US Men's 2004 - 2005 Outlook | Golden Skate

US Men's 2004 - 2005 Outlook

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Alright, don't beat me up for my summer absence! :\ I apologize if this topic has already been beat to death and I was too lazy to find it!

How is the US Men's team shaping up this year?

I assume Michael Weiss is still in - I think I saw him entered in some GP events? Are we expecting anything revolutionary? I really respect Michael for the fact that he hangs in there and collects medals along the way, even if they are not gold. He always seems to be a positive and "senior" influence on the team.

Tim G is also entered. What have you all heard about his training? Is he past the physical and equipment problems of last year?

What about Johnny Weir? This is "old news" but he wrote a journal entry on his official website back in June indicating that quads are in the picture for his short and long. I'm also curious what you musical experts think about his selections. Assuming they haven't changed since that journal entry, it looks like two classical pieces, but of course I'm never familiar with the names alone. I fell in love with his skating last season and hope he's setting up for 2006.

What about any up and comers?

BEAT ME if I'm beating a dead horse, OK? :eek:

DG
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
No, DoggyGirl, this horse is still quite alive! And just where have you been? You have missed all of the Olympic scandals! Oh well...maybe we can expect some more figure skating scandals for this season (though I sincerely hope not...I hate them).

I am quite excited about the U.S. men for the first time since 96. Weir is already such a tremendous skater, but I certainly don't think he has reached his potential yet. He needs more speed and fire...and definitely at least one consistent quad. I hope he can keep the momentum from last season going. If he does that, he will set himself up perfectly for the Olympic year.

Tim is such a big question mark. But, I love him...so I'm going to be blindly faithful (despite hearing no news) and believe that he will be back this season with all guns firing. However, I think it will be interesting to see how he figures in the mix now that Joubert is rising (and Lindemann, Lambiel, Weir, etc.).

As for Michael Weiss...who knows! He is eratic and a somewhat of a wild card. I think he is reusing his "Henry V" SP and doing "Metallica" or something for his LP. At any rate, I wish him the best. I love to support the "old" ones too!

I'm also excited to see what Bradley, Lysack and (UGH....total brain fart...the lyrical guy that finished 4th at Nationals this year...I love him and somehow have totally erased his name from my memory!!) will be doing this year.
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
LOL Bronzie...

I've spent much of the summer being a competitive "Mom." Here's the net / net of things.

http://www.discounttechnologyworkforce.com/Mittelwest/Kimba/kimba.html

This new found competitive "Mom" role is especially tough when Kimba thinks she deserves a better spot in the bed than the Beagle, just because of a blue tint to the ribbon she gets. :) Retired Beagles (or Greyhounds or Mutts) truly don't care. Beagles are just louder about it.

What have you been up to this summer????? :sheesh:

DG
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
LOL Mathman.....

"SHE" is just a little AWESOME Champion!!!! :laugh:

Even though we still argue within the Family over sleeping arangements. :eek: Better wear protective clothing to bed or you might just get a paw in an unexpected place. Especially if you have a Beagle. :) This sort of thing seems much more challenging if you happen to be a man, but I'm not, so that's just my opinion. :laugh:

DG
 
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BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
What have you been up to this summer?????

I've been working and taking yet more classes this summer. It will never end! I knew you loved dogs (lol, obviously), but I didn't know that you also showed them. We used to have a beautiful champion doberman. We showed him for about a year and he did very well. But, he was the nervous, spoiled type (yes...that giant horse of a dog slept on my bed with me!) and wasn't really happy doing it. I also agree with Mathman, your Kimba is beautiful. Anyway, welcome back!
 

dr.frog

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Are all the US men going to the dogs, or something? I expected to see something different when I opened this thread, I guess. :sheesh:
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Men, schmen. The big news is that our number one lady Doggygirl is back posting!

Mathman;)
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Thanks for the welcome back!

And Dr. Frog, my apologies for spinning this thread WAY off topic. I know how irritating that can be.

Bronzie, I'll start a new thread in Le Cafe because I'm interested in your dog training / showing experience. I've always been a "rescue" sort up until this German Shepherd, so it's all new to me ....and that included the good with the HUH? ARE YOU KIDDING? stuff that goes on LOL.

Well Mathman, some men might be schmem, but not you. :)

OK - let's chat more about the US Men's team!

DG
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Lol, I apologize, too. I get carried away sometimes. Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

Okay, the skater's name that I completely blanked out on earlier was Ryan Jahnke. Any news on him lately? I think he is phenomenal and perhaps the most versatile and interesting of the top U.S. men. I wish he could get the jumps under control and maybe even add a quad. He would certainly be a force to be reckoned with then.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I think the big news this year will be Evan Lysacek. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him step out ahead of the old standbys Matt Savoie, Scott Smith and Ryan Janke.

As for the Big Three, the only thing that can hold Johnny Weir back is the quad. I believe he has at least one quad "practice-ready," but "competition-ready" is another matter. If Johnny gets a reliable quad I think he could definitely be a world podium contender this year.

By this time in his career, I think we know what to expect from Michael Weiss. I don't think he will be any better, I don't think he will be any worse. Still a threat to regain the U.S. Championship, IMO.

Tim Goebel is the big question mark because of his injuries/equipment problems. All sorts of rumors have flown around, one of them being that he wasn't really injured last year at all, he just got bored and lazy and didn't train seriously.

Actually, although I doubt that rumor, I kind of wish it were true. That way he could gradually get his eye-of-the-tiger back over the next two seasons. Otherwise, he may really have some chronic foot and back problems. As far as I could tell, on the COI tour he scaled back his technical content pretty drastically, barely doing triples. Tim needs the 3-quad programs if he is going to beat an artist like Weir.

JMO.

Mathman:)
 
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BittyBug

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Mathman said:
By this time in his career, I think we know what to expect from Michael Weiss. I don't think he will be any better, I don't think he will be any worse. Still a threat to regain the U.S. Championship, IMO.
It will be interesting to see what kind of shape Weiss is in this season since he deliberately chose not to tour this summer so that he could (a) rest up a bit, and (b) focus on his training. If nothing else, Weiss is very determined, so who knows - he may surprise us all.
 

millyskate

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 16, 2004
Unfortunately, i read a practice report somewhere suggesting hus quad was no where near and he was popping his axels as well. I admire his competitive spirit and hope he does well though.
 

Sylvia

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
BronzeisGolden said:
Okay, the skater's name that I completely blanked out on earlier was Ryan Jahnke. Any news on him lately? I think he is phenomenal and perhaps the most versatile and interesting of the top U.S. men. I wish he could get the jumps under control and maybe even add a quad. He would certainly be a force to be reckoned with then.

A detailed report on several U.S. and Canadian senior men at the competitive Skate Detroit club competition back in July can be found at Skateweb (Jahnke won the SP and Jordan Brauninger won the FS):
http://www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/reports/2004-skate-detroit.shtml
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
millyskate said:
Unfortunately, i read a practice report somewhere suggesting hus quad was no where near and he was popping his axels as well. I admire his competitive spirit and hope he does well though.
Millyskate, which skater are you speaking about?

Thanks, Sylvia. I forgot about Jordan Braninger. He is another one poised to leap into the big time.

Mathman
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
Mathman said:
I think the big news this year will be Evan Lysacek. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him step out ahead of the old standbys Matt Savoie, Scott Smith and Ryan Janke.

As for the Big Three, the only thing that can hold Johnny Weir back is the quad. I believe he has at least one quad "practice-ready," but "competition-ready" is another matter. If Johnny gets a reliable quad I think he could definitely be a world podium contender this year.

Tim Goebel is the big question mark because of his injuries/equipment problems. All sorts of rumors have flown around, one of them being that he wasn't really injured last year at all, he just got bored and lazy and didn't train seriously. Mathman:)

IMHO, Johnny Weir will continue to develop a consistent quad jump, will defend his US title with two strong, artistic programs, and will medal at Worlds next year. He is the best American man right now, and he should have a very bright future ahead of him, assuming that he stays healthy, injury-free, and doesn't succumb to competitive nerves.

Timothy Goebel, indeed, is a big question mark. This guy has all the quads anyone could ever want, but his artistry, is, well, at the junior level. :eek: He still has a slouched back and shoulders when he skates cross overs, and his interpretaion of music is, well, also at the junior level. I expect him to place second at Nationals, assuming he stays on his feet and doesn't hurt himself.
As for Worlds, he's a longshot for a medal - perhaps a fifth or sixth place finish.

I think this will be the year that Evan Lysacek will make the US World team. I think he will win the bronze medal and finish somewhere in the top ten at Worlds. Not bad for your first time on the World team. I really like Evan's style and "go for it" approach to his jumps.

As for Michael Weiss. PLEASE. The guy is 28 years old, and he is still trying to figure out how to land triple axels, not to mention his elusive quad lutz. :eek:
I am really exasperated as seeing him skate sloppy programs. While I respect his tenacity and his refusal to hang up his skates, I really think he will be left off the World team this year. Weiss will finish, at best, fourth, and he won't make the World team, unless one of the above skaters self-destructs or is injured.
 

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
I wouldn't be surprised to see Parker Pennington back in the thick of competition. He withdrew this year from Nationals but the year before he placed 6th at Nationals. He has potential along with the others that have already been named.
 

guinevere

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Whee! I am so excited for the US Men this season!

Johnny Weir - I hope he can build from last season - after all, he hasn't skated a full competitive season since 2000-01, right? I want him to focus on this year as a building block so that he will be a true contender in Torino.

Tim Goebel - who knows what will happen this season? He's a great skater, and I hope he recovers from last season's problems. As an artist, he is miles blow Johnny, but he does have ok presentation, when he finds the right program. Just please don't make me watch American in Paris ever again - I'm sick of it!

Mikey Weiss - As others have said, you kind of always know what yuo're getting from Weiss. But last season he skated some of his cleanest programs ever, and right now he's like Jen Robinson - won't necessarily be on the top of the podium, but able to ensure that the US makes a decent showing.

Matt Savoie - it breaks my heart to say this, but I think he missed his time. His international scores have always reflected that judges are not impressed by his quad-less skills.

Lysacek/Jahnke/Smith/Braniger - I feel like I'm still getting to know them. I think Lysacek is the best bet for a breakout year!

guinevere
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
If Johnny can hold his own; Michael comes back to life, and Tim returns with a vengence, then which one will Evan knock out of the top three?

American men may not be the best in the world but they are highly competitive among themselves. And I'd like to add, the best in the World should not understate their possible rise to the podium.

Joe
 
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