This is what happens when I have a messed up travel day and find myself with free time on my hands and a funny memory.
Jason Brown. We skated together in the Jimmy Fund show Evening With Champions at Harvard back in September. I had remembered watching him at the 2012 U.S. Championships and therefore knew he was an upcoming force to be reckoned with. I just assumed he knew it too, and because of that, he probably would be in his own little “I-am-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with” world at the fundraiser show. I also didn’t think he was familiar with Brent’s and my work as matching green and orange snakes in Holiday On Ice. What I am trying to say is that I didn’t think we would have any off-ice interaction, he being an upcoming hot shot and us being old withered snakes.
I love when I am proven wrong, especially when I do that thing where I assume something haughty about someone. Jason, with his adorable smile, was adorably kind.
So kind in fact, I thought he had us mistaken for different skaters. Because he said, and I quote, “You guys are great. That lift you guys do is unbelievable.”
Unbelievable. That is a very nice thing to say. However, I am pretty sure the things we do are incredibly believable. Absolutely believable. In fact, that may be my unique strength as a skater; I am a very believable skater. No surprises here! And Brent I could be the world’s most believable team. We could be featured in Ripley’s “Believe It!”
If you were to describe, let’s say, a throw double axel, you would say, “You should see it! This huge guy throws this little girl into the air, then she rotates TWO AND A HALF times IN THE AIR, and then, AND THEN, she lands on one foot. One foot!”
And someone listening would be like, “Whoa. That is unbelievable.”
And you would be all, “Yeah, I know. Unbelievable.”
But if you were to describe a lift that Brent and I do, you would say, “So this five-foot-seven guy with a tiny beard lifts this disheveled looking woman a foot higher than his height.”
And someone listening would say, “Oh yeah. Well, that sounds like a thing. A boring thing.”
I was so confused when Jason was so complimentary that I said, “Oh I think you are thinking of someone else.” Like maybe Marissa and Simon.
And then Jason got a little flustered and started describing a lift that we actually do, and I felt bad that I had tried to tell him he was wrong. And then I realized he was just being really nice. Because he is a really nice guy.
So, what did Jason Brown make of the skating at this year’s U.S. Championships? Super duper unbelievable, I imagine, because you don’t have to be as nice as Jason to have found the skating truly incredible. I mean, did you see it?! Meryl and Charlie?! Holy smokes. Watch out World Championships. Max Aaron?! I thought Nebraska had a speed limit, man.
I can’t even imagine the way these skaters will bring it to next year’s National Championships. It will be, without a doubt, all caps, UNBELIEVABLE. Right, Jason?! ;)
The world's most believable team watching the country's most unbelievable teams
