The Joshua and Jason Uber Thread!

[misskarne]

By request, since we were kinda taking over the US Men's thread in GSD.


Continuation of conversation re: Jason's new music...

Gack I'm so jealous. I wish I could see Jason's Liebestraume live! I wonder if he'll wear a lavender costume which seems to be the "signature" color to wear when skating to Liebestraume, that would be erm interesting, but I'm sure Jason could still manage to make it look cute/manly. A darker purple could definitely work.

I don't know if Jason would look all that good in lavender, but then again, I would have said the same thing about Artur Gachinski before last season, and not only did he make the lavender look masculine, he made it look sexy, too.

It should certainly be a pastel colour or white, just because of the beautiful flowing music. I think we might see a detour from his tight-fitting costumes towards a more blousy sort of one for this.

I'm kind of curious to know what he's going to wear for the short.


And to make this Josh-related too, it's apparently got warm in Colorado....

My trainer just made me work out outside in 90 degree weather. I'm so looking forward to a VERY cold shower lol.

From Josh's twitter

Only 32 degrees? Josh, you sook.

I could post my immediate thoughts about this tweet...but he's only 17...

[Jammers]

I hope Jason gets the triple axel this year. Without it he's just another Rippon with slightly more skating skills. Still i hope both of these kids keep improving because what is passing for Senior men in the US right now isn't going to get it done.

[pinky166]

I hope Jason gets the triple axel this year. Without it he's just another Rippon with slightly more skating skills. Still i hope both of these kids keep improving because what is passing for Senior men in the US right now isn't going to get it done.

Agree! Unless Ricky gets it together in competition, Ross has success putting a quad in his program, and Adam can clean up his 3a and get that 4s so it's consistently rotated, these 2 might have a good shot at making the 2014 Olympic team, especially if there are 3 spots on it. 2018 may be more their time, but no one has really stepped it up, and Johnny and Jeremy are kind of getting old. Maybe someone will come out of nowhere a la Gracie Gold but idk who this would be. Maybe Max Aaaron if he really does have 2 quads as I have heard, or maybe Keegan if he can come consistent, idk. I really hope Josh starts trying the 4t in his competitive FS this season, might as well just try getting it out there, if he has even some success with it, that coupled with the strength of his 3a and spins could really make him a contender for Sochi, even though it seems like USFS is trying to hone these two more for 2018.

[misskarne]

I hope Jason gets the triple axel this year. Without it he's just another Rippon with slightly more skating skills. Still i hope both of these kids keep improving because what is passing for Senior men in the US right now isn't going to get it done.

I think he's already far better than Rippon, but I digress. He really does need it this year or people are going to start throwing him into the "not good enough" basket, even with his stunning skating skills and gorgeous presentation. Every other jump of his is rock-solid and stable. Hell, he even does an entry into a 3S that I've never seen before. It baffles me how this "problem" occurs.

Can't wait to see the results from this little competition, it might tell us a bit about how he's tracking...but of course, I'm more interested in the protocols.

[aftershocks]

^^ Maybe Jason and his coach Kori Ade are perfectionists when it comes to technical elements as well as polished presentation skills. It could be that they have focused on the goal of having the 3-axel be as consistent as possible for Jason before just throwing it out there at 50% or even 75% and having JB hit it or miss it. Obviously, he's been working hard on mastering that elusive and demanding extra revolution.

With Jason's amazing talent, as a fan I'm entirely willing to wait until JB and his coach feel ready to debut his 3-axel. After all, he's head and shoulders above most juniors and many seniors with his prodigious talents. Not to mention his effervescent personality, which I hope he never loses.

Kudos for all your hard work, Jason. I enjoyed seeing you take part as a skater in some of the YAS3 challenges. Good luck for the upcoming season! Know you and Rohene, with a little help from Prince and Liszt, will knock it out of the ballpark/ skating rink.

[pinky166]

Random tidbit but Josh got a trampoline with his prize money. Tim Dolensky posted a video of Josh jumping on it...without a shirt, lol, who was the poster that wanted to see him without a shirt on? If you're his FB friend then now you can! It looks like he was trying a 4sal or 5sal on it but came down backwards, making it a 3.5 or 4.5 trampoline salchow . Hah but I wonder if this means Dolensky has moved his training base to CO springs or is doing summer training there because the two of them have been posting pictures and videos of the other on FB. Hmm interesting.

[misskarne]

^^ Maybe Jason and his coach Kori Ade are perfectionists when it comes to technical elements as well as polished presentation skills. It could be that they have focused on the goal of having the 3-axel be as consistent as possible for Jason before just throwing it out there at 50% or even 75% and having JB hit it or miss it. Obviously, he's been working hard on mastering that elusive and demanding extra revolution.

I seem to recall reading in an article about Jason once that that was effectively the plan; get it perfect first, then put it in. It doesn't surprise me, but it doesn't make me any less baffled about it, haha.

Still, the fact that he tried it at Glacier Falls last year is encouraging, because it must mean that he's super close. Hopefully at Glacier Falls this year we shall see that he is landing it - because I'm sure that when he does get it, it's going to be a gorgeous jump.

Random tidbit but Josh got a trampoline with his prize money. Tim Dolensky posted a video of Josh jumping on it...without a shirt, lol, who was the poster that wanted to see him without a shirt on? If you're his FB friend then now you can! Hah but I wonder if this means Dolensky has moved his training base to CO springs or is doing summer training there because the two of them have been posting pictures and videos of the other on FB. Hmm interesting.

.............................

...........................................

I need to be his FB friend. How does one do that? (lol I am a Twitter fiend, but Facebook baffles me.)

I can't wait for January, when I will feel marginally less creepy...

Also, trampoline. Proving that there is a little kid in all of us!

[skatesindreams]

aftershocks,
entire post:

[misskarne]

Clearly the trampoline couldn't handle Josh's awesomeness....

Arrrrrgggg I got a trampoline the other day and three days later stretched the springs! 80$ to fix. @%#$&!&@#$%&!

Whoopsie. I would have thought warranty would have covered it, but maybe warranties on trampolines don't extend to over-excited 17 year old figure skaters trying goodness-knows-how-many-revs jumps...

On the flip side, I hope he's careful. One of the players on my football team is now out for the rest of the season (which runs til September!) because of a trampoline accident.

[aftershocks]

Prince's The Question of U (Jason's sp selection):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0chSfulKuu8

Has some similar rhythmic qualities to Blues for Klook, altho' the Prince music is Pop/ Rock, not Jazz.

ETA: I would say tho' there are definitely jazz roots/ influences in this song/ music by Prince

[misskarne]

Prince's The Question of U (Jason's sp selection):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0chSfulKuu8

Has some similar rhythmic qualities to Blues for Klook, altho' the Prince music is Pop/ Rock, not Jazz.

Cheers for the link! *still does not like*

This is the moment where I just throw my hands in the air and put my faith in Kori, Rohene and Jason to make this awful music work for him...

Although, this redeems the music choice somewhat:

It's slicker than I've done before. It's a different genre than I've ever done: smooth and cool."

(From the icenetwork article)

Hands up if you can't wait to see Jason being "smooth and cool"!

[aftershocks]

Jason is young yet, but I believe he's "the real thing." Young man has got skills, range, finesse, charisma and lots of it. To me, even in his young career, he's shown that he can skate to anything. Jason's talent and Rohene's choreo -- a match made in fs Heaven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tud0...feature=relmfu 2010 sp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEh0bm-oRtM 2010 Junior Nats fp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaTW6...feature=relmfu 2011 sp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G94pHGvq3Fs 2011 fp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2H-dV6aww4 2012 sp (Nats)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xAG9G_m_IM 2011 JGPF sp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYtxwK2wJrg 2011 fp (Flow like water) JGPF gold medalist

And young Josh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSKli...feature=relmfu 2010 Nats
Even then he had those longest forever legs (somewhat like Abt and Lysacek).

Josh's 2011-12 Clair de Lune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXa3I...feature=relmfu (I'm so glad he got new coaches after 2011 Nats)

Josh's 2012 fp at JWC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVpYl...eature=related

Josh's original 2011-12 fp selection (different music and costume):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3YfsuiKZg

[Wyliefan]

They have to have a joint thread? Are threads more expensive than they used to be?

[aftershocks]

Two for the price of one?

Guess they are sharing their own thread partly b/c they are the two brightest lights coming up in the U.S. among the men currently in the Junior/ Senior transitional stage. Plus they are contemporaries who will probably (from all current evidence) be rivals for years to come. They are apparently friendly with each other, enormously talented and fun to watch as their senior eligible careers take-off.

Good luck to both and may they enjoy excellent careers and equally generous support from their Federation, and from fans.

[ChelleC]

Prince's The Question of U (Jason's sp selection):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0chSfulKuu8

Has some similar rhythmic qualities to Blues for Klook, altho' the Prince music is Pop/ Rock, not Jazz.

Love it! I cannot wait to see the program.

[aftershocks]

^^ Yes, me too. I do notice definite jazz roots/ influences in this Prince song/ music.

BTW, Prince recently celebrated a birthday and in tribute the below site posted a selection of top ten Prince songs:

http://theurbandaily.com/1213035/top-10-prince-songs/ (Kiss & Purple Rain are on the list).

[sk8ingcoach]

I just hope that Josh can win the big events this year, and not fall in the long program. He could have easily won Junior worlds and the Final last season

[aftershocks]

^^ Yes, me too. I do notice definite jazz roots/ influences in this Prince song/ music.

BTW, Prince recently celebrated a birthday and in tribute the below site posted a selection of top ten Prince songs:

http://theurbandaily.com/1213035/top-10-prince-songs/ (Kiss & Purple Rain are on the list).

ETA: Hmmm, apparently a lot of Prince's music is blocked from youtube because he sued -- doesn't want his music on there reportedly.

[misskarne]

Jason is young yet, but I believe he's "the real thing." Young man has got skills, range, finesse, charisma and lots of it. To me, even in his young career, he's shown that he can skate to anything. Jason's talent and Rohene's choreo -- a match made in fs Heaven.

Jason and Josh make me stupidly excited. You could hear it in the crowd when they gave Jason a standing ovation at 2011 Nationals - they knew they were seeing something special. I think for me it's about the quality of movement and the range of expression. Mishin once said of Plushenko that he was a skater who could play any character or any story. I reckon the same is true of Jason. This is why while I am about the Prince music, I'm also because it will unquestionably amazing to watch. Just...maybe I'll watch it on mute.

I notice Jason is settling into a fairly distinct pattern with his programs though - the short is always fast and energetic, and the long is usually slower and more expressive.

SPs
2010 - Hey Pachuco
2011 - Baliwood
2012 - Grand Guignol
2013 - Prince

LPs
2010 - Pas de Duex from Nutcracker
2011 - Puccini's Violin Fantasy on Turandot
2012 - Flow Like Water
2013 - Liebestraume

Josh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXa3I...feature=relmfu (I'm so glad he got new coaches after 2011 Nats)

Josh's 2012 fp at JWC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVpYl...eature=related

Josh's original 2011-12 fp selection (different music and costume):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3YfsuiKZg

The difference in Josh's skating since he left Z and came under Damon Allen and Christy Krall has been incredible. His Clair de Lune SP was simply breathtaking - especially the JW edition. That's not the sort of direction he was getting before. Apparently he also choreographed part of Clair de Lune himself!

He has the long, long legs and such really lovely soft arms, and it's a gorgeous combination. Unlike Lysacek and more like Abt he always seems to be in control of his long limbs, though. And for an American, his jumps are simply divine.

Transformers was the only mistake he and his team made all season. It's a shame, but choreographically it was a bit of a mess and he was just never able to keep up with it properly. The Rach LP was a much better program and he carried it off beautifully.

They have to have a joint thread? Are threads more expensive than they used to be?

It just seems to be my experience so far that fans of one generally like or are fans of other

I was introduced to both properly at roughly the same time and now they're stuck together in my head!

Two for the price of one?

Guess they are sharing their own thread partly b/c they are the two brightest lights coming up in the U.S. among the men currently in the Junior/ Senior transitional stage. Plus they are contemporaries who will probably (from all current evidence) be rivals for years to come. They are apparently friendly with each other, enormously talented and fun to watch as their senior eligible careers take-off.

Good luck to both and may they enjoy excellent careers and equally generous support from their Federation, and from fans.

If there's a rivalry, I don't think it's going to be a bitter one.

Also, just because:

Josh and Jason tour the food at the Junior Worlds banquet

I just hope that Josh can win the big events this year, and not fall in the long program. He could have easily won Junior worlds and the Final last season

Well, he nearly DID win Junior Worlds...he only missed by half a point and honestly the overall presentation was on a higher standard than Han Yan's...Yan got him on the TES with the quad.

The main one I want Josh to get this year is Senior Nationals. I think he'll be itching for it too. He's never quite strung it together at the Senior level there (2011 excused, of course), but it would be nice to see him own it and see where he ended up. I suspect he could knock off just about everyone if he really turned it on.

ETA: Hmmm, apparently a lot of Prince's music is blocked from youtube because he sued -- doesn't want his music on there reportedly.

I really hope this doesn't mean that Jason's SP videos are going to be blocked on YT!

[pinky166]

They have to have a joint thread? Are threads more expensive than they used to be?

Haven't you heard? This is EVAN-JOHNNY 2.0

Just kidding

Anyways, LOVE the 2010 vids, they both skated so fantastically and they are both SO CUTE, Jason is so tiny and Josh with his round baby face and long bambi legs is equally adorable. Great jumps. Josh really mastered his tech at an early age didn't he? Doing 3a in competition at barely 15 (mastered by 14) and 3lz-3t at barely 14 (apparently mastered at age 12?!) seems pretty impressive/young to me. So I guess Tom Z did serve him some good, even though the coaching change was obviously a good move as his programs, not to mention his artistry, are both much better now. Plus his PCS have skyrocketed since the 2010-2011 season, and even then he qualified for the JGPF, it's just now his components are on-par with the likes of Rippon and Miner!

I hope Josh can skate well at Nationals, because if he can, I think he's on the podium, and depending on the state of his 4t could potentially snag a spot on the senior world team. Same goes for Jason if he can get the 3a and be rotating/landing it and going for it in the SP and 2 in the FS.

Idk what to think about Jason's SP music, but I'm sure the program will be cool and he'll pull it off well, he always does. I'm sure the FS will be gorgeous. I want to know Josh's new SP music so badly!! I wonder if it will be in the same vein as Clare de Lune or something very different.

The one upside to these guys staying on the JGP: shorter off-season!! We only need to wait until the end of August (or well maybe September depending on assignments) to see these two compete at legit competitions! Wahoo