Jason Brown's US Nationals senior debut - opinions/constructive comments?

[Auntie]

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2...ews/701269979/

Scroll down the article to read about Jason and Kori. She sounds like a thoughtful, fantastic coach.

I really enjoyed Jason and my only (very slight) criticism is that there is something gangly about his lower arms/hands that I find distracting, specifically in the parts of his program where he does lots of fast arm waving. Maybe he's got a bit of a puppy thing going and just needs to grow into his hands.

[dupagegal]

Lets let the boy grow and mature before we put a gold medal around his neck!

[Yazmeen]

Here is the article with the Evan comments. Forgive me, but it's Phil Hersh! That said, great article.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...globetrotting/

And add me as another Jason fan, he is marvelous.

[DORISPULASKI]

Jason grew 4 or 5 inches this last year, so it's not surprising he has the "puppy hasn't quite grown into his paws yet" look. I just hope he doesn't grow too much, to where it makes it more difficult to get the 3A and 4T :worry:

BTW, I love the fact that when he ends his Let It Snow ex in Dallas, he does a snow angel on the ice.

I'd be very sorry if he went too much further towards a balletic look--so often that is the road to cookie cutter boredom for me. His extension and line is quite good enough for me right now.

[gkelly]

The only constructive criticism I might have is with one of his camel spins-one of his position is pretty radical, and you say to yourself is that a camel spin or an upright spin at this point? I think in the SP? However, I really liked the spin; it just didn't COPize perfectly. So I'd advise when he's doing a cool new move to have it checked out for COP compatibility with one of the experts before he gets too far into a season.

You mean the second position in the final combiantion spin here?

2011 US Nationals (Senior) SP Baliwood by King Circle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaTW6dT3Yjc

That has to be intended as an upright spin because all three basic positions are required in the short program and are required for higher than level 1 in the senior long program.

I can see where there might be some room for confusion, though. Since the tech panel awarded the level, they must not have been confused.

Nice that he can get level 4 without relying on more position changes than necessary and fit the spin positions to the music/choreo theme.

Thanks for the links, BTW.

[barbk]

Kori Ade sounds really interesting -- and she coaches at four different rinks (possibly because freestyle ice time is scarce?):

A self-confessed science nerd with a degree in forensic skeletal biology, Ade has a different way of relating to male skaters.
“Boys are told from the beginning that they are tough and they just need to do it,” Ade said. “I try to coach them the way they are socialized. I tell them that they can't be afraid of this experience. I don't walk on eggshells with any of my skaters, but especially not with my boys.”
She harnesses a pack mentality that she feels boys tend to harbor by giving her male skaters semiprivate group lessons where they feed off each other's energy. Ade has also developed what she calls TAPS, or total athlete performance seminars, that her skaters attend as a team. Topics covered include nutrition, visualization and sports psychology.


Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2...#ixzz1D0XGFhj8

[PUNKPRINCESS]

BTW, I love the fact that when he ends his Let It Snow ex in Dallas, he does a snow angel on the ice.

I'd be very sorry if he went too much further towards a balletic look--so often that is the road to cookie cutter boredom for me. His extension and line is quite good enough for me right now.

I LOVE YOU.

Not that I am anti-ballet (not at alllll), but I hate how certain people demand it in figure skating...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2...ews/701269979/

Scroll down the article to read about Jason and Kori. She sounds like a thoughtful, fantastic coach.

Yes, I agree. Wow, the coach is a science nerd, and she's pretty and nice? I like her!

With the problems caused by his growth, Brown and Ade, his coach for 11 years, decided to put off trying the triple axel for another season.

That's from the Hersh article, and that strikes me as very wise, though I'm no expert. Of course we'll know how well that works out only by waiting and watching.

I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much because I don't want to experience the other possibility...

[Ziggy]

I'd be very sorry if he went too much further towards a balletic look--so often that is the road to cookie cutter boredom for me. His extension and line is quite good enough for me right now.

I didn't say that Brown should skate in a balletic style. He can skate in any style he wants to.

But a ballet teacher could teach him how to move his arms properly. Because at the moment his arm movements are a bit floppy and messy.

Not that I am anti-ballet (not at alllll), but I hate how certain people demand it in figure skating...

Again, I'm not sure what do you mean exactly but whilst it would obviously be very boring if every skater skated in a balletic style, ballet training is a perfect base for skating.

It teaches correct posture and body lines, improves core strength and flexibility.

[floskate]

I didn't say that Brown should skate in a balletic style. He can skate in any style he wants to.

But a ballet teacher could teach him how to move his arms properly. Because at the moment his arm movements are a bit floppy and messy.



Again, I'm not sure what do you mean exactly but whilst it would obviously be very boring if every skater skated in a balletic style, ballet training is a perfect base for skating.

It teaches correct posture and body lines, improves core strength and flexibility.

With his level of flexibility - his russian splits, split flip and split falling leaf are as good as it gets for a guy, lets face it - I'd be shocked if he didn't take ballet already. I would think he perhaps takes Jazz too judging by his exhibitions and SP's.

[Cheylana]

At the risk of sounding obsessive I'll add my little Jason story to the pile. The day before the men's SP, my sister and I spotted Jason on the concourse (thank goodness for the ponytail!). Having seen his junior men's FS last year, as well as his sectionals performances, we were already highly interested in him, so we went to say hi. We gushed about how we love his skating, and he was so gracious - he was beaming and kept saying "thank you!" My sister then asked for an autograph, and he said, "Sure - anything!" So my sly sister said, "Oh, well, in that case, can we get a photo too?" He laughed and said "sure!" After the FS, we again spotted him on the concourse and stopped by really quickly just to tell him how much we enjoyed his performances, and again he was super-gracious in thanking us.

So not only do I love the boy's skating, I love his personality - he seems like the perfect combination of confidence and down-to-earthiness. Not at all arrogant or thinking he was above talking to the fans.

[Ziggy]

With his level of flexibility - his russian splits, split flip and split falling leaf are as good as it gets for a guy, lets face it - I'd be shocked if he didn't take ballet already. I would think he perhaps takes Jazz too judging by his exhibitions and SP's.

Oh yeah he most likely does. His posture is quite decent, he's very flexible, musical. I was just being nitpicky about one thing that I think could get better because nobody is perfect.

[Mayra]

Jason Brown has to be the biggest breath of fresh air I've seen in skating in a long time.

That performance deserves it's own thread and the gushing that goes along with it. Thanks for the link Sylvia!

[shine]

His LP made me cry. Loved the constant moving and the final circular footwork. The last 3lutz and 3flip/2toe/2loop were just glorious. How incredible is it to have delivered a classic like that already at 15?
I don't really agree with the criticism of his arms. I think with all the choreography he has with them, they seem surprisingly controlled. He was able to project without looking messy.
His musicality, style of movement, skating skills, flow and transitions are a dream. And I'm already sounding like an ueber. But I'm afraid to love him. Will he grow into a great champion or will he become one of those artistic headcases I've loved over the years? A lot of the times they seem mutually exclusive.

[CantALoop]

He doesn't need to be balletic, but I don't like gangliness either - which is what prevented me from getting into Evan's skating because I found so many of his limb positions unnatural and awkward.

I have no background in dance, but I'm pretty sure that there's some way that Jason can use his arms and body with the same amount of expressiveness but with even more command and commitment to the movement. He's still young though, I'm sure he'll find his definite style with time , but what a starting point!

[peibeck]

I had seen Jason previously in comps on IN, but Greensboro is where I first got to see him skate live. I had always enjoyed his skating before, but now I am an UBER! Honestly, the electricity in the building during his skate and the reception was on par with Shen/Zhou's 2003 Worlds program.

His free skate was THE performance at Nationals for me... and there were a lot of great performances (even some from skaters who were nowhere near the podium but who gave personal bests! ) to be enjoyed.

I have to admit I am even more amazed now after reading that Hersh article that he has had such a growth spurt this season. Such things are always making it difficult for skaters to retain their jumps, but I am hopeful that it is nearing it's end and he will begin working on that 3A.

If I were to make any constuctive suggestions to make his skating more fabulous, I guess they would be a few "simple" things: more tension in his arms/hands/fingers, especially during footwork sequences. Use all of the rink - sometimes he is a good 3-5 feet away from the ends when doing crossovers before jumps. Get further down into his knees for more speed and deeper edges (not that either are poor right now).

Other than both being from Illinois, I don't really see anything in Jason's skating that reminds me of Evan's style-wise. Evan's programs seemed rather intense and often frenetic to me; Jason's programs seem far more lyrical. He reminds me more of Kozuka than Lysacek.

If he does decide to try other choreographers I hope he chooses Tom Dickson to work with; I think that would be a wonderful match.

[orbitz]

The back split into 3sal is fantastic. So is his sit cross-foot spin.

Jason reminds me of Robert Waggonhoffer.

[Jammers]

I would imagine growth spurts aren't as deadly to the guys as they are to the ladies. Men just get bigger and stronger but the girls bodies change in ways that a guy doesn't have to worry about.

[museksk8r]

His LP made me cry. Loved the constant moving and the final circular footwork. The last 3lutz and 3flip/2toe/2loop were just glorious. How incredible is it to have delivered a classic like that already at 15?
I don't really agree with the criticism of his arms. I think with all the choreography he has with them, they seem surprisingly controlled. He was able to project without looking messy.
His musicality, style of movement, skating skills, flow and transitions are a dream. And I'm already sounding like an ueber. But I'm afraid to love him. Will he grow into a great champion or will he become one of those artistic headcases I've loved over the years? A lot of the times they seem mutually exclusive.

Le sigh, I know exactly what you mean! Jason also has an adoring fan in me. He was my favorite of the freshmen class at Senior Nationals! Sadly, the judges on the senior level are never going to give him the nod if he doesn't acquire a 3Axel. I believe Brown can do it though! I love his coach's strategy to work on his basic skating skills prior to adding a potential 3Axel or quad jump. There are so many men who only think about the big jumps and completely neglect the art and difficulty of actually learning how to skate well. For me, it doesn't leave a good impression if your jumps "are like gravy," yet you slowly and laboriously move across the ice like a dying walrus or have the flat, cheesy choreographic vision of a 6 year old.

[dinakt]

I have zero criticism. Jason is amazingly gifted, and I adore his skating.
Nationals was the highlight, but apart from a little inconsistency at this year's JGP ( and he might be the type to peak later in the season), he seems to have a great head on his shoulders, as well.
So just wishing him health, and to be nurtured and not overwhelmed. Go Jason

[Skate Talker]

Thanks to the buzz here on FSU I watched Jason's performances at Nationals and you can add me to his fan list. Not only was his skating thoroughly entertaining, but his skate blades have a connection to the ice and exceptional power for someone his age. In my mind, if making any comparison of his basic skating and how his blades just sing on the ice, I would have to go with a likeness to Patrick Chan for skating skills, rather than Kozuka - particularly because of the power, since I think both Chan and Kozuka have edges to die for. It seems an almost organic way of skating to me.