In late June, Alexander Johnson was sitting at his summer intern desk at Lazard, deep into a presentation for the investment bank's Middle Market group in Minneapolis. His phone buzzed with a text from friend Angela Wang.
"At first I thought, 'Sorry, Angela, but I've got a lot of work to get done," Johnson remembered.
A little later, while grabbing some food, he glimpsed at Wang's message:Â
"OMG NHK."
Just six letters, but career-affirming for the 28-year-old Johnson: his first Grand Prix assignment after nearly a decade of senior competition.
"I'm stoked," Johnson said. "I feel like I have been on the bubble for quite some time. To finally pop that bubble and be invited is a pretty neat honor."
NHK Trophy will be held in Hiroshima, Japan, Nov. 9-11. This week, Johnson competes at Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki, part of a U.S. contingent that also includes Wang, Pooja Kalyan and two pair teams: Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea, and Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan.
"Usually every summer, I'm like, 'Who is going to get a Grand Prix?' and wondering what is going to happen," Johnson, a senior at University of Minnesota's Carlton School of Management, said. "This year, I knew I had a shot because of retirements and my season's best (score), but I kind of wasn't paying attention."
Instead, his summer was occupied by the coveted internship, which involved assisting Lazard's bankers with crafting pitches to potential clients; performing due diligence by sorting through documents pertinent to deals; helping to value private companies by looking for comparable public entities; and other tasks far removed from triple Axels and camel-change-camel spins.
"The deal teams at Lazard are pretty small, there are anywhere from four to six people working on a deal at a time, so as an intern it was a variety of tasks," Johnson said. "I loved it. It was just such a different experience from anything I've ever done. Sitting at a desk for 12 to 16 hours a day definitely took some getting used to and I learned a ton."
Lazard was impressed. Johnson's hard work and enthusiasm won him a job offer, starting next spring.
Page Lipe, who coaches the skater in the Minneapolis area, doesn't recommend his schedule for everyone, but thinks it works for Johnson.
"Alex needs to do lots of things to stay alert, for him to do too much of one thing doesn't work," Lipe said. "He did a little too much banking this summer for my taste, but it worked out well for him. Now it's time for skating, and having that balance works well for him."
Johnson finished up his internship in August, right before he attended U.S. Figure Skating's Champs Camp for the first time. Since then, he's been fully focused on training his programs: a free skate to a medley of Woodkid's "The Golden Age," "Iron" and "Run Boy Run," and a short program to Jamie Cullum's "Don't Stop the Music" that he debuted at Harvard University's Evening with Champions show last month.
Both programs were choreographed with Shae-Lynn Bourne; the free skate in the spring, the short just last month as replacement for an earlier, self-choreographed program.
"We came up with ideas, Page and I, and approached Shae," Johnson said. "I saw the short Shae did for Nathan (Chen) and absolutely loved it. I worked with Tom (Dickson) for so long and he's amazing, but I wanted to try something new."
"Each choreographer has their unique style," he added. "I would say Tom is more classical, and Shae has this raw authenticity. I think that is what has pushed me in another way."
Johnson, known for his strong skating skills and musicality, wants to produce clean programs including triple Axels and triple Lutz-triple toe loop combinations. One thing he's not planning: a quadruple jump. He didn't do one at the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, when his free skate to the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby
"Â brought the crowd to its feet and prompted renowned choreographer Sandra Bezic to tweet, "Alexander Johnson just skated one of the most beautiful free programs I've ever seen."
"I just need all of my elements there," he said. "No quad for me, I'm past that point. I want to have another one of those special moments we all dream of, that clean performance, and I think it's doable. I'm definitely looking for that at NHK and nationals this year."
"Alex brings a maturity to the ice you don't see much these days," Lipe said. "We're going to focus on that, to make sure he does his job technically, but make the artistry stand out."
Caryn Kadavy, who trains Johnson alongside Lipe, thinks Johnson may just produce his best skating in the coming months.
"He is building for the season and training appropriately," Kadavy said. "I can see a maturity that happened because of the summer (internship). He's in great shape, he kept himself up through the summer. The goal is to be in top shape for NHK and nationals."
Competing in Japan is a huge bonus. When Satoko Miyahara found out Johnson was entered in NHK, she immediately texted her congratulations. Her coach, Mie Hamada, invited him to arrive early in Japan to train at their rink.
"I have a few fans in Japan, and over the years they have said, 'Please come to Japan, we love your skating,'" Johnson said. "I kept explaining, I don't get to choose where I compete. Now, finally, I have the chance, and I think it will be one of the best crowds in the world."
Johnson admits NHK Trophy, plus the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit – and any later season assignments he might earn – may mark the final competitions of his career. He is determined to savor them.
"This summer I truly enjoyed investment banking, but it definitely put the life of an athlete into perspective," he said. "To be able to train and do what you love all day, every day, is so incredible."
