17 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

 

I need to hear Max lose his shiz like that.

 

Waiting for the ever present ElenaC to release the videos... 

There were several glorious parts. The first part was this one (the Shoma fall), and the second one was Max (as excited as ever) was speakig non-stop after it was announced that Yuzu won gold: "So, who was right in the end? Angelo Dolfini was right in the end! (Angelo losing his shit in the background) Because he was the one that said: Lutz? Loop? No! Yuzuru can win with just Salchow and Toeloop. And here he did exactly that". 

4 hours ago, Murieleirum said:

 

I don't think anyone was certain he was gonna win the gold, but he said it himself, he was screaming "I won! I won!" after finishing his FS and you could see it in the choreo sequence how happy and free he felt. He had won against himself, he was happy, so we were all happy as well. After he skated, I didn't even care if Javi or Shoma were gonna score higher than him. Of course though, as soon as Shoma fell on the loop, Max Ambesi screamed "SO IT'S OFFICIAL: HANYU YUZURU DEFENDS HIS OLYMPIC TITLE AND WINS GOLD but yeah I guess let's follow Shoma for now".

I NEED THIS

LOL, true, in every podcast Angelo was wishing Yuzuru would drop Lo in the SP and Lz in the FS, and then he and Max agreed he would not do that because he's Yuzu. Plushenko said several times that Yuzuru could win only with 4T and 4S. They were all right

it's only sad such a bad injury was needed to prove to the whole world that Yuzuru is on another level

also, I'm kinda  at all those people who after Boston and during last season (and we could even say after ACI) thought Yuzuru had weak mentality and now they recognize Yuzuru's mental strenght. Yuzuru needed to win his second oly gold in the most dramatic fashion to prove them wrong once more. And some people now add a big footnote to that acknowledgment and say his mental strenght is the main reason he's won so much despite not being the best jumper/spinner/performer/charismatic/whatever, as if Yuzuru's managed to dominate the whole quad only because he messed less than others...that's so freaking NOT true.

It's not like he got the consistency bonus on goe and pcs, it's not like he's usually that much cleaner than others, he is clean when it matters but he is also just that better at what he does. He has not won Olympics thanks to the freaking BV, he has won it because he earned the GOE and PCS. But I'm not really surprised now the narrative shifted. I wonder how long it will take for those people to find something else to criticize.

 

I might try and screen capture the Rai commentary later, nothing remarkable there but no ear piercing screams and some good appreciation for Yuzuru, which was good to hear (expecially after hearing the two commentators talking about what a beautiful program Nathan's 6 quads fs was... it's not that it was ugly, it's just that the choreo was...a big gaping void). Only problem, my software for screen capture for some reason I honestly can't fathom usually records audio and video out of synchro, I might need to fix that myself (which means it will depend on my ability to synchro them well..,and then I'll have to save the video and it's likely the quality will drop I'm sorry I'm not more proficient in video editing stuff)

I can't find the SP tho, but I'll search for it

15 hours ago, monchan said:

lol everybody watching him live alr knows he MADE it after the 3lz? I still find myself shaking on feet patiently waiting til after Shoma's skate=)))

Maybe not "won" but it was clearly a success =)

Please, please, if/when you find ITA Eurosport commentary  for Yuzu's FS and also SP , could you link it here or send a PM to me?

 

The same if you have (or you know where I can find) BESP for Shoma and Nathan's programs (i need these for some trials with a new software to calculate their speed and ice coverage) .

 

Thanks a lot !

 

Edit: I found the BESP commentaries: I miss now only ITA ESP for the FS of Yuzu and the other top men and I would have some fancam from the upper seats for Javier, Boyang and Nathan (I have only one not but so good for Nathan). Send me a message of you have/ find them, thanks :)

 

 

 

Here is the Rai commentary. Too bad I haven't found the SP

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16p9eTlvDbUSufFLkyGQtqrPCqOeCAScJ/view?usp=sharing

I guess I should make a translation...sooner or later...it may take some time tho

 

@kaeryth maybe you want to add it to the video archive?

Okay so I have spent hours combing through this thread trying to catch up (man is it fun to relive the excitement). Just a (not so) few quotes I wanted to give my two cents on.

 

Off the top, I will say that I was so glad to finally see a well skated Seimei in person.  I was hoping 3x would be the charm (I only saw Boston 2016 and then ACI 2017 so that's all I had to go on from personal experience).  Yuzuru did not disappoint. He was selling it so much and we were buying.  

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:09 PM, liv said:

FInd it funny that in the kiss and cry they are told when they can stand up, sit down...they  even have tape strips on the seats so you know where to sit your butt... regular competitions don't have that!!

I was sitting directly behind the K&C for the team event in the 2nd row and I can say that it was endlessly amusing seeing the camera crew trying to direct everyone where to sit or scootch over just to get the perfect shots.  

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:12 PM, robin said:

apparently he's doing 4Los

Thankfully we got to see the morning practices on the day of the competition. So with this I knew when Yuzu started with the sal and toe that he was going for a 330.  I was relieved that he was playing to win and not just to do the hardest quad.  

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:13 PM, beki said:

Casual viewers can appreciate Yuzu. My brother in law said his SP was practically a religious experience 

My friend who said he spotted me on tv in Vancouver (he's from New York but was vacationing there I guess), he at first thought I was there for Chen because that's when they showed me waving the flag after his SP, but I made it known I was there for Hanyu and he was like "oh yeah, that guy is incredible."  And my dad who grew up watching skating but isn't really an uber himself, he can easily see there is something special about Yuzu and he said it was like he was born to do this.  He noted how easy he made it all look.  He also really liked his free skate because he thought it was like watching martial arts on ice.  He also gives him props for performing Prince (his all time favorite musician). He liked his costume.  He also liked Shoma's costumes.  

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:51 PM, robin said:

i have never seen him this happy

i am so happy

i love him so much

His happiness is infectious. One of the happiness days for me for sure.   

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:54 PM, Vivienne said:

I don't care about the color of the medal anymore, I'm so proud of him. Lord, this world doesn't deserve him

In the moment I didn't either. I knew he at least secured a podium spot, but I was so proud of him for the fight.  

 

On 2/16/2018 at 11:55 PM, OonsieHui said:

once again. wanting them to do well but not well enough to overtake Yuzu 

Word.  Yuzu first, the rest can duke it out and I'll cheer that on. The chips fall where they may.  Though I love Shomita so I want him on the podium too, either 2nd or 3rd is no matter to me. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:09 AM, OonsieHui said:

HE STARTED JUMPING AGAIN 3 WEEKS AGO AND NOW HES THE OLYMPIC GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That alone shows us why he is a baaaaad mother*shutyourmouth. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:10 AM, kamotejojo said:

AFTER 66 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:12 AM, Xen said:

I've got water in my eyes. 

Question, are any of the satellites at the place alive?

We died and went to heaven.  But we're angels now who can live on earth, so we're even better than before!! 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:12 AM, OonsieHui said:

I'M CRYING OMG YUZURU HANYU TWO TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST!!!!!!!!!!! AGAINST ALL ODDS!! AGAINST ALL PRESSURE!!! AGAINST ALL NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS!!! 

Going into this I didn't want to dare dream it could happen.  I thought he deserved it more than anyone there, but I also tried to think that sometimes life sucks and isn't always fair and if he didn't win it wouldn't be the end of the world and he is still my favorite figure skater not because of the olympic results but because of who he is and what he does time and time again.  All that that was running through my mind (screw commas).  But during the actual portion of the competition I was calmer than I expected.  Calm going into the short, calm going into the free since I didn't think it would be likely for him to botch a big lead again (he already did that at ACI).  But then right before he skated the free I admit I thought it was going to vomit, so the nervousness was held off for a long time which is pretty good.  I was nervous through the skate, but so happy for his fight.  Then immediately when Shoma was done and I saw his name at the top, officially, I just laughed and suddenly there were tears.  Sometimes it still doesn't register to me that he actually did it even though I was there and saw it with my own eyes from the ***3RD ROW!!*** 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:14 AM, cirelle said:

I have no words. 

 

He did it. He got the win he wanted. He could do it with 4S and 4T. And the injury. He was the GOAT and he’s even more the GOAT.

In Plushy we trust.  All he needed was the sal and the toe, just like he said.   

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:42 AM, GreatLakesGal said:

 

Let me second that sentiment. As you can probably imagine, it's not always easy to be an American fan of Mr. Hanyu. I'm so proud to be part of this community. 

*raises hand* For the short program I nabbed a super special ticket and was seated with press. I had my American flag and cheered the US team, but even the press guys in front of me were amused but found it odd that my favorite wasn't the American. They didn't even know who Yuzuru Hanyu was.  They didn't know what the Pooh bear craze and my yellow ears were all about.  Aaaaand then they saw the short programs for themselves and I could rest my case. Katerina Witt was seated near me and SHE knew what was up! #IRegretNothing

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:47 AM, WinForPooh said:

After he landed that first 4S and I saw his face, though, I was strangely certain that we were watching history being made.

 

Or my brain shortcircuited and couldn't handle it lol

I forget what competition it was, but I will never forget Johnny's comments about Yuzu, where he said you can always tell when Yuzuru will be "on" based on that first jump.  So far he has actually been pretty right about that and I can never get it out of my mind.  Especially Boston free and 2017 ACI free.  So glad this Seimei was a different story.  And so glad that most attribute the mistakes to stamina rather than anything else.  Yuzu seemed completely free in both performances.  Everything felt just right and oh so very dominant. *He* was in charge, not the pressure.

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:50 AM, SSS said:

I have to claim that my Boston wound is fully cured!!!!!

Ditto.  I was always sad that I could only see the free in person and never got to see that glorious Chopin.  Well, he did me one better in that I got to see the world record and olympic record Chopins, and a damn good Seimei for a change.  

 

On 2/17/2018 at 12:54 AM, Sammie said:

 

 

In the arena a feeling came over me that I couldn't describe in this moment.  I need to watch my fancam of it (which I will upload within the next few days now that I'm all caught up on the forums).  But it was like he knew.  He knew what it was probably like for us fans and he wanted to show us his gratitude that we stuck it out with him.  

 

On 2/17/2018 at 2:54 AM, Yolo3a said:

The question would be, where were you when Yuzuru Hanyu won the second Olympic gold. 

 

Me: I was frantically running around for my brother's wedding reception while refreshing Planet. 

Watching it all from 3rd row, still thinking I should maybe pinch myself that what was thought of as a long shot actually happened.  He was absolutely destined to make this kind of history. It is the only conclusion here. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 2:54 AM, GreatLakesGal said:

I'm very disappointed in Ashley Wagner. And not at all sad now that she didn't make the Olympic team. 

I'm very disappointed in Ashley Wagner. And not at all sad now that she didn't make the Olympic team. 

I'm very disappointed in Ashley Wagner. And not at all sad now that she didn't make the Olympic team. 

Never liked her and was never sad for her since all she does is whine rather than work to get better results.  It was nice actually being there and not having to be exposed to what she or any other naysayers thought of anything. Though she is very complimentary to Yuzu on the Olympic channel so I'll throw one plus in her corner.  Yes, Wagner, he is "phenomenal".  Well maybe she'll get two because she did have an insta video saying he brought the house down after the SPs.  So at least the King gets his proper due even from her. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 5:02 AM, Pamigena said:

I've heard that the medal ceremonies were not really well attended so far. And once again, those pooooor other athletes who have to do anything in the presence of Yuzu. I know some people always like to complain about how much attention he gathers. Yeah I bet all those other athletes today are gonna cry themselves to sleep that they got their Olympic medals in front of a full house, even if those people in the audience weren't all there for them specifically, a crowd is a crowd.

Maybe they would be better attended if it wasn't so difficult to get to the medals plaza. You had to set aside HOURS to make this happen.  From Gangneung Ice Arena you have to get out of the olympic park which takes time (especially if you kept getting stopped by press like we were),  hope to find a cab or shuttle in time to get you to gangneung station, which can take time 30-45 minutes.  Then from there you have to take the train for 20 minutes to Jinbu station. Then from Jinbu station you have to wait for shuttles there to take you to medals plaza in PyeongChang (wait for shuttle is 20 minutes or more). And then there was a ton of traffic to sit in (I lost track of time for how long we were sitting in traffic). Then you still have to walk to the plaza itself from the shuttle stop and get through security.  We had daylight when we left but by the time we got there it was dark.  And then they were delayed getting the medallists out there.  We had just enough time to see Yuzu but then we had to haul ass back to the shuttles because we had to catch our late train back to Seoul. We would have tried for later, but Chinese New Year made it crazy difficult to book when you wanted to. 

 

So, long story not so short, it was a complete, absolute, and utter pain in the ass, but for Yuzuru I would do it a million times over to see the right medal placed around his neck and to see him so happy.  #SoWorthIt And seeing the Olympic flame was also hella cool. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 5:46 AM, Pamigena said:

I'm actually not one to easily cry about things like this but I'm a sobbing mess right now..... confused sleepy Shoma who's way past his bedtime, Javi having fun with those two dorks and the audience, and the King of the uber dorks just looking so ridiculously happy about his shiny medal.... this couldn't be more perfect if they threw unicorns and fairy dust on the stage

I feel like I kept repeating "what a wonderful day!" Even though it was cooold.  When you're happy, it's amazing what doesn't matter anymore.  

 

On 2/17/2018 at 5:58 AM, Esopian said:

Omg, Nobu is crying again!! Totally feel what he's feeling right now!  

Congrats Yuzuru, we're all SUPER happy for you!! 

We saw Nobu reporting and crying outside of medals plaza. We were shooed before we could get a pic though. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 6:07 AM, GreatLakesGal said:

 

I will now confess that I wasn't at all sure he would be able to skate in Korea. That he did and won seems like a miracle to me.

I knew he'd skate. I just wasn't sure what we were gonna get.  But the win, and to do it with really solid skating...yeah that's the miracle. Points wise, he won by a really nice margin.  Definitive and decisive just like he wanted, even if he didn't have all of the content he hoped for. 

 

On 2/17/2018 at 6:42 AM, Xen said:

Congrats for all the satellites who went to PC, saw him skate in person, cement his status as GOAT against all odds, and managed to stay alive.  Tough cookies man!

And congrats to all of you holding it down online while we couldn't!  We're all in this together.  I get so nervous watching him skate that it's hard to enjoy it until later.  I will say though that before the short I was just really calm for some reason. I couldn't be nervous if I tried.  I think the night before when they had open practice, Yuzu wasn't there, but they played his music and in my mind I was "image training" for him to produce what he did at ACI.  And then on he way out they played Muse's Uprising and the "we will be victorious" lyrics just gave me a boost like it never has before.  TvTokyo recorded me lip syncing this and hamming it up for the camera so I don't know if that will ever show up in a longer cut of the fan documentary but...be prepared, lol.  

 

On 2/17/2018 at 8:25 AM, SparkleSalad said:

 

Yes and I think he said he’s not even thinking about whether or not he’ll compete next season but I’m tired and headache so don’t take my word and hi @Danibellerika did I just see you on TV?

If you thought you saw me, then you did, haha. I'm curious about when but you probably don't even remember at this point, so no worries! 

 

On 2/21/2018 at 6:38 AM, Lunna said:

Oh, I can believe this  still remember the clapping and energy during his final spin at Helsinki FS  (during broadcasts you can't here the clapping that much only at fancams) but I'm sure Olys was even more wonderful experience! (though every experience in watching Yuzu live is wonderful in it's own way)

 

Yuzu was so happy that it was hard not to be happy and proud with him and with Shoma it was decided after the first jump.

I didn't think I could be any happier than after what he produced at Worlds.  But...then the Olympics happened.  Yuzu is the gift that just keeps giving.  He gives you a #HanyuHigh that lasts.  Sometimes it feels difficult being his fan, but he makes the hardships all worth it in the end. 

 

I remember seeing that Shoma's SB/PB could get the job done before he skated, but yeah after the first jump I knew the deal was sealed. Even looking at protocols that jump wouldn't have been enough to make up his 11 point deficit.  But it would have been more of a nail biter than I would have liked. While I would have been totally fine with a repeat of Helsinki's podium in that order, or one with Nate getting silver or bronze, I certainly won't argue with this and good for Javi for sticking in there until his medal dreams could finally become a reality.  

 

This Olympics was 7 years in the making for me and Yuzu's win made it even more special than I could have imagined.  

@Danibellerika It was during the report on Yuzu fans.  I think it was discussed in another thread once it went up on YouTube.

@Danibellerika reading your reply is like experiencing the real Olympics again. So happy that you were there and you enjoyed it beyond measure. 

@Danibellerika, thank  you   for  the  recap,   what  an experience. I  relived  it  once again .

17 hours ago, Danibellerika said:

 

 

*raises hand* For the short program I nabbed a super special ticket and was seated with press. I had my American flag and cheered the US team, but even the press guys in front of me were amused but found it odd that my favorite wasn't the American. They didn't even know who Yuzuru Hanyu was.  They didn't know what the Pooh bear craze and my yellow ears were all about.  Aaaaand then they saw the short programs for themselves and I could rest my case.

 

 

 

Maybe they would be better attended if it wasn't so difficult to get to the medals plaza. You had to set aside HOURS to make this happen.  From Gangneung Ice Arena you have to get out of the olympic park which takes time (especially if you kept getting stopped by press like we were),  hope to find a cab or shuttle in time to get you to gangneung station, which can take time 30-45 minutes.  Then from there you have to take the train for 20 minutes to Jinbu station. Then from Jinbu station you have to wait for shuttles there to take you to medals plaza in PyeongChang (wait for shuttle is 20 minutes or more). And then there was a ton of traffic to sit in (I lost track of time for how long we were sitting in traffic). Then you still have to walk to the plaza itself from the shuttle stop and get through security.  We had daylight when we left but by the time we got there it was dark.  And then they were delayed getting the medallists out there.  

 

Wait how were you seated with the press area and they had no idea about Yuzuru and the power of pooh? Are they actually press and/or are they that deep up Nathan's butt that they had no clue?

 

Ditto everything you said about Medals plaza. That was a bitch. The event was over around 2:30 I think. We were interviewed, photographed for about an hour I believe. We booked it to shuttle. Jumped on the first train to Jinbu around 4:30. Waited for the bus and got stuck in traffic for at least an hour. It took another 20 minutes to walk to the pedestrian entrance. We got to the plaza with maybe 40 minutes to spare. So we got there around 6:20. Wow that took a long time. The medal plaza was packed tighter than sardines and almost everyone was there to see the Men ceremony. I did feel bad for that one Norwegian sounding lady who was there to see cross country or biathlon medal and a flood of figure skating fan pushed their way out. In our defense, there's no resisting against the flow and it was so packed I about had claustrophobia attack.

 

I never returned to the medals plaza. I would ONLY do that because our favorite Winnie the Pooh enthusiast won.

I guess I never gave a recap of my Olympic experience.

 

Introduction, I started following Yuzuru relatively late. I saw him during Sochi, but at the time I've never followed Men Figure Skating. I more followed for Ladies and Pairs and I'm one of those 4 year fan although I'd watch whenever they broadcast GPF on tv. That's how I became a fan actually. They played Yuzuru's WR setting Semei performance and I had it recorded on my DVR and would watch it a lot.

 

Fast forward a year later, I moved to Japan and thought, hey they like figure skating here, let me find out when's the next competition happening in Japan. That's how I found GS. First time I joined a figure skating forum and quickly got sucked into Yuzu mania. I got so deep into it that now I'm streaming at odd hours to see how he's doing. Fell in love with Hope and Legacy and decided to see it for the last time at World Team Trophy since it's practically in my backyard in Tokyo. Despite the less than desirable SP, I was glad to see his fight in the long and I loved being able to see his first 4T-loop-3S right in front of me. 

 

Since I'm a short plane ride away from Korea, I decided to try to go to my first Olympic. Long story short (too late) I ended up spending 12 magical days taking in the Olympic experience.

 

So first ever Olympic event is Men SP. Yeah. I got lucky and witnessed that magical, beautiful, captivating Chopin. Truthfully, I appreciated Chopin in the past, but it wasn't my favorite SP of his. I have been converted HARD. The whole arena gets so quiet and his performance suck you in. I was watching a video from (forgot his name) former Gold Medalist who said Yuzuru is introverted in his performance. I have to agree with that. I noticed it with Hope and Legacy as well. He skates inwardly without trying to get audience into it. However, he's so captivating that you can't help getting sucked in.

 

I was pretty calm throughout the whole event. I knew he just got back after injury and I had pretty much convinced myself that the powers that be will deny him of a second gold medal, so all I was hoping for are skates that he can feel happy about. He exceeded all expectations and DELIVERED. Boy did he deliver.

 

Afterwards, I met up with lots of awesome satellites and we tried to be happy, but not TOO happy or we end up jinxing him in the free. I was struck by how far flung the fanyus come from. In our little group, we had people from DC, San Diego (I still can't believe I meet someone from San Diego after I moved to Japan), Hungary, Phillipines. My hyperventilating seat mates were from Mainland China and were there to cheer on Yuzuru. I was in a guest house with 3 other Fanyu's from Japan. Yuzuru's the glue that puts us all together.

 

Men FP. Now I was A LOT more nervous for this. I knew his pattern and I feared it. Plus, I was worried about his stamina. Before hand I ran into two guys who were from the states who got tickets last minute because they were rooting for Nathan. Oh those poor unfortunate souls bought into the hype of potential Gold Medal for Nathan. They were still holding out hope for Nathan to win. I told them I hoping that Nathan redeems himself with a good skate and it came true so hopefully they weren't too sad with Nathan going home without a medal. As for me, I would have been a bit bitter had Nathan jumped his way into the podium. If he hadn't bombed his short, that might very well be the case.

 

I was really sleepy the first two flights and can barely pay attention. I started getting nervous with the 3rd group and held on to my Winnie the Pooh Tsum Tsum's paws. I tried not to wish ill luck on others and tried to keep it positive.

 

Finally Yuzuru was on the ice and got into opening position. I looked up at the monitor at the beginning and caught Yuzuru's fierce look and I KNEW right then that we were in for an awesome ride.  I was so happy at the first half of Seimei. When he missed the 4T combo I was nervous, but so proud when he regrouped and threw it in with the 3A. Curse that Lutz! After he was done, I could not stop crying.

 

Then it was a waiting game. I knew Javi couldn't beat him. I was nervous about Shoma, but as soon as he fell on his opening 4 Loop, I relaxed and was able to enjoy, while crying at what this could mean. Then the scores was announced and it was true. All our wildest dreams for our favorite space kitty came true. COULD. NOT. STOP. CRYING. I was crying. My seat mates were crying. Yuzuru was crying. akalbjha;lifje;lkjfe

 

That award ceremony was way too short and I wished the men could have done a full lap around the rink before leaving.

 

I gathered with the satellites afterwards and every time someone new came to join us, we jumped and cried and screamed and laughed. I am so thankful I got to meet every one one of  you. Having someone to share this experience with, made it even more rewarding.

 

While we were waiting, one of us was interviewed by Mao's sister. I think it was her that pointed out Yuzuru's mother was right there near the door. We got to say thank you to Yuzuru's mom. She seems so shy and Yuzuru LOOK SO MUCH LIKE HER. I didn't take a picture because I didn't want to freak her out, but that was so cool being able to see her and let her know how much we appreciate her for Yuzuru.

 

Afterwards, the lot of us with our eye catching banners and pooh ears keep getting interviewed and pictures taken. The reporters always were taken aback when they find out how far flung we came from and how none of our group are actually Japanese. Our picture ended up in Nikka Times (?) and I'm sure interviews on tv somewhere.

 

We made our way to Medal ceremony where, with determination and sneakiness, I managed to squeeze my way to partial view of large screen and the stage. It was a great and trying experience and I wouldn't do it for anyone other than Yuzuru. 

 

That's my report on the Men program. I might never recover. In fact, I'm still sick right now from catching a cold in Korea so yeah, I might never recover.

29 minutes ago, asiacheetah said:

 

Wait how were you seated with the press area and they had no idea about Yuzuru and the power of pooh? Are they actually press and/or are they that deep up Nathan's butt that they had no clue?

 

Ditto everything you said about Medals plaza. That was a bitch. The event was over around 2:30 I think. We were interviewed, photographed for about an hour I believe. We booked it to shuttle. Jumped on the first train to Jinbu around 4:30. Waited for the bus and got stuck in traffic for at least an hour. It took another 20 minutes to walk to the pedestrian entrance. We got to the plaza with maybe 40 minutes to spare. So we got there around 6:20. Wow that took a long time. The medal plaza was packed tighter than sardines and almost everyone was there to see the Men ceremony. I did feel bad for that one Norwegian sounding lady who was there to see cross country or biathlon medal and a flood of figure skating fan pushed their way out. In our defense, there's no resisting against the flow and it was so packed I about had claustrophobia attack.

 

I never returned to the medals plaza. I would ONLY do that because our favorite Winnie the Pooh enthusiast won.

 

I think they were probably press but didn't do any research before coming in. They just knew we had a horse in the race and were supposed to report on it.  I was sitting for the SP where Leslie Jones appeared to be sitting for the FS and even based on her super ignorant tweets Yuzu is just this "dude" that everybody came out there to support, and he's good but his outfits suck.  But when I think about it, I went to ski jumping knowing nothing about any of the competitors so if I were press it'd be about he same.  Look at who is at the top of the standings, give your general impression of the atmosphere, and that is that.  

 

Thank you for the more accurate timeline on the medals plaza craziness. I am not surprised that you didn't make it back there after mens.  And yeah, the goal coming out after the medal ceremony was to not fall and get trampled.  You really had no choice but to go with the crowd.  It was quite harrowing... But I doubt it was that busy again so it might not have been as scary trying to get out of there.  Personally, I would rather the venue ceremony be the medals ceremony so I could get on with my day. BUT I did have fun with you guys afterward and it was yet another opportunity to see Yuzu honored as he should be so I can't complain too much. 

 

7 minutes ago, asiacheetah said:

 

redundant post

44 minutes ago, asiacheetah said:

I guess I never gave a recap of my Olympic experience.

 

Introduction, I started following Yuzuru relatively late. I saw him during Sochi, but at the time I've never followed Men Figure Skating. I more followed for Ladies and Pairs and I'm one of those 4 year fan although I'd watch whenever they broadcast GPF on tv. That's how I became a fan actually. They played Yuzuru's WR setting Semei performance and I had it recorded on my DVR and would watch it a lot.

 

Fast forward a year later, I moved to Japan and thought, hey they like figure skating here, let me find out when's the next competition happening in Japan. That's how I found GS. First time I joined a figure skating forum and quickly got sucked into Yuzu mania. I got so deep into it that now I'm streaming at odd hours to see how he's doing. Fell in love with Hope and Legacy and decided to see it for the last time at World Team Trophy since it's practically in my backyard in Tokyo. Despite the less than desirable SP, I was glad to see his fight in the long and I loved being able to see his first 4T-loop-3S right in front of me. 

 

Since I'm a short plane ride away from Korea, I decided to try to go to my first Olympic. Long story short (too late) I ended up spending 12 magical days taking in the Olympic experience.

 

So first ever Olympic event is Men SP. Yeah. I got lucky and witnessed that magical, beautiful, captivating Chopin. Truthfully, I appreciated Chopin in the past, but it wasn't my favorite SP of his. I have been converted HARD. The whole arena gets so quiet and his performance suck you in. I was watching a video from (forgot his name) former Gold Medalist who said Yuzuru is introverted in his performance. I have to agree with that. I noticed it with Hope and Legacy as well. He skates inwardly without trying to get audience into it. However, he's so captivating that you can't help getting sucked in.

 

I was pretty calm throughout the whole event. I knew he just got back after injury and I had pretty much convinced myself that the powers that be will deny him of a second gold medal, so all I was hoping for are skates that he can feel happy about. He exceeded all expectations and DELIVERED. Boy did he deliver.

 

Afterwards, I met up with lots of awesome satellites and we tried to be happy, but not TOO happy or we end up jinxing him in the free. I was struck by how far flung the fanyus come from. In our little group, we had people from DC, San Diego (I still can't believe I meet someone from San Diego after I moved to Japan), Hungary, Phillipines. My hyperventilating seat mates were from Mainland China and were there to cheer on Yuzuru. I was in a guest house with 3 other Fanyu's from Japan. Yuzuru's the glue that puts us all together.

 

Men FP. Now I was A LOT more nervous for this. I knew his pattern and I feared it. Plus, I was worried about his stamina. Before hand I ran into two guys who were from the states who got tickets last minute because they were rooting for Nathan. Oh those poor unfortunate souls bought into the hype of potential Gold Medal for Nathan. They were still holding out hope for Nathan to win. I told them I hoping that Nathan redeems himself with a good skate and it came true so hopefully they weren't too sad with Nathan going home without a medal. As for me, I would have been a bit bitter had Nathan jumped his way into the podium. If he hadn't bombed his short, that might very well be the case.

 

I was really sleepy the first two flights and can barely pay attention. I started getting nervous with the 3rd group and held on to my Winnie the Pooh Tsum Tsum's paws. I tried not to wish ill luck on others and tried to keep it positive.

 

Finally Yuzuru was on the ice and got into opening position. I looked up at the monitor at the beginning and caught Yuzuru's fierce look and I KNEW right then that we were in for an awesome ride.  I was so happy at the first half of Seimei. When he missed the 4T combo I was nervous, but so proud when he regrouped and threw it in with the 3A. Curse that Lutz! After he was done, I could not stop crying.

 

Then it was a waiting game. I knew Javi couldn't beat him. I was nervous about Shoma, but as soon as he fell on his opening 4 Loop, I relaxed and was able to enjoy, while crying at what this could mean. Then the scores was announced and it was true. All our wildest dreams for our favorite space kitty came true. COULD. NOT. STOP. CRYING. I was crying. My seat mates were crying. Yuzuru was crying. akalbjha;lifje;lkjfe

 

That award ceremony was way too short and I wished the men could have done a full lap around the rink before leaving.

 

I gathered with the satellites afterwards and every time someone new came to join us, we jumped and cried and screamed and laughed. I am so thankful I got to meet every one one of  you. Having someone to share this experience with, made it even more rewarding.

 

While we were waiting, one of us was interviewed by Mao's sister. I think it was her that pointed out Yuzuru's mother was right there near the door. We got to say thank you to Yuzuru's mom. She seems so shy and Yuzuru LOOK SO MUCH LIKE HER. I didn't take a picture because I didn't want to freak her out, but that was so cool being able to see her and let her know how much we appreciate her for Yuzuru.

 

Afterwards, the lot of us with our eye catching banners and pooh ears keep getting interviewed and pictures taken. The reporters always were taken aback when they find out how far flung we came from and how none of our group are actually Japanese. Our picture ended up in Nikka Times (?) and I'm sure interviews on tv somewhere.

 

We made our way to Medal ceremony where, with determination and sneakiness, I managed to squeeze my way to partial view of large screen and the stage. It was a great and trying experience and I wouldn't do it for anyone other than Yuzuru. 

 

That's my report on the Men program. I might never recover. In fact, I'm still sick right now from catching a cold in Korea so yeah, I might never recover.

I think i was Robin Cousins who said that about Yuzu. I actually find that the "introverted" skaters are more my type. It's one reason I preferred Sasha to Michelle.  No way of interpretation is right or wrong IMO, it's just a matter of tastes.  Though programs like PW were more extroverted and it's what drew my attention to him in the first place, so he is capable of it all.  I definitely agree with you about Chopin and how you could hear a pin drop.  It was similar to ACI. He amazing that he can cause the most dead silence and the most raucousness. 

 

Interesting about the Chen fans.  On the plus side for them, they did get to witness history I guess, but the rest of the field certainly didn't deserve to bomb just so Nate could catch up (I heard Tara was hoping for it). He ended up with a respectable finish and some lessons for the future, so this was still a valuable competition for him. Just not medal worthy and nor should it be.    

 

I wonder if the segment with Mai (Mao's sister) ever aired. She was really nice.  And about Yuzu's mom. With only her there I did wonder a bit if Yuzu's dad and sister also showed up to watch at some point; they didn't appear to be together at that point.  

 

I hope you feel better soon! And yeah we'll have this experience that we'll remember forever.  A true miracle on ice. 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, Danibellerika said:

 

Interesting about the Chen fans.  On the plus side for them, they did get to witness history I guess, but the rest of the field certainly didn't deserve to bomb just so Nate could catch up (I heard Tara was hoping for it). He ended up with a respectable finish and some lessons for the future, so this was still a valuable competition for him. Just not medal worthy and nor should it be

 

Tara and Ashley Wagner was hoping for it. I was never a fan of Wagner but now I’m actually glad that Team USA got a bronze without her.