USA’s Jordan Moeller in Monument, Colorado.
USA’s Jordan Moeller, who placed ninth at the 2014 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, wants to have a strong season in his first year as a senior.
“I aged out of the junior level internationally and I feel that I’ve improved a lot in terms of the maturity of my skating skills,” said the 19-year-old.
Moeller, who is coached by Kori Ade and Rohene Ward, recently kicked off his first event of the season at the Broadmoor Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he debuted his new programs.
“They are much different from what I have done in the past,” said the US Junior silver medalist. “These new programs require a much deeper emotional connection to their story. It is my goal for this season to portray these stories as clearly as possible.”
Moeller brought both pieces of music to the table this year. His short program is to “Wakare no Kyoku” (based on Chopin’s “Étude Op. 10, No. 3”) from the 2003 anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, and was choreographed by Katherine Hill.
“The story of the short program is about a young couple that has been separated by distance for a long time,” he explained. “By fate, they are reunited and instantly pick up right where they left off.”
The long program is to music from Grieg’s Peer Gynt suites, and was brought to Moeller’s attention by a very good friend of his. The program was choreographed by Rohene Ward.
“(My friend) really wanted someone to skate to it and thought I would be a good candidate,” said Moeller. “The story centers around an old king who has lost his throne and is dealing with emotion turmoil. He wants it back and the program shows his journey through his own mind and past.”
“I still have a long road of development ahead,” he admitted, “but I could not be more excited about this season. Rohene is brilliant with his choreography and I am honored to see what he comes up with every year for me.”
In June 2013, Moeller moved from Oak Lawn, Ill., to Colorado Springs, Colo., in order to focus more on his training.
“My coach, Kori, decided it was time for her to move out of the Chicago area and we had been talking about moving to Colorado for a long time,” he explained. “After Jason (Brown) and I graduated, we all just up and relocated. Oak Lawn will always have a special place in my heart as there are many memories from my childhood there. My family still lives there and I get out to visit as much as I can afford.”
The skater, who trains six days a week on ice for about three to four hours a day, has been working hard on his spins and footwork and hopes to see level 4s this season.
“I will be also be incorporating two triple Axels into my free skate this year, and I want to become more comfortable with that,” Moeller revealed. “I’ve been working on building muscle through weight training, while still focusing on agility and quickness.”
Moeller would also like to nail the quad toe by the end of the year.
“I’m also working on the quad loop,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of hard work this season, but I could not be more excited about it!”
For the past three years, Moeller has organized and hosted One Skate at a Time—a program to benefit the Children’s Oncology Services.
“Last year, we raised over $10K,” he revealed. “I hope to be able to keep increasing that number as the years go on. It is an incredible experience to be able to do what I love and help others at the same time.”
Moeller is currently taking courses online through Moraine Valley Community College and also works at Applebee’s as a server.
“Right now, I am undecided in my major,” he said. “I have been taking a lot of psychology classes along with the standard English classes. I think I may want to get into Kinesiology somewhere down the line, though.”
Despite his busy schedule, the outgoing teen always tries to find time to go up into the mountains.
“Whether that means I actually get out and hike different trails or just drive around for a bit, I always feel so refreshed after being able to do that,” he said.
Moeller will compete next week in the Glacier Falls Summer Classic in Anaheim, California.
“I am very excited about our upcoming trip to California,” he said. “I have always loved the ocean and am pretty excited to be able to go this year!”
