Jason Brown

Here's a small video of Jason opening the matryoshkas at a meeting with his Russian fans:

http://vk.com/video-36259865_171038087?list=c002802410943ff268

(Thank you Google translate for helping with my non-existent Cyrillic )

katmari said:

Here's a small video of Jason opening the matryoshkas at a meeting with his Russian fans:

http://vk.com/video-36259865_171038087?list=c002802410943ff268

(Thank you Google translate for helping with my non-existent Cyrillic )

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Awww - that is just adorable! Thank you.

Apropos the "threat" discussion - the word is often used on the forum, as I've seen, and it is meant as a compliment. What is not a compliment is the expression "not a threat". "X is no threat for the podium this season."

TMC said:

I also think that the quad is nearly there. We've seen him do one (although hand down and ur) a year and a half ago after all. I also think that they are not going to advertise when he first tries the quad, because that would then become the main focus of the whole program and add tons of pressure. I know that they hand in planned content sheets, but they can always put 3S or 3T in insted of 4S or 4T, right?

Richard is definitely a threat for gold this season, and I kind of hope he does get it (and when someone says threat I never thought it was a negative thing, to me is natural and in fact sort of complimentary to the "threat"). For sure I wouldn't want Jason to win without trying the quad because that might cause all sorts of havoc.

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I have no idea how the rules work on what he puts that he intends to do.

The problem with that is he likely would want to practice the quad while there before trying it in a program. And some how I think that if it is an even remotely open session, people will notice Jason practicing the quad and the cat will be out of the bad pretty damn quick.

I do like the idea of them putting it in when it is not expected or anticipated. I almost want him to toss on in an exhibition for fun. Really throw people off, show he can do it but again, not consistent enough for competition. If people got to see it in an ex they may be less pressure in an event.

I don't think they will advertise it, but I again don't know how well they will be able to hid it.


As for Richard. I hope if he wins it is because he has found his rhythm and consistency. I hope whoever wins is able to reproduce the success at worlds rather than having a good day at nationals.

Looks as if the Browns and Kori enjoyed putting on their proper sightseeing hats in Moscow.

katmari said:

Here's a small video of Jason opening the matryoshkas at a meeting with his Russian fans:

http://vk.com/video-36259865_171038087?list=c002802410943ff268

(Thank you Google translate for helping with my non-existent Cyrillic )

Click to expand...

Thx, katmari.

golden411 said:

Looks as if the Browns and Kori enjoyed putting on their proper sightseeing hats in Moscow.

Steve Brown ‏@SBrownie2310

Preparing for our tour!
12:26 AM - 17 Nov 2014
https://twitter.com/SBrownie2310/status/534261280195235840 (photo attached)​

Thx, katmari.

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What a cutie hats! And Jason looks a lot like his father! With a smile and colors of mom!

balletanddancefan said:

Could someone tell me what is thing color orange that Jason held under his arm? It might seem a tool for Pilates but I have never seen stuff so. And the bottle? Is an american special mineral water?
https://twitter.com/JasonBrownJPFan/status/534625249598267394 Seems very similar as French Evian.

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The orange thing looks like a massager for your muscles that you roll over them. The water bottle looks like a reusable insulated one.

As far as the quad goes. I feel that Jason's team is also viewing the training of the quad from an injury prevention stand point. There is so much repetitive force placed on ankles, knees and hips from practicing and landing or almost landing quads. They likely only let him practice it a set amount of times during the day. He is an athlete with potential longevity in the sport and they want to keep him injury free.

babyskate said:

The orange thing looks like a massager for your muscles that you roll over them. The water bottle looks like a reusable insulated one.

As far as the quad goes. I feel that Jason's team is also viewing the training of the quad from an injury prevention stand point. There is so much repetitive force placed on ankles, knees and hips from practicing and landing or almost landing quads. They likely only let him practice it a set amount of times during the day. He is an athlete with potential longevity in the sport and they want to keep him injury free.

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A lot of their comments lead me to believe that is very very high up on their priority list. While some people would say being a plushie cyborg is worth it for what he has accomplished, I am not sure I personally would think it is worth it and get the impression Team Jason does not think it is worth it either. I don't think they feel the quad is worth wearing out a barely 20 year old body for.

katmari said:

Here's a small video of Jason opening the matryoshkas at a meeting with his Russian fans:

http://vk.com/video-36259865_171038087?list=c002802410943ff268

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Thanks so much katmari for the vk link. It's worth browsing a bit after you look at the video. If you scroll down, click on "Jason Brown-Beauty On Ice". That takes you to the member site of which that video is but a tiny part.

I'm assuming the site has been set up by his Russian Fans. I could not believe how extensive it is. It has numerous photo albums of Jason's career, 189 videos ranging from 2008 to the present, a discussion forum (in Russian) and who knows what else. All in one place. And much of it has English headings and titles. A treasure trove--and most unexpected, at least by me.

StitchMonkey said:

I kinda wonder how much seeing Jason's video going viral which included Scott saying "I would not want to be the skater who has to go next" and Richard knowing he was that skater, and did not exactly capitalize on Jason's energy may have put a fire under him. That has got to be a weird position to be in. Richard had an amazing SP, was second going into the free, then had to skate while trying to figure out what the hell he just missed that caused the arena to lose its collective mind. Then on top of it to know millions of people are hearing Scott judge you before you are even on the ice.

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I feel sorry for Ricky. That was actually the second year in a row he had to skate right after the guy who blew the roof off the joint. Last year he had to skate right after Max had just thrown the gauntlet the length of the ice...

(OT: Still only last year that that happened. )

karne said:

I feel sorry for Ricky. That was actually the second year in a row he had to skate right after the guy who blew the roof off the joint. Last year he had to skate right after Max had just thrown the gauntlet the length of the ice...

(OT: Still only last year that that happened. )

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Ohh geeez the poor guy. So he is kinda the male Ashley Wagner Almost Boy. But maybe seeing it happen to him two years in a row made him realize dealing with stuff like that , and learning to block it out and move on was something he needed to work on. COC had problems, but he did not give up on the program, he toned it down to something he could still do, not a bad thing, it shows self awareness. And he did not let the blood, gore and drama get to him, to me that is a great sign. Maybe he has done whatever he needed to in order to really get his head in the game. He does seem to have kinda just skirted under the radar, but there is a spark there. Plus he does the back flip. Screw the quad, I want to see Jason do a backflip in his exhibition one of these days.

Max, I fear that early success for him was more of a curse than a blessing. I really enjoy him, but lately he just looks so miserable. I think he sees himself as a former national champ, and thus anything less than repeating is an unacceptable defeat to him. I think he may like winning more than he likes skating. He also needs a math lesson, the risks he takes are just not worth it.

And count me as another who thinks the Beauty on Ice blog/account is an awesome source resource! I think it may have the oldest video/youngest Jason that is floating around out there with a skate from 2008 .

StitchMonkey said:

Ohh geeez the poor guy. So he is kinda the male Ashley Wagner Almost Boy. But maybe seeing it happen to him two years in a row made him realize dealing with stuff like that , and learning to block it out and move on was something he needed to work on. COC had problems, but he did not give up on the program, he toned it down to something he could still do, not a bad thing, it shows self awareness. And he did not let the blood, gore and drama get to him, to me that is a great sign. Maybe he has done whatever he needed to in order to really get his head in the game. He does seem to have kinda just skirted under the radar, but there is a spark there. Plus he does the back flip. Screw the quad, I want to see Jason do a backflip in his exhibition one of these days.

Max, I fear that early success for him was more of a curse than a blessing. I really enjoy him, but lately he just looks so miserable. I think he sees himself as a former national champ, and thus anything less than repeating is an unacceptable defeat to him. I think he may like winning more than he likes skating. He also needs a math lesson, the risks he takes are just not worth it.

And count me as another who thinks the Beauty on Ice blog/account is an awesome source resource! I think it may have the oldest video/youngest Jason that is floating around out there with a skate from 2008 .

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Dornbush was also cursed with early success, if you want to call it that. He basically was a junior internationally (he had just won the Junior Grand Prix Final) when he was at nationals and basically shocked everyone by getting the silver medal in 2011 (he placed 11th at his first Nationals). He won the free skate also. He then went and was the highest ranking American placing 9th.

He crashed and burned at Nationals the following year, placing 13th, but they sent him to 4CC anyway. He did not place there well either.

Actually, it seems that getting the silver medal at nationals is a semi-curse. Evan Lysacek is the only recent exception, losing to Jeremy at 2010 Nationals then betting everyone for the OGM.

2009 - Brandon Mroz - dropped to 6th in 2010, 7th in 2011, 14th in 2012. Managed 9th in 2013 and 2014.
2011 - Richard Dornbush - dropped to 13th in 2012, 6th in 2013, 5th in 2014
2012 - Adam Rippon - dropped to 5th in 2013, and 8th in 2014
2013- Ross Miner - suffered from injuries, placed 8th at 2014 nationals


None of those guys ever returned to a World team since their respective silver year.

I'm not superstitious, but can't help but notice the pattern.

So hoping Jason can defy the trend.

StitchMonkey said:

Plus he does the back flip. Screw the quad, I want to see Jason do a backflip in his exhibition one of these days.

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Have you ever seen a backflip in person? I have, they scare the life out of me.

StitchMonkey said:

Max, I fear that early success for him was more of a curse than a blessing. I really enjoy him, but lately he just looks so miserable. I think he sees himself as a former national champ, and thus anything less than repeating is an unacceptable defeat to him. I think he may like winning more than he likes skating. He also needs a math lesson, the risks he takes are just not worth it.

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I do not think he looks miserable. Just under pressure, and mostly from within. Miserable was how he looked at Nationals - miserable was how he looked lying on the ice at the end of his ex, with the crowd so rude and not giving him anything - and I imagine miserable was how he felt sitting on his couch, watching on television as Jeremy threw it away...that was misery.

I think possibly it is the fact that for so many years, he was being told by the high-ups that he wasn't good enough, he'd never be good enough, he'd never make it to the top because he didn't skate the right way, and then suddenly he WAS the top, he'd beat their precious artists, he'd shown he was good enough, but even that wasn't good enough for these people and they kept at him...even the strongest person cannot resist forever when they're constantly being told everything that is wrong with them. And this has been going on since he was 14.

/emotional OT rant

Mrs. P said:

Dornbush was also cursed with early success, if you want to call it that. He basically was a junior internationally (he had just won the Junior Grand Prix Final) when he was at nationals and basically shocked everyone by getting the silver medal in 2011 (he placed 11th at his first Nationals). He won the free skate also. He then went and was the highest ranking American placing 9th.

He crashed and burned at Nationals the following year, placing 13th, but they sent him to 4CC anyway. He did not place there well either.

Actually, it seems that getting the silver medal at nationals is a semi-curse. Evan Lysacek is the only recent exception, losing to Jeremy at 2010 Nationals then betting everyone for the OGM.

2009 - Brandon Mroz - dropped to 6th in 2010, 7th in 2011, 14th in 2012. Managed 9th in 2013 and 2014.
2011 - Richard Dornbush - dropped to 13th in 2012, 6th in 2013, 5th in 2014
2012 - Adam Rippon - dropped to 5th in 2013, and 8th in 2014
2013- Ross Miner - suffered from injuries, placed 8th at 2014 nationals


None of those guys ever returned to a World team since their respective silver year.

I'm not superstitious, but can't help but notice the pattern.

So hoping Jason can defy the trend.

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No, here is hoping Dornbush can defy the trend so Jason does not have to!

That is an interesting, and somewhat sad, observation. How have the bronze boys been doing. . . off to wikipedia!

karne said:

Have you ever seen a backflip in person? I have, they scare the life out of me.

I do not think he looks miserable. Just under pressure, and mostly from within. Miserable was how he looked at Nationals - miserable was how he looked lying on the ice at the end of his ex, with the crowd so rude and not giving him anything - and I imagine miserable was how he felt sitting on his couch, watching on television as Jeremy threw it away...that was misery.

I think possibly it is the fact that for so many years, he was being told by the high-ups that he wasn't good enough, he'd never be good enough, he'd never make it to the top because he didn't skate the right way, and then suddenly he WAS the top, he'd beat their precious artists, he'd shown he was good enough, but even that wasn't good enough for these people and they kept at him...even the strongest person cannot resist forever when they're constantly being told everything that is wrong with them. And this has been going on since he was 14.

/emotional OT rant

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I have never had the opportunity to see any figure skating in person, so i will take your word for it on the back flip. But I still have soft spot for them and likely always will.

I agree that Max's issue are from within, but he still seems so unhappy so often. Maybe he is just dealing with some disillusionment about the whole thing.

As much as he may have been annoyed seeing Jeremy throw away his chance, seeing quadless Jason likely did not help any. The same people telling Max he was not the right kind of skater were the same people telling Jason he needed the quad. It was openly acknowledge that USFSA wanted the men doing quads. Max obeyed that directive. He also came back with more traditional programs. In short, Max did what he was told to do and what he was told the powers that be wanted him to do, he tried to play by the rules and cooperate. Jason on the other hand listened to Kori and co rather than USFSA (likely a smart move as I don't know how often USFSA is right at this point). There has to be some confusion and frustration feeling like you did what you were told you were supposed to do, only to be beaten by someone who just kinda did their own thing. How can he not have some feelings of "Ummm you told us we had to have at least one quad?" How can he not start to question why he listened to them in the first place and wondering what to do next. How could he not take anything USFSA says to him now with a bit more cynicism? If they so quickly and easily change their mind about needing a quad, what else are they going to change their mind on when it is convenient to them? Makes it hard to know what to do when you don't feel like you can trust what you are being told.

Maybe we will see a new weird pattern emerge.

Maybe it will be
2015 Gold to Dornbush
2016 Gold to Rippon
2017 Gold to Max or Ross (Ross would be pattern, but who knows how much he will stick around, plus he was not really sudden success he had two prior bronzes)
2018 Gold to Jason (Yes I would be fine with him not getting gold till 2018, so long as he gets it in 2018 when it really counts.

StitchMonkey said:

I have never had the opportunity to see any figure skating in person, so i will take your word for it on the back flip. But I still have soft spot for them and likely always will.

I agree that Max's issue are from within, but he still seems so unhappy so often. Maybe he is just dealing with some disillusionment about the whole thing.

As much as he may have been annoyed seeing Jeremy throw away his chance, seeing quadless Jason likely did not help any. The same people telling Max he was not the right kind of skater were the same people telling Jason he needed the quad. It was openly acknowledge that USFSA wanted the men doing quads. Max obeyed that directive. He also came back with more traditional programs. In short, Max did what he was told to do and what he was told the powers that be wanted him to do, he tried to play by the rules and cooperate. Jason on the other hand listened to Kori and co rather than USFSA (likely a smart move as I don't know how often USFSA is right at this point). There has to be some confusion and frustration feeling like you did what you were told you were supposed to do, only to be beaten by someone who just kinda did their own thing. How can he not have some feelings of "Ummm you told us we had to have at least one quad?" How can he not start to question why he listened to them in the first place and wondering what to do next. How could he not take anything USFSA says to him now with a bit more cynicism? If they so quickly and easily change their mind about needing a quad, what else are they going to change their mind on when it is convenient to them? Makes it hard to know what to do when you don't feel like you can trust what you are being told.

Maybe we will see a new weird pattern emerge.

Maybe it will be
2015 Gold to Dornbush
2016 Gold to Rippon
2017 Gold to Max or Ross (Ross would be pattern, but who knows how much he will stick around, plus he was not really sudden success he had two prior bronzes)
2018 Gold to Jason (Yes I would be fine with him not getting gold till 2018, so long as he gets it in 2018 when it really counts.

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FWIW, Ross' bronze in 2011 was also seen as at least a surprising, if not sudden success. Miner had been injured in the 2009-2010 season -- he was 3rd in the JGPF, but then had to WD from Nationals (which would have been his debut as a senior man) (and later Jr. Worlds that year) due to injuries. He had, by all accounts, a dismal debut GP season in 2010-2011, having placed 7th and 9th at his two events and a very unstable 3A. Nobody really expected him to be a factor. And he had been, in fact, 6th after the SP at Nationals and than placed 2nd in the FS to get the bronze medal.

I have a soft spot for Ross, actually. I think he's a very subtle, but beautiful skater. He has some of the best skating skills out there, IMO. If people saw Jason's extroverted and dramatic programs = camp, Ross had the opposite problem; his subtle programs to some = BORING.

I remember a story Kori once said somewhere -- I can't remember, where she asked a USFSA official something to the effect of why isn't getting Jason getting top PCS marks despite meeting the bullet points of the components. The official said something to the effect that until Jason got his 3A the judges would hold back on the PCS.

So yes, while Jason got success on his terms, there was definitely a period where people in the USFSA were questioning Jason's progress and Kori's strategy. Kori was told many times that Jason needed to move on from her to succeed because she did not have a high-level skater previously.

I mean it wasn't too long ago that Kori couldn't even get ice time at World Arena, so things have changed...

A clip of Jason's meeting with his Russian fans is on youtube (with a guest appearance by Kori's voice):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYBpCW0x2iw

Mrs. P said:

FWIW, Ross' bronze in 2011 was also seen as at least a surprising, if not sudden success. Miner had been injured in the 2009-2010 season -- he was 3rd in the JGPF, but then had to WD from Nationals (which would have been his debut as a senior man) (and later Jr. Worlds that year) due to injuries. He had, by all accounts, a dismal debut GP season in 2010-2011, having placed 7th and 9th at his two events and a very unstable 3A. Nobody really expected him to be a factor. And he had been, in fact, 6th after the SP at Nationals and than placed 2nd in the FS to get the bronze medal.

I have a soft spot for Ross, actually. I think he's a very subtle, but beautiful skater. He has some of the best skating skills out there, IMO. If people saw Jason's extroverted and dramatic programs = camp, Ross had the opposite problem; his subtle programs to some = BORING.

I remember a story Kori once said somewhere -- I can't remember, where she asked a USFSA official something to the effect of why isn't getting Jason getting top PCS marks despite meeting the bullet points of the components. The official said something to the effect that until Jason got his 3A the judges would hold back on the PCS.

So yes, while Jason got success on his terms, there was definitely a period where people in the USFSA were questioning Jason's progress and Kori's strategy. Kori was told many times that Jason needed to move on from her to succeed because she did not have a high-level skater previously.

I mean it wasn't too long ago that Kori couldn't even get ice time at World Arena, so things have changed...

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And that change has to leave some people scratching their heads. US figure skating does not exactly have reputation for rewarding people who don't conform. The change from as you said can't get ice time to arguably the coach of the country's favorite in less than a year is, well impressive to say the least.

And there is no saying Ross can't still medal in any (or all) of those years. It was not meant as a dig at him at all. More just an observation that he has had a few national medals. He got a surprise in 2011, but he maintained it in 2012 and moved up in 2013. So the silver medal curse just feels different for him. Three medals at nationals is rather respectable in my opinion, even if no gold.

StitchMonkey said:

And that change has to leave some people scratching their heads. US figure skating does not exactly have reputation for rewarding people who don't conform. The change from as you said can't get ice time to arguably the coach of the country's favorite in less than a year is, well impressive to say the least.

And there is no saying Ross can't still medal in any (or all) of those years. It was not meant as a dig at him at all. More just an observation that he has had a few national medals. He got a surprise in 2011, but he maintained it in 2012 and moved up in 2013. So the silver medal curse just feels different for him. Three medals at nationals is rather respectable in my opinion, even if no gold.

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Funny thing is now that they've remained in Monument in their own ice rink anyway (though yes they probably have more ice time at World Arena now). They opened their arms when Kori couldn't get into the arena last year, so I don't blame her for sticking to the people/rink who were there for her and her skaters. It sounds like they have a nice arrangement there, so it probably worked out for the best and all that jazz.

USFS favoritism never quite matched up with international results though. Tonya Harding was a total rebel to USFSA, but she actually fared quite well internationally (when she skated to her potential, of course). Rachael Flatt got the nod by USFSA in 2010 but Mirai beat her in the Olympics and Worlds.

Max had a meteoric rise nationally in 2013, but that didn't quite translate internationally, as far as PCS scores goes. Meanwhile, Jason was consistent and successful on the junior circuit, but his lack of a 3A nationally, kept him buried in the standings, but that didn't necessarily kept him from seeing international success.

My example is that Max Aaron got strong TES (86+) in the FS to finish 7th at Worlds, but his PCS was much lower 74+. Meanwhile Jason was actually getting nearly the same PCS scores as a junior at Junior worlds (73+) while receiving a slightly lower TES score (81+).

Since then Jason's PCS has slowly gone up and now he's in the high-70s (at worst) and in the low 80s at best, while Max has yet to break 80 and only came close at a home senior b (78+) but mostly been in the mid-70s (at best) and have failed to even break 70 at his worst (see COR FS).

So, at least internationally, following some perceived format/rule at the national level doesn't necessary translate to success internationally.

katmari said:

A clip of Jason's meeting with his Russian fans is on youtube (with a guest appearance by Kori's voice):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYBpCW0x2iw

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I find Jason to be very genuine. He seems so real with his kindness. He doesn't seem fake at all.

I was listening to TSL and I discovered he was not at Worlds?
Why I had this idea that I saw him skate at Worlds?!

Mrs. P

I think you just furthered the argument that USFSA does not always know what they are doing rather nicely!

As for them staying in Monument. I love it! Monument is a really tiny little place. It is seen as sorta a pit stop between Denver and Colorado Springs. To give you an idea I had family that lived in Colorado Springs a few years back and we would try to find a place to have lunch somewhere halfway between the springs and the Denver area (where I am). Monument is a pretty good half way point, but we could not find anywhere we wanted to go that was open for lunch. It is that much a tiny little spec town. Small town likely helps them fly a bit under the radar as CO has this attitude of no one comes to small towns. For instance I grew up in a much larger than Monument but still small town where once I had some guy tell me "When I saw your hair I thought you were the girl from Titanic but then remembered where I was (i.e. what city we were in)" No, not the fact that I don't look anything like Kate Winslet, but rather the assumption that she would not be in that city was what clued him in. My guess is a lot of people just don't assume they will recognize anyone in Monument, and the locals likely just get used to it and don't care.

While it is closer to Colorado Springs, it really is not that far from Denver either. DIA is a perfectly reasonable alternative to the Colorado Springs airport for instance (and a rather easy drive as well). Similarly, it is only a bit over 30 minutes of interstate straight driving to the nearest parking lot for the Denver area public transportation train systems (we call it the Light Rail, but I suspect other cities would have no idea what that means). It would not be fun, but commuting from monument to downtown Denver, is doable. It would be easier than commuting from Vail, and people do that! It also would make attending the University of Denver or University of Colorado @ Denver a feasible option for a skater student. So they can pull benefit from both locations very easily. The public transit location I mentioned is right in the heart of a pretty decent sized shopping area for instance. If the springs don't have something you are looking for, there is a good chance this area has it. Also, Monument is right on the border of a county (Douglas) that for a few years about 5 years ago was regularly being often ranked as one of the wealthiest in the nation. So plenty of people with money to pay for skating lessons, and Monument is easier than Colorado Springs to get to for them. Actually, a lot of people in Douglas county would likely find a rink in Monument more convenient to go to than somewhere in Denver.

So yeah, I think they found a very nice home for themselves. Kori really could stand to have a very long lived lucrative career there.

Since I am babbling about the area, I'll share a funny issue I had with Jason early on involving the area. The parking lot/public train area I mentioned that is so close to them, is basically in an area called Highlands Ranch (as opposed to Highland Park, Illinois where Jason is from). I recall hearing Jason talk about a favorite pizza place in "Highlands" and getting a bit frustrated when I could not find it in Highlands Ranch. I have to remind myself every time he says "Highlands" that he is not talking about the area I am familiar with! I kinda wonder if he has any idea how close by he is to Highlands Ranch and how incredibly confusing he is being.