[Article] Quads: Quality Trumps Quantity by Noriko Shirota

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

 

10 時間前, Floriaさんが言いました:

Article about Yuzu in today's newspaper. 

Can somebody translate what it is about, please?

 

Kind of rough around the edges, since I dont see any real point in polishing it but here, took a shot at it:

引用

This Olympic season has turned out to be one full of twists and turns (so far). The reigning world champion, Yuzuru Hanyu (ANA), sustained an injury on his right leg while jumping a 4lz during practice and was forced to withdraw from NHK Trophy, one of the competitions that make up the Grand Prix series, leaving him without a chance to defend his GPF title a 5th consecutive time.

 

Over the last several years, jumps have progressed in leaps and bounds with skaters in the men's field trying to outdo one another by expanding their arsenal of quads and increasing their numbers within their programs. However, this goes hand in hand with injuries as the risk of them skyrockets. On the surface, figure skating is presented to the audience in an aesthetically pleasing package of elegant costumes and musical movements, belying the fact that it is an extremely harsh sport, something we now keenly feel.

 

The reason Yuzuru is reigning on top of his field has absolutely nothing to do with the fact he is able to pull off difficult jumps. Having dealt with these jumps for as many years as I have, this piece of fact is something I wish I could scream to the world at the top of my lungs. The truth is, he doesn't have to do what the younger competitors are doing in adding more quads to their arsenal. All he really needs to do is to keep polishing the ones that he already has.

 

Here is what I am saying: the degree of perfection of his each and every jump is without competition. There are six different kinds of jumps, each with different edges from which they have to be executed, and the number of skaters who are able to cleanly execute all of them (according to the rules) is a surprisingly low one. For some skaters, it is strikingly difficult to clearly tell apart their edges and air position. This is a huge problem. Yuzuru is one of the very few skaters whose jumps, all 6 of them, anyone can clearly see are both clean as a whistle and impeccably executed.

 

Moreover, he inserts intricate steps before and after his jumps, completely blending the jumps into his programs. Yuzuru has never been purely about jumps. He has always been about perfection and therein lies his ultimate strength. Together with the originality in his steps and his spins, he leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. The fact that his performances are built upon and steeped completely in sky-high technical prowess deserves a special mention.

 

I have seen more than my fair share of skaters in my long career, but I cannot in all honesty say I have seen a single one who is able to match the way he expresses the theme of his chosen music, nor have I ever seen one who is able to so completely embody a character within a piece of music as well as he does. There is true pleasure behind figure skating. Yuzuru's skate is filled to the brim with it.

 

While it is true that pursuing the challenge of attempting new jumps is what keeps him motivated, injuries remain his biggest foes. It's time he realizes that no one should be more aware of this than he is. Whether or not a skater is healthy when he or she enters the rink can make all the difference between victory and defeat. I do not think there is an ounce of exaggeration in those words. As long as he remains able to keep himself healthy, I do not see any way for anyone else to catch up to him.

 

As the star who is aiming for a second straight gold, a feat that hasn't been repeated in 66 years, the sheer breadth of Yuzuru Hanyu's existence is made more prominent by his current (unfortunate) absence.

 

[meoima]

Thank you so much for translating this. I really love this part:

Quote

Here is what I am saying: the degree of perfection of his each and every jump is without competition. There are six different kinds of jumps, each with different edges from which they have to be executed, and the number of skaters who are able to cleanly execute all of them (according to the rules) is a surprisingly low one. For some skaters, it is strikingly difficult to clearly tell apart their edges and air position. This is a huge problem. Yuzuru is one of the very few skaters whose jumps, all 6 of them, anyone can clearly see are both clean as a whistle and impeccably executed.

 

The writer is an ex-ice dancer my friend said. She really knows FS very well. 

[Neenah]

Thank you very much, that was a great read 

[axelsandwich]

Thank you for translating - I’m glad someone is pointing out the superior quality of Yuzu’s jumps and his transitions because the relative scoring doesn’t always reflect this 

[kaeryth]

Thank you! It's nice to read how much his complexity and completeness as a skater is appreciated

[Saya]

Thank you so much for the translation! This article was particularly enjoyable to read. 

[yuzupon]

Bringing this thread up because what a confirmation Zu's 2nd OGM is to Shirota-san's words. 

[Dreamer]

So prescient to say: .he didn't need new quads...he only has to polish the ones he has to win!!!  Angelo Dolfino said the same thing. I believe Plushenko may have said something similar.  All I know is that I would rather watch Yuzu skate any of his SP or FP than watch a quadfest of 5-6 quads with little else.