All in the all the article does sound like he's completely torn and most of it is just psychological - going to nationals and doing well despite the injury would be a great boost, but if he goes and skates poorly (IMO the more likely of the two outcomes given how recently injured he is) then he will struggle to shake off the poor skate before Europeans and repeat the errors.
I suspect the psychological damage from this injury will be more of a problem that tn eh physical damage for Brian. As much as it pains me to say so I think head case Brian is going to ve showing up for the rest of the season.
This should be a no brainer - skip nationals let the foot heal that little bit longer and then get to work for the Europeans with allowances in the performance there for lost training time with a view to peaking at the Olympics. That has to be the best way forward.
Very nice analysis Ant, totally agree with it. My biggest fear is the "head case" Brian for the rest of the season indeed. This roller coaster "should I or not" is a clear sign that head case Brian is emerging.. I really hope he won't compete here and get to Euros with a more positive and confident attitude. But then again if he falls apart there, that's another story. I think his ego was badly damaged from the last season (Im sure "haha how he fell flat on his face" comments all over didn't help either) and he's still trying to rebuild it.. Well, here's to hoping for the best...
I think it's too early to guess what will happen, and I don't know Brian Joubert well enough to speculate as to his emotional and mental state. What I do know is that Brian's a competitor who doesn't like to miss events, even events he
should miss. Remember how awful he looked at 2008 Euros? Or the statement when he WD from TEB a couple of years ago? It was really sad. Unfortunately, he's been forced out of several events the past couple of seasons, and it must be difficult for him to accept. So this back and forth may owe to his brain telling him one thing and his heart telling him another. Also, he feels very responsible for promoting the sport, and he already missed Nats last year.
I'm not so sure it'll be headcase Brian from here on out, for two reasons: first, the NHK win was huge. Yeah, the men ended up disappointing, but he beat a really strong field and more importantly,
he won the LP. He hadn't won an LP in ages and it was becoming a distraction for him. Second, the injury means he's focusing on rehab and his comeback and that might give him extra motivation - and less time to worry about other things. Isn't that what the L'Equipe article indicates? I think this roller coaster we're perceiving may be due to how the interviews are presented by the different journalists, rather than to Brian's own state of mind.
Finally, someone suggested that Brian, along with Laurent and DenStavs, may have made some changes to the programs and wants to get them looked at in a lower-pressure context.; they also need to sort out his jump layout (though that can't be accomplished since his repertoire is limited right now). But this might be another consideration. Brian did mention the possibility of doing a local test event in a few weeks instead.
Nationals are indeed this weekend. I hope Brian will do the right thing - whatever that may be
.
though i suppose for the take offs, toe-loops and salchows must be easier on the hurt right foot (along with the axel) than loop, flip and lutz. But he still has to land on the right foot which must be painful.
