Jason Brown | Page 1036 | Golden Skate

Jason Brown

Mostly, Jason has been articulate in interviews recently. And his commentary has been thoughtful and cogent. He had no prep before doing commentary with Ted and Mark and he did pretty well. He knew the Team USA skaters, so he could talk more about them. But just observing and saying positive things, was the job at that point.

Being interviewed by Gracie would be problematic anyway, because those two go way back and silliness was a big part of that. They were kids. And when they get together, to some extent, they are still kids to each other. I don't recall that interview. Probably I never actually heard it or saw it. I know that Gracie has said that he was supportive when she was starting to break down and things got bad. This could never be an objective interview between the two of them. I'm sure that when Gracie needed him for support, he was very serious. Now they just enjoy laughing together and remembering how things used to be and being glad that they aren't there anymore. So I wouldn't judge them for that interview. Jason will always be ebullient, but he's pretty mature in interviews now, I think. Just not necessarily with Gracie.


Gracie interviewed Jason at a break in the Summer Sizzler. He dissolved into giggles at some questions, and it was annoying, even for those of us accustomed to Jason's ebullience.

I agree that it was a "one off" because he and Gracie are such old friends, and were BFFs back in her competitive days. His interviews recently have been thoughtful and open, as he is so much more comfortable with himself and what he brings to the sport.
 
Jason assisted Ted Barton and Mark Hanretty with commentary at the JGP Varese, and a ten minute interview with Jason starts at about 1:41 (his commentary starts afterward).

One of the best parts for me was Mark and Ted gushing over Jason, and telling him just how disproportionately junior skaters mention him as an influence:love:. and Jason talking about Rohene took lessons learned from a disappointing competitive career (not due to lack of talent, as Mark,Ted and Jason gushed over Ro's skating skills) for teaching the next generation.



Nicholas Brooks posted his reaction to Jason picking him as a must watch moment:

And thank you @markhanretty @ted.barton.75 and @jasonbskates for the feedback and commentary; and especially to Jason for the special shout out. I am so incredibly honored and humbled for that. I think it may be my new “most memorable skating moment.”


I can't take credit for finding his post. I saw it on another site and thought people here would appreciate it.
 
I will post the link to the interview with Gracie. Jason did seem silly and pretty amped up, but his responses were appropriate and fit the questions. He and Gracie do look very comfortable together:

 
I will post the link to the interview with Gracie. Jason did seem silly and pretty amped up, but his responses were appropriate and fit the questions. He and Gracie do look very comfortable together:

I actually went and looked for that interview, feeling that after expressing my two cents, I should watch it. Jason was holding back laughter even before Gracie asked the first question. They were already at it before the video recording started. So he didn't have a chance. She was holding back her laughs the whole time. His answers were appropriate, but he was cracking up because she was interviewing him, period. Her questions were good, his answers were good, but he was trying not to crack up throughout the whole experience. Those two just do crack each other up. But she was trying to do a serious job and he was trying to let her do it, but it was clearly slightly absurd in both their views to be doing that interview. For all we know, they might have done fake interviews with each other when they were goofing around at the rink when they were 18. I've seen promo shoots that they've done in the long past during an Olympic lead up. They looked a lot like this. I didn't find it embarrassing at all. I thought it was funny! But it doesn't play to a wider audience. But I don't think they assumed that they had a wider audience. I think they knew it was just going to be watched by their fans. Or maybe nobody! I'm still laughing!
 
All that being true - friends and all - I still say if he's being interviewed and someone is taping it he should calm down a bit. Again, just my opinion but it really bothers me to see him acting like a child when he has so much to offer. Same goes for Gracie.
 
All that being true - friends and all - I still say if he's being interviewed and someone is taping it he should calm down a bit. Again, just my opinion but it really bothers me to see him acting like a child when he has so much to offer. Same goes for Gracie.
I get it. I do! I just think this interview needs to be taken in context with time, place and interviewer. The post World's interview with Nick McCarvel this year is a good example of Jason's ebullience showing, but not intrusive. This interview with Gracie was just different.
 
I can see it now. Jason has never been to Georgia, so why not go there for a challenger? Unless he went there as a junior? Anyway, why not go to Georgia? It's almost under the radar, except that it won't be. I am bemused by this, but why not? I figured he was looking for something under the radar to try out his programs, and this is brilliant!
 
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I wonder if he is doing those competitions so close together (4 days from the end of one to the start of another) to do a simulation of a schedule he would need to do if he made the Olympic team and needs to do the Olympic team event followed by the individual event a couple days later.

He also probably need to travel from Khazakhstan to Georgia, instead of returning back to Toronto.
 
Highest score/average score (not sure, also not sure it matters here) is a factor in the Olympic selection process. So it is very likely/possible Jason needs to do at least one in order to not have a goose egg in that category.


As for back to back, some of old timers might remember back in the pony days doing events back to back was an intentional choice... as it is great training for the team event for the Olympics.

EDIT. first line should include "Challenger Event" as a criteria. Sorry about that.
 
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Denis Ten Memorial confirmed.

Jason's GPs are back to back so he may do 2 CCs back to back as a trial run to gauge energy / recovery time.

Isn't he mimicking Borat, who's supposed to be from Kazakhstan (but the depiction in the movie has nothing to do with the real country, who didn't appreciate!)? Sorry, I don't find the right GIF...
 
Jason doing promos on local St. Lous stations for US Nats:

Five minute interview, not a lot new, but the interviewer asks engaging questions:



on ice coaching shots with a quick talking head spot:

Thanks for sharing - really enjoyed the first interview - great interviewer and interviewee! [I wasn't able to access the second interview unfortunately.]
 
Another interview with a St. Louis station. This is a longer one, 25 minutes, completed at the Summer Sizzler and posted in August, but I don't think it's been posted here yet. Jason is again open about his journey from "rock bottom" but also talks more about what his SP means to him about finding his voice and speaking up more, both with his coaches and his fed.

I apologize I could not find on YouTube, but only as a link on the station's website



ETA: the interview appears to be syndicated, not specific to St, Louis, and posted on several different local stations, but not where it can be embedded.
 
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That is one of the best interviews with Jason that I've ever seen. It's a distillation of Jason's career from Jason's point of view and it's interesting. It's not new ground, but it's very personal. It's nice that they gave him an outlet to express all of that. What is the longest career a singles skater has ever had, without a break and a comeback? Yes, he didn't do GPs for two seasons, but he did Nats and/or he did World's, so there really was no break. But this interview touched on all of it, longevity, the quad quest, the struggle to find his place long term and how he succeeded at that. But he makes it clear in this and other interviews that he's focusing in making the Olympic team in '26 and the future remains to be seen beyond that.
 
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