Hello! I am a newbie and couldn't find where to post a new thread in the Jason Brown forum, so I'm doing it here. I hope you don't mind. I've been reading some of your posts and are you guys ever on top of things! I am a new convert to figure skating because I happened to see (via Youtube) Jason Brown's fantastic performance in Boston in January. One look and I was hooked. I have a million questions about figure skating but I'll leave those for another time. In the meantime, I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know I am a new member of the forum. I live in California and liked to watch ice skaters when I was a kid, then kind of moved on. Someone sent me a link to the Youtube video and I was just staggered by Jason's performance. I have been following him ever since. That's all for now!
Cheers,
alabhaois
semi-newbie, and I think this deserves its own thread, but..
Jason and Rohene are skating in the same show together in Chicago! American Ice Theatre. Hope the link to a Facebook page works:
<<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=696759660369865&set=a.137271976318639.22619.135977363114767&type=1&theater>>
I would sell my firstborn and move to Chicago for this. Almost.
Be sure to tell us about the size of the crowd!
Will do! I'm really hoping Jason doesn't do his MC Hammer exhibition program...I love pretty much everything he does but I have to admit that's not my favorite.....
Phew, I was starting to think I was the only one...
I like his "Fly Me To The Moon" ex, but I only saw the one fancam of it and it never appeared again.
Hi Mrs P,
Thanks for your reply! I do have a question-- why did Jason not skate in Japan? Was he invited? Just curious.
Thanks!
a.
Gosh-- I've got to get up-to-speed because I'm rather clueless about what's going on in the actual skating world. I have read that skating is the most watched part of the Olympics, and I've also heard that skating is o-u-t (hardly!). Bearing in mind my newness to everything, I want to put forth an opinion re Jason: I venture to say that I think he will change the face of figure skating. I think he already has. By being himself-- friendly, adorable, and a primo skater (the pony tail is a wonderful addition), I think he has already opened up new vistas to replace the tired, old traditional figure skating arena. I keep hearing about the quad-- honestly, just how much hinges on that? I think he's shows that there's more to skating than a quad, though I'm positive we will be witnessing it one of these days. I'm rambling, I know, but I'm so happy for him and happy to have discovered him and happy to be here with all of you.
So long for now!
a.
If he won silver at the U.S. championships, why are you so sure he won't win an Olympic medal?
Because he can't do quadruple jumps, which is when a skater leaps into the air and completes four full rotations before landing. Quads are the most difficult jump to land, and in recent years they've essentially become a requirement for any Olympic hopeful. It doesn't matter how many perfect triples a skater lands; if he can't do a quad, he's probably not going to win anything.
So, you're saying Jason Brown kind of sucks.
No!
Well then how the hell is he going to become a household name if he can't even do a damn quad?
By being really, really awesome at everything else a figure skater does. Watching the biggest names in the sport go flying through the air and sticking quadruple toe loops is great, but there are other ways to put on a visually stunning program, and nobody understands that better than Brown. If the other skaters in the Olympics are the power pitchers of the sport, then consider Jason Brown the R.A. Dickey of figure skating. The other guys dominate with physical strength, but Brown dips and dances through his programs in a way that is just as impressive.
Which brings us to the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After placing third in the short program standings, Brown came out for his free skate and did this:
[YT VIDEO HERE]
I'm not going to pretend to be the biggest figure skating fan in the world, but there is something undeniably affecting about that routine. And judging by the standing ovation Brown got from the crowd and the 3.8 million views that video has accrued on YouTube, I'm not the only one who thinks so. There's a relentlessness to that program, one that makes it hard not to get swept up by the precision and fluidity of Brown's movements.
But a performance like that doesn't just happen by accident. As The New York Times reveals, Brown's "Riverdance" program was just as daring as it was meticulously and uniquely constructed:
Because of the intricacy of the choreography, Brown and [choreographer Rohene] Ward regularly spent a two-hour lesson on just one five-second segment. Ward said it took three weeks for Brown to perform the footwork without stumbling, and only then did he add the arm and body movements.
[...]
To get the effect he wanted and the points Brown needed, there could be no significant slowing of the pace until the final note. This sets the program apart and is one of the keys to its appeal, but all that came at a price.
"When we started this program every day, he would say, 'This is impossible,' " Ade said. "Because it's nonstop. There are no choreographed breathing points after the first four seconds when he's staring down the judges. The only place he really gets to breathe is when he's spinning."
It's hard not to appreciate someone who isn't afraid to challenge the parameters of his sport. So Jason Brown can't do a quad? That's fine, he'll just put together a stunning program that has some of the most complicated choreography you've ever seen, and it will be so good that you'll have no choice but to stand and cheer for him when it's done.
Thanks for the very interesting reply and quotes, Mrs P. It gives me new perspective, which I sorely need. I have a lot of catching up to do.
I loved that Riverdance performance so much, I honestly wonder if he can top it. I mean, after seeing it so many times over, I detect a couple of slight errors, but it's as close to perfect as I think anyone could get it. I hope he continues to choose music that's daring and beautiful and youthful. It's hard to believe he's so young, but when I see photos of him at 11, 12, 13-- I realize he's really quite the young man. (And an adorable child though, by his own admission, a bit of a handful)
My personal top 5 Jason Brown performances
2013 Junior Worlds FS -- 2 lovely 3A, and two 3-3 combination with in the last 30 seconds. Plus all the usual lovely extensions, spins and such.
Jason's 2011 Nationals FS -- Smashing senior debut for this kid. Even without a triple axel.
2011-2012 JGPF FS He won the competition with this program. However his Jr. Worlds performance was just as good, if not better. Such a haunting program. So amazing to watch with some distance from it.
2012 Nationals SP This is probably my favorite short program of his (Though if he keeps improving his current one, it might get displaced).
2011 Nationals SP Love the peppy up beat music and how Jason rises with it!
Lucky duck! Wouldn't mind a YouTube vid either (jes sayin')Will do! I'm really hoping Jason doesn't do his MC Hammer exhibition program...I love pretty much everything he does but I have to admit that's not my favorite.....