Jason Brown

[Skater Boy]

I know we like Brown but people he has yet to skate clean triple axels consistently. Still the majority at nats were flawed. His pcs still aren't and should not be of Dai, hnanyu, Chan or Ferenandez. give him some time. Maybe when he loses the pony tail lol he'll be ready (joking folks just joking - it might be that Samsun thing - one wonders the same for Gwendel if someone snapped off those locks wouldhe lose his power to put up with Anasinna lol.

 

[Mrs. P]

I wasn't implying that Bourne and Kraatz's performance wasn't compelling or beautiful or great! I was only saying that it was unfair to compare their performance in a different discipline to Jason's. And I liked them both for different reasons. I personally thought B&K got robbed!

Sheesh. I don't think you can or should compare the footwork in a singles program to the footwork in an ice dance program.

Why is it unfair? Yes you can't compare them perfectly since they are programs in two different disciplines, but why is unreasonable for someone to state they prefer Bourne and Kraatz's performance to Jason's? That's all Skater Boy was saying. I totally disagree with him, but I don't take issue with his reasoning for stating his opinion. In fact, if your preference is someone that truly is dancing in the Riverdance style the whole time, I can see why some would prefer B/K's program.

As to comparing footwork - yes you can -- in fact I'd argue the footwork in an ice dance program is HARDER by the nature of the rules in ID. In essence, ice dancers are required to do level 4 footwork for four minutes in an FD. Doris P can probably explain this better, but put Davis & White and Jason Brown next to each other with a footwork sequence and you'll notice that D/W's footwork doesn't only have deeper edges, they're also a whole lot faster.

Does that reduce how awesome Jason's footwork is? Nope. His footwork is pretty amazing. But I don't think it's unreasonable to say, by the nature of the discipline, that Davis and White (or many ice dance couples for that matter) turn-in much harder and faster step sequences. (I'm guessing that is also what Skater boy is talking about too).

So, no I don't agree that "they only have to think about steps." Those steps are pretty damn hard.

Yeah those dark chocolate nut butter cups are a revelation.

Can't wait to get my hands on one. They sound SO GOOD.

I know we like Brown but people he has yet to skate clean triple axels consistently. Still the majority at nats were flawed. His pcs still aren't and should not be of Dai, hnanyu, Chan or Ferenandez. give him some time. Maybe when he loses the pony tail lol he'll be ready (joking folks just joking - it might be that Samsun thing - one wonders the same for Gwendel if someone snapped off those locks wouldhe lose his power to put up with Anasinna lol.

The majority? HUH. He got 2/3, one in combination. That's 66 percent. That's well above a super majority of SUCCESSFUL 3As. But I guess may you have a different definition of majority?

As for PCS....it will be up there if not anywhere close to Chan/Takahashi/Hanyu. Jason got 80 at TEB, which is pretty good for a fresh-minted international senior. I think he can get in the mid-80s with a good program.

 

[noskates]

Okay - I give up. I'm NOT saying one is harder than the other. I'm not taking sides. I liked both programs. I never said they only had to think about steps. You still don't get what I meant and I'm tired and not really enjoying this back and forth stuff. It's like arguing for the sake of the argument. So carry on.

 

[Mrs. P]

Okay - I give up. I'm NOT saying one is harder than the other. I'm not taking sides. I liked both programs. I never said they only had to think about steps. You still don't get what I meant and I'm tired and not really enjoying this back and forth stuff. It's like arguing for the sake of the argument. So carry on.

Okay, I'm reading the quote again:

Mentioned this once but I still take exception to Skater Boy trying to compare Jason to Bourne and Kraatz. That's like comparing apples and oranges. Bourne and Kraatz were supposed to concentrate on the foot steps - they're ice dancers. They didn't have to think about the next triple jump or the spin. Not sure why that was even mentioned.

OKAY, I see what you're saying now. Since you didn't quote Skater Boy's post stating that their steps were better or whatever, I took the post at face value: That they "only" had to concentrate on the steps and they didn't have to think about jumps, i.e. there was less technical content. Apologies for the misinterpretation.

That said, I think my final argument still stands. I think it's perfectly reasonable for a person to compare the two programs as a whole. You can't compare it it element-by-element, but you can certainly argue whether the execution of elements were done that made the program compelling overall. Skater Boy believes that Bourne and Kraatz's program, AS A WHOLE, was better, than Jason's.

As I said, I disagree. I think Jason does a great job dancing into and out of the technical elements and that the step sequence was highly effective. However, there is still definitely room for improvement. I'd like him not to stalk that second 3A and he could stand to have more speed. I expect he is working on all these things as we speak and my hope is that his Sochi performances are even better than what we all saw at U.S. Nationals.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Jason is going to be on Entertainment Tonight this evening!!! How exciting. I cannot believe that this skater I have been following since he was in juniors is getting all this well deserved attention. I have to believe that he is still maintaining his focus on training. I cannot wait for him to wow them in Sochi. I don't care what happens with medals, just want him to skate how he can and entertain.

It's almost as if Jason Stole the Show as it were from the U.S. ladies and the men's champion too at Nationals! A Star is Born!

Jason is going to be on Entertainment Tonight this evening!!! How exciting. I cannot believe that this skater I have been following since he was in juniors is getting all this well deserved attention. I have to believe that he is still maintaining his focus on training. I cannot wait for him to wow them in Sochi. I don't care what happens with medals, just want him to skate how he can and entertain.

If Jason has a Duchesnays-Savage Rites/Midori Ito-FS-1988 Olympics moment at Sochi it will be enough for me!

 

[jace93]

Trophee Eric bombard shows how brown can beat hanyu. Hanyu Tes was 87 and brown was 78 with a singles axel. And hanyu singled a quad salchow but hanyu pcs 81 and brown 80. Hanyu is not really a problem at all. With all his planned jumps and his new status as us number one singles skater he can easily surpass hanyu in pcs and probably tech goe and in surpassing hanyu get close to chan. People don't even have to falter that much!

yeeeeah, sure:sarcasm: that's why Hanyu with a fall and a popped jump beat jason with a popped jump by exaclty 10 points... in the free alone!! I quite like Jason as a performer even though I'm not particularly fond of him, but saying that he would easily beat Hanyu is quite ridiculous... obviously if he is perfect and Yuzuru crumbles than he would pass him on pcs and probably even tes, but that's a big if...

 

[babyskate]

We can discuss how his 3A is not always perfect, he can use more speed, etc., etc., but all that does not take away from the fact that he certainly has that "X" factor. This is the ability to get the whole audience to stand up in 2011 when he was a skater only known to the few who follow the juniors, and of course the power he had over the 2014 audience and judges in Boston. Any athlete would be fooling themselves is they said they weren't thinking about or going for an Olympic medal, but I feel Jason, Kori, and his family will be satisfied if he improves on his previous best, skates 2 amazing programs and manages to move the live and TV audience. I will be thrilled with that and wherever the scores, medals fall is beyond our control.

 

[apgold]

Well said, babyskate. There is also a chance that Jason could medal in the team event - assuming that he's part of that.

Not sure if you all saw this, but Jason did a Google+ hangout last week. Worth watching, especially for his play by play of what was going through his head during his FS at Nationals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0fI5p9N234

 

[Mrs. P]

We can discuss how his 3A is not always perfect, he can use more speed, etc., etc., but all that does not take away from the fact that he certainly has that "X" factor. This is the ability to get the whole audience to stand up in 2011 when he was a skater only known to the few who follow the juniors, and of course the power he had over the 2014 audience and judges in Boston. Any athlete would be fooling themselves is they said they weren't thinking about or going for an Olympic medal, but I feel Jason, Kori, and his family will be satisfied if he improves on his previous best, skates 2 amazing programs and manages to move the live and TV audience. I will be thrilled with that and wherever the scores, medals fall is beyond our control.

Well said.

And of course, all this analysis doesn't take away from what Jason has, which, as you noted, is the "it factor." But now that he's had a taste of some major success in the last few months and while I will still remain a fan and watch his programs over and over on YouTube (even his Novice ones, haha. (Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1uYzwU3898) and here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQm6gl2Amg) if you want a look) regardless of his results, I really want him to be at the best because I know he has the skills and work ethic to get there. Hence, the analysis.

Quite frankly, he's gone above and beyond my expectations of what I thought he would do this season. I totally underestimated him, obviously, but quite frankly it made it easier for me to enjoy seeing him on this journey this season when I wasn't so hopped up on him getting to the fast track to the top. I predicted that he would be third at nationals. I'm glad I was wrong!

I will be cheering for him to have amazing performances in Sochi and if somehow he gets on that podium, despite my earlier statement, I will be delighted for him. But again, I'm hoping it's because he brought it and actually outskated others to that spot (like he did at Nationals).

ETA: Thankfully, it's not my job to manage Jason's expectations. That's why Kori Ade is a coaching superstar to me.

yeeeeah, sure that's why Hanyu with a fall and a popped jump beat jason with a popped jump by exaclty 10 points... in the free alone!! I quite like Jason as a performer even though I'm not particularly fond of him, but saying that he would easily beat Hanyu is quite ridiculous... obviously if he is perfect and Yuzuru crumbles than he would pass him on pcs and probably even tes, but that's a big if...

We disagree on fondness (I'm very fond of Jason ), but otherwise you're spot on. Having seen both Yuzuru (at Skate America 2012) and Jason (Nationals) live, I can definitely say that Yuzuru has a big advantage as far as speed, ice coverage and, of course, technical content. He is not as refined or charismatic as Jason, but that's why Yuzuru didn't have sky high PCS scores until recently.

Yuzuru does some mad crazy transitions in and out of his jump and his second half in his FS is just crazy -- 3A-3T, 3A-2T, 3Z-1L-3S, another 3Z and a 3Lo. Jason's second half is a 3Z-1L-3S, 3Z, 3F-2T, 3Lo, 2A.

As a result Yuzuru's base value alone with every ratified and level 4 spins/level 3 step (based on what we saw at GPF) is 90. Jason's BV with a perfect program is 75.65. Nearly 15 points higher. That's a whole lot lot of +GOE Jason needs to make up.

Well said, babyskate. There is also a chance that Jason could medal in the team event - assuming that he's part of that.

Not sure if you all saw this, but Jason did a Google+ hangout last week. Worth watching, especially for his play by play of what was going through his head during his FS at Nationals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0fI5p9N234

Yes, team event! Hoping he gets to skate the SP since he's been so consistent with it!

The hangout was so fun to watch.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

We disagree on fondness (I'm very fond of Jason ), but otherwise you're spot on. Having seen both Yuzuru (at Skate America 2012) and Jason (Nationals) live, I can definitely say that Yuzuru has a big advantage as far as speed, ice coverage and, of course, technical content. He is not as refined or charismatic as Jason, but that's why Yuzuru didn't have sky high PCS scores until recently.

I saw them both back to back at TEB, and boy was that a treat! While I disagree Yuzuru has less charisma (sorry ), I think if both skate equally well, they should score similar in PCS, with Yuzu having more of an edge in the SP. Yuzu has better SS, and I think they're equal on pretty much everything else in the SP. Jason definitly has the better CH in the LP, that's why I think they're closer there. What stood out for me is that, at least IMO, both are good artists but because of completely different things. Jason is SO in control of all of his movements down to his toes and fingertips and has amazing refinement and elegance. It's just beautiful. Yuzuru is like the complete opposite - he throws himself out there and into every move, with raw emotion. And it's exciting. I couldn't decide which I love more

The best thing about talking about Jason & Yuzu though is that these two are both 19 (and I think their birthdays are just a week apart), both madly talented and they both love each other!! If Jason gets his quad (and I'm very optimistic he will), what an amazing rivalry could that be? (Although, we have to throw a little Han Yan in between of course) I'm already loving the upcoming years of mens figure skating. We're all such a lucky bunch

 

[Mrs. P]

I saw them both back to back at TEB, and boy was that a treat! While I disagree Yuzuru has less charisma (sorry ), I think if both skate equally well, they should score similar in PCS, with Yuzu having more of an edge in the SP. Yuzu has better SS, and I think they're equal on pretty much everything else in the SP. Jason definitly has the better CH in the LP, that's why I think they're closer there. What stood out for me is that, at least IMO, both are good artists but because of completely different things. Jason is SO in control of all of his movements down to his toes and fingertips and has amazing refinement and elegance. It's just beautiful. Yuzuru is like the complete opposite - he throws himself out there and into every move, with raw emotion. And it's exciting. I couldn't decide which I love more

The best thing about talking about Jason & Yuzu though is that these two are both 19 (and I think their birthdays are just a week apart), both madly talented and they both love each other!! If Jason gets his quad (and I'm very optimistic he will), what an amazing rivalry could that be? (Although, we have to throw a little Han Yan in between of course) I'm already loving the upcoming years of mens figure skating. We're all such a lucky bunch

Thanks for the perspective! I would have loved to see the two at the same competition (and hope I will get to at some point -- Skate Canada 2014 anyone?!!). I think speed/ice coverage is a major part of the SS mark, so I'm in agreement that Yuzuru has an edge there. I do think Jason PE/CH/IN keeps him much closer in PCS as well.

In the end, I do think it's Yuzuru massive BV that will give him a huge cushion over Jason at the Olympics, but that won't be a factor once Jason gets the quad. (And I too am pretty optimistic about his prospects there for next season).

And spot on analysis about their artistry. Glad there can be such diversity in the sport. I probably will get stoned for this, but they could potentially be the D&W/V&M rivalry of men's figure skating, with Yuzuru more like D&W and Jason more like V&M.

Also, I love me some Hanee! You're right, Li'Kitsu, we are lucky fans!

Speaking of loving each other, time to whip out the adorable Jason/Yuzuru photos: http://www.birdynumnums.webspace.virginmedia.com/TEB2013/YuzuruJason.html
http://heltra91.tumblr.com/post/67661214012/yuzuru-hanyu-jason-brown-trophee-eric-bompard
http://heltra91.tumblr.com/post/67354675767/jason-brown-yuzuru-hanyu-trophee-eric-bompard

 

[dorispulaski]

Jason's Skype call to Highland Park...his homies are totally thrilled

http://highlandpark.patch.com/group...patc00000001&evar4=picks-1-media&newsRef=true

 

[Mrs. P]

Jason's Skype call to Highland Park...his homies are totally thrilled

http://highlandpark.patch.com/group...patc00000001&evar4=picks-1-media&newsRef=true

So awesome! I love all the cute stories they shared.

I'm totally celebrating Jason Brown Day from here.

Also I didn't realize the Josephs were from Highland Park! How cool that it's now home to another Olympian.

 

[BlackPack]

I am happy for Jason's phenomenal and well-deserved success in his senior debut season. I was enamoured with his joyfulness and sense of humor on TSL. I am worried the fame can get to his head or to others who are already saying he can medal, hyping him up to the skies even before the first season is over. Possibility doesn't equal probability in terms of getting a medal; there are at least 8 people he has to outskate and who have to have a meltdown. All the media attention and viraling can really mess up with his schedule and training. He seems to be a class act, but really, the intense media attention and the fact US figure skating has been in decline and also producing non-medaling skaters can turn up the pressure. The first time he has a bad skate and people formerly supporting him will start bitching. Then they'll say get a "real" coach. The maternal coaching of Kori is really a key to his success and his stability and I hope he stays with her. If problems ever start happening, I hope they only bring in a specialist to correct problems not separate the pupil and coach.

 

[Mrs. P]

I am happy for Jason's phenomenal and well-deserved success in his senior debut season. I was enamoured with his joyfulness and sense of humor on TSL. I am worried the fame can get to his head or to others who are already saying he can medal, hyping him up to the skies even before the first season is over. Possibility doesn't equal probability in terms of getting a medal; there are at least 8 people he has to outskate and who have to have a meltdown. All the media attention and viraling can really mess up with his schedule and training. He seems to be a class act, but really, the intense media attention and the fact US figure skating has been in decline and also producing non-medaling skaters can turn up the pressure. The first time he has a bad skate and people formerly supporting him will start bitching. Then they'll say get a "real" coach. The maternal coaching of Kori is really a key to his success and his stability and I hope he stays with her. If problems ever start happening, I hope they only bring in a specialist to correct problems not separate the pupil and coach.

As someone that was a fan even when his 3A was totally MIA for 3.5 years, if he has a bad skate that won't change my view of him.

Jason has already said that Kori will be his first...and his last coach. I don't think there would be anything that would spilt them apart other than some sort of USFS intervention, which I would consider quite sad if that happened. Kori is very good about finding opportunities for Jason to work with different coaches/specialists -- it's a big reason they moved to Colorado in the first place. And even before that, they always spent the summers in Colorado Springs or Lake Arrowhead as part of Jason's training.

I think Jason is very levelheaded and I believe he will handle the pressure well. In fact, it seem he thrives on it. As I said many times that I've been really impressed how articulate he has been in handing the "quad question" and even his response to what's going on politically in Russia.

I think as long as Jason focuses on his training -- as he did before -- he'll be fine.

 

[Gymfan15]

Even if he completely bombs in Sochi, I can't imagine that it would completely derail his coaching situation and future plans. He and Kori have always been so adamant that 2018 is the cycle that they are really focusing on; not the 2014 one. This Olympics is a bonus; a very wonderful surprise that he earned due to his hard work. This isn't the Olympics that all his hopes and dreams are riding on. No matter what happens, he's already in it for the long haul so even if he completely had a melt down, he would brush it off and get back on track.

I think Jason and Kori have always had the right perspective regarding this Olympics; in that it would be wonderful if he made it but not necessary that he did.

Fans may whine and go into a panic if things don't turn out as they want, but I really doubt it will mean a great deal of diffrence to Jason and his team.

 

[Mrs. P]

Even if he completely bombs in Sochi, I can't imagine that it would completely derail his coaching situation and future plans. He and Kori have always been so adamant that 2018 is the cycle that they are really focusing on; not the 2014 one. This Olympics is a bonus; a very wonderful surprise that he earned due to his hard work. This isn't the Olympics that all his hopes and dreams are riding on. No matter what happens, he's already in it for the long haul so even if he completely had a melt down, he would brush it off and get back on track.

I think Jason and Kori have always had the right perspective regarding this Olympics; in that it would be wonderful if he made it but not necessary that he did.

Fans may whine and go into a panic if things don't turn out as they want, but I really doubt it will mean a great deal of diffrence to Jason and his team.

Exactly. As I said, I'll leave goals and expectations to the professionals. In the meanwhile, I'll just go watch his YouTube videos and listen to his ATC interview again.

 

[Mrs. P]

So I take Jason's experience at Nationals for what it is: A super exciting and thrilling moment I was proud to witness in person and a MAJOR boost of confidence for him. But it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know there was a bit of a disconnect when he got a score that has only been earned by a handful of skaters internationally (five to be precise: Chan (196.75); Hanyu (193.41); Fernandez (186.07); Takahashi (182.72) and Kozuka (180.79)) and was more than 25 points higher than his personal best.

I think it's good for Jason's head space that he's focusing more on his practices and enjoying this new-found attention and less on his placement at the Olympics. I feel like that was sort of Jeremy's downfall in 2010 -- after he turned in those amazing performances at Nationals, everyone was saying that those were medal-worthy performances all over the place and I think that sort of messed with him.

While Jason's FS has gone viral, you don't have a ton of people saying, " Omigod, Jason is going to win the OGM!" all the place. Rather, the excitement is more about his engagement with/ performance for the audience. In fact, very little has been said regarding his medal prospects in interviews.

The closest thing is when Jason said in Mashable: "I do think that anything is possible. I do think that anything can happen, and I do feel I could walk away with a medal."

And of course anything is possible and there's nothing wrong with saying that. But again, I think it's smart to focus less on that and more on just getting the programs perfect.

And, oh hey Jeremy Abbott, way to affirm what I just posted earlier: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014...led-abbott-seeks-ultimate-redemption-in-sochi

On his teleconference, Abbott called his first Olympic appearance his "own personal nightmare."
"I was absolutely terrified; I was scared out of my mind," he said. "I didn't have any goals for the Games; my only goal was to make the team. I skated perfectly at nationals, and I had people coming up to me saying, 'Oh, you do that, you're going to win the Olympics.'
"I hadn't even thought about winning the Olympics, or medaling at the Olympics, or about anything other than going," he continued. "So, I was freaking out. I don't even know how I got myself to do that in the first place and you want me to do it again?"
Abbott began this Olympic season determined to avoid mistakes of the past.
"I know exactly how I did it in Boston and how I went about my training," he said. "It's not like I have perfect days and every day is exceptional. I know what I'm doing and I know how to build my training."

My hope is that Jeremy passed on some wisdom to Jason. And again, if Jason puts his focus and work on turning in two solid programs in Sochi, I think that will reap great rewards.

Jeremy sounds like he is in great spirits as well. Here's hoping that both our USA men have great peformances in Sochi!

 

[BusyMom]

The maternal coaching of Kori is really a key to his success and his stability and I hope he stays with her. If problems ever start happening, I hope they only bring in a specialist to correct problems not separate the pupil and coach.

No need to worry there. Jason once said in his interview that he hopes to end his career with Kori. The way he looked at her when he said it touched me badly. Their closeness, their bonds and her mother's instincts make me want to send my daughter to train with her.

 

[Mathman]

The video in the first post is up to 3,378,000 views. I hope this sends a message to the ISU, USFSA, Icenetwork, NBC, and other copyright holders who are so quick to take stuff down. They couldn't buy this kind of publicity.