Johnny Has No Regrets

After two not so great seasons, Weir, the three times US Champion was determined to turn heads. Turn heads, but he did after two wins at Cup of Russia and Cup of China. With dazzling free skates at the US Championships, the skating genius made an attempt at regaining his crown but Lysacek defeated Weir as a result of a tiebreaker by a hundredth of a point.

While Johnny is satisfied with the results, by saying:

"First place, second place, last place, I'm just happy with the way that I skated... It's really a vindication to know that I came back and didn't completely fall apart" (Johnny Weir An Elegant Redemption. By Kathleen Bangs International figure Skating Apr. 2008),
the fans are buzzing with concerns. They feel that Weir is deserving of the title this year.

There were some concerns about the way fractions of points were rounded off by the computer that was fed scores by the judges. It was suggested that Weir would be declared the winner instead of Lysacek, had the points been rounded differently. Many fans feel the steps in calculating the program component scores for the free skate are an issue that needs to be resolved as a result. Weir's fans conclude that, had the scores been computed correctly, Weir would have regained his crown.

According to some commentators, there is nothing vague about the scoring system. It is straightforward calculation. Some fans even feel that Johnny's habits of not keeping his remarks at bay may have been another reason for losing to Evan, and others feel the skating federation wants "cookie cutter" skaters who say nice things and say what the federation wants them to say.

So, did the wrong guy win the US figure skating title in St. Paul? It all depends on who you ask. If you read the International Skating Union's guidelines, Johnny Weir should have dethroned Evan instead of losing on a tiebreaker when their scores deadlocked at 244.77. Weir's supporters and some mathematically-inclined fans agree.

Some of Weir's supporters feel that Johnny's capabilities are being dismissed while those who are biassed to Evan are buying into the USFS party line about Evan being the great hope because his image is more "masculine" .

To those fans, Weir beat Lysacek at Cup of China this year and actually beat him by 01 point at Nationals despite a computer scoring error which USFS refuses to acknowledge. They fey that the score incorrectly increased Lysacek's free skate score by .01 and as a result it became a tie. So Lysacek was given the gold in a regulations tiebreaker. According to some fans, Weir's programs are better choreographed, and when he is scored by international judges who are not under the influence of USFS and their bias tendencies for Lysacek, he has the upper hand.

Weir scored epic wins at the Cup of China and Cup of Russia, defeating two-time world champion Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland both times. Weir was magnificent at the U.S. nationals despite finishing second to archrival Evan Lysacek. Probably if Weir had just thrown in a double toe loop at the end of his triple lutz combination, he might have won his fourth crown. In any case, it's too late to do anything about it now, since the rules state that the results are final as soon as the medals are awarded. Weir himself is "ok" with the outcome.

I love them both, While I do feel this season could have been different, all in all, Johnny and Evan gave us the "skate" "we"(the fans) desperately yearned.

Now that Evan has withdrawn from Worlds, it will not be the same jaw tightening, couch gripping, breath holding experience as I was hoping it would be.