Back home from Barcelona now. What can I say about what we saw there? There aren't enough superlatives, it's no joke. It was truly epic. Another 3 new world records. It was a priviledge to be there, and whatever people have to say about the numbers... there is no denying that what we saw, were the best skates of all time.
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Outside of the arena, we hardly saw Yuzuru. While sipping drinks in the hotel bar after competition one evening, we saw him return. Well, we didn't actually see
him, we just saw his entourage around him. It was like a military operation - they rushed him through to the lifts, before the crowds waiting in the lobby knew what happened, or could get out of their seats.
A friend who waited for various autographs also told us they never saw him with the other skaters who came out to greet the fans. But I guess it's just too crazy these days - if he stops to sign autographs, he'll be stuck there for 3 hours or more. There just isn't time for that, and there's a real risk of stampede - and then either Yuzuru or the fans could get injured in the crush.
The closest we got, was by chance - we came out of the hotel lift at the lobby... just as he was waiting to get in. His bodyguard/entourage (and the hotel security) were a protective barrier around him, so nobody could get near him. He was wearing his mask (good idea really, given Mao became ill again in Barcelona...!), and we didn't catch his eye. We actually couldn't get past his "security cordon" and move into the lobby, and had no choice but to wait and watch in awe for a minute or so, as his group was ushered into a lift by themselves, passing 1 or 2 meters from us. I imagine his bodyguard would have prevented anyone getting into the lift on its way up too.
It was strange experience... I actually felt sorry for him. He looked like a maximum-security prisoner being taken to his cell... like Hannibal Lecter with the mask and all...
It's a bit sad - there was a time (up to 2012) you could see him hanging around hotel lobbies, and only a few people paid any attention to him. And the first couple of times at Finlandia, he spent a
lot of time signing autographs for everyone after the medals...
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You've all surely seen his performances on TV, youtube etc... and so have I now...! But I have to say - TV feels rather "flat" compared to actually being there. The audio is quite "compressed" so you lose a lot of the dynamics (the rise and fall in volume), and online video is usually even worse (much of the higher frequencies are often lost altogether, so it sounds "muddy").
I'm sure others who were there will agree? When you are in the arena, the music is a
lot more powerful, dynamic and atmospheric... and for music like Seimei, you can actually feel the drum beats
hitting you. Somehow it all draws you into the performance more. It makes your heart beat faster. You see/appreciate all the tiny details in his choreography and how they match the details in the music. You literally
feel the performance more. And of course the excitement of the crowd adds a lot too.
So if you've never seen Yuzuru in person (or your other favourite skaters, if you have any)... do not pass up any opportunity to do so! It is SO worth it, if you ever get the chance.
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After the gala exhibition... Yuzuru and others cleared the closing ceremony props off the ice... so we knew
There Will Be Quads! As Yuzuru skated past on his "wind up"... I shouted "Quad Loop! Quad Loop!" very loudly, right at him. He immediately went to the other end of the rink... AND DID A PERFECT QUAD LOOP! I was agog. Like, "OMG he
did it!"
Ok, I know he probably planned to do that 4L anyway... but I'd like to imagine that
I made that happen hahaha :-D
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I took lots of photos - from practice, competition and gala. I haven't finished posting my photos from Finlandia ... or from TEB... but Yuzuru's GPF photos will take priority, and I hope to share them in a day or two.
but yea I can see why some ppl called it not as rotated as how he usually rotates it. Then again the angle is a little trippy in GPF idk what's wrong with the cameraman. Like one moment it's a nice albeit unusual angle but the next you'd scream 'what are you doing guys please control let us see the skating'!! :hpull:
" (or do we need to send him a pooh bottle cover infused with sleeping dusts so he'll be forced to go SLEEPING BEAUTY MODE?:roll9:
"
