Jason Brown`s future

[noskates]

Well, I've said it before and will say it again. At some point this quad-centric competition needs to level out. It's wonderful so many athletic men are landing multiple quads but sadly they suffer in the presentation mark because it's all about the jumps. I would like to see it be more balanced. Why not just have a jumping contest and forget music and costumes. Then have another competition where skating skills and grace and edging, etc. is important. Personally I'm pretty tired of all the quads. I guess I'm starting to sound like Dick Button but I miss the old days when programs were more balanced.

Look at the many programs that have been ruined because the skater falls on a quad.....

 

[moriel]

Looking Worlds scores (2014-2015), he needs to close a 20 points gap to have a solid chance to medal at Worlds. I guess 2 quad jumps would do, + some PCs (also maybe those just increase as the TES goes up, that happens). Also top guys will be probably scoring less because the deductions are higher now - but this will hit Jason too.

 

[mrrice]

TontoK said!!!

Straight up: I prefer Josh and Max among American skaters. That is NOT to say that I don't like Jason. I do very much.

OOOOHHHH TontoK...................How could you!!! Now I'll be singing Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" for the rest of day.

 

[el henry]

Well, I've said it before and will say it again. At some point this quad-centric competition needs to level out. It's wonderful so many athletic men are landing multiple quads but sadly they suffer in the presentation mark because it's all about the jumps. I would like to see it be more balanced. Why not just have a jumping contest and forget music and costumes. Then have another competition where skating skills and grace and edging, etc. is important. Personally I'm pretty tired of all the quads. I guess I'm starting to sound like Dick Button but I miss the old days when programs were more balanced.

Look at the many programs that have been ruined because the skater falls on a quad.....

:agree:
It doesn't matter how many quads a skater "has"; it's how many they can *land*.
I'd rather watch entertaining, outgoing, and artistic Jason without quads over any number of series of determined joyless quads. Let alone quad attempts.

 

[TontoK]

TontoK said!!!

Straight up: I prefer Josh and Max among American skaters. That is NOT to say that I don't like Jason. I do very much.

OOOOHHHH TontoK...................How could you!!! Now I'll be singing Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" for the rest of day.

LOL. My age is showing.

Straight up now tell me
Do you really want to love me forever oh oh oh
Or am I caught in a hit and run
Straight up now tell me
Is it gonna be you and me together oh oh oh
Or are you just having fun?

 

[StitchMonkey]

I think Jason is actually looking better this season than he was at this point last season. Last year he fell on two 3A (one with a UR and a +combo deduction) attempts at SA and no quad attempt and only one solo 3A gaining positive GOE. This year he had one fall on UR 4T (an improvement over his prior attempts) but had two 3As with positive GOE, one being a combo, and the third getting a DG but not a fall and a very hard and new entrance. Other than that he messed up his combos. The combo mistakes don't actually worry me, they were just stupid brain farts. He made similar mistakes at Rostelecom last year when he was dealing with a loved ones death. I think when his mind is on other stuff he forgets to focus on the jumps he can do in his sleep - this can be a pretty normal thing to do - you get used to that being when you can think about other stuff and forget to think about what you are doing. But he learned from them at Rostelecom and I suspect he will this year as well.

So basically his 3A and quad is better at this SA then it was at last years SA and he got his stupid combo errors out of the way at his first GP even rather than his second (like last year). Kori's pacing for him last year got him to being 1st alternate to the GP, US Champion and 4th in the world. So it seems to me that they are right on track to again have a great season. Look at how much he improved from Nepela to now? I expect similar level of improvement at NHK. I think he is on track once again to have a great season.

Kori has already talked about him working on the 4S. He has been working on that for a long time already and Kori said it actually is pretty close. She is already working on him having two quads comfortably by 2018. Reading between the lines, I think she plans to add it next year so that by 2018 he will have two quads he is comfortable with.

I think Jason's prospects are still very good. Jason's bad skates are still better than many of his competitors bad skates. That is part of why he climbed from 8th to the podium. He does not give up, he keeps trying, he keeps skating, and even when he has bad skates, they don't fall apart the same way some skater's bad skates seem to do. he does what he needs to and will continue to do so.

 

[mrrice]

:agree:
It doesn't matter how many quads a skater "has"; it's how many they can *land*.
I'd rather watch entertaining, outgoing, and artistic Jason without quads over any number of series of determined joyless quads. Let alone quad attempts.

True!! Remember Brandon Mroz? He was slow as Molasses and I remember saying to a friend of mine that someone should have taught him how to skate before they taught him to jump. Now, in his defense, I was exactly the same way. I could out jump every skater in my class and I was the only one who could do a lutz on an outside edge which I think came from my ballet training.

I also learned how to perform in Ballet class and I think some skaters are so concerned with landing jumps that they forget there's an audience. Let alone a panel of judges. They move from jump to jump in what seems like a "Trance" trying to hit their jumps. Only a coach can break them of this BAD habit. So, I don't blame the skater one bit.

 

[apgold]

I think Jason's prospects are still very good. Jason's bad skates are still better than many of his competitors bad skates. That is part of why he climbed from 8th to the podium. He does not give up, he keeps trying, he keeps skating, and even when he has bad skates, they don't fall apart the same way some skater's bad skates seem to do. he does what he needs to and will continue to do so.

ITA. I don't think I've ever seen Jason fall apart even when his skate is less than perfect. I've never had to cringe while watching him skate (unlike I did when Denis' FS just fell apart) because of his attitude and work ethic. I'm not knocking Denis either, but there's something about Jason that you will watch him b/c he's loving what he's doing, great or not so great skate.

 

[mrrice]

LOL. My age is showing.

Straight up now tell me
Do you really want to love me forever oh oh oh
Or am I caught in a hit and run
Straight up now tell me
Is it gonna be you and me together oh oh oh
Or are you just having fun?

 

[skylark]

Random thoughts, while reading this thread:

1. Jason said (2014 or 2015 I think): I'm not going to let the rest of my skating suffer just to get the quad.

2. Jason and his team see the skating season as a process, where performance, learning and laying down history as a way to improve confidence and show progress, are as important as result. His programs this year are about making him a better skater.

3. When asked last year about Jason & The Quad, Kori said, "I'm not going to let him get injured" ... just to get the quad. As some have said, her medical background seems to help keep him healthy, as much as can be managed, and barring freak accidents.

4. On another occasion re:The Quad, Kori said, "I'm not going to destroy his confidence" ... just to please (judges) or (critics).

It seems to be working. Thanks, Mrs. P, for your analysis laying out facts and for including links to past threads.

 

[Mrs. P]

You're welcome Larkin.

With every Jason Brown prospects thread, the stakes keep getting higher. The first one was whether he would even have a chance to win a junior world title (he didn't, but he did win the free skate and a silver medal the following year). The second one speculated whether he would be good enough to make the Olympic team (he did) and now we're talking about his medal prospects at major international comps. Considering that more than three years ago, many thought he wouldn't even make it out of juniors, he's come a long way.

I have a feeling that this thread too will become an interesting read in hindsight.

 

[skylark]

Jason's inspirational skating is so much more valuable than is quantifiable in any scoring system. I'm going to rely on, celebrate and enthusiastically agree with the following:

Final thought: Jason need never win a World Medal for me to adore and appreciate him beyond the capacity of words to describe. All I want for him is a venue to let his talent soar and his spirit shine. He is an inspiration in so many ways. I would not want him to lose his joyfulness, his zest, his enthusiasm as a result of relentlessly focusing on the quad or getting down because he does not master it. His gifts transcend his mastery of elements.

--quote is from wordsworthgirl in thread "Jason Brown's Future Prospects 2.0"

Finally, that venue to let Jason's talent soar and his spirit shine, for now and the future, is GPs, Nationals, Worlds and Olympics to come. He has more than earned his place for many years to come.

 

[semosk8tfan]

I have high hopes for Jason. He has talent, he has ambition, he has a great support system (friends and family), and he has a great coaching staff. He is on the right track. Compare his quad attempt at Four Continents to his attempt at Skate America. Big improvement. From video it is obvious he can land a quad/triple in practice and in time it will happen in competition. Jason and his team are in it for the long haul not instant gratification. It is also apparent (to me anyway) that they will not sacrifice the quality of his skating to the quad. His long program in Milwaukee brought me to tears, it was just magical and to be honest if it had no jumps in it at all I would still love it.

 

[noskates]

I just want to thank the posters in this thread. I get so discouraged reading negative comments about Jason. Possibly it's my age, possibly it's my taste in figure skaters but I, too, would rather be caught up in a beautiful program than watching a bunch of jumping beans that have little connection to the music and are just out there to jump. I also very much appreciate Josh and actually Jeremy (when he was on)That's the type of figure skating I love!! I have great respect for Kori and her coaching style and I think Rohene is a choreographic genius. He always seems to find the right music and doesn't use the old tired pieces. Keeps it interesting.

 

[karne]

I just want to thank the posters in this thread. I get so discouraged reading negative comments about Jason. Possibly it's my age, possibly it's my taste in figure skaters but I, too, would rather be caught up in a beautiful program than watching a bunch of jumping beans that have little connection to the music and are just out there to jump. I also very much appreciate Josh and actually Jeremy (when he was on)That's the type of figure skating I love!! I have great respect for Kori and her coaching style and I think Rohene is a choreographic genius. He always seems to find the right music and doesn't use the old tired pieces. Keeps it interesting.

With that said, however, it is always nice to have a good mix of everyone. Jason's programs make me forget about the jumps; who can care about jumps, I ask, when such lovely skating is to be had? But, equally...there are some who can make me forget about everything else: who can care about the rest of the skating, I ask, when such magnificent jumps are to be had? There's nothing inherently wrong with either approach.

 

[tulosai]

With that said, however, it is always nice to have a good mix of everyone. Jason's programs make me forget about the jumps; who can care about jumps, I ask, when such lovely skating is to be had? But, equally...there are some who can make me forget about everything else: who can care about the rest of the skating, I ask, when such magnificent jumps are to be had? There's nothing inherently wrong with either approach.

:thumbsup: I totally agree with this- I appreciate lots of skaters and teams, and for very different reasons- sometimes someone will move me artistically and sometimes I will be like WOW those elements are huge, I love that, and sometimes I will even just like something indefinable like how a skater seems to float across the ice. Sometimes I even appreciate really shallow things like very consistently good music and costume choice To me part of what makes skating and skaters special is that they are all different!

 

[draqq]

Jason really just needs to work on his speed and power. Quads and the triple axel require attack and height, two things Jason sometimes falters on because he's either going into them with average speed or with not enough lift. I'm surprised he started the season with tricky 3A entrances given how inconsistent he is in rotating it. Getting his speed higher will also work in his favor for basic skating skills. And that point, he won't really have that many weaknesses, since everything else is there.

 

[noskates]

I think if Jason upped his speed he wouldn't be able to do the tricky choreography that Rohene has laid on him.

 

[Mrs. P]

Jason really just needs to work on his speed and power. Quads and the triple axel require attack and height, two things Jason sometimes falters on because he's either going into them with average speed or with not enough lift. I'm surprised he started the season with tricky 3A entrances given how inconsistent he is in rotating it. Getting his speed higher will also work in his favor for basic skating skills. And that point, he won't really have that many weaknesses, since everything else is there.

I think if Jason upped his speed he wouldn't be able to do the tricky choreography that Rohene has laid on him.

It's a longtail strategy, I think. Nobody else does that entrance currently and it's one way to make his 3A stand out since perhaps others have an edge as far as height.

If you guys read the original Jason Brown prospects thread, you probably hear me mention a lot about longtail strategy. It's one they're still doing now. It seems the trend du jour is to add more and more to BV, but it seems that Team Brown is going more for complex choreography, transitions and interesting entrances/exits from jumps. It's a focus on a niche rather than going with the mainstream (developing BV).

http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/2005/07/do_you_really_n.html

So the link above is mainly referring to content creators, but you can apply it to skating as well. There is a place for both the folks that can stack up the tech and win (i.e. Max Aaron) but there's a place for longtail skaters like Jason who stand out by developing niches (spins, flexibility, transitions, etc.)

Which strategy works best really varies from competition to competition.

However, Team Brown is also not totally going longtail, they also know they have to still up BV, hence the quad attempts.

 

[noskates]

Several in this thread have mentioned that Jason's basic skating skills need work. Could you please explain? Edging! Check. Fluidity! Check. Musicality! Check. Transitions! Double check.

I don't think you have to race around the rink like your behind is on fire to exhibit basic skating skills. Some do it with speed, some do it with finesse. Speed and finesse in the same skater - not all that common.

I would like to see the skater of your choice do Jason's program.

As always, apprecite Mrs. P's logic