Yuzuru Hanyu/Javier Fernández: a mini primer about pretty figure skaters!
I’ve been spending a lot of time recently obsessing over these two cuties, so I thought I’d put together a short primer. For what it’s worth, I think Yuzu and Javi will be the Johnny Weir/Stephane Lambiel of the 2014 Olympic year, so hey, if you’re an every-four-years slasher, maybe get a jump start on ‘shipping? :D?
Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernández are figure skaters, representing Japan and Spain respectively. They train together in Toronto with Brian Orser (1984/88 Olympic silver medallist and erstwhile coach to 2010 Olympic ladies champion Yuna Kim… but you knew that). They are adorable and touchy-feely and I love them together and apart.
Let’s start with Javi.
(Hi, pretty.)
What’s remarkable about Javi is that, just a couple of years ago, he was a drunken pirate with little shot at winning anything. Now he’s reigning European champion and a serious Olympic medal threat. This is particularly impressive when you consider that he’s the first Spanish men’s figure skater to achieve, well, much of anything.
(European Champion, woo!)
And then there’s Yuzu.
Yuzu, who’s all of 18 (IT’S OKAY. HE’S LEGAL.), is the crazy young firecracker who has all of the talent, but is still working on controlling it. (He’s a big fan of Johnny Weir, and boy you can see why.) He’s a ~teen idol~ in Japan, which is no surprise since he burst onto the senior men’s circuit with a bronze medal at the World Championships at the age of 17.
(My favourite thing about Yuzu’s skating might be his Biellmann spin, traditionally done by women. Yay, androgyny!)
~brief interlude~
Now for an interlude about Yuzu’s Pooh tissue box cover, who is always with him...
...The best part is that when Javi competed at Europeans, he produced a Mickey Mouse tissue box cover. Pooh + Mickey = <3
~end interlude~
Yuzu moved to Toronto to be coached by Brian Orser, alongside Javi, last summer. He chose to make this move because of Javi. (All right, because Javi was landing two quads in his programs and Yuzu wanted to do the same. But I’m reading between the lines. ;)
Happy Orser ducklings!
Here are a couple of stalkerazzi-style mini-videos of Javi and Yuzu, which I assume were taken by the same crew that shot the Yuzu doc (see below). Whatever, they’re cute:
Javi and Yuzu are skaters, so how about seeing some of their skating?
Yuzuru’s 2012-3 Short Program (Parisian Walkways)
This program puts me in mind of a sleazy, barely-legal hustler from the 80s working the Vegas scene. But apparently that’s what I’m into, because I think this is ludicrously sexy. :x
Yuzuru’s 2011-2 Long Program (Romeo and Juliet)
His performance of this program at Worlds was kind of lightning-in-a-bottle magic. So emotive. Even the fall seems filled with pathos.
(Better quality video here, but NBC commentary makes me want to die.)
Javier’s 2011-2 Short Program
This was Javi’s breakout performance and it is so much fun. Suspenders! :D (Ignore the fact that Nicky Slater can’t pronounce ‘Javier’…)
Javier’s 2012-3 Long Program (Charlie Chaplin)
Javi is so perfectly charming as Charlie Chaplin. And his jumps are crazy-good.
Bonus videos:
Lip-synced videos to Call Me Maybe are, like, sooo 2012, but Javi and Yuzu are in this one and they are adorable. Javi is the hot guy in ripped jeans! And no one is more into the dance routine than Yuzu!
There’s a whole documentary about Yuzu’s move to Canada, which you can watch on youtube (it’s in Japanese with English subtitles). It’s a good doc. I think it actually does a good job of explaining the subtleties of what separates good skaters from great skaters.
Um.
Abrupt ending.
Thanks for reading! Go forth and 'ship!
Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernández are figure skaters, representing Japan and Spain respectively. They train together in Toronto with Brian Orser (1984/88 Olympic silver medallist and erstwhile coach to 2010 Olympic ladies champion Yuna Kim… but you knew that). They are adorable and touchy-feely and I love them together and apart.
Let’s start with Javi.
(Hi, pretty.)
What’s remarkable about Javi is that, just a couple of years ago, he was a drunken pirate with little shot at winning anything. Now he’s reigning European champion and a serious Olympic medal threat. This is particularly impressive when you consider that he’s the first Spanish men’s figure skater to achieve, well, much of anything.
(European Champion, woo!)
And then there’s Yuzu.
Yuzu, who’s all of 18 (IT’S OKAY. HE’S LEGAL.), is the crazy young firecracker who has all of the talent, but is still working on controlling it. (He’s a big fan of Johnny Weir, and boy you can see why.) He’s a ~teen idol~ in Japan, which is no surprise since he burst onto the senior men’s circuit with a bronze medal at the World Championships at the age of 17.
(My favourite thing about Yuzu’s skating might be his Biellmann spin, traditionally done by women. Yay, androgyny!)
~brief interlude~
Now for an interlude about Yuzu’s Pooh tissue box cover, who is always with him...
...The best part is that when Javi competed at Europeans, he produced a Mickey Mouse tissue box cover. Pooh + Mickey = <3
~end interlude~
Yuzu moved to Toronto to be coached by Brian Orser, alongside Javi, last summer. He chose to make this move because of Javi. (All right, because Javi was landing two quads in his programs and Yuzu wanted to do the same. But I’m reading between the lines. ;)
Happy Orser ducklings!
Here are a couple of stalkerazzi-style mini-videos of Javi and Yuzu, which I assume were taken by the same crew that shot the Yuzu doc (see below). Whatever, they’re cute:
Click to viewJavi and Yuzu are skaters, so how about seeing some of their skating?
Yuzuru’s 2012-3 Short Program (Parisian Walkways)
This program puts me in mind of a sleazy, barely-legal hustler from the 80s working the Vegas scene. But apparently that’s what I’m into, because I think this is ludicrously sexy. :x
Yuzuru’s 2011-2 Long Program (Romeo and Juliet)
His performance of this program at Worlds was kind of lightning-in-a-bottle magic. So emotive. Even the fall seems filled with pathos.
(Better quality video here, but NBC commentary makes me want to die.)
Javier’s 2011-2 Short Program
This was Javi’s breakout performance and it is so much fun. Suspenders! :D (Ignore the fact that Nicky Slater can’t pronounce ‘Javier’…)
Javier’s 2012-3 Long Program (Charlie Chaplin)
Javi is so perfectly charming as Charlie Chaplin. And his jumps are crazy-good.
Bonus videos:
Lip-synced videos to Call Me Maybe are, like, sooo 2012, but Javi and Yuzu are in this one and they are adorable. Javi is the hot guy in ripped jeans! And no one is more into the dance routine than Yuzu!
There’s a whole documentary about Yuzu’s move to Canada, which you can watch on youtube (it’s in Japanese with English subtitles). It’s a good doc. I think it actually does a good job of explaining the subtleties of what separates good skaters from great skaters.
Um.
Abrupt ending.
Thanks for reading! Go forth and 'ship!