Brandon Mroz

Brandon Mroz

Mroz at the 2009 Worlds
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1990-12-22) December 22, 1990
St. Louis, Missouri
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Former coach Tom Zakrajsek, Becky Calvin, Doug Leigh
Former choreographer Catarina Lindgren, Lori Nichol, Tom Dickson, Kurt Browning
Skating club Broadmoor Skating Club
Training locations Colorado Springs, Colorado
Began skating 1994
Retired 2014
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 216.80
2010 Cup of China
Short program 76.10
2009 Worlds
Free skate 146.96
2010 Cup of China

Brandon Mroz (born December 22, 1990) is an American figure skater. He is the 2009 U.S. silver medalist and the 2006 & 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist. He has the record of the first skater to complete a quadruple Lutz jump in a sanctioned competition.[1][2][3]

Personal life

Brandon Mroz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, one of four brothers.[4] His mother and a brother suffered serious injuries in a car accident.[4] Mroz's mother was at one time a synchronized skater, and his father an ice hockey player.[5]

Mroz has expressed interest in becoming a dentist.[4]

Career

Mroz during his free skate at the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard
For jump abbreviations, see figure skating jumps.

Early career

Mroz began skating at age 3 and a half. He was coached by Shannon Nester and Debbie Howe from 2001 through 2004 and by Doug Leigh and Michelle Leigh in Barrie, Ontario, from 2002 through 2004. In addition to singles skating, he also trained as an ice dancer and tested in that discipline up to silver level in the U.S. Figure Skating testing structure.

In the 2001–02 season, Mroz competed on the juvenile level, the lowest competitive level in the United States. He represented the St. Louis Skating Club in competition. He won his regional competition,[6] the Upper Great Lakes Regional Championship, to qualify at the juvenile level for the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed 6th in his qualifying group[7] and went on to place 18th overall.[8]

In the 2002–03 season, Mroz moved up to the intermediate level. He won both the short program and the free skate at his regional competition to win the gold medal overall.[9] By this win he qualified to compete at the intermediate level at the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed second in his qualifying group,[10] 16th in the short program,[11] and 7th in the free skate to place 11th overall.[12]

In the 2003–04 season, Mroz moved up to the novice level. At the regional championship, the first qualifying competition for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Mroz won the short program[13] and the free skate to win the gold medal overall.[14] This win qualified him for the 2004 Midwestern Sectional Championships, the second and final qualifying competition for the national championships. At Sectionals, Mroz placed fourth in the short program[15] and second in the free skate to win the silver medal overall.[16] With this medal he qualified for the 2004 U.S. Championships at the novice level. At Nationals, Mroz placed 7th in the short program[17] and the free skate to place 7th overall.[18] Following the event, Mroz competed at the 2004 Copenhagen Trophy, where he won the novice men's competition after winning both segments of the competition[19]

In the 2004–05 season, Mroz remained on the novice level. At his regional championships, he placed second in the short program[20] and in the free skate to win the silver medal overall.[21] This medal qualified him for the Midwestern Sectional Championships where he placed 8th in the short program[22] and 5th in the free skate to place 6th overall.[23] Due to this placement, he did not qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships.

In 2005, Mroz moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he joined Tom Zakrajsek.[24] In the 2005–06 season, he remained on the novice level for a third and final season. He had moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for his training, and represented the Broadmoor Skating Club there. A switch of club meant a change of region. Competing at the Southwestern Regional Championship, Mroz won the short program[25] and the free skate to win the gold medal overall.[26] This win qualified him for the 2006 Midwestern Sectionals where Mroz competed for the first time under the ISU Judging System. He won the short program[27] and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, ahead of Eliot Halverson.[28] This win qualified him, again, for the 2006 U.S. Championships.

At the 2006 U.S. Championships, Mroz won the short program by a point margin of 1.48.[29] He placed third in the free skate,[30] 5.25 points behind the leader in that segment. Mroz won the silver medal overall, placing 2.26 points behind champion Eliot Halverson and 2.94 points ahead of bronze medalist Curran Oi.[31] In his free skate, Mroz landed all the triples except for the Axel, including a triple lutz-triple toe combination.[32]

Junior career

Mroz was assigned to the 2006 Triglav Trophy. Competing on the junior level for the first time in his career, Mroz won both the short[33] and free programs to win the gold medal overall, winning the title by 25.84 points ahead of silver medalist Jamie Forsythe.[34]

In the 2006–07 season, Mroz moved up to the Junior level on the national level, and he debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. At his first Junior Grand Prix event, the event in Mexico City, Mexico, Mroz placed 11th in the short program and then won the free skate to take the silver medal overall, placing 7.53 points behind champion Kevin Reynolds and 0.16 points head of bronze medalist Daisuke Murakami.[35] At Mroz's second event, the Junior Grand Prix event in Taipei City, Taiwan, Mroz won the short program and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 7.73 points ahead of silver medalist Reynolds.[36]

These two medals qualified Mroz for the Junior Grand Prix Final, to which he was the fourth-ranked qualifier overall.[37] By qualifying for the event, Mroz also earned a bye to the national championships and so did not need to compete at qualifying events. At the JGP Final, Mroz placed 5th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate. He won the silver medal overall, placing 20.07 points behind champion Stephen Carriere and 6.76 ahead of bronze medalist Reynolds.[38]

Mroz then competed at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Mroz placed second in the short program[39] and third in the free skate.[40] He won the silver medal overall, placing 9.23 points behind champion Eliot Halverson and 0.62 points ahead of bronze medalist Austin Kanallakan[41] This was the second consecutive year in which Halverson and Mroz had won gold and silver at the national championships.

Mroz was subsequently placed on the team for the 2007 World Junior Championships where he placed 7th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to place 4th overall, finishing exactly two points behind bronze medalist Sergei Voronov and 0.08 points ahead of 5th-place finisher Kevin Reynolds[42]

In the 2007–08 season, Mroz remained on the Junior level both nationally and internationally. He competed for the second consecutive season on the Junior Grand Prix. At his first event, the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Vienna, Austria, he placed fourth in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 1.69 points ahead of silver medalist Guan Jinlin.[43] At his second event in Chemnitz, Germany, he again placed 4th in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, this time with a 3.30 margin of victory over silver medalist Michal Březina.[44]

These two medals qualified Mroz for the Junior Grand Prix Final, for which he was the highest-ranked qualifier.[45] At the JGP Final, Mroz placed second in both segments of the competition to win the silver medal overall, placing 15.86 points behind champion Adam Rippon and 5.30 points ahead of bronze medalist Armin Mahbanoozadeh.[46] This was the first time that the United States had swept the JGP Final men's podium.

By qualifying for the JGP Final, Mroz received a bye to the 2008 U.S. Championships. At Nationals, Mroz competed for the second time on the junior level. He placed 3rd in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to win the silver medal overall, 10.13 points behind champion Rippon. He was subsequently placed on the team to the 2008 World Junior Championships where he placed 3rd in the short program after landing a 3A-3T combination.[47] He placed 5th in the free skate to place 4th overall, placing 3.40 points behind bronze medalist Guan Jinlin.[48]

Senior career

Mroz performs a split jump during his Jailhouse Rock exhibition at the 2009 World Championships

In the 2008–09 season, Mroz moved up to the Senior level both nationally and internationally. He debuted on the Grand Prix circuit. At his first event, the 2008 Skate Canada International, he placed 6th in the short program and 7th in the free skate to place 7th overall.[49] During his free skate, he was credited with a 4T.[50] Mroz went on to compete at the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, his second Grand Prix event. He placed 6th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 5th overall.[51]

Due to the timing of his Grand Prix events, Mroz had a bye to the 2009 U.S. Championships. At Nationals, Mroz placed 4th in the short program[52] after being credited with landing a 3A as his required element axel jump and a 3Lz-3T as his combination jump.[53] He placed 2nd in the free skate,[54] in which he was credited with landing a 4T and eight triples, including a 3Lz-3T combination.[53] He won the silver medal overall, placing 12.19 points behind champion and training-mate Jeremy Abbott and 0.60 points ahead of Evan Lysacek.[55]

Following the national championships, Mroz was assigned to the 2009 Four Continents Championships and the 2009 World Championships. At Four Continents, Mroz placed 5th in the short program[56] after landing a 3A, 3F, and 3Lz-3T combination.[57] In the free skate, Mroz placed 9th [58] after landing a 4T, but making errors on several other jumps, including his 3A.[59] He placed 8th overall.[60]

In his debut at the senior World Championships, Mroz skated a strong short program to place 8th in that segment of the competition.[61] He placed 13th in the free skate to finish 9th overall.[62] His placement, combined with that of World Champion Evan Lysacek, earned the United States the maximum three entries to the 2010 Winter Olympics.[63]

Mroz won his first senior Grand Prix medal, silver, at 2010 Cup of China. He followed it up with a bronze medal at 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. Competing with a dislocated shoulder, he placed 7th at the 2011 U.S. Championships.[64]

In August 2011, Mroz began working on other types of quads – 4Lo, 4F, and 4Lz.[64] He landed 4Lz successfully on September 16, 2011, in the short program at the 2011 Colorado Springs Invitational.[65][66][67] The International Skating Union subsequently ratified the jump as the first successful 4Lz landed in a sanctioned competition.[1][2][3] His assigned 2011–12 Grand Prix events are 2011 NHK Trophy and 2011 Cup of Russia. Mroz became the first skater to land the 4Lz in an international competition on November 12 in the short program at NHK Trophy.[68]

After ending his competitive career, Mroz began skating in Willy Bietak's ice shows on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.[69]

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2011–12
[70]
2010–11
[4]
2009–10
[73]
2008–09
[74]
2007–08
[75]
2006–07
[76]
2005–06
[77]
  • Montoona Clipper

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Senior results

International[78]
Event 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14
Worlds 9th
Four Continents 8th 4th
GP Bompard 5th 3rd
GP Cup of China 2nd
GP Cup of Russia 7th 9th
GP NHK Trophy 9th
GP Skate America 8th
GP Skate Canada 7th
International: Junior[78]
Junior Worlds 4th 4th
JGP Final 2nd 2nd
JGP Austria 1st
JGP Germany 1st
JGP Mexico 2nd
JGP Taiwan 1st
Triglav Trophy 1st J
National[4]
U.S. Champ. 2nd N 2nd J 2nd J 2nd 6th 7th 14th 9th 9th
Midwestern 1st N
Southwestern 1st N 1st 2nd
Levels – N: Novice; J: Junior

Pre-2008 results

Mroz (far left) on the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final podium
International[4]
00–01 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05
Copenhagen Trophy 1st N
NACS, Waterloo 3rd N
National[4]
U.S. Championships 7th N
U.S. Junior Championships 18th V 11th I
Midwestern Sectionals 2nd N 6th N
Upper Great Lakes Regionals 1st V 1st I 1st N 2nd N
Levels – V: Juvenile; I: Intermediate; N: Novice

References

  1. 1 2 "The first reportedly recognized quadruple Lutz jump". International Skating Union. October 26, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Rosewater, Amy (October 26, 2011). "ISU confirms Mroz's historic accomplishment". IceNetwork.com.
  3. 1 2 "Brandon Mroz's quad lutz validated". Associated Press. ESPN. October 26, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Brandon Mroz". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Mittan, Barry (April 11, 2007). "Mroz Mines Silver at U.S. Nationals". Skate Today.
  6. ↑ 2002 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Juvenile Boys
  7. ↑ 2002 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Juvenile Boys Qualifying Group C
  8. ↑ 2002 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Juvenile Boys Final Standings
  9. ↑ 2003 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Intermediate Men Final Standings
  10. ↑ 2003 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Intermediate Men Qualifying Group C
  11. ↑ 2003 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Intermediate Men Short Program
  12. ↑ 2003 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Intermediate Men Free Skate and Final Results
  13. ↑ 2004 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  14. ↑ 2004 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Novice Men Free Skate And Final Results
  15. ↑ 2004 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  16. ↑ 2004 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Results
  17. ↑ 2004 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Men Short Program
  18. ↑ 2004 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Results Archived June 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ↑ 2004 Copenhagen Trophy Results
  20. ↑ 2005 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  21. ↑ 2005 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Standings
  22. ↑ 2005 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  23. ↑ 2005 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Standings
  24. ↑ Mittan, Barry (May 10, 2009). "Mroz Stays an Even Course". goldenskate.com. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  25. ↑ 2006 Southwestern Regional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  26. ↑ 2006 Southwestern Regional Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Results
  27. ↑ 2006 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Short Program
  28. ↑ 2006 Midwestern Sectional Championships Novice Men Free Skate and Final Results
  29. ↑ 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Men Short Program
  30. ↑ 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Men Free Skate Results
  31. ↑ 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Novice Men Result
  32. ↑ 2006 Nationals Protocol
  33. ↑ 2006 Triglav Trophy Junior Men Short Program
  34. ↑ 2006 Triglav Trophy Junior Men Free Skate and Final Results
  35. ↑ 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix Mexico Men Final Results
  36. ↑ 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix Taiwan Men Final Results
  37. ↑ Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2006 / 2007 Junior Men Final Standings
  38. ↑ 2006–2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final Results
  39. ↑ 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Junior Men Short Program
  40. ↑ 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Junior Men Free Skate
  41. ↑ 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Junior Men Results
  42. ↑ 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Championships Results
  43. ↑ 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix Austria Result
  44. ↑ 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix Germany
  45. ↑ Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2007 / 2008 Junior Men Final Standings Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  46. ↑ 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final Result
  47. ↑ "2008 World Junior Championships Men's Short Program Protocol" (PDF).
  48. ↑ 2008 World Junior Championships Men Result
  49. ↑ 2008 Skate Canada International Result
  50. ↑ "2008 Skate Canada International Men's Free Skate Protocol" (PDF).
  51. ↑ 2008 Trophee Eric Bompard Result
  52. ↑ 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Men's Short Program Results
  53. 1 2 "2009 U.S. Championships Senior Protocol" (PDF).
  54. ↑ 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Men's Free Skate Results
  55. ↑ 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Men's Final Results
  56. ↑ ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Men Short Program Result Details
  57. ↑ "2009 Four Continents Championships Men Short Program JUDGES DETAILS PER SKATER" (PDF).
  58. ↑ ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Men – Free Skating Result Details
  59. ↑ "2009 Four Continents Championships Men Free Skating JUDGES DETAILS PER SKATER" (PDF).
  60. ↑ ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Men Result
  61. ↑ Armour, Nancy (March 25, 2009). "Joubert edges Lysacek in short program at worlds". Associated Press. FOX News.
  62. ↑ "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2009 – Men". International Skating Union.
  63. ↑ Gomez, Brian (March 30, 2009). "Broadmoor skater Mroz learning as he goes". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  64. 1 2 Rosewater, Amy (September 27, 2011). "Mroz attempting to push boundaries of sport". Icenetwork.
  65. ↑ Brandon Mroz - Quad Lutz (2011 Colorado Springs inviational) at Official U.S. Figure Skating Youtube
  66. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (September 20, 2011). "The Inside Edge: The new quad king". Icenetwork.
  67. ↑ Hersh, Philip (September 21, 2011). "Top skating official says Mroz could jump into record books". The Chicago Tribune.
  68. ↑ "Brandon Mroz lands historic quad lutz". Associated Press. ESPN. November 12, 2011.
  69. ↑ Elfman, Lois (September 22, 2016). "Mroz: 'Performing has refueled my love for skating'". IceNetwork.com.
  70. ↑ "Brandon MROZ: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012.
  71. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (June 3, 2011). "The Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew – June 3". IceNetwork.com. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  72. ↑ Rutherford, Lynn (August 26, 2011). "Top U.S. men talk quads at Champs Camp". Icenetwork. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  73. ↑ "Brandon MROZ: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009.
  74. ↑ "Brandon MROZ: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009.
  75. ↑ "Brandon MROZ: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008.
  76. ↑ "Brandon MROZ: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007.
  77. ↑ "2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Profile" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  78. 1 2 "Competition Results: Brandon MROZ". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
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