Johnny Weir out for rest of 2012-2013 season

[drivingmissdaisy]

I'd agree with this, but there was a big thing right after the Olympics about ho SOI didn't invite him because he wasn't consid family-friendly enough. That isn't to say he would do well in international shows, but it's definitely a slap in the face.

The world is changing for the better for openly gay people, so hopefully Johnny will be more embraced by the public in the future.

[Bluebonnet]

Wise decision this time in order to avoid further embarrassment. I highly doubt he will come back next season. He won't make it to Sochi ice. He will continue to talk about his comeback next season though.

What is Evan thinking now after seeing Johnny's comeback journey?

[Riemann]

The world is changing for the better for openly gay people, so hopefully Johnny will be more embraced by the public in the future.

I think any recent concern from SOI over public response to Weir was likely based more on a misreading of public attitudes than reality itself.

[pitterpatter]

from http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...vkey=ice_news:

After seeing the level of my competitors and how much stronger I needed to be to be competitive, my original plan of competing just for my fans and myself changed. The level of competition has increased dramatically since I left the sport in 2010, and although I was prepared to the best of my abilities, competing relit the fire in me, not only to compete and perform but also to win. Winning takes greatness, and I hope with the time I'm allowing myself to improve my skills, I will return next fall with a clear shot at competing in the next Olympic Games as a favorite.

Okay, this part just confuses me... I think your original plan was a good one, Johnny. If you're going to come back, do it for yourself and for your fans, otherwise you could end up pretty disappointed.

[Everettguy]

It was exciting to see Johnny return this season and kudos to him for trying to get back in the game. However maybe he sees how hard it will be to get back to the top, the GPF final men's short program is perfect example of just how tough it's going to be for Johnny & Evan. 5 out of 6 men tried a quad and 4 landed them. The one guy that didn't try one is waaaaay back in
6th place.

[Tinymavy15]

What is Evan thinking now after seeing Johnny's comeback journey?

probably not much. Evan's comeback was not to beat Johnny but rather try and relive some of his old glory. skating gave him purpose and goals to strive for...something he didint really have in his life after retiring.
I'm not surprised that Johnny won't be at Nationals, and with his injury it seems all but certain Evan won't either.

[Olympia]

I feel bad for these guys, though I can't say I'm surprised. Neither of them led the field in jumps even during their heyday, and they haven't exactly been training like demons from 2010 to now. Good for them for giving it a try, but it's not a shock that they haven't been able to keep up.

I have to point out (not meaning anything at their expense) that they make YuNa's comeback effort look even more amazing. She shows up after a similar hiatus and--sufferin' succotash! She hits a triple-triple first time out.

[heyang]

While I didn't think he'd make the team, I am disappointed to not see Johnny skate at Nationals. I think he really needs to question why he wants to compete - is it because he misses the limelight/name recognition or because he misses competing. Johnny never really struck me has having a strong competitive drive during his last couple of seasons IMHO and perhaps hampered by injury.

I've already seen commercials where he will be competing on Rachel vs Guy's celebrity cook-off that begins January 6th. Note: I believe this has already been taped.

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/...urns-season-2/

[Nadia01]

I feel bad for these guys, though I can't say I'm surprised. Neither of them led the field in jumps even during their heyday, and they haven't exactly been training like demons from 2010 to now. Good for them for giving it a try, but it's not a shock that they haven't been able to keep up.

I have to point out (not meaning anything at their expense) that they make YuNa's comeback effort look even more amazing. She shows up after a similar hiatus and--sufferin' succotash! She hits a triple-triple first time out.

True that Yuna's comeback is amazing, but remember that Yuna was like the best jumper when she was competing, capable of 3 different types of triple-triple combinations (3T/3T, 3F/3T, 3Lz/3T), and she can execute lutz & flip correctly, not to mention the crazy height & distance her jumps got.

She landed a triple lutz jump in August in some ice show in Korea in August despite the teeny rink, so obviously she still had all her jumps when she decided to return to competition. I'm not sure if Evan and Johnny still have consistent 3A, 3Lz & 3F, etc.

[Bluebonnet]

probably not much. Evan's comeback was not to beat Johnny but rather try and relive some of his old glory. skating gave him purpose and goals to strive for...something he didint really have in his life after retiring.
I'm not surprised that Johnny won't be at Nationals, and with his injury it seems all but certain Evan won't either.

How could Evan relive his old glory if he couldn't win?

[starryxskies]

True that Yuna's comeback is amazing, but remember that Yuna was like the best jumper when she was competing, capable of 3 different types of triple-triple combinations (3T/3T, 3F/3T, 3Lz/3T), and she can execute lutz & flip correctly, not to mention the crazy height & distance her jumps got.

She landed a triple lutz jump in August in some ice show in Korea in August despite the teeny rink, so obviously she still had all her jumps when she decided to return to competition. I'm not sure if Evan and Johnny still have consistent 3A, 3Lz & 3F, etc.

Yuna also competed at 2011 Worlds with whole new programs. So she was only inactive for one season

[senatormls]

I don't understand the 'need' to come back. For Johnny, I think his need to come back came from the fans and his husband. The 'need' must come from Johnny 110%. I believe Johnny has more to give in the entertainment side of skating and just have fun with his celebrity staus.

[adamanna]

I thought as much. If he returns next season (which I'd be very surprised to see) - his second comback is gonna look just the same.

This is an interesting point. Considering his beautiful triple axle, I wonder how comfortable a Salchow is for him. There are a few overlaps in the techniques of the jumps and it could make for a strong Salchow. I wonder if he's attemtped the quad Salchow much.

I remember watching Johnny at some old Russian Gran-Prix event, when he still was with Priscilla, and TAT was commenting, and she said: "Johnny does two different quads in practice, toe and salchow, but his character blocks him from taking advantage of it".

I think he really needs to question why he wants to compete - is it because he misses the limelight/name recognition or because he misses competing.

I again remembered one thing I watched - in his show, Be Good Johnny Weir, was this scene where Galina criticized him in practice and compared him with Baiul and to his advantage... And Johnny's comment was, if I remember it right, 'I don't like to be compared to anybody, it doesn't light a fire in me to prove myself' - I remembered that because hearing such a confession from an athlete was weird... What is a sports competition if not a comparison of athletes? And to be honest - Johnny's competitive history shows pretty clearly that he is not indeed a great competitor. And it's exactly, I think, what Tarasova meant by the above comment.
I think he returned to gain a little more media attention, maybe the amount of invitations to skating shows began to decline, I don't know...

True that Yuna's comeback is amazing, but remember that Yuna was like the best jumper when she was competing, capable of 3 different types of triple-triple combinations (3T/3T, 3F/3T, 3Lz/3T), and she can execute lutz & flip correctly, not to mention the crazy height & distance her jumps got.

She landed a triple lutz jump in August in some ice show in Korea in August despite the teeny rink, so obviously she still had all her jumps when she decided to return to competition. I'm not sure if Evan and Johnny still have consistent 3A, 3Lz & 3F, etc.

I think Yuna knew that she's going to try two Olympic titles. I think she carefully maintained her shape, and I doubt that the only jump she made in shows was triple toe, like in some other skaters' cases. On the other hand, by not competing she maybe saved herself from new injuries... She's very smart, that's why her costumes and her skating are so amazing))

How could Evan relive his old glory if he couldn't win?

I think Evan could win... This Gran-Prix final gave me some thoughts - I saw lack of clean performances. And that's the door open for great competitors like Evan or Plushy, since they can deliver a clean performance under pressure. But unfortunately, Evan does have injuries and a triple axel problem, so... His win and successful return is unlikely I think

[Icey]

I hope Johnny will be able to comeback, but, I suspect, he will have as many comebacks as Liza Minnelli has had.