Yuzuru Hanyu: My Life with Yuzu

Since the moment I saw Yuzu skate at the 2012 World Championships, I knew I was hooked.  Here was an adorable young skater breaking out on the world stage.  He was a bit rough around the edges but the potential I saw, wow!!  I knew I was in it for the long haul with Yuzu.  Ever since Yuzu came into my life that day, my world has turned a little upside down.

Back then (in 2012), I still had a Blackberry phone, so accessing social media was not the easiest task in the world.  I mean, I had a facebook account, but it would never load properly on my Blackberry.  I also did not have twitter, instagram or any other social media accounts, so basically I watched as much figure skating as I could on regular tv when CBC or NBC would show it.  The words “streaming video” were not a part of my vocabulary until recently.  I never really got caught up in the social media craze until the beginning of 2014.

Oh, and by the way, I don’t have that blackberry anymore.  So much has changed…

I started skating when I was 4 years old, and skated and competed for 13 years.  My parents then said I had to go to university and get an education, so at that point, skating was put on the back burner.  My dreams of being a professional athlete back then were replaced by books and exams.  Over the years, I have always continued to follow skating and watched as much as I could on tv (thank goodness for PVR’s), and got back on the ice as much as time would allow me to.  When I say “got back on the ice”, I don’t mean I was back doing triple jumps with ease like Medvedeva….in fact, I have never landed a triple in my life. Landing doubles, yes, but triples have eluded me and will forever remain in my dreams.

So since Yuzu entered my life, following his progression as a skater and watching him grow from a teen to an adult has been an exciting journey so far.  Yuzu has had a significant impact on my life over the past couple of years and the biggest impact is helping me re-discover a passion for a sport where I had hung up my skates long ago. Yuzu has prompted me to get back on the ice again, for fun of course.  The feeling of being on the ice, I didn’t realize I missed so much.  Friends and family have asked me if I will start competing in the Adult skating competitions they have these days, but I just don’t have the time to train properly, and definitely do not miss the feeling of nervousness I got when I competed.  So, I will leave that to Yuzu.

Yuzu has taken my hobby of watching figure skating and changed it into planning travel around the world to watch him skate.  It’s funny how someone I have never met, and do not know personally could impact my life in such a fun, positive way.

So, now that I have fully bought in to all things Yuzu, the funniest part of the impact Yuzu has had on my life has been the change in my schedule.

I’m not a morning person, so I struggle to get up and go to work.  For those who know me, they understand how difficult mornings are for me.   What has this got to do with Yuzu?? Since my time zone is 16 hours behind Japan, so much happens each night while I am asleep.   My morning wake up ritual has changed.  Every morning I now try to get up 30 minutes earlier to check the latest Yuzu news in Japan, and sometimes 30 minutes is simply not enough and I find myself rushing to get ready to head out the door.  This is the same 30 minutes that I can’t bother to get up early for to eat breakfast.  It’s all about priorities right?  Ha ha….

Once I get to work, thank goodness that during my work day Japan is asleep.  It gives me time to get caught up on all things Yuzu.   However, by the time I get home from work, and have my dinner, Japan is waking up again and the cycle starts all over.  It’s never ending, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I haven’t enjoyed anything more in a long time!

My family often asks me “What happens when Yuzu retires, what are you going to do?”  I dread that day but know it is inevitable.  Until then, I will treasure every competition performance!!  I will always watch figure skating as it is a part of me however, I don’t really have an answer to that question yet but I do find myself watching the upcoming juniors a bit more, and trying to find “the next Yuzu” which is basically an impossible task, plus I am a bit biased.  I truly don’t believe that there will ever be another skater that can match what Yuzu has accomplished in the skating world.  There are human limits.  I don’t even want to think about Yuzu’s retirement, it will be a sad day for me.  Even my family has been bitten by the Yuzu-bug.  I took my sister to Skate Canada this year and even though Yuzu wasn’t at his best at that event, she was completely won over by his skating and fun loving spirit.  Plus she said “he is simply adorable”!

One of the primary reasons I started this blog was Yuzu.  Of course, I write other blog entries about hockey and volleyball every so often as I love those sports too, however, the majority of my chatter is about Yuzu, and I am so happy that my family suggested that I do this.  I love writing about Yuzu!  

I was never a very creative person artistically but seeing a couple of fun posts on twitter inspired me to start my instagram account  (@won0066).  Yuzu’s adorable moments have inspired me to tap into my creative side.  I cannot believe the number of hours I spend looking for pictures of cute animals to match the adorableness of Yuzu!  But, it’s time well spent on Yuzu fun, and everyone needs hobbies right?

Some of my friends may not understand the amount of time I spend watching videos, and checking out new pictures of Yuzu which seem to appear every single day.  It’s hard to explain how and why I can watch the same videos over and over again of some of my favorite Yuzu skating programs, but I am still amazed every time I watch them.  Thank goodness everything is now digital.  I can’t imagine having to rewind a VCR tape, it would be worn out in no time.  This is not to mention the countless hours I spend watching video newsclips where I don’t understand a word of what they are saying either.  I’ve gotten used to hearing the Japanese language being spoken and wish I could pick up a word or two, maybe that’s something for my future.

They say that Princess Diana was the most photographed person in the world.  I often wonder if she has lost that title to Yuzu!  The amount of information, photos, and videos of Yuzu on the internet is astounding.  I wish google translate was better with the Japanese language but thanks to many fans who enjoy translating Yuzu news into english for us non-Japanese speaking fans, we can enjoy all things Yuzu.  A special shout out to those fans!!  I really appreciate all the effort they put in!

My life with Yuzu has also allowed me to meet people from all around world.  I have made new friends that I see every year at Grand Prix events, and am so happy that we can share a love for the sport of skating, and of course enjoy watching Yuzu!  For those new internet friends that I talk technical skating with…thank you, it’s a lot of fun, and I’ve missed it!

Even when I go out to enjoy other things in life (hockey games, events out with family and friends), the first thing I usually do when I get home is to check for any Yuzu updates.  I wish I could translate this type of discipline (checking for Yuzu news consistently), into my training workouts, sigh!  Now that would be some positive influence!!

Ok, so that about sums up my life with Yuzu.  When I read over this blog entry, I sit back and laugh at myself.  But, if you can’t enjoy the things you love, and laugh at yourself, you are missing out on life!

Go Yuzu Go!!  Doki Doki!!