Weir will put on show, with or without skates
Skater, Bode highlight day four of competition on ice, in mountains
 Mark Baker / AP Johnny Weir takes the ice for the men's short program Tuesday. |
TURIN, Italy - He’s wacky, outspoken and America’s best in his sport.
He has also been on a clothes-shopping spree since hitting Italy, which means we’re not talking about Bode Miller.
Meet Johnny Weir, the three-time reigning U.S. figure skating champion, who will take his flamboyant attire and outrageous personality to the world’s biggest stage Tuesday night when the Turin Olympics’ men’s competition opens with the short program.
Weir leads a team of American newcomers that also includes world bronze medalist Evan Lysacek and Matt Savoie. Medals will be decided with the free program Thursday night, and NBC is sure to make every twirl and leap a big part of its prime-time shows on both nights.
The other marquee part of Tuesday night’s show features Miller and more action from the mountains, this time in the combined event, which is a mix of downhill and slalom. The women’s 500 meters in speedskating and the women’s luge singles round out the Valentine’s night telecast.
The women’s cross-country team sprint event will play out during NBC’s afternoon show, with the men’s version shown after midnight. The sixth medal event of the day is the men’s 10-kilometer biathlon sprint, which will be broadcast live on USA. Early round action from curling and women’s hockey are also on the agenda.
Although three-time world champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia is the overwhelming favorite in men’s figure skating, Weir is a good bet to outperform Plushenko off the ice.
Between the way he dresses and the things he says, Weir is always entertaining.
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“I came back the first day with a huge shopping bag from Louis Vuitton,” Weir said, following with an inventory of what he bought (three pairs of shoes, “cute shirts” and “some underpants with the newspaper print all over them”) and a mention of the mink-lined umbrella he resisted because, “I figured it would be ruined after one rainstorm.”
Being a fashionista is only part of Weir’s schtick. He’s also very orderly, which is why he was perturbed by the accommodations in the athletes’ village.
“I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. Sorry to say ’princessy,”’ he added, laughing, “but that’s what we do.”
He also tends to provide colorful quotes based around drug references.
He has described his own costumes over the last two years as “an icicle on coke” and “a Care Bear on acid.” During nationals last month, he was asked about fans’ reaction to his program compared to the faster program of another skater. His response: “This one they kind of sat back and had their cognac and cigarettes and relax. His was more like a vodka-shot, let’s-snort-coke kind of thing.”
U.S. Figure Skating officials weren’t exactly thrilled by that analysis, even if he did apologize as soon as he said it. It’s also worth noting that he has dumped that cognac-inducing routine, deeming it too boring.
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“That’s cool. People should stay scared.”
The 21-year-old Weir will be easy to spot Tuesday night, even with the volume down. He’ll be the one dressed like a swan.
Of course, there is some substance to back up all this sizzle.
He won the short program and free skate to become a surprise national champion in 2004, then defended his crown in ’05 by nailing his free skate. He narrowly defeated Lysacek this year, giving him the longest reign since Brian Boitano won four straight national championships from 1985-88.
Weir also was fifth and fourth at the last two world championships, further indication he’s on the verge of medal contention. Lysacek was a notch above him at the 2005 worlds and he, too, could be a force.
Then there’s Savoie, whose lack of international hardware is overshadowed by what he’s done when not practicing — getting a political science degree from Bradley University in his hometown of Peoria, Ill., then a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He’s likely to be giving up competitive skating soon because he starts law school at Cornell University this fall.
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