Three Newcomers Head to Olympic Winter Games in the Men's Event
by Michelle Wojdyla
 (St. Louis, 1/14/06) - It’s been a long, tough season for Johnny Weir, but all that is behind him now as he draped another gold medal around his neck Saturday night at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships. Weir (SC of New York) captured his third straight U.S. men’s title in St. Louis, Mo., and picked up a coveted Olympic Team spot for next month’s Games in Torino, Italy.
Evan Lysacek (DuPage FSC) finished second after winning the free skate while Matt Savoie (Illinois Valley FSC) pulled up from fourth in the short to second in the free and captured the bronze medal. Lysacek and Savoie have also been named to the Olympic team. It will be the first appearance at the Olympics for all three skaters. Michael Weiss (Washington FSC) fell to fifth in the free and is first alternate for Torino. Salt Lake City Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Goebel (Winterhurst FSC) had an error-filled performace that dropped him to seventh overall.
Weir had a sizable lead heading into the free skate, so the field had to play catch-up, and they almost did. But it wasn’t enough to overcome Weir’s superb short program performance.
“Being a third time national champion is really an awesome feat,” Weir said. “I wasn’t quite sure how I would achieve that after the year I have had so far. I am really, really proud that I could win again, but the program today definitely wasn’t up to par with my previous two wins. There was a lot that I could have done better, but this was by far the hardest year for me to compete, especially after having such a strong lead in the short and not letting that get to my head. I just wanted to relax and get into the program, which I did pretty well, considering it was an Olympic year and coming back as reigning U.S. champion and all these other things that went on as opposed to just skating today. I am very proud that I got through it as well as I did, even if it wasn’t the best that I could do.”
Weir was actually only third in the free skate, and a tactical error cost him. His second triple Axel had a wild landing. Weir hopped out of it and added an unplanned double Salchow. While this saved the GOE on the Axel (he received base), it gave him an extra combination. The new scoring system allows for only three combinations in a free skate. Weir had a scheduled triple flip-double toe combination near the end of his four and a half minute program to music by Tonchi Huljic and Maksim Mrvica, which was supposed to be his third and final. Because he added that double Salchow, he had maxed out his combinations. The triple flip-double toe was therefore given zero points, instead of the 7.5 (base) it was worth. All of his spins and footwork were given level 3, but he was only seventh in the technical segment scores.
Evan Lysacek’s “Carmen” program was making only its second appearance in competition. Despite this newness, Lysacek was third in the technical segment (71.36) and first in the program components (79.08). He fell out of a triple Salchow and turned his planned triple flip-double toe into a triple-single. It was not the program he had hoped to have.
“[I have] mixed feelings a little bit,” Lysacek said.
“I am so excited to come in second in the competition, but if just one of those minor mistakes that I made would have not been there, it would have made up that less than one point to first. But I am so honored. The Olympics has been a life-long dream. So, I know that I have a ton of work ahead of me as far as improving program components and technical aspects of the routine, but it is work I have been waiting for my entire life to do. I am anxious to get home and get back on the ice and get some more difficulty in my program.”
Matt Savoie’s afternoon was a study in suspense. Savoie was the second skater in the final group, and he had to wait until Weiss had finished his program to discover his fate. He had the closest to a hometown advantage, being from neighboring Illinois.
“It is great, especially since so many of my family and friends are here, because I live close by (in Peoria, Ill.)” Savoie said. “It is great to be in front of a crowd that is open to you and appreciates what you do. I think everybody enjoyed the crowd tonight.”
His performance of “The Mission” was gentle and lyrical, flowing from element to element in measured, soft edges. His only major error was a fall on his triple Lutz in the second half of the program. He was in third position with Weiss still to skate.
“I am pleased with that performance,” Savoie said. “Obviously, I made a mistake and there were some unorganized parts of my program, but that is the best I have skated all season.”
Weiss’ outing was the crucial skate – would he make his third appearance at the Olympics, or would Savoie be the first alternate for a second straight Games? Unfortunately for Weiss, a singled Axel and a two-footed quad deducted enough points to cost him a ticket to Torino.
“Had I landed the second triple Axel I would have been fine,” a shocked Weiss said in a press conference minutes after getting off the ice. “I did a single. Sometimes that happens at an inopportune time, but what can you say? I am certainly disappointed.
“I’ve enjoyed these past four years,” Weiss added. “I won another national title in between the last Olympics and this one. I got a silver medal here. The past two years I haven’t performed my best but I know that I still can do it. Tonight just wasn’t my night.”
Not only will the men’s Torino squad feature three rookie skaters, but two of the coaches will be making their first appearances as well. Weir’s coach, Priscilla Hill, and Savoie’s coach, Linda Branan, have never appeared in the Games as either an athlete or a coach. Next month, this will change.
 “I think Priscilla is more excited than I am,” Weir said. “Pricilla missed out on the opportunity to actually go to the Olympic Games herself because of an injury that took her out for that season. Being able to grow up with Pricilla and know how much she wanted everything that she could give me for me, it’s unreal and it’s something that I will always be proud of – that I can take her to the Olympics. And hopefully give her a good show at the Olympics. We’ve grown up together.”
Weir did not let sentimentality overpower him.
“When I met her, she was wearing a beaver fur coat and a Dalmatian Disney hat. And now look at her!” he joked. “So, just the fact that we are such good friends – she is like my second mother - it’s unreal. I am so excited that we can go together to our first Olympics.”
“I feel the same way about Linda,” Savoie added. “I don’t feel like I am carrying her to the Olympics. We have been skating together for about 16 years, and I know very likely I would not be in the position had I not been working with her and all of her support. In that sense it feels great that we can share that experience together and the same thing with my family. They’re all going to be able to enjoy this with me.”
Coach Frank Carroll has had success in multiple Olympic Games. This will be his first with Lysacek.
“Frank is my family in Los Angeles because I am all of the way across the country,” Lysacek said. “We go through everything together, and it is incredible. He always knows exactly what to say, first of all. I think he has been through each and every situation probably twice over. So, nothing surprises him and nothing shocks him. I couldn’t be any luckier to have someone like that on my team. And, then Ken Congemi and Lori Nichol are incredible. It is an incredible team of people, and I think I am just so, so lucky. I can’t think of any other words that describe it as well as lucky to have them.
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