Highly doubt they'd arrange to practice in Japan and fly back and forth, I'd say asthma can also be triggered by changes in environment so I'd probably stay in one place in order to acclimate properly (and apparently Korea also occasionally has a smog problem though I don't see it happening so much in Pyeongchang as opposed to eg. Seoul). I'd ideally want Yuzu to skip the OP too, but I feel like he'd probably want to go. 

Honestly, I typed out a whole paragraph about pros/cons/worries about the team event and ensuing media storm but I just don't even know at this point - history, past examples etc. are ultimately all useless and even speculating feels like I'm going around in circles now due to the radio silence on Yuzu's end. I feel like I just need to reach a state of acceptance - whatever will be will be, and all that. 

 

/ongoing angry noises about the scheduling of the team event like why couldn't be after the individuals for god's sake

3 minutes ago, kaerb said:

 I feel like I just need to reach a state of acceptance - whatever will be will be, and all that.

 

Good luck with that one 

 

I've given up and am just going around in circles to amuse myself and to make the time pass!

6 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

I could be wrong, but, especially after neither the US nor Canada sent their top skaters to 4CC, I wondered if maybe Japan sending Shoma is a way of saying he's not their top guy anymore (with Yuzu recovering from injury, it'd be safer to have two top guys). I've had this thought since GPF, like he had his chance to be top and he didn't follow through, so now he's second to Yuzu... But that could easily just be me. We know Shoma has more experience with back to back competitions and if he wins 4CC he'll probably take over first in the standings, so in some ways it makes sense. But it still feels a bit weird, because they really didn't have to send Shoma there and it is a risk. (Boyang I think is a different story, so I'm not counting him. He's always had a different pace from the rest, I think.) Bottom line is, as far as team event goes, I'm not sure Shoma will be given a choice before Yuzu. Shoma will probably choose whatever's left after Yuzu makes his choices. And they pretty much said it will be so, already...

 

And personally, I hope he skips anything that isn't essential to competing. I even prefer he travel from Canada straight to Korea with his entourage, instead of the whole Team Japan, and stay under the radar until competition time. But I'm pretty sure that won't be possible...

Nah, I don't get that vibe re: 'now Japan's number two'. I have problems with the JSF (especially their treatment of their ladies) but I don't think they're malicious on principle and I'm sure the skaters' requests were taken into consideration. I imagine Shoma's following last year's strategy of doing well after going to back to back competitions so he got sent to 4CC. JSF has said it'll give Yuzu first choice because of his lack of comp practice after injury, so he takes priority. I don't think there's anything too much to do with how they're 'ranking' in the eyes of the JSF

 

Has it been established Team Japan is going together or something? I thought he'd probably meet them in Korea...makes no sense for him to fly to Japan just so he can...be on the same plane to Korea? 

Just now, Yatagarasu said:

 

Good luck with that one 

 

I've given up and am just going around in circles to amuse myself and to make the time pass!

lmao I mean it could just be my mental state right now (moved to new country, trying to settle in) but I feel like I've said everything that I can say about the situation and every time I come up with some new theory, I find some other thing to contradict it LOL the lack of new info is.....  but it's good for Yuzu so 我慢しなきゃ

I think Shoma and his team are probably thinking of how he thrived on back to back competitions last season and are sticking with the winning formula.

20 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

I could be wrong, but, especially after neither the US nor Canada sent their top skaters to 4CC, I wondered if maybe Japan sending Shoma is a way of saying he's not their top guy anymore (with Yuzu recovering from injury, it'd be safer to have two top guys).

I don't know if it's about them sending Shoma but about hte fact that Shoma seems to like doing a gazillion competitions -- remember last year when he not only did 4CC but also a competition in between it and World as well? I guess he may be trying to re-peak for the Olympics by doing many, many competitions and simulating the first half of the season (when he did reasonably well). He certainly didn't look to be in top form anymore at Nationals but there's some time between Nationals and 4CC for him to rest and recover.

12 minutes ago, kaerb said:

Nah, I don't get that vibe re: 'now Japan's number two'. I have problems with the JSF (especially their treatment of their ladies) but I don't think they're malicious on principle and I'm sure the skaters' requests were taken into consideration. I imagine Shoma's following last year's strategy of doing well after going to back to back competitions so he got sent to 4CC. JSF has said it'll give Yuzu first choice because of his lack of comp practice after injury, so he takes priority. I don't think there's anything too much to do with how they're 'ranking' in the eyes of the JSF

 

Has it been established Team Japan is going together or something? I thought he'd probably meet them in Korea...makes no sense for him to fly to Japan just so he can...be on the same plane to Korea? 

I didn't mean it in a malicious way, either not really. But you're probably right. I guess the fact that after GPF and Nationals as well, most media seemed Yuzu focused and the Shoma excitement seemed to have been tampered down led to that impression I had. But actually, that'd be good for Shoma as it'd mean the pressure is back on Yuzu and less on him.

 

As for going together, no idea, but I kind of expected a big media send off from Japan, then arrival in Pyeongchang and such. Also, it'd be easier to arrange transportation and so on, Unless Yuzu gets extra security again, in which case it wouldn't make much of a difference if he arrived alone or with the team... I guess we'll see soon lol

2 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

I didn't mean it in a malicious way, either not really. But you're probably right. I guess the fact that after GPF and Nationals as well, most media seemed Yuzu focused and the Shoma excitement seemed to have been tampered down led to that impression I had. But actually, that'd be good for Shoma as it'd mean the pressure is back on Yuzu and less on him.

 

As for going together, no idea, but I kind of expected a big media send off from Japan, then arrival in Pyeongchang and such. Also, it'd be easier to arrange transportation and so on, Unless Yuzu gets extra security again, in which case it wouldn't make much of a difference if he arrived alone or with the team... I guess we'll see soon lol

You didn't give it a malicious vibe! I've just always gotten the impression there's more closeness between skaters there (and maybe even communication amongst them influencing decisions. Just my take) I 'm not saying they text 100times a day. I don't even mean they talk but. If the federation is completely against it, no, but otherwise I think they'll skate the sections they want? Going together as a team, that would be dependent on Yuzu's health and security (which is both updated constantly, I'd imagine). But he'd like the company of the team otherwise? It's a big event where you take comfort from members from your own country. And I think he does like team Japan an awful lot.

47 minutes ago, kaerb said:

 

/ongoing angry noises about the scheduling of the team event like why couldn't be after the individuals for god's sake

WHY DO THEY DO THAT? I've ALWAYS wondered that!...

Well this time it will probably work in his favour - didn't hurt him at Sochi either.

47 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

I didn't mean it in a malicious way, either not really. But you're probably right. I guess the fact that after GPF and Nationals as well, most media seemed Yuzu focused and the Shoma excitement seemed to have been tampered down led to that impression I had. But actually, that'd be good for Shoma as it'd mean the pressure is back on Yuzu and less on him.

 

As for going together, no idea, but I kind of expected a big media send off from Japan, then arrival in Pyeongchang and such. Also, it'd be easier to arrange transportation and so on, Unless Yuzu gets extra security again, in which case it wouldn't make much of a difference if he arrived alone or with the team... I guess we'll see soon lol

Ah right, I misunderstood your wording. Hm. I think if Shoma had won GPF, there would be significantly greater hype for him in the media, but I don't necessarily think it factored into the JSF's decisions about where to allocate the athletes, which I truly believe is mostly pragmatic. I expect if he wins 4CC as predicted, the hype might pick up. But Yuzu was always going to be the one the media pushes either way - he, frankly speaking, floats their bank accounts which is why we are still seeing magazine covers recycling media day content. It's probably the least amount of hype that Yuzu could expect though... 

 

Hm interesting -was there precedent for a send-off in Sochi? I thought Nationals was kind of the send-off but I wasn't around during Sochi years so I could be wrong. It'd be nice to see the whole team at the OP... from what we've seen about Yuzu, if the whole team is there, he'd definitely go unless there's some health issues

1 час назад, KatjaThera сказал:

I could be wrong, but, especially after neither the US nor Canada sent their top skaters to 4CC, I wondered if maybe Japan sending Shoma is a way of saying he's not their top guy anymore (with Yuzu recovering from injury, it'd be safer to have two top guys).

I think it's simply cuz 4CC is too close to Olys and it makes no sense to fly from America/Canada to Asia and back. And for Japanese athletes it wouldn't be such a big jet lag, that's why almost all top finishers at Nats goes. And Shoma seems not to mind to have several back to back comps.

28 minutes ago, Lunna said:

I think it's simply cuz 4CC is too close to Olys and it makes no sense to fly from America/Canada to Asia and back. And for Japanese athletes it wouldn't be such a big jet lag, that's why almost all top finishers at Nats goes. And Shoma seems not to mind to have several back to back comps.

 

Plus he gets to test the final layout he's planning on using for Olys in this competition. 

Also, Yuzu must do the SP in the Team Event because it's the only guaranteed competition he can actually have before the individual event. Contrary to Sochi, making the FS isn't as likely (especially if the North Korea pair participate for the united Korea team) so he either does the SP or he risks not doing the Team Event at all. JSF must know that and so must he. 

16 minutes ago, xeyra said:

Also, Yuzu must do the SP in the Team Event because it's the only guaranteed competition he can actually have before the individual event. Contrary to Sochi, making the FS isn't as likely (especially if the North Korea pair participate for the united Korea team) so he either does the SP or he risks not doing the Team Event at all. JSF must know that and so must he. 

 

Yes, everything about the team free is a giant question mark. It's not just the NK either. Even without them, one wobble and they could find themselves out of it. The short for the men is especially potentially tight because I've been calculating it all along as Japan 10 points but is that actually a sure thing? Considering the quadsters these days, it may very well not be (even if Yuzuru is skating it) so they could very easily slip down the ranking. The French have a pretty competitive team too and three places are pretty much reserved for Canada, Russia and USA. Of course, they could have him do both, if that is what he wants in order to get that free in. Not that I'm advocating that one but it is an option.