ilogchronicles

[ilogchronicles]

Yuzuru Hanyu || season 2017-2018

[ilogchronicles]

SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ilogchronicles]

“Never underestimate Mr. Hanyu, that’s for sure.” - Brian Orser (translation creds: 1, 2, 3)

[ilogchronicles]

Why I love Shohei Ohtani and Why You Should Too

Shohei Ohtani is a Japenese professional baseball player who is 8 games into his first MLB season, playing for the Los Angeles Angels, and he is killing it. 

He’s been the starting pitcher for two games so far and won both of them, handing out 18 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched.  Now that would be a pretty decent start for any rookie pitcher, but here’s where it gets weird (and by weird I mean awesome). 

Ohtani has ALSO been serving as the team’s designated hitter in over half their games, a position specifically designed so that pitchers don’t have to hit because they’re historically terrible at it. In the National League, pitchers are required to hit and they usually bat last because they’re so useless at it.  But in the American League, they allow another player who doesn’t play defensively to come in and bat for the pitcher (so it’s usually reserved for a huge power hitter who may not be agile enough for defense).  

Instead, Ohtani has been using his nights off (MLB pitchers start 1 out of every 5-6 games) to DH for some of the other pitchers in the line up.  And he’s crushing that too.  He got a hit in his first MLB at-bat and never looked back -  getting 3 home runs in consecutive games and racking up a .367 batting average. 

At only 23, Ohtani is doing something that’s virtually unheard of in modern baseball: he is excelling at both pitching and hitting.  For those of you who don’t know baseball, that’s like an NHL goalie also being the first skater in the shootout and scoring every time, but if the shootout happened almost every night. The last person known for both his pitching and batting (and even he didn’t really do them at the same time)….? Babe Ruth.

In a sport where “tradition” and “convention” are the norm, Ohtani broke into the scene and proved that it doesn’t always make sense to do it the way everyone else is doing it.  Instead, you need to do it the way you do it best and let everyone else around you catch up.

[ilogchronicles]

Man of the moment Keanu Reeves has shown his generosity by giving away £50 million of his earnings from the Matrix sequels. The 38-year-old decided to hand over the money to the unsung heroes of the sci-fi blockbusters - the costume and special effects teams.

[ilogchronicles]

Special Talk with Nathan Chen and Shoma Uno at 2017 Dreams on Ice

“By receiving motivation from each others’ quads” – World Figure Skating No.79

Please do not repost this translation without permission.

The two of you know each other since your junior days. Do you remember your first impressions of each other?

S: We weren’t in the same competitions in the Junior Grand Prix Series, but even without the triple axel, Nathan would receive way higher points than me when I also didn’t have my triple axel yet. By knowing this, I realised that it’s possible to get such high marks without having difficult jumps.

In comparison to your impression of him back then, what is your impression of him now?

S: Nathan has become so grown up and mature, while I’m still far from being there.

N: Shoma, you’ve matured as well. (laughs) As he said, we first met around the time of the Junior Grand Prix Series, but I don’t remember much from then. What I do remember is Junior Worlds. I watched Shoma’s performance with Nam, and it was shocking how good of a performer he was. He had so much speed and power. Back then, he seemed like a young child so I was so taken aback when he started skating. His learning speed is so quick, and he’s gotten even better in the past 2 to 3 years. He pushes forward the field immensely and pushes me to move forward as well.

Keep reading

[ilogchronicles]

Omg I’m obsessed with the back counter into flyang camel spin at CiONTU 😍 why is it a secret technique? Never done before for Yuzu?

The secret technique thing was only half a joke :)) But yeah, I know what you mean, isn’t it the best thing?

As far as I know he’s never done this before and I don’t think I have ever seen anyone besides him trying this in competition either. In Yuzu’s case, this one was to replace the back counter triple Axel he was supposed to do at that point in Parisienne Walkways:

I mean, when you can jump a triple Axel out of a counter, a flying entry ought to be a piece of cake, and that’s why Yuzu could do it so beautifully, even though I’m pretty sure it’s not a move he practices often or at all before this ice show. 

For the people who are unable to do a back counter 3A (i.e., the rest of the skating world), a counter flying entry would be a very, very hard thing to do. That particular entry Yuzu likes to do on his sit spin, the Arabian, by itself, is already difficult enough to earn the skater an entire spin level. To top it up with a counter turn preceding it would (1) add no material scoring advantage and (2) likely make you fall on your face.

It probably also helps that the takeoff technique for an Axel and an Arabian entry are fairly similar, which means Yuzu are exceptional at both.

May I spend a minute spamming y’all with Yuzu’s flying sit spin entry, because it really is one of the best not only on the current circuit but in the entire history of figure skating to date. 

Look how much he extended his body before entering the jump, the superb flying position, the smooth transfer of weight from the takeoff foot over to the landing foot, and how fast he got into the spinning position despite such a high and open entry: 

This one in Seimei was done immediately following the landing of his triple Lutz and the transition was just to die for:

This one in Believe was done with a travelling camel, which made it even more difficult:

In other words, I present to you, Yuzuru Extra™ Hanyu.

[ilogchronicles]

Queen’s Thief Appreciation Week (6/7): Favorite Myth

Hespira and Horreon from The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[ilogchronicles]

“I know exactly. I was hiding in a takima bush in the Queen’s Garden, watching the older son of the Baron Erondites tell Attolia that he loved her. He was trying to propose a marriage and she thought he was talking about a poem he was writing. I was laughing like a very quiet fiend, trying not to make the branches around me shake, and then, between one heartbeat and the next, it wasn’t funny anymore.”

Poor Eugenides, thought Sounis, to fall in love with a woman he had already made into an enemy.

Queen’s Thief Appreciation Week (2018): Day Four - Favourite Ship: Attolia Irene & Attolis Eugenides

[ilogchronicles]

“What did you come for if not to murder my king?” “I came to steal his magus.” “You can’t,” said the magus in question. “I can steal anything,” Eugenides corrected him. “Even with one hand.”

–Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia

[The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, J. M. W. Turner]

[ilogchronicles]

Hanyu-senshu and Plu-san :))

[ilogchronicles]

Yuzuru Hanyu skates to his previous programs (Mission Impossible, Etude no.8 op. 12, Parisienne Walkways) in his 2011-2012 SP costume (Continues with Wings, 04.14.18)

[ilogchronicles]

CiONTU Day 3: Yuzuru’s Closing Words

Yuzuru’s closing words from the last day of Continues With Wings. Please do not use/repost my translations without my permission.

Everyone, truly, thank you very much. Which way’s the camera? Which way? Should I face this way…? Huh, which way is it? I dunno! Everyone watching at the live viewing, thank you for watching until the end. Probably, everyone’s applause and support and cheers reached us, even if you couldn’t come. Thank you for watching even though you couldn’t come, and to those watching the broadcast as well. I have a lot I want to say and I can’t really gather my thoughts. But TV Asahi were the first people who planned this show, Continues, and talked to me about it. Because it was TV Asahi, things like the live viewings and recording every day, were possible. Also, I could do things that are rarely seen in ice shows such as doing my own commentary, and - what is it - watching the recorded videos and watching the show, it was a show that was different from usual. And thank you for answering my own requests as well. 

And, can you hear me? The person who’s commentating right now, Nobu-kun? I’ve also received a lot from you, thank you. (Nobu: thank you very much) Can you hear me? (Nobu: I can hear you! Yaaay~) Thank you (Nobu: Let me skate a little too~) How many minutes do I have left… I’m curious… (giggles) Really, really, I wonder what it is, gathering skaters I love, skaters I love and want to watch, being able to watch them myself and enjoy it - becoming someone who is able to hold an ice show like this really makes me happy. The people who allowed me to become this person are, without a doubt, the people here, and also those who may be frustrated they were unable to come. I really think it’s thanks to those people. Thank you for all your support. Continues ends this year for now, but perhaps, next year or the year after, I might do it again. But what I really think is, because I’ll be competing, I might not be able to be involved with producing and and create such a rich three days of show myself. However, someday, when I stop competing and become a pro skater, I want to do a show even better than this again at Continues. Come watch then too! Please come watch! 

I looked at the clock and I have another 4 mins… I really have a lot I want to say, though. I asked Plushenko-san about this earlier during the talk show, and I talked about it with Johnny so I said something yesterday too. Johnny has also had disagreements with fans and done various things, and he does talk show work now so he’s attacked no matter what he says. I have a little experience with that too. No matter what I say, people will say (negative) things. Even if I’m just skating, (negative) things will be said. Things like that don’t just happen to me. I have attention gathered around me so it seems like it’s a lot, but I think it happens to people living normal lives as well. However, in the midst of all that, everyone here came to watch the show I held like this, raised their voices and released their stress, and I hope the show was able to become a part of everyone’s happiness. That’s why, at one period, when a lot happened including with the weekly magazine, I thought “why am I living” and “I’ll just die” countless times. But, but in the end, everyone gave me lots of support like this, and above all, what made me the happiest was when the people I admire sent messages to me. It happened right after the disaster as well, and everyone gave comments like “Yuzu, you’ll be okay.” I was really thankful, and I thought “I’m happy I’m skating.” Right now, I truly think “I’m happy to be alive.” Truly, thank you very much. 

Well, here I go. I’m gonna say “thank you very much,” ok? Those at the live viewings might not understand, but when I* say “thank you” please say “thank you very much” together. For today as well, thank you very much!!! (audience: thank you very much!) Truly, thank you very much. Someday, someday, please come watch me again!

(*He slips and uses 俺 (ore), which is more casual, but he corrects himself and says it again with 僕 (boku), which is what’s normally used in public appearances.)

[ilogchronicles]

Queen’s Thief Appreciation Week (Day Six): Favourite Line

“She had judged the men and women around her and doled her treasure out carefully. The golden bees—earrings the color of honey that were older than the monarchy—and brooches and fibula pins, ruby earrings and gold necklets and bracelets had all been dropped one by one into carefully chosen hands. Over the previous year she’d learned all she needed to know about her father’s most powerful barons”

[ilogchronicles]

If you don’t have any happy Yuzu on your dash that’s fine but here are some in case you need it

[ilogchronicles]

shoma x vegetables: the borscht encounter (x)

[ilogchronicles]

Yuzuru + sQuad (2017/18 season edition)