by 'proper' skating fans, I feel - because a lot if us are perceived to be people who just like him, not skating. Until you get into skating and start interacting with Yuzu's fans, you don't really get to know of how adorable he is, especially if you don't know Japanese. The fact that so many people who would've been considered casual observers started following skating because they saw Yuzu - not anybody else, saw him, especially H&L - that speaks to his appeal even if you know nothing about skating. That's down to his performance and interpretation. He turns casual observers into... well, people who obsessively read rules and check protocols and watch skating documentaries and videos. All that has made me appreciate his skating, but before that, before I even knew how many kinds of jumps there were, I just fell in love with his performance because it made me feel as if I had watched the complete athletic and artistic performance on ice. If that isn't the power of his performance and interpretation, I don't know what is.

 

ETA: The only other performance I've seen that made me react so instinctively was Jason's Riverdance at the nationals. I saw it only after I started learning a little about skating, but it's the closest I've felt to how I was completely drawn into a world created by a skater.

 

 

I agree with all of this.  I’ve read so many stories similar to mine that I have to check I didn’t write them myself. 

 

My mother, who wanted to be a figure skater when she was younger and is a huge Torvill & Dean fan, watched the Cup of France broadcast on TV today and said, unprompted, when I walked in the room, “You know, the problem is that once you’ve seen Hanyu, it makes everyone else look like nothing.”

 

[WinForPooh]

1 minute ago, Xen said:

I wonder if it's a male/female difference of opinion then? Granted I talk about skating a lot more with male skaters outside of this forum, and there are more adult male skaters in my rink than female ones, and of the ones practicing jumps, spins etc, the only female skaters doing them are under 17 years old. And the general preference in terms of IN and PE from people I know is that Javi is ranked above Yuzu, and of Yuzu's programs Seimei 1.0 ranked above H&L.  But I would wonder then that Javi's, Shoma's, Patrick, Yuzu's POTO and Seimei then, are what we normally associate with Figure skating's artistry- dramatic, flamboyent, intense. So when a program like H&L comes along, we kind of don't know how to categorize and process it. Subjectivity being what it is, I can see the appeal of Javi's IN and PE with programs such as Malaguena and Blackbetty-it's closer to what we would associate with figure skating, and the certain solidity that they have versus the fluidity and delicacy of Yuzu's skating, is probably what people expect from male figure skaters, especially if like judges, they've been around a while. 

 

Granted, there were artistic and male figure skaters with a more delicate style- Jeffery Buttle, Johnny Weir, Todd Eldridge, Paul Wylie. But I would even then argue that such a style is more the exception than the norm, and quite a few have been accused of being too effeminate. 

 

Personally, I objectively know H&L was the harder program, but subjectively I like Seimei more than H&L. Part of it sadly is the music-Seimei's drama does draw me in more easily than H&L, H&L is more like music I would use for meditation and concentration. Which means, H&L is actually the harder music to express and portray on ice. 

That is actually an excellent point, because I always admired the spirals and spins. I think it might also be that you need to know at least a bit about what you're supposed to expect from men's skating to know that the delicacy of H&L isn't the norm.

 

I think I just didn't have expectations about men's figure skating being a different kind of interpretation because where I'm from, figure skating is simply not a thing. What I did get was from pop culture and that is usually more about beautiful, delicate, graceful princesses who are also strong enough to do beautiful, elegant jumps. I think maybe the people you consider casual observers have more exposure to skating and expectations from men's skating than I did. Yuzu's skating seemed like the perfecting of the most casual observer's idea of skating. I think I was a blanker slate than most casual observers from places where figure skating is at least a more common thing!

 

It might also be a reflection of me. Years ago, I happened to watch a gala on TV because there it was there and I was bored, and the one I still remember is Johnny Weir. I'm sure there were other more traditional performances, but I don't even remember who else was there.

[Xen]

29 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

That is actually an excellent point, because I always admired the spirals and spins. I think it might also be that you need to know at least a bit about what you're supposed to expect from men's skating to know that the delicacy of H&L isn't the norm.

 

I think I just didn't have expectations about men's figure skating being a different kind of interpretation because where I'm from, figure skating is simply not a thing. What I did get was from pop culture and that is usually more about beautiful, delicate, graceful princesses who are also strong enough to do beautiful, elegant jumps. I think maybe the people you consider casual observers have more exposure to skating and expectations from men's skating than I did. Yuzu's skating seemed like the perfecting of the most casual observer's idea of skating. I think I was a blanker slate than most casual observers from places where figure skating is at least a more common thing!

 

It might also be a reflection of me. Years ago, I happened to watch a gala on TV because there it was there and I was bored, and the one I still remember is Johnny Weir. I'm sure there were other more traditional performances, but I don't even remember who else was there.

Not really, the casual observers I have are not any more knowledgeable-actually it's ironically at times the "blank slates" who tend to get into his skating more and get away from preconceived notions. And spirals and spins usually, when choreographed right, are suppose to give "take your breath away" moments. It's only recently that they are not timed that way-with a few exceptions such as Karen Chen and Miyahara.

 

And then, preconceived notions is I think the main barrier for Yuzu-because his style and H&L in particular is not that stereotypical in my memory of men's skating. I could be wrong, but my general impression of men's skaters tend to be either they fall into the athletic camp, or the soft artistic camp. This seems to be the way media portrays it. Contrast Plushenko (the former) versus Johnny Weir (the latter). Even cases such as Yagudin, I think you can make an argument that he's more the athletic camp if contrasted to Johnny Weir. Now, Yuzu is some blend of both, he's comfortably in the middle, with athletic omnipotence and artistic sensibility. And people don't know how to classify him so he causes some discomfort. Then we can also argue that people aren't really comfortable with admitting perfection exists, but that's another story. 

 

@SparkleSalad: you asked about weaknesses before yes? Well my favorite program of Yuzu's to date is Chopin SP (2.0 and 3.0 being preferred). One hint: opening first series of moves before the SE-4S-SE. I also suggest you try overlaying a pianists' hands over a vid of Yuzu's step sequence towards the end, the really passionate, crescendo, furious part-it's a beautiful imagery but might kill you. 

 

 

[WinForPooh]

11 minutes ago, Xen said:

Not really, the casual observers I have are not any more knowledgeable-actually it's ironically at times the "blank slates" who tend to get into his skating more and get away from preconceived notions. And spirals and spins usually, when choreographed right, are suppose to give "take your breath away" moments. It's only recently that they are not timed that way-with a few exceptions such as Karen Chen and Miyahara. 

I guess we're both saying the same thing - the ones who really know nothing pften just see how beautiful Yuzu's skating is, or how fun it is, without really knowing how good a skater he is. Those who know skating appreciate how good his skills are but have a firmer opinion on what kind of presentation and performance they like. I guess this just shows how subjective In and Pe are.

[SparkleSalad]

Re: interpretation etc. and popularity, without wanting to sound like a terrible, awful snob, I feel the difference between the crowd-pleasing routines and what Yuzu (of course, not only Yuzu) produces might be, for lack of a better, less judgemental-sounding word, “sophistication” which, to be frank, not as many people can appreciate compared with programs that smack you in the face. (I don’t expect judges to all be able to appreciate this, either.) I don’t think it’s any surprise that PW is one of his most popular programs among non-fans.

 

Anyway, it’s that sophistication that draws me, at least, to his performances, along with his emotional sincerity. I suppose another way to say it would be “emotional and artistic depth of expression.” 

 

Before I found Hanyu, with a few exceptions, I’d found FS to generally be pretty gaudy and crude. (I’m so sorry. I sound so snobby.  Please forgive me.)

I’m a fan of Javi, too, but I don’t think he has that same depth (ie. his routines are very easy to understand) or perhaps he’s just not compelled artistically to present it. I don’t think he needs to, either. I love the variety of personalities and performances figure skating showcases! I wouldn’t call him showy, though, and I think his style strikes a really great balance which might be what makes him so watchable and so popular. I haven’t really found anyone who doesn’t like him! 

 

I’m not exactly sure appreciation or not of Hanyu’s programs is entirely a gender thing. I think it might be to some degree a cultural thing, too, though that of course can include all that fun macho nonsense. For what it’s worth, my Australian (see: blokey capital of the world) dad’s two favourite skaters are Hanyu and Lambiel, not exactly the most masculine. In fact, I would say they’re the most beautiful male skaters (in terms of skating, not looks.) He also likes Johnny Weir a lot. Actually, those three seem to be the favourites of my whole family.  

 

We have all been drawn in by Hanyu, though, through the masterpieces of SEIMEI, H&L, Chopin, and Notte Stellata. Before that we only watched the Olympics or bits and pieces if we accidentally caught them on TV. 

 

As for H&L vs SEIMEI I don’t rank one above the other in terms of expression except that H&L of course has the benefit of another year of training and experience. I think SEIMEI is as “sophisticated” as H&L but it also has that surface layer of drama and excitement that can draw anyone in, not to mention the terrifying charisma of the fellow skating it! H&L is much more philosophical and meditative but SEIMEI is like a vortex of intensity from which there’s no escape.

 

I don’t remember what the point of this mishmash of a mess of a post was but I hope I haven’t said anything too controversial. 

[SparkleSalad]

29 minutes ago, Xen said:

Not really, the casual observers I have are not any more knowledgeable-actually it's ironically at times the "blank slates" who tend to get into his skating more and get away from preconceived notions. And spirals and spins usually, when choreographed right, are suppose to give "take your breath away" moments. It's only recently that they are not timed that way-with a few exceptions such as Karen Chen and Miyahara.

 

And then, preconceived notions is I think the main barrier for Yuzu-because his style and H&L in particular is not that stereotypical in my memory of men's skating. I could be wrong, but my general impression of men's skaters tend to be either they fall into the athletic camp, or the soft artistic camp. This seems to be the way media portrays it. Contrast Plushenko (the former) versus Johnny Weir (the latter). Even cases such as Yagudin, I think you can make an argument that he's more the athletic camp if contrasted to Johnny Weir. Now, Yuzu is some blend of both, he's comfortably in the middle, with athletic omnipotence and artistic sensibility. And people don't know how to classify him so he causes some discomfort. Then we can also argue that people aren't really comfortable with admitting perfection exists, but that's another story. 

 

@SparkleSalad: you asked about weaknesses before yes? Well my favorite program of Yuzu's to date is Chopin SP (2.0 and 3.0 being preferred). One hint: opening first series of moves before the SE-4S-SE. I also suggest you try overlaying a pianists' hands over a vid of Yuzu's step sequence towards the end, the really passionate, crescendo, furious part-it's a beautiful imagery but might kill you. 

 

 

 

Mine and my mother’s weakness, also. It plays in this house multiple times a day.  I think the choreography is utterly brilliant and I’ve always found it to look as if he is playing the music with his body, rather than moving to it. The entry into the first spin in 2.0 especially looks just like fingers striking those notes on the keyboard.

 

And I am already dead so I don’t mind being killed again.

[WinForPooh]

12 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

Re: interpretation etc. and popularity, without wanting to sound like a terrible, awful snob, I feel the difference between the crowd-pleasing routines and what Yuzu (of course, not only Yuzu) produces might be, for lack of a better, less judgemental-sounding word, “sophistication” which, to be frank, not as many people can appreciate compared with programs that smack you in the face. (I don’t expect judges to all be able to appreciate this, either.) I don’t think it’s any surprise that PW is one of his most popular programs among non-fans.

 

Anyway, it’s that sophistication that draws me, at least, to his performances, along with his emotional sincerity. I suppose another way to say it would be “emotional and artistic depth of expression.” 

 

Before I found Hanyu, with a few exceptions, I’d found FS to generally be pretty gaudy and crude. (I’m so sorry. I sound so snobby.  Please forgive me.)

I’m a fan of Javi, too, but I don’t think he has that same depth (ie. his routines are very easy to understand) or perhaps he’s just not compelled artistically to present it. I don’t think he needs to, either. I love the variety of personalities and performances figure skating showcases! I wouldn’t call him showy, though, and I think his style strikes a really great balance which might be what makes him so watchable and so popular. I haven’t really found anyone who doesn’t like him! 

 

I’m not exactly sure appreciation or not of Hanyu’s programs is entirely a gender thing. I think it might be to some degree a cultural thing, too, though that of course can include all that fun macho nonsense. For what it’s worth, my Australian (see: blokey capital of the world) dad’s two favourite skaters are Hanyu and Lambiel, not exactly the most masculine. In fact, I would say they’re the most beautiful male skaters (in terms of skating, not looks.) He also likes Johnny Weir a lot. Actually, those three seem to be the favourites of my whole family.  

 

We have all been drawn in by Hanyu, though, through the masterpieces of SEIMEI, H&L, Chopin, and Notte Stellata. Before that we only watched the Olympics or bits and pieces if we accidentally caught them on TV. 

 

As for H&L vs SEIMEI I don’t rank one above the other in terms of expression except that H&L of course has the benefit of another year of training and experience. I think SEIMEI is as “sophisticated” as H&L but it also has that surface layer of drama and excitement that can draw anyone in, not to mention the terrifying charisma of the fellow skating it! H&L is much more philosophical and meditative but SEIMEI is like a vortex of intensity from which there’s no escape.

 

I don’t remember what the point of this mishmash of a mess of a post was but I hope I haven’t said anything too controversial. 

I'm just sitting here laughing at the idea of me having sophisticated tastes, sorry.

 

[SparkleSalad]

6 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

I'm just sitting here laughing at the idea of me having sophisticated tastes, sorry.

 

 

Father Ted fans are all sophisticated! 

 

Also I want to clarify that I don’t think not liking Hanyu makes a person unsophisticated, and I don’t think liking crowd pleasing skaters are routines makes a person unsophisticated, either! I like a variety of skaters and styles, myself, but of course my preferences are pretty clear.  What I mean to say is it perhaps takes a bit more work to appreciate his skating if it’s not already your preferred style. 

 

I really liked watching Satoko on TV because I had similar feelings about her skating but in person I felt like no one was there and 5 minutes later couldn’t remember a thing she did (though she’d just come back and obviously wasn’t at her best.) But in person I found her to be too subtle. On the other hand, skaters like V&M who I always thought were just cringe dance sports on ice really blew my socks off and turned me into an instant fan! I wonder how many opinions about who is the best at IN and PE are formed in front of TVs and how many in person.

[Xen]

12 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

I'm just sitting here laughing at the idea of me having sophisticated tastes, sorry.

 

uh, to balance all that out, remember that there is THE KOI DANCE, and his bieber routine.

[cirelle]

5 hours ago, WinForPooh said:

You know, I don't really agree. I was a very casual observer who happened to watch H&L. It's not like I didn't ever watch skating before, but I watched it very casually and I knew nothing about it, just that it's a very beautiful sport. Yuzu's H&L is what made me want to understand skating.

 

When I joined the forum, and ever since then, I noticed that there are a LOT of satellites like me - ones who saw Yuzu's H&L pretty randomly and decided that this sport was worth getting into. There are a lot of people who saw YoI and watched a few skating videos, and suddenly found themselves pretty hooked on Yuzu, too. That's why Yuzu fans aren't exactly held in great esteem by 'proper' skating fans, I feel - because a lot if us are perceived to be people who just like him, not skating. Until you get into skating and start interacting with Yuzu's fans, you don't really get to know of how adorable he is, especially if you don't know Japanese. The fact that so many people who would've been considered casual observers started following skating because they saw Yuzu - not anybody else, saw him, especially H&L - that speaks to his appeal even if you know nothing about skating. That's down to his performance and interpretation. He turns casual observers into... well, people who obsessively read rules and check protocols and watch skating documentaries and videos. All that has made me appreciate his skating, but before that, before I even knew how many kinds of jumps there were, I just fell in love with his performance because it made me feel as if I had watched the complete athletic and artistic performance on ice. If that isn't the power of his performance and interpretation, I don't know what is.

 

ETA: The only other performance I've seen that made me react so instinctively was Jason's Riverdance at the nationals. I saw it only after I started learning a little about skating, but it's the closest I've felt to how I was completely drawn into a world created by a skater.

 

 

This. Thank you for writing almost exactly what I've been thinking! I was the most casual of watchers only watching the WC bc it was on tv that weekend and why not and then LGC and H&L killed me. I basically liked no one else in the men's field that competition. Maybe it'd've been different if I'd seen a H&L with a fall for the first time, but as it was it is definitively a vehicle to get casuals into FS. 

[katonice]

6 hours ago, kaeryth said:

 

At least it's less of an eyesore than the current one being used?

 

I think this is the technical controller's panel though and not the judges'. Though the point still remains the UI is just one big colorful hard-on-the-eyes mess 

[WinForPooh]

4 hours ago, SparkleSalad said:

 

Father Ted fans are all sophisticated! 

 

Also I want to clarify that I don’t think not liking Hanyu makes a person unsophisticated, and I don’t think liking crowd pleasing skaters are routines makes a person unsophisticated, either! I like a variety of skaters and styles, myself, but of course my preferences are pretty clear.  What I mean to say is it perhaps takes a bit more work to appreciate his skating if it’s not already your preferred style. 

 

I really liked watching Satoko on TV because I had similar feelings about her skating but in person I felt like no one was there and 5 minutes later couldn’t remember a thing she did (though she’d just come back and obviously wasn’t at her best.) But in person I found her to be too subtle. On the other hand, skaters like V&M who I always thought were just cringe dance sports on ice really blew my socks off and turned me into an instant fan! I wonder how many opinions about who is the best at IN and PE are formed in front of TVs and how many in person.

Yes, TV and actual performance seen live - like when cows are small, and when they're far away.

 

But I see what you mean about styles. Among the ladies, I still like Mai so much, even if Wakaba has more of what I call performance juice. Zhenya is a wonderful athlete and she seems like a sweetheart but seeing her programmes on a screen does nothing for me. Same for Alina, I find the two very similar. Satoko seems very refined - a little too good for the likes of me.

 

But there we go, we both like the Pumpkin King, don't we? He's not the best skater but there's something very charismatic about how he gets totally into the character, without seeming self-conscious about it. It's no wonder our general tastes lie in a similar direction!

[SparkleSalad]

2 minutes ago, WinForPooh said:

Yes, TV and actual performance seen live - like when cows are small, and when they're far away.

 

But I see what you mean about styles. Among the ladies, I still like Mai so much, even if Wakaba has more of what I call performance juice. Zhenya is a wonderful athlete and she seems like a sweetheart but seeing her programmes on a screen does nothing for me. Same for Alina, I find the two very similar. Satoko seems very refined - a little too good for the likes of me.

 

But there we go, we both like the Pumpkin King, don't we? He's not the best skater but there's something very charismatic about how he gets totally into the character, without seeming self-conscious about it. It's no wonder our general tastes lie in a similar direction!

 

I think Evgenia is a fine athlete, fierce as can be, and ridiculously cute and sweet and wonderful but the pantomime style is not my favourite. In person it's a lot more tolerable, though. Actually, I didn't really notice it all that much, much to my surprise. What I did notice was a lack of flow and artistry and it my be that close-ups of those exaggerated facial expressions on TV actually add something afterall. Watching her in person made me very aware that I was watching a sport. That being said, I now know she was injured at the time so I don't feel like it's entirely fair to form an opinion based on what I saw at that competition. 

 

Real-life fairy Satoko is not only the epitome of refinement but also sooooo teeny weeny that perhaps she would benefit from a bit more force and projection. Even from an arena seat she was too small or far away to really connect with. 

 

I'm not sure any skaters actively try to reach a balance in their performance that makes them both appealing on and off screen (I would think the only goal would be to impress the judges) but I really appreciate now those that can be both. I so wish I could have seen Yuzu to find out where he falls on the scale. I'd expect he'd be the kind that is much more impressive live, as everyone says. He's incredibly lucky to be under the wings of so many wonderful and artistically sensitive people. I'm so, so happy for him that choosing a coach based on quads happened to lead him down this magical path.  💞

 

And Pumpkin King is beyond all crticism... because he can read your thoughts and will turn you into pumpkin pulp if you dare question him. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃