2004

Skate America

Men's Event

By Sandra Stevenson

Photos Copyright 2004 by George S. Rossano

  
Final Standings
Place Skater Country SP FS
1 Brian Joubert  FRA 1 2
2 Ryan Jahnke  USA 4 1
3 Michael Weiss  USA 2 3
4 Roman Serov ISR 3 4
5 Evan Lysacek  USA 5 8
6 Lun Song CHN 9 6
7 Nicholas Young CAN 6 7
8 Ben Ferreira  CAN 7 9
9 Stefan Lindemann  GER 11 5
10 Vakjtang Murvanisze GEO 8 11
11 Alexander Shubin  RUS 10 10

 

Short Program

 
Starting Order - Short Program
  1. Lun Song CHN
  2. Stefan Lindemann GER
  3. Ryan Jahnke USA
  4. Brian Joubert FRA
  5. Michael Weiss USA
  6. Alexander Shubin RUS
  7. Roman Serov RUS
  8. Vakhtang Murvanidze GEO
  9. Ben Ferreira CAN
  10. Nicholas Young CAN
  11. Evan Lysacek USA

 

Short Program Placements
Place Skater Country
1 Brian Joubert  FRA
2 Michael Weiss  USA
3 Roman Serov ISR
4 Ryan Jahnke  USA
5 Evan Lysacek  USA
6 Nicholas Young CAN
7 Ben Ferreira  CAN
8 Vakjtang Murvanisze GEO
9 Lun Song CHN
10 Alexander Shubin  RUS
11 Stefan Lindemann  GER


Brian Joubert

 


Skating fourth, the European champion and world runner-up, Brian Joubert, took a step towards winning Skate America for a second time but it was a distinctly shaky start. Skating to Blue Men Group, the popular 20 year old Frenchman established a lead of 7.28 points but only because everyone else made mistakes.

His routine has a distinctly unfinished air. Wearing a strange black and red outfit with cutouts in the front and wide-rimmed gloves that looked as if they were borrowed from a Captain Marvel Outwits the Martians fifties serial movie, he soared through his quad toe to triple toe, landing the latter with his unique soft touchdown, and accomplished his triple Axel.

But he received minus 2s (one judge even gave a minus 3) for flubbing his triple flip. And though both his circular and straight line footwork sequences received Level 2 status, the former had a strange stop three quarters the way through and the later seemed slow and lacking his normal energy level.

"I was a little tired. (The mistake on the flip) was stupid. It’s the beginning of the season. Everything is new – new program – new judging system. It was difficult but I did my job. The beginning of the season with this program – it can’t be perfect. But it will get better," Joubert declared.

His score of 72.10 was announced as a personal record. That appeared odd but Joubert explained his main achievements have been in events under the old system. "In last season’s Grand Prix events (where the new system was being used), I skated really bad short programs."

It was in Spokane where Joubert won the 2002 Skate America with a great short program that Joubert met Olympic champion Alexei Yagudin who had to withdraw from this his last eligible contest.

Yagudin, who has lived in the US since 1998, has vowed to help make Joubert his Olympic successor, a plan which has brought Yagudin much criticism in his home country of Russia.

The current favorite for Olympic gold is Evgeny Plushenko, who is taught by Alexei Mishin, Yagudin’s coach until after he won his first world title in 1998. Yagudin is helping Joubert in part by choreographing his routines. He is putting a lot of himself into the younger man and despite the presence of his regular coach, Laurent Depouilly, in Pittsburgh, the Frenchman is beginning to look too much like a Yagudin clone.

Last year’s Skate America winner, Michael Weiss, skated immediately following Joubert and appeared extremely buff and sleek. His quad toe had enough rotation to be acknowledged as that jump, but he stepped out of the move and couldn’t get up for the combination. All but one of the judges gave their lowest possible award, minus 3. (The other judge gave minus 2.)

Weiss brought off the triple Axel although he had to struggle to control the landing, and a triple Lutz out of extremely interesting footwork. "I’ve been working with a spin specialist to add difficulty," Weiss said. "It is difficult to get a Level 3 spin but we’re adding difficulty with change of edges and change of feet. Anything that adds difficulty adds value to it in the new system."

He was handicapped by a boot and blade problem. "I was planning to break in a new pair of boots and blades but not in competition. On Monday night my boots and blades just came apart so I’m skating on a new blade on the right foot that’s had just four sessions of practice and an old one on the left."

The 28 year old former three time US champion, who is taught by Don Laws in Laurel, Maryland, skated to Henry V by Patrick Doyle played by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

His choreographer is his wife, Lisa Thornton-Weiss. The couple have two children, Annie-Mae, born September 1998, and Christopher Michael, born October 1999.

Taking third place, much to his own amazement, is 27 year old Roman Serov from Moscow, who was fourth in the 2002 Russian championships. He now trains in Hackensack, New Jersey, with Craig Maurizi, and represents Israel.

"I found out just last week, I was coming to Pittsburgh," explained Serov, who was a last minute replacement. He is married to Rachel Lior, who also skates for Israel.

"I didn’t try my quad. I just wanted to do my best program. It was good to skate clean after a two year break. In Russia there are a lot of skaters, so it was very difficult. I wanted to skate. I can’t live without skating. But I had to sit out a season to change countries."

Americans Ryan Jahnke and Evan Lysacek took fourth and fifth place in the field of eleven men from eight countries.

Jahnke, who drew to skate third immediately prior to Joubert, performed to Bouree in E Minor by J.S. Bach arranged by Ian Anderson. It would have been a delightful showing had the married 26 year old not incurred a 1.0 deduction for splattering on his triple Axel.

Jahnke, who was third in 2003 and fourth in the 2004 national championships, soared through an excellent "Boitano" hand-over-head triple Lutz earning a total of 60.83 points.

Lysacek, skating last to the music Espana Cani, had minus 1s and minus 2s on his triple Axel; minus 1s on his triple Lutz to triple toe and fell on the triple flip. However, the 19 year old from Chicago, who was the 1999 US Novice and 2000 US Junior champion, is recovering from a hip stress fracture.

The three time world junior silver medal winner is ranked fifth in the US at senior level. He now trains in California to train with Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi.

I felt the most delightful showing of the event was the sixth placed Nicholas Young’s efforts to ‘Silent Movie Medley’. The 22 year old, who was Canada’s junior champion in 2000, has been fifth at senior level for the past two years and won the very first competition to be skated under the new system. (2003 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany.)

Although he singled his triple Axel and doubled his triple flip after accomplishing a triple Lutz to triple toe, the routine was packed with interesting transitions and difficult footwork.

The runner-up for the Canadian title, Ben Ferreira, gained seventh place.

Eighth, skating to Take Five by Dave Brubeck, was the 25 year old many time Georgian champion, Vakhtang Murvanidze, who has left his hometown of Tbilisi to train with Alexander Zhulin in Montclair, NJ.

The 23 year old Lun Song from Beijing gave an uninspired showing to Sarabande by Handel to place ninth.

Alexander Shubin, the 2003 Junior world champion, is obviously still suffering from the aftermath of injuries which made him sit out last season. The Moscovite 23 year old took tenth place.

Last March Stefan Lindemann became the first German man to medal in the (senior) world championship since Norbert Schramm took a silver in1983. That splendid form, however, was totally lacking in Pittsburgh, where the 24 year old fell twice incurring a deduction of 2.0 and made other errors to land firmly in last place.

Despite his problems, however, his routine, to the soundtrack of Earnest by Charlie Mole, was pleasantly cheeky and suited his elfish style. It has potential.

 

Free Skating

 
Starting Order - Free Skating
  1. Stefan Lindemann GER
  2. Ben Ferreira CAN
  3. Alexander Shubin RUS
  4. Vakhtang Murvanidze GEO
  5. Lun Song CHN
  6. Roman Serov RUS
  7. Michael Weiss USA
  8. Ryan Jahnke USA
  9. Nicholas Young CAN
  10. Evan Lysacek USA
  11. Brian Joubert FRA

 

Free Skating Placements
Place Skater Country
1 Ryan Jahnke  USA
2 Brian Joubert  FRA
3 Michael Weiss  USA
4 Roman Serov ISR
5 Stefan Lindemann  GER
6 Lun Song CHN
7 Nicholas Young CAN
8 Evan Lysacek  USA
9 Ben Ferreira  CAN
10 Alexander Shubin  RUS
11 Vakjtang Murvanisze GEO


Ryan Jahnke

Brian Joubert


It was a night of scaled back achievement, of multiple falls and of surprising results.

Brian Joubert won, of course. It would have been a major upset had he not. However, the 20 year old Frenchman coasted to victory on the basis of his short program.

Joubert went into the long 7.28 points ahead of Michael Weiss and 11.27 points in front of Ryan Jahnke, who lay fourth.

But Jahnke won the free by 4.52 marks over Joubert. It was only enough to climb to second overall leaving Joubert with the gold by a margin of 6.75 points.

Joubert skated last and began his four and a half minute routine with a quad toe loop. The piece was choreographed to the music 1492, Conquest of Paradise which has been used by many other skaters.

Although the rotation in the quad was accomplished, he had to put two hands on the ice to keep from falling. "I was not tired," Joubert explained. "I did a very good combination in the short. I was relaxed before the long. I was too slow before the jump. I know I have to work on that. My free was very difficult."

His second jump in a planned triple flip combination was omitted. That situation was repeated in his third move when he jackknifed on the landing of the triple Axel and couldn’t get airborne again.

His flying sit spin was given only a Level 1. He then stepped out of a triple Axel but managed to disguise the fault slightly by taking off into an unplanned double Salchow. He accomplished a triple loop and a triple Salchow. His next move, a sit spin Level 1 gained the base value of 1.2.

His circular step sequence was awarded a Level 2. There followed a triple toe loop and a step out from a triple Lutz. His change foot combination spin received only a Level 1. His straight line step sequence was a Level 2. His 14th and final move, a flying combination spin was a Level 1.

That gave him a Technical Element score of 57.96 (as compared to Jahnke’s 63.88). The sum of Joubert’s program components (for which the judges given five marks out of ten for Skating Skills, Transitions, Performance and Execution, Choreography and Interpretation) was 63.40 (compared to Jahnke’s 64.00). Joubert did beat Jahnke in one component, skating skills.

Bearing in mind that Jahnke’s performance was nothing like his best, this low score indicates that Joubert is not fully capitalizing on the new system. For one thing, the European champion and world runner-up should have spins that are higher than Level 1.

There was even criticism of his tan outfit which, some say, would be more suited to covering a sofa.

Jahnke, who performed to Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, had two falls, the first on his opening move, a triple Axel which was to have been combined with a double toe loop. He later fell on his second triple Axel which meant he got a deduction of two points from his total score.

He also presented a triple toe to double toe to double loop combination, a triple Lutz to double toe, a triple Salchow, a "Tano" triple Lutz, a triple flip and a triple loop. His spins were a change foot camel Level 2 (he got the extra level because part of the spins went from a back outside to a forward inside edge); a flying sit Level 2, a change foot combination Level 1; and two Level 2 footwork sequences, circular and straight line.

Jahnke, who was going to compete in Skate Canada the following week, said immediately after he skated that he had been determined to do everything "to Level 10" meaning he was determined to give it his all. (Although the number of levels in the new system is expanding, there is no Level 10.)

"Axels are the only jumps I fell on. I had been doing them all week. Everything else was spot on and that paid off. The program got stronger as it went along. Right now it’s the first time I’ve been in the new system. The system definitely helped me."

Asked whether he thought he would finish second, Jahnke said, "We all have a little image of perfection in our minds. I was pretty energized so I was disappointed about the Axels. I thought I’d probably drop a place. Each competition you get feedback and the program gets tweaked."

Joubert said, "I was disappointed but I didn’t think about where I would place. The first event of the season is always difficult. Last year I started poorly but it ended up a great season. I know I have to work and work."

Michael Weiss, who had been second in the short, finished with the bronze, and described his performance as "mediocre. I skated early (second of the top six). It was nice to see I was in first place at that point. Technically, it hurt me not to have the Axel. You just have to wait and see. Sometimes you skate great but finish low.

"Skating’s a slippery sport. You don’t know what’s ahead. After nationals in Dallas, everyone said the US men’s skating was awful but then at Worlds Tim (Goebel) got a medal and I did well.

"You learn lessons each time you compete. Last year at Skate America (which he won), I learned that combinations make a big difference under the new system, but I forgot that lesson. Hopefully, you hit all the elements you plan but, if you don’t, it’s smart to have an alternative plan.

"I didn’t rotate either of my triple Axels. I would have been wise to have added a triple to triple. I need to focus on such a plan."

Weiss appeared in a flesh colored type of shirt that originally was designed for actors who wanted to appear as characters with tattoos. Before these were created, actors would have to spend time having the tattoos painted on themselves. "Mine even has my wife and my children’s names on it," said Weiss proudly pointing to the appropriate spots. "It was made by the company which made costumes for Brad Pitt’s role in the movie, ‘Fight Club’."

Weiss used the music Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick and Unforgiven. Weiss, the defending champion, was third in the long. He began with a two footed quad toe loop and was unable to take off for the planned second jump, a triple toe. His second jump was meant to be a second quad toe but turned into a triple. The next jump was a double instead of a triple Axel.

He brought off a triple Salchow and a triple loop but his second attempt at a triple Axel also turned into a double which was landed on the toe. He added a double toe to his triple flip and completed the program with a triple Lutz.

Although his straight line step sequence received a Level 2, his circular sequence did not and neither did any of his spins.

It was Joubert’s third appearance in Skate America. "I was ninth in my first and then won in 2002. It was a big surprise for me. I like to skate in America. It’s a pleasure to skate here. I really wanted to win again. I hope to come back."

Roman Serov, the Russian-Israeli who was third after the short, was fourth in the free and overall. He was given a 1.0 deduction penalty for running over his allotted maximum of four minutes and forty seconds.

Evan Lysacek stayed fifth despite a free that was ranked only eighth best. Skating to parts of the soundtrack of the classic movie, Singing in the Rain, Lysacek fell on his first jump, a triple Axel and did not attempt the second jump in the planned combination. He changed his second jump from a triple Axel to a triple Lutz which he brought off successfully and then did a single Axel.

A planned three jump combination turned into a triple Lutz to triple toe. The next eight of his nine remaining elements were well accomplished, but the triple flip turned into a double.

Lysacek is skating with a problem hip but he said, "The hip wasn’t a factor – maybe mentally but not physically. When the hip was diagnosed (as a stress fracture) I was told to take time off but when I did and I came back the pain was still there. They want me to have surgery.

"The doctor gave me the okay to train. They can’t guarantee that if I take time off the pain will go away. I take pain medicine – it’s legal – Celebrex. I can’t even get out of bed without it. I want to do Cup of Russia and the December invitational."

Sixth, only 1.05 points behind Lysacek was Lun Song from China who was ninth in the short and sixth in the long.

And only a sliver (0.64) behind him was the promising Canadian, Nicholas Young, who was sixth in the short and seventh in the long.

Young, who won a bronze medal in the recent Vienna Cup, appeared in a snazzy red shirt and green tie, with stripped pants. He used a Henry Mancini selection of Peter Gunn, Walkin’ Boss and Blues for Mothers which made for an entertaining routine choreographed by David Wilson.

Young revealed, "I’ve never really worked with a choreographer before. It was a different process being on the ice for five hours. It was the first time (working with a skater) for David, too.

"I think the piece shows a lot of musicality. I’m starting to hear more and playing a character. It’s more interesting and sometimes I get completely lost in it. It’s fun.

"Originally they thought of a green shirt with a red velvet tie. But now David wants a jacket because that’ll put more movement into the piece."

Young’s teammate, Ben Ferreira, had a less than satisfactory time. He dropped from seventh place to eighth overall with a ninth ranked free.

Skating to a selection of oldies, Sentimental Journey, Hit It, Moonlight Serenade and In the Mood by Glen Miller, Ferreira reduced his quad to a triple toe loop, and his second triple Lutz to a double.

He also had to do a double three to hold the landing of the first triple Lutz which meant he couldn’t get airborne for the planned second jump and was forced to put a hand on the ice to keep from falling on the second triple Axel.

"The routine was about fifty percent," said Ferreira. "I’m settling into the routine. I need to put more miles on it. I haven’t been able to get the quad. It’s not quite ready. I’ll be going to Skate Canada next week.

"I’ve been busy teaching. I have to make a living and I don’t want to over train and get injured. In practice my triple Axel was amazing. I don’t know what went wrong."

Stefan Lindemann, who won a world bronze medal in his home country earlier this year gave a showing with two falls (and the attendant 2.0 point deduction) but was fifth in the free which pulled him up from 11th and last to ninth overall.

Vakjtang Murvanidze dropped from eighth in the short to tenth overall with a last place in the long in which he had a deduction of 1.0 for a time violation.

Tenth place in both sections and last overall was the Russian Alexander Shubin, who fell on his first jump, a triple Axel. He performed to Chernov’s Killer Kid.

 

2004 Skate America Men's Medalists

Photo by Paul Harvath

 

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