3rd Best US Man

OK, there is Johnny and Evan but who is third best?

Well, it depends. Do you mean concerning their results (consistency etc.) or concerning their skating style, skating skills, creativity...

Because if we are talking about results - then it's probably Carriere (has the 3Axel in contrast to Rippon, already proved himself on the senior circuit).

But if we are talking about all the other stuff - I wouldn't say that Abbott is the third best man in the US, but at least the second best - perhaps even the best.

This is of course just my opinion.

He surpasses Evan in nearly every aspect of skating - skills, interpretation, musicality, spins (love those ), did I mention musicality, choreography, his Quad and the basic jumping technique is better than Evan's, and don't forget musicality.

He also surpasses Johnny in a few aspects, he can skate convincingly to most music (loved the combo of his Santana-SP and Waltz-LP this season, so diverse), he has a Quad, his spins are faster most of the times... Perhaps his jumping technique is not as sound as Johnny's (except for the Triple Loop and the Quad, Abbott's Triple Loop is one of the best in the business), and sometimes he seems to lack, I don't know - extension, body tension.

Abbott needs to learn how to produce a clean 8 Triple( + Quad?)-performance - maybe the whole rivalry-thing would be history then.

Medusa said:

But if we are talking about all the other stuff - I wouldn't say that Abbott is the third best man in the US, but at least the second best - perhaps even the best.

He surpasses Evan in nearly every aspect of skating - skills, interpretation, musicality, spins (love those ), did I mention musicality, choreography, his Quad and the basic jumping technique is better than Evan's, and don't forget musicality.

He also surpasses Johnny in a few aspects, he can skate convincingly to most music (loved the combo of his Santana-SP and Waltz-LP this season, so diverse), he has a Quad, his spins are faster most of the times... Perhaps his jumping technique is not as sound as Johnny's (except for the Triple Loop and the Quad, Abbott's Triple Loop is one of the best in the business), and sometimes he seems to lack, I don't know - extension, body tension.

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You make wish I'd read your post before voting. Really good points. I agree- Abbott is far superior to Evan in just about any way. Especially in the fact that he actually interprets the music, rather than flails the arms. I may be wrong, but Abbott sometimes struggles with the 3A(?) and I still prefer his to Evan's. A little more consistency and he'd definitely be a force to reckon with.

I voted for Jeremy and ITA with Medusa. Jeremy's lack of consistency is his main problem as is the lack of 3A and quad for Adam Rippon. But IMO these two are better skaters than Evan and they are artists whereas Evan is a jumper first of all.

I still like the intensity he puts in some of his competitive performances though.

My vote goes to Jeremy Abbott. He is SO much more than a national pewter medalist! The guy needs to control his nerves better (does anyone else think he looks as terrified as a deer caught in the headlights just before he skates?), but otherwise his skating skills and musicality are absolutely divine! His PCS was undermarked at international competitions, IMHO.

In case anyone was interested, I created a Facebook group called "Jeremy Abbott Is Awesome!" since there weren't any devoted to him on the site. I hope to see some of you Flying Piggies there!

I voted for Jeremy, only because we have yet to see if Adam can consistently land a 3A in competition. If Jeremy skates clean (which he usually doesn't), he would beat Adam, but if both skaters skate like they did last season, Adam could come out ahead due to his consistency. Both have excellent skating skills and artistry, although Jeremy's style is more developed and versatile at this point.

Lysacek and Weir are both great, and I see them above the rest of skaters at the US Nationals. As the third I voted for Abbott, although I have doubts about his consistency. Last season he had a great freeskate number (although maybe too busy), but unfortunately he was unable to skate to it faultlessly. In my opinion his choreographer nedds to give him material, which he can perform. I hope that Abbott does run-throughs in his practices? That is the only way to see whether he can perform something or not.