Weir Wins!!! Awesome Men's LP

Joesitz said:

I sat next to Johnny's aunt and we were screaming for him to win. the kid is so talented but imo, he needs some special coach to keep him from going wild. I don't know if you saw his SP, but we thing he was wearing a corsage.

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I like both his costumes. I think they match the music nicely. Here's Johnny's explanation of his costume for SP:

"My short program is called "Sad Waltz" so I decided I should wear a "Sad Tuxedo." It is a plain black suit with rips and tears around the bottom of the jacket; the white undershirt is ripped and torn as well. I wanted the costume to look as if I'd been to hell and back. There is no color except for a single red rose in the lapel. It has been burnt and ripped, but is very striking against the black."

He also explains his costume for LP (at the bottom of the page):
http://www.figureskatersonline.com/johnnyweir/journal.html

I wish I could have seen this, I would so much love to see Johnny win!! Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of american skating, (no offence, just me beeing totally european influenced) but Johnny (and Evan) are different, I can't wait to see Johnny at worlds!!

For me, this was an enjoyable exhibition. Since Tim wasn't skating, and Scott was way way down after the SP, Weiss was in 4th and recovering from pneumonia, no one with a reliable or semi reliable quad was going to be doing one. The whole field relaxed as one and avoided doing their hardest stuff. Things that were normally quads became 3t's and 3S's. Triple triple combinations turned to triple double combinations. And what was left? An exhibition, which of course was nicely skated.

Here's how the off camera skaters did:

Villareal skated first, to On the Waterfront, while we were getting to our seats. I am not a fan of this music for skating.

Bruni next, to Miss Saigon. He did 3f2t, 3lz3t, 3lp, a catch side spiral, fell on a 3s, short attitude position spin that he travelled into, not very straight straightlinefootwork, attitude position turns, that movement that looks like removing a mask, 2a2t, a lousy sit spin to position with hand wiggling around that is quite fetching. Crowd quite liked it. He is a consciously arty skater.

Jordan WIlson skated to Grand Canyon Suite. This is the music that I first saw Kurt to at '88 Olympics. Jordan is a powerful skater with jumps so huge that he has control issues on the landings. He started with 3a(little scratchy)1t 3f(turnout), 3lz(turnout) big spread eagle to crescendo, 2nd spread eagle exit at crescendo, combo spin with crossfoot, MITF section (a little slow), a good 3lp, flying sit, during the section of GCS where there are horseclopping sounds he is doing attitude turns , huge 3a, Ina Bauer length of the rink nice f/w to 3t, sitspin, more f/w 3s, end with a flying sit. I would have scored this a bit higher.

Next Daniel Lee, another black suit skating to Rach Piano Concerto #2. The one positive thing was that he landed 2 jumps on music crescendoes.

Ben Miller. La Strada. Ben fell on his 3a, 3lp, 3f and has a really bad sit spin position. He has a nice Ina Bauer; he did a very, very long, nearly endless spread eagle.

Rohene Ward. Glory. I love this skater, but to watch him skate, be sure to go to the practices. He started with a great 3A which obviously thrilled him, but didn't land a single 3 after that. He had a great Ina Bauer, great layback spin, a Biellman and a layback rotated in the opposite direction and a good COE spiral, Interesting footwork. Just wish he could lay it down like he does in practice. He ended with one of those Buttle style spins.

Dennis Phan. 3 Musketeers. Dennis is no Candeloro, but he is only 18. He started with a 3 flutz, 3 axel where his landing wasn't secure, a 3f with that low landing Sasha uses, sit/sit, a spread eagle into an ina bauer, 3lp3lp a nice serpentine f/w sequence, combo spin 2nd 3f or 3lz, a camel, a really high 3t, and finished in fiery form with 2 Spread eagles, 2 russian splits a 3s, finished with a flying sit. Although juniorish, he was quite solid, and I expect to see more of him.

Nicholas LaRoche. Dragonheart/Jurassic Park. He started with a very high quality 3lz3t, very high and light, and then a 3lp and fell on a 4t. The highlight of this routine for me is his unique hydroblade move where he faces his nose to the ice and holds it and the heighth of his jumps.

Justin Dillon. Sorceror's Apprentice. But he didn't dress like Mickey Mouse! He had silver and gold stars and moons in a single stripe on each arm and leg. The effect on the arms was like girl scout badges. Started 3lz3t, circular f/w 3s, a tidy spin, 3somethingorother, headless scratch spin. People really liked this program, but it is kind of empty.

Matthew Lind skating to strictl Ballroom and Don Juan de marco
this was gangly and slow, and probably not a good choice of music for him. He did land is 3a, but double footed it, and did a sequence of 3f hop hop 3t that I think was intentional, but I am not sure. He had a nice Ina Bauer, mazurka, spread eagle moves in the field. Best part was when someone threw a rubber chicken on the ice which landed with a terrible Bonk.

Braden Overett. Skated to something called Selections from Michael W. smith. He skated in a Naval officer uniform looking costume with gloves. He had great speed. He started with a 3a2t, followed by a 3t (i think), and then a camel in good position. He did another nice spin, a 3f and a 3a with a shaky landing, followed by a 3lp, and a lunge into a spread eagle, camel/sit(good)/sit(not so good) hopover into another sit. Serpentine f/w, russian split 2a, flying sit, 3lz, 2a, stumbled on a spread eagle, to a nice scratch spin and a partial standing ovation. It was a nice skate, and he seemed happy about it.

Scott Smith. Concerto #4 for Saxophone, choreographer Mark Mitchell. He seemed kind of lifeless and slow. He did the following 3a3t, popped a 4t, 4s with a turnout on the landing, spread eagle, 2f, 3r, a moves in the field sequence, 3a with a hand down, 3t, flying sit, a change of edge spread eagle, 3s, arabians to a sit spin/scratch spin. Not bad, but not well marked.

Derrick Delmore skating to Bond, James Bond
Somehow Derrick does not convince as James Bond. He opened with a 3something, donut spin in not very good form, 3flutz, 3lp, spread eagles, a spread eagle sort of, but in ballet 4th position (neat), and he's happy with it, but I was kind of bored.

Jordan Brauniger, Patton. He has on forest green pantswith gold stripes with a purple shirt with gold things that looked like staples on it. Patton would have canned him. With the streaked
hair he looks kind of like Buttle. He started with a 3f3t, 3a, fell on a 2nd 3a, did a really ugly flying sit, a 3lp, a popped 2a, good circular f/w, a flutzy 3lz, 3t2t kind of poor technik, a not so good Russian split and a flying axle sit spin, ala Boitano. He's a sloppy skater.

Now we reach the top 6 that you saw on TV. It struck me like an exhibition since everyone laid off on their hardest stunts

First to skate was Evan Lysacheck, again to Rach #2, and coached by Frank Carroll. He fell on his first 3a, but landed everything else he tried. I liked the spread eagles with deep knee bends in them. 1/4 Standing ovation

Matt Savoie skated to Ragtime, and I don't remember any other LP he has ever skated to. Matt's skating is very smooth and nice and connected more to the audience than usual because he is coming back from injury. 1/2 Standing ovation and tons of neigh bears on the ice.

Can you say Southern stereotype?? Ryan Bradly wins the Jethro Bodine award. I will believe Nothing, nothing anyone ever says to me again about the new South and insulting southerners with stereotypes. First Bradley wears jeans and a smal square red gingham shirt, grows his hair long and greasy and parts it in the middle with an axe. Then he skates to Duelling Banjoes from Deliverance (and yes I remember it too rgirl ), Dixie, and the the Devil Went Down to Georgia. All that was missing was the Theme Song from the beverly Hillbillies. And the Audience Ate It Up, clapping , and standing. (And it was good fun, if kinda hokey. I enjoyed it too)I particularly liked that kinda hoedown position tuck single axel at the beginning of the program. I haven't seen one of those done intentionally competitively since the days of Joseph Sabovchik. He got about 1/2 standing O.

And Ryan Jahnke? Bad Music and Bad Costume, plus nice skating skills still equals one big yawn. And because of the costume horror, even the still pictures we took look lousy. Many people liked him. He got about 1/2 standing O also.

But I liked Braden Overett better than either of the Ryan's. Did he make tv?

Weiss skated as well as I have ever seen Weiss skate. He got bunnies and cheers but not the standing O of the others, perhaps skating to the battle Hymn of the Republic in Atlanta is not a good idea. His 3a3t, the 3t was two footed and his second 3a was two footed and turned out of as well, but he did not splat.

Weir, while I do not like his icicle on coke costume, he skated very smoothly, very well, and got a full standing Ovation, so he won the crowd as well as the judges. And mee too. He could use a little more speed, and a quad, but that's it.


dpp

Johnny Weir was great, I hope this will give a permanent boost his confidence.

When Johnny took the ice, I was really nervous. I haven't been that nervous over a skater since Alexei won the Olympics. What made me so nervous was that Mike had skated a good program and looked as though he was in contention for gold. Sorry Mike, I wasn't rooting for you and didn't want you to get the gold. I knew Johnny had it in him to win but would he deliver? .................and he did it!!!!Yeah for him!!! Johhny be Good!!!!

Dee

Weir Wins!!

Great performances from Johnny this year. I'm happy he's US Champion. To me, this was the biggest news of the entire competition-- yet all we see is "Michelle, Michelle, Michelle". Feels like a rerun of the Brady Bunch (Marsha, Marsha, etc.)

Johnny redeemed himself big time and is just a lovely skater. I just love his stretch and positions. With the quad, he really could be on the world podium providing he has mistake-free programs.

As far as beating Pleshenko, the only way that will happen, IMHO, is if Plenshenko falls. With the ordinal judging system in place at Worlds, no way will the judges let Weir beat Pleshenko. I believe it will be the same scenerio with Michelle. Michelle has to fall in order to be beat.

Dizzy

Skate for skate, in order for Weir to have a chance against the likes of Plushy or Sandhu, he'll have to "jazz up" the footwork. Compared to these two guys, it is very simple.

I thought he was fabulous (had never seen him before). Looking forward to seeing him again.

I can't decide which of these two pictures of Johnny Weir I like better. Please click on number 1 and then number 2 and give me your opinion:

1 2

Idle, you are so bad!!! I like #1, very, very nice pic.

Dee

I can't decide which of these two pictures of Johnny Weir I like better.

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Is it after and before he skated his program? His hair is all messed up in the first one. I think I'll go with No. 2.

Congratulations to Johnny for coming back from that disaster last year. He skated beautifully.

Congrats also to Michael Weiss for skating a clean program. I don't think he has done that in a while, has he? He also expressed himself very well in his interviews.

I'm so happy Matt made the World team.

Just to let you know, I have added all my notes on the men's final to my previous post on the subject in this thread. Just scroll up to find them.

dpp

Idle........ now that is funny.......42

Johnny looks like he could be Clay Aikens little brother.

Doris - It was great watching Johnny win but you gave a good review of the whole lineup which broght back memories of watching them.

There issome volcano activity in the US Men's ranks waiting to erupt. It's hard to believe I'm saying that, but it's true.

Joe