Sunday -- last night was a gold medal night
I slept incredibly late today. Was watching the Men's Free Program of the Four Continents Championship until after 2:00 a.m. Yuzuru won the Gold Medal that gave him a complete set of one Gold in every major international competition he has been eligible for from his junior years through now. No one else has ever done that. There is a weird feeling around this season for me. He never mentions the next Olympics or anything beyond this season. I seriously wonder if we will get a retirement announcement after Worlds. Most people would have already stopped if they had accomplished what he has. He does want that Quad Axel very badly. We shall see--he claims he will try for it at the Montreal World Championships in March.
When he retires, I will probably have to take a break for a while from watching figure skating. I've done it before. It is a very subjective sport--either one is completely swept away by a skater and they can do no wrong or they can hit Quad after Quad and leave one cold (Nathan Chen, for example, got off on the wrong foot with me for no fault of his own. He was overrated too soon--with shallow edges and stiff knees. And then the media hysteria around Chen before the Olympics was so uncalled for--disrespectful of the skaters who actually ended up on the podium and others!). Anyway, Yuzu is my man. He has been an intersection of everything that I love most in a skater: speed, grace, musicality, lightness, huge jumps--big, high, wide, fast, with landings like they were nothing. Sheer charisma and star quality! I know this bores most of you so I will stop soon.
Here is a less than stellar quality fan video of his post-competition Gala piece from last night. No! I changed my mind--not even I cannot stand listening to all the screams and sobbing fans on that one--like watching one of those early Beatles live concerts. I will give you the version of the same (Hope and Legacy) that won him Worlds in 2017. One of the best skates ever in the history of figure skating--your mileage may vary. It is a subjective sport (kind of like gymnastics or ballet!) Yuzuru is actually better himself now. He has not stopped growing artistically or as an athlete. Nathan Chen can score higher at times, but this program was the one that first made me think Yuzu is the greatest of all times.
The music Hope and Legacy is a compilation of pieces by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. The magic of Studio Ghibli owes as much to Joe Hisaishi as it owes to director Hayao Miyazaki. Yuzu is most himself with Japanese themes and Chopin. That's who he is on the ice. He's done fabulous things with other music but these show his best side, his true self.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth
.
When he retires, I will probably have to take a break for a while from watching figure skating. I've done it before. It is a very subjective sport--either one is completely swept away by a skater and they can do no wrong or they can hit Quad after Quad and leave one cold (Nathan Chen, for example, got off on the wrong foot with me for no fault of his own. He was overrated too soon--with shallow edges and stiff knees. And then the media hysteria around Chen before the Olympics was so uncalled for--disrespectful of the skaters who actually ended up on the podium and others!). Anyway, Yuzu is my man. He has been an intersection of everything that I love most in a skater: speed, grace, musicality, lightness, huge jumps--big, high, wide, fast, with landings like they were nothing. Sheer charisma and star quality! I know this bores most of you so I will stop soon.
Here is a less than stellar quality fan video of his post-competition Gala piece from last night. No! I changed my mind--not even I cannot stand listening to all the screams and sobbing fans on that one--like watching one of those early Beatles live concerts. I will give you the version of the same (Hope and Legacy) that won him Worlds in 2017. One of the best skates ever in the history of figure skating--your mileage may vary. It is a subjective sport (kind of like gymnastics or ballet!) Yuzuru is actually better himself now. He has not stopped growing artistically or as an athlete. Nathan Chen can score higher at times, but this program was the one that first made me think Yuzu is the greatest of all times.
Click to viewThe music Hope and Legacy is a compilation of pieces by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. The magic of Studio Ghibli owes as much to Joe Hisaishi as it owes to director Hayao Miyazaki. Yuzu is most himself with Japanese themes and Chopin. That's who he is on the ice. He's done fabulous things with other music but these show his best side, his true self.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth
.