Jason Brown

alabhaois said:

Hello, katmari. Your situation is practically the same as mine, as I happened to see Jason's Riverdance online and was instantly captivated. Funny that it's been only a few months, yet now I can't remember ever not liking him. This is a wonderfully informative (and at times, very funny) forum (particularly the JB thread, thanks to Mrs. P). I think I'm hooked! Thanks for posting the review. And, yes, Jason exceeds all limits of adorableness.
Cheers!

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I think Jason is one of those skaters where you feel secure loving him. I can remember a time before Jason for me - just post-Vancouver, when I was moaning to a friend of mine that "I always pick the old ones about to retire!" - at this stage, my only favourite was Plushy (and I didn't think he was serious/capable of Sochi). She went to the JGP in Sheffield that year, and came back raving about this boy she'd seen there. She linked me a video to a small, skinny, flail-y boy called Joshua. I went but didn't think much more of it for a while. The next season, she wanted to know how he was doing (she's not as technically-minded as I am) and as I was watching his videos, I noticed one name popping up in the "related videos" column. Finally I went, "who is this Jason Brown kid?". And the rest, as they say, is history, and now I love both of them so much.

Oops, OT ramble. Sorry. :

katmari, your story is similar to mine too! I had Trophee Eric Bompard coverage on, though wasn't watching it too intensely, and then saw Jason's Riverdance. It both renewed and intensified my enjoyment of figure skating as a whole. He truly is such a likable person.

Interestingly, I reckon it's also the only time I've seen Jason visibly disappointed when the total score/rank comes up. He may have won the free skate, but Joshua's SP was perfect, and it made the difference in the end.

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I noticed this too! I actually enjoyed seeing a bit of Jason's competitive side. He's an elite athlete, after all! I think the combination of a true love of skating for the sake of it, confidence, and a competitive streak bodes well for his future.

karne said:

I think Jason is one of those skaters where you feel secure loving him. I can remember a time before Jason for me - just post-Vancouver, when I was moaning to a friend of mine that "I always pick the old ones about to retire!" - at this stage, my only favourite was Plushy (and I didn't think he was serious/capable of Sochi). She went to the JGP in Sheffield that year, and came back raving about this boy she'd seen there. She linked me a video to a small, skinny, flail-y boy called Joshua. I went but didn't think much more of it for a while. The next season, she wanted to know how he was doing (she's not as technically-minded as I am) and as I was watching his videos, I noticed one name popping up in the "related videos" column. Finally I went, "who is this Jason Brown kid?". And the rest, as they say, is history, and now I love both of them so much.

Oops, OT ramble. Sorry. :

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karne, you don't ramble. NONE of us rambles. It's not rambling if it's about JB.

katmari said:

A belated thank you to Mrs P and Karne for all the videos you've posted of Jason.

I grew up following figure skating but had lost my love for it somewhere along the way. I happened catch Jason's Riverdance performance at Nationals and became an instant fan. I've been on a 6-month crash course in all things Jason (thanks to all the wonderful items posted here) and the more I learn, the more I respect and enjoy him as a person as well as a skater.

I saw Riverdance in it's first world tour 20 years ago and follow Bill Whelan on twitter. When he tweeted about the video:



I went searching for more info and found a review at classicalite that also mentioned the video:



As always, baby (and adult) Jason is adorable!

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Thanks for the additional info, katmari.

I am also interested as one who "found her way back" due to Jason. When did you first follow skating, and when did it fall off for you?

As a woman, of , ahem, a certain age, I started in the early 70s with Janet Lynn. Toller Cranston, however, rocked my world, showing me what men's figure skating could be. I became what would be called an "uber" these days for Toller. Back in the day, when in the States you had to stake out "Wide World of Sports" each weekend to see any skating, that's what I did. Went to the touring shows. Spent my money on skating. And ice hockey. As long as it was on a rink.

Sometime in the 90s, not so much. Not just life itself, but where was the Toller attitude? The joy, the love of performance? Kurt Browning was close, but ... And even though I started with Janet, no discipline interested me like men's. I stopped watching.

Saw the Nats for some unknown reason in January. We all have the same story since them. But I started youtubing not just Jason, but all the men "newcomers" (particularly Americans, gotta say it, I'm a jingoist), and here I am 40 years later, full circle.

Jason is not Toller, not yet anyway, but he captures that spark. Which is what U.S. skating needs, if only it can spread....

Fun exercise.

The first World Championships I watched on TV was the 1991 World Championships. I was just a hair shy of 9 years old. I remember all the fluff was about the fact Tonya Harding and Midori Ito had a triple axel and Kristi didn't. But I was glad that Kristi's overall performance ultimately prevailed.

Like many others, I was an avid follower of the ladies discipline though I was pretty knowledgeable about the men. Not so much with pairs and dance. I remember Nancy's meltdown in 1993 (and also Oksana's rise that same year). I was fascinated by the whole Nancy and Tonya saga, even buying biographies of each of them ("Tough Ice" was the Tonya book, I forgot the name of the Nancy book I purchased.) I loved watching Rudy Galindo win Nationals in 1995 and Todd Eldridge's rise back to the ranks. Always entertained by Candeloro and Stokjo, for different reasons. Kurt Browing was always great to watch. Loved Chen Lu's win in 1995 and Michelle's transformation in 1996. Sad to see Chen Lu do so poorly in 1997 but bounce back and win bronze in Nagano in 1998. Sad for Michelle for not winning OGM that year. I remember getting spoilers after AOL had a photo of Tara Lipinski on its home page.

1998 was the last year where I watched figured skating seriously until a few years ago. By then I was a sophomore in high school and I was busy with school activities to follow it beyond the occasional watch. I did watch the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, but that was about it. I was just busy with getting my degrees and pursuing my career.

Yuna Kim and Mao Asada were responsible for me coming back in 2009. I had remember watching fluff pieces during the 2006 Olympics about how Mao Asada, who had the 3A, was too young to go to the Olympics and that Yuna was her main rival. When I went to South Korea in 2008 I had asked people how well-known Yuna was -- as we all know now -- the answer was that she was VERY well known. So in 2009 I watched the World Championships and watch Yuna win with a beautiful performance. I thought Mao skated great as well.

2009-2010 was my first season watching the Grand Prixs and actively reading about skating. Ladies was my focus due to Yuna/Mao, but I had some knowledge of all the disciplines. Still Ladies was my choice because Yuna and Mao. Akiko Suzuki became one of my faves after her success on the GP. Daisuke Takahashi was a standout as well for me during the GP and Jeremy Abbott as well -- his performance at Nationals was top rate (which made his poor performance at the Olympics even more frustrating). Oh! And I was inspired by Shen and Zhao's comeback --- I really was rooting for them to win OGM (though looking back, I probably did not appreciate Savchenko/Szolkowy as much as I should have).

Things started to shift after 2010. I started to expand my horizons beyond the Ladies and got more into the other disciplines, especially Ice Dance and Men. I really got into Ice Dance after watching D/W and V/M battle it out at Worlds. That was really cool to see. I was also intrigued by some of the up-and-coming junior teams -- Shibutanis, Illynkh/Kastalopov, etc.

So Jason Brown. Some time in the fall of 2010, I had read some blog raving about about Jason and how he showed so much promise. He had made a positive impression on people after his performances during the JGP. But my first viewing of Jason came during Midwestern sectionals, which he won. I had noted this back in Nov. 2010 in this GS post:

Funny that you just posted this! I just watched his sectionals programs as well and was very impressed! I swear his ice distance is so wide that I swore that he would crash into the boards.

Obviously the lack of a 3A will hold him back, but I could see him break into the top ten (a la Amanda Dobbs) at Nationals on his great basics and nice packaging. Out of all the US men he has the 11th highest season's best score, so I think this is totally possible.

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(Now we know he finished 9th with a standing ovation in the free skate. Something that NBC did not even bother to broadcast.)

However, what probably sealed the deal was watching his SP the following season (2011-2012) to Grand Guignol by Bajafondo at his first JGP Brisbane.

I make jokes now that it wasn't easy to being a Jason fan back then because of his lack of 3A. But it was true. There were quite a few discussions (at times heated) over this. A lot of people questioned whether he had much of a future because it did appear that he was taking his dear sweet time on that 3A (and I can say now that I was somewhat concerned). Some interesting threads from that time:

Jason Brown's Future Prospects (and the sequel that came this year)
What does it mean to be an "all around skater" or have the complete package


But anyway, I stuck to my guns and here I am. I was excited to finally see Jason skate live at Nationals (and of course it was even better that it was THE performance of Riverdance) and to meet him and Kori at practice.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

Thanks for those zombie threads, Mrs P. I always snort with laughter when I go back and see people who proclaimed, "HE WILL NEVER LAND THE 3A!". Also the ones who said he HAD to leave Kori to make it work. Good on you Jason for being stubborn and sticking to your guns.

I see Joshua was sky_fly's whipping boy back then. This was clearly before it moved onto Gachinski.

Thanks all for the kind welcome.

I think Jason's Riverdance performance had that effect on a lot of us, Hyena and alabhaois. Four million people can't be wrong! I find it hard to believe that last year at this time I would have been saying, "Jason Brown, who?" and this year I'm eagerly awaiting updates on his programs and the first glimpse of his new costumes. (I hope they are designed by Rohene again.)

Karne, I know Max and Josh are two of your favorites and, from what I've seen, they are very talented and nice guys as well. I look forward to watching Jason, Josh and Max push each other to excel in the upcoming years.

el henry, as another female of a certain age (heh) the first Olympics I remember were 1976 and Dorothy Hamill/John Curry. My first uber though was Robin Cousins who was basically the Kurt Browning of his era.

Music is very important to me and the skaters I gravitate toward either bring a new interpretation to a piece I already know and love (Jason/Riverdance) or perform something I haven't heard before and I'm so captivated that I have to purchase it. The two skaters who most often moved me that way were Paul Wylie and Michelle Kwan. Jason has now joined that club as I recently purchased the MP3 of "Flow Like Water" after catching his performance on youtube.

In watching Jason's old performances I am struck by how often the commentators mention Jason's artistry and how thrilled they are that he skates with and to the music. That quality has become rare in skating these days. I know he needs to up the technical content to compete on the world level but, between Rohene's imaginative choreography and Jason's musicality, I'm excited to watch skating again.

katmari said:

Music is very important to me and the skaters I gravitate toward either bring a new interpretation to a piece I already know and love (Jason/Riverdance) or perform something I haven't heard before and I'm so captivated that I have to purchase it. The two skaters who most often moved me that way were Paul Wylie and Michelle Kwan. Jason has now joined that club as I recently purchased the MP3 of "Flow Like Water" after catching his performance on youtube.

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I'm in the same boat, katmari. I am trying to locate the recording of Maxime Rodriguez' dramatic Tristan et Iseult but am not having much luck. I did download a considerably shortened version, but since it omitted the middle portion it left a lot to be desired. :disapp:

If anyone knows where I can locate it (the version to which Jason skated) I'd appreciate it. Thank you

alabhaois said:

karne, you don't ramble. NONE of us rambles. It's not rambling if it's about JB.

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I second this :yes:

alabhaois said:

karne, you don't ramble. NONE of us rambles. It's not rambling if it's about JB.

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TMC said:

I second this :yes:

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Spoken like true Brownzillas , if I do say so myself .

WeakAnkles said:

--I thought it was, on the whole, a good analysis of Jason's new programs as they stand right now. "The program is constructed in a way that requires jumps to be landed in order for the program to build effectively" and noting how interesting his new step sequence is are right on the money (Re: his LP). In fact, I was interested in hearing people's take on the differences between a straight-line step sequence (like Riverdance) and a circular one (T&I). And I do think he's right that Jason hasn't quite got the right "take" on the SP--but then it took him awhile to get the right attitude for the Prince SP. Last year's programs were "immediate," I think. I agree with Mr Lease that these are going to be growers.

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So I meant to go back to this.

I think with Riverdance a straight line step sequence makes sense for a relenting, powerful part of the music. It's very akin to the Riverdance step dance that most people know and love. A circular step could work, but I think some of the effect of the music would be lost.

The circular step sequence makes more sense for T&I because the music is more lyrical and it breathes more. I think the music gives him a chance to make more beautiful shapes and hold them for longer, which allows him to highlight hiss beautiful line and extension a lot more.

It does seem, Jason's looking to up his tech content with this program. I'm interested to see if he can pull off (or even attempt) a 3A-1L-3S and of course, get the quad out in competition.

As for Juke, yeah I agree he still needs to work on the take of it. People may see it as similar to his 2010 SP to Hey Pachuco. But Hey, Pachuco! is a song produced during the swing revival of the early 2000s while Juke is a Chicago blues song from the 1950s. So I'm hoping that Jason will be able to highlight the musical nuances of 1950s harmonica jazz.

alabhaois said:

I'm in the same boat, katmari. I am trying to locate the recording of Maxime Rodriguez' dramatic Tristan et Iseult but am not having much luck. I did download a considerably shortened version, but since it omitted the middle portion it left a lot to be desired. :disapp:

If anyone knows where I can locate it (the version to which Jason skated) I'd appreciate it. Thank you

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I haven't found a commercial recording available for sale, but eventually found the music on youtube. It's labeled Maxime Rodriguez Tristan&Iseult. It sounds like it's the complete version.

IFS has a cool interview with Jason in the newest edition! He comes across as---a bit more assertive, confident, maybe? They talk about the quad (what else?), but Jason has the perfect reply Anyone else seen it yet?

I am not a subscriber, but tempted to buy the digital edition for $3.99....It looks like an overall good issue anyway.

katmari said:

I haven't found a commercial recording available for sale, but eventually found the music on youtube. It's labeled Maxime Rodriguez Tristan&Iseult. It sounds like it's the complete version.

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Thank you, katmari, but it's the mp3 I'm looking for (sorry-- I didn't make that clear) to listen to while gardening. It's odd that Tristan et Iseult isn't part of a larger collection. Oh well...maybe someday

katmari said:

I haven't found a commercial recording available for sale, but eventually found the music on youtube. It's labeled Maxime Rodriguez Tristan&Iseult. It sounds like it's the complete version.

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alabhaois said:

Thank you, katmari, but it's the mp3 I'm looking for (sorry-- I didn't make that clear) to listen to while gardening. It's odd that Tristan et Iseult isn't part of a larger collection. Oh well...maybe someday

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Just use a Youtube to mp3 converter: I've used this one: http://www.youtube-mp3.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo7IH7OOAKU <---link to the YT video Katmari was referring to.

Mrs. P said:

Just use a Youtube to mp3 converter: I've used this one: http://www.youtube-mp3.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo7IH7OOAKU <---link to the YT video Katmari was referring to.

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Got it! Thank you, Mrs. P!

BTW, Jason has just tweeted a very cool photo! :thumbsup:

TMC said:

IFS has a cool interview with Jason in the newest edition! He comes across as---a bit more assertive, confident, maybe? They talk about the quad (what else?), but Jason has the perfect reply Anyone else seen it yet?

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Can you tell us what Jason's reply was? I don't yet subscribe.

Mrs. P said:

So I meant to go back to this.

I think with Riverdance a straight line step sequence makes sense for a relenting, powerful part of the music. It's very akin to the Riverdance step dance that most people know and love. A circular step could work, but I think some of the effect of the music would be lost.

The circular step sequence makes more sense for T&I because the music is more lyrical and it breathes more. I think the music gives him a chance to make more beautiful shapes and hold them for longer, which allows him to highlight hiss beautiful line and extension a lot more.

It does seem, Jason's looking to up his tech content with this program. I'm interested to see if he can pull off (or even attempt) a 3A-1L-3S and of course, get the quad out in competition.

As for Juke, yeah I agree he still needs to work on the take of it. People may see it as similar to his 2010 SP to Hey Pachuco. But Hey, Pachuco! is a song produced during the swing revival of the early 2000s while Juke is a Chicago blues song from the 1950s. So I'm hoping that Jason will be able to highlight the musical nuances of 1950s harmonica jazz.

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I agree. I like the music and choreography for his SP, but I think it should be delivered with a cocky smirk rather than a big smile.

Got the IFS issue -- it was a great issue! Lots of great pieces on top skaters. Worth the $3.99.

Key quotes from Jason's piece:

"I do things on my own time. I worked on the triple Axel for a long time before I understood what it took to do it. Once I processed that, it became consistent. It's the way that I have been throughout my career, and it's why I don't worry about getting the quad."

"People have always said that I can't do this without a triple Axel or I can't do that without a quad. To have longevity in this sport, you have to train smart and not take shortcuts. The day I get the quad in practice, it will be in my program the next day and it will be consistent. When you force something, there is always some repercussion." -- About claims that he needs the quad sooner than later to be competitive.

"I'm only 19, and I feel that I am getting stronger as a person. I am going to take the momentum that i have and run with it. I have a so much to achieve, and I believe that I am nowhere near my peak."


I agree that Jason comes off a lot more confident and assertive! I like it! :yes: