2017-18 State of U.S. Men's Figure Skating

[mrrice]

Tom Dickson did Alex's SP choreo.

Well, no matter who it was, it is a brilliant SP and they should be proud of their work. Bravo to Alex for bringing that program to life. I loved it.

 

[Mrs. P]

Tom Dickson did Alex's SP choreo.

That's right. Thanks for the info.

ETA: Okay, it looks like that Alex changed his FS from a Rohene program:
“Mea Culpa” and “Sadeness” by Enigma (per his website)

to another Tom Dickson program:
Aranjuez performed by Jorge Muniz, Jose Luis Duval (per ISU bio)

 

[el henry]

The US junior men are tearing it up this year so far. Alex K., Camden, my boy Andrew T. and Tomoki have all medaled on the junior GP, and Alex and Camden have won

What I am loving about the US boys is that they all have such different styles, Alex, powerful and emotional, Camden, smooth as silk, Andrew capturing the audience, and Tomoki working the heck out of Rohene's programs. That could be said about the men's JGP in general this year: great variety, not the usual suspects with the usual jumpfests.

You go, guys

 

[TontoK]

That's right. Thanks for the info.

ETA: Okay, it looks like that Alex changed his FS from a Rohene program:
“Mea Culpa” and “Sadeness” by Enigma (per his website)

to another Tom Dickson program:
Aranjuez performed by Jorge Muniz, Jose Luis Duval (per ISU bio)

I'm not sure that I every noticed what a really nice basic camel position Alex has, both front and back.

Of course, you have to enjoy it very quickly before he has to go into the CoP contortions to gain levels, but it's beautiful for those couple of rotations we get to enjoy.

 

[mrrice]

Congratulations to Alexei....He just won the GP Event in Croatia......Our Juniors are really bringing it this year. Bravo!!!!!!!

 

[Shandy]

What I am loving about the US boys is that they all have such different styles, Alex, powerful and emotional, Camden, smooth as silk, Andrew capturing the audience, and Tomoki working the heck out of Rohene's programs.

Camden is one of probably 3 skaters who can actually make me appreciate Coldplay. What a slick, beautiful skater. And Alexei is so strong! I can't wait to see how he develops, and I hope he sticks around skating for the US for a long time.

 

[sheetz]

Alexei is still rough around the edges but he seems to be a really good competitor. It's not easy to skate after seeing the other guys do so well, and lots of other skaters have crumbled under similar circumstances.

 

[mrrice]

Alexei is still rough around the edges but he seems to be a really good competitor. It's not easy to skate after seeing the other guys do so well, and lots of other skaters have crumbled under similar circumstances.

IMO, this is Alexei's greatest quality. Joseph was spectacular and from what I understand Alexei watched his performance and it seemed to motivate him to stay on his feet. I hope he get's better programs as he moves up into Seniors because he really could be the future for the US Men.

 

[beki]

I never panic about Jason anymore. He's got a great work ethic and he does well under pressure. If the other guys are so good he can't catch up, we're in for a treat.

 

[mrrice]

I never panic about Jason anymore. He's got a great work ethic and he does well under pressure. If the other guys are so good he can't catch up, we're in for a treat.

I agree, in order to beat Jason you have to skate clean and out jump him by some distance. Otherwise his component number will take you down. That's why Joshua Farris was so successful against Jason when they were Juniors. If Jason has a reliable quad combo, than he will certainly be near the top. Unfortunately, I can't see him beating Nathan, Vincent, or Max if the skate cleanly. After seeing him recently, I really wish Alexander Johnson had a quad because his is a wonderful performer with beautiful style....

 

[karne]

I never panic about Jason anymore. He's got a great work ethic and he does well under pressure. If the other guys are so good he can't catch up, we're in for a treat.

If I had to choose a current US man to skate for my life, it would be Jason. He'd deliver. I know he would. I don't think I've ever panicked about him.

That's why Joshua Farris was so successful against Jason when they were Juniors.

mrrice, you do realise that Jason was the Junior National Champion in 2010 and not Joshua, right?

 

[Mrs. P]

I agree, in order to beat Jason you have to skate clean and out jump him by some distance. Otherwise his component number will take you down. That's why Joshua Farris was so successful against Jason when they were Juniors. If Jason has a reliable quad combo, than he will certainly be near the top. Unfortunately, I can't see him beating Nathan, Vincent, or Max if the skate cleanly. After seeing him recently, I really wish Alexander Johnson had a quad because his is a wonderful performer with beautiful style....

If I had to choose a current US man to skate for my life, it would be Jason. He'd deliver. I know he would. I don't think I've ever panicked about him.



mrrice, you do realise that Jason was the Junior National Champion in 2010 and not Joshua, right?

FWIW: Head to heads prior to being senior internationally:
U.S. Intermediate 2008 - Josh (1st; Jason 2nd)
Midwestern Sectionals 2009 - Josh (1st; Jason 2nd)
U.S. Novice 2009 - Josh (1st; Jason 3rd)
Midwestern Sectionals 2009 - Jason (1st; Josh 3rd)
U.S. Junior 2010 - Jason (1st; Josh 2nd)
U.S. Nationals '11 - Jason (9th; Josh 21th )
JGPF
JGPF 2011-2012 - Jason (1st; Josh 3rd)
U.S. Nationals '12 - Jason (8th; Josh 16th)
Junior Worlds '12 - Josh (2nd; Jason 3rd)
JGPF 2012-2011 - Josh (2nd; Jason 4th)
U.S. Nationals '13 Josh (4th; Jason 8th)
Junior Worlds '13 Josh (1st; Jason 2nd)
Overall face off 7-5, Josh.

As seniors
U.S. Nationals '14 - Jason (2nd; Josh 4th)
U.S. Nationals '15 - Jason (1st; Josh 3rd)
4CC '15 - Josh (2nd; Jason 6th)
Worlds '15 - Jason (4th; Josh 11th)
Overall: 3-1, Jason

Overall in national/international competition -- 7-7 TIED.
All competitions 8-8 TIED.

Oh geez...Josh needs to come back just to break the tie. I do miss this rivalry.

ETA: If you add a couple Midwestern sectionals, it's still tied, LOL.

 

[mrrice]

FWIW: Head to heads prior to being senior internationally:
U.S. Intermediate 2008 - Josh (1st; Jason 2nd)
U.S. Novice 2009 - Josh (1st; Jason 3rd)
U.S. Junior 2009 - Jason (1st; Josh 2nd)
U.S. Nationals '11 - Jason (9th; Josh 21th )
JGPF
JGPF 2011-2012 - Jason (1st; Josh 3rd)
U.S. Nationals '12 - Jason (8th; Josh 16th)
Junior Worlds '12 - Josh (2nd; Jason 3rd)
JGPF 2012-2011 - Josh (2nd; Jason 4th)
U.S. Nationals '13 Josh (4th; Jason 8th)
Junior Worlds '13 Josh (1st; Jason 2nd)
Overall face off 6-4, Josh.

As seniors
U.S. Nationals '14 - Jason (2nd; Josh 4th)
U.S. Nationals '15 - Jason (1st; Josh 3rd)
4CC '15 - Josh (2nd; Jason 6th)
Worlds '15 - Jason (4th; Josh 11th)
Overall: 3-1, Jason

Overall -- 7-7 TIED.

Oh geez...Josh needs to come back just to break the tie. I do miss this rivalry.

Oh the DRAMA........This is why I love skating so much.....Thank you for printing that out for me to see with my own eyes. Sometimes I get tunnel vision and only see what I want to see.

 

[mrrice]

If I had to choose a current US man to skate for my life, it would be Jason. He'd deliver. I know he would. I don't think I've ever panicked about him.



mrrice, you do realise that Jason was the Junior National Champion in 2010 and not Joshua, right?

Yes I do.....Look, I have problems seeing the whole picture when it comes to the skaters I like. I was the same with Maria B. I know she lost Michelle 30 out of the 31 times they skated but, she's still my favorite to this day. Trust me, I will be screaming for every skater that takes the ice in San Jose.

 

[beki]

And because I can't resist beating a dead horse—people write Jason off every year. One striking takeaway I had from attending Helsinki Worlds was that he is extremely well-regarded and loved internationally. Massimiliano Ambesi just had very positive comments about him in his recent podcast. Sometimes I feel the yearly career obituaries would be met with some bemusement from these outside observers. Of course, it's okay for us to have different favorites, and San Jose will tell the tale.

 

[beki]

Has Ross getting the SA host pick been discussed? What do you think? Thumbs up or down?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Has Ross getting the SA host pick been discussed? What do you think? Thumbs up or down?

Yes, I'm pretty sure it has. I'm okay with it but would rather it had gone to Alexander Johnson. hwell:

 

[Mrs. P]

And because I can't resist beating a dead horse—people write Jason off every year. One striking takeaway I had from attending Helsinki Worlds was that he is extremely well-regarded and loved internationally. Massimiliano Ambesi just had very positive comments about him in his recent podcast. Sometimes I feel the yearly career obituaries would be met with some bemusement from these outside observers. Of course, it's okay for us to have different favorites, and San Jose will tell the tale.

I actually think it's a horse that isn't beaten enough. LOL (I'm bad at jokes!) What matters is he doesn't count himself out for one of those Olympic spots. And he obviously doesn't.

FWIW, with Vincent and Adam still to compete, Jason has the third highest overall score, short program score and the second highest free skate. And he's No.1 in PCS in both segments.

Right now the Achilles heel is the SP tech content. He did not do so well at Lombardia and is actually ranked 7th in TES in the SP among all the US men. He's ranked top 3 in everything else.

The debate of course, is whether you think he deserves the PCS scores (in spite of his tech mistakes) that keep him in the mix. I think some people would argue the PCS scores at Lombardia were inflated. I think people still associate TES=PCS forgetting that Jason can achieve good PCS scores without having the TES inflation.

Congrats to Alexei for making his second JGPF! I really think he's a dark horse for a 4CC spot!

 

[mrrice]

Has Shotari Omori competed yet? I feel like I haven't seen him in a while. He's another skater I used to see with Joshua and Jason when they were Juniors. This is the year they swept the Podium at Junior Worlds....http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2013/02/28/jqSA6pPj.jpg

Does anyone else think those medals are a little small for winning a world title...:disapp:

 

[musicfan80]

Oh geez...Josh needs to come back just to break the tie. I do miss this rivalry.

I'm holding on to some (probably) some small hope that Josh is able to skate at Midwesterns. I realize the high probability that this is a delusion.

Has Ross getting the SA host pick been discussed? What do you think? Thumbs up or down?

Overall, thumbs up. Ross needs to learn how to do a great LP. His SPs at U.S. Nationals have historically been great and scored pretty well.

Has Shotari Omori competed yet? I feel like I haven't seen him in a while. He's another skater I used to see with Joshua and Jason when they were Juniors. This is the year they swept the Podium at Junior Worlds....http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2013/02/28/jqSA6pPj.jpg

Does anyone else think those medals are a little small for winning a world title...:disapp:

This may be a tacky opinion, but I think that the global medals for figure skating are too small compared to other Olympic sports.

Medals at the 2017 World Athletics Championships
Medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships