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Johnny Weir ... big interview, pics and videos...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/sto...0114/JohnnyWeir

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http://www.sports.ru/others/figure-skat ... xt=rambler

Бриан Жубер: «Новый провал мне с трудом простят»

Трехкратный чемпион Европы Бриан Жубер рассказал о новшествах в программе, желудочной инфекции и о шансе на олимпийскую медаль в Ванкувере.

О чемпионате Европе: «Я слукавил, когда сказал, что пока не думаю об Олимпийских играх. Но должен абстрагироваться от этих мыслей и сосредоточится на ближайших соревнованиях. Чемпионат Европы – этот турнир создан для меня. Четыре титула приятнее иметь, чем три. И потом мне хочется бросить вызов самому себе, когда я вижу на льду Евгения Плющенко и Стефана Ламбьеля».

Об операции: «Травма ноги – это давнишняя история. Сейчас я не ощущаю никакого дискомфорта. Но у меня были трудные праздники в Куршевеле, где провел десять дней. Я слег из-за желудочной инфекции. Давайте скажем так, я чувствую себя гораздо лучше, но оцениваю свою готовность на 70 процентов».

Об Олимпийских играх: «Меня расстроило, что из-за травмы ноги я не смог принять участие в финале Гран-при. Там я планировал показать новые прыжки в произвольной программе и заложить основу до конца сезона. А теперь чемпионат Европы будет главной репетицией перед Олимпиадой. Наконец, я узнаю, в какой форме нахожусь по сравнению с конкурентами. Конечно, я отдаю отчет, что в конце января не все будут находиться на пике формы. Но мне нужно набрать очков в глазах конкурентов и судей».

О давлении: «Достаточно вспомнить, что я упал в Турине и в итоге занял шестое место. Новый провал мне с трудом простят. Я живу с этим давлением в течение многих лет. В Ванкувере оно удесятерится. Но я не собираюсь сдаваться. У меня есть шанс, как и у всех остальных. Если это будет мой день, то у меня будет медаль. Кто знает какая», – рассказал Жубер в интервью «7 à Poitiers».

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http://www.sports.ru/others/figure-skat ... 00134.html

Патрик Чан: «Конечно, расставание с тренером стало для меня сюрпризом»

Двукратный чемпион Канады по фигурному катанию 19-летний Патрик Чан за месяц до начала Олимпиады остался без главного тренера – Дона Лоуса.

«Конечно, это стало для меня сюрпризом. Но я не подавлен и буду продолжать работать дальше», – отметил Чан.

Живущий в штате Флорида 80-летний тренер Лоус объяснил расставание с Чаном тем, что фигурист проводил большинство тренировок в штате Колорадо с техническим консультантом Кристи Кролл. Сам Чан с уважением относится к решению бывшего тренера.

«С оптимизмом жду Олимпиаду-2010. Конечно, я буду скучать по нему, но уважаю его решение. Надеюсь, что у нас будет время поговорить. Желания сжигать мосты у меня нет», – резюмировал фигурист.

Патрик Чан, наряду с танцевальной парой Тесса Виртью-Скотт Мойр и Джоанни Рошетт, является одной из главых надежд сборной Канады на олимпийские медали.

Перед Олимпиадой в Ванкувере фигурист выступит на чемпионате Канады, втором для себя соревновании в зимнем сезоне. Мужские соревнования начнутся 15-го февраля, сообщает The Canadian Press.

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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... 113f1.html
13.01.2010

Takahashi 'determined' to win gold medal in Vancouver (.. and he? )

SUITA, Osaka Pref. (Kyodo) Figure skaters Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda were given a send-off party Tuesday by their school Kansai University as they enter the final stage of preparations for next month's Vancouver Olympics.

"I'm determined to bring home the gold medal," said Takahashi while set aloft by members of the Kansai University Kaisers, the American football team which won the Koshien Bowl national collegiate championship last month.

Nearly 700 students gathered for the event, which followed a practice session by the two to the accompaniment of music at a rink in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture.

"I am preparing for the best result possible," said Oda.

National champion Takahashi, who attends the graduate school at Kansai University, is making his second Olympic appearance.

"There is only one month left. From now, I want to really push myself in my skating practices," he said.

Oda, who finished runnerup to Takahashi at the nationals last month, showcased his quadruple toe loop.

"This was the best I've felt since I began training on Jan. 3," Oda said.

Both Takahashi and Oda are scheduled to leave for Vancouver early next month.

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www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/sports/olympics/14skate.html
13.01.2010 By JULIET MACUR

Tricky at Every Turn, the Quad Can Make or Break a Routine

SPOKANE, Wash. — The single hardest move in single’s figure skating, the quadruple jump, is like an onside kick in football: highly risky, but highly rewarding — if it unfolds as planned.

This week at the United States figure skating national championships, where a berth on the Olympic team is at stake, a few bold skaters will take that chance.

At least one, Ryan Bradley, will take several chances.
Bradley plans to attempt not one, not two, but three quads at nationals. One quad — four full rotations in the air — will be in his short program, which will be held Friday, and two more will be in his long program, held Sunday. The women’s event begins Jan. 21.

He is airborne for about one second for each quad jump. So three seconds may determine Bradley’s status as an Olympian.

“I feel that I wanted something this season to set me apart from some of the other boys,” Bradley, 26, said of his planned quad jumps in a teleconference last week.

With at least six American men considered legitimate contenders for the Olympic squad, and only three spots available, each skater needs to shine at nationals. There is little room for error, even for the more experienced and successful skaters.

Among them is Evan Lysacek, the reigning world champion; Jeremy Abbott, the defending national champion; and Johnny Weir, a three-time national champion who competed with Lysacek in the 2006 Olympics. (Lysacek was fourth; Weir was fifth.)

Also in the mix are several up-and-comers, like the 19-year-old Brandon Mroz and the 20-year-old Adam Rippon, who are having solid seasons.

“It’s going to be tough for them to decide just how much difficulty to put into every program because they don’t want to push it too much,” said Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist who is now a figure skating commentator. “A hard program might get you on the team, but if it’s too hard and you mess it up, it could be disaster.”

Though the top three finishers at nationals will most likely be the ones who make the Olympic team, the team is officially picked after the competition. A U.S. Figure Skating committee will meet Monday to select the men’s team and the pairs skaters, who also compete this weekend, to go to Vancouver.

Tom Zakrajsek, who coaches Bradley and Mroz in Colorado Springs, said the committee would be looking for skaters who give the United States the best chances to win an Olympic medal. And to win a medal, Zakrajsek said, it is going to take a skater who can land a quad — or even several quads. He said he thought at least five men would try the quad in their short program at the Olympics.

A few skaters on the international scene, like France’s Brian Joubert and Russia’s Yevgeny Plushenko, are known for landing the quad. This season, Plushenko, the 2006 Olympic champion, has landed a quad-triple combination in his long program. (and SP )

The last time an Olympic men’s champion failed to perform the quad was in 1994, when Aleksei Urmanov of Russia won, with seven triple jumps.

“U.S. Figure Skating is pushing us hard to do a quad because they want a skater who is a gamer, who is willing to take that risk,” Zakrajsek said. “I think it will take an aggressive skate to do well at nationals, and Ryan and Brandon are ready to do that.”

Just to make sure they are ready, though, Zakrajsek last month brought in Timothy Goebel, a former Olympic medalist and United States national champion, to work with Bradley and Mroz. Goebel, a senior at Columbia University, was known as the Quad King. In 1998 he became the first American to land a quad in competition.

Zakrajsek had asked Goebel to provide them with tips on performing the quad, but also to help them deal with the psychological highs and lows of even attempting to land it.

“Physically, Brandon and Ryan can do the quad right now, but it takes a different mind-set than the other jumps,” Goebel said. “Whether you land a quad or not, it can set the tone for the rest of the program. When you make a mistake on it, it’s very deflating. It could ruin everything else. So you really have to work on how you can get your mind back together.”

Also, pointswise, flubbing a quad could be a huge blow.

A quad toe loop, for example, has a base value of 9.8. To receive that base value for the quad, a skater must rotate at least three and three-quarters around before any part of the blade hits the ice. Short of that, the skater would be downgraded, which means he would receive the base value of a triple toe loop instead. The base value for a triple toe loop is 4.0.

A technical panel also grades the skater on how well the jump was executed. There, the skater could receive up to 3 points if the jump was spectacular, with elements like good height or distance, a difficult entry or good extension on the landing.

On the downside, the skater could lose up to 3 points if the jump was done poorly, with errors like stepping out of the landing or bad posture. If a skater falls, another point is deducted.

So, a successful attempt at a quad toe loop could earn a skater 12.8 points. But a failed try could very well leave him empty-handed. (A downgraded quad toe loop has a base value of 4.0 points: minus 3 for poor execution, minus another point for a fall equals zero.)

“It’s a major, major risk, and a lot of skaters think it’s not worth the risk to possibly lose a sizable amount of points,” said Adam Leib, a coach and a national technical specialist in singles and pairs for U.S. Figure Skating. “But some people think if you don’t challenge yourself with a quad, you’ll lose points in other areas. The judges might not give you those higher marks because you are doing an easy program. So, it’s a gamble.”

A new judging system was put in place after the judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. Instead of a system based on a 6.0 point scale, the current judging system gives points for every element. Skaters try to rack up the points move by move, especially in the jumps.

If a skater tries the quad toe loop and fails, he may be left wondering if he should have attempted an easier jump instead. A triple axel, for example, has a base value of 8.2; executed well, it can deliver 11.2 points.

Some skaters — including Lysacek and Canada’s Jeffrey Buttle, the past two world champions — have opted for that route. They left out the quad and still won their competitions based on their strong triple jumps.

“I don’t think that you need a quad to win; I showed that last year,” Lysacek said. “But for me, I’m still contemplating making the change. I’ll do it if I need it.”

Bradley, who was fourth at nationals last year, said he needed the quad because his artistry was lacking. He missed qualifying for the world championship team last year by one spot. If he finishes fourth at the coming nationals, which will be his 10th national championships as a senior skater, he may miss out on something even bigger: the Olympics.

“I’m going for broke this year,” he said. “Without great risk, there is no great reward.”

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http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_14 ... source=rss
By Elliott Almond 01/14/2010 02:22:05 PM PST

Olympic skating hopes lay with men, ice dancers

When German security guards raced to his section at the 1991 figure-skating world championships and carted off a U.S. flag draped over the balcony, Ron Hershberger was startled.
Hershberger, a veteran USA Figure Skating official from Los Gatos, then realized what had unfolded: "We swept the podium, and they didn't have enough flags," he recalled recently.
Fremont's Kristi Yamaguchi won the ladies singles in Munich, followed by the now-notorious Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Almost two decades later, the landscape has undergone a seismic shift.

As the U.S. Olympic trials begin today in Spokane, Wash., it is difficult to imagine such domination by American women. Since the incomparable Michelle Kwan retired four years ago, U.S. skaters have struggled to keep up while the triple axel of power has shifted to Asia.
And yet compelling storylines will develop over the next two weeks as the United States selects its team for the Winter Olympics, which open Feb. 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia

Although the women no longer command the spotlight and U.S. pairs continue to struggle, Americans have the potential for eye-popping performances in Vancouver. But now the expectations fall to the guys and, get this, the ice dancers.

Here's a look at what to expect:

The men

Not since the "Battle of the Brians" at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary have the men demanded so much attention in the United States. Brian Boitano of Sunnyvale defeated Canada's Brian Orser in 1988, the last time an American man won an Olympic gold medal. Since then, only two others have reached the podium: Paul Wylie won a silver medal in 1992 and Timothy Goebel a bronze in 2002.

The fortunes could change this year. Led by reigning world champion Evan Lysacek, national champion Jeremy Abbott and 2006 Olympian Johnny Weir, the United States could produce two medalists in Vancouver.

"We're beyond the point where we aren't a threat," said Weir, who won a bronze at the Grand Prix final in December. "We're the strongest nation."

Lysacek won the Grand Prix final in Japan, and Abbott was fourth. Only Japan silver medalist Nobunari Oda prevented an American sweep....

[Вера]

http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/sport/282118.html

Фигурист Бриан Жубер собирается дважды обыграть Евгения Плющенко
(Ну-ну... А Женя знает? )

Французский фигурист Бриан Жубер заявил, что решительно настроен не только на Олимпийские игры, но и на январский чемпионат Европы в Таллине.( Я рада, что Таллин написан с одной "Н" )

Травма ноги, которая помешала Жуберу принять участие в финале Гран-при, уже не дает о себе знать. Правда, француз подцепил желудочную инфекцию в Куршавеле, а потому пока его самочувствие оставляет желать лучше. «Но все равно я уверен, что чемпионат Европы станет главной репетицией перед Олимпиадой», – приводит слова Жубера LiveSport.ru . Дополнительной мотивацией для француза в Таллине и Ванкувере будет возвращение в спорт россиянина Евгения Плющенко.

Бриан осознает, каким будет давление в Ванкувере. «У меня, как и у любого фигуриста, который поедет в Канаду, есть шанс. Если это будет мой день, я уеду домой с медалью», – отметил француз.

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http://blog.taragana.com/sports/2010/01 ... ram-65613/
By Nancy Armour, AP January 14th, 2010

While other guys sweat the Olympic team, Lysacek more concerned with changes to his program

Lysacek testing free skate changes at nationals

SPOKANE, Wash. — Evan Lysacek is concerned about the results at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Not the ones you might think, however.

The reigning world champion has made some big changes to his free skate since winning the Grand Prix final last month to pump up his technical score. He is now doing a quadruple toe loop jump at the beginning of the program, has replaced his three-jump combination with a triple flip-double axel sequence and is doing a triple flip instead of a double axel at the end.

He also has been working on the speed and transitions into his jumps in his short program.

“I really feel ready for Vancouver,” Lysacek said Thursday. “But I’m happy to have this as a test because I do have some changes and I want to see if they work.”

The men’s short program is Friday and the final is Sunday. While the three-man Olympic team won’t be named until then, Lysacek is all but assured of a spot. In addition to nationals, U.S.Figure Skating officials will consider results from the world championships, the Grand Prix final, the 2009 Four Continents, junior Grand Prix final and last year’s junior worlds.
Lysacek won worlds and the Grand Prix final, and was second at Four Continents.

“I’m prepared. I’ve done the work at home and I know I’m ready,” he said. “I think it’s as prepared as I’ve ever been.”

He’s looked strong in practices, landing his quad with ease Thursday and skating with an air of confidence that draws all eyes to him.

“I think he’s the best,” coach Frank Carroll said. “I think he’s the most passionate and interpretive skater in the field.”

That’s shown in his marks this season. When Lysacek won the Grand Prix final, his component marks — the old artistic mark — were higher than anyone else’s. But he gave up points on his technical score.
So he and Carroll played with his program, moving jumps around and playing with different combinations. Not only did they find a way to increase his technical score, they made practice a little more fun.

“To be able to experiment and make changes and enhance the program and be stepping up your game at different points of the season is pretty cool,” he said.

Of course, so would winning a third national title.

“Three is my lucky number,” said Lysacek, who hasn’t ruled out competing after this year. “I’d like to have three.”

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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/ind ... erolympics
Friday, January 15, 2010 | by Jim Caple

Lysacek: 'I'm as prepared as I've ever been'

SPOKANE, Wash. -- While other skaters anxiously went about their preparations for this weekend's national championships, Evan Lysacek seemed so confident of a spot on the U.S. Olympic team that it's a wonder he isn't already lined up outside the stadium in Vancouver to march into the opening ceremonies.

"This is just practice for me," Lysacek said Thursday of the national championships. "I've made some changes in my program and I'm glad to have this opportunity to get out there and practice them. And of course, I want to do a great job skating in my own country, but I have my own personal goals that I'm concentrating on more so than some other people."

The U.S. Olympic figure skating team selections will be determined not only by this weekend's championships, but also by performance over the past year. By winning the world championships last year, Lysacek guaranteed the U.S. a third slot into the Olympics (the women have only two spots). And as far as he is concerned, everyone else is competing for the other two spots. "Judging by the criteria that they're using -- the 2009 world championships, the 2009-10 Grand Prix series and this competition -- I think I should be OK."

Lysacek is ranked No. 1 in the world, with Americans Jeremy Abbott and Johnny Weir ranked third and eighth, respectively. Lysacek said the key for him is using this competition to prepare himself for the bigger one in Vancouver next month.

"I would like to go into the Olympics as the national champion, but going into worlds last year as the national bronze medalist certainly didn't hurt me," he said. "This competition, I can't think about the results. I'm thinking about my own goals and improvements I've made to my own routine and really testing the waters with those technical jumps because they're tough and they're dangerous. I want to make sure those are smart changes."

Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, took a more conservative line.

"Of course, I'm the coach, so I never take anything for granted and I've been in skating for so many years that I know nothing is ever a sure thing,'' Carroll said. "I think he would like to skate his best here and do very well. But the ice is very slippery and he has to earn his spot on the Olympic team, and last year he finished third at this competition. If you want to make your bets, make your bets. I think he is the best skater in the competition."

Lysacek said he feels far less tension than he did four years ago, when he needed to skate his way onto the Olympic team at nationals.

"I'm as prepared as I've ever been," he said. "It's been hard for me throughout my career to not put so much pressure on every single event, but this season has been about building momentum and strength as I go. I'm a very different athlete than I was four years ago. I'm stronger, I'm smarter."

And clearly more confident. Asked whether he thinks he'll be on the Olympic team even if he finishes fourth this weekend, Lysacek replied, "I'm not planning on finishing fourth."

Lysacek said he plans to do a quad in his routine and he has been consistently landing three at practice recently.

"I know I'm ready. I really feel -- knock on wood, God willing -- that I'll make the team," Lysacek said. "I really feel ready for Vancouver. Like I said, I'm glad I have this practice run because I do have some changes I want to experiment with and see if they work. If they don't, I have a proven sort of programmed equation that's worked all season that I can fall back on. But I'm really glad I have this occasion to test it."

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www.gazette.com/sports/skating-92319-debate-figure.html
January 13, 2010 BRIAN GOMEZ THE GAZETTE

Quad debate sizzling before figure skating nationals

Johnny Weir isn’t buying the hype about the quad toe loop, an eye-popping, four-rotation jump that has turned figure skating upside down, with the possibility of high scores and a climb toward the podium as well as downgraded marks and a tumble into mediocrity.

“You don’t have to out-quad somebody,” he said. “You have to out-skate somebody.”

For most skaters eyeing Olympic berths, the quad will take a backseat to clean programs, flashy routines and crowd-pleasing vibes of energy at the U.S. Championships that begin Friday in Spokane, Wash.

Broadmoor Skating Club members Rachael Flatt and Alexe Gilles can punch their tickets to Vancouver with top-two finishes, and Broadmoor members Ryan Bradley and Brandon Mroz need top-three finishes. The U.S. has 10 Olympic quota spots – three men, three ice dancers, two women and two pairs.

Weir pointed to Evan Lysacek – his 2006 Olympic teammate won the world title last year without a quad because of a stress fracture in his left foot – as evidence “you have to have the whole package. If you can do a quad toe or a quad salchow, great. Good for you. Why can’t you spin? Why can’t you do clean edges in your footwork?”

Mroz sees value in the quad.
“That puts you in a different league,” he said. “It’s risky, but it’s full of rewards.”

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www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=25936.html
By Beverley Smith, The Globe and Mail Posted Thursday, January 14, 2010

Chan ditching the quad this week

LONDON, Ont. - World silver medalist Patrick Chan is ditching a quad attempt this week at the Canadian figure skating championships - and he doesn't think it's necessary to win a gold at the Olympics in Vancouver.

The 19-year-old skater from Toronto has been training them, however, to give himself options. And his technical jump coach, Christy Krall said they are adopting the strategy of seeing what other skaters will do before they think of adding it for the Vancouver Games.

They will find out more at the U.S. championships which start this weekend in Spokane - where several Americans will try it - and at the European championships the following week in Talinn, Estonia, where quadsters Evgeny Plushenko, Brian Joubert and Tomas Verner will show their wares.

Chan said yesterday that he feels he doesn't need the quad because he had artistic capabilities to fall back on. "I don't think it's super necessary,'' he said.

Jeffrey Buttle won the world championships in 2008 without a quad, but although he is known for his artistic abilities, Buttle won on the basis of a very strong technical mark.

Evan Lysacek of the United States won the world championships last year without the quad.

Under the old 6.0 judging system, skaters began landing quads in high numbers. At the world championships in 1999 in Helsinki, men landed 14 quads. The following year, 20 of them were landed properly at the world championships in Nice, and 12 of them were in the risky short program.

However, since the advent of the new judging system, which places more emphasis on all elements of the program, the quad hasn't always proved to be worth the risk.

In recent years, the value of a quadruple toe loop has been increased to 9.8 from 9.2 points to reflect its high risk, but still, the quad is a rare phenomenon. A triple Axel is worth 8.20 points. If a skater lands a triple Axel - double toe loop combination, it's worth 10.45 points - more than a quad and less risky.

This year, however, the quadmeisters have chalked up an amazing number of points with quad combinations. Evgeny Plushenko of Russia and Tomas Verner have achieved 15.20 points for their quad toe loop - triple toe loop combinations, after getting bonus marks for the quality of the execution.

And Verner has landed the combination in the short program.

Skaters can earn up to three bonus points for execution from judges, but they can also lose three points for poor execution - like a fall, which brings with it another lost point. But even worse is a jump that is not fully rotated. Joubert underrotated a quadruple Salchow early in the season at the Grand Prix in Paris and emerged with only 1.70 points for that jump. He rotated a quadruple toe loop but did it badly and still got 5.64 points for it.

Some skaters, like Ryan Bradley of the United States, have tried - and landed - quads in his routines because they feel like they can't get the artistic marks they need to make an impact.

Kevin Reynolds, known as the Quad King in Canada, trumps his opposition with his big jumps. At age 17, he became the first man in Canada at the Canadian championships two years ago to land a quad-triple-triple combination, something that Plushenko was famous for in his younger days. Still, Reynolds has sought out new avenues of choreography every year, because he feels jumps aren't enough.

But Chan is a different story. He stands alone in the quality of his footwork and transitional moves. Only Jeremy Abbott, the reigning U.S. champion, can come close to matching Chan's work on the ice, but Abbott also does a quad.

Chan says it depends also on how things go this week before he thinks about adding a quad for the Olympics. "The stamina is quite different [for a program with a quad in it,]'' Chan said. "There's a risk of popping the quad and figuring then you have to think about what to do with the rest of the program. It can change things totally. If I do only two triple Axels in the program, I have the time to think about only those jumps.''

It takes both mental and physical energy to include a quad jump in a routine - and Chan has many more elements to focus on, he said.

He knows others are practicing quads, but key for him is landing two clean triple Axels in the long program. Without them, he is going nowhere.

Krall says that Chan is talented enough to include a quad in his routine. Kurt Browning, the first man to land a quad in 1988, says the jump is exponentially more difficult than any triple because a skater needs to jump higher off the ice. And it takes only a small mistake to make it collapse like a house of cards.

Krall says a skater needs to be at least 21 inches off the ice to have enough time to get four rotations in before landing. "Patrick is very gifted,'' she said. "He's much higher off the ground. He's doing about 26 to 27 inches,'' she said.

There's also a risk at practicing quads day in and day out. After practicing unprecedented triple Axel - quadruple toe loops early this season, Plushenko suffered a recurrence of an old injury. He'll be going to the Olympics hurt.

Chan has just put his calf injury behind him.

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http://cfnews13.com/Sports/SportsHeadli ... n_men.html
Thursday, January 14, 2010 8:31:44 PM

Lights, camera, skate! Your turn, American men

Get ready for your close-ups, Evan, Jeremy and all the rest of you guys. And no, we're not talking about Johnny Weir's new reality show.

It's the men, not the women, who are the star attraction at this year's U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Evan Lysacek is the world champion, Americans made up half of the six-man field at last month's Grand Prix final and the battle for Olympic spots will be the fiercest it has been in years.

"We're the strongest skating country in the world as far as men's figure skating is concerned," said Weir, who joined Lysacek on the podium at the Grand Prix final. "Of course Russia has Evgeni Plushenko, Switzerland has Stephane Lambiel _ one athlete. One athlete. The U.S. has eight athletes that are amazing that could all make the Olympic team.

"I think we're definitely the strongest nation."

Nationals begin Friday with the men's and pairs short programs. The men's final is Sunday.

It wasn't that long ago that men's skating in the United States was little more than the "Evan and Johnny Show." The two had a stranglehold on the U.S. title from 2004-08, and last year was the first since 2004 that both were not on the podium. Lysacek was the world bronze medalist in 2005 and 2006, while Weir was third in 2008.

That rivalry helped drive the other Americans, who were eager to show that they, too, deserved a place in the spotlight.

Jeremy Abbott won the U.S. title last year, a month after becoming the first American man to win the Grand Prix final, skating's biggest competition after the Olympics and world championships. Brandon Mroz pulled off the silver medal in his very first nationals as a senior, finishing ahead of Lysacek and Weir last year. Ryan Bradley has not one, but two quadruple jumps in his free skate this year, and does a quad in the short program, too.

As for Adam Rippon, all he's done is win the last two junior world titles _ easily.

"All of us have very different things to offer. There's the artists, there's the jumpers, there's the guys that do a little bit of everything," Bradley said. "It's really going to come down to who does it on that day, and that's really exciting."

Especially because the men traditionally have been in the women's shadow.

It's not that the United States hasn't had some strong men. Todd Eldredge was the world champ in 1996, and Timothy Goebel was "The Quad King," pushing the technical envelope with three quadruple jumps in his free skate. But the Russian men have dominated the men's scene since Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano won back-to-back golds in 1984 and 1988, winning the last five Olympic titles.

And Michelle Kwan, well, everybody in every discipline took a backseat to her.

But the United States is still looking for its next "It" girl, a female star who can fill Kwan and Sasha Cohen's skates. The men, meanwhile, have been slugging it out _ on the ice, of course, this isn't "Fight Club" _ and climbing the international ranks.

"If you'd just show up at an event and just win it, like Michelle Kwan did _ no disrespect to Michelle Kwan, she did an amazing thing and was always prepared and skated better than everyone else. But it kind of got a little boring for people sitting at home watching," Weir said. "The men, I'm Johnny Weir so I can say this, it was always a catfight. That's what's exciting about it. That's what always drew me to watching the men's event.

"Thank God I'm competing in them now," Weir added, "because it's so intense and so exciting and everyone's trying to outdo the other person."

The judging system has played a role, too. The points-based system is so technically demanding that critics say it has cost the women some of that artistry that made them so appealing. For the men, though, it has elevated the athleticism of the sport.

Sure, the quad became something of an endangered species for a season or two because of the way it's valued. But it's back with a vengeance this year. Plushenko has been working on quad-quad and triple axel-quad combinations, jumps so demanding few people even try them, and quads have been a staple of Abbott, Bradley and Mroz's programs. At practice Wednesday night, Lysacek tossed off a quad-triple combo with ease.

Add in all the other elements the guys do, and the men's event is a true test of strength and stamina.

"There's not really a break," Goebel said of the current programs. "Our spins and our footwork were kind of throwaways. Yes, they counted. But no one really cared what we did, as long as it wasn't a mess. The footwork I know takes a lot more energy now."

Added Bradley, "It's just cool to watch. We're going all out and we're trying things that maybe we shouldn't be trying, but we're going to try them anyway because we're athletes. Maybe that's kind of caught the attention of the public."

And there's nothing like an Olympic medal _ or two _ to really create a buzz. Especially when the games are in the United States' back yard.

"To have the world watching the men's event with such gaping mouths and be totally invested in everything that's going on ... it's just an amazing thing," Weir said.

[cekoni]

2010 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships
January 11-17 (London, ON)
http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/events_result...dns10Result.cfm

Senior Men - Short Program Result
http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/events_res ... &strSC=YES

Rank Competitor(s) Section SP FP Points
1 Patrick Chan 90.14
2 Vaughn Chipeur AB/NT/NU 78.87
3 Joey Russell NL 74.04
4 Shawn Sawyer QC 72.93
5 Kevin Reynolds BC/YT 67.39


Detailed Classification:
http://www.skatecanada.ca/en/events_res ... ts/sd1.pdf

1. Patrick Chan
1 3A 8.20 1.50 1 2 1 1 3 2 1 2 - - - - 9.70
2 3F 5.50 -0.50 -1 0 -1 0 -1 0 -1 1 - - - - 5.00
3 3Lz+2T+C 7.30 1.00 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - 8.30
4 CiSt4 3.90 2.00 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 - - - - 5.90
5 CSSp4 3.00 0.92 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 - - - - 3.92
6 FSSp4 3.00 0.67 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 - - - - 3.67
7 SlSt4 3.90 2.83 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 - - - - 6.73
8 CCoSp4 3.50 1.00 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 - - - - 4.50

5. Kevin Reynolds
1 4S+3T+C 14.30 0.83 1 1 1 -1 0 1 1 1 - - - - 15.13
2 3A 8.20 -4.20 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3