Johnny Weir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Weir competing at the 2006 World Championships | ||
| Personal Info | ||
| Country: |  United States |
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| Date of birth: | July 2, 1984 | |
| Height: | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | |
| Coach: | Galina Zmievskaya, Viktor Petrenko | |
| Former Coach: | Priscilla Hill | |
| Choreographer: | Faye Kitarieva, Denis Petukhov, Nina Petrenko | |
| Skating Club: | SC of New York | |
| ISU Personal Best Scores | ||
| Short + Free Total: | 231.78 | 2007 Cup of China |
| Short Program: | 80.79 | 2008 World Figure Skating Championships |
| Free Skate: | 151.98 | 2007 Cup of China |
| Most Recent Results: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Points | Finish | Year |
| 2008 Worlds | 221.84 | 3rd | 2008 |
| National Championships | 244.77 | 2nd | 2008 |
| Grand Prix Final | 216.16 | 4th | 2007 |
| Cup of Russia | 229.96 | 1st | 2007 |
John G. "Johnny" Weir (born July 2, 1984 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania) is an American figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. National Champion (2004-2006), the 2008 National silver medalist and the 2008 Worlds bronze medalist. He is currently ranked 6th in the world.[1] Weir placed 2nd after the short program of the 2006 Winter Olympics and finished 5th after the long program. Unlike most figure skaters, he is a clockwise spinner.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Weir was born in Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania (sometimes referred to incorrectly as Lancaster County), to parents John and Patti Weir. He has a brother, Brian, who is four years younger than he is.[3] [4] His family moved to Newark, Delaware soon after Johnny began skating at the age of twelve to be near his training rink and coach.[5] In the summer of 2007, he moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey and began training in nearby Wayne, New Jersey.[6]
Weir was an honor roll student at Newark High School and studied linguistics part-time at the University of Delaware before dropping out to concentrate on his skating.[7] [8] He is a self-proclaimed Russophile who admires the skating style and culture of Russia[9] and taught himself to speak and read the language. He also speaks some French.[10]
Weir's Swan short program from the 2005-2006 season was the inspiration for one of Jimmy MacElroy's costumes in the film Blades of Glory.[11]
Weir owns two pet chihuahuas named Bon-Bon and Vanya[12] and is a collector of Russian Cheburashka memorabilia.[13] He has an interest in fashion design and has designed ice dancing costumes for Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov[14] and show costumes for Oksana Baiul.[15]
Weir skated with the Champions on Ice touring ice show every spring from 2004 until 2007, their last season before going out of business.[16] [17] Off the ice, he has appeared in a fashion spread in BlackBook magazine[18], taught Kathy Griffin how to skate in the season two finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.[19], and modeled in runway shows for the fashion label Heatherette.[20]
Film documentary company Idea Factory has produced Johnny Weir: Black Swan Rising, a documentary series with six 30-minute episodes about Weir that has been scheduled for broadcast on the Sundance Channel in 2009.[21]
[edit] Career
When he was a boy, Weir was a successful competitor as an equestrian.[22] He became interested in figure skating at the age of eleven while watching Oksana Baiul win her 1994 Olympic gold medal. He taught himself how to jump on roller skates in his basement. His parents eventually bought him a pair of used figure skates, and he practiced on a frozen cornfield behind his family home.[23][24] His parents then purchased group lessons for him at the University of Delaware, where coach Priscilla Hill soon noticed his talent and took him on as a private student.[25]
Although he began skating at the relatively late age of 12, Weir progressed quickly through the ranks. He performed an Axel jump in his first week on skates.[26] His parents could not afford to support both his figure skating and his equestrian pursuits, so young Johnny reluctantly gave up his pony, My Blue Shadow, and turned his focus completely to figure skating. He competed in pair skating with Jodi Rudden on the juvenile and intermediate levels, but gave it up to concentrate on single skating.[27]
[edit] Early career
Weir's first major victory came in 2001 when, at the age of 16, he skated three clean programs at the World Junior Championships and won the gold medal ahead of fellow American Evan Lysacek.[28] This was the first time since 1987 that the U.S. had placed first and second on the World Junior podium.[29] Weir also placed sixth that year at the senior U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[30]
At the 2003 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he literally hit the wall during his long program. He restarted the program, but immediately injured his knee on a failed triple axel landing. This time he was too injured to restart, so he withdrew from the competition.[31] Shortly after this competition, he switched club affiliation from the University of Delaware FSC to the Skating Club of New York, which he still represents.[32]
[edit] Senior Career
The 2003-2004 season was the turning point for Weir. He qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships by winning his regional and sectional championships. He received the first 6.0 of his career during his long program at 2004 U.S. Championships, winning the gold over Michael Weiss and Matthew Savoie.[33] He then competed at the 2004 World Championships and placed fifth.[34]
In the 2004-2005 season, Weir won his first two Grand Prix titles. He won the first at the NHK Trophy in Japan and the second at Trophée Eric Bompard in France.[35] Only two Grand Prix events per season can count toward a skater's point totals under ISU rules,[36] but Weir also skated at the 2004 Cup of Russia for no official points and took the silver medal behind reigning world champion Evgeni Plushenko.[37] At the 2005 US Championships, he earned five 6.0's for presentation with his free skate to Otonal and successfully defended his national title.[38] He went on to compete at the 2005 World Championships with a landing foot injury and placed fourth.[39]
The 2005-2006 Olympic season proved difficult for Weir. He came in seventh at Skate Canada International after spraining his ankle on a jump landing at the start of the free skate and struggling through the rest of the program,[40] and third at Cup of Russia.[41] In December 2005, he won the men's competition at the 2005 Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge, in which results were determined live by call-in votes and texts from viewers, in the final round over Michael Weiss with 64% of the vote.[42] At the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he won his third consecutive title and, as the national champion, was automatically named to the U.S. Olympic and World teams.[43]
At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Weir skated a personal best short program and was in second place behind Evgeni Plushenko in that segment. However, Weir omitted some of his planned jumps in the free skate, and finished off of the podium in fifth place.[44] At the 2006 World Championships, Weir finished seventh, fighting a nagging back injury.[45]
Weir began the 2006-2007 competitive season at Skate Canada International, where he placed third, then went on to Cup of Russia and won the silver medal, his third consecutive medal at that event.[46] He placed second at the 2006 Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge with his performance to The Swan, an exhibition version of his Olympic program, and Weir's signature piece.[47]
Weir withdrew from the 2006 Grand Prix Final before the free skate due to a hip injury he sustained in a freak fall during the short program.[48] At 2007 US Nationals, Weir was in second place after the short program, less than a point behind Evan Lysacek. In the free program, he was unable to complete his triple axel combination, fell on a triple loop and doubled several of his planned combinations. He attempted a quadruple toe loop but it was heavily two-footed on the landing. Weir lost his national title and finished in third place.[49] At the 2007 World Championships, Weir placed eighth.[50]
[edit] New Focus
After the disappointments of the 2006-2007 season, Weir made the decision to shake up his training regimen by leaving the only coach he had ever had, Priscilla Hill, moving out of his family home and moving on his own to New Jersey to train with Ukrainian coach Galina Zmievskaya.[51] He subsequently had a great start to his 2007-2008 season at the Cup of China where he skated two clean and strong programs, achieving new personal best scores for both his free skate and overall score and winning the gold medal over fellow American Evan Lysacek.[52] He then went on to Cup of Russia and took the gold medal there, as well.[53] The two first place finishes secured him a spot at the Grand Prix Final, where Weir competed with a recurring injury in his landing foot and stumbled in both his short and long programs but still managed to place 4th overall.[54]
At 2008 U.S. Nationals, Weir won the short program over Evan Lysacek by 1.35 points but Lysacek won the long program by exactly the same amount, resulting in a tie. Weir completed a slightly two-footed quadruple toe loop in his long program and scored more points on his jumps and in the program components than Lysacek but Lysacek scored more points for his spins and footwork.[55] Under ISU rules, in the event of a tie the winner of the long program is awarded the gold medal,[56] so Weir settled for the silver.
At the 2008 World Championships, the US had failed to medal at all in every other discipline when the men took the ice last. Weir skated a brilliant short program and received a career-best score that put him in second place. In the free program, he skated steadily but tentatively, eliminating the second jump from his first planned combination and doubling a planned triple jump on another combination. His quadruple toe loop was also downgraded to a triple for being slightly underrotated. However, the program was strong enough for him to finish fifth in the free skate, and when combined with his short program score, Weir won his first Worlds medal - a bronze - and kept the US from being shut out of the medals at a World Championship for the first time since 1994.[57] [58]
[edit] Coaching changes
From the beginning of his career at age twelve, Weir trained under coach Priscilla Hill. They worked together first at the University of Delaware in Newark and after the 2002/2003 season moved to the Pond Ice Arena, also in Newark. Weir also spent part of each summer between 2003 and 2005 working with Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, Connecticut.[59]
He changed coaches in the summer of 2007 when he moved to the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, New Jersey and began working with Galina Zmievskaya, who previously coached Weir's idol Oksana Baiul .[60] [61] Zmievskaya's son-in-law Viktor Petrenko acts as Weir's assistant coach, and her daughter Nina Petrenko is one of his choreographers.[62]
[edit] Programs
| Season | Short Program | Long Program | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | Yunona I Avos by Svetlana Pikous |
Love is War by Globus |
Ave Maria by Josh Groban All In Love Is Fair (Title: Painful Longing) by Stevie Wonder Feeling Good by Nina Simone |
| 2006-2007 | King of Chess by Silent Nick (Karl Jenkins - Palladio Suite) |
Child of Nazareth by Maxime Rodriguez |
My Way by Frank Sinatra Yunona and Avos by Alexei Rybnikov The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns Imagine by John Lennon All In Love Is Fair (Title: Painful Longing) by Stevie Wonder Sarabande Suite (Title: Fallen Angels) by Globus Passacaglia/Nature Boy (Title: Enchanted) by Secret Garden and David Bowie |
| 2005-2006 | The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns |
Amazonic + Hana's Eyes + Wonderland by Maksim Mrvica Otonal by Raul DiBlasio |
My Way by Frank Sinatra |
| 2004-2005 | Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns |
Otonal by Raul DiBlasio |
Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong Yunona and Avos by Alexei Rybnikov |
| 2003-2004 | Valse Triste by Jean Sibelius |
Dr. Zhivago by Maurice Jarre |
Imagine by John Lennon |
| 2002-2003 | "Innocence" and "Zydeko" by Benoit Jutras |
Dr. Zhivago by Maurice Jarre |
|
| 2001-2002 | Les Parapluies de Cherbourg by Itzhak Perlman |
Themes from "The Puppet Master", "Spirit of the Peacock", "A City of Sadness" by Zhao, Jiping and Nic Raine |
Cinema Paradiso |
| 2000-2001 | Les Parapluies de Cherbourg by Itzhak Perlman |
The Heart of Budapest by Mantovani |
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong This I Promise You by NSync |
| 1999-2000 | Espana Cani by Erich Kunzel |
"An American Tail" Soundtrack | What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong She's All I Ever Had by Ricky Martin |
| 1998-1999 | Sabre Dance | Malaguena | |
| 1997-1998 | Russian Folk Music "Svetit Mesiatz" |
Malaguena | |
| 1996-1997 | Juvenile Program: "Rudy" Soundtrack |
[edit] Choreography
Competitive Short Program
- Yunona I Avos by Faye Kitarieva
- King of Chess by Marina Anissina
- The Swan by Tatiana Tarasova, Shanette Folee, Evgeny Platov
- Rondo Capriccioso by Tatiana Tarasova, Evgeny Platov
- Valse Triste by Tatiana Tarasova, Maya Usova, Evgeny Platov
- "Innocence" and "Zydeko" by Michelle Poley
- Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) by Yuri Sergeyev
Competitive Long Program
- Love is War by Denis Petukhov
- Child of Nazareth by Marina Anissina
- Amazonic + Hana's Eyes + Wonderland by Tatiana Tarasova, Shanette Folee
- Otonal by Tatiana Tarasova, Evgeny Platov
- Dr. Zhivago by Giuseppe Arena, Anjelika Krylova
- The Heart of Budapest by Yuri Sergeyev
- Malaguena by Yuri Sergeyev
Exhibition
- Feeling Good (Title: After an All Night Party, You Still Feel Like Whistling Down the Street at Dawn) by Nina Petrenko
- Ave Maria by Nina Petrenko
- Passacaglia/Nature Boy (Title: Enchanted) by Johnny Weir
- Sarabande Suite (Title: Fallen Angels) by Denis Petukhov, Natalia Linichuk, Tatiana Tarasova
- All In Love Is Fair (Title: Painful Longing) by Johnny Weir
- My Way by Carolanne Leone, Johnny Weir
- Yunona and Avos by Oleg Ovsiannikov, Anjelika Krylova
- Unchained Melody by Carolanne Leone
- Imagine by Johnny Weir
- What a Wonderful World by Priscilla Hill, Johnny Weir
- This I Promise You by Priscilla Hill, Johnny Weir
[edit] Competitive highlights
| Event | 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 | 2001-2002 | 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 5th | ||||||||||
| World Championships | 5th | 4th | 7th | 8th | 3rd | ||||||
| Four Continents Championships | 4th | ||||||||||
| World Junior Championships | 1st | ||||||||||
| United States Championships | 3rd N. | 4th J. | 5th J. | 6th | 5th | WD | 1st | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 2nd |
| Grand Prix Final | WD | WD | 4th | ||||||||
| Cup of China | 1st | ||||||||||
| Cup of Russia | WD | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | ||||||
| Skate Canada International | 7th | 7th | 3rd | ||||||||
| Trophée Eric Bompard | 4th | 1st | |||||||||
| NHK Trophy | WD | 1st | |||||||||
| Finlandia Trophy | 2nd | ||||||||||
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 2nd | ||||||||||
| Junior Grand Prix, France | 6th | ||||||||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Norway | 2nd | ||||||||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Czech Republic | 7th | ||||||||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Slovakia | 1st | ||||||||||
| Triglav Trophy | 2nd N. | ||||||||||
| Eastern Sectionals | 1st N. | 1st J. | 1st J. | 1st | 1st | ||||||
| Mid-Atlantic Regionals | 1st | 1st | |||||||||
| South Atlantic Regionals | 1st N. |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew
[edit] References
- ^ ISU World Standings for Figure Skating and Ice Dancing
- ^ US Figure Skating Official Site, December 16, 2006: "Johnny Weir Withdraws from Grand Prix Final Due to Injury"
- ^ ISU Athlete Biography
- ^ Icenetwork.com, December 21, 2007: "Johnny Weir is Home for the Holidays"
- ^ Philadelphia Magazine, January 2008: "Johnny Drama".
- ^ icenetwork.com, August 24, 2007: "Weir Makes Changes with Eye on Redemption"
- ^ 2006-2007 U.S. Figure Skating Media Guide
- ^ Philadelphia Magazine, January 2008: "Johnny Drama"
- ^ Michael Collins Enterprises, December 3, 2006: "Johnny returns to his home town to donate $1,000 and talk to kids"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ Philadelphia Magazine, January 2008: "Johnny Drama".
- ^ The Official Site of The US Olympic Team, December 3, 2006: "Olympic Skater Returns to Quarryville to Give Back".
- ^ Johnny Weir Online: The Official Site, July 2006 Q&A.
- ^ US Olympic Team Official Website January 26, 2007: "Weir to Defend Title"
- ^ icenetwork.com, May 1, 2008: The Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew
- ^ Skate Today, May 8, 2007: "Champions on Ice Entering Stage of Transition"
- ^ International Figure Skating, December 13, 2007: "Champions on Ice Reportedly Closes Up Shop"
- ^ BlackBook Magazine, September 2006
- ^ Bravo TV: Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Season 2
- ^ International Figure Skating Magazine, September 15, 2006: "Johnny Weir Models for Heatherette at New York's Fashion Week"
- ^ Monsters and Critics, April 3, 2008: "Sundance Channel Announces Programming Lineup".
- ^ Golden Skate, December 24, 2001: "Weir Jumps from Show Rink to Ice Rink"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ Washington Post, February 7, 2006: "Icebreaker and His Obstacles"
- ^ Golden Skate, December 24, 2001: "Weir Jumps from Show Rink to Ice Rink"
- ^ Golden Skate, December 24, 2001: "Weir Jumps from Show Rink to Ice Rink"
- ^ Golden Skate, December 24, 2001: "Weir Jumps from Show Rink to Ice Rink"
- ^ World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2001
- ^ New York Times, May 2, 2001: "US Men Finish First and Second"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ Salon.com, March 16, 2005: Iceboy Cometh
- ^ SkatingSource.com "Weir gets Best Performance Award, moves to Simsbury to train with Tarasova" Retrieved May 8, 2008
- ^ U.S. Figure Skating Official Site, January 10, 2004: "Johnny Weir Collects a Perfect 6.0 and Claims Gold"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ International Skating Union Special Regulations & Technical Rules
- ^ USA Today, November 27 2004: "Plushenko, Slutskaya shine at Cup of Russia"
- ^ USA Today, January 15, 2005: "Weir Defends Men's Skating Title at U.S. Nationals"
- ^ Official Site of the U.S. Olympic Team, March 17, 2005: "Evan Lysacek Wins Bronze at Worlds"
- ^ USA Today, October 29, 2005: "Czisny has Golden Performance at Skate Canada"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ ArticleSet.com, December 27, 2005: 900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge"
- ^ 2006 State Farm US Figure Skating Championships Official Site. January 14, 2006: "Three Newcomers Head to Olympic Winter Games in the Men's Event"
- ^ Official Site of the U.S. Olympic Team, January 26, 2007: "Weir to Defend Title"
- ^ US Olympic Committee Press Box, March 23, 2006: Figure Skating, Updated
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ Commentary from the 2006 Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge. Broadcast on ABC. December 11, 2006. 1-3 p.m. EST at Agganis Arena at Boston University.
- ^ U.S. Figure Skating Official Site, December 16, 2006: "Johnny Weir Withdraws from Grand Prix Final Due to Injury"
- ^ USA Today, January 28, 2007: "Figure skater Lysacek hits career pinnacle at nationals"
- ^ US Figure Skating Association Athlete Bio
- ^ International Figure Skating, June 15, 2007 "New Coach For Johnny Weir: Three-Time U.S. Men’s Champion to Train With Galina Zmievskaya"
- ^ International Figure Skating Magazine, November 10, 2007: "Johnny Weir Claims His First Cup of China Grand Prix Title"
- ^ ISU Athlete Biography
- ^ icenetwork.com, December 21, 2007: "Johnny Weir is Home for the Holidays"
- ^ 2008 US Figure Skating Championship Results
- ^ International Skating Union Special Regulations & Technical Rules
- ^ March 22, 2008: Weir Wins Only US Medal at World Championships
- ^ March 23, 2008, Associated Press: "Worlds 2008: Weir salvages US medal hopes, titles to Japan’s Asada and Canada’s Buttle"
- ^ US Figure Skating Official Site, December 27, 2004: "Johnny Weir Prepares to Defend his U.S. Title"
- ^ U.S. Figure Skating Athlete Bio for Johnny Weir.
- ^ New Coach For Johnny Weir Three-Time U.S. Men’s Champion to Train With Galina Zmievskaya
- ^ ISU Athlete Biography
[edit] External links
- Johnny Weir Official Website
- Johnny Weir at the International Skating Union biography page
[edit] Navigation
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