John Wooden a hero to figure skating coach, too

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CLEVELAND -- Having the world championships in Los Angeles should be perfect for Tom Zakrajsek, the coach of the top two finishers in the men’s competition at the just-completed U.S. championships and coach of the second-place finisher in the women’s event.

Not because he’s from Southern California. Zakrajsek, 45, is from Garfield Heights, Ohio. And not because he coaches here -- he has been churning out champions in Colorado Springs, Colo.

It’s because Zakrajsek, who coaches world team members Jeremy Abbott, Brandon Mroz and Rachael Flatt, cited John Wooden and Phil Jackson among the primary influences on his approach to coaching.

Zakrajsek, a former competitive figure skater, said he relies on Wooden’s ‘Pyramid of Success’ daily because he wants to make sure his athletes find success in life, not only in skating. He said he went back to Wooden’s philosophy Sunday to help him calm a very nervous Abbott before the men’s free skate finale.

‘I borrowed a John Wooden quote about how when you work so hard at something for so long the outcome of that particular circumstance or competition becomes really important and then you find yourself as an athlete feeling like, oh my gosh,’ Zakrajsek said. ‘And the rest of his quote goes something like if you have patience, you will have great success.

‘I said, ‘This is so typical for you to feel this way, Jeremy, because you have worked so hard and you deserve success and it’s OK to feel that way. So now let’s move on and get back to what needs to happen.’’

It worked: Abbott skated the top-ranked program and won his first U.S. title.

U.S. Figure Skating officials ratified Abbott, Mroz and third-place finisher Evan Lysacek as its selections for the world championships, to be held March 22-29 at Staples Center. That same trio was selected to compete in the Four Continents competition in Vancouver, Canada, next month.

One interesting note: Johnny Weir, who finished fifth and cited an illness he had over Christmas as the main reason he couldn’t properly prepare for this event, was named the first alternate to the world team ahead of fourth-place finisher Ryan Bradley.

Weir, a three-time U.S. champion, had hoped to be named to the world team based on his past performances, including a bronze medal at last year’s world championships and three Grand Prix series medals this season.

However, Sunday’s performances ruled that out: Abbott proved his Grand Prix final triumph was legitimate by skating a program that had some nice edges and artistic feel, Mroz earned his second-place finish with two solid programs (including a quadruple toe loop in his routine Sunday and the day’s best element score, 82.12), and Lysacek is a past two-time champion and two-time world medalist who was less than inspiring but beat Weir by more than 25 points here.

Bumping any of them in favor of Weir wouldn’t have been fair.

-- Helene Elliott