This has been mentioned in various threads, but I love the story behind this Trophy, and think it deserves to be more widely known. Jason is only the fifth recipient in over 70 years.
the history of the Trophy from USFS YouTube:
The story began at the 1947 World Figure Skating Championship in Stockholm, where Dick Button's performance impressed Ulrich Salchow, ten-time winner of the World Figure Skating Championships and inventor of the now-famous Salchow jump. The judges awarded Dick second place, but Salchow thought he deserved the gold. Befriending the young talent, he invited Dick to select a trophy from his own vast collection, and as Dick did, a new tradition was born. Following the 1972 World Championships, Dick passed on the Salchow trophy to Misha Petkevich, and in 2010, Misha passed the trophy to Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, all in the spirit of commemorating a passion for excellence, generosity of mentorship, and a love of skating that now spans more than seven decades. Now, more than 10 years later, the Trophy has been passed onto Jason Brown and will now be awarded every four years to a new recipient.
From the speeches at the awarding of the Trophy, where both Paul Wylie and Misha Petkevich presented to Jason, any dance, singles or pairs skater anywhere in the world is eligible for the Trophy. The Trophy award is based on skating excellence "above and beyond the rules of competition", among other criteria.
Jason's response:
the history of the Trophy from USFS YouTube:
The story began at the 1947 World Figure Skating Championship in Stockholm, where Dick Button's performance impressed Ulrich Salchow, ten-time winner of the World Figure Skating Championships and inventor of the now-famous Salchow jump. The judges awarded Dick second place, but Salchow thought he deserved the gold. Befriending the young talent, he invited Dick to select a trophy from his own vast collection, and as Dick did, a new tradition was born. Following the 1972 World Championships, Dick passed on the Salchow trophy to Misha Petkevich, and in 2010, Misha passed the trophy to Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, all in the spirit of commemorating a passion for excellence, generosity of mentorship, and a love of skating that now spans more than seven decades. Now, more than 10 years later, the Trophy has been passed onto Jason Brown and will now be awarded every four years to a new recipient.
From the speeches at the awarding of the Trophy, where both Paul Wylie and Misha Petkevich presented to Jason, any dance, singles or pairs skater anywhere in the world is eligible for the Trophy. The Trophy award is based on skating excellence "above and beyond the rules of competition", among other criteria.
Jason's response: