I am really looking forward to seeing Johnny and Evan compete over the next four years. Along with Jeff Buttle, they are my favorite men skating right now. I like them both and hope to see them develop more.
Johnny needs to balance his beautiful lyrical skating with some moments of power, quickness and strength. I think his jumps are magnificent. They are high, fully rotated, landed beautifully, and he can hold his landing edge longer than anyone, with a great position. I agree that he should do whatever therapy/training needed for his back. I also think his upper body looks a bit underdeveloped. My understanding is that upper body strentgth is needed for the fast rotations of the quad. So maybe he could strengthen his arms and shoulders a bit. Beyond that, he just needs the right music and he is a complete and fantastic skater.
Evan is a born performer. His jumps could be more reliable, but he was really on when I saw him in COI. He needs finesse - stretch, awareness of his fingertips, smoothness to match his energy. That over used term - maturity - is what I would like to see. Sometimes he still seems a bit wild and uncontrolled. But his energy is wonderful, and he could just contain and direct it a little more.
Two terrific skaters who will help push and challenge each other. Should be great to see. And I agree - a reliable quad will be crucial to either of them reliably landing on the podium.
Johnny needs to balance his beautiful lyrical skating with some moments of power, quickness and strength. I think his jumps are magnificent. They are high, fully rotated, landed beautifully, and he can hold his landing edge longer than anyone, with a great position. I agree that he should do whatever therapy/training needed for his back. I also think his upper body looks a bit underdeveloped. My understanding is that upper body strentgth is needed for the fast rotations of the quad. So maybe he could strengthen his arms and shoulders a bit. Beyond that, he just needs the right music and he is a complete and fantastic skater.
Evan is a born performer. His jumps could be more reliable, but he was really on when I saw him in COI. He needs finesse - stretch, awareness of his fingertips, smoothness to match his energy. That over used term - maturity - is what I would like to see. Sometimes he still seems a bit wild and uncontrolled. But his energy is wonderful, and he could just contain and direct it a little more.
Two terrific skaters who will help push and challenge each other. Should be great to see. And I agree - a reliable quad will be crucial to either of them reliably landing on the podium.