#they showed me his free skate from the 2018 olympics and

[yeowvng]

was introduced to yuzuru hanyu. i am a changed woman.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

ISU released an article about Shoma

Two-time ISU World Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan has announced his retirement from competitive skating after a long and distinguished career and is ready to open a new chapter in his life.

“I have decided to retire from active competition,” Uno wrote on Instagram. “I am very grateful to have been able to continue skating for 21 years since I was 5 years old, and to have had a wonderful athletic life.”

The Japanese star will talk in more detail about his retirement and future plans in a press conference scheduled for May 14.

The 26-year-old looks back at a career with many highlights and also difficult times, but he always came back, proving his talent and showing resilience. When five-year-old Shoma went to the ice rink in his hometown of Nagoya with his father to have fun, he had no idea that he would become a World Champion, Olympic medalist and super star of the sport. He only knew that the enjoyed skating and kept coming back to the rink, taking lessons. He trained with Machiko Yamada, the coach of Japanese skating icon Midori Ito and also with Mihoko Higuchi for many years and worked his way up in the skating world.

Uno debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 2011 and was so tiny that he was unable to look over the boards. He won a few medals on the Junior circuit but his breakthrough came in what was his last Junior season in 2014/15 when he qualified for the first time for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final where he claimed gold. Shoma went on to take the ISU World Junior title in 2015, in what was his fourth and final appearance at the event (climbing from 10th in 2012, 7th in 2013 and 5th in 2014).

Once at the senior level, Uno quickly became one of the top Skaters in the World. In his World debut in 2016 he placed 7th but then the next year won silver, his first of a total of four World medals. In his first Olympic Winter Games in 2018, Shoma skated off with the silver medal and returned on to the Olympic podium four years later, earning the bronze. In 2022 and 2023 Uno crowned himself ISU World Champion.

However, in between there was a time of struggle. In the 2019/20 season, for the first (and only) time in his career, Uno finished off the podium in the ISU Grand Prix Series. He had left his coaches since childhood and struggled with confidence.

“At first, to be honest, I was thinking about finishing my career,“ he said in an interview at Skate America 2021 about this time.

“I did not know how much longer I would keep going. But imaging the end (I thought) maybe I'll enjoy the rest of this career as an athlete.“

Uno started to work with two-time World Champion Stéphane Lambiel as his coach and choreographer in fall 2019 and soon came back strong. He grew as an athlete and a performer with beautiful programs that highlighted his versatility: “Turandot” (Free Skating 2017/18), “Great Spirit” (Short Program 2020/21), “Bolero” (Free Skating 2021/22) and “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Free Skating 2023/24) to name a few.

At the same time, the Japanese star always pushed the limits technically and made history by becoming the first Skater to perform a quadruple flip in competition in 2016.

“When I train and want to become better, it's not good for me to work on what I can already do. If I'm satisfied with just giving 80 per cent, I'm not good. The right training for me is to push my limits,” Uno said in an interview.

The Japanese Skater has an independent mind and a fun personality. He has a Youtube Channel where you can meet his three toy poodles Emma, Baron and Toro.

“When I am on the ice, I am totally focused on my sport, but when I'm off the ice, I am sure most people know I am just a lazy slacker, but I thought that would be a good way to show to the people how I am off the ice, but still this is Shoma Uno,” he explained.

When asked who inspires him the most, Shoma’s surprising answer was:

"Myself. Of course, I think I am inspired by many people and heard some good words from everyone, too, but in the end when you break it down, I do feel that it is myself that inspires me and sadly, I don't listen to anyone. Sometimes I listen, but mostly I go with my own mind,” he added.

For sure Uno will follow his own ideas in the years to come but you can certainly expect to see him gracing the ice in shows for a while.

[raininyourblackeyes]

What happened at world's??? I'm not up to date 😭

LMAOOO WHAT DIDN'T????

Ok brief summary of every disciplinne which will end up long so

MEN:

Boyang messed up so much in the SP he didn't even get to the free. To quote his coach Brian "I don't even know what that was." My boy obviously thinks that the men need to flop in every city starting with M... Milano 2018, Montreal 2024.... let's hope he keeps that mindset for worlds and olympics because they are also in Milano

Junhwan also flopped in the SP, but not as much thank skating gods! He did better in the fs but I really didn't get anything from his programs this season anyways so I wasn't as devastated as I would be let's say with any prev season's fuck up

Kao also flopped SP missing the combo because of the 4T attempt. Absolutely magnificent opening 4S, best of the SP event! He attacked some titans in the FS but got eaten immediately by 4Lo and 4S

Shoma finally listened to me telepathically and flopped the free

Jason was overscored as fuck, he should not have been above Deniss in any segment but he has the american money. However, he did serve.

Have to mention Nikolaj Memola having a very solid senior worlds debut!!!

Ilia uuuh got the world record in the FS, 227 something and now he's going viral and how I feel about it is 😐 The 4A was magnificent, and yeah yeah he can jump and yeah it's a Succession program but PLEASE WATCH SOMEONE WHO'S ACTUALLY DOING FIGURE SKATING! One can only wonder what's next? A quint? A quad-quad combo? Because he did everything else and I doubt he'll decide to get some skating skills

Donovan was absolutely stellar! And the audience loved him!

The epic highs (Romsky SP) and epic lows (Romsky FS) - as usual

Deniss went clean (if we don't count popping the opening quad in the FS) in both SP and FS. His SP is a religious experience, and he's skating to Hallelujah exactly how Leonard Cohen would have wanted. 100% worth watching (costume deduction for showing tits is soooo funny). He also did a mad thing and debuted a new free st worlds. I was sad to see Blues Deluxe go and very sceptic about Lion King, that's junior music to me but IT WAS STUNNING and I hope he keeps it for the next season so I can see it live in Zagreb

Yuma... GOD!!!!!! He is right now THE best skater we have in this disciplinne. Carolina Costner is doing wonders for his skating skills. And somehow this was meant to be a recovery season. Meanwhile he blew everyone else out of the water. Yuma is definitely worth getting into figure skating. Two stunning programs, some textbook jumps, mind-blowing performance ability and just lovely skating skills

Adam was probably the definition of men singles skating event. 19th in the sp, everyone despaired about him... because you know, there's no hope for Boyang but there is some for Adam? And boy was there hope!!! He goes clean in the FS, does a fucking banned backflip which I am not a fan of, probably thinking "fuck it I did an amazing program but from 19th I have no chance to medal anyways so I'll just do this instead" so he takes 2 deductions. And medals. Biggest jump placement wise in history of the sport. Sooo then fucking Benoit who is already delusional about his choreo skills goes and says how he wants to create choreo so revolutionary that could potentially get him banned. My dude, you should have been banned a long time ago for Kaori's I love being a woman free at least...

WOMEN:

Tbh they were in the middle of the night for me and since men singles is my fave disciplinne it's also the only one I'd stay awake for so... not much to say here. Sorry. But there wasn't any insane drama I think, the results did take me out in the SP, but it ended up pretty nice in the end

I did see Kaori and while her programs are far from my favourites this season I am 100% convinced that girl could sell me anything. The highlight of both her performances, apart from how insanely well she did to come back from 4th to win overall in the FS, was her reaction to a botched Lutz landing in the SP. Her SP is also dedicated to her niece and nephew and it's so soft. Also imagine in a few years a teacher asks kids to say a fun fact about themselves in the first class and this kid gets up and says uuuh my aunt won her 3rd consecutive world title with one of the programs being about me being born. THE FLEX!

I only got to see Hana's FS in real time and I have made an entire post about Shakuhachi so please go watch that if you haven't, it's a masterpiece. Koo Koo Fun is also a masterpiece in some other aspects! Also go watch that! I think she did an amazing job for a kid at her first worlds in her first senior season.

Mone WHAT A COME BACK IN THE FREE!!! Which rip... I like her SP more, but definitely also chek out the Sendai baby Mone if you haven't

I've seen Amber's FS, the only clean 3A of the evening. I really hope she can one day pull off a completely clean free one day

Young had an epic performance in the SP, that StSq is just cheff's kiss. I didn't catch her FS but uhhh I also don't really want to hurt myself so I won't even try to look for it

Chaeyeon sadly has a Benoit abomination for her FS, her SP is also by Benoit but she sells it so well. I say this about her FS because quite frankly it's the FS that got her the medal.

PAIRS:

Deanna and Maxime. That's it that's what you need to know about pairs. She is a superstar, they did an Interview With the Vampire free with stunning costumes. Their SP was a firecracker! Deanna is the oldest woman ever to win the gold in figure skating, and she should be THE inspiration to all little girls trying out the sport thinking that it's just a few years of fame. You can be 40 and winning gold in your home city!

Riku and Ryuichi did so well considering they are coming back from an injury and they brought back Woman (2020-21 and 2021-22 FS). Silver was very much very well deserved

I think the only other team I remember leaving an insane impression on me were Hocke/Kunkel in the SP, absolutely fucking robbed.

Pairs was overall the best disciplinne and you should watch it, I didn't have time to see any free skates except for SD/D and M/K so that's about what I can say about the event

ICE DANCE:

Head in hands, this used to be a disciplinne where you go to therapy (skating skills) after the horrors (jump fests)

Chock/Bates won which is a fucking joke because the only thing they have going for them is the fact that Madison is hot and that can be a distraction once or twice, but not at every fucking competition and not at worlds. When will they retire?

Piper and Paul were stunning, their programs are always either a hit or a miss no inbetween and this season they are a HIT! Especially the Wuthering Heights FD you should see it! They won the free, but Skate Canada forgot to homecook in the RD so they got silver overall

Charlene and Marco have the campiest RD this season but it works!!! The only superheros I am willing to watch on my screen, marvel wishes it's characters had what these two do. Their FD is also really nice. LOVED Barb's interview where she said Madison and Evan are slow af lol, but rip she was so confident about G/F placing above G/P and then bam bronze

LALA THE TRUE WORLD CHAMPIONS! Absolutely stunning and fun RD to Thriller with Zachary actually being the main character. It's also my mom's favourite ice dance program of the season overall! And then you have a complete change of emotion and tone in their Roses FD which is just soft and elegant and she is literally dressed in flower petals. They showed so much variety and growth this season. It's a program made to be adored, and their skating offers so much quality. RD is passionate and mindblowing, FD is enchanting seamless. If ice dance was a real sport they would be the world champions!

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko in strong contention for my fave RD this season. I am probably a bit biased becasue it's Stevie Nicks. They had an amazing glo up this season imo. Their FD offers a lot of intense character projections: obsession, possessiveness. Choreo is intricate, it's a very tasteful program. Someone on here said we should have more programs about murder after their performance and I couldn't agree more. ALSO Scott and Madison in the K&C!!!!!!

You can barely guess that Lim/Quan are a first season senior couple. They managed to make me watch Let's Go Crazy without sighing about how much I miss Yuzuru. Insanely hot in that program. Their Umbrellas are also in my top 3 free dances this season. Amazing performances at their first senior worlds

Ok I'm only gonna mention absolute delight and theatrics that Pirihara bring on the ice. Such a unique Chicago presentation! I can't wait to see what they plan to do next season.

[triptychgrip]

Yurio's post-canon maturation

In the latest chapter of my 2018/2022 Olympic Games Yuri!!! on Ice fic -- which takes place on the day of the Men's Singles Free Skate at the 2022 Beijing Games -- I was able to delve into one of my favorite topics to write about: Yurio's post-canon maturation, especially with regards to his perceptions around mental health challenges (like Yuuri's anxiety).

Yuri Plisetsky is my favorite lovable gremlin, but the first time I watched YOI (age 30, I'm now 33), my gut feeling towards him was strong dislike. When he yelled at Yuuri in the bathroom at the Sochi GPF, it reminded me of the bullies from high school that made fun of me because I was a nervous wreck in gym class (I am partially blind, but that apparently didn't matter to them), and his extreme belligerence that was met with seemingly very little consequences would never have flown in the extremely strict South Asian family that I was raised in.

If either of my parents had caught wind of the fact that I'd ever dared to call someone a pig...I shudder to think of the reaction. I honestly think I resented Yuri a little for his brashness.

In becoming more familiar with YOI, I grew to love his character and was able to pick up on nuances of his development that I'd failed to the first time around. He's been really rewarding to write about in my "Gold's On The Inside" fic-verse (which is at 300K+ words and counting!), and I love being able to show the protective side of him that occasionally flares up when it comes to Yuuri, but also when it comes to Viktor (who in my series, becomes his coach once Yakov retires in 2019).

Below is an excerpt from the latest chapter (#19) that I really loved writing.

It depicts a scene that takes place just before Yurio helps Yuuri through a panic attack (which is a full-circle event, considering some earlier events in the story). I won't give things away in terms of spoilers that take place in the previous chapter, but just know that something happens to Viktor on the day of the Free Skate that causes Yuuri's anxiety to skyrocket even more than it typically would, considering competition nerves (and the fact that 2022 Olympics mark Yuuri's final competition prior to retirement).

As an FYI re: original character names you'll see in this excerpt, 'Suko' refers to the name of Yuuri's therapist, while 'Ianna' is the name of Yuuri's close friend (and Mila's coach). 'Lakernik" refers to the Vice-President of the International Skating Union.

I hope this overview piques your interest in checking out this fic, or my other Yuri!!! on Ice work ----

Katsudon was literally gasping for air like a drowning man into Meni’s fur, full-body shaking under the weight of his distress. Ianna had begun speaking a bit louder, so Yuri now knew that she’d been trying to run him through some of the breathing exercises that Suko usually had him do.

“As you can see, Mr. Lakernik, I’m rather preoccupied,” Ianna snapped in answer, adopting an uncharacteristically impatient tone. “I wasn’t the only one close by. Otabek Altin was there, too, and I’m sure he’d be more than willing to give his account.”

He stiffened at his best friend’s name, knowing Beka had been texting him these last few minutes. He wondered how he was faring amidst the uncertainty.

“Yes, President Dijkema is speaking with Mr. Altin now, but I’m sure you understand that we need to be able to corroborate the details with as many people as possible,” Lakernik countered, sounding equally impatient.

He hesitated for a second, and then casted an unmistakably derisive glance in Yuuri’s direction.

“Provided they’re not, erm…indisposed,” he went on.

A plume of rage flared to life in Yuri’s stomach, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from stomping over to make it known.

Years ago, he might have made a similarly demeaning comment, but his teenage self had been a bit of a judgmental idiot that’d been completely clueless when it came to anxiety.

And not only in terms of understanding that it manifested for Katsudon as a disorder that affected his day-to-day life, but also in comprehending how he was the very opposite of weak for struggling with it.

Yuuri had told him shortly after dedushka had died – during the three month period of yawning emptiness when Yuri had started to experience his own, albeit infrequent panic attacks – that his anxiety sometimes made him feel like his feet were made of lead.

Like no matter how hard he tried to move them when his music started, that it felt like he had to expend gargantuan effort to lift them by even a fraction of an inch off of the ice.

To think…even as Katsudon’s mind told him that his feet were welded to his skates, he managed to lift them, anyway.

At times after a panic attack, his movements – by his own admission – were stiff and rote, devoid of his innate musicality. But then at other times, Yuuri truly did seem to create a chorus with his body, to the extent that a surreal weightlessness gilded his every turn, jump, and glide.

But in either case: he showed up. Katsudon pushed onwards.

So how dare this fucking idiot try to diminish him for his struggle?

Something on Yuri’s face must have betrayed his indignation, because now Celestino was gripping his wrist.

[macaroni-rascal]

What are 10-15 programs would you would show a new figure skating fan to acquaint them with the sport? Can be a mix of dance, pairs and singles and can be from any era

Fun question!

Pairs:

I would show Sui and Han's Spanish Romance short program from 2016 worlds, and their Rain in your Black Eyes free program from 2019 worlds, I would show no other pairs.

Men:

I would show Javier Fernandez's Guys and Dolls free skate from 2016 worlds, Patrick Chan's Chopin free skate from 2016 four continents, Shoma Uno's Dancing on my Own from Challenge Cup in 2020, and his Oboe short program from the Olympics last year, also Loco from 2017 worlds.

Women:

I would show Kaetlyn Osmond's Edith Piaf short program from the 2018 Olympics and Kaori Sakamoto's The Piano free skate from Japanese Nationals in 2018.

Ice Dance:

Literally any Virtue and Moir program, but specifically, Mahler from the 2010 Olympics, Dream a Little Dream of Me from the 2014 Olympics, Prince from 2017 Worlds, Latch from 2016 NHK, and Moulin Rouge from the Olympics in 2018.

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Olympics 2022 - Men FS

Don't know if anyone is interested anymore, but I do it nonetheless. Again this is a personal recap, so feel free to agree or disagree with me. I needed some time to process what happened in the free skate.

I think this free skate as a whole was kinda a bit opposite to the short program. A lot skaters made many many mistakes. Some smaller mistakes, some bigger mistakes. If memory serves me right Jason Brown is the only skater without a single mistake, but ofc he wasn't performing quads while everyone else at least tried one...

First I am beyond proud of Yuzu and Shoma! ❤️ You fought well!

I like to talk about Yuzuru Hanyu first because I think him coming to Beijing was brave. He was and is still dealing with a massive injury (he iced his ankle just right after the skate), he won everything this sport has to offer, he is already in the history books not only as the first to land the 4Lo but also as the first to win a superslam, a thing no other male single skater achieved - there was no need to show up and try to defend his title. And also he knew his name would bring the media attention (his first practice was so full of reporters some had to stay out) and with all eyes on him tremendous pressure (just like Shoma acknowledged in the press con) BUT he took the challenge, he even challenged the 4A - a jump that is deemed impossible - and he was damn close in making it happen in the free. He had a gap from the SP and if he would just have wanted a medal he could have played save, but he didn't. Yuzu didn't come here to be 2nd or 3rd and he said before he knew he could only win with a landed 4A. The 4A was his primary goal, not a medal. And getting the credit for being the first skater to call himself to go for a 4A, this he has achieved. (all other so far tried 4As cannot be called 4A, because they were downgraded) Yuzu didn't go down without a fight. Yes he had two falls, yes it wasn't enough for the podium, but he was 4th in the end. He delivered the rest of his program beautifully. Yuzu had a beautiful costume and I am always in awe of this unusual unique program and music. 😍

Yuzu - I have no words to describe my gratitude for all you have done for this sport for Japan. You are the reason I got to like and watch men figure skating. I will forever be thankful to you. ❤️

Shoma Uno might be the happiest Bronze medal winner you can find at the Olympics.

Congratulations on your Bronze medal! 🥉 The 3rd Olympic medal too! Who would have thought that after all these years of struggle between Pyeongchang 2018 and now? Many ppl thought his career was over after IdF 2019 and even after last WTT2021 ppl counted him completely out of any medal contention or some were even wondering if he would make it to the Olympics. But he fought. He found a new love for skating and he found a new will to fight for the top. This is why this medal is so significant for him.

Shoma was visibly nervous during his free skate. I think he did better Bolero programs through this season, but I think no one - even if I wished for it - thought he would deliver a clean skate. Especially not with nagging injury and training loss. As you may know I am not the biggest fan of Bolero, but this version is quite catchy and not as boring as the original. Especially the step sequence was lit 🔥 the later cantilever to end is gorgeous! 😍 Yeah he had some unfortunate mistakes, but he did 5 quads! He did miss a combo and yes the free skate was obviously struggld, but there were good elements too. The spins and steps, both 3As, the 2nd 4T, the opening 4Lo. He gave away lots of points, but the high BV saved him from falling further down the ranking. Though he had a singled Flip and a combo missing, he had a whopping 88,53 BV - the 4th highest behind Nathan, Yuzu and Daniel Grassl. This and his SP gap saved him the Bronze 🥉. (and even if we would give his 4S an UR and a little lower PCS, he still would have placed before Yuzu, but ofc the gap could have been smaller, but Yuzu also had the disadvantage of the earlier group and the PCS cap applied for multiple mistakes. And seems like PCS is not applied for pops in this comp or Jason, Nathan and Yuma all would have had one major mistake, but it wasn't seen in their PCS. And Shoma's PCS would have been to be capped at 90 as well.)

Congrats to Yuma Kagiyama for taking Silvee🥈 !

Admittedly I am not the biggest Yuma fan, but I can very well see his basics are phenomenally good. He has very smooth skating just like his idol Shoma and just like his idol Shoma he took Silver at his first Olympics. I think it was one of his best performances of this program. It builds quite well. And he has very clever layout with the 3Lo combo and also adding the 4Lo was pretty gutsy considering he didn't land many of them in practice. I just feel he doesn't emote as well as others to the audience yet. And that's why - especially live in the arena - his skates don't really touch me. I mean Shoma is also small but he just has this presence on ice, ofc in the free Shoma was nervous, so he wasn't as good as he could be, but Yuma is small but also has small presence. He is cute and his reactions are absolutely adorable, but he just doesn't have the same appeal. I think on TV it's better hidden than live in the arena as TV is closer to the skater and can do some of the transport to the audience. Not to be mistaken I think he does it totally fine for his age, just I am a little astounded how high his PCS got in so little time. But I guess delivering good programs over the season helped. His Silver is well deserved. And he is definitely one of the main contenders for the next years if he stays healthy.

Congrats to Nathan Chen! 🥇

I think going back to Rocket Man was the right choice. There is no doubt about his consistency and this is also what kept him a constant frontrunner for the past years. I think his win is totally fine. He delivered two clean programs. And he really looked as if he enjoyed his program even if it only showed in the last minute. BUT wth are those 97 PCS? 😱 This is over the top, just no way justified. My continuous problem with Nathan is the way he is scored. It's not his fault and contrary to some others I don't think his quads deserve no GOEs, so I think apart from the 3A his quads are very good and his TES are mostly deservedly high. I have some beef with his spins as the positions are not pleasing to my eyes. I will never be a Nathan Chen fan as I still find his basic skating rather scratchy and I miss a good knee bend, but we all know PCS are attached to TES and this may not be right, but it can't helped. And anyone thinking Nathan deserves 7s when the last placed skater get 7s is really delusional. I have seen Nathan live couple of times and he is fast on the ice and his performance ain't as bad as some make it out to be, but is this deserving of 97 PCS, just no way. He would have won with 88-90 PCS too. Overall I think the PCS are too high and there is too little difference to distinguish between the skaters.

Junhwan Cha is my newfound love this season. And he continues to amaze me. ❤️ After that awful fall he fought so good. And his Ina Bauer is just so amazing 😍😍😍 the 5th place is a superb finish for the 4CC champ. 👍

Jason Brown - his skate was beautiful. I think it was one of the best programs of the night. But I don't know why only he is able to get sky high PCS with lower TES? And also almost everyone would probably have more transitions and more complex programs if they would skate with triples only and this is probably what gets a bit on my nerves when ppl say "Jason deserves so much better everyone else could also tone quads down and get better PCS then" but yeah only if your name is Jason you get such GOEs for triples and the PCS too. Yes I know PCS and TES should not relate, but how come TES and PCS go together for everyone, but not for Jason? Deniss Vasiljews has an equal amount of beautifully performed triples but neither his TES nor PCS reach slightly the same heights as Jason's? Maybe the passport plays a part? I am glad Jason made it to the Olympics, but he is probably the last person to get away without a quad.

Daniel Grassl moved up quite a lot. He had the 4th best free skate and I think the 3rd highest TES. I think his skating style is aesthetically unpleasing. His jump form is wild and his programs are weird, but you can see his effort. So I applaud the try. And Daniel best European skater. Well done!

Extremely happy for Boyang Jin. I think this was the first free skate in years he was really good. And that magnificent 4Lz is to die for 😍😍😍 I am sad he lost a lot on his consistency, but this is why I am so happy about his 9th place finish and it gives me hope that one day soon we'll have Boyang fighting for the podium again. 👍

The post becomes endless again that's why I will stick to some of my personal highlights:

Adam Saio Him Fa - what a cool unique stunning program full of energy. ⚡⚡⚡If he learns to control some of his energy he could also be a contender for the top!

Kevin Aymoz - maybe one of the most beautiful performers out there. 😍😍😍He seemed to have overcome a bit of his struggles during the season. I think 12th place finish was all he could hope for.

Deniss Vasiljews - such a beautiful program! ❤️ Sadly the 4S didn't happen in the free but still great effort! ❤️

Keegan Messing - he is just such a charming person and skater and he was oldest in the field. He always has very personal programs and I always smile when Keegan skates. ❤️ His baby is so adorable! What a proud dad!

Congratulations to all Olympians! May y'all have a good rest now! 😊

Thank you for reading one of the longest takes! Here is your well deserved cookie 🥠!

[yuzu-all-the-way]

My Journey with Yuzu

First of all, this post is a VERY long post. It's going to be quite personal, so feel free to skip it if you don't feel like reading everything. Essentially, this is my journey - from first hearing about Yuzu, to actually discovering him and becoming his fan. I also share some thoughts about what comes next in this journey.

2018 PyeongChang Olympics

I was in university working on a project when I heard news that the Olympics were about to start. I have been watching figure skating on-and-off as I child, but had never actually followed a full skating season nor watched an entire competition. PyC was my opportunity. Also, I was not familiar with the skaters, since I hadn't watched competitions since around 2014-2015.

Unfortunately, because of my tight schedule and limited resources at the time, I was unable to find a live stream of the Olympics and I gave up trying to watch.

About a few months later, maybe Summer 2018, I got a recommended ice dance video (I have no clue why or how the YT algorithm suggested me that). It was from a practice session, I don't remember whose, I just remember clicking on it because I thought "figure skating, cool".

The next recommended video was the gold-winning performance from the men's discipline - of course I watched it and loved it. Yep, that was the first time I saw Yuzuru Hanyu, his PyC SEIMEI. But then something came up and I had to get off YT and completely forgot about him.

Spring 2019 (I think)

Fast forward a year and I'm on Pinterest looking up who-knows-what. And this photo appears.

I was in awe. He looked so strong, determined, broody, he looked like he was solving an equation in his head. Because of the all-black attire, I completely missed the fact that he was wearing skates and thought he was a model or something. Never tried to find out his name.

2020-2021

Then COVID hit. Life was put on pause. More fast forwarding. I watched the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and before the opening ceremony, I saw some talk that Yuzuru Hanyu was going to show up as the final torch bearer (speculation, more likely). Who is Yuzuru Hanyu? I looked him on Google.

This photo was the second that showed up in the search results.

It was quite the contrast compared to his first photo in which he was holding up a medal (later I found out it was a photo from the JNats 2020 victory ceremony).

So I went back to YT and saw that I had watched his PyC free skate. So I decided to watch his short program, too.

No, I still wasn't invested or interested in him. The summer Olys were starting, I was trying to keep up with several sports and my sleep schedule was a mess.

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

I didn't want to miss the figure skating like I did back in 2018. So I got a subscription to watch the Olympics. I decided to get as informed as possible since I had already watched in 2022 the Europeans and Four Continents, too. So I joined figure skating reddit.

On there, before the team event of the Olys, I saw a bingo card and one box features "Yuzu shows up and does the FS". Who is Yuzu?!

That was my downfall. I know him, I've seen his previous Olympics programs. I decided to check his career achievements page - I was impressed then I wanted to know more about him.

I fell down and hard - in about 2 weeks I gathered so much information about him and binged almost half of his programs (every competition in chronological order), if not more.

I was rooting for him so hard, I read about his quest for the 4A, I saw his JNats 2021 Ten to Chi to and his first attempt at incorporating the 4A in a complete program. I was completely mesmerized by his resolve. Of course I found Planet Hanyu and started watching his interviews as well.

By the time the short program competitions rolled around, I was already Yuzu's fan with quite a lot of knowledge of his hardships and achievements. I also was aware of how bad the sport was becoming.

I am so glad I got to see Yuzu's SP, FS and gala live on TV. I was awake at 3-4 am just to watch him - my heart broke both during the SP and FS. But I knew I had seen something amazing, I had seen history made. I saw his Beijing practices, and his programs' medley - I knew I wanted to see him in person one day.

It's very hard to express exactly what I feel when I watch Yuzu skate, but it's like I'm transported to another world. I wanted so much more. And then the news about him participating at FaOI came. I watched those broadcasts with so much happiness.

I made plans to go to GPF Torino for the up-coming season. Plans which got shredded the moment Yuzu announced that he's going to continue skating as a pro athlete.

In retrospect, I got the compressed version of Yuzu's career - ups and downs - and that's what makes me happy. I saw his LAST competition - all of it, I'm happy for that. I'm sorry I did not see him podium, but that's another story.

I will continue re-watching his competitive programs, his galas, I will continue supporting him and finding every piece of media that features him.

I will do my best to one day attend one of his future ice shows, be it in Japan or another place.

I haven't known him for a long time, but he's made a great impression on me.

I finished reading his autobiographies on the night between 18th and 19th July. I learnt so much more about him. The next day, he left competitive skating.

Now I'm here, waiting for news about his future plans and what he's going to come up with. I am looking forward to his new programs. Yuzuru Hanyu's skating is still happening, on his own terms - that's what I care about.

[shomagravity]

Uno Shoma returns to his origin with a “chanson” as he faces new season as the World Champion.

  TEAMING UP WITH FORMER COACH HIGUCHI MIHOKO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS 24 years old Uno Shoma (Toyota Corp.) who won his first World Championship last season in Men’s Figure Skating, took a step towards the next stage without losing his “natural” charm. On August 25, at Kose Shin Yokohama Skate Center in Yokohama, he performed his exhibition number ‘Padam, padam’ for the first time at the public rehearsal of Friends on Ice which marks the end of summer ice show season.  Riding on the relaxing masterpiece of "Chanson" which has a vague melancholy and a gorgeous melody, the performance by the figure skater who became the world champion after growing from the bottom through ups and downs, highlighted Uno Shoma’s personality. These past few years had also been a turbulent period with big changes as an athlete. He regarded even ice shows as a place where he wants to improve himself at, and seemed to re-challenge his return to origins by teaming up for the first time in 3 years. DETERMINED TO ENHANCE HIS POWER OF EXPRESSION, “A PATH I’VE CHOSEN MYSELF” Shoma Uno, who won the silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, made the big decision in June 2019 to leave the coaches of Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi, who had been coaching him since he was five years old. The scene of him teaming up with his former coach Higuchi Mihoko after a long time was also uploaded on Uno Shoma’s official YouTube.  Having known each other since his childhood, the smile as she gives advice about his stance right before the song begins or on the detailed choreography of his finish, reveals their trusting relationship, slightly different to the one he has with ex-World Champion Stephane Lambiel.  Uno Shoma commented, “I want to move forward on the path I’ve chosen myself without rushing anything. Things like choreography as well, since I chose this sport called Figure Skating, even though jumps get the most points, I think expression is one of the charms of figure skating, so I think it will continue to demonstrate it’s true value at ice shows.” And he pledged a new challenge to improve his expressive power on ice.  “I hope to skate to various programs so I can show everyone even a little different side of me, so that they can be surprised and have fun.”   THIS SEASON’S GP SERIES ARE SKATE CANADA AND NHK TROPHY. This season Shoma Uno, set goals to his “progress” of acquiring the highly difficult quadruple lutz, and shows interest in the blues-guitar song “Gravity”, his new SP. Officially announcing Bach’s Air as his new Free Program, he’s scheduled for this season’s Grand Prix Series’ second round in Skate Canada (October 28-30, Missisauga)  and fifth round in NHK Trophy (November 18-20, Sapporo). There’s no comparing the relationship of trust he has with Coach Lambiel, who had been a savior from the period he was without a coach, with the time he spent returning to his origins with Coach Higuchi Mihoko.   On his own YouTube he spoke of a unique relationship of trust, “With Stephane, Stephane does it (new programs) by himself. I feel like I have to imitate that, but I’ve known (Higuchi) Mihoko Sensei since a long time ago, so I think I have a relationship I can only have with Mihoko Sensei where I can say things like ‘Is it like this? Is it like that?’”  When asked about his vision of an ideal athlete, Shoma Uno mentioned Nathan Chen (USA) who recently won Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. Towards a new stage as a skater. Shoma Uno doesn’t intend to stop his “growth” even after becoming the world champion.  30 August 2022, Source || spaia.jp

[writernada]

10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring

Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.

Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:

1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.

In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.

Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":

"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."

Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.

In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.

One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"

Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.

That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".

2-  Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."

David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics

Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.

Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics

Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:

Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:

The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the  2014 Olympics:

3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:

In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.

Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."

After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.

The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:

In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:

"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."

Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:

After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.

For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.

At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.

4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:

After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.

Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"

Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:

5-  Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:

At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:

6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:

Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.

Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:

Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.

Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:

According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.

During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.

In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.

Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:

The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:

7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:

After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".

Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:

8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:

Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".

Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:

Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.

Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:

9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.

During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.

Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:

Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.

Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:

When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"

Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.

The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.

10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:

Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.  

Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.

Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:

https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz

[yuriplisetsky-rp]

Otabek Altin Leads After Olympic Short Program

Reigning Bronze Medalist Leads Leroy for Gold

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

BEIJING, CHINA – Reigning Olympic Bronze Medalist Otabek Altin of Kazakhstan leads the field after the short program. The only remaining singles medalist from 2018 (Popovich and Katsuki both retired), Altin skated a flawless program to score 114.54. It’s the highest short program score of the season so far, and the fifth highest short program score since the 2018 scoring system change. “I feel very good about how I skated,” said the two-time World Champion. “After place fourteenth at the 2020 Four Continents, it’s taken me time to get back to where I want to be. This season, and especially this skate, I finally feel like myself again, and ready to show why I was a two-time World Champion.” If he does win, it would be the first gold medal for his country at the Winter Olympics since 1992.

Sitting in second place is three-time Four Continents Champion, Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada. Leroy, who was eighth in Pyeongchang, skated a flawless short program to score 112.04, a personal best and the second-highest short program score of the season so far. “It felt good to skate that well at the Olympics, to skate as well as I have been,” said the seven-time National Champion. “I know more than anyone that you can be in line for a medal after the short, skate well and still not will.” He has been fourth at Worlds four times. “I’m going to do everything I can on Wednesday to come home with a medal, and that’s all I can do.” No Canadian man has ever managed to win gold in Men’s Singles at Worlds.

Currently sitting in third place is two-time Four Continents medalist Leo de la Iglesia of the US. Skating the short program of his career so far, he scored 109.59. “ I did not expect to score that and be in third after the short,” said the two-time National Champion, “but it feels good! I know staying on the podium will be hard with some of the higher base value behind me, and that’s okay. I just want to be able to go out doing my best. That’s all I can ask.” He was tenth in both of his previous appearances in 2014 and 2018. No US man has been on the Olympic podium since 2010.

The fight for the medals is not set in stone, though. About two and a half points behind is South Korea’s Seung-gil Lee with a 106.90. Only .02 behind is China’s Guang-hong de la Iglesia, and only .39 behind him is two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Yuri Altin of the ROC. It is anyone’s game. The free program takes place on Thursday morning here in China, Wednesday night for those in North America.

[geckomoon]

Yuri!!! on ice as irl skaters (part 1???)

Its 2020 and I miss yoi so here are my personal headcanons about which irl skater the you cast skate &/or act like because why the hell not.

(photos at the bottom of the post because I couldn't get the format to work the way I wanted it to)

Yuri Katsuki ➡️ Boyang Jin (China)/Evgenia Medvedeva (Russia)

Yes, 2 people because PARALLELS.

So my reason for saying Yuri is like Boyang is because, his step sequences are always gorgeous and his jumping power, oofttttt, and that one scene where Yuri tries a jump and lands in the wall, you know the one. Boyang Jin is known for jumping super close to the boards and scaring the hell out of us all, seriously, just watch one of his skates, it's amazing and terrifying. Also Boyang is a bit of a nerd and Yuri is canonicaly pretty into video games, nuff said.

Boyang is a two-time World bronze medalist (2016–2017), the 2018 Four Continents champion, a two-time Four Continents silver medalist (2016, 2019), the 2017 Asian Winter Games silver medalist, and a five-time (2014–2017, 2019) Chinese national champion.

Evgenia however, this is more of a parallel in how her 2018/19 season went and how Yuri kinda flopped. Zhenya had a crappy start to the 18/19 season, she'd just switched coaches and mover halfway across the world, for the 1st time in her senior career she didn't make the gpf. However by the end of the season she had bounced back and won bronze at worlds and my god what a skate that fp was. Remind you of anyone huh???

Evgenia has a lot of medals (and actually made a cameo in the end credits of episode 10) She is a two-time Olympic silver medalist (2018 ladies' singles, 2018 team event), a two-time world champion (2016, 2017), a two-time European champion (2016, 2017), a two-time Grand Prix Final champion (2015, 2016), a two-time Russian national champion (2016, 2017), silver medalist at the 2018 European Figure Skating Championships and bronze medalist at the 2019 World Championships. Also, she is a huge Anime fan and has a sailor moon exhibition program and its adorable.

Victor Nikiforov ➡️ Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan)

I know a lot of people compare Yuri to Yuzu but I think Victor is a better fit.

Yuzuru has a legion of super duper dedicated fans, they are pretty scary at times. If you watch the 2018 Olympics, the ice literally was covered in Pooh bears after his skate. People love this man, and rightly so. Clearly Yuri isn't the only one who loves Victor, he's very popular in the yoi skating world and almost everyone loves and looks up to him.

His skates are almost immaculate every time. Not only is his technique amazing but his artistry is what really sets him apart from other skaters who may have higher bv on jumps etc. Not that he dosent have high bv, seriously he tries combos that are super wierd just for the bv (see the wierd 4t-3a combo thing he does idk). Plus he's dead set on doing a quad axel. See Victor's super high bv with all the quads and also the fact everyone goes nuts over how his skating is 'like no other'.

Also his medal collection is absolutely mad, he is a two-time Olympic champion (2014, 2018), two-time World champion (2014, 2017), four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2013–2016), Four Continents champion (2020) and three times silver medalist (2011, 2013, 2017). Just like how Victor is canonicaly an Olympic champion and 5x world champion and probably many time euros champ.

Also, he's a sweetheart, he literally crawled behind Shoma Uno because he didn't want the attention taken away from Shoma. I love him.

Victor Nikiforov gives big Yuzuru Hanyu energy.

Yuri Plisetsky ➡️ Yulia Lipnitskaya (Russia)/Alexandra Trusova (Russia)

Again, 2 people.

It's canon that Yuri P was modeled after Yulia for the flexibility and artistic portion of his skates so I feel like I don't need to elaborate much in it however his determination and his wanting to back load with quads reminds me a lot of Sasha Trusova.

Sasha only started juniors the year after yoi came out (she had a Makkachin tissue box which was given to her by Evgenia M which is adorable) so she was not really that popular when the show was being made but she really made a statement when she became the 1st woman to land 2 quads in 1 program (4 salchow and 4 toeloop) at the age of 13 at 2018 junior worlds.

She has just started senior and this season she had 5 quads in one program and I think I cried. She now has a quad sal, toe, flip and lutz and is apparently working on a loop. On top of that she can land a 3 axel but has yet to do so in competition. Did I mention SHE'S 15 AND I'M TERRIFIED.

She currently holds the world record for the free skate (166.62 points). She is the 2020 European Bronze Medalist, the 2019 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2019 Skate Canada champion, the 2019 Rostelecom Cup champion, the 2019 CS Ondrej Nepela champion, the 2019 Russian national silver medalist, and the 2020 Russian national bronze medalist.

Her determination to win and high TES reminds me of Yurio a lot.

Phichit Chulanont ➡️ Nam Nguyen (Canada)

This one is fun.

I love Nam with all my heart, he's actually my favourite male skater and not just because of his skating. However his skating is great. He is the 2014 World Junior champion, 2019 Skate Canada silver medalist, and two-time Canadian national champion (2015, 2019). He has placed as high as fifth at the World Championships, in 2015. He's not the best skater ever, kinda like Phichit but his personality shines through so much when he skates and I love it.

My main comparison to Phichit is the fact that Nam Nguyen is a huge meme. His Instagram is one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen (@ namnamnoodle). I can't explain it with words seriously just go look at it, he makes memes using professionnally taken skating photos of himself and honestly it's just a giggle. He's almost always posting on his story and half the videos he takes end up on fan twitter and everyone freaks out.

Also he's good friends with Evgenia, thought I'd mention that seeing as who I compared her to :)).

Yeah, Phichit and Nam are memes and I adore them both.

Jean-Jacques Leroy ➡️ Nathan Chen (USA)

Jj is definitely more of a technical focused skater. He tends to put all his eggs in the '800000 quads' bucket and isn't as artistic, in my humble opinion.

Just like Nathan surprisingly, though Nate isn't as egotistical (not a dig, just an observation).

Nathan is compared to Yuzu a lot, and had actually scored higher than him a few times in competition. He is an amazing jumper and is the first skater to have landed five types of quadruple jumps in competitions: toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip and Lutz. Currently he is two-time World champion (2018, 2019), a 2018 Winter Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, the 2017 Four Continents champion, three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2017, 2018, 2019), and four-time U.S. national champion (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).

So yeah, he's good.

However at the 2018 Olympics (he was only 18 at the time) he bombed under pressure in the team event and in the sp, only to come back with a WR free skate, but didn't medal because of his sp score,kinda like how Jj bombed at the GPF. (Ngl, I cried in school when I saw Nate bomb at the Olympics, I was so upset).

Also, Nathan is super smart and is training to be a doctor. Not related to Jj but I thought I would point it out.

Christophe Giacometti➡️ Adam Rippon (USA)/Javier Fernández (Spain)

Chris is a hard one to pin to an irl skater because he's just so... Chris.

The closest comparison I can get is Adam Rippon but dialed up to 11 because Adam is quite a bit more tame than Chris is. However he did have a point in his sp where he literally beckons the judges to him in a way that can only be described as vaguely sexual. Seeing that at the Olympics was an event I'll tell you that.

Adam was the first openly gay man to make a U.S. Winter Olympic team, and the first to win a medal at the Winter Games. (team bronze).

Plus, I'm pretty sure he owned a Chris plushie at one point or another.

However other than the obvious Chrissness, his technique and medal winning achievements most closely match up with Javier Fernández (who may I add is pretty much Yuzuru Hanyu's best friend). He is the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World champion (2015, 2016), a two-time World bronze medalist (2013, 2014), a seven-time European champion (2013–2019), a two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist (2014, 2015), a three-time Rostelecom Cup champion (2014–2016), a two-time Grand Prix in France champion (2016–2017) and an eight-time Spanish national champion (2010, 2012–2018). Javi is an amazing skater but usually ended up playing 2nd fiddle to Yuzuru on the world stage, but with euros, he literally won 7 times consecutively. Anndddd, he was the flag bearer for Spain at the 2014 Olympics and I still cry about it.

Otabek Altin➡️ Denis Ten (Kazakhstan)/ Matteo Rizzo

So it's canon that Otabek was based on Denis (rip Denis) so like Yuri and Yulia I do not feel like I need to elaborate much as you can read it on the wikia page. But Otabek also reminds me of a less talkative version of Matteo Rizzo. Matteo is the 2019 European bronze medalist, 2018 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, 2019 Winter Universiade champion, and 2018 Italian national champion.

The reason he reminds me of Otabek is that they just joth exude the same level of cool and I can't explain it any further than that. That's it. Just watch him skate and you'll see.

So that's all I have for now because this post got pretty long so if this gets enough attention I'll do a part 2 :)).

[nutellamilkshake]

A SPORTS BLOG: Women's Figure Skating Short Program | PyeongChang 2018

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEtYYtwX1sM

Introduction

Figure Skating is a sport in which single athletes or teams of athletes conduct artistic performances on ice. Both men and women participate in their own singles events with pair skating events and ice dancing events open to both genders (usually one male and one female).

Athletes produce a wide variety of moves in order to impress a panel of judges, who score the athletes based on their grace, flair and control. Moves include jumps and spirals in the air, spins on the ice and a number of different step sequences.

Figure Skating has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the games first began in 1924, and also made appearances at 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics before that.

The United States are the current world leaders in Olympic Figure Skating, holding a total of 49 medals overall. Russia and Austria are the closest rivals with 26 and 20 medals, respectively. The Soviet Union also picked up 24 medals during their time in the competition.

Court Dimension

Figure Skating Winter Olympics 2018 was held at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea. Figure Skating Rinks have a total area of 18,707 ft2 (1738 m2), with an average length of 196.85’ (60 m) and a width of 98.43’ (30 m). Hence, its corners have a circumference of 27.89’. (8.5 m).

Equipment

Costume - The figure skating costume should be made of light and elastic materials, as a rule, these are stretch fabrics. The costume of the figure skater reflects the style of the program and the music.

Figure Skates - Professional skates for figure skating are made of thick durable leather, have a long lacing and a large tongue. For professional skaters, skates are made individually. The blades are made of carbon steel and consist of two parts. The curved rocker for a good glide on ice. The toe part has teeth, for the execution of jumps and some elements of the program.

Basic Skills

Turns - Figure skating turns are an  important part of the sport. Some turns are part of the basics and others are  advanced and difficult to perform. Figure skating turns are important  because they are part of the advanced figure skating moves. For example the  entrance to certain jumps includes a three turn or a mohawk.

Steps - Figure skating steps a  skills that when put together form what is called a footwork sequence. Some  figure skating steps are variations on or combinations of turns. Power three  turns, twizzles, and running threes are example

Spins - Spins in figure skating are  often the most fun for the skater and most appealing to the figure skating  audience. Crowds love to watch an elegant or super fast spin. There is so  much important information related of figure skating spins that we have an  entire section devoted to these figure skating skills. This section includes  descriptions, pictures, and video demonstrations of figure skating spins.

Jumps - Jumps are spins in the air.  Actually a jump is a back spin in the air. These figure skating skills have  become one of the most important aspects of the sport since the creation of  the international judging system. Triple and quad jumps receive so many  points that they overshadow most of the other skills when competing. Some of  the most elegant skaters have lost in competitions because another skater  executes a series of point grabbing jumps

Spirals - Spirals are glides with  one leg way up in the air. There are many variations of these figure skating  skills. The first figure skating spiral learned is usually the arabesque.  Skaters will then learn a catch foot variation. Important aspects for figure skating  spirals are good extension, get the free leg extended high in the air, and  moving steadily across the ice. A change of edge during a spiral will receive  extra points

Moves in the field -  Really moves on the ice not in a field! They are in some ways a replacement  for "figures". The moves tests are intended teach the skater the  skills they need to excel in the sport.

Technical and Tactical Skills of each team

Most individuals showed their different choreographed figure skating performance. Each figure skaters from different countries were such fascinating to watch and most of their performances are masterpiece. Let’s start with Russia (Alina Zagitova), she gracefully executed her performance through combinations just like double axel-triple toe and triple lutz-triple toe. She really had a flexible body which benefits her in her technical and tactical skills which helped her get the victory of the event. Next is from Russia (Evgenia Medvedeva), She performed with different varieties of movements which made her performance stunning, she had jumps and spins that results as an extraordinary performance. Next is from Canada (Kaetlyn Osmond), she has done such combos like triple-triple combos. She performed with a fast pacing combined with turns and jumps which made her performance eager to watch. Next is from Japan (Satoko  Miyahara), watching her performance, she had leaps and jump variations that leads to triple toe loop. She showcased also spiral movements that makes the audience enjoy her performance. Next is from Japan (Kaori Sakamoto), her performance was really jaw dropping because of her splendid production. She has done such unique movements which made her almost got a high score to the judges. Next is from Italy (Carolina Kostner), She did a magnificent move in the field, spirals and jumps which made her performance opulent to the eyes, I can really say that she went through a lot failures in her practices because she showcased such a hard performance which I can really say that all her practices were really worth it. Next is from Canada (Gabrielle Daleman), I can notice in her tactics in presenting her performance is through mostly jumps and such spirals, resulting her performance with such superb presentation. Next is from South Korea (Choi Da-bin), she started her performance with a move in the field, she had jumps and turns in her way of her tactics. Next is from United States (Mirai Nagasu), she is such a skillful figure skater because of her performance with such impressive spins and jumps. She had points from the judges with her layback spin because it was really a hard thing to do which shocked most of the people and also me. Next is from United States (Karen Chen), she had tactics like toe jumps and lutz. She presented great progression of moves in the field and spirals which made her performance imposing. Next is from United States (Bradie Tennel), she showed tremendous jumps and spirals which is her tactics in the event. Next is from Russia (Maria Sotskova), Most of her tactics are spiral jump and moves around the field and gliding throughout her performance. Next is from Slovakia (Nicole Rajicova), her tactics were done through leaps, turns, spirals and jump. She showed an organized performance which I can really say that she really mastered her movement all throughout her performance because of her body language being showed in the performance. Next is from Germany (Nicole Schott), Her performance was spectacular to watch because she really moves gracefully and her movement has timing towards the music. Next is from Kazakhstan (Elizabet Tursynbayeva), extraordinary spirals, jumps, spins, steps turns were all present in her performance which is her tactics in the event. Next is from Australia (Kailani Craine), she was really energetic in her performance which helped her execute such stunning jumps, spirals and spins. She really enjoyed her performance. Next is from Brazil (Isadora Williams), her performance was having the tactics of different combos of spins and jumps combining with the music to result a spectacular performance. Next is from Finland (Emmi Peltonen), she had showcased jumps and spins that can really prove that she really mastered it well and has a unique ability that is not present to other players. Next is from Switzerland (Alexia Paganini), her tactics was done through spins and jumps from what I observe in her performance, she really mastered these two in order to add opulent view in the eyes of the audience. Next is from Belgium (Loena Hendrickx), her tactics in the event was through her strength in spinning and the combined with jumps to make her performance stunning. Next is from Hungary (Ivett Toth), she showed tactics of being classic, she wore a costume with a very simple design emphasizing her passion or theme of being punk and being classic. Next is from Latvia (Diana Nikitina), her way of presenting his performance was through spins, she mostly showcased this skill with a unique kind of way of executing it and that’s her tactics in the event. Next is from Sweden (Anita Ostlund), she has done a tremendous performance with her tactics of upright spin, this spin is really hard because you really need to have lower strength in order to perform this which results toa plus points to then judge scorecard. Next is from Kazakhstan (Aiza Mambekova), her tactics was through her hands, to add more joy in her performance. Lastly, is from Ukraine (Anna Khnychenkova), her tactics was through skating with one leg only. She had also executed such upright spin reaching her toes which made her performance outstanding.

Rules of the Game

Players & Equipment

Figure skating is a sport in which both men and women compete, and the only equipment needed is a pair of specially designed skates known as “Figure Skates.”

Figure Skates

Figure Skates are specially designed skating shoes with thick steel blades at the base and jagged grooves at the front known as “toe picks” – which assist athletes with their footwork on the ice, as well as landing and spinning. The specific style of toe picks can vary.

The key blades are usually about 4 millimeters wide, although this varies depending on the athlete’s foot style. They also have a small bend on one side to help with ice turns.

Figure skaters will often want to skate on the outer tips of their wheels. In order to accommodate step-work rather than skipping, ice dancers normally have slightly narrower blades on the base of their shoes, with a slightly different shape.

Costumes

In order to perform on a professional level, all men and women must wear special costumes. Men are expected to wear pants, while women must wear skirts and tights, trousers, or neon spandex.

Scoring

Figure skaters are judged by a jury of judges who use the ISU Judging System to rate them (usually nine judges including a technical inspector, and also a referee). This system works by giving varying numbers of points to competitors with different kinds of movements, as well as how quickly and successfully they are performed. A Grade of Execution (GoE) is measured, followed by a Scale of Success  (SOP). A Grade of Execution (GoE) is measured, and this grade is then converted into an overall mark using a Scale of Value Table.

Ability, footwork, performance, perception, overall execution, choreography, and timing are the key factors scored     during a normal Figure Skating performance. The more complicated maneuvers     are often awarded the highest scores if they are done correctly. For     example, the more rotations in a leap, the higher the score.

Winning

The athlete or team with the highest total score wins a Figure Skating competition.

Figure Skating Rules

Figure skaters must make their results interesting. According to the Zayak Rule, no participant can try triple or quadruple jumps more than twice.

If participants may not follow the rules and regulations for music and costumes, judges can penalize them or disqualify them entirely. Certain forms of music are forbidden, and costumes must be free of “excessive decoration” or be too revealing.

Time penalties will also result in athletes being disqualified.

How to officiate the sport

Officiating officials are the backbone of Figure Skating, ensuring fair competition for all skaters by enforcing the rules and regulations that govern the sport of figure skating.

Accountants

Accountants are also responsible for providing the judges, referees and technical panel officials with documents for recording their decisions. The accountants are also responsible for ensuring that the scoring software is set up properly, the scores are entered accurately and the results are calculated correctly.

Announcers

Announcers are responsible for announcing competitors before they perform at a competition. Announcers might also be asked to announce scores, names of officials and other general competition information as necessary. As the voice of an event, announcers need to be able to work as part of a team and have the ability to communicate effectively with competition hosts, referees and other officials. 

 Ice Technicians

Ice technicians are utilized at certain qualifying and international competitions to ensure the safety and quality of the ice surface. Primarily utilized at large competitions, the ice technician is the go-between for the event referee and arena personnel, and ensures each event runs safely and smoothly.

Judges

There are 2 types of Judges: Test Judges & Competition Judges

Test Judges: who can judge test sessions and     nonqualifying competitions

Competition Judges: who can judge     nonqualifying and qualifying competitions

 Music Technicians

Music officials are responsible for the setup, tear down and operation of the equipment used to play music at competitions.

Referees

Referees are the designated leaders and spokespeople for an event. They also manage the panel of judges and, depending on the size of the competition, may serve as one of the event's judges as well.

Summarization

Everyone did well in the event, however Alina Zagitova from Russia got the victory with the score of 82.92. Second place is Evgenia Medvedeva also from Russia with a score of 81.61 and third place is from Canada named Kaetlyn Osmond with a score of 78.87. Watching the figure skating event was really fun and at the same time jaw-dropping because of the extraordinary performance of the players. I can really say that figure skating is not an easy sport, it requires determination to improve and will go though different failures in order to grow as a figure skater. I really respect those players since they really tried their best to win.

References:

Figure Skating. (n.d.). Retrieved from Sportwiki:  https://sport-wiki.org/sports/figure-skating/#Equipment_for_figure_skating

The Basics. (n.d.).  Retrieved from Go Figure Skating:  http://gofigureskating.com/skills/index.html

Officiate. (n.d.).  Retrieved from US Figure Skating:  https://www.usfigureskating.org/support/officiate

Figure Skating Rules. (n.d.).  Retrieved from Rules of Sport:  https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/figure-skating.html

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

If you're talking about the UpAgain moments thing, honestly to me the ones that made the least sense were P/C and S/H. Like, what was their down moment? Winning silver at their previous Olympics? Actually even for Kaori, dgmw I love her and she had an amazing year, but she never really had a down moment either? I guess for Yuzuru you could say that well, he was battling with injuries for the entire quad and yet he still managed to certify the first 4A but that's not even the angle they're taking since they're just saying that he got injured before the free in Beijing so idk. Actually Nathan kinda makes sense to me cause he did have a glow up between the beginning and end of the quad. But I agree that Shoma's story deserved to be featured. You're right, they just took the biggest names for each discipline rn and rolled with it

For P/C and Sui/Han can be said the same thing as for Yuzu.

Sui and Han battled with many injuries through their entire careers.

Papadakis/Cizeron both had severe cases of COVID-19 that made them miss a season, also Gabriella Papadakis had severe mental health problem.

Kaori lost some of her momentum between the 2019-2020 and this season 2021-2022 and had trouble with motivation.

So yes all of them dealed with some kind of setback in their careers, but none of them struggled as bad to fear not even making the selection for a Worlds team like Shoma.

And even if we don't take Shoma into account as ofc I am pretty biased for him. There is Mai Mihara who sat out almost two years because she was so seriously ill that she could not even walk, but she fought jer way back to competition. Or Wakaba Higuchi who was Worlds Silver Medalist in 2018,but it took her 4 years to compete at a World/Olympic stage. Or let's take Jason Brown who missed the Olympics in 2018 and changed his whole surroundings to come back and be selected for the 2022 Olympics. And even if I am not their fan and atm including Russians is difficult for logical reasons the story of Sinitsina/Katsalapov, who also struggled to even get selected to represent their country in 2018 and now they are Olympic Silver medalists. Or one of the most impressive #UpAgain moment would be the Ukrainian team who represented their country in the most difficult of circumstances and little to no training and still fought and skated.

I can name a lot more stories where the #UpAgain narrative would fit much better than to chose basically all Olympic champions and with all respect towards Kaori (love you) it looks like she was just selected because the Ladies champ was Russian and therefore atm is not a possible choice.

All those champions are for sure wonderful and also have great stories, but I think ISU just could have done better and show more diverse skaters stories than selecting the most common names from the Olympics (excluding Russians). It's just disappointing but as we talk about the ISU I surely didn't expect anything else.

Adding:

Lol as if ISU would touch scoring. 😂

Yes I do agree that they had a rough quad.

Actually the hashtag #UpAgain could actually fit any skater. They all fall and get up again and they all fight with injuries as ISU didn't make clear as to why those skaters are selected there is no way of knowing what "criterias" they used. I just think their selection is a bit too obvious and lazy.

[virtchandmoir]

Tessa Virtue on retiring from skating, starting her MBA and the women who most inspire her

March 15, 2020

When we arrive on the Montreal set of RW&Co.'s spring campaign, the shoot is well under way. Tessa Virtue, wrapped in a fluffy white robe, is only too happy to show us around the styling room that has since become command central. Jewelry, accessories and shoes line nearly every surface, yet the ice-dancing superstar is unfazed, slipping into a pair of trendy white boots ahead of her next outfit switch.

For London, Ont.-born Tessa, 30, adapting to change is par for the course. Having announced her retirement from professional skating last fall after more than two decades (and five Olympic medals) on the ice with partner Scott Moir and wrapped their subsequent Stars on Ice tour, she's undaunted by what the future holds.

"It was a decision that, like most things in our career, came naturally," she tells HELLO! Canada of stepping away from competitive ice dancing. "We looked at each other one day and said, 'I really think this is it.' And it was as simple as that."

Perhaps because she made a name for herself as one half of a duo – albeit a gold-medalling one – Tessa (the youngest of four children) is keen to forge a path all her own. Having dipped her toe in fashion and beauty with several collaborations, she's ready to take on new challenges. Chief among these: studying for her MBA at Queen's University (she has almost completed her BA in psychology and holds an honorary doctorate from Western University) and launching her own business.

Modelling pieces from RW&Co.'s spring collection, Tessa says, "There's a refined sense of elegance to their clothing, but there's also this whimsical, fun element that allows people to express themselves in a really unique way. And I love finding that balance." Photo: © Andrew Soule

"I've always had this dream of building something from the ground up," shares the star. Love could be in the cards, too – Tessa reveals that she's taking a date to Scott's wedding this summer!

HELLO! Canada: How has your life changed since your retirement?

Tessa Virtue: I have to say, it feels quite natural to be off skates for extended periods of time now. I think without that singular focus of wanting to be the best, I don't feel such a void. What I might miss is the desire to perform and share in that moment with a crowd, or create something with Scott. It will be a task, to find a creative outlet in a different capacity – maybe business or school.

You're going back to school in September. Tell us about that decision.

I've stayed in school part-time, basically since I entered university when I was 17 – I'm just a few credits shy of my psychology degree. That semblance of normalcy of being on campus was important to me, feeling like I was broadening my horizons outside skating. And I've always known that I wanted to be in business. I have a very fierce entrepreneurial spirit, reinforced by being my own boss as an athlete. I'm so excited to embrace the MBA program. I can't wait – I think it will be just a thrilling challenge academically when I've done something physically for such a long time.

Does this mean you'll be able to put down roots?

It's funny, because in figuring out my schedule, that seems a little limiting already. Mentally, I'm fighting that restlessness because I've become so accustomed to life on the road. But I do think it will be healthy for me to be more grounded. It doesn't mean I have to say no to opportunities, but it will be nice to have my suitcases unpacked for longer than an hour! As it is, I'm home in London about one day a month. And every time I do get home, it's such a respite – it's calm, and as someone who's real-estate-obsessed, I'm always looking. I do look forward to being in Toronto a lot more.

Tessa and Scott at the 2018 Canada's Walk of Fame induction ceremony. The two, who are both from London, Ont., hold honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Western University. Photo: © George Pimentel/Getty Images

Are you hoping for more balance in your life?

Yes – I was so specialized for so long and now I'm trying on different hats, but that's also what's keeping me inspired after 20-some odd years of showing up at the rink and doing the same thing over and over again in the same way. I loved it, but that kind of lifestyle is difficult to maintain. And I realize now that [Scott and I ] did sacrifice a lot. You kind of live a life of depravity when you're training like that, and it's nice to feel somewhat free; it's liberating.

What are you incorporating into your life now that you couldn't before?

The biggest thing is personal relationships and friendships. Everyone in my life has been so supportive for such a long time, but that takes a toll. For me, quality time is the most important thing in any kind of relationship. It will be nice to establish that with the people closest to me, and reconnect and maybe redefine success, because I have to figure out who I am when I'm not in that Moulin Rouge costume.

It's clear you have a passion for fashion.

I come by that pretty honestly; my mom ( Kate) is the most stylish human I've ever met. It's how we express our individuality. I look to my wardrobe to help foster a sense of confidence and self-worth.

Scott and Tessa performing the routine that clinched them the ice-dancing gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Photo: © MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images

What will you miss most about not seeing Scott every day?

We'll always have that deep-rooted respect for one another, but I'll miss being so in sync that we didn't even need to speak. I'll miss knowing his sense of humour inside and out and getting to share our fears and vulnerabilities. It builds such trust.

Are you taking a date to Scott's wedding to skater Jackie Mascarin in July?

Yes – I like keeping that part of my life really private. It's always something I've kept to myself and it's nice when you get to just enjoy that part of your life.

In honour of International Women's Day on March 8, 2019, Tessa was one of 20 female role models to be re-imagined as a Barbie doll. The only Canadian in the group, "Tessa, like other honourees, was chosen because through hard work, determination and dedication, she shows girls every day that you can be anything," said Lisa Perry, brand manager at Mattel Canada. Photo: © Mattel, Inc.

You inspire millions of women and girls. Do you have people who inspire you in your own life?

People laugh at me because I'm sort of obsessed with connecting with people who inspire me. [Olympic rower] Marnie McBean has been a mentor right from the beginning... and one of my best friends is [Olympic skier] Jennifer Heil. After the Olympics I thought I was unique, and that maybe because the high was so high, the low inevitably needed to be low, but [now I realize] everyone is facing change and dealing with transition. I'm not alone. And that's reassuring.

—HELLO! Canada

Click here for link to scanned article.

[notebookfilledwithscrabbles]

19/9/2019 Joint interview with Yuzuru Hanyu after ACI published by Sponichi (Part. 1)

Translation post 26

Original language: Japanese

*Part 1 of an article based on a joint interview done by Japanese press after Autumn Classic International 2019. This is not a word-for-word translation. I paraphrased some of the things said to clarify the main point.

*Part 2 

ETA on 22/10/2019: At the end of September, Figure Skate Magazine 2019-2020 Vol.1 also released a transcription of this joint interview. Yuzuru's answers were mostly the same in both media, but in some sections, Magazine's transcription is more detailed. To clarify the context, I added the excerpts of the article by Magazine in the appendix. According to Magazine, part 1 of the joint interview was conducted by TV stations and part 2 was for print media.

What is in Yuzuru Hanyu's mind as he enters the 10th season: "I have a clear goal in mind and am striving toward it."

Published by Sponichi Annex on 19/9/2019 https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2019/09/19/kiji/20190918s00079000485000c.html

Yuzuru Hanyu (aged 24, affiliated with ANA), who won two consecutive Olympic titles in figure skating at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 gave a joint interview after competing at Autumn Classic International held in Oakville, which was his season-opening competition. His new season has finally begun. The man who has entered his 10th season in the senior circuit speaks his mind, sharing his thoughts on Otonal and Origin which he is aiming to show in complete form, quad Axel, the super big gun he has been tuning up in silence, and the future beyond achieving these goals.

--What do you feel looking back at your performance in the FS? "The performance was not bad, but the result was not good, so I think I have a little work to do."

--During the practice sessions, it looked like you were having trouble getting the timing right in doing 4Lo, etc. "I thought that this competition as a whole, including the short program, exposed all of my shortcomings, such as the tendency to overexert myself or to get too relaxed to the extent that I lose my strength, but in the free skating, I think I managed to keep myself concentrated in a good way."

--Aren't you going to include 4T+3A in the FP this season? "No. After all, there isn't much benefit in including it if I want to earn more GOE. Also, I am satisfied with the quality of the jump sequence I did during the last season, so I don't think I need to do it. However, I can still do it (t/n: 3A as a second jump) as a recovery or in an Axel-Axel sequence. For example, if my ultimate jump layout has only one slot to do Axel, I can do an Axel-Axel sequence. I can also do it as the last jump of the program. I have trained myself enough to do that. So, keeping such possibilities in mind, I want to train myself even more and become able to land it with a high level of preciseness and completeness."

--After going through your season-opening competition, what do you think is your future task in competing in this season? "I think I have gone through performing in numerous competitions, but I still feel different every time. And in my case particularly, I always feel that anything other than delivering error-free performances means defeat. In that sense, I think I managed to deal with a new type of pressure. (t/n: in this competition) I will keep facing new challenges in future competitions too. I may get nervous in a different way or have to compete in a different physical condition. I am aiming to deliver good performances while dealing with such circumstances making use of my experiences."

--Every time you compete, you get surrounded by so many people in the press and fans. What do you consciously do to keep yourself concentrated on competing? "Hmm. I think everyone is kindly trying to let me stay focused throughout a competition, including the time I leave my hotel or stay in my room, or leave the venue. My fans are also mindfully trying to let me stay focused on my skating, so I think I have no problem dealing with that situation. Well, in this particular competition, of course, there were some moments where people cheered very loudly. They did so as I took off my jacket since I was wearing new costumes, but I heard loud cheers even when I wasn't doing anything. As I receive so many cheers, I sometimes worry if it is annoying other skaters, but it also invigorates me, making me feel that I have to deliver good performances to live up to their expectations. Of course, the best I can do for fans externally is to achieve good results or to deliver good performances, so I want to do my best.” (t/n: see also no.1 of the appendix)

--Are you planning on including new jumps which weren't in your programs last season? "I am considering to include three quads in the second half. And at the moment, I want to practice 4Lz and see if I should include it during GPS."

--What exactly are the three quads you are planning on including in the second half? "Salchow, toe loop, toe loop, I guess. Oh, the second half, I mean... don't you call it the second half anymore? Do you see what I mean by the second half? Anyway, as the last three jumps... (t/n: in the FP) No. OK, I should put it this way... I should call it "a jump layout with five quads." I am hoping to compete with the five-quads-layout and am training myself for that."

--Are you going to include (quad) Axel this season? "Umm... If I can land it. "I can land it" means various things. You may be feeling that you are capable of landing it in a competition. You may also be feeling that you may accidentally land one in practice. Anyway, I need to reach the level where I am capable of landing it in competitions and make it complete so that I can earn GOE before actually attempting it in a competition. I need to think about the risk of injuries as well. I think I need to find a balance between the training and the conditioning for the competitions."

--You have started practicing the three-jump combination starts from toe loop (t/n: 4T-Ew-3F) from this season, is that correct? "I am practicing it to increase the scores I can get even for a point. I practice many things aiming to be able to do any jump in any situation."

--You are trying many new jumps this season. "In my mind, I have the images of the complete form of Origin and Otonal in a sense, and the jump layouts of them are different from what I am doing now, although I am not telling you exactly what I am aiming for yet. So, I need to practice various types of jumps, and to perform complete Origin and Otonal, I need to practice more difficult ones."

--What is motivating you to try new things? "I guess the biggest motivation is the desire to make these programs complete. I want to win, of course. I think it is pointless if I can't let these programs win, but on top of that, I want to achieve it with the jump layout and the quality of the jumps I am aiming for."

--As to mastering the quad Axel, what stage you are in now? "I complete the rotations and fall. So, all that is left is to land it, I think. Well, but I am still struggling a bit just to complete the rotations. As I said, I need to find a balance between training and competing, so I think I am going to have to focus on competing when I should, and practice Axel when I can afford it."

--Last season, you said that "fire" was your keyword. What is your motivation for this season? "I have been motivated from the beginning. (t/n: of this season) (Laughs) From the beginning, (t/n: of this season,) I have never seen myself as fluffy as I was. (t/n: at the beginning of the last season) I really have a clear goal in mind and want to train myself every day to achieve it. The frustration I feel about the World Championships is a motivation for sure, but the biggest one I think is the desire to perform these programs in a way that I can be proud of in the end in the face of these programs." (t/n: see also no.2 of the appendix)

--Which part of you have the initiative? Your artistic side aiming to bring your programs to perfection, or your athletic side wanting to get back on top of the Worlds' podium? "I see no difference between them. I don't want to take sides with one of them. That is not figure skating, I think. As a skater, I feel the trends in scoring artistry and techniques, but in the end, we need an overwhelming amount of techniques to make our program complete, I think. After all, I want to complete my programs doing difficult things, and feeling, "Yes, this program needs to have this kind of jump. This program needs to have this kind of difficulty and thrill.""

--The other day, you said that you had landed quad flip. Are you aiming to include all types of quads in the complete form? "I haven't thought about it yet. (Laughs) As to the flip, I sometimes feel like doing it, but my flip is not clear. It is not a flip that I can confidently say, "This is the correct flip." So, I am not sure about it. But I will include the jump if I land Axel and still have room to do it, and if I want to make an official record that says I landed all types of quads."

--Does competing make you feel such desire? "I have been hoping to do the Axel from the beginning. But I am still struggling since the barrier between me and the jump was thicker than I thought. Right now, I feel that I skate for the Axel and live for the Axel. I mean, how should I put it? Of course, I have to think about my body and everything since I have been suffering so many injuries, but under this condition, I want to increase the difficulty pursuing the jumps that I can do because I have this body and the jumps that shine in my performance."

--Are you going to retire after landing 4A? "Well, who knows? Maybe I will go for the flip. (Laughs)"

--You are mentioning flip and quint on top of working hard to master 4A. In what sort of mindset are you competing now? What about the plan to retire when you are still in the best shape? "I am not sure what is my best shape. The more I pursue, the more I feel, "I should be able to do this," "I may be able to do that." So um... It is kind of like I am just living in the present, putting my all into it. At present, I am working hard to become a better version of me, even if it can't be called the best. I always keep in mind to keep upgrading myself while I continue competing."

--If you are doing the same in 2022, the year of Beijing 2022, what would you do? "If I am doing the same until then, then I would probably be competing there. Well... How should I put it? To say quite frankly, I think that I should quit if I am going to lose. I never want people to see me in disgrace. After all, if I continue until then, I guess I will be doing so to do 4A or all types of quads. That is pretty much what I am doing now, although I do not intend to include 4F. (Laughs) Anyway, my aim is to become always strong. Although I cannot make any commitments, if I manage to be always strong and reach it (t/n: Beijing 2020) as an extension of being strong, that would make everyone happy, I guess. (Laughs) ...Oh, I am so bad at answering. I am so sorry. After all these years I spent as an interviewee... Thank you very much." (Continued in part 2)

Appendix

1. In Figure Skating Magazine 2019-2020 vol. 1, this Q and A starts like this: --Hanyu senshu is always surrounded by many people in the press and fans. I wonder if it isn't difficult to remain balanced externally. ""Externally." (Laughs) Well, I think everyone is kindly trying to let me stay focused throughout a competition, including the time I leave my hotel or stay in my room, or leave the venue. My fans are also mindfully trying to let me stay focused on my skating, so I think I have no problem dealing with that situation."

2. In Figure Skating Magazine 2019-2020 vol. 1, this Q and A starts like this: --Last season, you said that this competition lit the "fire" in you, but this season, it seems like it hasn't been lit yet... "I have been motivated from the beginning. (t/n: of this season) (Laughs) "

News clip of Yuzuru mentioning 4F and answering the question about Beijing

[amaramonette]

is that [ ISABEL DURANT ]? no, that’s just [ AMARA MONETTE ]. [ SHE/HER ] is [ TWENTY-SIX ] years old and is a [ PROFESSIONAL FIGURE SKATER ]. rumor has it they’ve been in town for [ NEARLY THEIR WHOLE LIFE ]. on a good day, they’re [ PERCEPTIVE & CULTURED ]. but watch out! they can also be [ SPITEFUL & POSSESSIVE ]. [ MORAL OF THE STORY by ASHE ] plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around spring hill!

hellllooo! i’m li and i’m pretty excited to be here and start using my new bby. she’s a bit of a mash-up of a few different muses that i absolutely love so i’m very stoked to see how this goes lmao. i apologize now for this bio, it took me fivever and it's hella long but like everything i do is long. ( sorry not sorry<3 ). i am also down for alllll the connections, the more drama and angst the better lol. hit me up if you’d like to plot or like this and i’ll come to you!

[ triggers: bad parenting tw, mental abuse tw, ]

GENERAL INFORMATION.

NAME → amara quinn monette NICKNAMES → mara, am, or ams AGE → twenty-six DATE OF BIRTH → october 28th PLACE OF BIRTH → springhill, nj, usa EDUCATION  → high school ged ZODIAC → scorpio GENDER → female ORIENTATION → pansexual, demiromantic RELIGIOUS VIEWS → atheist 

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.

FACE CLAIM → isabel durant HEIGHT → 5'4" WEIGHT → 128 lbs HAIR COLOR → blonde EYE COLOR → blue BODY TYPE → thin, athletic

FAMILIAL INFORMATION.

FATHER →  utp monette ( WC ) MOTHER → evelyn monette  YOUNGER SISTER → utp monette ( WC )

EX-HUSBAND  → utp ( WC )

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS → venturesome, determined, cultured, & perceptive 
NEGATIVE TRAITS → possessive, spiteful, dramatic, & oversensitive
 INTERESTS → dancing, cooking, photography, flower pressing, yoga, dogs, & caffeine 
DISLIKES → humblebraggers and name droppers, people who talk during movies, people who say ‘you look tired’, & willful ignorance  AESTHETICS → being up before the sun, the sound of skates on fresh ice, a vintage polaroid camera, a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, & a strong red wine.  
MORAL ALIGNMENT → chaotic neutral PERSONALITY TYPE → ENFP-T ( the campaigner )

BACKSTORY.

❦ amara monette was born and raised in spring hill, new jersey to a marine biologist and local contractor. her family has always been fairly well known in town as her father has been quite a pillar in the community and his company has done a lot of work for the town. her only sibling is six years younger than her and the two sisters have been like oil and water since the beginning and have never been able to see eye to eye on anything.

❦ the monette family dynamics could easily be categorized as dysfunctional but in amara’s eyes, that term is putting it lightly. there’s never been any doubt in the eldest daughter’s mind that she was an unplanned accident—a fact she’d gotten her mother to admit after heavy plying with wine when she was only a young teen. “if we didn’t have you, I could still be doing what I love.” her mother blathered drunkenly.

❦ the only person who didn’t treat her like that—as though she’d ruined their life—was her father, though due to his work, he spent more time out of the house than with his family. unlike her mother or sister, the one thing her father always did was encourage amara. remind her that no matter what she was striving for, it was possible and just within reach.

❦ the bond amara shared with her father was special, just as the bond her sister shared with their mother was special. though her sister also shared a loving, positive bond with BOTH of their parents and what amara shared with their mother was anything but positive or loving.

❦ at the age of four, her mother enrolled her in ballet classes hoping to teach the rambunctious little girl some discipline. much to her mother’s surprise, mara fell in love with dance immediately. but ballet, or dance in any such capacity, hadn’t been apart of her mother's ultimate plan for her. the following year, despite all the crying and protests from her daughter, the wannabe ballerina found herself being taught to ice skate.

❦ she didn’t particularly enjoy skating, not like the other girls she trained with did, but amara succeeded in ways many of them couldn’t over the years. her indifference to the sport and at being the best had given her an edge above the competition. and the more naturally gifted she proved to be at the sport, the further her mother pushed amara and the more intense the training became. as she got older she managed to convince her mother to let her enroll in dance classes once more if only to help in the long run, she’d say. it was in those moments, those classes, that she felt most at peace. as though she’d found just where she was meant to be—or what she ought to be doing. she’s never stopped dancing since. 

❦ at the age of nine, her mother had her pulled out of school to be privately tutored so she could spend more time on the ice—her mother only had one goal and she never let amara forget it. the olympics. though before her mother had the chance to remove her from school, the blonde had already made the best friend she could ever ask for. ( WC )

❦ it wasn’t until years later, at thirteen, she discovered that her mother had been forcing her down the same path she’d been set on as a girl. whereas her younger sister found herself free to pursue whatever interests she’d like, amara found herself on a rink shaped prison. and the unwavering pressure her mother applied only made it feel as though her ice space was forever shrinking.

❦ amara spent a majority of her youth and teens training, both on and off the ice, and whatever little free time she had left was spent with her small group of friends. friends her mother disliked for the most part and did all she could to keep her daughter away from. forcing amara to spend time with the other skaters in her class at every turn. not that she’d ever been able to fit in with them even if she wanted to. ( WCs )

❦ becoming a legal adult and dreaming of what it would finally be like to have the freedom she’d always longed for was just about all the blonde could do to keep moving forward. to keep her mother from truly bringing him down. but the relentless pressure from the cold-hearted woman and the fact that she showed no signs of letting up or letting amara walk away if she so desired to caused her to finally crack just a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday.

❦ like a thief in the night, amara disappeared from her parents home taking as many of her belongings with her as she could carry, save for all her skating gear. she spent several weeks sleeping on the couches of different friends while hiding from her mother and whatever wrath she intended to unleash for her missing so much ice time and standing up the coaches her parents paid plenty of money for.

❦ it was in those weeks of solitude that amara discovered what skating actually meant to her and just how much she still needed it in her life. the seventeen-year-old realized that she wasn’t as ready to hang up her skates as she previously thought and that there was still a thing or two she could learn from being on the rink.

❦ amara returned to the ice on the sole condition that her mother would let her do things her own way and would stop projecting her own regrets and more importantly wants on her daughter. things began to look up after that for the monette family in more ways than one and dysfunction that had once been so deeply rooted began to dissolve away just a bit. ( not so much between the sister lol, mostly just amara and her mom )

❦ she moved out on her own not long after, eager to have a life of her own as best she could, but being as clueless and willing to trust as she was, amara made many mistakes and gave her heart away much too easily which only led to it being crushed repeatedly by those who weren’t worthy of safeguarding it, to begin with. ( WCs )

❦ at twenty-one, after only dating for about a year amara married the man she believed was the one. however, it didn’t take her long to see just how incredibly wrong she was and the relationship was more toxic than anything else. she filed for divorce ten months later. ( WC )

❦ amara continued skating in hopes of making the olympic team—but this time the dream truly belonging to her, which seemed to pay off as she managed to do so successfully twice in 2014 and again in 2018. the blonde got a bronze medal in 2014 and didn’t place at all in 2018 after taking a nasty fall during her long program and making the mistake of not taking enough overall risks to make up for it. spooked after the olympic fall that nearly ended her entire career, amara decided to stop skating at a competitive level.

❦ in the following years, amara found herself joining several different national ice-skating tours but couldn’t quite shake the feeling of how far she’d fallen and how demeaning her life now seemed, skating for nothing more than mere amusement. unsatisfied and upset upon coming to the conclusion there was nothing else she could truly exceed at, amara took up the mantle that countless other incredible skaters also had, coach. a rewarding job that’s more or less left her at peace. 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO.

❦ growing up, she was the most curious of children, constantly asking questions and wanting to know more about anything and everything. as the years passed, her curiosity never quite fizzled out as her parents as hoped. instead, the small blonde just became more confident in her ability to get the answers she sought and more determined to have it when a person wasn’t forthright with her. it’s something that leads her to trouble too often as she’s brought on a whole new meaning to the idea of questioning authority.

❦ amara can be quite a master of deceit and manipulation if she’d like. she gets a sort of amusement out of playing games with people and confusing them, especially with those she doesn’t get on well with. she definitely has a few different faces and is very particular about when she wears which face. her sweet face, where she’s likely to try and charm the pants off people, is the face she wears most of the time when interacting with strangers or just the general public. few people have ever seen her at her truest and those who have are either the ones she trusts most or the ones who’ve crossed her in unforgivable ways.

❦ anyone who knows amara is aware of how jealous or possessive she can be of those in her life she cares for. she’s never been able to quite help herself and isn’t afraid to make her feelings known when she feels her relationships have been infringed upon in any way. making friends and building relationships has always been something she’s struggled with as her childhood wasn’t normal in any sense. all her time after school was spent training—on or off the ice. and when she wasn’t training she was home with her family who she didn’t quite mesh with.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

childhood best friend

ex-husband

father

younger sister

old friends —

new friends 

rivals 

exes / flings 

i’m here for it allll!