Johnny Weir skates a "clean" short program

The flamboyant and often flippant Johnny Weir acknowledged feeling a little nervous leading up to Tuesday night's short program in men's figure skating.

The night before, the American skater went on a cleaning binge in the living quarters he shares with ice dancer Tanith Belbin.

"I Pledge'd everything," he said, referring to the furniture polish. "You know, some people eat, some people drink, some people smoke ... I Pledge."

Apparently, the star of a TV documentary series called "Be Good Johnny Weir" on the Sundance Channel has an arrangement with Belbin that allows them to prepare for the ice.

"She stayed out all day today so I could run around naked and watch 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' and enjoy myself and just relax before the competition," he said. "And I'm going to do the same for her."

However odd, the routine seemed to work as Weir skated himself into sixth place heading into the long program later this week.

-- David Wharton

Photo: Johnny Weir competes in the men's short program on Tuesday. Credit: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Lish]

Johnny was robbed in the Short Program and it was obviously pure spite on the judges' part. His technique was flawless and his style defies the corrupt Olympics martinets.

[Aimee]

Johnny was amazing. His was the only performance of the night that gave me chills. He was definitely robbed to get sixth. I expected him to be ranked at least second after that short program. Clearly he has "something" the judges don't like, but that's just not fair.

[badleroybrown8]

Totally agree. Johnny was sorely underscored. He skated clean and beauftifully - one of the major hilights of the evening.

[ivyleaguer]

this article was a waste of time, what does it have to do with the headline. I thought it was going to talk about his short program. It mention a word of that. Talk about bait and switch.

[Adam]

Johnny did skate pretty clean and you could hear a huge "boo" after his scores went up. makes you wonder if the judging system is unfair if so many of the audience was not agreeing with the score. His moves were just as complicated as the top skaters. Also, I thought his costume was just as flamboyant and maybe even less flamboyant than the other figure skaters...like Evan Lysaceks sequined and furry costume. I like Johnny's skating—it's very natural, not stiff and uncomfortable to watch along with the music. His moves go totally isync with the music. So what if he roomed with Tanith...these are just silly remarks. He is completely dedicated to skating and he is extremely intelligent and speaks the truth. I'm glad I got to see his documentary and to see how hard he worked to get to the Olympics a second time. It's childish to hear commenters from the Figure Skating community talk about what he wears and what he does on his own time. You don't see commentators do that in the Luge or Snowboarding community. It's really ridiculous.

[Jerry]

Johnny was robbed. No question. And his name is spelled incorrectly in this blog's headline.

[Stacey]

I thought his short program was fantastic, and that he was way undermarked for it. And while I don't always agree with what he says, I love that he does say what's on his mind and doesn't sound like a pre-recorded, over-rehearsed, script-reading robot when talking to the press.

[PumaJ]

I didn't find Mr. Weir's costume to be necessarily any more "flamboyant" than the costumes worn by other skaters. I'm suspecting it was pink ruffles, "corset look", and tassel that has elicited the negative commentary, because, oh shock and horror, how can a man wear something like that. Personally, I find his costumes a breath of fresh air, just as I do his skating.

Johnny Weir is no mere figure skater. He is an artist, perhaps describing him as a performance artist would be more appropriate. Whatever, his style, skill and strength as a skater makes him a pleasure to watch.

I, also think he was scored too low. I've watched videos of the other skaters for comparison. Technically, his skating was at least as good as the three skaters just above him. To me, the qualities of his skate beyond the technical points were better than the others.