I discovered Jonathan Cassar's skating two years ago when my sister and I saw him compete live at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. We saw him skate his short program to 'We Insist" by Zoe Keating,and were immediately hooked on his skating! He's a hidden gem!
Jonathan, 23, may not have the technical content as some of the U.S. men who are performing triple axels, triple- triple combinations, and quadruple jumps galore, but what he does have is fabulous deep edges, spread eagles to die for, and beautiful artistic presentation.
Jonathan formerly trained in Detroit and has recently moved to California to train with Frank Carroll, the coach of the current Olympic Champion, Evan Lysacek (and the former coach of Michelle Kwan). I hope the coaching change proves successful for Jonathan. He's a diamond in the rough!! It's a shame that more people haven't heard of him/ seen his skating!
I couldn't find a great recording of the short program that first attracted me to Jonathan's skating in 2009, but I found a decent recording that should be sufficient to give you an idea of Jonathan's talents as an artistic skater. His choreography is detailed and interesting. His musicality and movement is top-notch. Watch for his superb spread eagle sequence starting at 1 minute and 42 seconds into the program. Awesome!
For more information on Jonathan, check out his Web site.
Enjoy!
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