Brian Boitano':The State of US Skating

[sk8tingfan]

I was sent an article from the Denver Post by a friend which interviews Brian Boitano on the state of skating in general and that within the US. His view is dim With respect to our recent victories in the JGP, etc.

The U.S. has done well in the junior ranks. Forty percent of the field in the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final was American, and last week, the U.S. became the first country to sweep all four golds at a Junior Grand Prix Final in Bulgaria.

Boitano doesn't see that as quality depth.

"The jump from junior to senior is such a different stratosphere," he said. "You could be a bigwig in juniors and then all of a sudden you go to the bottom of the pile and have to work your way back up."

So where does that leave the future of U.S. figure skating? Boitano says there "are possibilities," namely Kimmie Meissner, the 17-year-old national runner-up who "has a chance to get a world medal but below that (in singles), I don't think we have any chances of medals, really."

Unfortunately, I don't have the link. Otherwise, I would have embedded it.

While I respect what he has to say, it depressed me.

[mag7fan1]

Yes, this is definetly depressing. I like Brian but I hope his predictions for the future are wrong. :(

[Erin S.]

I'm surprised he wouldn't think Evan or Johnny could medal. But he's right about ladies.

[iceman]

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_4842628

We need some more stars," Boitano said Wednesday. "We don't have any stars in amateur skating.

Joining him will be Olympians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who won 2002 Olympic ice dancing gold; OH, MY

[aaronts]

sorry, not everyone may know Johnny Weir, but he's one of the biggest stars in skating......... period. also, there's so much emphasis on the quad, when all Evan & Johnny have to do is skate cleanly, if not inspired, to be near or at the top. they proved that least year - when they skated well, they got the scores.

Kimmie Meissner, god i want to enjoy her skating, is far from becoming a star. she could win the next 3 World championships & still have little to no star power. it sounds to me like Brian is reading from the USFSA manual on skater marketing. it's the same crap we hear over & over again. Kimmie has as much of a 3 axel as Johnny has a quad....

regardless, skating's biggest stars have always been it's females. right now, in this country, our top 5 ladies are a snooze IMO~

[Lisa Seye]

Denver Post has an article regarding the absence of skating stars. Interesting article. Thanks for sharing. Yes it does sound depressing. I wonder what Michelle thinks as she reads it (if she reads it)?

[uncchristine99]

I agree with 99% of his remarks except for the one about Sasha being "done" if she takes a year off. If she took it upon herself to return, she'd be a major force.

She may not always win but she's always the one to beat--that is Sasha Cohen's claim to fame.

[amielou]

Is Pluschenko really planning to skate in 2010? I read it twice and thought that's what the article said, but I thought he had hung up his eligible skates?? Am I confused? Or is the writer confused? (I'm tending to assume the latter since the writer also said Jamie and David won ice dance...)

[Sparks]

I read the article and did not find it depressing...I found Brian's remarks refreshing and honest. That is just the way American FS is right now...

[NeverGivUp]

Well, we will just have to wait and see. I wish to see Caroline Zhang to well. However, let's remember this:

Michelle Kwan - former Jr. World champion
Jenny Kirk- former Jr. World champion
Sarah Hughes -former Jr. national champion

[Krista]

sorry, not everyone may know Johnny Weir, but he's one of the biggest stars in skating......... period. also, there's so much emphasis on the quad, when all Evan & Johnny have to do is skate cleanly, if not inspired, to be near or at the top. they proved that least year - when they skated well, they got the scores.

Kimmie Meissner, god i want to enjoy her skating, is far from becoming a star. she could win the next 3 World championships & still have little to no star power. it sounds to me like Brian is reading from the USFSA manual on skater marketing. it's the same crap we hear over & over again. Kimmie has as much of a 3 axel as Johnny has a quad....

regardless, skating's biggest stars have always been it's females. right now, in this country, our top 5 ladies are a snooze IMO~


That sums it up well for me. I hope Caroline Zhang stays healthy and does well. I think she's our next potential "star" so to speak. I really enjoy watching her skate.

[lavender]

sorry, not everyone may know Johnny Weir, but he's one of the biggest stars in skating......... period. also, there's so much emphasis on the quad, when all Evan & Johnny have to do is skate cleanly, if not inspired, to be near or at the top. they proved that least year - when they skated well, they got the scores.

Kimmie Meissner, god i want to enjoy her skating, is far from becoming a star. she could win the next 3 World championships & still have little to no star power. it sounds to me like Brian is reading from the USFSA manual on skater marketing. it's the same crap we hear over & over again. Kimmie has as much of a 3 axel as Johnny has a quad....

regardless, skating's biggest stars have always been it's females. right now, in this country, our top 5 ladies are a snooze IMO~

I agree with every word of your post.

Sasha is not THE one to beat but she's always one of the top skaters to beat

[ros01]

Johnny is a star right now, but not quite in the right way. He is the closest thing we have to a household name (currently active in eligible ranks), but his fame is more based on being a 'character' than on having big titles. I think he needs to back up his national titles with more international success to be the biggest kind of star. I would love to see him do this just because he's such a great talent.

As for Kimmie, I agree with you that I think people are touting her too much. She seems like a lovely girl and I enjoy watching her, but world champion or not, her skating is not star-worthy right now.

But I think we have other great people: Evan, Tanith and Ben, and the juniors. Even Rena and John are doing extremely well, better than anyone could have imagined a few years ago. Just because the US isn't cleaning up tons of world medals doesn't mean that skating isn't strong. Can't have it all. Many sports are facing this marketing problem of the US losing its dominance.

[iceangelica]

About Kimmie Meissner? Well, sometimes, it takes time to mature. Kimmie is a late-bloomer.

Just look at Shizuka? When Michelle was top, she was not very impressive. Some people are late bloomers. It aint over until you say it's over.

[lavender]

When Michelle was on top Michelle had artistry coming out her finger tips.

Michelle wasn't really late bloomer...maybe later than Sasha and Caroline. I also think whatever Michelle had was in her the whole time. Not sure if Kimmie has that in her.

[GoldenMichelle]

Johnny is a star right now, but not quite in the right way. He is the closest thing we have to a household name
My husband always calls Johnny Weir, Michael Weiss. LOL

[Lisa Seye]

GoldenMichelle, LOL.

[DreamSkates]

Please remember that Michelle wasn't a star right away either. Kimmie might develop into a star as she continues. It might be a while before Caroline Z can become a star in seniors. I think both Evan and Johnny are stars to some extent and if they continue to do well (world medals) the stardom will take off. Sasha's got star quality; she just didn't deliver in the gold medal arena as expected often enough or at the right times.

[berthesghost]

sorry, not everyone may know Johnny Weir, but he's one of the biggest stars in skating......... period. also, there's so much emphasis on the quad, when all Evan & Johnny have to do is skate cleanly, if not inspired, to be near or at the top. they proved that least year - when they skated well, they got the scores.

Kimmie Meissner, god i want to enjoy her skating, is far from becoming a star. she could win the next 3 World championships & still have little to no star power. it sounds to me like Brian is reading from the USFSA manual on skater marketing. it's the same crap we hear over & over again. Kimmie has as much of a 3 axel as Johnny has a quad....

regardless, skating's biggest stars have always been it's females. right now, in this country, our top 5 ladies are a snooze IMO~a, I'll have to respectufully disagree.

Johnny may be the darling of skating purists, but he's nowhere near the household name of a Hamilton. It's obvious that that's what Brian meant by "star". It's also obvious to me, based on Torino and the post-SP media blitz, that Weir could be a big star, he just can't seem to win anything.

US men have been stuck in a bronze rut for almost 2 decades now. You seem to think that Chang Li and Segei Dobrin are world champs, because last time I checked, Plushy and Lambiel were about a whole lot more than just a quad. US men have been "losing" the Olys since Alberville due to lack of competitive tech, so I can see where Brian get's his high horse from.

Kimmie's 3axel may be as much fiction as fact, but the 3x isn't as "arrived" in ladies as the quad is in men's. Picking on quad-less Todd may have been a little unfair, but today's guys not having a quad is shocking IMO.

Your last sentence is top on though, which is why the media runs so many "is US skatign int rouble" articles. Mens pairs and Dnace have been in a steady state of decline since Calgary, but nobody cared because to most americans, ladies is skating. Now that the Us gals are just as bad as the guys and couples, suddenly it's a problem, like the playboy deciding not to splurge on ataxi to this bankruptcy hearing.

[gatzbee]

that is true. FS has been about ladies FS for like years and years. from yamaguchi, to kerrigan, and then to the dominant kwan era, US has always seem to represent well with its ladies. Kwan is prolly the biggest star the USFS has ever produced. known pretty well across the country and in the world. her exit leaves a huge gap, esp. b/c she has been dominant for what seemed like an eternity ;). and now with sasha cohen out for most this season, we are left to grapple with who's left, and the only one consistent enough to get us a medal, and possibly win events is Meissner, who has great personality but is not up to par with the top ladies in the world now. i don't think Zhang will have a problem in the senior ranks, should she continue to be healthy. yes, i think the transition can be rough for some, but this girl skates better than many senior ladies today, and has the technical arsenal to boot. she is only 13, yet she skates with a maturity beyond her age. the key i think will be staying injury-free and healthy. we were all excited about the arrival of NNN and SC, the 'baby ballerinas'. sasha stayed but never seemed to rise to the occasion at the 'big' events, and NNN got injured and had to leave singles skating, tho now she has resurrected herself in pairs. for me, right now, the US ladies on the senior circuit aren't the ones setting the standard for artistry and technical ability. those young ladies can be found in japan and korea.

[millenniummagicz]

Well, we will just have to wait and see. I wish to see Caroline Zhang to well. However, let's remember this:

Michelle Kwan - former Jr. World champion
Jenny Kirk- former Jr. World champion
Sarah Hughes -former Jr. national champion

I fail to see any major connection. Kwan is well, Kwan. Kirk never got off anywhere after juniors. Didnt Ann Patrice win the junior title and followed similar path like Kirk afterwards? Hughes was the one shot wonder who took SLC OGM but never really anything else(wait, SC gold).

So far only Irina and Kwan have done well after their junior title. Mao did well enough claiming GP titles last season; Kim did the same this year.

MK was never a late boomer. She just turned senior really early. She was a pretty big star in the US after 94 Nationals winning silver. She was also a big star at Worlds in 95 at early age.

Dont forget she won the World at age 15, with jumps AND artistry that's beyond any of these ladies today.

Sasha well, is still Sasha. Potential without realization is fruitless. Unless she has her nerves in control, I doubt her comeback would take her to gold. She'll likely be in the mix with the other "inconsistent" jumpers.

[bekalc]

I fail to see any major connection. Kwan is well, Kwan. Kirk never got off anywhere after juniors. Didnt Ann Patrice win the junior title and followed similar path like Kirk afterwards? Hughes was the one shot wonder who took SLC OGM but never really anything else(wait, SC gold).

So far only Irina and Kwan have done well after their junior title. Mao did well enough claiming GP titles last season; Kim did the same this year.

MK was never a late boomer. She just turned senior really early. She was a pretty big star in the US after 94 Nationals winning silver. She was also a big star at Worlds in 95 at early age.

Dont forget she won the World at age 15, with jumps AND artistry that's beyond any of these ladies today.

Sasha well, is still Sasha. Potential without realization is fruitless. Unless she has her nerves in control, I doubt her comeback would take her to gold. She'll likely be in the mix with the other "inconsistent" jumpers.


Kimmie Meissner was a junior national champion, and a junior world silver medalist, and she won the Senior World championships. I'd say that Yu-Na Kim and Mao have successfully made the jump so far.

I think whether a skater makes a successful transition is based on the skater's talent. I remember looking at Jenny Kirk's junior record and she wasn't that consistent. She won some competitions she didn't win others. I"m not sure she was "as praised" as Yu-Na and Mao were praised. As Juniors, Mao and Yu-Na dominated their competition, plus they were landing more difficult elements than the seniors (three/threes's!)

[lasaslav]

Wow! This was some article. Brian just calling it like he sees it. And, why not? He doesn't need to prove anything or curry favor with judges or anything like that. I agree with him re: the men - the COP was a great gift to our guys who can't do quads. I really like it when a guy can do the quad consistently AND have artistry. Lambiel was like this, EP (loved his quads, not so much his artistry) and Brian Joubert has come a LONG way re: this.

Funny what BB says about Sasha. I'm sure she could win some sort of medal if she came back at Worlds, but not gold. Not against the Japanese newcomers. imho.

[lasaslav]

P.S. This also got me thinking about Michelle's choice - as a 13 year old! - to take his Senior level tests (behind Frank's back, as we all know now) so she could bypass the entire Junior level scene.

Just think how different things would have been historically if MK had been made to be a junior for another year?