Title: Time flies when you spend 50% of your time on an airplane...
Hello Everyone!
Let me start by saying I am so sorry it has been so long since my last entry. I have been very busy and I hope that helps in excusing my tardiness.
Since I last wrote I have been everywhere, Japan, Russia, Washington, back to Japan, Korea (twice) and of course, gallivanting in New York City. There have been a lot of ups and downs and a whole lot of drama and juicy gossip. I suppose a nice to place to start would be the end of summer training and a trip to Yokohama, Japan.
After my vacation to the Cayman Islands I showed up at my ice rink tanned and plump and gleefully staring down the barrel of yet another season of thrills and spills. The final window treatments were being added to my programs and just back from a trip to Idaho, I was happy to head off to Yokohama to perform with Champions On Ice as the final show of my summer season. As always, the fans in Japan were amazing. On the internet there was a special poll pertaining to what number Japanese fans wanted to see from me at Champions On Ice. 'The Swan' won by an overwhelming majority so I was slated to perform 'The Swan' with a live cellist as well as a selection from my new free program set to "Danse mon Esmeralde." Skating with a live musical artist is something truly special. It's as if you can feel every emotion they feel. I can say I could have jumped better in the shows, but the audience was wonderful, standing ovations for both programs and I felt that it was a perfect send off into my season. I was also happy knowing I'd be back in Japan for the NHK Trophy in November, but more about that later.
After my return from Japan I started noticing a lot of pain in my left foot and ankle. Having just gone into new skating boots two weeks before my departure, I thought something was very wrong. I didn't really understand anything about my skates at the time because in all my years of skating I've had the good fortune of never having problems. I have to admit a flaw right now. As long as I've been ice skating, and as long as I've been at an elite level, I understand absolutely nothing about skates or blades. I just know to put new ones on every season and get them sharpened regularly. Galina Yakovlevna thought it would be smart to go into a new boot, just the left one as there may have been an interior problem I didn't know about and keep the right one from the previous pair, so that's what we did. More later...
Shortly after the skate debacle I went to Saint Petersburg, Russia to perform in "Ice Stories" hosted by a local cultural organization in Petersburg. I was the lone foreign skater to perform, and that thrills me to no end. I was also so excited to be back in Russia, especially since I knew I wouldn't be competing In Moscow for Cup of Russia. The show was beautiful. The audience was so great and also totally sold out. I really got a royal welcome and skated my heart out for the audience. Svetlana, the show's producer, asked that I skate a group number with Sergei Voronov and Konstantin Menshov to the Russian version of "Belle" from Notre Dame de Paris and it turned out to be the most popular number of the show stealing a standing ovation!
While I was in Saint Petersburg I was invited to the Bosco Sport store on Nevsky Prospekt to view the summer Olympic collection and take some promotional photos for the store. For my readers who don't know, Bosco Sport is the company who designs and produces the entire line of clothing and uniforms for Russian Olympians. At the store I wasn't expecting anything, and then the girls started packing an entire suitcase of goodies for me! As many of you know, I feel that Russia is where part of my soul lives, and I was so excited to be an official "member of the team" so to speak. I left Russia with a heavy heart but I know I'll be back soon.
After my return from Russia I immediately started preparations for Skate America, my first event of the season. My run-throughs were not going well, I wasn't landing my jumps well and I was having a lot of pain in my left foot again. I wrote it off as nothing, but deep down I knew it could turn into something bigger. Skate America was the only thing on my mind and I had a job to do, the boot could be dealt with later. Two days before my departure to the competition I moved the blade on my skate and it felt better, but still not right, anyway, there was a competition at hand, a big one.
I flew to Skate America not really knowing what to expect. I knew I hadn't been skating very well, but I had an obligation to compete and do the best I could for my country. I'm always excited for the first competition of the year and this one was no different. It's always nice to see my friends after the summer break, get caught up, check out everyone's new purchases and so on. I notoriously have never competed at Skate America before because it is very early in the season and I prefer to have more time to prepare so I was shoved out there in front of a lot of people very prematurely for me, and having skate issues on top of that, I was hideously nervous for both programs. The actual competition was fair. My short program had some big mistakes, but I thought my long program went pretty well for not really having the training time I'm used to. The fans in the arena were fantastic and I was so excited to see so many Johnny's Angels there. I think a lot of people could tell something was wrong with me by the way I was landing my jumps and spinning inappropriately slow and tripping on footwork and other such niceties. In any event I came out as the top American with a silver medal, yet again, losing a title by a double toeloop. In what world do I live in, that a senior men's competition can be determined by a double toeloop? It's all very silly to me, still, even after losing by a double toeloop not once but twice. I am not naive and I understand this skating/artistic/mathematics/sport/contest, but come on.
With my return from Skate America came a lot of questions. I needed to figure out my boot situation fast as NHK Trophy in Tokyo was rapidly approaching. I called my skate company, Reidell and asked if they had suggestions for what I could do. They were saints through the whole process. They told me all the things to check. I found that my left skate was warped on the inside (the leather and shape of the foot were twisted to the inside) and the heel was several centimeters higher than what I am used to. It explains all the pain I was having and the uncomfortable jump landings. To explain it easier, I was skating with my left foot in a stilleto and my right foot in a ballet flat. :) With such a short time between competitions the only option I had left was to send my left skate from last season to the factory and have it's ankles reinforced so it would be strong enough to go through another season of slip and slide. Reidell had the skate back to me in two days and I was on the ice training in the manner of Surya Bonaly in two different skates, one old and one new.
Two days before my departure to Japan for the third time in a year I came down with a terrible cold. Actually, it was more like a plague. Let me tell you, there is nothing like flying fourteen hours not being able to hear or smell anything, it's heaven. I arrived in Japan excited, as always, to see the country and my fans. I was also excited to compete because I was far more prepared for NHK than I was for Skate America. I fell out of bed every morning in Japan, eyes getting darker and darker, and the coughing getting worse. I was being assisted by a doctor every morning and night just trying to get through the competition. I once again took the silver medal after two mediocre performances, but having fought through feeling like I could fall over and die at any moment was a true victory for me. A few years ago, there is no way I could have done that. The reception I got from the Japanese audience was incredible as always. In Japan, I feel like they support me as if I were one of their own. I was so happy to be there and to skate reasonably well.
With my two silver medals in the Grand Prix I earned enough points to go to the Grand Prix Final. My federation offered for me to stay in Japan if I qualified for the final and Galina Yakovlevna and I decided to stay. I spent a week and a half training at Chukyo University Ice Arena in Toyota City, a suburb of Nagoya. I trained with Ando Miki and the rest of Nikolai Morozov's group. The ice conditions were fantastic and I have never seen a better ice rink in the world. I am so impressed with the skating of Ando Miki. She was landing so many quads and triple triple combinations, she was really an inspiration to train with and she made me work harder. I really enjoyed my time in Japan and it was the perfect place to train and try to recover from my "plague."
Before I knew it, I was off to the Grand Prix Final in Goyang City, South Korea. Leading up to the competition my training had been okay. I was still very weak from my illness and pushing through my run-throughs was a struggle. I was thrilled to be back in South Korea and to see all of my Korean angels and fans. I got off the airplane to an onslaught of camera's and special greetings. I was so happy that I could see everyone right away, but I totally wore the wrong outfit for such an occasion. After settling into my new digs I started the competition. The audience was massive and they screamed for me like we were all at a rock concert.
I felt so happy to be on the ice. In the short program I made a major mistake on the triple axel and found myself in fourth place out of six men. It was not the performance I was hoping for, and more than that it was not the performance I wanted to show the audience. They were so pumped for me and I felt like I'd let them down. In the free program I fought back hard but still didn't do enough for a great placement. The audience made me feel like a champion though. I came in third place and I was disappointed not to have a victory and I was disappointed in myself that I'd made such an error in the short program.
The event in Korea was very good, and I was excited to see the pool of talent in the Junior Grand Prix Final. The United States is so strong, and Russia has some amazing pairs coming up! I also was very interested to see Kim Yu-na skate. I can't imagine the pressure she felt, and I was so proud of her for doing a great job in her home country. I was shocked at how popular I'd become while I was in Korea! When I flew home I was on the cover of most major Korean newspaper's and everyone in the airport wanted autographs and pictures, even the security guards. I think it's amazing, and I'm so touched by the outpouring of love. I was really in awe of my experience at the Final, even if I didn't skate my best.
A week after my arrival back in the States I flew back to Seoul for a charity Christmas show organized by Kim Yu-na. I arrived once again with a royal welcome from my fans. Even at JFK airport the Korean Air attendants and staff wanted to know why I was headed back to Korea so soon after the Final and a picture or two. It makes me feel like I'm doing something special and I hope I can make people happy through my skating.
Anyway, I landed in Seoul and got shipped right off to the hotel and had a Korean lesson and some meetings before quickly retiring to bed excited to start the next day with rehearsals. There was so much media that showed up to film Kim Yu-na and I practicing our duet and opening and closing numbers. I was so happy to be there and I was so happy to help Yu-na with her show and of course to help raise money for the charity. Christmas Eve ended with a cake cutting ceremony for the skaters and happy smiles all around. The Korean fans made me feel so comfortable, especially being so far away from my family on such an important holiday, and I was so happy they all could come to see me.
Christmas was definitely interesting. I woke up and got ready for more rehearsals and the show that afternoon. I got to the rink and started not feeling quite normal so I went to the locker room to lay down for a bit. What happened next is pretty graphic, so I'll spare you. I had come down with a terrible stomach virus. I had no energy, I couldn't walk, I kept nothing in my stomach longer than two minutes, and I had to get glammed up and do a show. I felt so terrible I couldn't even skate in the opening number. After one last "session" with a trash can, I got walked out to the ice for my special performance with Yu-na. It was so difficult for me to skate, but I got through it with the strength of the audience. They were so excited to see me and Yu-na skate. Yu-na was very worried about me and asked the whole way through the program if I was okay. We finished and it turned out very good. We skated excellent.
I got off the ice and ran quickly back to the trash can to get rid of some water I'd had to drink. After two skaters it was my turn again. As a special present to Korean fans I decided to skate 'The Swan.' It was not my most shining moment on the ice, but the crowd helped me through the performance. By this time I think the audience knew I was very sick and they screamed and howled through my whole performance. I wish I was well enough to perform the way I usually do, and I hope the Korean audience understand that I tried my best to be Merry for their Christmas! It was in it's own way, the perfect way to spend Christmas, being on the ice doing what I love. Having finished my program I got carried back to the locker room and laid out on a massage table to pass out.
Through the day I received the most tender love and care ever from doctors and physiotherapists and nurses at the ice rink, but it was time to get me to a hospital. I got wheeled in and people were taking photos and asking for autographs and Merry Christmas-ing me and it was really comical aside from the virus. I got hooked up to an IV in five minutes and got wheeled up to a private room where I spent my Christmas night having fluids pumped into my system. It seems very dramatic and scary but it actually turned out to be ironic and pretty funny and it was definitely an interesting Christmas.
I spent a few extra days in Korea to recuperate and to be checked out by some doctors before sitting on an airplane for fourteen hours again. My fans were so worried about me and showed up to wish me well at the hotel and all around really. I got some down time in the hotel and also got to go out into the city a little bit when the virus was gone from my system and I felt good enough. My poor mother was calling so much to check on me and she was also so worried and wished she'd been there to help me, but I assured her that everything was okay. I did find out that I got "Bennifer'ed." 'Bennifer' is when J Lo and Ben Affleck were together and the media started calling them 'Bennifer,' and it turns out that in Korean media, tabloids and so on, they call me and Yu-na 'YonJo Couple.' I think it's cute. I hope it catches on. :) Korea was a rocky trip for me, but I can say I had an amazing time. The show was a success, I spent a Merry medicated Christmas feeling like a rockstar, the charity raised a lot of money to help it's children, and I received so many beautiful Christmas presents from Korean fans. It was a beautiful trip and I have so many amazing memories of Korea.
After my Christmas shenanigans I returned back to New Jersey with a heap of Ukrainian dishes to help my stomach and body get back to normal. Galina Yakovlevna was so worried, she literally cooked a feast for me to get better. It helped so much. For New Years Eve, one of my best friends, Christa Goulakos came to visit from Montreal. Christa is an amazing ice dancer who represents Greece in international competition. We got all dressed up and went out to Cipriani in Manhattan for dinner and then watched the ball drop in pajamas on my couch. It was great to have her visit and to spend one of the holidays with at least part of what I consider my family. As for the holidays, I can't remember a more eventful holiday season. Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Christmas in Seoul, New Years in New York City, I haven't been home in ages!
Preparations for Nationals are in full swing at the moment. I am building my strength back up after six weeks away from home and two major illnesses. My skates are working for the moment and I am as positive as I can be. I am really looking forward to Nationals and improving on what I've already done this season. I haven't won a gold medal yet this season and that is really lighting a fire under me leading into "Act 2" of the season. I feel like I've been through it all so far this year, illness, equipment problems, low self esteem, hard training conditions, missing my family, if there's more to come, bring it on. I am preparing so hard already for the Championships and I hope I can show strength and as always, something beautiful.
Before I end this entry, I want to thank everyone who has supported me this season. I felt you all, everywhere I was. It means so much to me to have people so devoted to wishing me well and helping me through the hard times. I wish I could name everyone by name because it really is a special situation I'm in, and I never take that for granted. I hope to make you all proud of me for the remainder of the season. Cross those fingers.
I wish everyone success, love and knowledge for 2009. Life is so hard at times, but every rough moment gets you a free pass to something wonderful. Peace and love to everyone.
Love always,
-Johnny
P.S Always and forever, if I offended you or hurt your sensibilities with anything I've written I am sorry. Please don't take me too seriously and I will try to rectify the situation with my next entry. Kisses.
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