L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R
Men’s sweep at World Juniors is a historic accomplishment When Jason Brown took the ice at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships last month in
Milan, Italy, he was fully aware of the signifi cance of his pending free skate. Not only was he in prime position to repeat as a medalist, but a good performance meant that the
United States men would make history by sweeping the podium for the fi rst time in the event’s history, which dates back to 1976. “I skated last and I knew Joshua (Farris) and Shotaro Omori were fi rst and second,” said the 18-year-
old from Highland Park, Ill. I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, I have this opportunity to make it an American sweep.’ I was not only focused on skating my best, but thought, ‘This would be incredible; I want to be part of it.’ ” Brown responded by delivering arguably his best performance to win the free skate and fi nish with
the silver medal. Farris, who was making his fi nal appearance at the junior level, secured the gold medal, while Omori won the bronze, his fi rst international medal. The last time the U.S. was close to sweeping the World Junior podium was in 1987 when Rudy Galin-
do and Todd Eldredge fi nished fi rst and second, respectively, with Cameron Birky placing fourth. “I was so excited and emotional as I fi nished my program,” Brown said. “I’ve never cried at the end of
a skate, but I was teary-eyed. I was like, ‘What just happened?’ It’s how I trained and how I imagined one day I could skate.” For Brown, the moment meant everything. It marked the fi rst time he had performed a clean pro-
gram that featured two triple Axels. The triple Axel had been his nemesis until the last few months. “It’s been four seasons with people asking me when it’s going to come,” Brown said. “All my compet-
itors have it and I’ve been dreaming of the day for so long of skating a clean long with the triple Axel.” With Brown clinching the sweep, it was time for the medal ceremony. With Farris standing at the top
of the podium next to Brown and Omori, the Star Spangled Banner began to play and three U.S. fl ags began to rise. “To be part of that, especially to lead, was such an honor,” said Farris, 18, who trains in Colorado
Springs, Colo. “I was speechless. I even got teary-eyed on the podium when the fl ags were going up. With Jason and Shotaro next to me, we were like, ‘Oh, my god, we did it.’ ” Farris, who fi nished fourth at
the U.S. Championships, said his approach changed this year. In- stead of being results-driven, he entered competitions with the goal of staying calm, having fun and executing his programs. “I was very nervous going into
the long,” admitted Farris, who last year at the World Junior Champi- onships led going into the free skate. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m in the same position as last year. I have a shot to win it, but I have to stay calm and do what I know how to do.’ That’s what I did. The fact I overcame my nerves and skated that well is what I’m most proud of.” Ten days after returning
home, Farris hadn’t been back to the rink but he’d received word that his name and accomplishment would be recognized on a banner that will hang among those honoring the likes of Olympic champions Peggy Fleming, Hayes Jenkins and David Jenkins, all members of the famed Broadmoor Skating Club. For Omori, 17, it’s been a breakthrough season. He fi nished fourth at two JGP events,
won the silver medal as a junior at the U.S. Championships and claimed bronze in Milan. “I felt proud to be a part of Team USA and to see three U.S. fl ags was so amazing and inspiring,” Omori
said. “To be on the same podium with Jason and Joshua, both skaters who I admire, it was just an incred- ible feeling.” Following the medal ceremony, an ISU organizer asked the U.S. men if they could think of something
fun to do that could be put on social media to promote their accomplishment. Brown’s coach Kori Ade came up with the idea of fi nding some brooms and having the athletes
sweep the podium clean. The video of the skaters “cleaning up” soon swept through the skating world. “We were all laughing,” Brown said. “It was hard to keep a straight face.” The magical weekend, which included a gold-medal performance by the U.S. pairs team of Haven
Denney and Brandon Frazier and the bronze-medal eff ort of ice dancers Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton, ended after the Sunday exhibition when all of Team USA went bowling. “We had such a good time,” Brown said. “There was a lot of hugging, pictures, laughing and joking.
What a week!”
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4 APRIL 2013
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