What does Jeremy need to do for a comeback?

[museksk8r]

How can boot problems last this long?
If he's not comfortable in his boots now...what difference will 2 weeks at 4CC make? He'll bomb there, too.
He's a much better skater than this.
Is he contracted to this boot company? Surely it isn't good press for them to have him so unlike himself.
The spins are key- he's always been a great spinner- now this.
He also looks really unconditioned out there. Does he also have health issues?
Why hasn't he or his team got this under control?
I don't want him to become another Johnny- all that skill and talent gone to waste.

I've known of skaters with boot problems so bad to the point that it hampered their entire season. It's not always a quick fix. I don't know completely what is going on with Jeremy either, just that he did/does have boot problems, and more than anything, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I would want the same treatment if I were in his skates.

[jlai]

Funny how some are even questioning whether he really had/has a boot problem or not. Yeah, he's just making mistakes on his spins on purpose. I've NEVER seen Jeremy have the problems he's had this season on his spins before.

I don't remember anyone questioning boot problems. That said, Jeremy had issues with spin levels last season too when he had no boot issues, and I actually don't see his spins as noticeably worse this season. In fact, that upright flying spin looked good to me, level 4 or not.

Very few skaters get to win championships under perfect conditions. If they are not struggling against injury, it will be boot issues, lack of sleep, or some other thing that stands in the way. Skating your best despite despite less-than-perfect conditions is part of overcoming obstacles and problem solving--and I'd like to see Jeremy improve in that aspect.

And Jeremy is 25. Despite what others think, he's an adult and is not as fragile as he looks -- he can take some constructive criticism without any one jumping to his defense.

[centerpt1]

I've known of skaters with boot problems so bad to the point that it hampered their entire season. It's not always a quick fix

So what can we expect at 4CC? Not enough time, I'm guessing to resolve the problems. So why send him there so soon to fail?

[Kasey]

Land his jumps when it counts.

Yep, that should do it.

[neptune]

I have always wished for Jeremy to have more than a bronze at 4CC which was 07. How about a win?

Well, he's certainly due for better results, and I'm sure he'll be very motivated to skate well at 4CC. In addition, he won't have that much pressure on him.

At 25, Jeremy has more life experience than those 19 year-olds...

Unless he's spent all his non-skating time playing video games.

[stjeaskategym]

I don't think Abbott has to do anything differently. He just had a rough skate-- happens to everyone. A number of things could have caused it, the most important being that he's human. It's not normal to win three National titles in a row. None of the other skaters at that competition were skating under the pressure that Abbott was. I don't think he helps himself by tweeting the day of competitions either.

I would be sending Abbott to Worlds based on his track record, which is dramatically better than Miner's, and based on the fact that he finished with a nearly identical point total to Miner's. But the USFSA doesn't seem to want a new (and in my opinion better and more effective) selection process.

[chrysanthemum]

I think Jeremy need:
1. Right boots: I wish he can resolve the boots issue as soon as possible.
2. Healthy body: If he has any injury and so on, I hope he will recover as soon as possible.
3. Luck: I wish him all the best.
4. Mental toughness: Don’t be upset with a mistake that has already occurred in the middle of a performance. Don’t be scared even if you’re not under ideal condition. Believe in yourself! Be aggressive!
5. Orderly life: I am always worried about him when he tweets at midnight. And he gets sick too many times. He should control his health as much as he can.
6. Height of lutzs: Jeremy has the great edge of lutzs but his lutzs are generally very low.
7. To rethink combo jumps: I think the loop combo is not good for him.

And I think Jeremy has a tendency to cause a meltdown after standing ovation for a previous skater. For example, 2009 NHK FS: no big standing ovation but throwing too many flowers after Johnny; 2009 GPF SP: big standing ovation and throwing too many flowers after Daisuke; Olympic SP: After Evan; and this time: after Ross. He must not be distracted and nervous with a previous skater’s performance and score and a reaction from audience for the previous skater. His main competition is only himself.

He isn’t a perfect skater but I love Jeremy and his skating very much. I felt even the long program in the nationals was beautiful. I know every athlete has a bad day. I’m sure he will learn from this failure a lot. I always think, if he were smoothly qualified for Nationals in 2006, he might not become such a great skater. I think this experience will make him stronger, like the failure in 2006.

Good luck, Jeremy! Believe in yourself! You’re one of the best skaters in the world.

[aliceanne]

I agree with the posters who say he just had a bad skate. I think he's getting a handle on his nerves and sometimes you are just plain tired after a long competitive season.

The only thing I think he could do differently is get quads in his programs. The fact that he doesn't attempt them and others do puts enormous pressure on him to skate perfectly. Given his complex choreography (which I love) that is hard to do. COP nothwithstanding, overall impression counts and when a skater looks like they are struggling its got to affect their scores.

[manleywoman]

I agree with the posters who say he just had a bad skate. I think he's getting a handle on his nerves and sometimes you are just plain tired after a long competitive season.

The only thing I think he could do differently is get quads in his programs. The fact that he doesn't attempt them and others do puts enormous pressure on him to skate perfectly. Given his complex choreography (which I love) that is hard to do. COP nothwithstanding, overall impression counts and when a skater looks like they are struggling its got to affect their scores.

He has put quads in his programs several times.

[jlai]

I agree with the posters who say he just had a bad skate. I think he's getting a handle on his nerves and sometimes you are just plain tired after a long competitive season.

He's had issues with the second half of the long program all season long. It's not just one poor skate. I think this is mid-season, not the end of the season. I'd say his season got cut short if anything.

ANyway there's nothing he needs to do if he's happy with what he has already achieved. Im merely suggesting things to improve his chances at a world medal. I think world champs manage to skate well despite less-than-ideal conditions--sickness, lack of sleep, injury, boot issues, etc. etc. It's just as much an exercise in overcoming obstacles as skating well.

[skatesindreams]

If you need a reminder of how great Jeremy can be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJorSTaB59I&hd=1

A Quad; and so much more.
I'll never "give up" on a skater who can do programs like this.

[Cheylana]

Arrrrgh, I'm still a little traumatized from seeing Jeremy's drop to fourth... live.

I think when Jeremy has a rough skate, he's gotta stay in point-gathering mode. Case in point, the level 1 spin after the fall on the lutz. When Evan Lysacek and Jeff Buttle's jumps went to hell, they still made sure to rack up points with the spins and steps instead of allowing biffed jumps to affect those comparatively "easy" elements.

[manleywoman]

My personal opinion: his LPs tend to be very complex and introspective. Which if you are a skating fan of the arteests is great. In other words, I love his programs. But I wonder since he does tend to pick more obscure music and tell more complicated stories if it's too hard for many fans and judges to "get" his programs. As much as I don't want to push anyone towards overused music (Turandot/Carmen/Phantom/etc) I wonder if he picked something at least a little less obscure if that would help. THe Life is Beautiful LP is great, but really needs to be skated perfectly to be appreciated by judges.

[aliceanne]

He has put quads in his programs several times.

He didn't this season, and the others did.

[Vash01]

I think the time off from this year's worlds may work for him. He has been competing for a long time. This will allow him to not think about the pressure so much. He can come back strong next season, or he may even want to take one season off, then make a run at making the Olympic team. He should get a solid quad though, in order to stay competitive.

[judgejudy27]

If you need a reminder of how great Jeremy can be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJorSTaB59I&hd=1

A Quad; and so much more.
I'll never "give up" on a skater who can do programs like this.

He should have produced that performance in a big event the last 2 years when Lysacek was winning. Today it would do nothing against the likes of Patrick Chan skating like he did at Canadians or Takahashi skating to his potential.

[Sylvia]

My simple answer: I think that as long as Jeremy stays true to himself as a person and to the "vision" he has for his own skating, he will be just fine.

[ChibiChibi]

He didn't this season, and the others did.

I think it's probably because he had boots problems this season. I remember reading it somewhere....

[RobinA]

To me he comes across as having a nerve problem. He looks like a deer in headlights before the program. He comes out and starts off kind of stiff jumpwise. A couple jumps go well and he's great. He muffs the first or second jump and things go to h*ll in a handbasket. I also think he is a bit undermarked for what he is doing. I mean, Bradley? He seems like a nice guy, but...

I think in this case Bradley psyched Abbott out with the "two quads" talk when Abbott wasn't doing a quad. All that quad counting at the beginning of the telecast, none of the counted skaters came anywhere near a quad, and you could have bet good money they wouldn't have, as none of them have anywhere consistent quads. Had Abbott skated last, I bet he would have done a whole lot better.

[Cheylana]

He didn't this season, and the others did.

Well, he did attempt a 4T at Cup of Russia but fell on it. The quad just wasn't working for him this year.