Sjoberg Plans for a Big Step Forward

With the 2022-23 season already in full swing, athletes are beginning to see where they stack up in the new quadrennium. Eric Sjoberg, the newly turned 21-year-old hopes to seize the opportunity to move up the ranks and into the spotlight in this post-Olympic season of transition.
 
Last season Sjoberg took a bold step forward in his career when he won the 2022 U.S. Championship Series qualifier in Henderson, Nevada, and established himself as one to watch as the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships approached. Unfortunately, as the event kicked off in Nashville, the 2020 U.S. junior men's silver medalist was forced to withdraw due to testing positive for COVID-19.
 
"It was quite a letdown," he said. "I felt like I was really improving last year and getting more consistent in competitions. I felt like I had some momentum heading into championships, so it was really disappointing to have to withdraw."
 
Though he tested positive, Sjoberg was fortunate enough to remain asymptomatic, allowing for an immediate return to training once he was cleared from quarantine.
 
"I think that it has helped me to change my approach a bit," he admitted. "You never know when it might be your last time on the ice, and it helped me to realize that I shouldn't take skating for granted. It also made me realize that I definitely want to do more and keep going to pursue my goals in the sport."
 
With his season complete, Sjoberg quickly turned the page and started to focus on the next chapter of his skating career — the 2022-23 season. The 2016 U.S. novice men's champion has chosen to continue to work with his long-term coaching team of Rafael Arutunian, Vera Arutunian and former Armenian competitor Hov Mktrchian. The trio are helping Sjoberg to expand his technical arsenal, something that the Maryland native believes will help him to continue his climb up the national and international ranks.
 
"I worked on the quad Salchow in the offseason and landed it for the first time in April," he shared. "It's in my long program right now and the plan is to add it to the short program in future competitions."
 
To continue his growth as an artist and performer, Sjoberg has once again retained the services of Misha Ge, a former Uzbekistani competitor who is making quite a name for himself as one of the sport's premier choreographers.
 
This season Sjoberg has a new short program to "Black & Gold" by Sam Sparro, a somewhat daring choice for the self-admitted introvert. The piece, featured in the 2009 remake of the film Fame, is a dance piece at its core and has challenged Sjoberg to come out of his shell.
 
"Misha said that he thought this music fits my personality," he said. "He's gotten to know me more throughout our time working together, and I think that it's a lot of fun to perform. In the beginning I was a bit nervous about taking on this piece, but I committed to doing it full out so now I have a lot of fun performing this program."
 
Sjoberg has chosen to retain his "Interstellar" free skate from last season.
 
"I really like the program and I was sad that I couldn't finish last year with it," Sjoberg explained." I don't think that I really showed it to its highest potential, so I decided to keep it for this season. We have made some small changes in the choreography and in the footwork and the choreographic sequence to try to enhance it. And of course, we have added the quad Salchow as well."
 
Sjoberg kicked off his international season last month at the Cranberry Cup in Norwood, Massachusetts, where he finished with the bronze medal.
 
"There were some good parts to that competition, but it didn't go the way that I wanted," he admitted. "Right now, I am assessing what went wrong and how I need to fix it so that I can be prepared for my next competition."
 
Next up for the college student will be the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, which begins today in Lake Placid, New York. Sjoberg will face off against reigning U.S. silver medalist Ilia Malinin, World Championship Team member Camden Pulkinen and crowd favorite Jimmy Ma in a strong international field.
 
Sjoberg recently learned that he was selected to fill the open men's spot at next month's Skate America in the same rink where he captured bronze at the Cranberry Cup earlier this summer. The competition will mark his ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating debut.
 
"I am excited to be named to my first Grand Prix, Skate America," he said. "This is a great opportunity and step towards my future goals. I am eager to prepare and show my capabilities."
 
As he closes out his studies at Irvine Valley College, a two-year community college, Sjoberg has started to explore the possibility of transferring to a four-year university to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology.
 
"I would like to attend the University of California-Irvine and will also apply to some other schools," he said. "I would like to do something like forensic psychology, which would be really cool."
 
In addition to his classwork and training, Sjoberg has been teaching Learn to Skate classes at the rink. Recently, however, he was given a promotion that has allowed him the opportunity to start taking on students of his own.
 
"I only have about six students right now, but I really like working with them," he shared.
 
But for now, Sjoberg's main priority remains his skating, and he is looking forward to getting back to the U.S. Championships to challenge for one of the top spots in San Jose, California, early next year.
 
"The last time the U.S. Championships were in San Jose, I was not able to compete because I had a broken foot," he recalled. "I am really excited to compete there, and my goal is to finish in the top four."