On Ice: Three Champions Battle for More Than a Title This Weekend

More important than medals are plane tickets to Vancouver.

I’ll admit I thought the best thing about writing for a gay site would be that I’d never have to cover the sports beat. So the fact that in six months I’ve covered hurling, rugby, and now figure skating is a little disorienting.

But the U.S. National Championships are this weekend, and amongst the top contenders is “flamboyant” Johnny Weir going up against the more “traditionally masculine”  Evan Lysacek, the reigning World Champion, and fresh-faced Jeremy Abbott, the reigning U.S. National Champion.

Just looking at titles, Johnny Weir is probably seen as an underdog. But if we were to look at press coverage, we’d think it was an exhibition show for Weir, and nobody else was on the ice.

Men’s Figure Skating has been in a battle between the traditionally masculine and more feminine side for years now. There once was a time when the men wore slacks and ties for their performances. Then in the 1970s, they switched to spandex. And it was often very sparkly spandex. Now the costuming can be as simple as the routines are elaborate, or they can compete with Cher for attention.

Evan Lysacek, reigning World Champion.

Evan Lysacek certainly seems the butchest of the bunch. His costumes tend to fit like suits and minimize the sequins. His new long program is a 19^th century classical piece “Scheherazade” which turns out to be about mass murder. And he’s certainly the favorite going in.

Evan also seems to think his art is informed by his life. He talks about having loved a couple of women in his past. He seems to think it gives him some perspective, and some energy for his programs.

Jeremy Abbot, reigning U.S. Champion.

Falling next on the sliding scale of butchness, if one wants to consider it that (and most of the sports world does), is reigning champ Jeremy Abbott. Boyish and energetic, he’s coming into his own in the sport, and as he peaks, he’s trying to keep perspective.

Repeating the National Title is one thing, but an Olympic berth is another entirely. “I really would like to (defend), but my goal is to go to the Olympics and peak at the right time," he said.

Johnny Weir in the spotlight.

But the media darling has to be Johnny Weir. Not only is he an outsized media personality, he has a reality show launching on Sundance Channel, Be Good Johnny Weir. While I was expanding the research reader Tessa sent us about this, I couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that Abbott and Lysacek are being interviewed by AFP and The Denver Post, and Weir was having a mani-pedi with an ESPN sportscaster in New York City.

Always coy on the details, Weir never answers questions about who he dates, much less finding ways to interject women into the conversation like Lysacek has done. And Weir revels in the theatrical aspect of skating, the costumes, and yes, the flamboyance. He states flat out that without the costumes, he’d find something else to do.

Weir is easily the most polarizing person figure skating has seen in many years. After years of trying to shake a certain "light in the loafers" reputation in the mainstream media about the perceived masculinity of the skaters, Weir embraces his sequins, poses in heels, names his costumes, and develops Bruno-like personas to handle his public relations. Yet he’s done more to raise the profile of the sport than anyone in recent memory.

Regardless of the winner here, whether it be one of the top seeds, or an upset by some of the up-and-coming stars like Ryan Bradley, Adam Rippon, or Brandon Mroz, there’s no doubt that the U.S. is going to send a strong slate to the Olympics next month. And if that slate includes outsized personalities like Weir, there’s no doubt that everyone in the sport wins.

NBC Sports is broadcasting the U.S. National Championships this weekend. Check local listings for times.