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Nathan Chen deserves recognition.

To all the Yuzuru fans who complain about Nathan being overscored, who talk about his skating skills/artistry vs. Yuzuru’s, who bring up that Yuzuru was injured for most of this season, the fact remains: Nathan Chen has the capacity to score higher than Yuzuru. He is a “real” rival. With the new ISU grading system, landing jumps cleanly is even more important, and no one can deny that Nathan has jumps solidly in the bag that Yuzuru currently does not. Obviously, a lot of things were working against Yuzuru this season, but that doesn’t change the reality that Yuzuru was probably unable to progress this past year in the way that other skaters, including Nathan and Shoma, have (poor Shoma though). And I’m sure Yuzuru feels that more strongly than anyone. 

Nathan won Worlds fair and square, with the performances that each of them brought to the table. The possible overscoring of Nathan’s free program would not have made a difference in the final outcome, given Yuzuru’s mistake in the short program, and there will always be subjectivity, inflation, and bias in these scores. This is the reality. Any skater who treats his/her sport and his/her competitors with respect deserves our respect as well. You don’t need to put down other skaters to support Yuzuru. Nathan does not control what the media says about him, and I’m sure Yuzuru himself has nothing but the utmost respect for all of his competitors.

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Yuzuru: Hi, I’m Hanyu Yuzuru, and you are?

Everyone: Questioning my sexuality.

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A few thing to say regarding the recent behavior I’ve seen on here:

(And a forewarning: I love each and every skate I mention in here)

I’ve seen so many negative comments towards the skaters and other fans. There’s been so much hate circling around, and it makes me sick everytime I come across it.

And it needs to stop.

If you have a problem with the scores, don’t blame Nathan. Don’t go on and on about how you want to fight him, or how he doesn’t deserve it, or how he has no talent. He has proven himself over and over again, and he did by far better than anyone else at World’s, so his gold is well-earned, and you can’t say someone else should’ve won.

Now, having said that, I understand the concerns surrounding the scoring that various skaters, Nathan included, received. But, as I just said, don’t blame Nathan. He has nothing to do with the scoring, and just goes out there to skate as best as he can. The scores are out of his control. So, if you have a problem with the scores, blame the judges. Critique every decision they made, if you have to, but I’m sick of seeing Nathan slandered over something he didn’t have any say in. This is supposed to be a time for him to celebrate and relax, can’t we give that to him?

Furthermore, stop comparing him to Yuzuru. He’s not Yuzuru; he’s never going to be Yuzuru. I don’t WANT him to be Yuzuru. He’s Nathan. It’s unfair to both him and Yuzuru to constantly compare everything about them. Yes, they compete, and, yes, ultimately their scores will reflect their abilities and compare them. But stop saying “he’ll never be Yuzu”, or complaining about his style. He has his own style - let it he his. And vice versa, let Yuzuru have his style, instead of insulting his lesser amount of quads. Let them be unique, and stop trying to pretend as if there is only one correct way to have a good program, only one style the works, only one way to succeed.

Now, in a broader sense, stop hating on Vincent, Boyang, and even Shoma. I’ve seen enough criticism of them going around lately, too. With Shoma, I know some people were happy about his injury because it propelled Nathan forward. That’s awful, and, after seeing how much those two admire one another, there’s no doubt in my mind that Nathan would be ashamed that anyone would say that on his behalf.

Alternatively, I’ve seen a lot of Boyang fans hating on literally any of the top skaters after Boyang messed up. And you have to realize it’s just that - he messed up. Nathan getting a lower PCS or Shoma getting more URs is not going to change who received medals, and it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Boyang couldn’t recover from his mistakes (as heartbreaking as they were).

I’ve seen Vincent fans hating on Nathan, Nathan fans hating on Shoma, Boyang fans hating on Nathan and Shoma, Shoma fans hating on Nathan, Yuzuru fans hating on Nathan, and so many more. I don’t know when it became cool to slander other skaters just to elevate your favorite, but it needs to end. Appreciate these men for what they can do, rather than tear them down for what you think they can’t.

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Omg young Shoma is like the cutest human I’ve ever seen?!?! 

Like look at that face, those tiny arms and legs :’)

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I am so excited to see what the skaters will bring to the table next season, once the scoring changes take place. I am SOOOO looking forward to more emphasis on quality over quantity.

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What the...

Fuck?!?? Worlds?! 

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Video / Bonus:

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“And I just think we’ve seen the future right there…”  (S. Read)

Fantastic compilation of the approving comments of the uncles from B.ESP. (and others)

(twitter.com)

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Polite greetings before each competition or practice

Especially, different ways for Brian, Tracy, and Ghislain!

One of the reasons why I love this boy ❤️

via twi. 1 & 2

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Brian Orser talks about the 3 months of absence: “I am proud of Yuzu who overcame such adversity”

“Happiness and excitement, I’ve yet to fully digest these emotions.”

Coach Brian Orser said these words at an exclusive interview he granted on 19 February, two days after Yuzuru Hanyu won his second consecutive Olympics. 

Hanyu’s victory this time was the third consecutive Olympic gold medal for Orser as a coach, after Yuna Kim’s in Vancouver and Hanyu’s in Sochi.

“But Yuzu’s gold medal this time is something special”, Orser said with emotion in his voice.

When Hanyu sustained the injury during official practice at the NHK Trophy on 9 November 2017, Orser who was recovering from a gall bladder surgery was not accompanying him.

“I watched many times the video of how he fell and could see that it was a rather severe injury. Although I feared that he had also injured his knee, luckily his knee was ok.”

In order to rehabilitate, Hanyu returned to Toronto in the later half of November. 

“I sat facing him and we had a thorough discussion face to face. When I asked him about his thoughts, he replied clearly “I want to win (the Olympics).” I told him, then, we need to come up with a plan.”

According to Orser, they had detailed discussions on changes to the content of his programmes, the setting of numerous small goals, and that he should definitely not push himself too much.

“He was calm. He did not get discouraged and listened carefully to what his body was telling him, and with tremendous patience and endurance followed the plan loyally.”

Off-ice rehabilitation was left entirely to Hanyu himself and a specialised trainer. In early January, when Hanyu was finally back on ice, Orser was away for Canadian Nationals and other competitions.

“I heard from Tracy that they spent a lot of time on stroking, and then single jumps and waltz jumps. But the day after, as the pain returned slightly, he had to rest for a few days.”

When asked if there was any occasion when he had felt that Hanyu might not make it in time for the Olympics, after just an instant of silence, Orser answered “There was. When Yuzu had just gotten back on ice and could only do no more than single jumps. While watching him practice, Tracy and my eyes met, and I wondered if it would be ok given the condition he was at.”

From that point on it was a race against time.

“Each day, everyday was time he needed. But Yuzu already had foundations he had trained and built up. The sense of balance, the flow in his skating, how to control his body and so on were things he had mastered in the six years since he came to Canada.”

Orser explained that image training also contributed greatly. “During mental training, to ensure he did not forget the feeling of taking off and landing jumps, he always did image training, including by watching videos and so on.”

“Make winning the highest priority” was something he hashed out and confirmed through many discussions with Hanyu who until the injury had continued to challenge more difficult jumps, the 4Lo and then the 4Lz.  

“I think through that Yuzu was able to find a level that was comfortable to him. That helped him to face the competition with confidence.”

Entrusting Hanyu and Javier Fernandez to his colleagues Tracy Wilson and Ghislain Briand, Orser left for Korea on an earlier schedule, arriving on 5 February. Before he set off, he had a training session with only Hanyu and himself at the Cricket Club rink. “By that time he could perform all his jumps in his run-through to music, and I was confident that he is in time, it will be ok.” 

Hanyu himself made the final decisions on his jump layouts at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Among the quad jumps he decided to include only the 4T and 4S, with two quads in the SP and four in the FS. With the exception of minor mistakes in the FS, he successfully defended his title with performances of an astounding degree of perfection. 

“ “I’m proud of you” was the first thing I said to him. This was not because he won the gold medal, but because he overcame such a serious injury and gave us such wonderful performances.” Orser said this in a somewhat confiding tone.

“From this point on for a long time, he will continue to be an inspiration not just to people in Japan but in the entire world. Not just in the world of sports, but to anyone facing difficult situations, in seeking to overcome such situations I think they will think of him and be able to feel encouraged.”

Another of Orser’s students, Javier Fernandez also skated two high level performances in the SP and FS and won the bronze medal. 

“Javi was aiming for a medal. Yuzu was aiming to win. Both of them achieved their goals splendidly.” With these words, the interview drew to a close.

“My experiences here will probably be something unforgettable in my coaching life.”

Original article by Akiko Tamura, published in Sports Graphic Number vol. 947

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Borser slowly learning the ways of the Pooh, 2012-13

Sources: (x), (x), (x), (x), (x), (x)

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“Imagine being so good at something”

Yuzu has fans among rock band musicians

(twitter.com/petewentz)

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3.11 - Memory the great East Japan earthquake

(twitter.com/cocosarada)

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Figure skating is just walking in cursive

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So y'all mean to tell me, that yuzuru came out of his hermit cave like a horseman of the apocalypse to collect his gold medal like a king, before fcking off back into it again? Amazing