I know I’ve been gone for a while, but trust me I’m back–with the same bitch and the same bite.

It's not uncommon to see a gay man exhibit blatant homophobia, especially one who so desperately needs attention, but even so I was shocked and appalled by the video of former figure skater and out television personality and commentator Mark Lund ripping 3-time National Champion Johnny Weir a new one. So now, I will do the same to him.

A recent special aired on which Mark Lund, Nancy Kerrigan (yes, go on and roll your eyes–I did too), and Lou Tilley weighed in on the upcoming U.S. Figure Skating National Championship, and decided to compare young up and comers Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir. Throughout the program, Lund repeatedly and vehemently criticizes Johnny for being flamboyantly gay–except without really saying those exact words.

Here is the video of the infamous appearance:

I just can't get over just how overly out he is without saying he's out". Uhh, are we forgetting Mr. Z-List Has-Been that you weren't out at Johnny's age either? "I just don't think he's representative of the community I want to be a part of". What the hell are you even talking about? The gay community wouldn't want to have a member of it be a three time U.S. champion and one of the most celebrated male figure skaters since Brian Boitano? Not to mention the fact that Johnny has never actually said he's gay anyway, insisting that his private life stay his private life. He never asked to be a poster boy for anyone.

But anyone with two ears and a brain can figure out Lund is obviously referring to Johnny's femininity, which he clearly disapproves of. Later in the program he says “Lysacek has a classical elegance and masculinity on the ice that I think we need to see in male figure skating. I’m sorry. I don’t need to see a prima ballerina on the ice.” What do you mean? Are you forgetting the dozens of effeminate male figure skaters that came before Johnny that were largely successful and beloved by fans of the sport?

As sure as I stand, Lund is surely dealing with a ridiculous amount of self-hatred. "Well let's see, maybe if I criticize everything that seems gay about Johnny Weir, and praise everything that seems straight about Evan Lysacek, the straighties will love me more and forget my eyebrows look like they were done by Zsa Zsa Gabor." Watching the program, it's sickening. He spouts out everything he possibly can to scathingly attack Johnny–as a skater and as a person.

In reference to Evan Lysacek he says "He has a classical elegance and masculinity on the ice that I think we need to see in male figure skating". Okay, we get it. You like Evan because he's masculine, and you hate Johnny because he doesn't live up to your oh-so-rigid standards of how a man should move on the ice. I'm really not sure what Evan Lysacek this man has met, or maybe they have some kind of relationship we don't know about going on behind the scenes, but Evan is hardly the king of masculinity. On one message board someone asked if Evan had grown a beard. Someone then posted a picture of Evan's rumored girlfriend.

"You cannot, I'm sorry–compare yourself to the lord savior as a figure skater" he says, in reference to a program Johnny is doing that is loosely based on Jesus Christ. First off, he's not comparing himself to Jesus. That's like saying Jim Caviezel is comparing himself to Jesus because he played him in that horrible film The Passion of the Christ. It's figure skating, it's entertainment. And if anyone knows a figure skater's program tells a story, it's Johnny Weir, who is known for gliding across the ice like "liquid gold" (a term that figure skating legend Dick Button used to describe how magnificent Johnny's skating was) and fully submitting yourself to the program as both an athlete and an artist. What's even funnier, is that his beloved Evan was skating to Jesus music RIGHT in the footage they were showing as they continued to blast Johnny like he had murdered their mothers.

Yet another has been, Nancy Kerrigan goes on to say "I think that Evan has a more classic style", which really means he's less gay, and "it can relate to more people, where Johnny is a little more out there and it's hard for people at home to relate." Right, America so relates to Evan Lysacek, and is so turned off by Weir, yet at the 2005 Marshall's U.S. Figure Skating Showcase, where the winner is based off of votes from viewers at home, Johnny came in first. And at this year's Marshall's Johnny came in second only to Sasha Cohen. Where was their beloved Evan Lysacek you ask? Oops, he didn't even make it past the first round. So much for relatability.

How does Kerrigan have her own show? Does anyone even care what she has to say, or how much bigger her nostrils have gotten this year? Like Michael Jensen said over at After Elton.com, "Where's Tonya Harding and her tire iron when you need her?"  This isn't the first time Ms. Kerrigan has opened up her mouth a little too wide.  She was rebuked back in 1994 for complaining and cursing at a Disney parade while her mic was on, unbeknownst to her. 

Apparently not the sweetheart we thought she was.  Let's not dwell on the fact that the outfit she's wearing in the video is something I swear I wore to a play rehearsal in third grade.  The style died out in the early nineties along with her talent and career.

Johnny has continued to be one of the most talked about and popular skaters in figure skating, and is known for his devoted and visible legion of fans called "Johnny's Angels". If anything he brings more people and attention to a sport that often gets overlooked, and is deemed boring by many.

His effeminate quality is in a way what makes him such an incredible skater. He has this elegance, this class, fluidity and grace on the ice that I've never seen from a male skater before. His artistry is unrivaled, and his landings are flawless.  Somehow he's managed to be at the top of the sport, even though he didn't even begin skating until the age of 12.  To posess the kind of talent that the does, and not have started skating early in his childhood like most skaters–it's mindblowing.  He's a prodigy. 

Who cares about what he says off the ice?  Who cares about how gay you think his costumes are.

The end of the video is what pissed me off the most, especially coming from people who seem to be trying to pass themselves off as legitimate commentators (which is funny seeing as how everything up until this point has been them attacking Johnny based on things that have nothing to do with his performance on the ice). 

Lou Tilley has the nerve to say "We can all agree, no matter what community we represent, that the swan thing was a bad idea".  Excuse me?  Hold on, give me a second to wipe up the coffee I just spit all over my damn keyboard. 

Johnny's signature "The Swan" program was the first thing I'd ever seen him skate, and to date the most beautiful program from a male skater I have seen in my life.  It literally brought me to tears.  30 seconds of his Swan program owns half the skaters today's lives.  Johnny's had some flat programs over the years, some pretty self-indulgent.  But how you can criticize "The Swan" is just beyond me and proof enough that these people either have no idea what they're talking about or are just purposely trying to ruffle up some feathers in the name of their excuse for a show that no one had even heard of before yesterday.

Maybe Lund was attempting to scrape up some semblance of celebrity by going on this tirade against a beloved figure skater.  Maybe he thinks it makes him look cool and hip to be criticizing popular skaters.  Funny thing is, his plan seems to have backfired.  Not only are Johnny Weir's fans out for his blood, but the gay community is bending him over and spanking him with a wet paddle like he were a red-headed stepchild.  Some of the comments have been both hilarious and downright brutal.

"He went from zero (I had never heard of the ass until today) to my shit list in record time (the time it took to view the video)."

"Obviously Mr Lund scored an 12.5 on “straight acting.com” & he prefers his skaters in black leather a la Rob Halford, rather than in Freddy Mercury spandex"

"As for Johnny, he is only 21, and at a time in his life where he’s still figuring out what he believes and who he is. Mark Lund wasn’t able to come out at this age so it’s hypocritical of him to insist that Johnny do it."

"What the hell is wrong with Lund? Why is it always the Queen with the low self-esteem bringing everyone down specially their own. I can believe Lund of all people talks about how on-masculine he is. Maybe Lund is just jealous that Johnny does all those girly things on the ice that he never had the gutts to do in his own carrier, and Johnny more then succeeds at it.

Good luck in that little pool of misery that you live in. I don’t put up with homophobia( or in his case Feminiphobia) from straight people and I most certainly won’t put up with it from gay ones."

Looks like Mr. Lund is clearly headed for rock bottom, and I can't wait to rejoice as Johnny wins his 4th national title and Mark gets cast on the next season of The Surreal Life (he has nothing better to do, as he was fired from International Figure Skating magazine).  What can you do to stop this sad soul from doing this again?  Contact him either at info@marklundtv.com or through his Wikipedia page (which by the way, he edits himself) and give him a piece of your mind. Good luck to Johnny and Evan (who are both fine skaters) at this year's Nationals.

OMG OMG OMG. Sorry, I’m calm now. It’s just…these are two of my most favorite people in the fucking world. And my head is exploding. Marry me Johnny.

Source: Falls-Church News Press

In what could evolve into the biggest scandal hitting the figure skating world since the infamous results-fixing by the French judge in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, the U.S. skating world is now abuzz with leaked reports that broke into the New York Daily News last week concerning efforts by leading officials to “push aside” reigning and three-time U.S. men’s champion Johnny Weir.

After winning his third straight U.S. title in St. Louis in January, the flamboyant and outspoken Weir became a major “item” at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy, in February for his brassy remarks and focus on fashion, which only heightened the anger of his critics when he fell from second to fifth in his competition and failed to bring home a medal.

Now, leaked accounts of a secret and subtle but concerted effort by U.S. skating officials to downplay his role and elevate that of one of his competitors, Evan Lysacek, surfaced when a web site and pamphlet promoting next January’s U.S. championships in January 2007 in Spokane, Washington, failed to display a single image or mention of Weir, despite his reigning championship status.

The reports were first mentioned on a popular on-line blog, Deadspin, which entitled a piece “The Johnny Weir Blackball” (www.deadspin.com/sports/olympics/the-johnny-weir-blackball-167122.php), on Friday, April 14, and raced like a prairie fire through the Internet, being picked up by the Daily News the very next day. By Monday, a small thumb-nail image of Weir had been pasted onto the home page of the web site and officials of the U.S. Figure Skating Association in Colorado Springs, Colorado, were in a highly-defensive mode, denying all.

Still, observers note that there have been more than a few indicators in recent months that could suggest Weir is being “blackballed.” Suffering from dwindling general interest and attendance at major events, the U.S. figure skating brass, they suggest, may be trying to “straighten up” the sport’s image, finding Weir too “out there“ and prone to criticism for his articulate, public expressions of a proud individuality and, among other things, public questions about his sexuality. This is despite the fact that Weir has won thousands of new fans with his fresh “pop star”-like image, as well as the quality of his skating, and could have something to do with political pressures, as well, especially given Weir’s “the establishment can’t handle me” remarks at the Olympics.

But as for image, officials of the sport have more to be concerned for its already-shaky one, tainted by just such allegations of subjective influence over what is supposed to be an objective competition, a problem that reached a breaking point in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Since then, the sport has undergone an overhaul of its “scoring system” to address just such concerns, with the results far less than satisfactory to many followers of the sport. The new system now subjects every move of a skater to rigid point accumulation criteria.

Weir has complained of the new system, saying such things as, “It gives you points for being able to chew on your shoes,“ and it hurt him in Turino, because concern for artistic expression became so subordinated to a preoccupation with racking up points.

For example, one avid and knowledgeable fan noted in a letter to the News-Press following the Turino Olympics, “I watched every minute of the skating competitions and without a doubt Johnny Weir was the most emotional and creative skater. It was horrible watching (Evgeni) Plushenko (the eventual gold medal winner-ed.) in his free skate moving from jump to jump with no emotion, no creativity, just working for the big points on each jump. Maybe this new point system isn’t all that great.”

Responding to reports of the Weir “blackball” effort, observers go back to December, when U.S. organizers of the sport revamped the Campbell’s Challenge event in Boston to remove all “objectivity” and make the event into a version of “American Idol.” Instead of strict judging, the skaters were rated by a three-person panel that included some of the most deeply embedded insiders in the top levels of the sport’s establishment.

Following the opening and decisive round, these three “judges” all subjectively chose someone besides Weir, the two-time defending U.S. champ at the time, with two favoring Lysacek. But their efforts to influence the public perception was frustrated when viewers voting from home by text messaging and telephone calls still favored Weir, overwhelmingly.

For this next December, it has already been announced, there will be no public voting component to the Campbell’s event.

At the U.S. championships in January, Weir skated to his highest point total ever in the short program, and did a solid job in the free skate. But observers noted that the final outcome was far closer than might have seemed appropriate. It took a very long time for the final tabulations to be announced, and alleged hopes by some top brass that Weir might be deposed simply didn’t turn up in the final numbers, although it was very close.

Finally, at the Olympics in February, many have questioned the sudden nose dive in Weir’s results from second place after the short program all the way to fifth following the free skate. Weir’s was not a flawless free skate, they note, but neither were those of the other skaters, all except perhaps Plushenko.

But there is a mood in the Internet world now that is incensed at the very notion of powerful, vested self-interest establishment types trying to screw over those who don’t like to play by their rules, even if they have the talent to be the best. The very American notion of fair play and respect for individuality runs very deep in this land, and every bit as much for fans of figure skating.

Therefore, there is no mistaking the rumblings of an on-line organized boycott of U.S. figure skating events in the coming season short of credible assurances that the leaked reports are either not true, or that steps have been taken to correct the problem they exposed.

If they think Johnny Weir is too “out there,” figure skating officials should perhaps take a closer look at just who constitutes such a huge portion of their paying fans.

Disenchanted with the sport and hampered by back spasms for the first time in his career, Johnny Weir almost missed last night’s men’s qualifying skate.

“I was going to pull out this morning and then I was going to pull out after practice … It has just been a rough week,” said the flamboyant American.

“I don’t really like to stand up — to walk or to skate — but it’s what I signed up for.

“I’m not going to promise anything but I’m going to try.”

Admittedly stressed out and tired following what turned into a tumultuous Olympic experience, the 21-year-old Pennsylvanian said he had little desire to continue skating after leaving Turin with a fifth-place finish.

“I was really disappointed with the Olympics, how it went and then sort of the media circus I created over there and all the bad things that happened after with the fans and the media,” said Weir, speaking for the first time since the Games where he made headlines for his pricey shopping spree, colourful quotes and general openness.

“I was really disenchanted with it and was like, ‘Oh I don’t need to go to the worlds.’ ”

Changing his mind after getting some advice on a couple touring gigs, he said he’s learned some lessons about dealing with the media after reading one report that called him one of the biggest disappointments of the Games.

“I was really disappointed to have so much anger directed at me after the Olympic Games because I never thought I did anything that bad,” said Weir, who received plenty of hate mail from fans after his long program meltdown bumped him out of the medals.

“I didn’t think I disappointed my country that much with a top-five finish at the Olympics.

“I didn’t think I presented myself any differently than who I am and that’s how I’ve always thought I should be with media and fans because what’s the point of living life if you’re not going to live it your way and for yourself?”

So, is he here to prove his critics wrong?

“No, I know how good I am,” smiled the three-time American champ.

“Coming back from a disappointment will be satisfying but not necessarily proving anything to myself.

“It’s been a quick turnaround and I’ve learned to take things with a grain of salt and not worry too much about what you guys write about me and also not think too much about what I’m saying.

“I don’t want to lose what kind of candid responses that I give because then I’ll sound just like any other skater.

“That’s not my objective.”

And what is his objective?

“To make myself happy,” he said after a routine he called “nothing special.”

“That’s it. Very simple.”

Christine Brennan - USA Today

TORINO — Over the years in figure skating, competitors have come up with some pretty amazing excuses for a bad performance:

My dress fell apart. I forgot my program. My skate lace broke.

To them, we can now add this gem: They changed the bus schedule.

Johnny Weir was America’s best hope for an Olympic medal in men’s figure skating Thursday night, until he tried to catch a bus from the athletes’ village to the Palavela. It was then that he realized, to his horror, that the bus schedule had changed; buses that were leaving every 10 minutes now were departing only every half hour, he said. Weir eventually jumped into a volunteer’s car for the ride to the arena, but arrived 20 minutes later than he had planned and, as he said, never “really caught up to myself. … I didn’t feel my inner peace tonight.”

No inner peace, no Olympic medal. Skating tentatively, throwing in jumps here and there with no rhyme or reason, looking completely out of synch, Weir squandered a golden opportunity for a silver medal and fell right off the medal podium, dropping like a rock to fifth place.

He was so bad that he didn’t even finish as the top American in the competition. That title went to Evan Lysacek, whose evening was as inspiring as Weir’s was disheartening. Lysacek, who skated a full hour before Weir, jumped from 10th place in the short program to fourth overall by landing eight clean triple jumps after spending the previous 48 hours getting “violently ill,” he said, with IVs in both arms.

Lysacek still felt so sick that even the lurching of his bus on his way to the arena (we should point out that he made his bus) made him feel queasy. He said he first got sick an hour after his poor performance in Tuesday’s short program, then spent most of Wednesday on his back, receiving fluids. He was still throwing up and dizzy Thursday morning, hours before he was to skate. His veins, he said, kept “collapsing,” so new holes had to be poked into his arms. When he took the ice Thursday night, he said he had four holes in each arm.

“It was not really my ideal Olympic dream, sitting on a doctor’s table thinking there’s no way I’m going to be able to get through this competition,” Lysacek said. “If I can take something from this, it’s just a sense of pride in going out and finishing a job I started.”

If only Weir had had such will, such drive, such fighting spirit. Lysacek was the one who had every reason to come unglued in his long program, not Weir. But it was Weir who caved, while Lysacek soared.

Peggy Fleming once praised her sport for its ability to shine a light into a skater’s soul, to show exactly what a competitor was made of. On an evening like this, Fleming’s words could not have rung more true.

Why Weir let the bus mix-up ruin what could have been the night of his life, we may never know. One wonders if he was simply looking for excuses after letting an Olympic medal slip from his grasp, especially after his closest pursuer for second place, Switzerland’s Stephane Lambiel, fell twice in his long program.

The notion that Weir was searching for something to blame gained credence when his coach, Priscilla Hill, said over the phone after the event that the bus snafu “was more of an inconvenience than anything.”

As she elaborated in a U.S. Figure Skating news release : “He may have been a little rushed but not out of the ordinary, and he warmed up well. As his coach, I feel it was a great deal of pressure he’s never dealt with before. … Personally, I don’t think the schedule had anything to do with it.”

Eight years ago at the Nagano Olympics, Michelle Kwan had to get out of a car stuck in traffic and run several blocks in the rain to the arena in time to prepare for her long program. She skated a bit cautiously, but without a mistake, and won the silver medal.

What Weir should blame instead is his lack of desire to even try a quadruple jump in his short or long program. Gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko landed one in each program here. Lambiel tried two in his long program, falling on his second late in his program. Bronze medalist Jeff Buttle also tried one Thursday, but fell.

The American men, Weir, Lysacek and Matt Savoie, left the Olympic Games without trying even one, basically giving the medals away.

Lysacek can be forgiven for his omission Thursday night, for it will be his story that is retold in the years to come, while Weir tries to forget his.

The reality is, to win a medal, Weir just needed to be Lysacek, if only for one night.

Okay, I’m sorry. I know I keep talking about Johnny Weir and it’s probably a little annoying. But I can’t help it–he’s fabulous. He’s got pop, he’s got personality, hot costumes, a diva attitude and amazing talent to top it all off. It doesn’t hurt that one day he dreams of skating to Christina Aguilera’s “Walk Away”.

Here is video of his performance of “The Swan”, his BEAUTIFUL short program at last night’s Men’s Figure Skating Event at the Olympics. Unfortunately, Yevgeny Plushenko apparently turned out an amazing program last night, and scored roughly ten points higher than Johnny. This shit had better not happen on the Free Skate or bitches’ll get killed.

Also, here’ s a little profile they showed of Johnny before he performed. As you can see he’s quite the character.

And heeere’s video of Johnny’s interview with Matt Lauer that aired on the Today Show this morning. Enjoy!

Don’t worry, I’ve got more Johnny clips to come. Just be patient.

By the way…doesn’t Johnny look damn sexy in that picture at the top? I thought so too.

On Thursday afternoon, NBCOlympics.com caught some of the U.S. men’s free skate practice. Self-acclaimed Russia-phile Johnny Weir warmed up in a retro-style Soviet Union jacket and then practiced in a costume that had his name, written in Cyrillic, down his sleeve. Weir did a sparse run-through of his “Otonal” long program, only skating certain sections of it while his music played. When he was skating, he looked sharp: His final combination spin looked faster than it has in the past, and his straight-line footwork sequence was fluid and crisp as always.

But it was before his run-through that Weir really caught the eye of the few media members in attendance. Weir was practicing a quadruple toe loop — a jump he’s never attempted in major competition — as part of a three-jump combination, and his attempts were impressive. The first time, he did a quad toe-triple toe-double toe, and fully rotated (but two-footed) the quad. On his next attempt at that jumping pass, Weir did a quad toe-triple toe-triple toe, and all jumps were landed cleanly. Only Russia’s Yevgeny Plushenko has landed a quad-triple-triple in competition — his was a quad toe-triple toe-triple loop.

After practice, Weir said he probably won’t go for such an ambitious combination in his free skate, and is undecided on whether to include a quad at all. His countryman Evan Lysacek , on the other hand, still plans to do the quad in both of his programs, though he sounded slightly less committed to the idea than he had on Tuesday. Lysacek had a fall on one quad attempt Thursday and landed another one (two-footed), but looked polished in the run-through of his “Carmen” long program.

Johnny Weir brought his candor - and his particular need for creature comforts - to the Winter Olympics.

“I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. Sorry to say ‘princessy,”‘ he added, laughing, “but that’s what we do.”

Known for his outspoken manner, the three-time U.S. men’s champion isn’t afraid to declare that the Olympic Village “is not very comfortable.”

“It’s a little dusty, very underdecorated, the beds aren’t very soft,” Weir said Tuesday, “but I’m enjoying it!”

Weir wasn’t complaining, per se - just being himself.

“I hate carrying my own luggage and I hate trekking up stairs. I like a nice bed to be laid out for me. So it’s not any of that. It’s not very comfortable,” he said.

“I’m roughing it,” he said, chuckling some more. “It’d be the same as me going out into the woods, I think. Camping. Camping.”

Outlandish remarks are not unusual for Weir, who describes himself as a “wild card” for a medal but is more likely to be left in the dust next week by Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko.

Weir, 21, got into trouble with U.S. Figure Skating officials last month when he described the tempo of a competitor’s short program as “a vodka-shot, let’s-snort-coke kind of thing.” He’s also previously described his costumes to “an icicle on coke” and “a Care Bear on acid.”

But he refuses to bow to any sort of self-censorship.

“I think people are definitely very wary of what’s going to come out of my mouth and they’re very worried about the kind of image I’m portraying for figure skating, as far as I’ve heard,” he said. “That’s cool. People should stay scared.”

When a TV reporter asked him to say hello to his fans back home in Newark, Del., - an almost compulsory event at Olympic news conferences - Weir was gracious and thanked the “many people who have touched my life and enriched it and helped me get to the point where I’m at.”

Then, as if to prove that there’s no muzzling him, Weir went a little further. He also mentioned “a lot of people there, though, that didn’t support me at the beginning, so all of a sudden, they are. And that’s not something that I enjoy. I don’t like two-faces.”

“So, to those people, you know, you can - you can do your thing, and it just shows that with proper support and proper encouragement, you can go very far even if there are people that are detracting from everything.”

Weir said he admired another plain-speaking U.S. athlete - skier Bode Miller.

“Bode Miller, you know, huge props to him for saying what he wants to and not being sugarcoated,” he said. Such an attitude “makes me interesting for figure skating and makes him interesting for skiing. … I assume he and I feel very similar.”

With flamboyant costumes to match his outrageous words, Weir said he draws his inspiration for eccentricity from his mother, who encouraged him to be his own person.

“That’s something that at the end of the day, I know even if I make everyone angry and say things that nobody likes, my mom will still support what I said because I said it,” he said. “She thinks its funny when I say crazy things in the media. She doesn’t take it that seriously,” Weir added.

He candidly handicapped the field, saying “Plushenko will be first, unless he makes mistakes.”

“The gold medal is his to lose,” Weir said.

Fighting for the second and third spots on the podium, he said, would be Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, Brian Joubert of France, U.S. teammate Evan Lysacek, himself, Emanuel Sandhu and Jeff Buttle, both of Canada, and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.

“I’m hoping it will be me, Plushenko and Lambiel on the podium. That’s my hope. Not a prediction - just a hope,” Weir said.

And look out - after his figure skating career is over, he said he wants to write “a tell-all book.”

“I just want to expose all of these things that I’ve learned from growing in the sport, and having done it very quickly, I’ve gotten to see the vary different levels of competition - from being an upstart and being very looked-after and being the next big thing to being completely cut off and being thrown back into it where you’re the main hopeful for the Olympics.

“I’ve been through the ringer and I know everything and I’ve seen everything that goes on. There are so many skeletons in the closet in figure skating, and there’s a lot of stuff that goes down that people don’t know about,” he said.

Up until last week when I saw the U.S. Nationals for the first time, I’d never heard of Johnny Weir, in fact, until I saw Johnny Weir I never took much interest in the male skaters. Yes, the men have always technically been better than the women, but the women were always more artistic. But Johnny is truly a dramatic skater. His programs have stories, and emotions. I love watching him skate. It doesn’t hurt that he always has fabulous outfits.

Any dumbfuck with a tiddly-wink gadar can tell Johnny’s a homo, but c’mon, it’s figure skating. Aren’t they all? Or just read his favorites on his official site. It exposes it all. But gay or straight, I’m one of Johnny’s newest fans.

Here’s to hoping he wins the Olympics.

Height: 5′9″
Born: July 2, 1984
Hometown: Coatesville, PA
Resides: Newark, DE
Sport: Figure Skating

The Short List

* 2004, 2005, and 2006 U.S. National Champion
* In 2004, ISU Grand Prix overall champion, the Trophee Eric Bompard Cachemire, NHK Trophy; Cup of Russia silver medalist
* 2001 World Junior Champion

Did You Know?

* Began skating at the age of 12 after watching figure skating on television
* His childhood hero was Oksana Baiul
* He eats ice cream before competing
* Studying linguistics and fashion design at the University of Delaware
* Credits Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” as a major inspiration for his artistic development and wears a silver “D” necklace, which stands for dirty…getting down and dirty on the ice
* Favorite musical artists include Justin Timberlake, Usher, Christina Aguilera and Maroon5
* Collects sunglasses, pop memorabilia and French lithographs
* His nickname is “J We” and has a brother named Brian
* Hobbies include trampolining, diving and skiing
* Johnny never tells anyone his middle name because he doesn’t like it

It’s Every Day

An active youngster, Weir tried soccer, baseball, and equestrian before finally settling on skating and dedicating himself to the sport.

At the age of twenty-one, Johnny Weir has already experienced more intense competition and international exposure than most athletes his age dream of.

The personal highs of goal achievement and stunning results of a quiet confidence push this young skater from Delaware to be the best athlete he can be.

Late Jump, Natural Talent

Weir got a late jump on skating, starting at age 12. An active youngster, Weir tried soccer, baseball, skiing and riding before finally settling on skating and dedicating himself to the sport.

It was while Weir was still riding and showing horses that he first became interested in figure skating after watching it on television. He loved watching the sport and tried out the jumps himself, on roller skates in his family’s basement.

Weir’s first venture onto the ice occurred one harsh winter when the corn field behind his house froze over. Weir was thrilled to receive a second-hand pair of skates for Christmas, and to his parents’ amusement, he used them to skate in between the frozen corn stalks! That convinced them to let him take group lessons at the University of Delaware.

At the end of his first lesson, Weir was supposed to practice stroking with his group, but he decided to try jumping instead. He had gotten pretty good in his family’s basement, but the slippery ice was a different matter! Nevertheless, Weir’s quicker-than-average progress soon became evident, and after only three lessons, his instructor approached his mother to let her know that her son showed promise and might benefit from private instruction.

The decision to choose between horseback riding and private skating lessons was a difficult one for Johnny, who had experienced much success on the equestrian circuit, but ultimately, he chose skating.

Destiny Unfolds

In his first year of skating, Weir tested up to the juvenile division and made the Junior Olympics in both freestyle and pairs (with Jodi Rudden). Weir and Rudden moved up to intermediate pairs, qualifying a second year for the Junior Olympics, but the following season, Weir gave up pairs and began concentrating on his singles skills.

Skipping intermediate freestyle, Weir moved up to the novice division and experienced immediate success — a bronze medal at the 1998 U.S. Championships in Philadelphia.

Moving up to the junior division in 1999, Weir finished fourth at the U.S. Championships in Salt Lake City and went on to compete at two Junior Grand Prix events the following season, finishing second and seventh in his series debut.

At the 2000 U.S. Championships in Cleveland, Weir placed first in the short program, but struggled in the freeskate to finish fifth overall.

The following summer, Weir set his sights on the senior freestyle test and passed it. His senior-level debut at the 2001 U.S. Championships in Boston was a successful one in which he placed sixth overall.
Internationally, Weir still competed as a junior in 2000-2001, placing 6th and 2nd in his two Junior Grand Prix events.

Champion At Last

On March 1, 2001, Weir won the World Junior Championship, capping off a wonderful year of skating.

The following season, Weir began competing both nationally and internationally at the senior level, placing 10th at the 2001 Goodwill Games, seventh at Skate Canada, and fourth at Trophée Lalique.

At the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles, Weir improved his placement from the previous year, finishing fourth in the short program and fifth overall. He was named as an alternate to the World Championship and Olympic teams that year, and went on to compete at the Four Continents Championships, another senior international event. Weir narrowly missed the podium at that event, finishing fourth.

Lessons Learned

The 2002-2003 season was a difficult one for Weir. After having to withdraw from both of his Grand Prix events due to illness, he looked forward to the 2003 U.S. Championships in Dallas as a chance to prove himself. He seemed to be on his way to doing just that with a stunning 2nd place finish in the short program, but a knee injury during his free skate forced him to withdraw from the event. Despite this disappointment, Weir remained optimistic about his skating. He knew what he needed to do to make things happen in his career.

Weir answered his critics in the 2003-2004 season. On January 10, 2004, he won his first U.S. National Championship in Atlanta with two amazing performances. He went on to place an impressive 5th at his first World Championships in Dortmund, Germany.

The 2004-2005 Grand Prix season was a spectacular one for Weir. He followed his fall achievements by successfully defending his U.S. National title in Portland, Oregon in early January. He had high hopes for the 2005 World Championships in Moscow, Russia, but an untimely foot injury hampered those plans, and he finished 4th. Still, he’s proud of the fact that he was able to fight through the pain

An injury suffered during the free skate at Skate Canada marred the start of the 2005-2006 season. Johnny recovered nicely for the Cup of Russia, though, and won the bronze medal behind World Champions Evgeny Plushenko and Stephane Lambiel. He is looking forward to defending his title at the 2006 National Championships.

Bright Future

Only time will tell what the future holds for Johnny Weir. His long term goals include being an Olympic and World Champion, and someday being a coach. He has achieved so much in such a short period of time that this is a very exciting time for him. At the same time, it can be very intimidating, but Johnny is a very intense and focused young man. He truly knows what he wants to do with his life, and he knows what he has to do to achieve those goals.