Johnny Weir announces return; eyes on Sochi
- Thread starter Jtsmith12
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- Aug 27, 2003
YAY! This was on my wish list for 2012--now it's happening! I'm excited. Who knows--maybe with his personal life now going so well, Johnny will be able to really focus on his training and get back to a peak level. And even if he doesn't land quads or win medals in his comeback, I will simply enjoy watching him skate. There is no one quite like him on the ice.
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- Mar 14, 2006
^^ The USFSA would be foolish not to give this their blessing. He has fans and attracts PR. They can't afford to look down on him even if they wanted to - and why would they? It's not like they have a boatload of bigger stars.
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- Aug 18, 2010
I'm just wondering what will Johnny get this time round besides publicity? He was fed up with the "politics" in skating. He said he wasn't treated and rewarded fairly.
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- Sep 27, 2005
I saw this on AFP today and was soo excited. I wish him the best of luck 
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- Mar 14, 2006
Publicity = fans = money. He doesn't have to win anything to have a successful comeback.
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- Aug 18, 2010
Publicity = fans
Publicity = fans ≠ money in competitive skating.
Unless Johnny wants to use this publicity and high profile in competitive skating for anything other than competitive skating, which I think that's where his heart is. If that's what he wants, I actually think he could succeed. He'll do talking about his skating much more than his actual skating. And there are always people who will buy it.
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- Mar 14, 2006
That's what I meant. His fame depends on his being a skater, so he needs to skate. And skating needs a big name like Johnny. While I would love to see him get back in form and make it to the Olympics, it seems unlikely - but he can still prolong his fame and bring fans to the competitions he's in.
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- Jun 27, 2003
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and Evan Lysacek was going to skate this season. In otherwords, I'll believe it when I see it. Right now it's just talk. Why make the announcement now? Keeps his name in the paper, the wedding announcement didn't get enough attention.
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- Aug 27, 2003
I think his chances of making the Olympic team are not bad IF we have three slots for Sochi. If there are only two--that would make it much harder.
But, consider the competition:
Lysacek: Who knows if he'll come back? If he does, he'll be in good shape, I'm sure; but a question mark
Abbott: So brilliant, but so unpredictable; there's no guarantee he'll even make Worlds this year, much less the Olympics
Miner: Solid and steadily improving; at this point, if I had to bet on anyone making Sochi, it might be him
Dornbush: Not really seeing improvement this season; hard to predict what the future holds; quad not solid
Mahbanoozadeh: Love him, but results aren't there yet; has a ways to go to make Worlds, let alone Sochi
Of course some other new guys may come up in the meantime, but I think Johnny has a good shot against this group--that is, assuming he comes back strongly.
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- Aug 18, 2010
Why is quad jump so hard for top American men?
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- Aug 27, 2003
Article here too: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20563245,00.html
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- Aug 26, 2010
I hope Stéphane Lambiel as well will return to the Olympics with a clean performance, no quads nor 3As necessary, just beautiful skating. And I hope that those veterans (including Johnny) planning for a return will not push themselves too much and get injured. Look at Emanuel Sandhu, who had a master plan but soon ended up with another broken dream due to a foot injury as well as lack of preparation time or full commitment (so typical of him 
). Though I'm not a fan of Plushenko's skating, I deeply admire his will and strength to go through the tough training process at that mature age.
). Though I'm not a fan of Plushenko's skating, I deeply admire his will and strength to go through the tough training process at that mature age.Actually, it's more realistic that someone like Lambiel comes back because he's from a federation that lacks depth in competitors. He's the greatest male skater to come out of Switzerland, or at least the greatest since World War II, so I imagine there is at least the possibility of a place for him on a Swiss Olympic team. Selfishly, I'd love to see him return to competition, though I think he's one skater who's doing really well as a pro, because he's so popular in both Europe and Asia. (And it couldn't happen to a better skater!)
Like you, bc, I deeply admire Plushenko for his dedication and perseverance. He doesn't just show up in the media or strut around soaking up the spotlight. He does all the grinding training again and again, day after day. If he's at Sochi, I may not root for him to win (go, Daisuke!), but I will cheer for him, and if he does by some miracle win, I will cheer even more loudly.
Like you, bc, I deeply admire Plushenko for his dedication and perseverance. He doesn't just show up in the media or strut around soaking up the spotlight. He does all the grinding training again and again, day after day. If he's at Sochi, I may not root for him to win (go, Daisuke!), but I will cheer for him, and if he does by some miracle win, I will cheer even more loudly.
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I'll be interested to see what Johnny brings. I really hope he's got some of the antics out of his system, feels happy and supported, and will train like the dickens. Wonder if we'll see coaching changes - seems like he'll need specific help getting his jumps back and working well and some help with conditioning - making sure maximizing his training time
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