Took me longer than I expected, but here it is:
> Victor’s Stammi Vicino program that Yuuri copies includes four quads: lutz, flip, salchow and toe. But we later learn that Yuuri only has the 4T and 4S (barely) in his roster (later adds the 4F but hasn’t landed it that we know). So how did that work?
I believe Yuuri simply swapped the quads with triples and/or doubles.
Firstly, there are many hints in the show that suggest that this was the case:
- as you mentioned, Victor wouldn't have to ask Yuuri about his quads if he already had a video proof of him landing 4T, 4S, 4Lz and 4F,
- Yuuri wouldn't ask Victor to teach him the quads that Victor can do (as he’d be able to land them on his own),
- Victor wouldn't be as surprised by Yuuri landing 4F in hi FS at COC if he already knew Yuuri was capable of doing it,
- in the hot springs Victor mentions that what caught his attention in Yuuri's uploaded routine was his musicality; believe me, if Yuuri landed 4Lz and 4F it would certainly be at least mentioned! :)
Secondly... well, it's a delicate subject, but there's a reason why Victor banned Yuuri off the rink until he loses his body fat (not to be mistaken with weight!).
Figure skating is an extremely risky and grueling sport even for a very fit athlete. Jumps might look pretty and light on the screen, but the reality is that the skater have to ram their toes into the ice (or swing/twist their hips for the edge jumps) to lift their entire body weight into the air, and then bear the impact of landing at huge speed. And that's the best case scenario! There will be many times, before and even after the jumps is mastered, when the jump will end with a fall. Sometimes a nice fall on the bum, sometimes a nasty fall that can result in fractured or broken bones, torn tendons, concussions...
Then there's the issue of physics: to complete upper-tier jumps the skaters have to rotate around their axis really fast. Any additional weight that isn't leg/core body muscles that help them get high into the air is a severe detriment here.
The skaters work very hard to keep their body fat level to extreme minimum (especially visible on the female skaters - most of them lose so much body fat that their chests become nearly completely flat), while working on developing strong leg/core muscles. They even try to shave off weight by using lighter boots and blades (which is why Edea boots became really popular recently, despite looking kinda odd).
All in all, to complete all of Victor’s jumps successfully (and without injuring himself) Yuuri would have to have leg muscles and bone structure of Hercules himself ^^'
> Next question: Yuuri seems to be very fixated in the GPF, even claiming he’ll have Victor step down as his coach after the Final. (...) So like, what’s going on with that? I do realize this is more a question for the showrunners to answer, but the fixation on the GPS seems strange, isn’t Worlds considered relatively more “prestigious”?
You are completely right, the World Chamionships and Olympics are significantly more prestigious.
The GP series is relatively unimportant in the big scheme of things (although, of course, it's a great opportunity the skaters to win some $$$, gain some experience, polish their programs and show the World who's the boss :) ). The fans, of course, will watch the GP events religiously anyway, but if a skater aims for the fame and sponsorship money, they better get on that Worlds/Olys podium!
The fixation on the GP within the series is (IMHO) caused by 3 things:
- Yuuri's need for personal retribution. He needs to do well to prove that he has the goods to continue his career, not only to himself but to his federation. He is receiving the top level funding, after all. Furthermore, the fact that he didn't qualify for the Worlds team last season likely means that Japan can only send one man to Worlds now. Sending an inconsistent headcase wouldn't be a smart thing.
- The time limit established by Victor in ep.1 - his initial plan was to coach Yuuri until the GPF. It was a good idea at the time - after all, Victor didn't know if their personalities will mesh well together. If their arrangement didn't work out, there would be still time after the GP for Victor to return to competition (or to find a new student). Heck, even if it /did/ work out, but "just" in a friendly way, it would be a bit odd for Victor to just hang around in a foreign country with just one pupil. It would be like Celestino dropping all of his business just to coach Yuri in Japan. However, as Yuuri and Victor grew close, the time limit probably started sounding to them less like a smart business decision, and more like a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads that neither was willing to poke too soon ^^'
- Victor's retirement. It essentially created a vacuum in the figure skating world, with many skaters eager to jump at the opportunity to become the new king. Chris, the most established rival to Victor, can afford to peak early, but less decorated skaters need to come out with the guns blazing to leave a lasting impression on both the judges and the audience. Even with the new system, the judging is still quite a subjective process, after all :)
> And if Yuuri plans to retire after the GPF, why did he skate in regionals? Was that just a warm up or something?
I don't think he had been planning to retire after the GPF at that particular moment - I believe he’d wanted to use the opportunity to train with Victor as his springboard to win Nationals and do well at Worlds and perhaps Olympics (and only then retire). However, as he grew closer to Victor, the idea of them separating started to make him feel depressed and unmotivated.
The events in Russia only exacerbated those feelings - not only he saw how much Victor is missed by his fans and how strong his bond with Yakov actually was, but he realized that competing alone is not as fun as competing with Victor at his side. I think that there was a part of him that was almost willing to sabotage himself; after all, if Victor will leave him anyway, isn't it better than it happens sooner or later?
...But then he get scolded by Yurio and realizes that both both the tiny angry Russian and Yakov accepted his and Victor's relationship and fully expect them to kick ass at GPF when they are together. And this gives him the courage to ask Victor to stay by his side until he retires. (And the rest is history! :) )
> About season themes: We’ve seen a couple of characters’ state they have specific themes in mind for the season. (..) Is it a requirement? Or is it optional? Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
It's not commonplace, but it's not terribly rare, either, especially among Russian and Japanese skaters.
Tatiana Tarasova was known to give their skaters "themes" to help them focus, especially in the Olympic season. For example, Alexei Yagudin's theme for the 2002 Olympic season was "Overcome", and he had an appropriately named EX program to reflect that ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GvEMcd9qcs ).
Not all themes will be for the entire season, some are program-specific (like Emil's Cyberpunk), and some change throughout the season. :) Some are really hilarious, although writing about even only the most interesting cases could fill a book :)
The Japanese TV liked the idea, and before the GP series starts they usually have a meeting with the skaters who got the assignments. The skaters write down their "themes" and show them to the viewers, pretty much exactly like it was shown in YOI. Sometimes foreign skaters got roped into it as well when they skate in shows in Japan :)
> Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
"The theme is 'parting forever'... My choreographer told me to imagine I have to say goodbye to my lover forever, but I've never been in love... So I just think of my toy poodle."
*4 years later*
*The theme is 'first love'. I still haven't been in love, though. My choreograpger told me it's OK to thing of my dog."
*another 4 years later*
"This is really Liszt? He is /so handsome/! I skated to his Liebenstraum! I ended up thinking of my dog... If somebody had shown me this painting, my interpretation would be all different! *pause* Oh, too bad he's not alive anymore."
Then there was a skater whose theme for flamenco was "crispy crispy, sticky sticky" XD
(Not a direct copy from any interview, I’m summarizing from my memory. I’m not writing down the names, but if someone followed FS for a couple of years, they probably can tell who I was talking about XD ).
> Now I’m curious about galas/exhibitions. I don’t know if the terms are interchangeable, so I guess that would be the first question. JJ mentions Victor did a 4Lo at last year’s exhibition, but doesn’t clarify what exhibition. Are those separate events?
An exhibition/gala are an event that happens when a competition is over. The skaters who did well in the competion get to participate. They are a part and parcel of the entire event (i.e. if you buy a whole event ticket, it will include the gala). I can think of one exception: the gala for the Japanese Nationals is a separate event that usually takes place a couple of days after the senior Nationals. It's a bigger event than usual, as not only the seniors, but also juniors and novices (from novice/junior championships that take place a couple of months earlier). There are usually special guests invited (a couple of retired skaters and/or foreign skaters), as well as live orchestra.
Aside from galas, the skaters often participate in shows and cheesefests.
The shows are completely separate events that usually take place in off-season or between the competitions. Examples: Dreams On Ice, THE ICE, Artistry on Ice, Friends on Ice, Prince Ice World, etc..
The cheesefest are less serious competitions, sometimes partially judged by the audience. They have less rigid rules and are purely for fun (and prize money!) :) They include pro-ams (events where competitive skaters can face against the skaters who have already retired). They are usually invitational (i.e. the skater can't just sign up, they have to be invited by the event managers). Most of them take place in Japan :) Examples: Japan Open, Japanese Skating Challenge, Medal Winners Open, etc..
There used to be many cheesefests in USA, like Campbells or Marshalls, but alas, they are no more :(
> Do they take place after the competition days of the GPF or Worlds?
Yes, all of the GP events and Worlds have exhibitions! Shame we didn't get to see Yuuri's EX program yet :)
> Which events have galas?
Most of them. Only some "smaller" events like senior Bs (for example Finlandia Trophy) or regionals might not have a gala event.
> Do skaters prepare a special program for them?
Yes, it's referred to as an exhibition (EX) program. However, when skating in the summer shows some skaters might take an opportunity to debut their competition program(s) instead in order to get some feedback from the fans. And some (especially veterans) might opt to bring back a well-beloved program instead.
> Does every competitor in the event prepare an exhibition or are specific skaters requested to do them? Or is it the other way around, skaters “volunteer” for it?
Usually all of the elite-level skaters will have an EX program prepared, even if they don't expect to medal. Even if they don't get to skate in an exhibition, they might get invited to some shows.
> Are there specific requirements for a gala?
Nope, zero requirements! You can do backflips, spin on you butt, jump 20 times or not jump at all, bring props... Well, nudity would be frowned upon, but aside from that, go wild!
> Do the judges/audience know the program components beforehand like they do with the SP and FS or are those a “surprise” of sorts?
I spent half a day mulling over this! :)
When I hear "program components", I think of the parts of the presentantion score (Skating Skills, Transitions, Performance, Choreography, Interpretation)...
But then I realized: you just mean the list of elements? :D
In that case, no, the skaters don't have to submit a list of elements. However, after the first show, the fans will memorize the performance anyway... so the surprise is usually short-lived ;)
The judges don't particularly care (at least in the professional capacity), they are not required to judge or watch the exhibitions. They might show up to watch anyway, as a lot of judges are big fans of the sport.
> Is there a gala/exhibition at the Winter Olympics and how does that work/ who gets chosen to participate?
Yes. The participants will depend on the particular event host.
During the Sochi Olympics, the participants were:
1. All of the skaters who placed top 5 in their disciplines.
2. Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi. They didn't place in the top 5, but they are well-beloved skating legends who attracted thousands of fans. Mao's LP was perhaps the best program in the entire competition. It was the most Twitted about performance in the entire Olympics, though severely underscored.
3. The Russian skaters who took place in the competition (as they were the ‘local’ skaters).
In other competitions the list of gala participants will be usually similar; the top skaters (top 3, or 4, or 5...) + a couple of very popular skaters + the local skaters.
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