When you envision an Olympic athlete, what do you think of? I had the pleasure of sitting down with US Olympic Figure Skater Jason Brown. For someone who must hold such composure during their sport, he was so carefree and had a bit of a childlike spirit about him. Sometimes we forget that Olympians are real, everyday people too. It didn’t take long for me to grasp that in his bubbly personality.
Jason grew up in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago. He watched his sister go through ice skating lessons as a kid and it wasn’t long afterwards that Jason joined her. He continued to play other sports while he skated as a kid. It wasn’t until one day he was in a junior high and realized where his heart belonged. He was on the soccer field and the tournament ended in a loss, the entire team was crushed. Jason simply thought to himself, “I don’t understand why everyone is so upset, it’s just soccer, guys!!” This moment followed a skate shortly after and Jason didn’t perform to his expectations, and ultimately, he was heartbroken. “I hadn’t given it my all, and that’s when it really shifted.” It was then he knew that he was ready to commit to just his skates.
Jason won his first Junior National Title at the age of 15, which also happened to be the same year as the Vancouver Olympics. He sat and watched his fellow Senior teammates compete for a spot on the US Olympic team, and his wheels started turning. “In 4 years, I hope I can just be on the other side, I just want a chance to say I competed for a US Olympic spot.” Jason also started competing on the international stage that same year. His first trip to Italy truly opened his eyes to a whole new world. Success after success, Jason finally found himself on the US Olympic team for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. And if you’ve followed his success over the years, he walked away with a bronze medal for the Men’s Team Skate. Not to bad for the 19 year who just wanted to compete for a spot on the team!
Now, many kids at this age would likely have been removed from public schools. Jason’s parents insisted on keeping him in school, raising him at home with his siblings, and keeping as much of his life as normal as possible until he graduated from high school. He was allowed to leave for competitions during spring break, winter break, and over the summers. He planned with his teachers ahead of every trip that caused him to miss school, scheduling tutoring sessions and bringing homework with him during every single trip. He praised his teachers to no end, “I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teachers. They were very adaptable, and I couldn’t have balance without them.”
Much like the rest of the world, Jason had many hurdles to jump through going into the 2022 Olympics. Competing during a global pandemic requires much more attention to detail. Jason was required to test for COVID-19 on numerous occasions. He explained the most stressful part of the entire Olympic experience this time around was the lead up to the departure. Many things had to be done, training was being wrapped up, and he needed to somehow stay inside his little “bubble” to ensure he would never test positive for COVID-19. “Once we were there, it was so organized, and it became so routine. Every day we got checked, you were always wearing masks. You felt very safe in the bubble, it was just getting into the bubble that was hard.”
Competing without crowd support also adds another complex layer to the bubble. However, he stated that at this point he’s been competing without fans for 2 years. “Is it ideal? No. But it wasn’t new.” When asked about his future plans on the ice, he wasn’t sure how to respond. Will we see him on the ice 4 years from now? Even he’s not sure. At only 27 years old, he’s seen a lot of success and his body has been through quite a bit.
But how about his mind? Seeing success at such a young age, the pressure was constantly building. He always had an identity issue that made him feel as if he wasn’t good enough. “I got wrapped up in putting my identity into one entire basket, and if I had a bad day at the rink, it weighed more and more on me. I felt like a disappointment.” In 2018 he broke and his threshold was exposed. He “bombed” his first performance and he truly unraveled. Soon after, he sought out the mental guidance he so desperately needed. He made quite a few changes and applied everything he learned to ensure he wouldn’t have to hang his skates sooner than he wanted.
At the end of the day Jason always falls back onto the quote by Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” This was something he had to engrain after his battle with mental health over the years, and it’s kept him grounded. “No one is YOU and no one can do what YOU can do. And I think there’s something so special in that, especially in a world where we’re constantly comparing ourselves.” These are words that can be translated into so many facets of life. Whether it’s in work, your personal life, or on the run. Jason encourages everyone to focus on your goals, but to the take those cheat meals, off days, or mental breaks as needed. You can’t do it all, but you can do great things if you’re true to yourself.
