In less than two and a half years living in Toronto and training under Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson, 2015 U.S. champion Jason Brown has been through it all. He suffered whiplash and a concussion as a result of a car accident, had the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020 canceled days before the event was slated to begin, spent four months off the ice due to a global pandemic, and most recently had his sole ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment of the season – Skate Canada International – canceled as well.
After his 2019-20 season was delayed a month due to the concussion he suffered in August 2019, Brown's 2020-21 season will not see its first in-person competition until more than halfway through in January 2021. Far from what Brown, now in his eighth season as a senior on the international stage, is used to, he knows these setbacks only bring him closer to his coaching team.
"In these four years we're going to end up being together – and who knows about after, I'm just focused on that four-year block – we have officially gone through everything we possibly could have," Brown, 25, said. "We've gone through it all, we're going to continue to go through it all, who knows what's around the corner. But each time we've had these setbacks, we get to know each other better. We've gotten a lot closer and been able to navigate through the ups and downs of seasons so much easier as a team, so I think we're trying to look at this in the most positive light."
Brown moved to Toronto in May 2018, a few months after the 2014 Olympic Team Event bronze medalist finished a surprising sixth at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and was not selected to the 2018 Olympic Team.
"I was not in the best head space," he recalled. "There's no skirting around the fact that my 2018 season, for me, was pretty disastrous and really, really tough to live through and experience."
At a low point in his life, Brown was ready to overhaul every aspect of his career. He packed up his life in Colorado and moved as far away as he realistically could to train at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.
Without having ever spoken more than a few words to 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist Orser, and none to 1988 Olympic bronze medalist ice dancer Wilson, prior to his tryout, Brown went to a new country, new rink and new coaches – eventually getting a new haircut as well – with zero expectations and the excitement of a new chapter ahead. He said he was, "trying to rid myself of everything that I knew and just try to start fresh."
The adjustment was tough – Brown recalls feeling very disjointed in the 2018-19 season and even startled by the way his coaches spoke to him at competitions – but he knew it would be after spending 18 years with coach Kori Ade, who could read his mind and sense his emotions.
Brown has since developed that rapport with Orser and Wilson. He noted that creating these relationships as an adult – starting at age 23 – has helped because his coaches view him as a peer. They encourage his guidance and expertise as much as he looks for theirs.
"Coaches who were athletes themselves and have been through the ups and downs of training and competing, they come with a lot of knowledge," Brown said. "There's a saying you don't know until you've gone through it, and they've gone through it on every level.
"Brian always comes in every single day ready to work. This is going to be my third year and I've never ever seen Brian come in not having expectations and not being on his A game. That's something I really, really admire, and when the coaches come in with such intensity and drive, I think it really fuels their athletes.
"I really love Tracy. I couldn't say a single negative thing if I tried. She has such high standards – and she knows that I'm capable of greatness and such a high level – that she's constantly pushing me to be better, but in a holistic way of pushing. She obviously wants me to be my best person, and she sees me as a person before an athlete. She just does an incredible job of inspiring me to be better."
Saying from the onset of his move that it would take at least 18 months to retool his skating techniques and see a transformation, Brown now believes the work is never through and that he is constantly developing. The work has started to show in his results, though. Brown placed second in the short program at the 2019 World Championships, and last season had his highest placement at the U.S. Championships in five years with a silver medal before also earning silver at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships for his best overall finish at an ISU Championship event.
Remaining steadfast on his goal of making it to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Brown is confident the move to Toronto has already paid off in the form of a changed man and skater.
"I definitely think I'm much more mature," he said. "I know that's a very simple term, but I do feel much more mature as a skater – the way that I carry myself, the way I approach competitions, the way I'm mentally prepared. I definitely am in a much more confident place, too. I still have that chip on my shoulder of wanting to make it back on that Olympic Team, and I think that's pushed me to take more risks and try different things.
"Not making the Olympic Team in 2018 was one of my first experiences where I didn't achieve a huge goal that I had set. Having gone through that and coming out on the other side OK, it gave me a sense of not being concerned about playing it safe, and I really think my skating is showing that. There isn't this reserve. I'm skating as though I have nothing to lose. My love for the sport has really been reignited being in Canada and I think that takes precedent over any type of fear."
