Thoughts on Yuzuru Hanyu 1st SharePractice
Yuzuru Hanyu’s first SharePractice. His first step as a pro athlete.
This SharePractice was basically two hours of me smiling at my phone. I excitedly, happily, joyfully, enjoying Yuzu’s practice with a broad smile.
It was like seeing his freedom.
I still can’t believe that this day would come. I still remember myself crying when he announced his retirement. I thought once he retired, it’d be even harder to see him. But I’m glad that I was wrong. He literally didn’t give us (his fans) a break! He kept flooding us with surprise! This SharePractice was one of them.
In this SharePractice, he let us saw him practicing. Just like his usual routine, he did several off-ice exercises before jumping on the ice. The "ritual" was quite long and pretty intense lol, but that was actually the fun part to watch!
I love that he was looking so unbothered when there were so many cameras following him, watching him, recording him. His “demon training” mode was on. Fully focused. He just did what he had to do as if they weren’t there.
But, when he finally stepped on the ice, he suddenly turned into a different person. I gasped. His charisma was crazily overflowing. It was like he had entered a different world.
Yes, he was in his own world. We, the 100K+ people who watched him on the screen and the people who watched him on site were just extras. He really was there, skating on the ice, creating his own world. He’s the main character.
Once he starts skating, he’ll become a storyteller. He becomes one with the music and the story. His whole body speaks, telling a story through his skating.
One thing that I relate to him is that when he made some mistakes, failed or popped his jump, it was like he was pushed out of the story, just like when I got distracted by something while reading a book. When this happens, the “demon” mode will be back again. He’ll do the program again from the start until he feels satisfied, until he can finished the story completely and perfectly.
Amazing, right? I mean, it was practice. He wasn’t in a competition. Yet, his determination is very strong. What a perfectionist and a hard worker he is.
But well, it’s not Yuzuru Hanyu if he’s not like that. Whenever and wherever he is, he will skate across the ice passionately.
Anyway, two hours had passed without me realizing it. The practice was over. He’d go back to his own self.
The satisfaction on his face, the bright smile, the sparks on his eyes, the positive energy he embraced when he finished his practice and when he heard people applaud him...It was precious.
It was two hours of happiness.
After watching him today, I know one thing for sure. He is still the greatest and will always be the greatest.
