Be Good Johnny Weir

Competitions: 2008 Worlds, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2008 Skate America, Everett, WA Johnny prepares for the 2008 World Championships in Sweden with a new coaching team: coaches Galina Zmievskaya (who taught Johnny’s idol, Oksana Baiul) and Viktor Petrenko, whom Galina coached to the 1992 Olympic gold medal; and choreographer Nina Petrenko, Viktor’s wife and Galina’s daughter. In Sweden, with his first World medal on the line, Galina pushes Johnny to land a difficult quadruple jump so he can compete with the top men. The hard work continues in the off-season, with team Weir traveling an often rocky road as they clash over choreography, costumes and training. Galina and Nina have fiercely opposing opinions about Johnny’s style, with Galina pushing to make his movements more masculine. Johnny fears the internal battles will make him lose focus for the upcoming season. At the first event of the new season, Skate America, Johnny again battles his archrival, Evan Lysacek, who had to withdraw from Worlds with an injury.

Competition: 2009 US Nationals, Cleveland, OH; 2009 Worlds, Los Angeles, CA The fall competition slate takes Johnny from Skate America in Everett, WA, to NHK in Japan, and on to the Grand Prix Finals in Korea. Johnny is performing consistently and well, but his momentum is halted when he falls deathly ill in Korea over Christmas and is hospitalized. His preparation for the 2009 US Nationals is wrecked, and his struggles mount as a misaligned skate blade wreaks havoc with his technique in his jump landings. Though he has had minimal training time following his illness, Johnny decides to skate at the US Nationals in Cleveland. But crushing blows leave Johnny and Team Weir facing the slimmest of hopes for participating in Worlds in March.

Competition: Summer shows and gigs The life of a competitive skater entails no small amount of sacrifice. On the personal side, Johnny’s pursuit of gold has meant giving up friendships, relationships or anything remotely resembling a normal life. Then there are the daunting expenses: coaches, choreographer, trainer, costume designer, travel, equipment, etc. Johnny and his family are by no means wealthy; if Johnny can’t earn a living, he can’t afford to compete. And so, Johnny’s 2009 summer off-season is booked with paying gigs around the world – exhibition shows, seminars - arranged by his agent, Tara. Making matters worse, Paris abruptly announces he is moving out, leaving Johnny alone and in need of a cheaper apartment. Amidst the demands of his summer schedule, Johnny experiences a kind of epiphany when he teaches a seminar to a group of enthusiastic young girls on Long Island. After consulting with his mother, Patti, Johnny decides to try a new choreographer, the renowned David Wilson. Though Johnny has the blessing of his erstwhile choreographer, Nina, it is unclear whether David’s efforts to “put the Johnny back in Johnny” will fly with Galina.

Competition: 2009 NHK Trophy, Nagano, Japan With only six days between competitions, Johnny is back at home in his new apartment, living alone and nursing a sore ankle. The pressure is mounting, but Galina assures Johnny that his preparation is good and that the performances in Russia were a fluke. Patti, Tara and Aunt Diane accompany Johnny to Nagano, where he faces strong American competition in current U.S. champ Jeremy Abbott and up-and-comer Adam Rippon, along with a field of tough Japanese skaters and 2007 World Champion Brian Joubert. Nursing a terrible cold, Johnny struggles to prepare for the competition. Withdrawal is not an option, so Johnny will have to muster everything he has – including the ability to push past the kinds of mistakes that have hobbled his focus in the past.

Competition: 2009 Grand Prix Final, Tokyo, Japan Back from Nagano, Johnny continues his training in the hopes of making the trip back to Japan for the Grand Prix Final. As the results from Skate Canada come in, Johnny finds out he has made the Final. He ramps it up in practice before leaving for Tokyo with Galina and Tara. Without the distraction of family members, Johnny is able to focus on training. He also becomes a mentor to Ksenia Makarova, a 16 year-old Russian who is also coached by Galina. Johnny’s short and long programs are among the best of his career, and reveal new depths of discipline. With Johnny’s fortunes rising, is he peaking at the right time for a breakthrough at Nationals?

Competition: 2010 Nationals, Spokane, WA Johnny prepares for Nationals by dumping his long program costume and redesigning it with Stephanie, his long-time costume designer. He continues training hard but takes a much-needed break by hosting a New Year’s Eve party for family and friends at his favorite Manhattan restaurant, the Russian-themed Mari Vanna. As Johnny arrives at the 2010 Nationals, the pressure is on: he must make the podium or risk being left off the US Olympic Team for Vancouver. Can Johnny equal his season best short program performance at Tokyo? Will his long program finally come together as he knows it can? Will the three seasons of Galina’s tutelage pay off at this most important competition? Can he achieve his destiny?

The “Be Good Johnny Weir” special tells the story behind what is arguably the biggest controversy of the 2010 Winter Olympics: Johnny’s shut-out at the medal podium. Though Johnny skates two of his best performances ever, the judges place him behind skaters whose programs were filled with mistakes. It’s a shock to sports journalists as well as fans, and Johnny’s supporters believe that he has been “robbed.” But the drama doesn’t end with the judging. In the face of snide and belittling media commentary about his gender, Johnny decides to tackle the issue head-on in a press conference. Post-Vancouver, Johnny remains in the media spotlight even as he finds himself at a major crossroads in his life. What should he do next, and will he continue skating? Traveling and meeting with the people who matter most to him, Johnny weighs his options.