2018 GP Helsinki: Men's Pre-game Chat

[TontoK]

I'm getting cocky now that my long-time cactus Brezina did so well at Skate America.

He'll make GPF for sure now!

 

[TontoK]

Misha plans to add it in later in the season. With the rule changes, his focus right now is going clean, even if it means lighter technical content. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see it again until russian nationals

Oh and welcome!

It seems like everyone except Shoma is going with this go-slow approach on jumps.

I expect it will be a quad fest by GPF though.

 

[Sai Bon]

It seems like everyone except Shoma is going with this go-slow approach on jumps.

I expect it will be a quad fest by GPF though.

A quick skim of mainstream Japanese media (Asahi/Nikkei) suggests that Yuzu has changed his programmes to put jumps in the 2H. He wants to win.

 

[TallyT]

A quick skim of mainstream Japanese media (Asahi/Nikkei) suggests that Yuzu has changed his programmes to put jumps in the 2H. He wants to win.

Yuzuru's zenlike "marks no longer matter, it's all about doing it for me" attitude that made his fans so happy and relieved - and suspicious - lasted right up until... his first competition. Which he did win, but not well enough for him. So everyone's back on the rollercoaster.

I do want him to win (and am still swithering for second, can't we split it three or four ways???) but as someone said, he so often bombs this early. But OTOH, it's Helsinki not Canada, and he's got a great record here. OTOOH, he's insisting on trying new and difficult, just like always. OTOOOH, he does look so calm and happy, reminds me of how he looked in the Olympics practice, and I like to think that's a good omen...

Oh well, you know what they say about a foolish consistency

Has anyone managed to dig through the practice videos to see how Mikhail and Boyang were doing?

 

[satine]

Can not WAIT for the Men's Short. The only downside is that we have to wait until Saturday, when the other events all begin tomorrow!

 

[Metis]

I'm getting cocky now that my long-time cactus Brezina did so well at Skate America.

He'll make GPF for sure now!

I think of Brezina more like a Venus fly trap: get too close (invested) and you’ll never be able to let go.

Yuzuru's zenlike "marks no longer matter, it's all about doing it for me" attitude that made his fans so happy and relieved - and suspicious - lasted right up until... his first competition. Which he did win, but not well enough for him. So everyone's back on the rollercoaster.

There’s an off-ramp to the Yuzucoaster of Emotional Instability?

PCS for Yuzu’s “I’m not doing it for scores” performance: Acting Skills - 6.75; Transitions - 5.0; Composition - 0.0, arc aborted/You Plotted a Perfectly Good Waste; Performance - dude are you even trying; Interpretation of the Role - yuzu honey this is the opposite of method acting. It was fun while it lasted, at least.

 

[rachno2]

Has anyone managed to dig through the practice videos to see how Mikhail and Boyang were doing?

Beginning of Boyang: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058120672675852288
Boyang excerpt (only 20 seconds rip ): https://twitter.com/InTheLoPodcast/status/1057983647481917442

Kolyada excerpts: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058122767692951553
Kolyada's jumps : https://twitter.com/Phantom_Kabocha/status/1058055072582647808

Somebody joked that there is more footage of Yuzu skating to Boyang's music than there is of Boyang

 

[Metis]

Beginning of Boyang: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058120672675852288
Boyang excerpt (only 20 seconds rip ): https://twitter.com/InTheLoPodcast/status/1057983647481917442

Kolyada excerpts: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058122767692951553
Kolyada's jumps: https://twitter.com/Phantom_Kabocha/status/1058055072582647808

Somebody joked that there is more footage of Yuzu skating to Boyang's music than there is of Boyang

One benefit of being a Hanyu fan? With so much footage, it’s rare not to see co-favorites doing out of focus quads in the back of clips of Yuzu just breathing.

 

[satine]

Saw this was posted by the ISU facebook page: https://scontent.fagc1-2.fna.fbcdn....=dbafb3212815a667631bd751a63a1f78&oe=5C47EF19 My first time seeing the change!

 

[rachno2]

Beginning of Boyang: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058120672675852288
Boyang excerpt (only 20 seconds rip ): https://twitter.com/InTheLoPodcast/status/1057983647481917442

Kolyada excerpts: https://twitter.com/DahliaSkates/status/1058122767692951553
Kolyada's jumps : https://twitter.com/Phantom_Kabocha/status/1058055072582647808

Somebody joked that there is more footage of Yuzu skating to Boyang's music than there is of Boyang

Now there is footage of Yuzu skating beautifully to Carmen but no footage of Misha skating to Carmen

Ngl, I'm morbidly curious for a Hanyu Carmen program now

 

[Metis]

okay, guys: you have one job tomorrow — no splats, no level 2 ANYTHING, no 4Lzing in a NO 4Lz ZONE (cough Boyang cough), no more of this WC18 timeline

three disciplines have died so this shark pool can go clean but this is just going to be our pit stop in hades on the GP circuit, isn’t it

 

[TallyT]

Somebody joked that there is more footage of Yuzu skating to Boyang's music than there is of Boyang

One benefit of being a Hanyu fan? With so much footage, it’s rare not to see co-favorites doing out of focus quads in the back of clips of Yuzu just breathing.

To look at it from a Pollyanna perspective, we probably still get more footage of them (because Yuzu is breathing somewhere in the vicinity) than many of the skaters in other competitions.... so it's nice to see something I may want him to win first and foremost, but I want them all to do well.

 

[Metis]

I’m all for playing Pollyanna, but my brain went into a blue screen of death as I realized it’s up to the men to give us a clean set of programmes. The men. And we are relying on this all-star crew:
1. Yuzuru “I EARNED This Silver” Hanyu
2. Misha (I love you, but... yeah... “the opening is reserved for the traditional fall on the 4Lz” is still an amazing piece of commentary)
3. Jin “Thank You, May I Have Some PCS, Please?” Boyang
4. JULIEEEEEET, also featuring an apparently ill Junhwan Cha
5. Uncle Bychenko, A.K.A. The Fun Uncle
6. Kenji Tanaka, who skated past the exit after his performance and had to correct himself in a moment that kind of sums up last season overall
7. Brezina, Most Beloved And World’s Longest Lasting Cactus
And many more!

... please, rink monster, be appeased already.

 

[rachno2]

5. Uncle Bychenko, A.K.A. The Fun Uncle

I'm sure this has been mentioned 1000000x, but I can't get over the fact that "partying" is listed as Bychenko's favorite hobby on his ISU bio. Big mood.

 

[vorravorra]

Now there is footage of Yuzu skating beautifully to Carmen but no footage of Misha skating to Carmen

Ngl, I'm morbidly curious for a Hanyu Carmen program now

Yes, there is footage of Misha skating to Carmen:

https://twitter.com/boyangjins/status/1058325753517862913

 

[TontoK]

I think of Brezina more like a Venus fly trap: get too close (invested) and you’ll never be able to let go.

LOL. I actually warned a newcomer in the Skate America thread to not get too close.

But, seriously, this time I am 100% for sure CERTAIN that this year will be different!

He'll surprise us all and win Europeans! And then medal at Worlds!

Edit: And just to prove how confident I am, I have just voted that he'll win this competition!

 

[combo]

Sending the most positive energy to Boyang, Yuzuru and especially my boy Keiji ❀.(*´◡`*)❀.
It's a great lineup! I'm excited!