Jeremy Abbott's "Life is Beautiful" freeskate

Jeremy Abbott had an unfortunate freeskate at Sunday's U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C. that knocked him off the world team for the first time in three years (note: he finished 4th at the 2008 nationals but went to the World Championships after Evan Lysacek withdrew with a shoulder injury). The fall from Nationals grace for the 2-time Champion came as a shock to everyone, but maybe mostly to Jeremy himself, who appeared poised for a 3-peat. He has been terrific at the Nationals the last two seasons, last year in particular, not to mention that he was incredibly strong, intense, and in fighter-mode during the short program on Friday evening. But a different skater showed up to the Greensboro Colosseum on Sunday. Jeremy looked tentative and as if he was skating to defend, instead of skating to win. After making one mistake, the wheels fell off the cart. It was painful to watch. As a supporter of Jeremy's skating, I really felt sad for him. It's hard to watch one of your favorite skaters struggle, but on the other hand, maybe this setback will light a fire under Jeremy to fight back even stronger.

I should note that Jeremy isn't exactly known for his consistency on the world stage; however, the 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion, finished a respectable fifth at last year's Worlds, and finished 2nd to the World Champion, Daisuke Takahashi at the NHK Trophy last fall, with an impressive debut of his "Life is Beautiful" freeskate (see video below). From that point on, Jeremy has struggled this season because of boot problems, which lost him a lot of training time.

There's nothing worse for an athlete than if you're not comfortable with your equipment. It puts the athlete in a bit of a hopeless situation because no matter how in shape, or mentally prepared they are, if their equipment is a question mark, there's not a solid vehicle to carry you to success. Apparently Jeremy got his boot issues resolved, I believe before the holidays, but that also means that he hasn't had much time to break in his new boots and get used to them. I'm not making an excuse for his performance on Sunday, but it's certainly something that has to play a bit of a factor if you consider the amount of training time, or irregular training schedule he's had this season. It hasn't been easy.

Jeremy's 4th place finish is heartbreak for him, but he's still slated to compete at the 4 Continents Cup Championships later this month. That competition, especially if some of the top men in the world opt to compete, is an important one for Jeremy. It will be the perfect opportunity for him to redeem himself, regain the confidence of the USFSA, and make a statement that he is competitive with the top men in the World. Even if the top men aren't there, if Jeremy can post some high numbers, the numbers will speak for themselves. A great skate would also be a good way for Jeremy to close out his season on a positive note, which will give him something to build on for next season.

Jeremy's "Life is Beautiful" freeskate, choreographed by David Wilson, is a wondrous piece of artistic genius. It is a character-driven piece that tells a story. I have to admit that I haven't seen the movie, so I can't say for sure what story it tells, but in any case, the choreography is soft, subtle, pleasant, smooth, and creative. It would be great if Jeremy could use the Four Continents event to perform it in a way that accentuates the brilliance of the work, and the brilliance of his own talent. When he's on, Jeremy skates like a dream. I truly believe that Jeremy is one of the best male skaters in the world. He's so gifted in every way, but maybe that would shine through more if Jeremy believed it himself when he's out there competing!!

Below is the video of Jeremy's silver-medal performance at the 2010 NHK Trophy with his "Life is Beautiful" freeskate. This is the best Jeremy has performed this program this season, and here's rooting for him to do it even better at the Four Contintents Cup in a few weeks!!

Enjoy!!