Jeremy Abbott Interview

[Violet Bliss]

http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2011jeremyabbott

This is timely as he's getting much interest as a renewed skater this season.

 

[EricRohmer]

http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2011jeremyabbott

This is timely as he's getting much interest as a renewed skater this season.

Love this interview.
I really hope Jeremy has memorable moments at Sochi.

 

[brightphoton]

Oh my goodness, has Jeremy Abbott always been this thin? I've seen 12 year old girls who have thicker arms than he has.

http://www.absoluteskating.com/interviews/2011abbott/IMG_8437.jpg
http://www.absoluteskating.com/interviews/2011abbott/IMG_8465.jpg

And his legs. Jeremy needs to eat more ...

http://www.absoluteskating.com/interviews/2011abbott/IMG_8227.jpg

 

[Violet Bliss]

I noticed his thin arms too and thought he needs more strength training, like many skaters do. Not that he's skinny but those arms are not athletic.

I don't remember noticing thin arms when he skated his SP in a tank top last year or even in the most recent gala when he skated with a sheer cover over a tank top. Maybe it's the angle of these photos.

Also, Jeremy doesn't have stamina problems like some skaters do. OK, I change my mind. It's his mind that needs strength training.

 

[Bluebonnet]

Thanks, SF, for the link!

So US world team selection procedure has been in place all these years just like what we've talked and hoped for in many threads last season and between the season. But USFSA just didn't want to give Abbott the chance to go to the last World. They wanted to give it to the new comer Ross Miner. It was like a warning sign to Abbott. Then it costed their third spot. Of course, people will tell me that they don't care about that third spot. Whatever.

Oh, he works with sport psychologist now. Good for him!

 

[skateluvr]

Here's my podium wish for the elegant Jeremy Abbott

 

[Violet Bliss]

I love the confidence Jeremy shows in this interview.

I feel confident for him to win the US Nationals and go on to Worlds. He is Worlds podium worthy if he can bring his best and not succumb to nerves. It helps that he loves and is so proud of his new LP.

Jason Dungjen talks about Jeremy in his interview.

http://www.artonice.it/?q=en/node/11316

 

[chuckm]

Love, love, love Jeremy Abbott. He is one of the most expressive, artistic skaters in the world. He brings something to the ice that Patrick Chan can't. The only other current skater who's as good as Jeremy in that area is Daisuke Takahashi.

 

[Mathman]

So US world team selection procedure has been in place all these years just like what we've talked and hoped for in many threads last season and between the season. But USFSA just didn't want to give Abbott the chance to go to the last World. They wanted to give it to the new comer Ross Miner. It was like a warning sign to Abbott. Then it costed their third spot. Of course, people will tell me that they don't care about that third spot. Whatever.

Here is the wording from the newest version of the official USFSA rule book.

The U.S. World Team shall be selected from those athletes who are ISU senior age eligible and shall include the current U.S. champion in each discipline. The remaining selections shall be based upon the results of the two most recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the most recent World Championship, the most recent Four Continents Championship and all other international events; however, the International Committee may consider extenuating circumstances. Exceptions to the age-eligibility rules which are granted by the ISU will always be allowed.

It seems like every time they tweak the rules, the wording slides farther and farther away from the tradition of, "first, second and third at U.S. nationals go to Worlds, period." I don't know if that reflects a shift in thinking within the USFSA or not.

There are the rules, and then there are the rules behind the rules. There are the rules that they announce publicly, and then there are the real rules that they keep to themselves. There are rules about when you can break the rules, and rules about when you can't.

In any case, someone who has skated as long as Jeremy has should know the traditions for selecting the world team, and should not be surprised when the USFSA does, for better or for worse, as it always has.

 

[skateluvr]

Even Plushenko, who looks perfect for his height, said he wanted to be a thinner skater. Fans should decry this anorexic trend of many years now and state we want to see healthy looking athletes and that muscles and fullness are good. (Tonya, Midori, Yuka, Kat It is bad enough that breasts on a short woman or tall mess up the triples but the skinny , skinny Alissa needs to eat as does her elegant counterpart Jeremy. Yuka Sato was never thin. What is going on here? It did not hurt her skating image or the skating itself. Enough is enough! I remember Yuna wanted to eat after her gold medal. " delicious food" was what was on her pretty mind. Please stop starving these skaters, coaches!

 

[Mrs. P]

So US world team selection procedure has been in place all these years just like what we've talked and hoped for in many threads last season and between the season. But USFSA just didn't want to give Abbott the chance to go to the last World. They wanted to give it to the new comer Ross Miner. It was like a warning sign to Abbott. Then it costed their third spot. Of course, people will tell me that they don't care about that third spot. Whatever.

There's no guarantee that Jeremy and Adam (who was also expected to go to Worlds) would have kept the third spot either. They barely did it in 2010 (5th and 6th, respectively) and there were chatter leading up to Nationals that the pair could easily lost the third spot based on how the other skaters were doing.

As I said in past posts on the topic, I feel Jeremy did not show much of a case, even with two medals in the GP, of being sent over the other Nationals medalists. He left a TON of points on the table in his LP. You can tell the judges wanted to send Jeremy -- they gave him the highest PCS by several points. 67 TES (and that score was with Nationals inflation) does not cut it. For perspective, if he turned in that same performance at Worlds with the same score, he would have ranked bottom half of the LP.

Anyway, now that I said my piece, I'm hoping Jeremy will have a comeback and show what he's truly capable of.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

There's no guarantee that Jeremy and Adam (who was also expected to go to Worlds) would have kept the third spot either. They barely did it in 2010 (5th and 6th, respectively) and there were chatter leading up to Nationals that the pair could easily lost the third spot based on how the other skaters were doing.

As I said in past posts on the topic, I feel Jeremy did not show much of a case, even with two medals in the GP, of being sent over the other Nationals medalists. He left a TON of points on the table in his LP. You can tell the judges wanted to send Jeremy -- they gave him the highest PCS by several points. 67 TES (and that score was with Nationals inflation) does not cut it. For perspective, if he turned in that same performance at Worlds with the same score, he would have ranked bottom half of the LP.

Anyway, now that I said my piece, I'm hoping Jeremy will have a comeback and show what he's truly capable of.

Yep. This is about it. The level of men's skating was such that it was unlikely for any two American men to keep that third spot. I'm not convinced that the judges wanted to give it to Jeremy (Mrs. P, you can make the argument that he received no National inflation, certainly not compared to Bradley), though.

I love his SP this season, am rather nonplussed by his long. Wouldn't mind seeing him on the podium, though.

 

[Violet Bliss]

This is a new and different Jeremy Abbott from last season though, just as we have a new Daisuke Takahashi this season. So far.

I've expected Jeremy to finish much better in competitons and I continue to believe he will. There are two main reasons for my belief, external factor - the boot problems resolved - and internal, as he appears much calmer this season as he begins his programs. He is focused rather than looking terrified. It doesn't matter if this calmness comes from the coaching and training environment or his new confidence, especially with the LP that he's so involved in and enjoys skating to. Probably both contributed to his new state of mind. Jeremy has had the skills and artistry but tends to bomb at major international events. This may be his break through year to conquer his nerves and show what he is capable of on the big stage. Better late than never.

I wish him the best.

 

[Mrs. P]

Yep. This is about it. The level of men's skating was such that it was unlikely for any two American men to keep that third spot. I'm not convinced that the judges wanted to give it to Jeremy (Mrs. P, you can make the argument that he received no National inflation, certainly not compared to Bradley), though.

I love his SP this season, am rather nonplussed by his long. Wouldn't mind seeing him on the podium, though.

Yes, IP. I recall that people did argue that Jeremy did not give him the Nationals inflation. (I remember one poster comparing international scores with their national scores.) But Bradley did score 12 points higher in TES than Jeremy. Even if you took into account the PCS he had in Worlds (which people argued is more accurate), he still would have scored above Jeremy in the LP. And also worth mentioning that Jeremy's PCS at Nationals was higher than both his GP events. So I'd conclude that, yes IP, Jeremy got some Nationals inflation, just not as much as Bradley.

This is a new and different Jeremy Abbott from last season though, just as we have a new Daisuke Takahashi this season. So far.

I've expected Jeremy to finish much better in competitons and I continue to believe he will. There are two main reasons for my belief, external factor - the boot problems resolved - and internal, as he appears much calmer this season as he begins his programs. He is focused rather than looking terrified. It doesn't matter if this calmness comes from the coaching and training environment or his new confidence, especially with the LP that he's so involved in and enjoys skating to. Probably both contributed to his new state of mind. Jeremy has had the skills and artistry but tends to bomb at major international events. This may be his break through year to conquer his nerves and show what he is capable of on the big stage. Better late than never.

I wish him the best.

I do too. I am a fan, actually. I think Jeremy is a great skater and can do amazing things when he's on. He seems more "on" this season, so I'm more confident in his chances this season.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Yes, IP. I recall that people did argue that Jeremy did not give him the Nationals inflation. (I remember one poster comparing international scores with their national scores.) But Bradley did score 12 points higher in TES than Jeremy. Even if you took into account the PCS he had in Worlds (which people argued is more accurate), he still would have scored above Jeremy in the LP. And also worth mentioning that Jeremy's PCS at Nationals was higher than both his GP events. So I'd conclude that, yes IP, Jeremy got some Nationals inflation, just not as much as Bradley.

Right, but even then you could argue that Bradley got lucky with the tech caller (neither of his quads were deemed ur'ed), etc etc. But I'm leading us out into the woods known as "Off topic"

 

[Bluebonnet]

Even Plushenko, who looks perfect for his height, said he wanted to be a thinner skater. Fans should decry this anorexic trend of many years now and state we want to see healthy looking athletes and that muscles and fullness are good. (Tonya, Midori, Yuka, Kat It is bad enough that breasts on a short woman or tall mess up the triples but the skinny , skinny Alissa needs to eat as does her elegant counterpart Jeremy. Yuka Sato was never thin. What is going on here? It did not hurt her skating image or the skating itself. Enough is enough! I remember Yuna wanted to eat after her gold medal. " delicious food" was what was on her pretty mind. Please stop starving these skaters, coaches!

Alissa is perfect, not skinny. Just because the population are full of over-weighted doesn't mean that the skaters should be heavier. I think most of them are just fine. Unless some skaters really have the disease, control eating is necessary. Control eating is necessary for anyone for their own health.

 

[chuckm]

Plushenko has been known to pack on the pounds when he's not into heavy training. I've seen him skate when heavier, and he's right---he struggles with jumps when he's not at his optimum weight. Plushenko looked great at Russian Nationals---slim but not skinny.

I don't think it's necessary for skaters to starve themselves to be stick thin. They need to be fit so that they have the stamina to get through a free skate without showing fatigue. When a skater gets too thin, stamina suffers just as it does when he/she is carrying a few extra pounds.

I recall some years back when Yagudin overdid his training diet and got too thin. His first performance at that weight was a disaster, as he didn't have the energy to make it through his FS without staggering towards the end. He learned his lesson and was back to a normal condition after that.

 

[Violet Bliss]

From Jackie Wong:

U.S. Nationals teaser: Abbott attempts the unconventional

 

[Violet Bliss]

Jeremy Abbott quietly aims for Chan

And this week ,he intends to try a quad-triple jump combination in the free skate at the U.S., nationals, replacing an easier triple flip-triple toe loop.

Once he accomplishes that, he plans to add the quad-triple to the short program at the Four Continents Championship in a couple of weeks in his hometown of Colorado Springs. It’s a risky move, but with others in the world doing it, like Chan, Abbott needs to go for the gusto.

I think Jeremy has a good chance of medaling at Worlds. He's one of the best in the world but for his inconsistency and tendency to crash at the biggest international events. But he's calmer and settled this year and I hope he will finally shine on the world stage.

eta This article just confirms my impression of the new Jeremy Abbott, with attitude. :thumbsup:

Abbott no longer cares what the critics think

 

[Bluebonnet]

That is a new Abbott whom we've never seen. I'll be very curious to see. I'd say he is gambling. No time to waste. Either he gamble it or no chance at all. I certainly wish he'd be lucky to win his bet.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that he'll win Nationals this time. Being left out from world team last year has made him hungry enough. He'll do everything he could to win it back in order to dust the humiliation off. But 4T-3T? And in SP at 4CC? That's a shockingly aggressive plan in such a lightyear speed. Has Abbott stolen Chan's secret quad jumping technic, and somehow clicked with him right away? Abbott's 4T has never been more than 30% success. Well, some skaters would have better success with a combo, like Lysacek. So I'm not certain one way or another. His quad might be more secured with a combo. We'll see.