Jason Brown

[Ross74]

--The translations complete now. Thanks for all your patience

Thank YOU for doing this! Much appreciated. It's really a great interview, and so much easier to understand now.

 

[fzztsimmons]

I'm going to swim upriver and say I like the Nationals performance of SL the best - for several reasons. The first being - I've always felt that Jason began his peak at Nationals. That the sometimes rough skates early in the season were a result of him settling into the choreography and getting into his comfort zone with the program. The second is - we/I had no idea what to expect at Nationals because of the concussion and some of the reports coming out about how his spins were off, etc. I thought his Nationals performance represented the "new" Jason and how his move to Toronto had impacted him in so many good ways. We saw his relationship with Tracy, we saw Brian's appreciation for him, and we saw Jason's confidence reach a level it hadn't been for several years.

I do like David Wilson. I don't think he's as exciting or hip or maybe as innovative as Rohene, but I think there's room for both of them in Jason's choreographical presentations. The SP is classic Rohene/Jason. His SL is mature, confident, almost ethereal Jason. David will help him win a World medal. Rohene will set the stage.

Nationals is my favourite showing of SL as well - partly because he goes for the quad even if it got downgraded, but mostly because of the K&C reaction afterwards. It shows how much Jason has been fighting to get to where he is and after the tough season he has had, and the constant remarks from the naysayers (and not even thinking about the horrendous homophobic and derogatory comments from others) it just really touched me how emotional he was.

 

[el henry]

Thank you, @Interspectator!

 

[sworddance21]

I hope he will either keep it, or perhaps better yet bring it back for the Olympic year, this program is hard to beat

Yes - I've been wondering about him skating it again during the Olympic year...maybe they'll find something to top it, but I think it will be a challenge, for sure.

 

[babyskate]

Yes - I've been wondering about him skating it again during the Olympic year...maybe they'll find something to top it, but I think it will be a challenge, for sure.

I was thinking the same. SL will be difficult to top.
A part of me would like him to do a more mature version of Turandot what he used for his 2011 US National senior debut.
It was amazing then and I can only imagine what he could do with the music now.
https://youtu.be/G94pHGvq3Fs

 

[MGstyle]

I was thinking the same. SL will be difficult to top.
A part of me would like him to do a more mature version of Turandot what he used for his 2011 US National senior debut.
It was amazing then and I can only imagine what he could do with the music now.
https://youtu.be/G94pHGvq3Fs

This very thought crossed my mind more than once indeed!!! :agree:

 

[karne]

I'm going to swim upriver and say I like the Nationals performance of SL the best - for several reasons.

No, I'm with you. I also prefer the Nationals version. I think the 4CC versions, while superb, were just a little tight and tired - which is understandable! But also, I like the excitement of the one-foot stood up quad.

I'm going to try again at World Championships with the certainty that I will land it.

I loved reading this line. Too many people forget that under the sweet innocent puppy is a steely-eyed missile man who wants to win.

Oh god, can you imagine? A clean quad at Worlds? You'd all hear my screams from the other side of the planet!

 

[Tavi...]

Ah, how nice to take a break from writing legal blah blah blah :dev2: and see so many lovely posts!

First, @Interspectator, I want to thank you again for a great translation of a great article. I have been known to whine in the past that such and such an article has just the same old boring quotes; I feel absolutely the opposite here, and so much of what was new was only clearly conveyed because of your careful translation. How many times have we heard him discuss where he’s at with quads in such detail? My answer would be “never.” I think the fact he’s willing to go into such detail and that he speaks with such insight is a good measure of where he’s at; whether he will land it at Worlds or not is an open question, but even if he doesn’t, I think it won’t be much longer.

Second, interesting question regarding which program from which comp you’re watching on rewind! I love both programs for different reasons, and have watched them all frequently, but still prefer the Nats performances. They were both so intense, and it was almost as if, after everything he’d been through to that point, he was just focused on creating something beautiful and giving everything he had. A lot of what makes those programs special is his reaction in the knc, especially for SL. But for me it’s more than that. He was just super connected and committed and in the zone for both programs, and that makes them both incredibly satisfying to watch. For me, other than the slightly traveling catch foot camel spin in the SP, his movement in both Nats programs was incredibly precise. Love.

As to which program I like better as a program....I think they’re both great, but if you twist my arm I love the SP more because the choreography is amazing and Jason executes it so well. Ro is a master at matching movement to music in a way that makes the whole program so much more than its parts. And Jason is able to make the program even greater by the way he executes the choreography. How he executes the step sequence, how he moves his body and turns his head near the end of the program - I love it. That said, I love SL too. I think DW isn’t as gifted as Ro at bringing out nuances in the music, and not as innovative in terms of movement, but he’s still given Jason a beautiful vehicle, I think. Going back full circle to the interview, one thing that struck me was Jason’s comment that he told DW what he wanted to convey with the program, and he was really happy with the result. How much growth does that show in Jason?! Do we remember the days when he said things like “I wanted to skate to Latin but Ro and Kori said no” or “Ro told me I was going to skate to x”? Even last year there was a bit of that with wanting to please the new team. And how interesting it is to compare a Jason-driven DW program to a Jason-driven Ro program (Hamilton). Very different! Anyway, what I like in SL is that he seems to be finding places himself to really tell the story. Like the st sq after 3A #2. Or the moment when he opens his eyes to start the program. And so forth. But I also think that because the program is longer and because he’s got to worry about the quad, he still has room to give even more.

Regarding the Olympic year, it will never happen but can you imagine him bringing back Riverdance and Prince?!

 

[noskates]

Oh my - can you only imagine what he could do to Riverdance now?

 

[Ross74]

Jason wishing the Miami U. Synchro team good luck at Nationals this week. Check out the hair. Does it look shorter? https://www.instagram.com/p/B9IkDu8pxHQ/

 

[Bookseller]

No, I'm with you. I also prefer the Nationals version. I think the 4CC versions, while superb, were just a little tight and tired - which is understandable! But also, I like the excitement of the one-foot stood up quad.



I loved reading this line. Too many people forget that under the sweet innocent puppy is a steely-eyed missile man who wants to win.

Oh god, can you imagine? A clean quad at Worlds? You'd all hear my screams from the other side of the planet!

And you'll hear my screams from way up in the second section of the Arena at World's!

 

[Bookseller]

Ah, how nice to take a break from writing legal blah blah blah :dev2: and see so many lovely posts!


Regarding the Olympic year, it will never happen but can you imagine him bringing back Riverdance and Prince?!

I've always thought that it would be fun to see Jason do Riverdance again, choreographed for what he can do now. At this point in his competitive career, it wouldn't be a good fit. On the other hand, as an exhibition or show program? That I would love to see. The problem is that the 2014 skate at Nationals is iconic and topping it would be a lot of stress. It's probably best left as it is. Darn it!

 

[Tavi...]

I was thinking the same. SL will be difficult to top.
A part of me would like him to do a more mature version of Turandot what he used for his 2011 US National senior debut.
It was amazing then and I can only imagine what he could do with the music now.
https://youtu.be/G94pHGvq3Fs

I would love to see him do Turandot again. I love and still watch that program, as well as Flow like Water and the SP he did at JGPF the year he won. But I would only want to see him do Turandot if Ro did the choreography. Puccini wrote a lot of really beautiful and powerful music, so maybe he will do something else, even if it’s a warhorse like E Lucevan le Stelle.

 

[noskates]

Personally, as much as I love SL, I hope he doesn't skate it after this year. I think it will have lost its emotional impact. But I do think this was a step forward for the new and mature Jason. I know there's a music piece out there that will continue to stretch the boundaries.

 

[karne]

Jason calms me. I would not have been able to sleep last night if not for Jason.

 

[lilsailor]

i would love love love to see him try lord of the dance - full circle journey from riverdance to lord of the dance https://youtu.be/uFSkYMks1fg but i also think something by jennifer thomas would be great (the pianist behind rika’s beautiful storm, and jun-hwan’s free) like this - https://youtu.be/pc1Eja1XH88

 

[MGstyle]

I remember a few years ago he mentioned he would like to try something "Spanish". Indeed he hasn't skated to that genre, neither to a Latin rhythm. I would be very curious to see how he will manage (of course brilliantly I believe, especially if Rohene choreographs it!). Also he seldom skated to standard classic numbers, only a few very early in his career. I would love to see a program in that line with his current capacity, of course it doesn't have to be a warhorse, but I can definitely envision something like Spartacus by Khachaturian or Violin Concerto in D Major by Tchaikovsky, for example. :luv17:

 

[noskates]

I pray longly and loudly that he never considers Carmen or Phantom. As much as I love him...........I would seriously question my fanship. Both have been so overdone that I hear the beginning notes and cringe. To me that smacks of lazy choreographers and coaches that they can't take the time to "find" a suitable piece of music for their skater. I always think it's interesting when a skater comes up with something fresh and new and I have to believe the judges feel the same because they don't have to compare one skater's rendition to twenty others. Michelle Kwan and her team were good at that - The Red Violin, Dante's Prayer, Fields of Gold, etc. Just my opinion though.

 

[fzztsimmons]

So the US figure skating fed are offering up tickets to SkAm next year through their "Gala Madness" game... They've paired up Galas from a number of skaters, and there will be slots to vote for your favourite to win. You can enter your expected sheet and perfect matches will win tickets... Jason is paired up against Hubbell/Donohue with voting open from 5th March, 2pm ET.

There are already a load of outraged fans who think it is a) offensive or b) some sort of agenda conspiracy, but to me it looks like a lot of fun. And tbh, Jason's exhibition is great!! Get your votes ready!!

 

[el henry]

I saw the Gala madness, it’s a cute idea and it’s patterned after the March Madness NCAA wagering that takes over many a workplace, whether you care about the NCAA or not.

If anyone is complaining about this, sometime skating fans take themselves wayyyyy too seriously. And I would vote for Jason, but maybe predict others. Heart versus head