Ryan Jahnke

[merrywidow]

I hope all of you are bearing in mind that Jahnke is pushing 27 yrs. old (b. Mar. 21, 1978) He' s been around forever. If he makes the world team this year it will be due to others injuries & I would be surprised if he could place in the top 10 at Worlds. I like his skating & he appears to be a lovely young man. Unfortunately, he has always been very inconsistent. He'll have to contend with Weiss, Weir, Goebel, Lysacek, Bradley, Savoie, Smith, maybe Pennington, Overett or someone else coming out of Jrs. I wish them all well. Nationals are tough for the US men, no doubt about it.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I hope all of you are bearing in mind that Jahnke is pushing 27 yrs. old (b. Mar. 21, 1978) He' s been around forever. If he makes the world team this year it will be due to others injuries & I would be surprised if he could place in the top 10 at Worlds. I like his skating & he appears to be a lovely young man. Unfortunately, he has always been very inconsistent. He'll have to contend with Weiss, Weir, Goebel, Lysacek, Bradley, Savoie, Smith, maybe Pennington, Overett or someone else coming out of Jrs. I wish them all well. Nationals are tough for the US men, no doubt about it.

I'd be the last to say that age doesn't affect your spring in life, but if ya got it ya got it. good luck to Ryan.

Joe

 

[dr.frog]

FWIW, Rudy Galindo was 26 when he won his national title; Paul Wylie was 27 in Albertville; John Curry and Toller Cranston both made the podium at the 1976 Olympics at the age of 26; Todd Eldredge won his last national title at 30. Michael Weiss is already 28 so if Ryan is over the hill at 26, where does that put Weiss?

It's true Ryan is probably nearing the end of his competitive career, but the encouraging thing is that he's still been improving every year, and I don't think he's done yet. He seems to be very ambitious and to have a clear idea of what he needs to do to take his skating to the next level, and I hope there comes a time when people finally stop dismissing his achievements as a fluke.

 

[Grgranny]

One of the things that I like in Ryan's skating is his joy in his skating. Not very many ever show that joy.

 

[merrywidow]

FWIW, Rudy Galindo was 26 when he won his national title; Paul Wylie was 27 in Albertville; John Curry and Toller Cranston both made the podium at the 1976 Olympics at the age of 26; Todd Eldredge won his last national title at 30. Michael Weiss is already 28 so if Ryan is over the hill at 26, where does that put Weiss?

It's true Ryan is probably nearing the end of his competitive career, but the encouraging thing is that he's still been improving every year, and I don't think he's done yet. He seems to be very ambitious and to have a clear idea of what he needs to do to take his skating to the next level, and I hope there comes a time when people finally stop dismissing his achievements as a fluke.

I'm not saying it is impossible for Jahnke to make the World team but to compare his skating resume to any of the men you mentioned brought a smile to my face. Curry, Cranston (& Hamilton) competed during the era of figures & it was rare for a teenager to make it to the podium at Worlds. Not that many Dick Button's were able to excel at all 3 phases of competition. Galindo had a successful career as a pairs skater, Wylie was a mainstay on the World team for years. Galindo, Wylie, Weiss & Eldredge all had been Jr. World champions & Galindo & Weiss & Eldredge (& Goebel & Weir) have all been National Champions. Weiss, Eldredge, Galindo & Goebel have all been World medalists. I'm just using logic in comparing Jahnke to the others. If he makes the World team then I'll be just as proud of him as I would be for any of our other US men. On the other hand, I won't be surprised if he doesn't make it.

 

[euterpe]

Ryan is a wonderful skater, stylewise, but as a competitive skater he has serious shortcomings. He hasn't got a quad and he struggles with his 3A as well. Even if he should make the 2005 World Team, he'd have a struggle finishing in the top 10 if he can't deliver a clean 3A and 3A/triple combo in his FS.

It's true that Weiss doesn't have a CLEAN quad, but he has a quad of sorts that will give him some points under CoP. Somehow, Weiss has managed to land in the top 6 every time he's been at Worlds in the past few years.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

FWIW, Rudy Galindo was 26 when he won his national title; Paul Wylie was 27 in Albertville; John Curry and Toller Cranston both made the podium at the 1976 Olympics at the age of 26; Todd Eldredge won his last national title at 30. Michael Weiss is already 28 so if Ryan is over the hill at 26, where does that put Weiss?

It's true Ryan is probably nearing the end of his competitive career, but the encouraging thing is that he's still been improving every year, and I don't think he's done yet. He seems to be very ambitious and to have a clear idea of what he needs to do to take his skating to the next level, and I hope there comes a time when people finally stop dismissing his achievements as a fluke.

How true - you aren't over the hill when you hit your mid to late twenties. However, if you're training with quads and triples, all of that pounding may take its toll by the time you reach that age. How many times have both Weiss and Goebel been injured?

IMHO, Ryan has a realistic shot at making the US World Team, but he is a longshot of the first order to medal at Worlds. If he finishes in the top ten, that would be great for him. I appreciate Ryan's skating, which I think is wonderful, and he is one of the few guys out there who really interprets the music (IMHO of course). However, he doesn't have a quad, and his triple axel is inconsistent at best. He just doesn't have the technical moves or the competitive record to make him stand out with the judges.

However - anything can change. I would love to see Jahnke skate at Worlds and the 2006 Olympics.