- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
I dunno. Abbott is getting pretty long in the tooth. It may be time to put him out to pasture (to tundra?).
Thanks for everything Evan and Johnny
- Thread starter UM84
- Start date
I dunno. Abbott is getting pretty long in the tooth. It may be time to put him out to pasture (to tundra?).
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2003
I agree. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not a Johnny fan (although I really liked his Otonal LP), but I think thier rivalry and contrasting styles always make for great competition and I'll miss that. I'll really miss Evan who brought me back to men's skating.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
I'm so glad we'll see Johnny at Worlds!
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
I think the thread started with the assumption that this comp was Johnny's and Evan's last. It still appears that Evan will be retiring -- he's already got World and Oly gold, plus apparently SOI will be gearing up during Worlds, so there's plenty of reason to think Evan will retire. With Johnny, I was thinking past comments by him had implied the Olys were to be his last comp, but if he's starting to enjoy himself more, I'd love to see him at Worlds and even next season if that's what he wants.
With Jeremy, even though he's about the same age as Johnny and Evan, I think people tend to think of him as younger than he is because his successes have been so recent. More than one poster mentioned him doing better at next Olys, and I'm thinking they didn't realize he'll be only a couple months shy of 29 in 2014. Plus he's still talking about what he wants to achieve, so there's been no talk of him retiring quite yet, even though I'm doubtful he'll make it all the way to Socchi. So, in short, no disrepect to Jeremy meant, I think people (myself included) were thinking Evan and Johnny are about to make their final competitive appearances and that's why we wanted to thank them.
Kudos to Evan and Johnny - I think both of them represented their sport well. While most others were a flippin' and a floppin' poppin and droppin' these two men KEPT IT TOGETHER! That really says something and is a huge accomplishment. Too many others have crunpled on the Olympic stage - Johnny and Evan did not cave. Have got to give them props for that. Even the mighty Plushenko (no doubt about it, the man is mighty) could not stand the pressure. Bravo!
I hope Jeremy keeps going. True, Sochi seem unrealistic. But a World medal or two isn't. Oh yes, and I will definitely miss Evan and Johnny. They had a good run and a great ending, if this season proves to be their last.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
No harm done. Even if you meant disrespect to Jeremy, that'd be fine with me. He did tank pretty hard at these games. And if we encourage athletes when they fail, they'll just fail more! 
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
I am very pleased to hear this. His chances of medaling again should be pretty high considering so many of the faces from Vancouver will be no-shows. If he does decide to retire after Torino, he should leave on a high note. If not, good for him.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2010
Oh man. I re-watched Johnny's program and loved it. I especially love that rose crown he received from a (Japanese?) fan. Oh how I'd love to have one of those!
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- Feb 18, 2009
Wow...this will be a really different sport without those two. I guess it's time though. Evan really doesn't have anything else to win; he's got GPF, national, world and Olympic gold. And Johnny's definitely left a long-standing mark on the sport.
They've just been icons for the past what...6 seasons now? Adjusting to American men's skating without them will take time.
They've just been icons for the past what...6 seasons now? Adjusting to American men's skating without them will take time.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
Sure, because it's so ethical and civil to kick and mock people when they're down. What a class act you are!
:scowl:I really respect Johnny's attitude here. He should be nothing but proud of how he skated in both the SP and the LP and I enjoyed his performances immensely at these Games. He fought all the way through even though his style and program construction wasn't a favorite of the judging panel. I'd love to see a world podium that includes Abbott, Kozuka, and Weir in Torino . . . that would be really cool! Cheers, Johnny, you were great! :thumbsup:
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- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
I'll have you know that knocking people down is much easier and safer than knocking them when they're up.
Loving the positive energy on this thread 
Evan - he's not going to Worlds. I think the off season will be a time of reflection for him to see if there's anything else he would like to achieve in this sport. So we'll have to wait and see. He's now earned all the "big" prizes, so we'll have to wait and see if there's anything personal he still wants to accomplish. The hardest-working skater the world has seen in years. A gold medal well-deserved and and Olympic Dream come true. This will be a Visa "Olympic Moments" commercial for years to come. Also just realized that Evan is the current title holder for all 3 major competitions (Worlds, GPF, Olympics). WOW! Has any other US man every done that? And he did it in the deepest and accomplished field of men's skaters ever.
Johnny - We'll see him skate next month. He's made it quite clear that Vancouver would be his last Olympics, but he really wasn't sure what would happen after this season. I think he came back into this season with a "season-by-season" view rather than long-term. Now, that he's had another very solid season that he's had fun skating in, I think he'll be ok with walking away now...but i think we can all agree that this season that Johnny proved to his fans, his critics, and himself that he still loves to skate. If anything, whether you love or hate him, Johnny taught us all that you should never change who you are to keep other people happy; you should always do something because you want to. He's provided us with one of the most magical/inspiring moments of his career this week when he backed it all up with what he did on the ice. For his fans, he provided us with an experience we've been hoping/wishing for him. And for his critics and the naysayers, he just put it behind him, went out on the ice and told them "you can kiss my @$$" in total Johnny Weir-style. As Scott Hamilton said, "If you want to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and Johnny just skated the skate."
A big "Thank You" goes out to these two men. They pushed each other. They kept figure skating interesting. They grew up in front of us. They've taken us on some incredible journeys. And I'd like to think, that it's because of them that the US now has one of the deepest fields in men's skating. To top it off, so many up-and-coming skaters in the US AND internationally really look up to these two, and have expressed in the the past that either/or both Lysacek and Weir are their favorites or role models. That really says a lot about what these two have done for their sport. Finally, they both had the skates of their lives on their sports biggest stage (i guess the correct term would be "ice") and they were genuinely happy with what they put out there. So regardless of what they both they decide, they long ago locked up their spots on my list of favorites.
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the other "old guys"
Jeremy - He'll be at Worlds. He came onto the scene later, and he's expressed that he's pretty sure he'll stick around for one more season. I don't doubt that we'll see him next season. He's really mastered the scoring system so he really has the ability to be one of the best.
Ryan - I'm assuming he'll be taking Evan's spot at worlds? He's said that this season will be it for him. I'll be sad to see him go. He always brought a huge smile to my face.
Evan - he's not going to Worlds. I think the off season will be a time of reflection for him to see if there's anything else he would like to achieve in this sport. So we'll have to wait and see. He's now earned all the "big" prizes, so we'll have to wait and see if there's anything personal he still wants to accomplish. The hardest-working skater the world has seen in years. A gold medal well-deserved and and Olympic Dream come true. This will be a Visa "Olympic Moments" commercial for years to come. Also just realized that Evan is the current title holder for all 3 major competitions (Worlds, GPF, Olympics). WOW! Has any other US man every done that? And he did it in the deepest and accomplished field of men's skaters ever.
Johnny - We'll see him skate next month. He's made it quite clear that Vancouver would be his last Olympics, but he really wasn't sure what would happen after this season. I think he came back into this season with a "season-by-season" view rather than long-term. Now, that he's had another very solid season that he's had fun skating in, I think he'll be ok with walking away now...but i think we can all agree that this season that Johnny proved to his fans, his critics, and himself that he still loves to skate. If anything, whether you love or hate him, Johnny taught us all that you should never change who you are to keep other people happy; you should always do something because you want to. He's provided us with one of the most magical/inspiring moments of his career this week when he backed it all up with what he did on the ice. For his fans, he provided us with an experience we've been hoping/wishing for him. And for his critics and the naysayers, he just put it behind him, went out on the ice and told them "you can kiss my @$$" in total Johnny Weir-style. As Scott Hamilton said, "If you want to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and Johnny just skated the skate."
A big "Thank You" goes out to these two men. They pushed each other. They kept figure skating interesting. They grew up in front of us. They've taken us on some incredible journeys. And I'd like to think, that it's because of them that the US now has one of the deepest fields in men's skating. To top it off, so many up-and-coming skaters in the US AND internationally really look up to these two, and have expressed in the the past that either/or both Lysacek and Weir are their favorites or role models. That really says a lot about what these two have done for their sport. Finally, they both had the skates of their lives on their sports biggest stage (i guess the correct term would be "ice") and they were genuinely happy with what they put out there. So regardless of what they both they decide, they long ago locked up their spots on my list of favorites.
------------
the other "old guys"
Jeremy - He'll be at Worlds. He came onto the scene later, and he's expressed that he's pretty sure he'll stick around for one more season. I don't doubt that we'll see him next season. He's really mastered the scoring system so he really has the ability to be one of the best.
Ryan - I'm assuming he'll be taking Evan's spot at worlds? He's said that this season will be it for him. I'll be sad to see him go. He always brought a huge smile to my face.
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- Mar 5, 2004
I am thankful to see a positive thread here. I wanted to offer my congrats to Evan on his gold medal in the other thread, but I was afraid of all the horrible backlash going on there. I am not a believer in quads being everything. Give me balance in skating. I am proud of all of our US guys. Johnny skated beautifully and Jeremy fought hard in his free skate. I imagine Evan will not be going to Worlds partly because of rehearsals for SOI. Very glad to know that Johnny & Jeremy will be there. I hope Ryan Bradley will have his chance to be there as well.
Looking to the future internationally, I'm pulling particularly for Taka (Kozuka) and Michal Brezina, too!
For the upcoming US men - Adam Rippon, Armin M., Keegan Messing, Jonathan Cassar (a spread eagle to die for). I've always had a soft spot for Steven Carriere, too.
Looking to the future internationally, I'm pulling particularly for Taka (Kozuka) and Michal Brezina, too!
For the upcoming US men - Adam Rippon, Armin M., Keegan Messing, Jonathan Cassar (a spread eagle to die for). I've always had a soft spot for Steven Carriere, too.
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- Nov 12, 2009
Gonna miss those two in men's skating in the US, that's for sure. I'm a big fan of Adam Rippon and Steven Carrierre though, plus there are more young up and comers that are sure to impress us in future years.
I've followed and been delighted by Johnny since Juniors and I am really going to miss him when he leaves the sport. His elegance, his humor and wit and his general fabulousness, but I know he will still be in the public eye in some capacity. My husband makes fun of me and says that I am in love with Johnny Weir and I say no... he is like the other son I never had. (I have a 24 yr old who is also a Cancer like Johnny so maybe I just "get" his wit and tenaciousness.) If anything though I am just saddened that the media and the judges seem to have gone out of their way all these years to marginalize him and I don't blame him a bit for some of his comments...at least he had the guts to say what he thought and didn't play their game. I think this Olympics he has shown remarkable restraint (with the exception of the Inman comments) and has been a gracious and compelling competitor. He has elevated the sport in my opinion.
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
As much as I want to see Adam's SP one more time this season, I'm glad Johnny is staying for one more event. Hopefully a good showing by Gaga and JAbb (he will redeem himself in Torino, mark my words) can give the US 3 spots for next season (meaning Jeremy, Adam, and maybe Brandon).
Thank you Johnny.
Sometimes tragedy paves the way for the greatest triumphs. Your Olympic program moved me like no other has since Sasha Cohen skated to Romeo and Juliet four years ago, and experienced her own triumph mixed with tragedy. Your program and hers will be enjoyed by me for the rest of my life as two of the greatest moments in figure skating.
Good luck to you in all that you do.
Sometimes tragedy paves the way for the greatest triumphs. Your Olympic program moved me like no other has since Sasha Cohen skated to Romeo and Juliet four years ago, and experienced her own triumph mixed with tragedy. Your program and hers will be enjoyed by me for the rest of my life as two of the greatest moments in figure skating.
Good luck to you in all that you do.
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