Olympic figure skater Jason Brown forging a new path in the sport that made him a star
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Whether or not you are a fan of figure skating, you might have heard of Jason Brown, a two-time Olympian and national champion, who grew up in Highland Park.
He's now making his mark in the sport in a new way.
Brown said he still has the fire in him to compete, but not necessarily the stamina or desire to train and compete a full season. So he is trying something new – essentially splitting his time between competing and performing in shows.
So far, it's leaving him more energized than ever.
"There are definitely moments where I'll have like a, 'Whoa, how did I get here' moment," he said.
There's something about when Brown takes the ice; you can't look away. Both athlete and artist, Brown does what the best in both worlds do – make you feel something.
"I just really believe that our sport is so special that everyone can come to the ice, bringing themselves," he said.
That's exactly what Brown encouraged a group of young skaters to do at a recent performance workshop in Glenview – put aside the technical aspect for a day, and learn to use the ice as a canvas for self-expression.
"Everyone comes to the ice, and what they can bring to the ice is so unique and so special and so individualized that when I step on the ice, I'm going to skate differently than the next competitor to the next competitor to the next competitor; and to really learn how to embrace that versus seeing it as this comparison," he said.
Brown's message – and the wisdom within – has been earned over the course of a career that began on the North Shore of Chicago. A two-time Olympian and U.S. national champion, Brown burst onto the scene at the 2014 Nationals with a "Riverdance" performance so memorable, it went mainstream, racking up more than a million views on social media and making Brown a household name.
"The fact that people are still talking about a program that I did 10 years ago, I realize how special that is, and I embrace it," he said.
"Riverdance" also earned him a spot on the Sochi Olympic team in 2014, where he won a bronze medal in the team event at age 19, becoming one of the youngest male figure skating medalists.
But in 2018 came the low point, when he missed the cut for the PyeongChang Olympics, still fighting to land quads in competition.
"I've gone through periods of my career where I have truly felt worthless, when it comes to what I brought to the sport, and feeling very devalued, and feeling like, 'Wh my gosh, it's going in a direction that I cannot keep up with,'" he said. "I just felt like every day I showed up to the rink and every day I was failing. Every day I wasn't good enough. And it wore on me."
Brown's burnout felt like a house doing the same.
"By having that moment where I felt like everything basically disintegrated, I was able to kind of pick back up the pieces and kind of rebuild my house in a way," he said. "I looked at everyone and what they were doing technically, and I was like, 'Wow, hats off to them.' And I started thinking, 'Well, then why can't I push more artistically? Why can't I be a voice and someone that's out there that's showing how beautiful and how powerful performance can be, and that aspect of our sport?' So that's what I started to do," he said.
His unconventional approach has led to continued conventional success – representing the U.S. once again at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Now, at 28, he's taking what works for him one step further, and forging what could be a new path in figure skating – competing less, performing more.
"When I do a … six-show weekend, and I have five numbers in that show – group numbers and solos – that's a really cool way of training, being out in front of an audience," he said.
Being out in front of an audience is where Brown belongs – spinning something special out of the air, and leaving in its place joy.
"It's really special and … it will never get old. It will never sink in," he said.
