U.S. Men in 2017 - articles & latest news

[Sylvia]

Time for a new thread before 2017 Junior & Senior Worlds...

U.S. Men on ISU Season Best (SB) total scores lists after 4CC:

Grand Prix (7 men, 13 slots): Chen, Brown, Rippon, Aaron, Hochstein, Miner, Dolensky
Challenger Series (12 men, 16 assignments): 7 above + Johnson, Rabbitt, Hiwatashi, Torgashev, Zhou
JGP (11 men, 14 slots): 2 for Krasnozhon, Zhou & Torgashev; 1 each for Hiwatashi, Shum, Sjoberg, Pulkinen, Hubbart, Melnyk, Savary, Liu
Post-Nationals Senior B (2): Zhou, Moeller
= 21 men total

Bavarian Open & Challenge Cup scores are included (italicized below) even though they don't count as ISU SB scores.

ISU Season Best Total scores (Senior/Junior):
307.46 Nathan Chen 4CC 2017, 1st *ISU PB*; next: Worlds
282.85 Nathan Chen Grand Prix Final 2016/17, 2nd
268.91 Nathan Chen NHK Trophy 2016, 2nd
268.38 Jason Brown Skate America 2016, 2nd; next: Worlds
267.53 Adam Rippon Trophee de France 2016, 3rd *ISU PB*
264.80 Nathan Chen Trophee de France 2016
261.43 Adam Rippon Skate America 2016, 3rd
256.49 Jason Brown CS Lombardia Trophy 2016, 2nd
256.44 Nathan Chen CS Finlandia Trophy 2016, 1st
254.04 Jason Brown CS US Int'l Classic 2016, 1st
248.24 Adam Rippon CS US Int'l Classic 2016, 3rd
247.81 Vincent Zhou Bavarian Open 2017, 1st
245.85 Jason Brown 4CC 2017, 6th
242.74 Max Aaron Cup of China 2016, 4th
235.72 Grant Hochstein 4CC 2017, 9th
235.58 Max Aaron Rostelecom Cup 2016, 5th
233.10 Adam Rippon Grand Prix Final 2016/17, 6th
226.53 Timothy Dolensky Skate America 2016, 8th *ISU PB*
226.39 (JR) Vincent Zhou JGP JPN 2016, 2nd *ISU PB* next: Jr. Worlds
226.13 Max Aaron CS Autumn Classic Int'l 2016, 3rd
223.60 (JR) Alexei Krasnozhon JGP CZE 2016, 2nd *ISU PB*; next: Jr. Worlds
219.42 Timothy Dolensky CS Golden Spin 2016, 6th
218.73 Max Aaron CS Lombardia Trophy 2016, 3rd
218.47 Jason Brown NHK Trophy 2016, 7th
217.25 Grant Hochstein CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2016, 3rd
214.48 Ross Miner CS US Int'l Classic 2016, 6th
213.92 (JR) Vincent Zhou JGP EST 2016, 3rd
213.34 Ross Miner Cup of China 2016, 9th
211.18 (JR) Alexei Krasnozhon JGP SLO 2016, 1st
209.66 Sean Rabbitt CS US Int'l Classic 2016, 7th *ISU PB*
208.85 (JR) Alexei Krasnozhon Junior Grand Prix Final, 5th
208.64 Alexander Johnson CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial 2016, 6th
207.49 Timothy Dolensky CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2016, 7th
204.91 (JR) Andrew Torgashev JGP RUS 2016, 2nd *ISU PB*; next: Jr. Worlds
204.69 Grant Hochstein Skate Canada 2016, 11th
201.45 Andrew Torgashev CS Tallinn Trophy 2016, 3rd
199.20 Jordan Moeller Challenge Cup 2017, 2nd
198.77 Grant Hochstein CS Lombardia Trophy 2016, 5th
196.53 Ross Miner Skate Canada 2016, 12th
191.80 (JR) Andrew Torgashev JGP GER 2016, 4th
191.40 Grant Hochstein NHK Trophy 2016, 11th
182.12 Tomoki Hiwatashi CS Warsaw Cup 2016, 9th
180.94 (JR) Tomoki Hiwatashi JGP FRA 2016, 6th
178.92 (JR) Kevin Shum JGP CZE 2016, 7th
177.21 (JR) Eric Sjoberg JGP RUS, 7th
171.69 (JR) Camden Pulkinen JGP EST 2016, 9th
171.51 (JR) William Hubbart JGP SLO 2016, 9th
165.81 (JR) Oleksiy Melnyk JGP FRA, 9th
160.33 (JR) Emmanuel Savary JGP JPN, 12th
148.89 (JR) Peter Liu JGP GER, 16th
--- Vincent Zhou CS Golden Spin 2016 (WD after SP)

Short Program (80+):
103.12 Chen [59.58 TES / 43.54 PCS] 4CC, 1st *ISU PB*
92.85 Chen [51.74 / 41.11] Trophee de France, 2nd
87.94 Chen [48.55 / 40.39 -1] NHK Trophy, 2nd
87.86 Rippon [45.76 / 42.10] USIC, 1st *ISU PB*
87.32 Rippon [44.42 / 42.90] Skate America, 2nd
87.50 Chen [50.75 / 37.75 -1] Finlandia, 2nd
85.75 Brown [43.32 / 43.43 -1] Skate America, 3rd
85.53 Zhou [46.68 / 38.85] Bavarian, 1st
85.30 Chen [45.62 / 40.68 -1] GPF, 5th
85.25 Rippon [43.33 / 41.92] Trophee de France, 4th
83.93 Rippon [41.37 / 42.56] GPF, 6th
83.18 Brown [42.08 / 42.10 -1] USIC, 2nd
81.94 Hochstein [42.34 TES / 39.60] 4CC, 7th *ISU PB*
81.67 Aaron [43.90 / 37.77] Cup of China, 4th
81.58 Brown [41.38 / 41.20 -1] Lombardia, 2nd
80.77 Brown [38.77 TES / 43.00 -1] 4CC, 9th
80.53 (JR) Zhou [44.60 / 35.93] JGP JPN, 1st *ISU PB*

Free Skate (140+):
204.34 Chen [115.48 TES / 88.86 PCS] 4CC, 2nd *ISU PB*
197.55 Chen [113.13 / 84.42] GPF, 1st
182.63 Brown [92.61 / 90.02] Skate America, 2nd *ISU PB*
182.28 Rippon [94.64 / 87.64] Trophee de France, 2nd *ISU PB*
180.97 Chen [97.91 / 84.06 -1] NHK Trophy, 2nd
174.91 Brown [88.91 / 87.00 -1] Lombardia, 1st
174.11 Rippon [89.25 / 85.86 -1] Skate America, 3rd
171.95 Chen [94.59 / 79.36] Trophee de France, 4th
170.86 Brown [85.36 / 86.50 -1] USIC, 1st
165.08 Brown [79.36 / 85.72] 4CC, 6th
168.94 Chen [96.08 / 74.86 -2] Finlandia, 1st
162.28 Zhou [86.48 / 76.80 -1] Bavarian, 1st
161.94 Aaron [85.18 / 76.76] Rostelecom Cup, 4th
161.07 Aaron [84.79 / 76.28] Cup of China, 3rd
160.38 Rippon [77.58 / 82.80] USIC, 3rd (166.85 at Japan Open 83.33/84.52 -1)
155.39 Aaron [78.19 / 78.20 -1] Autumn Classic, 2nd
153.78 Hochstein [77.00 / 77.78 -1] 4CC, 9th
149.17 Rippon [67.97 / 83.20 -2] GPF, 6th
148.94 Dolensky [74.24 / 74.70] Skate America, 8th
148.50 Krasnozhon [77.86 / 71.64 -1] JGP CZE, 2nd
145.86 Zhou [75.52 / 70.34] JGP JPN, 2nd
145.80 Aaron [70.60 / 75.20] Lombardia, 3rd
144.49 Hochstein [68.57 / 76.92 -1] Skate Canada, 8th
144.14 Brown [62.44 / 82.70 -1] NHK Trophy, 7th
144.06 Dolensky [68.96 / 76.10 -1] Golden Spin, 6th
143.11 Miner [69.91 / 73.20] USIC, 6th
142.25 Hochstein [67.81 / 75.44 -1] Nebelhorn, 3rd

Post-Nationals Novice assignments:
Maxim Naumov Challenge Cup, 1st (37.03 SP 2nd, 79.90 FS 1st, 116.93 total)
Joseph Kang Bavarian Open - WD after SP (38.16, 9th)

 

[Sylvia]

Bringing over several items from the end of the previous thread:

Grant Hochstein has written a very thoughtful journal that covers his past 2 seasons through 2017 Four Continents (plus some photos) that is well worth reading, IMO: http://figureskatersonline.com/granthochstein/site/journal-february-2017/
His final paragraph is especially eloquent as he expresses his love and gratitude for the sport.

Jason Brown blogged for IN from 4CC in Gangneung, Korea: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/02/13/215863584/the-journey-begins-brown-blogs-from-south-korea

2017 Challenge Cup silver medal was won in The Hague today by Jordan Moeller with a total score of 199.20 (2nd in SP & FS).
He scored 131.42 [65.32 TES/67.10 PCS] in the FS today and his jumps were called: 3A+2T, 3F(e) fall, 3Lz<(-), second half 2A, 3A fell out, 3Lo, 3Lz-half loop-3S and 2A+2T.
Moeller attained the Worlds minimums (34 / 64) in his programs here.

Moeller's SP (67.78): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-5j-k9VeAU
His SP song is "We're So Far Away" by Mae (American band).

I haven't seen Moeller's FS video on YT yet but here are 2 gala videos:
Jordan Moeller ("Gorgeous" by X-Ambassadors): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n1nHQj5keI
2017 U.S. Novice champ Maxim Naumov ("Feeling Good" by Michael Bublé - his 2015-16 SP music), who won the Adv. Novice gold this past weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ6T2noArEo

ETA - uploaded today (2/27) is Moeller's Challenge Cup FS: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=92TFvk_VaCU

 

[Firedancer]

Jason is back training with Frank today.

https://instagram.com/p/BRCfbw_DxFG/

 

[olympic]

Jason is back training with Frank today.

https://instagram.com/p/BRCfbw_DxFG/

What does FC bring to Jason's skating? Just curious ...

 

[Tahuu]

Definitely no "22 yo man acting like a 12 yo girl in the k&c."

 

[Vagabond]

IIRC, he doesn't even let twelve-year-old girls act like twelve-year-old girls.

Six posts, and the thread turns to its true topic: Michelle Kwan.

 

[Firedancer]

What does FC bring to Jason's skating? Just curious ...

Jason trained with Frank prior to SA and it seemed to help him, especially with the 3A and 4T. If Jason thinks it will help him before worlds, I can't argue.

 

[B.Cooper]

Jason trained with Frank prior to SA and it seemed to help him, especially with the 3A and 4T. If Jason thinks it will help him before worlds, I can't argue.

Not sure training with FC helped Jason that much ..... Jason ended up in a walking boot with lower leg/foot injury issues late last fall/just before Nationals. Does that speak to overtraining with Kori and/or improper technique? or both??

 

[Sylvia]

Alex Johnson shared this clip of his new 3A entrance last week: https://www.instagram.com/p/BQv8t0lD9RV/

 

[Sylvia]

Boot and blade companies are becoming much more active on social media in recent years. I came across this #JacksonFamily promotional series of articles on skaters wearing their products, all published on 2/16/17:

"In our interview series, we wanted to go behind the scenes and talk with some of our international [and national] competitors to get to know them a little bit better!"

Camden Pulkinen (2017 U.S. Junior Men's silver medalist & Junior Worlds 1st alternate)

Jimmy Ma (2014 U.S. Junior Men's bronze medalist & 3-time Senior national competitor)

Sebastien Payannet (3-time Senior national competitor)

Outside of skating there are a few things I have been able to accomplish. I graduated from the University of Colorado with an Architectural Engineering degree in 4 years. I did this while juggling a part time job, being in a fraternity and of course skating. This past March [2016], the hard work paid off and I had several quality job offers to decide between and chose to work for one of the top architectural lighting design firms in the country based out of Los Angeles.

I started my career at the same time that I moved away from home and everything comfortable. Starting in July I had to learn how to live without all my best friends and family. How to work 9 hours a day and still fit in training, conditioning, and rest. I had to learn how to get my body moving in the early morning so that I could skate before work. How to work hard despite typically training completely alone. How to stay active despite sitting in a chair for 9 hours a day. How to balance professional goals and needs with skating and personal goals…the list really goes on…

 

[vesperholly]

Not sure training with FC helped Jason that much ..... Jason ended up in a walking boot with lower leg/foot injury issues late last fall/just before Nationals. Does that speak to overtraining with Kori and/or improper technique? or both??

That was months after he trained with Carroll, so I'm "not sure" that he had anything to do with Jason's injury, either preventing or causing.

 

[aftershocks]

I thought Jason and Lori released info about the injury in December, describing it as resulting from off-ice training exercises initiated after the season began. The exercises involved jumping and pushing off hard, which placed pressure on his feet and joints. The exercises were an attempt to develop greater height for his on-ice quad attempts.

 

[B.Cooper]

That was months after he trained with Carroll, so I'm "not sure" that he had anything to do with Jason's injury, either preventing or causing.

The point being that FC was working with Jason on jump technique, which was modified from an earlier technique, and then brought into his training program thru the fall season. Both the on ice technique change as well as the off ice exercises were used to address more height in jumps, rotational axis, snap speed, etc., creating stress, and hence, lower limb injury. This pattern of lower limb injury (both soft and hard tissue) has occurred with a greater degree of regularity (both in women and men) as the technical demand has increased, addressed thru the advent in the changes in some of the designs of boot construction, changes in boot manufacturers for some athletes, and different PT modalities for recovery.

 

[misskarne]

What does FC bring to Jason's skating? Just curious ...

Improved speed, power and jump height was immediately obvious at Glacier Falls, and then that carried through to Skate America.

 

[el henry]

Frank improved Jason before SA and hope he will do it again.

And was there some far fetched implication that Jason's natural exuberance and happiness in the KnC is like a 12 year old girl.

As a miserable old cuss myself, if the kind of maturity and level headedness necessary to show true joy is acting like a 12 year old girl, then every skater ... no every *person* ... should act more like a 12 year old girl.

 

[Tavi]

I thought Jason and Lori released info about the injury in December, describing it as resulting from off-ice training exercises initiated after the season began. The exercises involved jumping and pushing off hard, which placed pressure on his feet and joints. The exercises were an attempt to develop greater height for his on-ice quad attempts.

Not sure where you got this information, but as far as I know, Jason's injury was first revealed publicly on 1/12/2017 in this article:

http://www.espn.com/olympics/figure...ver-us-figure-skating-championships-jan-14-22

It does not say anything about the cause of the injury. He does say that he was training hard and couldn't understand why his jumps were getting worse, but he doesn't attribute the injury to his training.

He also discussed his injury on a pre-Nats telecom. I haven't gone back to listen, but I don't recall him making any comments similar to what you've mentioned above. It's possible I missed them.

 

[Sylvia]

Sarah Brannen's main topic in her "The Inside Edge" blog today was about some of the Team USA skaters who are balancing training/competition with their respective university/college schedules - Kevin Shum (studying computer science and engineering at M.I.T.), Alex Johnson (Univ. of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management), Max Aaron and Jordan Moeller (both Univ. of Colorado-CO Springs) are the 4 men quoted: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/03/03/217803142

USFS held their first Junior Worlds camp in Chicago earlier this week with all the singles skaters and alternates - here's an on ice photo of the group that was re-tweeted today by Kevin Shum: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5y3MZAWMAALGyV.jpg
The 6 men are (left to right): Tomoki Hiwatashi (3rd alternate), Vincent Zhou (going), Alex Krasnozhon (going), Kevin Shum (2nd alternate), Camden Pulkinen (1st alternate), Andrew Torgashev (going).

 

[aftershocks]

Not sure where you got this information, but as far as I know, Jason's injury was first revealed publicly on 1/12/2017 in this article:

http://www.espn.com/olympics/figure...ver-us-figure-skating-championships-jan-14-22

It does not say anything about the cause of the injury. He does say that he was training hard and couldn't understand why his jumps were getting worse, but he doesn't attribute the injury to his training.

He also discussed his injury on a pre-Nats telecom. I haven't gone back to listen, but I don't recall him making any comments similar to what you've mentioned above. It's possible I missed them.

Actually, my comments in #12 post in this thread are based on my recollection of reading the ESPN article by Nick McCarvel (that you linked above) as well as hearing what Jason had to say during his media teleconference. You will notice that I prefaced my comments with, "I thought..." so obviously I was not completely certain of the chronology or specifics regarding Jason's injury. In any case, both the McCarvel article and Jason's media teleconference indicate that his injury was diagnosed in mid-December. So although the news about Jason's injury was not released in December, that is when he and Kori learned the diagnosis.

Here's the link to the IN media teleconference on January 13, 2017: http://web.icenetwork.com/video/v1219547483/?query=Jason+Brown

In Jason's response to the first question, he says that a few days before leaving for Japan (NHK), he experienced soreness in his leg but he did not think much about it because he was due to get new boots after NHK. Unfortunately, Jason said that while at NHK he "felt this lack of power off of the right leg, and my legs were fatiguing out really quick..." He goes on to say that he did the best he could at NHK, and went back home to regroup. He and Kori began to focus on "if I needed to change any aspect of my training, but ... we kept realizing that there was something going on in that leg ... As we continued to push, it turned into pretty sharp pain and that's when we got it checked out." One of the reporters then asks for the specific diagnosis and Jason responds: "A stress fracture in the fibula." Okay, then, a stress fracture is defined as: A tiny crack in a bone caused by repetitive stress or force, often from overuse.

I'm sure I put together what I'd read in the ESPN article with what Jason revealed in the teleconference. Forgive me for not being perfectly accurate in my recollection and phrasing. However, the gist of what I recalled is fairly accurate. Part of this I think is reading between the lines. But of course, quite often recollections may be mixed up with other things randomly seen on message boards that can be misleading. In any case, IMHO, despite McCarvel reporting in the ESPN article that Jason "did not believe training quad jumps led to his injuries," McCarvel goes on to say that Jason "doesn't question that men's skating globally is moving at such a fast pace in the technical department that each skater has to adjust his body to such rigors." And then Jason is quoted: "Injuries are part of the sport..." Reading between the lines, I believe it is obvious that training the quad is a direct or indirect factor in both Jason's back injury last season, and his stress fracture injury this season. Continuing to push can lead to "repetitive stress" which can result in injury "from overuse." And Jason clearly must continue to push in order to master the quad game that is now off the charts in men's figure skating.

You said that Jason only said he was "training hard and couldn't understand why his jumps were getting worse." This is what Jason was quoted as saying early in the ESPN article: "I was working hard with the strength coach trying to get my jumps higher, and each week, I would get lower and lower..." So why is Jason working with the strength coach to get his jumps higher? Obviously he needs to develop more height and strength in order to get around on the quad rotations. I understand Jason playing down the connection between training quads and sustaining these injuries. That's what athletes do. He's not going to over-obsess about what's necessary for him to do to be competitive at the highest level. He's just going to do what he needs to do, and I hope these injury occurrences have been learning experiences that will enable Jason to discover ways to train more smartly and efficiently (with less repetitive stress from overuse). Certainly Nathan Chen has come back from what could have been career-ending injuries. I think Nathan learned from his injury setbacks, and Jason has too. I think they both have strong competitive mindsets and the confidence to perform at their best under pressure.

However, I personally am not going to downplay how training quads can have serious impacts and effects on these courageous athletes' bodies and career trajectories. The sport needs to keep the seriousness of this in mind as they continue to put high level strategic training methods and physical therapy maintenance at the forefront of these athletes' daily regimens and overall career planning. It is definitely a difficult balancing act, but both Nathan and Jason (and many other athletes I am certain) have been confronted with teachable moments.

The sport as a whole is yet again at an important crossroads I think in regard to the quad revolution. TPTB had the opportunity during the 1990s to look at quad development more wisely and strategically in terms of the long term impact on the sport and the physical well-being of their athletes. TPTB failed, and ever since 2010 Olympic brouhaha, they have been playing 'Who's got the quads?' (and now it's 'five-quad monte') at a fierce pace which has to a degree been at the expense of athletes' bodies, careers, and the overall balance between aesthetics and athletics. Another thing I pray is that TPTB will begin to put more money and focus into researching and developing skate boot technology, as well as continuing to focus on effective training strategies and therapy techniques, if they expect athletes to continue pushing themselves.

Here's another recent article on Jason:
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017...e-of-injury-brown-puts-positivity-to-the-test


Anyway thanks for your query @Tavi because I always enjoy reading about Jason, listening to his interviews and watching him perform. By going back to review how I had arrived at my recollections, I ended up checking out the full Scott Hamilton interview with Jason from early November. It's so delightful! I had seen the abbreviated interview, so I'm glad now to have seen the full interview. http://web.icenetwork.com/video/topic/207337050/v1211149383

It's so cool to hear Jason talk about his family's New Year's Eve ritual. It's also interesting later in the interview when Jason mentions how well Kori knows him, and he revealingly says that her confidence in him and her complete knowledge of what makes him tick is why he is able to go out and compete without any fear or unmanageable nerves. Jason is definitely a gamer! What Jason mentioned in the interview with Scott brings to mind a conversation I had with Jason at Skate America during an autograph signing. I told him that I knew he was going to get the quad because when he goes out there and tries and falls, it's not because he's nervous, it's because he's going for it with confidence. We high-fived, and he squeezed my hand and said, "Yeahhh!" Later, Jason went out in the fp and landed his quad for the first time in competition (despite not being given the full credit he clearly deserved) and he remained calm and skated a beautiful program that was his best of the season and one of the highlights of the event (along with Adam Rippon's performances, and some other personal bests by skaters among all disciplines). Skate America was a great start to the season.

 

[Tavi]

Actually, my comments in #12 post in this thread are based on my recollection of reading the ESPN article by Nick McCarvel (that you linked above) as well as hearing what Jason had to say during his media teleconference. You will notice that I prefaced my comments with, "I thought..." so obviously I was not completely certain of the chronology or specifics regarding Jason's injury. In any case, both the McCarvel article and Jason's media teleconference indicate that his injury was diagnosed in mid-December. So although the news about Jason's injury was not released in December, that is when he and Kori learned the diagnosis.

Here's the link to the IN media teleconference on January 13, 2017: http://web.icenetwork.com/video/v1219547483/?query=Jason+Brown

In Jason's response to the first question, he says that a few days before leaving for Japan (NHK), he experienced soreness in his leg but he did not think much about it because he was due to get new boots after NHK. Unfortunately, Jason said that while at NHK he "felt this lack of power off of the right leg, and my legs were fatiguing out really quick..." He goes on to say that he did the best he could at NHK, and went back home to regroup. He and Kori began to focus on "if I needed to change any aspect of my training, but ... we kept realizing that there was something going on in that leg ... As we continued to push, it turned into pretty sharp pain and that's when we got it checked out." One of the reporters then asks for the specific diagnosis and Jason responds: "A stress fracture in the fibula." Okay, then, a stress fracture is defined as: A tiny crack in a bone caused by repetitive stress or force, often from overuse.

I'm sure I put together what I'd read in the ESPN article with what Jason revealed in the teleconference. Forgive me for not being perfectly accurate in my recollection and phrasing. However, the gist of what I recalled is fairly accurate. Part of this I think is reading between the lines. But of course, quite often recollections may be mixed up with other things randomly seen on message boards that can be misleading. In any case, IMHO, despite McCarvel reporting in the ESPN article that Jason "did not believe training quad jumps led to his injuries," McCarvel goes on to say that Jason "doesn't question that men's skating globally is moving at such a fast pace in the technical department that each skater has to adjust his body to such rigors." And then Jason is quoted: "Injuries are part of the sport..." Reading between the lines, I believe it is obvious that training the quad is a direct or indirect factor in both Jason's back injury last season, and his stress fracture injury this season. Continuing to push can lead to "repetitive stress" which can result in injury "from overuse." And Jason clearly must continue to push in order to master the quad game that is now off the charts in men's figure skating.

You said that Jason only said he was "training hard and couldn't understand why his jumps were getting worse." This is what Jason was quoted as saying early in the ESPN article: "I was working hard with the strength coach trying to get my jumps higher, and each week, I would get lower and lower..." So why is Jason working with the strength coach to get his jumps higher? Obviously he needs to develop more height and strength in order to get around on the quad rotations. I understand Jason playing down the connection between training quads and sustaining these injuries. That's what athletes do. He's not going to over-obsess about what's necessary for him to do to be competitive at the highest level. He's just going to do what he needs to do, and I hope these injury occurrences have been learning experiences that will enable Jason to discover ways to train more smartly and efficiently (with less repetitive stress from overuse). Certainly Nathan Chen has come back from what could have been career-ending injuries. I think Nathan learned from his injury setbacks, and Jason has too. I think they both have strong competitive mindsets and the confidence to perform at their best under pressure.

However, I personally am not going to downplay how training quads can have serious impacts and effects on these courageous athletes' bodies and career trajectories. The sport needs to keep the seriousness of this in mind as they continue to put high level strategic training methods and physical therapy maintenance at the forefront of these athletes' daily regimens and overall career planning. It is definitely a difficult balancing act, but both Nathan and Jason (and many other athletes I am certain) have been confronted with teachable moments.

The sport as a whole is yet again at an important crossroads I think in regard to the quad revolution. TPTB had the opportunity during the 1990s to look at quad development more wisely and strategically in terms of the long term impact on the sport and the physical well-being of their athletes. TPTB failed, and ever since 2010 Olympic brouhaha, they have been playing quad catch-up at a fierce pace which has to a degree been at the expense of athletes' bodies, careers, and the overall balance between aesthetics and athletics. Another thing I pray is that TPTB will begin to put more money and focus into researching and developing skate boot technology, as well as continuing to focus on effective training strategies and therapy techniques, if they expect athletes to continue pushing themselves.

Here's another recent article on Jason:
http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017...e-of-injury-brown-puts-positivity-to-the-test


Anyway thanks for your query @Tavi because I always enjoy reading about Jason, listening to his interviews and watching him perform. By going back to review how I had arrived at my recollections, I ended up checking out the full Scott Hamilton interview with Jason from early November. It's so delightful! I had seen the abbreviated interview, so I'm glad now to have seen the full interview. http://web.icenetwork.com/video/topic/207337050/v1211149383

It's so cool to hear Jason talk about his family's New Year's Eve ritual. It's also interesting later in the interview when Jason mentions how well Kori knows him, and he revealingly says that her confidence in him and her complete knowledge of what makes him tick is why he is able to go out and compete without any fear or unmanageable nerves. Jason is definitely a gamer! What Jason mentioned in the interview with Scott brings to mind a conversation I had with Jason at Skate America during an autograph signing. I told him that I knew he was going to get the quad because when he goes out there and tries and falls, it's not because he's nervous, it's because he's going for it with confidence. We high-fived, and he squeezed my hand and said, "Yeahhh!" Later, Jason went out in the fp and landed his quad for the first time in competition (despite not being given the full credit he clearly deserved) and he remained calm and skated a beautiful program that was his best of the season and one of the highlights of the event (along with Adam Rippon's performances, and some other personal bests by skaters among all disciplines). Skate America was a great start to the season.

In case it wasn't clear, my post was not a criticism.

 

[aftershocks]

In case it wasn't clear, my post was not a criticism.

Ah, but neither was mine. No need to take any offense. I did not think you were criticizing what I said either. You were merely asking a question to ascertain accuracy and I wanted to go back and figure out why I had that recollection. In the process some of the other reflections that I've had all season regarding the quad's impact on Jason and on the men's field in general, came to the fore. Since we are not having a direct conversation, it can often be difficult to grasp tone and intention. My post went beyond responding to your query, and it's not meant as any kind of personal challenge. I was just sharing some of my overall reflections on the topic.

As I said, thanks for posing the question because it made me go back and review exactly how I had come to my recollection. Obviously recollections can always be faulty and it's more instructive to cite specific sources. It's always a pleasure to read about, listen to and watch Jason. Surely we're on the same page in that and in probably many other respects.

 

[tylersf]

Frank likes people who are motivated and work hard. Jason is one of those people.

Jason is back training with Frank today.

https://instagram.com/p/BRCfbw_DxFG/

 

[Sylvia]

Here's a Q&A with Andrew Torgashev before Junior Worlds: http://figureskatersonline.com/news/2017/03/06/qa-with-andrew-torgashev/

 

[clairecloutier]

Arutyunyan addresses Chen's components "controversy"
http://www.goldenskate.com/2017/03/arutyunyan-addresses-chens-components-controversy/

New Ted Flett article for GoldenSkate charts rise in Nathan Chen's PCS, includes comments from Arutyunyan

 

[misskarne]

Well, of course he's not going to complain about Chen's PCS or admit that he's ludicrously overscored. Bit of a pointless question to ask, really.

 

[Jammers]

Where were all these people who are griping about Nathan's PCS when Yulia Lip was getting PCS almost has high as Carolina or Mao by the time of Europeans and the Olympics. I don't think a skater has ever had their PCS rise so fast in such a short amount of time over one season and it's not like she was some kind of great artist on the ice. At least Nathan seems to listen to the music unlike Yulia who could have been skating to anything.

 

[skatingguy]

Where were all these people who are griping about Nathan's PCS when Yulia Lip was getting PCS almost has high as Carolina or Mao by the time of Europeans and the Olympics. I don't think a skater has ever had their PCS rise so fast in such a short amount of time over one season and it's not like she was some kind of great artist on the ice. At least Nathan seems to listen to the music unlike Yulia who could have been skating to anything.

Criticizing Lipnitskaya's scores.

 

[Sedge]

Sotnikova's PCS went up mighty fast in Sochi!

 

[Sylvia]

In case anyone missed the separate thread started for last week's notable article, Nathan was named as one of TIME magazine's Next Generation Leaders in 2017 ("10 pioneers who cross boundaries, forge new paths, take their crafts to unexpected places and also improve the world.") in an article by Alice Park titled "The Ice Prince":

http://time.com/collection-post/4684920/nathan-chen-next-generation-leaders/

ETA:

Nathan Chen did not win USOC's Team USA Best of the Month February Male Athlete award but he is the only man so far in the 2016-17 season to have won for 2 months (December & January), while Jason Brown won for the month of October.

 

[DimaToe]

Everyone would save themselves some stress if they just accepted that at the end of the day PCS are just away for the big federations to get things to go their way if/when needed.

 

[aftershocks]

If anyone thinks that only Nathan Chen is "ludicrously over-scored" on PCS, they've got another think coming, unless the point is to be selective about who they feel the judges egregiously over-score on PCS.

ITA with @Jammers on the point he made about Lipnitskaya (as well as Sotnikova) regarding their precipitous rise in PCS scores during the lead-up to the Sochi Olympics. The manipulation of PCS scores is a known thing since the beginning of IJS/COP, and certainly nothing new or unusual despite those who appear to be noticing the phenomenon only now when they see it happening for Nathan Chen. I certainly do not think it's egregiously out of line for Nathan. Why is PCS over-scoring good for specific personal fave goose and gander, but not good for other talented gooses and ganders?

I think Raf's comments were fair, balanced and articulate in the GS article. And I also agree with Raf that there tends to be an over-focus on components in the men's discipline, but strangely not in the ladies discipline. Is that because young teenage lady phenoms are at the helm with a focus on their tech brilliance and less attention paid to their lack of expertise in the area of components, despite the familiar and ubiquitous PCS-over-scoring they typically receive?

I have to laugh at the recent popularity among fs fans of the term 'kerfuffle,' used by Ted Flett in this article to describe bust-ups on fan forums re Nathan's PCS.

A few of Raf's wise comments:

"'The key is to get comfortable with what you need to do and then perform,' said Arutyunyan. 'Today, to skate cleanly, Nathan doesn’t have to concentrate as deeply and can dedicate more energy to the program. As I said, this year he has become more mature, and his elements have gotten better. Between the elements, he moves with more emotions because he has started to get used to it all... He jumps five quads, one of which he jumps out of spread eagle,' he explained. 'What else could one expect him to do in this situation – do a belly dance and smile or something?' ...

'What Nathan does today is a huge step forward, ... Sure, he needs to improve his artistic side. It’s part of our job. He needs to improve his skating skills. It’s part of our job. He needs to improve his jumping ability. It’s again part of our job. And we are going to do that.'"

Raf on comparisons between Nathan & Hanyu:
"'It’s best to say that it’s a combination of of the artist and the athlete in both of them, and it’s always subjective.'"

ITA. For me, the main difference is that these guys have very different styles and Nathan is younger. Sure, Hanyu has a more flowy style and being more mature, he tends to pay a bit more attention at times (when he's comfortable and in a zone) to his artistic expression. However, the truth is that Hanyu has never been particularly consistent either technically or artistically in this era of quads, quads, and more quads. Nathan didn't write the rules of the game, he's only following those rules to an exponential degree that few to none in the skating community expected or anticipated.