Jason Brown

[Tavi...]

Sharing Miyu's account of training with Team KoRo translated by FSU's rosewood. She has lovely things to say about her training mates and Jason in particular.

What a lovely story - thanks so much for sharing! Is that Miyu standing next to Jason in the photo? She's so pretty!

OT but is that Philip Warren on the far left?

 

[katmari]

OT but is that Philip Warren on the far left?

It is. Rohene is choreographing his long program per this instagram post from April.

Rohene and Philip

Philip may be in Monument for some additional sessions.

Rohene and some team KoRo skaters plus Philip and Miyu climb the Manitou incline

Getting back on topic, here's Jason and Miyu skyping Riona Kato

 

[dorispulaski]

Guys, please leave a link and only a paragraph or two when you quote a story or translation? This is copyright courtesy to the author, translator, and the website owners. Thank you for the lovely story, BTW!

 

[el henry]

I think this is the first time I actually *read* guidelines. Thanks, Doris.

A link to an FSU thread :

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/index.php?threads/the-finer-sports-blog-updates.95774/

The OP posits in her blog that some of the vitriol we see directed to Jason may be because his personality does not conform to masculine "norms", even in figure skating. Interesting.

And another question: I would have thought that Jason would have been invited to some summer ice shows, maybe even Japanese ones. Does anyone have an opinion or thought on this, or on whether perhaps he has been invited, and has chosen not to go?

Have to speculate about something during the off-season....

 

[Interspectator]

I think this is the first time I actually *read* guidelines. Thanks, Doris.

A link to an FSU thread :

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/index.php?threads/the-finer-sports-blog-updates.95774/

The OP posits in her blog that some of the vitriol we see directed to Jason may be because his personality does not conform to masculine "norms", even in figure skating. Interesting.

And another question: I would have thought that Jason would have been invited to some summer ice shows, maybe even Japanese ones. Does anyone have an opinion or thought on this, or on whether perhaps he has been invited, and has chosen not to go?

Have to speculate about something during the off-season....

What a fun article. Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes Jasons' programs are not my cup of tea, but I'll never forget the tears that came to my eyes when I saw his Riverdance at the US Nationals. I'm super interested to see how he's going to conquer the quad this season.

 

[Mrs. P]

I thought Sarah wrote a thoughtful blog and I agree with many of her points. That said, one has to consider that actual hate/criticism is coming from a limited number of very vocal people. i think it's really important nuance.

I think the majority of people (let's say 90 percent) probably appreciate Jason's strengths but are concerned about his weaknesses and liked are in the spectrum of "not my cup of tea"/bandwagon fan to "pretty strong fan". I say 5 percent are super loyal fans (maybe edging on blind...) and I say 5 percent are downright haters, i.e. cannot see any redeeming qualities, highlight only weaknesses. I feel that this 5 percent easily makes up more than the majority of the mean/hateful/ultra-critical posts.

So I disagree with Sarah there is this HUGE group of fans who take issue with Jason's skating. If you look at any message board/twitter, the ultra harsh criticism is usually from the same small number of people who repeat the same things over and over again (or have gotten more vocal as Jason has become more successful). Every sport is going to have that 5 percent that will never say anything good about a given athlete, no matter what he or she does. IMO, there is no point of engaging with that group. (Also, I think it's a total clash for the 5 percent super loyal fan base to try to engage in any discussion with the 5 percent ultra critical fan base.)

The group worth engaging is the less vocal majority who may have a wide spectrum of viewpoints.

 

[Interspectator]

I thought Sarah had some good points in the blog and I agree with many of her points. That said, one has to consider that actual hate/criticism is coming from a limited number of very vocal people. i think it's really important nuance.

I think the majority of people (let's say 90 percent) probably appreciate Jason's strengths but are concerned about his weaknesses and liked are in the spectrum of "not my cup of tea" to "occasional fan". I say 5 percent a really loyal fans and I say 5 percent are downright haters, i.e. cannot see any redeeming qualities, highlight only weaknesses. I feel that this 5 percent easily makes up more than the majority of the tweets/posts/etc of the mean/hateful posts.

If you look at any message board/twitter, it's usually the same small number of people saying the same things over and over again.

Yeah, Jason gets much more love than hate on the whole. Just listen to the audience applaud him at any competition. He is certainly one of the more popular male skaters on the circuit right now. It's just much easier to pick up on negativity since our brains are programed that way. I could read 10 positive comments but the one I'll remember is the 1 negative comment.

 

[Mrs. P]

Yeah, Jason gets much more love than hate on the whole. Just listen to the audience applaud him at any competition. He is certainly one of the more popular male skaters on the circuit right now. It's just much easier to pick up on negativity since our brains are programed that way. I could read 10 positive comments but the one I'll remember is the 1 negative comment.

You are so correct. I tend to dwell on the negative comments on my own work so much more than the positive.

That said, I think excessive negative comments are not completely bad, if you learn to approach them form an analytical matter, like Sarah did in her blog. But after a while, as a fan, you'll have to accept that people have certain perceptions/viewpoints they'll never let go no matter what you say and it's better to move on without responding.

I agree with you that Jason gets a positive reception in general based on, as you noted, the audience's engagement/applause.

 

[dorispulaski]

Years ago, I taught lab sections when I was a grad student. Every student had to fill in a long evaluation form of my section at the end of the semester. The forms were anonymous, but as I had been grading their work all semester, I knew whose handwriting was whose. My rules were that I paid the most attention to people that gave me a very high overall mark and to those who gave me a low overall mark. If my fans thought something needed work, it probably really needed work. But if my haterz thought something was OK, it also was likely really good. Then I averaged up the scores of the mushy middle to get a feel for the class.

If I were Jason or some other skater, I would do the same. Jason would learn that even some of his uberfans did not like this year's costumes, the Juke suspenders and T&I pants, some didn't love Juke all that well, and all agree that he needs at least one quad. From the haterz, even they acknowledge that he knows how to perform

 

[karne]

I rolled my eyes hard when she summed it up that basically Jason is disliked because he's not handsome. Kiddo, if that was the problem, then explain the deal with the sport of Max-bashing...

I can sum up part of the issue. One part is that Jason beat a long-established, long-time fan "favourite", Adam. Some people don't like that. For some people that was the only reason they'd bash on him. Exactly the same thing happened when Max beat Jeremy. Again, relative newcomer beating long-established fan favourite.

The other part of the issue is that Jason doesn't conform to the expected skating norms. Yuzuru and Patrick and Javier are all wiping the ice with their butts trying to do more and more quads, but Jason increases his difficulty with jumps/combos in the second half and ludicrously wonderful spins and footwork. Because Jason is so consistently clean, and these other favourites are not, it's all too easy to say "but Jason is only clean because his content is easy". He's a young man; he's supposed to be aiming up for quads and trot them out in the expected times.

 

[dorispulaski]

Good points but

Yes, ITA Jeremy and Adam have loyal fan bases that are buttsore that Jason and Max are beating them. Additionally, Adam is on the USFSA governing council, so he has political visibility. And Ashley fans are pro-Adam, on average, because Ashley and Adam are such close friends.

But-Not everyone thinks Max is cuter than Jason. (Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.) Max is not my particular idea of gorgeous, FTM. Neither is Jason Nor is Adam.Jason and Max are kind of cute IMO. Josh is prettier, but I just like Max and Jason better. I don't find Adam either particularly pretty or cute

And yes, I do think some people can't get their heads around the fact that as far as getting IJS points goes, there are, as my grandpa used to say more ways to kill a cat than by choking it to death with butter. Jason's way is both legal and admirable, IMO. So is Max's.

 

[Maria Victoria]

Guys, please leave a link and only a paragraph or two when you quote a story or translation? This is copyright courtesy to the author, translator, and the website owners. Thank you for the lovely story, BTW!

Noted, thanks for the reminder. And let me take the opportunity to also thank you, Mrs. P, and the others who have "adopted" fanfest threads in the summer fanfest for your hard work in providing us updates and links about our favorite skaters.

I think this is the first time I actually *read* guidelines. Thanks, Doris.

A link to an FSU thread :

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/index.php?threads/the-finer-sports-blog-updates.95774/

The OP posits in her blog that some of the vitriol we see directed to Jason may be because his personality does not conform to masculine "norms", even in figure skating. Interesting.

And another question: I would have thought that Jason would have been invited to some summer ice shows, maybe even Japanese ones. Does anyone have an opinion or thought on this, or on whether perhaps he has been invited, and has chosen not to go?

Have to speculate about something during the off-season....

Thanks for the link. Jason should continue being true to himself and be the best Jason Brown he can be. I suspect even when Jason gets his quad, there will still be critical comments because then he will even be a bigger threat to the favorite skaters of some.

Re Jason not being in ice shows, maybe he prefers to train as Rohene's new programs for him may have a high degree of difficulty.

 

[cheerknithanson]

Years ago, I taught lab sections when I was a grad student. Every student had to fill in a long evaluation form of my section at the end of the semester. The forms were anonymous, but as I had been grading their work all semester, I knew whose handwriting was whose. My rules were that I paid the most attention to people that gave me a very high overall mark and to those who gave me a low overall mark. If my fans thought something needed work, it probably really needed work. But if my haterz thought something was OK, it also was likely really good. Then I averaged up the scores of the mushy middle to get a feel for the class.

If I were Jason or some other skater, I would do the same. Jason would learn that even some of his uberfans did not like this year's costumes, the Juke suspenders and T&I pants, some didn't love Juke all that well, and all agree that he needs at least one quad. From the haterz, even they acknowledge that he knows how to perform

They still do evaluations today for professors and teacher's aides/grad students who are instructors.

And yep all my lab instructors/ recetation instructors thus far were grad students. It felt at first in my first semester of college especially since preschool (when I was 2 1/2 years old), I was told to call all my teachers Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. *insert last name* so in college when some teachers told us to call them by their first name, it was daunting and confusing to me lol. But now I have no problem if they tell us to do that especially if they are grad students.

Unfortunately, for one lab instructor, I had to give a bad review to. And it wasn't just me, it was the majority of my lab section for Organic Chemistry I. And at my college, when we do evaluations, the teacher has to leave the room and one student is responsible for dropping the envelope off at a specific location in a building and apparently professors/instructors don't get them until the next semester and they're typed up by some people apparently though we do fill out the evaluation form in pencil/pen.

Sometimes before the start of the new semester, I look on ratemyprofessor to see the overall reviews of the professors I'm going to have. While some are accurate, some I was quite confused because I was preparing myself to not do as well in their class when in the end I actually did well and one of the classes where the professor I had that had low ratings. Sometimes the ratings are due that the class is too hard for them...like organic chemistry.

I know this is off topic, but I HAD to say it considering that I'm still in college AND I'm a science major.

 

[Mrs. P]

That vocal 5 percent of ultra critics, yes tend to be uber fans of other skaters. But I'd argue that 5 percent of the ultra critics tend to be part of the 5 percent of ultra (blind?) of a given skater. Again, an important nuance. I think the majority of fans of other skaters have a healthy attitude regarding competitors and may even be a fan of multiple skaters.

There will be a time that Jason will not be the upstart but the veteran and there may be a point where he is beaten by the next generation of upstarts. It's going to happen. It will be hard to see, but my hope is that I can have a healthy attitude about it when that time comes, be it sooner or later.

Also, Doris is correct there are multiple ways to kill a cat than choking with butter, however, that doesn't mean that choking with butter is suddenly an invalid choice. The fact is that Yuzuru, Patrick and Javier are all World Champions (and have multiple World medals). Jason is not (nor does have have a World medal). Yes, the falls/errors are not endearing, but they do enough outside those errors to get on the podium. At Worlds, Yuzuru may have missed his quads, but he basically does Jason's program content in 5 jumping passes in the halfway mark. The fact is these three (and on-the-mark Denis Ten) are the next targets, the people he still needs to beat.

 

[dorispulaski]

Absolutely! Jason has a dauntingly large amount of work to do on jumps. I hope he will get at least one quad this summer to the point where it is usually called rotated!

 

[Mrs. P]

Absolutely! Jason has a dauntingly large amount of work to do on jumps. I hope he will get at least one quad this summer to the point where it is usually called rotated!

I'm looking forward to seeing where he is with the quad. I think he knows the that the jig is up and he's got to put some work on it, hence his decision to stay close to home and do summer comps.

 

[dorispulaski]

Ita.

 

[StitchMonkey]

I do think we will see quad attempts this year. Being US National champion gives him a bit of a reputation cushion that will make trying it a bit less painful. This is the year to do it.

I find it interesting that the 2S was the only jump we saw in the preview from Rohene. The blocking for the axel was clear, but not even a single. The 3-3 at the end was acknowledged by Rohene but again no jumps. I tend to feel like there has to be a reason for the 2S to be there, both in the sense that it was a bloody Sal, and the fact that it was jumped. I wonder if they have been working on the footwork for that pass and really want to hammer in the rhythm.

I think the jump competition will be great for Jason. He can try a quad in "competition" and with an audience, but with no slots on the line stresses. Also if he can land one in the jump contest, even if he gets a downgrade in the competition, he still comes away from the week with people seeing him land one. I think if he manages to land one in the jump contest, there will be less pearl clutching if he does not land one in the program part of the competition.

 

[katmari]

I was rewatching some of Jason's performances over the weekend and thinking how far he's come in the last two years. His success as a senior was so sudden that I've wondered if that's why some people have had issues with him (not having paid his dues and all that).

Here's his international debut at Nebelhorn 2013:

2013 Nebelhorn SP

The Eurosport guys introduction of Jason:

Hasn't done well in Nationals which is why we've not seen him on the international stage but he was runner up in world junior's -- may put down a good sequence

After landing the lutz:

This is special!

By the end:

Just gorgeous! -- No wonder they talk him up this guy!

In their analysis the commentators mentioned that the flowing edge on the axel and combination could be softer.

Two years later I think that's an area he still needs to work on as well as the quad. As high as his technical mark was for the FS at World Team Trophy, he would have received higher GOEs if he had more flow coming out of the jumps.

The clock is ticking the quad and I think Jason knows it. I agree with StitchMonkey that the jump competition is the perfect time to unveil the (hopefully rotated and landed) quad.

 

[el henry]

I had this wonderful, too long answer, and I timed out! Time for shorter answers...

I am appreciating all the comments here, and I agree: the vitriol comes from a vocal minority, and it appears that the vocal minority are fans of other skaters, who find it horribly unfair that Jason can score higher without the jumps. He does confound skating norms. In a way, I understand their pain. But it's just too easy for me as a five percenter to set forth my excellent, stirring and irrefutable arguments as to why Jason is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or at least since Toller. Listening to myself talk; isn’t that what the internet is for?

I’m sure Jason knows he needs a quad, I’m sure he wants a quad, we all want a quad. And this season is as good as any. And it makes sense that maybe he should skip the shows and concentrate on the jumps (and also that the jumps may be less high stress at the Broadmoor comp; I had not thought of that).

All this sense-making, there is nothing to argue about!

To stray OT on evaluation forms some more, at spousal unit’s university, the students filled out the evaluation forms and one student delivered the forms to the dean’s office. He never saw them until after grades were entered, although he did see the originals. Our favorite: the student who said the professor “was a bit of strange agent”. Sometimes I do feel that the comments about Jason rise to the “strange agent” level…..