Jason Brown Dreams of Perfect Programs

In his nearly 10 years of international competition, Jason Brown did something in the off season that he has not done since he left home after graduating high school. Once he wrapped up the abbreviated 2020-21 season, Brown headed home to spend quality time with his parents and siblings before setting out to train for a shot at making a second Olympic team.
 
"Typically, in the off-season I go on some kind of trip—either with my family or my friends, but I thought it would be good to be home with my family," he said. "It was just really special. During these last two years, what is important to you has really shone through, and for me that was my family. I haven't lived at home in more than seven years, and although I see them at competitions and while we travel, it is rarely at home, so this was special."
 
After the family reunion, Brown headed back to Toronto to prepare for this season with coaches Tracy Wilson and Brian Orser. Most of the focus of Brown's training was meant to improve consistency in his jumps, but a considerable amount of time was also dedicated to continuing to find the right formula to finally get over the quadruple jump hurdle. Unfortunately, as he began to make progress, Brown suffered an injury that kept him off ice for more than six weeks.
 
"I woke up one day and my foot was swollen and really painful, and we learned that I had an avulsion fracture in my left metatarsal," he shared. "Fortunately, I have an incredible team of people who put a plan in motion to help me stay in shape while I recovered."
 
Once he was cleared to go back to training, Brown resumed his work on the quadruple jump. For now, the quadruple is a mystery that he has yet to solve, but the 2015 U.S. champion remains confident that he will one day be able to figure it out. 
 
"It's something that I know is in me and I am not going to back off," he said. "I'm working my butt off on and off ice—I am doing everything that I can to give myself the best chance to land it in competition."
 
Brown made his season debut at the Finlandia Trophy in early October where he captured the top spot on the podium. He followed that up with a silver medal at Skate Canada International and heads into this week's Internationaux de France with an opportunity to qualify for the Grand Prix Final for the second time in his career.
 
"I am excited to compete—It means that I could be one step closer to skating those dream programs somewhere down the road," he said. "I'm really not thinking about placement or qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. My primary goal is to have the performances that I know that I can do, and medal or not, that will make me happy."


This season's programs serve as the vehicle for Brown to reach his goal of those dream performances. His short program—a holdover from last season, is to Nina Simone's "Sinnerman", which was choreographed by Brown's longtime collaborator, Rohene Ward.
 
"When Rohene brought this music to me, he sat me down and shared how important this program is for him personally," he shared. "I am so enamored to have him work with me and to educate me about the importance of this piece. That Rohene trusted me to take his vision and run with it is quite an honor, and I can't thank him enough. It was hard work to bring this program to life, and I didn't feel like I had the right amount of time to perfect it, so we decided to keep it for this season.
 
Brown revived his David Wilson-choreographed Schindler's List free skate for similar reasons.
 
"There was something so special about this program that whole year, and I felt like it was on an upward trajectory," Brown explained. "When the World Championships were rightfully canceled, I knew that I had to revive this program when the time was right. The music is so powerful, so moving, and so important. I want to do it justice and perform it very respectfully. This season just seemed like the right time to bring it back."
 
At the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Brown will seek to accomplish the rare feat of earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team eight years apart. After competing at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, he was expected to qualify for the three-person team in 2018 that competed in Pyeongchang, South Korea. His sixth-place finish left him feeling embarrassed and bruised.
 
"Every single thing was to live up to making that Olympic team," Brown shared. "I had sort of a victim mentality that this was how I was going to prove myself next and it was the only way to prove myself. Hitting that rock bottom allowed me to finally break free of the chains that I had put onto myself and inspired me to make changes to how I approach my skating."
 
Since missing the team in 2018, Brown has learned to become comfortable in his own skin which has allowed him to leave the negative thoughts in the dust. He is approaching the second half of the season knowing who he is and is celebrating all the good that comes with that.
 
"I'm doing me. Whatever happens, happens," he said. "There's something very refreshing about that. My eyes are on Beijing—I would love to compete in the team event in addition to singles, but I have to focus my energy on pushing myself to be the best that I can be. I'm continuing to work on my consistency, and I believe that I am mentally all there to give it my best."

Fans can watch Team USA this week at Internationaux de France live and on-demand on Peacock Premium. Check out the Grand Prix Series Competition Central page to follow Team USA throughout the season.