Weir to sit out 2010-11 season

[discoduck]

I'm not surprised to hear this but I'm going to miss seeing Johnny compete this season. Best of luck to him and I really hope he comes back next year but somehow I doubt it.

[Jenny]

I don't think Johnny will come back. I think he is happy doing his t.v. show and rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebrities.

Sadly I think his 15 minutes are over though - the post Olympic momentum is gone, and unless he's made some *really* good friends along the way or makes a serious splash with his song or book, then I believe the invitations and freebies will start to dwindle, if they aren't already. I do hope he has a back up plan.

[senorita]

Hey! Brian has actually really decent edges, I am not sure they are worse then Johnny's. He is simply not using them that much... Not that Johnny made much use of them during the last seasons.

Hey, I didnt say Jouby has better or worse edges, than that Johnny skates more smoothly than the rest! It was by no means a negative post, well except the personality stuff Just to enhance that Johnny was not a mediocre skater.

[igniculus]

Nice picture.

ITA!

[museksk8r]

You are aware that "great" and "interesting" are both subjective assessments, right? And that no matter how many times you state these opinions as facts, they are still opinions? And that the Olympic judges apparently don't agree with you?

I wasn't aware I had expressed my opinion as a fact, BUTT since you know my thought processes better than I do, it must be true. I don't need the Olympic judges to agree with me to make my opinion be valid. Many others share my opinion that Lysacek isn't great or interesting. I've lost count of how many others have also said that he is boring and bland.

[BittyBug]

Psssst. This thread is about Johnny Weir.

[Jaana]

Well I'm not Jaana, but my impression is that she believes the GP Final is a "major international competition" --

I don´t see GPF as a major international competition, but it is more important than just a GP competition. I added Abbott to the list, because he is currently a two time US champion and a 2008 GPF champion. His achievements are more recent than Weir´s 2008 WC bronze medal.

[REO]

You can twist anything to include just what you want to prove your point. The fact is Weir is a great and popular skater no matter how many medals of what color and what competition he has. He has often stated that his popularity exceeds his accomplishments. So all the grasping for negativity aside he will be missed this year and his contributions to skating have been significant.

[Winnipeg]

I think Johnny has more lucrative options than competing in 2010/11 - good for him!

[sk8er1964]

I don´t see GPF as a major international competition, but it is more important than just a GP competition. I added Abbott to the list, because he is currently a two time US champion and a 2008 GPF champion. His achievements are more recent than Weir´s 2008 WC bronze medal.

That still doesn't make sense. If you look at major internationals where they competed head-to-head, and also include the most recent GPFs where they also went head to head, Weir beats Abbot in almost every single segment by pretty wide margins placement-wise. The only place Abbott has been able to beat Weir internationally is at that one GPF where he skated pretty much as near of a perfect long program as someone can get under CoP - and he hasn't been able to repeat that under the pressure of international competition since.

2010 Olympics:

Short: Weir 6th, Abbott 15th. Long: Weir 6th, Abbott 9th

2008 Worlds:

Short: Weir 2nd, Abbott 14th. Long: Weir 5th, Abbott 10th.

2009 Grand Prix Final:

Short: Weir 2nd, Abbott 5th. Long: Abbott 2nd, Weir 4th.

2008 Grand Prix Final:

Short: Abbott 2nd, Weir 4th. Long: Abbott 1st, Weir 2nd

I'm no Weir uber (although I do like his skating), but saying that Abbott is stronger internationally than Weir just makes no sense to me. To each his own, I guess.

[Iceman]

Where will Johnny be sitting this season out? NJ ? Johnny had the potential to be a great skater but, for whatever reasons, imo he never quite got there. I can't see him re-igniting the passion or going through the grind again to continue competing. He filled his head with negative garbage, looking outside himself to explain not achieving what he thought he should. Even if what he thought had some truth in it, that only holds one back from getting to the top and staying there. If he had really stepped up to the plate, I think the judges would have given him his due.

[Carolla5501]

Sasha's comeback was a total flop though, lets be honest. I mean she said a bunch of stuff how it was all personal, she didnt regret it, who knows maybe she is telling the truth, but I have a hard time believing that was what she had in mind. .

When I saw the look on her face after the Ladies Long at Nationals... she knew it wasn't enough, she knew that the crowd was not on it's feet for (yes a lot of people did stand, but IMHO they stood to honor the career, not that skate), she just knew....

And she didn't look like "this is a great moment" I have seen her look elated at her skating etc... This was much more bittersweet.

What I have felt with Johnny is that while he "claims" to be happy with his skating etc this season he was bitterly disappointed. (The whining about "they wouldn't let two Americans on the podium") I don't think he would any happier (and maybe less so) with a result like Sasha's comeback.

[OliviaPug]

Not surprised. Johnny is busy doing other things and he probably just feels like he needs a break from the competitive skating grind. He's young. I don't blame him. I only hope, if he chooses to come back for the following season, that he finds the comeback satisfying.

O-

[taf2002]

Sadly I think his 15 minutes are over though - the post Olympic momentum is gone, and unless he's made some *really* good friends along the way or makes a serious splash with his song or book, then I believe the invitations and freebies will start to dwindle, if they aren't already. I do hope he has a back up plan.

I have seen this 15 minutes comment a number of times & it's just not true. Johnny may or may not have fulfilled his potential...that's a matter of opinion. But he has had a fairly long career with lots of successes. He was not a flash in the pan.

[Carolla5501]

I have seen this 15 minutes comment a number of times & it's just not true. Johnny may or may not have fulfilled his potential...that's a matter of opinion. But he has had a fairly long career with lots of successes. He was not a flash in the pan.

I think it's more in reference to the "Rest" of the act....

(See the photo on the Hersh article)

I could be wrong, but I think most skating fans would consider him to have been around for a while and not a "one time 15 minute wonder" To me that's the skater who shows up at Nationals once and does GREAT and then becomes a "whatever happened to" post.

[HisWeirness]

More from Johnny about his announcement:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/dai...donna-did.html

[Carolla5501]

"To be honest, I just want to go somewhere where I can wear a white Speedo. "

Oh Dear... those are photos I don't need to see!

[REO]

He shouldn't wear a white one until he has a good tan. After that bring on the twitpic. lol
Thanks for that article HisWeirness.

[Margaret]

Assuming that he would come back next season, what is the procedure? Would there be any bureaucratic obstacles? Would he get GP assignments?

[orbitz]

"To be honest, I just want to go somewhere where I can wear a white Speedo. "

Oh Dear... those are photos I don't need to see!

There's Miami Beach, Fire Island, etc....numerous beaches where he can wear a thong mesh speedo if his heart desires