My only concern is that if Sandhu skates the program of a lifetime (in front of an incredibly partisan crowd), Johnny may get rattled before he skates. Certainly he showed at Nationals that he's capable of following another skater's standing ovation and still doing well... but a lot has happened since then to shake Johnny's faith in himself, and being injured this week isn't going to help matters any.

:anxious

OTOH, I suppose it's better to follow Sandhu than Lambiel. :) I'm SO happy to see Johnny skated well enough in the short to make the final flight for the long!

Otherwise, it's a terrific spot in the draw, IMO--he'll know whether it's worth his while to attempt a quad (which he might not want to do if he's still in pain). I know he doesn't like waiting around, but let's face it, he won his first two National titles skating last and next-to-last, so he's certainly capable of doing well late in the draw.

The main thing is I hope he gets plenty of rest! I really hope his back/ shoulder pain subsides. Having been through this kind of thing before myself, it's amazing the difference one day can make.

At least so far, my biggest fear has proven unfounded: that Johnny would go into this event with his energy so sapped that he'd give up without a fight. Even while clearly not 100%, he's still out there, trying his best. I couldn't be more proud of him!

Hugs to all,
--EA Week