The Johnny and Evan saga (1999-2009)
In light of the retconned Johnny/Evan rivalry, here is an epic post of their history.
Various undated pictures from their younger years - if you can put a date to any, let me know ( from _skating):
From the kink meme (sorry, I don't have the link): "So according to some totally unsubstantiated third-hand gossip, both Johnny and Evan were advised as teenagers to straighten up (emphasis on the "straight") if they wanted to succeed as figure skaters. Johnny told them where to go, but Evan apparently went with it, and they'd been relatively friendly up until that point, but Evan butching up soured everything."
1999
February
Competition: Nationals in Salt Lake City (Feb 7-14) - Johnny is 4th in Juniors, Evan is 1st in Novice
2000
February
Competition: Junior Nationals in Cleveland (Feb 6-13) - Evan is 1st, Johnny is 5th
2001
January
Competition: Nationals in Boston (Jan 14-21) - Johnny is 6th, Evan is 12th
March
Competition: Junior Worlds in Vancouver (Mar 17-25) - Johnny is 1st, Evan is 2nd
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdcFjyr_XY4)
(By the way, 2001 Junior Worlds was supposedly quite the hotbed of teenage twink sexing: Question- In Joe Jackson's book, he mentions two boys getting it on during junior worlds 2001. I heard rumors that it was Johnny and Stephane. Answer- It was more than just two boys... I'm friends with Jon and it was quite the young twink fest at that worlds. from Aunt Joyce's formspring, actual quote from book)
2003
Unknown
Johnny starts dating Drew Meekins
June
Evan moves to California to work with Frank Carroll (who is also training Timothy Goebel, rumored Worlds 2001 hook up)
2004
January
Competition: Nationals in Atlanta (Jan 3-11) - Johnny is 1st, Evan is 5th
November
Competition: Cup of Russia in Moscow (Nov 25-28) - Johnny 2nd, Evan 5th
2005
January
Competition: Nationals in Portland (Jan 9-16) - Johnny in 1st, Evan 3rd
March
Competition: Worlds in Moscow (Mar 14-20) - Evan 3rd, Johnny in 4th
2006
Unknown date
Johnny: “I’m not a jock, I’m an artiste. I don’t like to be called a jock because that makes me think of spandex-covered football players. It’s not… not me. I’m in rhinestones and velvet, not spandex.” 2006 via otonal
January
Competition: Nationals in St Louis (Jan 7-15) - Johnny 1st, Evan 2nd
February
Competition: Olympics in Torino (Feb 10-26) - Evan 4th, Johnny 5th
March
Competition: Worlds in Calgary (Mar 19-26) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 7th
April
Skating in Harlem Benefit - 4/10/06
Johnny: "I will never be as "sunny" as say Evan Lysacek because that is his skating persona, and something he's comfortable with. I envy people like him in a way for being able to wear their hearts on their sleeves when they perform, and I'll learn how to, things just take time." April 2006 Q&A (via this epic post)
Q: "You don't like Evan Lysacek at all do you?" Johnny: "I respect Evan, very much. I think he's a good skater with a lot of great qualities. Off the ice he's a pretty good guy. We're competitors, so it's not like I'm going to be his best friend, but I think he's a nice guy and a talented one." April 2006 Q&A
Evan and Tanith later claim they started dating around now: "We started dating on tour last April," Lysacek, 21, tells PEOPLE. "We've been keeping it quiet." (source)
May
"Johnny Weir wants very badly to be Russian," Lysacek said with a grin as Weir glided past. Later, Weir sported a jacket with "Russia" emblazoned on the back. May 11, 2006 Article
June
Online chat with Evan - June 15, 2006 (on otonal)
Dereck255: I was watching Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List", and she had Johnny Weir on it, and my friend thought it was you, so she started screaming for me....then we realized it wasn't you...
*Evan*: you confused me with the swan?
Dereck255: my friend did! Not I!
*Evan*: dereck get with it man
winterskies: oh gosh, you call him the swan? lol
*Evan*: i always call him the swan
*Evan*: he loves it
dixiepixie: What does Johnny call you?
XxTripleToeCleanxX: lol. Does he call you Carmen?
*Evan*: no
*Evan*: he calls me evan
-------
Natalie_85: Evan Evan Evan! What song would you never ever skate to?
*Evan*: never skate to the swan
*Evan*: was that mean?
river: why not?
*Evan*: it's not my thing
*Evan*: but it was cool for the swan
*Evan*: he's a rad guy
--------
*Evan*: the ocean has a lot of weird creatures
*Evan*: just don't think about them
*Evan*: they won't bother you
kiwidefresa: like swans? lol
*Evan*: good one
*Evan*: haha
*Evan*: is there a pick of the swan on the bottom of your screen?
July
Johnny: "Evan's a good guy" July 2006 Q&A
Johnny: "Evan Lysacek calls me Swan and I laugh every time. I call him Mongoose." July 2006 Q&A
Johnny and Drew break up: "My personal life is kind of falling apart because I'm always on the road, and it happens to everyone so it's a comfort to have support from my friends here. I actually haven't seen my family since early June let alone the majority of my friends." July 2006 Q&A
July/August - They are both on Champions on Ice
“Evan Lysacek laughs after falling on the ice while playing charades with Johnny Weir on Monday at Germain Arena.” from otonal ( discussed in _skating)
Q: Did you receive a bag at the Raleigh COI show from a fan that included some bears, a card and three single red gloves? If so, what did you think?
Johnny: I did receive that package. Thank you so much! Even Evan was like, "who left you a bunch of baby Camilles?" I was very excited about them and the fact of the matter is, I needed gloves and now I wear them for practice every day. Thank you! (source)
Johnny: “I don’t generally make a habit of being friends with the people I compete against, and before Torino I didn’t feel close at all to Evan Lysacek. We really connected on this trip and hit it off and I feel like I got to know him and I’m excited that I’ll have a friend on the team now.” (source)
August
Johnny: "Okay so...Evan has called me Swan since the Olympics for obvious reasons, sometimes he even says 'Little Swan' in a Russian accent, but in general, Swan. He even got Tanith saying that. I call Evan Mongoose because at the Olympics we had a joke of always talking in Midwestern, Minnesota, Illinois accents and Mongoose sounds funny if you say it like that. Mongoose is also just a completely different animal than a swan, like Evan and I and it was a cute, funny nickname. Evan didn't know what a mongoose was, so I had to tell them it's a rodent that eats snakes like Riki Tiki Tavi and I think he got it. In any event, I have a strange sense of humor and I love that nickname." (August 27, 2006)
Evan : “I started calling him the swan ‘cause he wore that funny swan outfit, and then he started calling me a mongoose, which I don’t even know what that is” (source, don't know exact date)
October
October 15, 2006 - Campbell Cup
Even American Johnny Weir, who actually wanted to win, found himself in the odd position of cheering on his rival, American Evan Lysacek. "This is an interesting way to get us to be nice to each other," said Weir, who donned a black-and-white outfit with the outline of a chess knight stitched onto the shirt. "We don't hate each other, but if he does better than me, I'm very jealous." (Sadly, the original article seems to have disappeared; the old link was here)
Two-time world bronze medalist Evan Lysacek said he enjoyed teaming up with Weir. "It's an awesome way to start the season," Lysacek said. "I'm sure he'll want to beat me, and I'll want to beat him, but it's nice to be on a team rooting for each other. It's a long, difficult season, and it's nice to have a fun one to kick it off."(Washington Post Article)
Johnny is interviewed while Evan skates. (discussed in _skating) He talks about adding more masculinity to his own program, tells the interviewer what Evan is like as a competitor, comments on their rivalry- "hopefully it will turn into a friendly version of Yagudin-Plushenko," and stands on the sidelines and cheers Evan on.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW62vgfbefA)
2007
Unknown Date
Word Association Game from otonal
Q: Let’s play a small game. It’s about your associations. Tell me which associations you get when I say following names. Don’t think!
Q: Brian Joubert
A: Strong
Q: Daisuke Takahashi
A: Elegant
Q: Stephan Lambiel
A: Spinning
Q: Evan Lysacek
A: (pause)
Q: Don’t think, Johnny! HAHA!
A: I think he needs to shave.
Q: Evgenii Plushenko
A: King
January
"I did at one time [have time for a relationship], but then I found out that it's too hard to have both work and a relationship. I am just skating now, nothing else and that's how it could end up for the next four years." January 2007 Q&A
Competition: Nationals in Spokane (Jan 21-28) - Evan 1st, Johnny 3rd
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zb-Bw-rVg0)
Evan (at 4:05): "I have so much respect for the National Champtionships and the World Championships and for my sport and the judges and the people who put nothing less but their entire lives into us as athletes and our success and the success of the sport. I think that if I were given the chance to represent what that all means I think that I wouldn't take it lightly. I would really put my complete heart and soul to try to be the best athlete and representative that I can be" "You think Johnny doesn't do that?" "I didn't say that."
Johnny (at 4:40): "At competition we are not friends. I have my objective and he has his objective. That's where we are as competitors."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgcudIe_KhE)
At nationals, announcer Mark Lund, who is openly gay, said, “I don’t think he’s representative of the community I want to be a part of,” and, “I don’t need to see a prima ballerina on the ice,” before praising Lysacek’s masculinity.
Evan: "I think that what he does is his own business, and it's very different than the way I conduct myself. I think that's one of the cool things about our sport: It promotes individuality." January 26, 2007
Weir shied away from the rivalry question, noting that he had sent Lysacek a text-mail holiday greeting and insisting the two are "pretty cool together." January 26, 2007
"If I was given the chance to represent what all that means, I wouldn't take it lightly. I would with my complete heart and soul try to be the best athlete and representative I could be." Suggesting, then, that Weir has lacked in this area? "I didn't say that," Lysacek said icily. Another January 6, 2007 article
Johnny: "At competitions, we're not friends. I have my objective and he has his - which is healthy. I wouldn't want a friend sitting next to me in the locker room talking about "American Idol" and curling each others' hair. When we're away from competition and there isn't all the stress and hype around us, we're pretty cool together. I texted him to wish him a happy Orthodox Christmas and he keeps in touch that way, too." Another January 6, 2007 article
Article from unknown date in 2007:
“He said the two were friends until Nationals. At that point, Weir said Lysacek kept taking jabs at Weir’s flamboyant lifestyle, such as when Lysacek said: “What he does is his own business, and it’s very different from how I conduct myself.”
It seemed to Weir that Lysacek was going above and beyond fanning the flames of a rivalry that has existed since the two were teenagers.
“At Nationals, he got very strange,” Weir said. “It’s like he was very fake, and I hate that. When he started with this passive-aggressive way about me in the press, I was like, ‘It’s on now.’ “
And, yes, Weir said it has become a rivalry, something the men’s field has rarely had.
2007 Article via otonal
February
Evan and Tanith admit they've been dating since April. February 2007
Evan: "We've got a lot of sequins going on. I'm doing the best I can to change that and wear high-fashion designers and trying to get design out there and masculine clothing, a masculinity and a simplicity, and put the focus on the skating instead of the glitter." February 8, 2007 via otonal
Johnny: "In general people want to make a huge deal about the Lysacek/Weir rivalry. There is a competitive nature to us, but we don't hate each other. We get along. I congratulated him after his victory, and I know he would congratulate me. That's our rivalry! Tah-dah! I think bringing attention to the sport is a good thing and I hope I can help." Johnny's journal, February 10, 2007
March
Evan: Evan Lysacek on Inside Edition talking about the movie [Blades of Glory]: "It makes fun of skaters who wear sequins and feathers and stuff, which I don't do..." ( source)
Competition: Worlds in Tokyo (Mar 19-25) - Evan 5th, Johnny 8th
Johnny: "Evan and I do push each other in skating. It's not that we don't get along, because we do, but we're competitors and in many ways each other's biggest rival, so would Hitler and Stalin have sat down to tea? Probably not." March 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "[Tanith and Evan's relationship] just makes me giggle. Tanith and I are friendly yes." March 2007 Q&A
April
April 6, 2007 - Marshalls US Figure Skating Showcase - Evan forgets his pants and borrows Johnny's ( discussed in _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0vbgTyAFFw)
Johnny's Response: "One funny thing that happened was Evan Lysacek borrowing my pants for the pro-am. I didn't want to be a total ***** and say the expected "NO!," so I let him. There are plenty of other people he could have borrowed pants from who are his size, but it made a better story wearing mine. Him wearing my pants was a hit for the media, and it's funny that he "forgot" his pants in my home state! How clever. They call me an attention whore? Please..." (source) ( discussed on _skating)
Skating in Harlem Benefit (April 9, 2007)
May
Johnny: "it was a hard summer last year. We did a really long tour, then after the tour I got dumped after a three year relationship" May 2, 2007 Article
Johnny: "Well five years ago from today I wasn't at the stature I am now. So I was very--kind of cookie cutter, and was listening a lot to things other people were saying and worrying about peoples opinions more so than now. Once I was knocked down by the Federation, and had to come back to win my first national title, and I had to really dig deep and find myself. That's when I started just saying, "you know what, screw everything else--I'm just going to do what makes me happy and I'm going to do it the way I want to. That hasn't changed since that year, and I don't think it will ever change just because I see no point in acting one way or doing things one way just to please a group of people." May 2, 2007 Article
Johnny and Evan do COI again: "He [Johnny] seems to add something new each night to the fight with Evan and in Stockton he did some kind of voodoo dance with his arms that cracked Evan (and us!) up. We asked him about it later and he said he always tries to get Evan to laugh."
"The finale was a lot of fun. Johnny was acting part of middle East Turkish raja with three or four harem girls and was wearing a coat dress and turban. He looked like he was teasing Evan, and trying to make him upset or laugh, and his face and the reaction was so hilarious . And fight scene was also funny. I thought It was more serious but it was not. He looked like he was enjoy doing it." (May 25, 2007)
Johnny talks about COI: "Just after Marshalls I started rehearsals for Champions On Ice. They were tiring and very fast paced but we got the job done. I don't like my costumes for the group numbers at all! In the finale I am some kind of turkish raja and I have a harem of three girls and I wear a coat dress and turban. As if that isn't embarrassing enough, I have to "fist fight" with Evan Lysacek and I have to mock lose every night since he's James Bond. I know everyone wants to know if I've "accidentally" bitch slapped him yet, and I think we all know the answer to that." May 2007 Blog
Pictures of COI:
(I think that last one is from COI 2007, can anyone confirm or deny?)
July
Johnny: "I was a little shocked about their situation when I realized what was going on last year, but it's fine. Tanith is a chameleon and can change her personality to match her boyfriend or friends. She's always been like that, not exactly in a bad way, unless I don't like her boyfriend. It's not really my business what she and Evan do, but I do wish she acted the way she did a few years ago. In general we're still cordial." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "The "Rivalry" isn't a constant thing for me. If I'm asked a question I will answer it, but if not then I don't have anything to say about Evan which is who I think you're referring to. I could honestly care less, but if you want to know something, I'll tell you, or if he attacks me in an interview, I'll fire right back." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "Of course [there's no bad blood between me and Evan since Nationals]. He won fair and square." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny moves to New Jersey to work with Galina
November
Competition: Cup of China in Harbin (Nov 8 -11) - Johnny 1st, Evan 2nd
"My coach also told me, it's more important to skate clean than to struggle to raise technical difficulty. I can do the quad, but I will only include it in the programs when I feel confident about it."
Perhaps these words from Weir stabbed the heart of Lysacek standing nearby (I left in the literal translation b/c, well, I rather like it. ), because the latter fell on the quad today, which affected the remainder of the program.
During the post-competition press conference, Weir and Lysacek seemed to show hints of mutual aggression....From appearances, it seems both are trying their utmost to challenge the other. ( source)
December
Competition: Grand Prix Final in Torino (Dec 13-16) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 4th
Johnny: "When I returned from Russia, I was expecting to see some kind of announcement from my federation or the US Olympic Committee that I had won an award, but I didn't see anything. I know it's interesting when Evan Lysacek attends a movie premiere, and I could pee myself with glee if Kimmie Meissner throws out one more pitch at a baseball game, but I actually won something! I am very proud of it and that's why I'm ranting, forgive me!" Johnny's journal, December 2, 2007
2008
January
“When Michael Buckley made fun of rival figure skaters Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir on his You Tube show What the Buck? (video uploaded Jan 2008), declaring that the wannabe-macho Evan and flamboyant Johnny were “totally doing it” and probably texted each other all day, Johnny posted the following message to Buckley’s My Space in response: “Love it, bitch! We totally don’t text!” (Source via Otonal)
Competition: Nationals (Jan 20-27) - Evan 1st, Johnny 2nd (divided into 4 parts - the lead up to nationals, after the short program, immediately following the free skate, and then post-nationals)
Lead up to Nationals
Johnny: "[Evan Lysacek and I] are kind of ambivalent toward each other. He is my competitor. We will make small talk. I think Evan is talented and a very good performer. I can like something in someone’s skating and not like them as a person. Evan and I are not the same kind of people. We don’t click. There is no real friendship. We’re acquaintances. So there is no real love-hate relationship between me and him.
We will have [a rivalry] whether we want one or not. I’m quote-unquote flamboyant, and he’s very mainstream. I’m New York, and he’s California. He has the big, white smile and “Hey, how are you?” kind of thing, and I won’t speak unless I’m spoken to. If there are two people that different, of course they will be pitted against each other." (Johnny Weir, to Philip Hersh two days before the 2008 U.S. Nationals men’s SP, via otonal)
NBC Rivalry Promos ( discussed on _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrK2svVL-SY)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUg8wAnDFXI)
After the Short Program:
Johnny: "The rivalry is just beacuse we're the same level going for the same titles."
“Do you have anything to say to each other?" “No.” “No.”
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye0DYRKIwxE)
NBC calls the men's free skate "the culmination of the brewing rivalry between defending champion Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir." January 2008 Nationals
Free Skate
Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir tied in the overall score, with Weir winning the short program and Lysacek winning the free skate. Lysacek won the title on the first tiebreak under International Skating Union rules, which was the free skating score.
Evan: "Johnny Weir is an amazing competitor and he's pushed me along the years and I think I've pushed him too."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6_3eAtzJHo)
Post-Nationals
Johnny: “I respect Evan as an athlete, but as a person I don’t really like him. There’s nothing special about him to me. We would never be friends, and I wouldn’t even know who he was if we weren’t competing against each other.” January 2008 Nationals / Alternate source
Evan (when told about Johnny's previous comment): “Oh that’s nice. Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m not going to say anything bad about him, because I admire him." January 2008 Nationals / Alternate source
March
Evan: “The definition of being dressy or dressing up is like having glitter all over you; to me that’s just such a joke. Sometimes it’s a little frustrating when people are like, ‘It’s a show - you’re in a show, right?’ Like Ice Capades. That’s the same thing to them.” Lysacek has spoken with Raith and other officials about spinning off an ice-skating competition more like skateboarding’s halfpipe, where skaters focus only on jumps, flips and still-undiscovered tricks - with no music in the background, except maybe hard rock. “There’s a whole dimension of skating that hasn’t been broken into, not just on a flat surface. Something way crazier. Maybe more like aerial skiing.” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Johnny: “I’d love to see a 6-foot-2-tall, skinny man doing a halfpipe on figure skates. That’s not figure skating. You can have a different name, but that’s not figure skating. If he doesn’t want to skate to music that’s pretty and wear a pretty costume, then go rollerblade or skateboard or do one of those extreme sports,” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Johnny: “I just don’t like him. I think he’s very choreographed and very rehearsed. He has the big white teeth, really tan. It’s just a little too fake for me.” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Evan: “I respect him like I respect all the other competitors." March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Evan withdraws from Worlds due to injury. Johnny says at 1:22: "At this point with Evan, people are going to take whatever they can to try to make a rivalry, somewhat the American version of Plushenko/Yagudin, and I understand that the press can flip anything you say around to mean somethign completely opposite to what you meant so I don't let press or articles bother me unless they misrepresent something I'm wearing."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUCUPMJQ2nc)
April
Johnny: I was very shocked to hear that Evan Lysacek wouldn't be competing. I heard when I arrived from Moscow that he'd been injured and I honestly felt so terrible for him. I don't like being a "team", but thats all any reporter could ask me about and it was strange that he wasn't there with the rest of the best athletes from the US. I know how hard we all work as athletes and how much our lives center on figure skating and how the World Championship is supposed to be a climax of the years work and I was sorry he couldn't compete. I hope he has a quick recovery and is back in top form for next season. I know we have a lot of bad press out there, but all reporters take things out of context and flip stories around to sell, and I really am not heartless and bitter towards Evan. I am happy to have a rival who is so competitive and who keeps pushing me to better myself. ( April 2008 Journal)
June
Johnny and Evan go to Champs Camp (June 13-15)
September
Johnny: "Before Olympics even started I was talking to Nastia about the whole rivalry thing and we were laughing at how similar our situations are! I can see Nastia and I as a team, the dramatic, elegant ones and Evan and Shawn more as the P.C., consistent, fireworks ones." September 2008 Q&A
Johnny: "I think if Evan feels he can gain something, inspiration or something from working with Tatiana Anatolievna it will be good for him. Of course I wish I had exclusive rights to everyone I’ve loved working with, but it is not real! I am excited to see what kind of thought she’s given him. All skaters try to better themselves every year, and if it is Evan’s way more power to him. I would never work with his old choreographer and I wouldn’t work with his coach. I am not spiteful. I am not so vain to think that he worked with Tatiana Anatolievna to spite me." September 2008 Q&A
October
Competition: Skate America in Everett, Washington (Oct 23-26) - Johnny 2nd, Evan 3rd
Skaters try to psych each other out by skating one another's music. And it works. There was an incredible moment where Lysacek was skating Weir's music, circling Weir as Weir tried to do his program, making "I'm taking you to the cleaners" eye contact. They were skating together against Johnny's will, it was beautiful, and intense -- visual trash talking. Lysacek skated away, turning his back on Weir, hand on his hip as he stood at the boards, obviously pissed. Another trick is to throw big jumps during a skater's turn, distracting the crowd. Skate America, October 23-28, 2008
2009
January
Competition: Nationals in Cleveland (Jan 18-25) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 5th
February
Evan and Tanith break up around this time
Johnny on Evan before Worlds: "Evan Lysacek and I sat down at Nationals and had a conversation. We decided to bury the hatchet, become friends and support each other. We've formed an alliance." February 2009
"Support Evan Lysacek. Loving Evan Lysacek." Interview before 2009 Worlds ( discussed in _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQsEdSS-ZZ0)
Screenshot of Johnny's Korean blog (http://www.cyworld.com/johnnyweir2010)
March
Competition: Worlds in LA (March 23-29) - Evan 1st, Johnny there to commentate
You may have heard that although Johnny Weir won't be competing this year [at worlds], he will be in L.A. making various appearances. Johnny shocked figure skating junkies last month (as usual) when he told us that he's rooting for longtime "rival" Evan Lysacek. In true Johnny form, he took things up a notch last week when he followed up with us. Emphasizing his commitment to the cause, he said, "I'm going to give Evan a massage before he skates." March 2009 (otonal)
Johnny: "I'm very proud of Evan."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSOq5OtGTcE)
Johnny talking while in LA: "I was rooting for Evan but I wasn't rooting for Evan to win." (at 1:05) "There's gonna be the maximum amount of spots and come next January the entire country will be fighting for those spots and it's much easier to fight for 3 spots than 2 or even 1. So that's good. Evan did good." (at 1:30)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ9xgPjNIUc)
Evan interview after Worlds (at 3:35): A few years ago this rivalry between Johnny and I started and the media sensationalized it to some extent. I don't think it's a secret that we both want to win and we both want to be the best and we both want to be better and better, but what it did is it pushed a whole group of younger skaters in the US, men, to want to be better, and it also shed a spotlight on the men so now the product of that is a huge depth in mens skating and basically the spotlight of figure skating in the US is on the men.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FimVL0SoP0k)
Evan: Given their rivalry, you'd expect a clucked tongue from Lysacek when talking about Weir, but he's surprisingly laudatory. "Johnny is his own person, and you have to admire that," Lysacek says. "He's like, 'This is my style. This is the way I skate. This is my Louis Vuitton, and this is my fur. Deal with it.' (March 2009 LA Times article called The pull of the sequined vortex )
Summer
Evan and Nastia supposedly start dating according to a later article
June
Johnny and Evan go to Champs Camp (June 11-14)
September
Johnny: "I have a primarily warm relationship with Evan Lysacek. From the past few years in the media it would seem quite the opposite and through careful editing and writing the media has created a rivalry and coldness that isn't exactly true," September 2009 Q&A
Johnny: I was happy that Evan was able to skate well [at 2009 Worlds]. I am jealous that he is world champion and I hope I can still overcome him this season, but he earned three spots for my country at the Olympic Games and I am proud that he was able to do that. I have nothing against the other two skaters. I cheered for Evan because I knew he had the best chance of securing the spots for the Olympics and because the two of us have a funny competitive history, I don't really know the other boys. September 2009 Q&A
December
Competition: Grand Prix Final in Tokyo (Dec 3-6) - Evan 1st, Johnny 3rd
Johnny and Evan are in adjacent hotel rooms. "I am happy to be in Japan again! Sir Lysacek is my next door neighbor." December 2, 2009 Johnny's Twitter
Johnny then goes on to have an intimate and loud encounter with a massager.... knowing that there is only 1 wall separating him and Evan.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9ZHOjQaCs)
Continued in Part 2
Various undated pictures from their younger years - if you can put a date to any, let me know ( from _skating):
From the kink meme (sorry, I don't have the link): "So according to some totally unsubstantiated third-hand gossip, both Johnny and Evan were advised as teenagers to straighten up (emphasis on the "straight") if they wanted to succeed as figure skaters. Johnny told them where to go, but Evan apparently went with it, and they'd been relatively friendly up until that point, but Evan butching up soured everything."
1999
February
Competition: Nationals in Salt Lake City (Feb 7-14) - Johnny is 4th in Juniors, Evan is 1st in Novice
2000
February
Competition: Junior Nationals in Cleveland (Feb 6-13) - Evan is 1st, Johnny is 5th
2001
January
Competition: Nationals in Boston (Jan 14-21) - Johnny is 6th, Evan is 12th
March
Competition: Junior Worlds in Vancouver (Mar 17-25) - Johnny is 1st, Evan is 2nd
Click to view(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdcFjyr_XY4)
(By the way, 2001 Junior Worlds was supposedly quite the hotbed of teenage twink sexing: Question- In Joe Jackson's book, he mentions two boys getting it on during junior worlds 2001. I heard rumors that it was Johnny and Stephane. Answer- It was more than just two boys... I'm friends with Jon and it was quite the young twink fest at that worlds. from Aunt Joyce's formspring, actual quote from book)
2003
Unknown
Johnny starts dating Drew Meekins
June
Evan moves to California to work with Frank Carroll (who is also training Timothy Goebel, rumored Worlds 2001 hook up)
2004
January
Competition: Nationals in Atlanta (Jan 3-11) - Johnny is 1st, Evan is 5th
November
Competition: Cup of Russia in Moscow (Nov 25-28) - Johnny 2nd, Evan 5th
2005
January
Competition: Nationals in Portland (Jan 9-16) - Johnny in 1st, Evan 3rd
March
Competition: Worlds in Moscow (Mar 14-20) - Evan 3rd, Johnny in 4th
2006
Unknown date
Johnny: “I’m not a jock, I’m an artiste. I don’t like to be called a jock because that makes me think of spandex-covered football players. It’s not… not me. I’m in rhinestones and velvet, not spandex.” 2006 via otonal
January
Competition: Nationals in St Louis (Jan 7-15) - Johnny 1st, Evan 2nd
February
Competition: Olympics in Torino (Feb 10-26) - Evan 4th, Johnny 5th
March
Competition: Worlds in Calgary (Mar 19-26) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 7th
April
Skating in Harlem Benefit - 4/10/06
Johnny: "I will never be as "sunny" as say Evan Lysacek because that is his skating persona, and something he's comfortable with. I envy people like him in a way for being able to wear their hearts on their sleeves when they perform, and I'll learn how to, things just take time." April 2006 Q&A (via this epic post)
Q: "You don't like Evan Lysacek at all do you?" Johnny: "I respect Evan, very much. I think he's a good skater with a lot of great qualities. Off the ice he's a pretty good guy. We're competitors, so it's not like I'm going to be his best friend, but I think he's a nice guy and a talented one." April 2006 Q&A
Evan and Tanith later claim they started dating around now: "We started dating on tour last April," Lysacek, 21, tells PEOPLE. "We've been keeping it quiet." (source)
May
"Johnny Weir wants very badly to be Russian," Lysacek said with a grin as Weir glided past. Later, Weir sported a jacket with "Russia" emblazoned on the back. May 11, 2006 Article
June
Online chat with Evan - June 15, 2006 (on otonal)
Dereck255: I was watching Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List", and she had Johnny Weir on it, and my friend thought it was you, so she started screaming for me....then we realized it wasn't you...
*Evan*: you confused me with the swan?
Dereck255: my friend did! Not I!
*Evan*: dereck get with it man
winterskies: oh gosh, you call him the swan? lol
*Evan*: i always call him the swan
*Evan*: he loves it
dixiepixie: What does Johnny call you?
XxTripleToeCleanxX: lol. Does he call you Carmen?
*Evan*: no
*Evan*: he calls me evan
-------
Natalie_85: Evan Evan Evan! What song would you never ever skate to?
*Evan*: never skate to the swan
*Evan*: was that mean?
river: why not?
*Evan*: it's not my thing
*Evan*: but it was cool for the swan
*Evan*: he's a rad guy
--------
*Evan*: the ocean has a lot of weird creatures
*Evan*: just don't think about them
*Evan*: they won't bother you
kiwidefresa: like swans? lol
*Evan*: good one
*Evan*: haha
*Evan*: is there a pick of the swan on the bottom of your screen?
July
Johnny: "Evan's a good guy" July 2006 Q&A
Johnny: "Evan Lysacek calls me Swan and I laugh every time. I call him Mongoose." July 2006 Q&A
Johnny and Drew break up: "My personal life is kind of falling apart because I'm always on the road, and it happens to everyone so it's a comfort to have support from my friends here. I actually haven't seen my family since early June let alone the majority of my friends." July 2006 Q&A
July/August - They are both on Champions on Ice
“Evan Lysacek laughs after falling on the ice while playing charades with Johnny Weir on Monday at Germain Arena.” from otonal ( discussed in _skating)
Q: Did you receive a bag at the Raleigh COI show from a fan that included some bears, a card and three single red gloves? If so, what did you think?
Johnny: I did receive that package. Thank you so much! Even Evan was like, "who left you a bunch of baby Camilles?" I was very excited about them and the fact of the matter is, I needed gloves and now I wear them for practice every day. Thank you! (source)
Johnny: “I don’t generally make a habit of being friends with the people I compete against, and before Torino I didn’t feel close at all to Evan Lysacek. We really connected on this trip and hit it off and I feel like I got to know him and I’m excited that I’ll have a friend on the team now.” (source)
August
Johnny: "Okay so...Evan has called me Swan since the Olympics for obvious reasons, sometimes he even says 'Little Swan' in a Russian accent, but in general, Swan. He even got Tanith saying that. I call Evan Mongoose because at the Olympics we had a joke of always talking in Midwestern, Minnesota, Illinois accents and Mongoose sounds funny if you say it like that. Mongoose is also just a completely different animal than a swan, like Evan and I and it was a cute, funny nickname. Evan didn't know what a mongoose was, so I had to tell them it's a rodent that eats snakes like Riki Tiki Tavi and I think he got it. In any event, I have a strange sense of humor and I love that nickname." (August 27, 2006)
Evan : “I started calling him the swan ‘cause he wore that funny swan outfit, and then he started calling me a mongoose, which I don’t even know what that is” (source, don't know exact date)
October
October 15, 2006 - Campbell Cup
Even American Johnny Weir, who actually wanted to win, found himself in the odd position of cheering on his rival, American Evan Lysacek. "This is an interesting way to get us to be nice to each other," said Weir, who donned a black-and-white outfit with the outline of a chess knight stitched onto the shirt. "We don't hate each other, but if he does better than me, I'm very jealous." (Sadly, the original article seems to have disappeared; the old link was here)
Two-time world bronze medalist Evan Lysacek said he enjoyed teaming up with Weir. "It's an awesome way to start the season," Lysacek said. "I'm sure he'll want to beat me, and I'll want to beat him, but it's nice to be on a team rooting for each other. It's a long, difficult season, and it's nice to have a fun one to kick it off."(Washington Post Article)
Johnny is interviewed while Evan skates. (discussed in _skating) He talks about adding more masculinity to his own program, tells the interviewer what Evan is like as a competitor, comments on their rivalry- "hopefully it will turn into a friendly version of Yagudin-Plushenko," and stands on the sidelines and cheers Evan on.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW62vgfbefA)
2007
Unknown Date
Word Association Game from otonal
Q: Let’s play a small game. It’s about your associations. Tell me which associations you get when I say following names. Don’t think!
Q: Brian Joubert
A: Strong
Q: Daisuke Takahashi
A: Elegant
Q: Stephan Lambiel
A: Spinning
Q: Evan Lysacek
A: (pause)
Q: Don’t think, Johnny! HAHA!
A: I think he needs to shave.
Q: Evgenii Plushenko
A: King
January
"I did at one time [have time for a relationship], but then I found out that it's too hard to have both work and a relationship. I am just skating now, nothing else and that's how it could end up for the next four years." January 2007 Q&A
Competition: Nationals in Spokane (Jan 21-28) - Evan 1st, Johnny 3rd
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zb-Bw-rVg0)
Evan (at 4:05): "I have so much respect for the National Champtionships and the World Championships and for my sport and the judges and the people who put nothing less but their entire lives into us as athletes and our success and the success of the sport. I think that if I were given the chance to represent what that all means I think that I wouldn't take it lightly. I would really put my complete heart and soul to try to be the best athlete and representative that I can be" "You think Johnny doesn't do that?" "I didn't say that."
Johnny (at 4:40): "At competition we are not friends. I have my objective and he has his objective. That's where we are as competitors."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgcudIe_KhE)
At nationals, announcer Mark Lund, who is openly gay, said, “I don’t think he’s representative of the community I want to be a part of,” and, “I don’t need to see a prima ballerina on the ice,” before praising Lysacek’s masculinity.
Evan: "I think that what he does is his own business, and it's very different than the way I conduct myself. I think that's one of the cool things about our sport: It promotes individuality." January 26, 2007
Weir shied away from the rivalry question, noting that he had sent Lysacek a text-mail holiday greeting and insisting the two are "pretty cool together." January 26, 2007
"If I was given the chance to represent what all that means, I wouldn't take it lightly. I would with my complete heart and soul try to be the best athlete and representative I could be." Suggesting, then, that Weir has lacked in this area? "I didn't say that," Lysacek said icily. Another January 6, 2007 article
Johnny: "At competitions, we're not friends. I have my objective and he has his - which is healthy. I wouldn't want a friend sitting next to me in the locker room talking about "American Idol" and curling each others' hair. When we're away from competition and there isn't all the stress and hype around us, we're pretty cool together. I texted him to wish him a happy Orthodox Christmas and he keeps in touch that way, too." Another January 6, 2007 article
Article from unknown date in 2007:
“He said the two were friends until Nationals. At that point, Weir said Lysacek kept taking jabs at Weir’s flamboyant lifestyle, such as when Lysacek said: “What he does is his own business, and it’s very different from how I conduct myself.”
It seemed to Weir that Lysacek was going above and beyond fanning the flames of a rivalry that has existed since the two were teenagers.
“At Nationals, he got very strange,” Weir said. “It’s like he was very fake, and I hate that. When he started with this passive-aggressive way about me in the press, I was like, ‘It’s on now.’ “
And, yes, Weir said it has become a rivalry, something the men’s field has rarely had.
2007 Article via otonal
February
Evan and Tanith admit they've been dating since April. February 2007
Evan: "We've got a lot of sequins going on. I'm doing the best I can to change that and wear high-fashion designers and trying to get design out there and masculine clothing, a masculinity and a simplicity, and put the focus on the skating instead of the glitter." February 8, 2007 via otonal
Johnny: "In general people want to make a huge deal about the Lysacek/Weir rivalry. There is a competitive nature to us, but we don't hate each other. We get along. I congratulated him after his victory, and I know he would congratulate me. That's our rivalry! Tah-dah! I think bringing attention to the sport is a good thing and I hope I can help." Johnny's journal, February 10, 2007
March
Evan: Evan Lysacek on Inside Edition talking about the movie [Blades of Glory]: "It makes fun of skaters who wear sequins and feathers and stuff, which I don't do..." ( source)
Competition: Worlds in Tokyo (Mar 19-25) - Evan 5th, Johnny 8th
Johnny: "Evan and I do push each other in skating. It's not that we don't get along, because we do, but we're competitors and in many ways each other's biggest rival, so would Hitler and Stalin have sat down to tea? Probably not." March 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "[Tanith and Evan's relationship] just makes me giggle. Tanith and I are friendly yes." March 2007 Q&A
April
April 6, 2007 - Marshalls US Figure Skating Showcase - Evan forgets his pants and borrows Johnny's ( discussed in _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0vbgTyAFFw)
Johnny's Response: "One funny thing that happened was Evan Lysacek borrowing my pants for the pro-am. I didn't want to be a total ***** and say the expected "NO!," so I let him. There are plenty of other people he could have borrowed pants from who are his size, but it made a better story wearing mine. Him wearing my pants was a hit for the media, and it's funny that he "forgot" his pants in my home state! How clever. They call me an attention whore? Please..." (source) ( discussed on _skating)
Skating in Harlem Benefit (April 9, 2007)
May
Johnny: "it was a hard summer last year. We did a really long tour, then after the tour I got dumped after a three year relationship" May 2, 2007 Article
Johnny: "Well five years ago from today I wasn't at the stature I am now. So I was very--kind of cookie cutter, and was listening a lot to things other people were saying and worrying about peoples opinions more so than now. Once I was knocked down by the Federation, and had to come back to win my first national title, and I had to really dig deep and find myself. That's when I started just saying, "you know what, screw everything else--I'm just going to do what makes me happy and I'm going to do it the way I want to. That hasn't changed since that year, and I don't think it will ever change just because I see no point in acting one way or doing things one way just to please a group of people." May 2, 2007 Article
Johnny and Evan do COI again: "He [Johnny] seems to add something new each night to the fight with Evan and in Stockton he did some kind of voodoo dance with his arms that cracked Evan (and us!) up. We asked him about it later and he said he always tries to get Evan to laugh."
"The finale was a lot of fun. Johnny was acting part of middle East Turkish raja with three or four harem girls and was wearing a coat dress and turban. He looked like he was teasing Evan, and trying to make him upset or laugh, and his face and the reaction was so hilarious . And fight scene was also funny. I thought It was more serious but it was not. He looked like he was enjoy doing it." (May 25, 2007)
Johnny talks about COI: "Just after Marshalls I started rehearsals for Champions On Ice. They were tiring and very fast paced but we got the job done. I don't like my costumes for the group numbers at all! In the finale I am some kind of turkish raja and I have a harem of three girls and I wear a coat dress and turban. As if that isn't embarrassing enough, I have to "fist fight" with Evan Lysacek and I have to mock lose every night since he's James Bond. I know everyone wants to know if I've "accidentally" bitch slapped him yet, and I think we all know the answer to that." May 2007 Blog
Pictures of COI:
(I think that last one is from COI 2007, can anyone confirm or deny?)
July
Johnny: "I was a little shocked about their situation when I realized what was going on last year, but it's fine. Tanith is a chameleon and can change her personality to match her boyfriend or friends. She's always been like that, not exactly in a bad way, unless I don't like her boyfriend. It's not really my business what she and Evan do, but I do wish she acted the way she did a few years ago. In general we're still cordial." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "The "Rivalry" isn't a constant thing for me. If I'm asked a question I will answer it, but if not then I don't have anything to say about Evan which is who I think you're referring to. I could honestly care less, but if you want to know something, I'll tell you, or if he attacks me in an interview, I'll fire right back." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny: "Of course [there's no bad blood between me and Evan since Nationals]. He won fair and square." July 2007 Q&A
Johnny moves to New Jersey to work with Galina
November
Competition: Cup of China in Harbin (Nov 8 -11) - Johnny 1st, Evan 2nd
"My coach also told me, it's more important to skate clean than to struggle to raise technical difficulty. I can do the quad, but I will only include it in the programs when I feel confident about it."
Perhaps these words from Weir stabbed the heart of Lysacek standing nearby (I left in the literal translation b/c, well, I rather like it. ), because the latter fell on the quad today, which affected the remainder of the program.
During the post-competition press conference, Weir and Lysacek seemed to show hints of mutual aggression....From appearances, it seems both are trying their utmost to challenge the other. ( source)
December
Competition: Grand Prix Final in Torino (Dec 13-16) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 4th
Johnny: "When I returned from Russia, I was expecting to see some kind of announcement from my federation or the US Olympic Committee that I had won an award, but I didn't see anything. I know it's interesting when Evan Lysacek attends a movie premiere, and I could pee myself with glee if Kimmie Meissner throws out one more pitch at a baseball game, but I actually won something! I am very proud of it and that's why I'm ranting, forgive me!" Johnny's journal, December 2, 2007
2008
January
“When Michael Buckley made fun of rival figure skaters Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir on his You Tube show What the Buck? (video uploaded Jan 2008), declaring that the wannabe-macho Evan and flamboyant Johnny were “totally doing it” and probably texted each other all day, Johnny posted the following message to Buckley’s My Space in response: “Love it, bitch! We totally don’t text!” (Source via Otonal)
Competition: Nationals (Jan 20-27) - Evan 1st, Johnny 2nd (divided into 4 parts - the lead up to nationals, after the short program, immediately following the free skate, and then post-nationals)
Lead up to Nationals
Johnny: "[Evan Lysacek and I] are kind of ambivalent toward each other. He is my competitor. We will make small talk. I think Evan is talented and a very good performer. I can like something in someone’s skating and not like them as a person. Evan and I are not the same kind of people. We don’t click. There is no real friendship. We’re acquaintances. So there is no real love-hate relationship between me and him.
We will have [a rivalry] whether we want one or not. I’m quote-unquote flamboyant, and he’s very mainstream. I’m New York, and he’s California. He has the big, white smile and “Hey, how are you?” kind of thing, and I won’t speak unless I’m spoken to. If there are two people that different, of course they will be pitted against each other." (Johnny Weir, to Philip Hersh two days before the 2008 U.S. Nationals men’s SP, via otonal)
NBC Rivalry Promos ( discussed on _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrK2svVL-SY)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUg8wAnDFXI)
After the Short Program:
Johnny: "The rivalry is just beacuse we're the same level going for the same titles."
“Do you have anything to say to each other?" “No.” “No.”
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye0DYRKIwxE)
NBC calls the men's free skate "the culmination of the brewing rivalry between defending champion Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir." January 2008 Nationals
Free Skate
Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir tied in the overall score, with Weir winning the short program and Lysacek winning the free skate. Lysacek won the title on the first tiebreak under International Skating Union rules, which was the free skating score.
Evan: "Johnny Weir is an amazing competitor and he's pushed me along the years and I think I've pushed him too."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6_3eAtzJHo)
Post-Nationals
Johnny: “I respect Evan as an athlete, but as a person I don’t really like him. There’s nothing special about him to me. We would never be friends, and I wouldn’t even know who he was if we weren’t competing against each other.” January 2008 Nationals / Alternate source
Evan (when told about Johnny's previous comment): “Oh that’s nice. Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m not going to say anything bad about him, because I admire him." January 2008 Nationals / Alternate source
March
Evan: “The definition of being dressy or dressing up is like having glitter all over you; to me that’s just such a joke. Sometimes it’s a little frustrating when people are like, ‘It’s a show - you’re in a show, right?’ Like Ice Capades. That’s the same thing to them.” Lysacek has spoken with Raith and other officials about spinning off an ice-skating competition more like skateboarding’s halfpipe, where skaters focus only on jumps, flips and still-undiscovered tricks - with no music in the background, except maybe hard rock. “There’s a whole dimension of skating that hasn’t been broken into, not just on a flat surface. Something way crazier. Maybe more like aerial skiing.” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Johnny: “I’d love to see a 6-foot-2-tall, skinny man doing a halfpipe on figure skates. That’s not figure skating. You can have a different name, but that’s not figure skating. If he doesn’t want to skate to music that’s pretty and wear a pretty costume, then go rollerblade or skateboard or do one of those extreme sports,” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Johnny: “I just don’t like him. I think he’s very choreographed and very rehearsed. He has the big white teeth, really tan. It’s just a little too fake for me.” March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Evan: “I respect him like I respect all the other competitors." March 18, 2008 NYTimes article
Evan withdraws from Worlds due to injury. Johnny says at 1:22: "At this point with Evan, people are going to take whatever they can to try to make a rivalry, somewhat the American version of Plushenko/Yagudin, and I understand that the press can flip anything you say around to mean somethign completely opposite to what you meant so I don't let press or articles bother me unless they misrepresent something I'm wearing."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUCUPMJQ2nc)
April
Johnny: I was very shocked to hear that Evan Lysacek wouldn't be competing. I heard when I arrived from Moscow that he'd been injured and I honestly felt so terrible for him. I don't like being a "team", but thats all any reporter could ask me about and it was strange that he wasn't there with the rest of the best athletes from the US. I know how hard we all work as athletes and how much our lives center on figure skating and how the World Championship is supposed to be a climax of the years work and I was sorry he couldn't compete. I hope he has a quick recovery and is back in top form for next season. I know we have a lot of bad press out there, but all reporters take things out of context and flip stories around to sell, and I really am not heartless and bitter towards Evan. I am happy to have a rival who is so competitive and who keeps pushing me to better myself. ( April 2008 Journal)
June
Johnny and Evan go to Champs Camp (June 13-15)
September
Johnny: "Before Olympics even started I was talking to Nastia about the whole rivalry thing and we were laughing at how similar our situations are! I can see Nastia and I as a team, the dramatic, elegant ones and Evan and Shawn more as the P.C., consistent, fireworks ones." September 2008 Q&A
Johnny: "I think if Evan feels he can gain something, inspiration or something from working with Tatiana Anatolievna it will be good for him. Of course I wish I had exclusive rights to everyone I’ve loved working with, but it is not real! I am excited to see what kind of thought she’s given him. All skaters try to better themselves every year, and if it is Evan’s way more power to him. I would never work with his old choreographer and I wouldn’t work with his coach. I am not spiteful. I am not so vain to think that he worked with Tatiana Anatolievna to spite me." September 2008 Q&A
October
Competition: Skate America in Everett, Washington (Oct 23-26) - Johnny 2nd, Evan 3rd
Skaters try to psych each other out by skating one another's music. And it works. There was an incredible moment where Lysacek was skating Weir's music, circling Weir as Weir tried to do his program, making "I'm taking you to the cleaners" eye contact. They were skating together against Johnny's will, it was beautiful, and intense -- visual trash talking. Lysacek skated away, turning his back on Weir, hand on his hip as he stood at the boards, obviously pissed. Another trick is to throw big jumps during a skater's turn, distracting the crowd. Skate America, October 23-28, 2008
2009
January
Competition: Nationals in Cleveland (Jan 18-25) - Evan 3rd, Johnny 5th
February
Evan and Tanith break up around this time
Johnny on Evan before Worlds: "Evan Lysacek and I sat down at Nationals and had a conversation. We decided to bury the hatchet, become friends and support each other. We've formed an alliance." February 2009
"Support Evan Lysacek. Loving Evan Lysacek." Interview before 2009 Worlds ( discussed in _skating)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQsEdSS-ZZ0)
Screenshot of Johnny's Korean blog (http://www.cyworld.com/johnnyweir2010)
March
Competition: Worlds in LA (March 23-29) - Evan 1st, Johnny there to commentate
You may have heard that although Johnny Weir won't be competing this year [at worlds], he will be in L.A. making various appearances. Johnny shocked figure skating junkies last month (as usual) when he told us that he's rooting for longtime "rival" Evan Lysacek. In true Johnny form, he took things up a notch last week when he followed up with us. Emphasizing his commitment to the cause, he said, "I'm going to give Evan a massage before he skates." March 2009 (otonal)
Johnny: "I'm very proud of Evan."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSOq5OtGTcE)
Johnny talking while in LA: "I was rooting for Evan but I wasn't rooting for Evan to win." (at 1:05) "There's gonna be the maximum amount of spots and come next January the entire country will be fighting for those spots and it's much easier to fight for 3 spots than 2 or even 1. So that's good. Evan did good." (at 1:30)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ9xgPjNIUc)
Evan interview after Worlds (at 3:35): A few years ago this rivalry between Johnny and I started and the media sensationalized it to some extent. I don't think it's a secret that we both want to win and we both want to be the best and we both want to be better and better, but what it did is it pushed a whole group of younger skaters in the US, men, to want to be better, and it also shed a spotlight on the men so now the product of that is a huge depth in mens skating and basically the spotlight of figure skating in the US is on the men.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FimVL0SoP0k)
Evan: Given their rivalry, you'd expect a clucked tongue from Lysacek when talking about Weir, but he's surprisingly laudatory. "Johnny is his own person, and you have to admire that," Lysacek says. "He's like, 'This is my style. This is the way I skate. This is my Louis Vuitton, and this is my fur. Deal with it.' (March 2009 LA Times article called The pull of the sequined vortex )
Summer
Evan and Nastia supposedly start dating according to a later article
June
Johnny and Evan go to Champs Camp (June 11-14)
September
Johnny: "I have a primarily warm relationship with Evan Lysacek. From the past few years in the media it would seem quite the opposite and through careful editing and writing the media has created a rivalry and coldness that isn't exactly true," September 2009 Q&A
Johnny: I was happy that Evan was able to skate well [at 2009 Worlds]. I am jealous that he is world champion and I hope I can still overcome him this season, but he earned three spots for my country at the Olympic Games and I am proud that he was able to do that. I have nothing against the other two skaters. I cheered for Evan because I knew he had the best chance of securing the spots for the Olympics and because the two of us have a funny competitive history, I don't really know the other boys. September 2009 Q&A
December
Competition: Grand Prix Final in Tokyo (Dec 3-6) - Evan 1st, Johnny 3rd
Johnny and Evan are in adjacent hotel rooms. "I am happy to be in Japan again! Sir Lysacek is my next door neighbor." December 2, 2009 Johnny's Twitter
Johnny then goes on to have an intimate and loud encounter with a massager.... knowing that there is only 1 wall separating him and Evan.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9ZHOjQaCs)
Continued in Part 2