Alexander Johnson (figure skater)

Alexander M. Johnson (born May 15, 1990) is a former competitive American figure skater. He is the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist, 2013 International Challenge Cup silver medalist, and 2008 JGP Czech Republic champion.

Alexander Johnson
Born	(1990-05-15) May 15, 1990 (age 33) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hometown	Minnetonka, Minnesota
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Coach	Page Lipe, Caryn Kadavy, Tom Dickson
Skating club	Braemar City of Lakes FSC, Edina
Began skating	1999
Retired	2019

Personal life

Alexander Johnson was born on May 15, 1990, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[1] His elder sister, Shannon, is a skating coach.^[2]

Johnson graduated from Hopkins High School in 2008. After briefly studying science and engineering at the University of Minnesota, he took a leave of absence.^[3] He later studied at Normandale Community College^[2] before enrolling at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.^[3] In August 2018, he completed an investment banking internship at Lazard.^[4]

Career

Early years

Johnson began learning to skate in 1999.^[1] His first coach was Joan Orvis.^[2] Beginning in the 2001–2002 season, he competed in juvenile men's singles for two seasons, in the intermediate ranks for two seasons, and then as a novice for two seasons; he won the novice men's silver medal at the 2007 U.S. Championships.

Johnson debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in autumn 2007. The following season, he won two JGP medals — gold in the Czech Republic and bronze in England — and qualified for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, where he finished sixth. He received the junior bronze medal at the 2009 U.S. Championships.

Johnson also trained in pair skating. He competed with Chelsey Jernberg in the juvenile category at the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Junior Championships. With Danielle Viola, he placed 6th in the novice ranks at the 2012 U.S. Championships.

Senior career

Johnson began competing in the senior men's category in the 2009–2010 season. He made his senior international debut at the 2009 Finlandia Trophy.

At the 2013 U.S. Championships, Johnson finished seventh after placing 12th in the short program and fifth in the free skate. He landed a 3Lz-1Lo-3F in the free skate.^[5] He then won silver at the 2013 International Challenge Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. He was coached mainly by Tom Dickson and Catarina Lindgren, and also worked once a week with Christy Krall.^[5]

In June 2013, Johnson tore ligaments in his right ankle while practicing a triple Axel jump and sustained nerve damage from the knee down during surgery in July.^[6][7][8] He returned to the ice after ten weeks and resumed full training in April 2014 with a titanium screw in his ankle.^[6][7]

Johnson finished 11th at the 2015 U.S. Championships. In the summer of 2015, he underwent surgery for multiple hernias.^[6] At the 2016 U.S. Championships, he ranked seventh in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and sixth overall – his best result to date. He replicated that result at the 2017 U.S. Championships, after placing ninth in the short and fifth in the free.

In 2018, Johnson was invited to his first Grand Prix event, the 2018 NHK Trophy.

In 2019, Johnson decided to start a career in finance and work as a part time skating coach, effectively ending participation in competitive skating.^[9]

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2018–2019 ^[1]^[4]^[10]	Don't Stop the Music by Jamie Cullum choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne Song of the Stars by Dead Can Dance choreo. by Alexander Johnson	The Golden Age by Woodkid Iron by Woodkid Run Boy Run by Woodkid choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne
2017–2018 ^[11]^[12]^[13]	Legends by Sacred Spirit choreo. by Tom Dickson	Mea Culpa Sadeness by Enigma choreo. by Rohene Ward In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
2016–2017 ^[14]^[15]	Intro by B-Tribe Bamboleo by Gipsy Kings choreo. by Tom Dickson	La Strada by Nino Rota choreo. by Tom Dickson
2015–2016 ^[2]^[15]^[16]	Trance by Yair Dalal performed by Dalal & Al Ol Ensemble Album: Silan (1998) choreo. by Catarina Lindgren, Christopher Dean	Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles choreo. by Tom Dickson The Christ Trilogy by Balázs Havasi Parce mihi domine performed by Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble Album: Officium (1994) In the Act of Creation by Balázs Havasi choreo. by Tom Dickson
2014–2015 ^[17]^[7]^[8]	Trio élégiaque No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff choreo. by Catarina Lindgren	Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim The Barber and His Wife Johanna choreo. by Tom Dickson
2013–2014 ^[18]	Stairway to Heaven by Rodrigo y Gabriela	A Nightmare on Elm Street by DiscoPhantom Drowning by Abel Korzeniowski Dinner Waltz by Alexandre Desplat Bernini's Angels by Kerry Muzzey
2012–2013 ^[18]	Concerto in F by George Gershwin	Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
2011–2012 ^[15]^[18]	O Mio Babbino Caro by Giacomo Puccini performed by Joshua Bell	Gayane by Aram Khachaturian	Hey, Soul Sister
2010–2011 ^[15]^[18]	Caravan performed by Duke Ellington, Dave Grusin and Tommy Newsom	Le Grand Tango Oblivion Allegro Tangabile by Astor Piazzolla	Hey, Soul Sister
2009–2010 ^[19]	Take Five by Dave Brubeck	Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 – III Alegro Scherzando by Sergei Rachmaninoff
2008–2009 ^[15]^[20]	Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra (from Ladies in Lavender) by Joshua Bell choreo. by Sebastien Britten	Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op 28 by Camille Saint-Saëns Meditation (from Thais) by Jules Massenet choreo. by Sebastien Britten	What I Like About You by The Romantics choreo. by Kathleen Gazich
2007–2008 ^[18]	Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor by Camille Saint-Saëns	Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op 28 by Camille Saint-Saëns Meditation (from Thais) by Jules Massenet
2006–2007 ^[18]	Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor by Camille Saint-Saëns	Autumn (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi
2005–2006 ^[18]	The Royal Tenenbaums	Autumn (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Men's singles: Senior career

International^[21]
Event	09–10	10–11	11–12	12–13	14–15	15–16	16–17	17–18	18–19
GP NHK Trophy									7th
CS Autumn Classic					8th
CS Golden Spin						6th		9th
CS Finlandia									15th
CS Nebelhorn					6th			2nd
CS Ondrej Nepela							6th
Autumn Classic						4th
Challenge Cup				2nd
Finlandia Trophy	10th
Philadelphia								5th
National^[18]
U.S. Champ.	17th	16th	15th	7th	11th	6th	6th	8th	9th

Men's singles: Juvenile through junior career

International^[21]
Event	06–07	07–08	08–09
JGP Final			6th
JGP Bulgaria		4th
JGP Czech Republic			1st
JGP United Kingdom			3rd
Gardena Trophy	3rd J
National^[18]
U.S. Champ.	2nd N	7th J	3rd J
Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate; N = Novice; J = Junior

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

2018–2019 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
Jan. 19 – 27, 2019	2019 U.S. Championships	11 74.07	8 142.41	9 216.48
9–11 November 2018	2018 NHK Trophy	8 72.03	7 127.72	7 199.75
4–7 October 2018	2018 CS Finlandia Trophy	15 59.42	15 118.61	15 178.03
2017–2018 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
Dec. 29 – Jan. 8, 2018	2018 U.S. Championships	10 79.60	8 153.02	8 232.62
December 6–9, 2017	2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb	3 78.80	9 140.08	9 218.88
September 27–30, 2017	2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy	2 82.55	6 143.49	2 226.04
August 3–5, 2017	2017 Philadelphia Summer International	4 73.14	6 130.25	5 203.39
2016–2017 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 14–22, 2017	2017 U.S. Championships	9 75.19	5 158.20	6 233.39
Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2016	2016 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial	4 71.41	6 137.23	6 208.64
2015–2016 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 16–24, 2016	2016 U.S. Championships	7 73.69	5 168.25	6 241.94
December 2–5, 2015	2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb	4 71.95	6 140.90	6 212.85
October 13–15, 2015	2015 Autumn Classic International	5 63.27	4 133.05	4 196.32
2014–2015 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 18–25, 2015	2015 U.S. Championships	12 68.46	10 149.81	11 218.27
October 15–16, 2014	2014 Autumn Classic	4 66.99	8 126.07	8 193.06
September 24–27, 2014	2014 CS Nebelhorn Trophy	6 69.20	6 122.21	6 191.41
2012–2013 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
February 21–24, 2013	2013 Challenge Cup	2 76.53	1 152.01	2 228.54
January 19–27, 2013	2013 U.S. Championships	12 65.20	5 159.29	7 224.49
2011–2012 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 22–29, 2012	2012 U.S. Championships	15 57.73	8 141.50	15 199.23
2010–2011 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 23–30, 2011	2011 U.S. Championships	16 57.30	17 108.20	16 165.50
2009–2010 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 15–17, 2010	2010 U.S. Championships	22 54.29	14 114.00	17 168.29
October 8–11, 2009	2009 Finlandia Trophy	11 54.94	11 110.09	10 165.03

Junior level

2008–2009 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 18–25, 2009	2009 U.S. Championships	7 51.68	1 119.40	3 171.08
December 10–14, 2008	2008–09 Junior Grand Prix Final	4 64.85	6 113.55	6 178.40
October 15–18, 2008	2008 Junior Grand Prix, United Kingdom	2 68.07	3 119.74	3 187.81
17 – 21 Sept, 2008	2008 Junior Grand Prix, Czech Republic	1 66.53	2 121.05	1 187.58
2007–2008 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 20–27, 2008	2008 U.S. Championships	5 59.12	9 110.07	7 169.19
October 3–6, 2007	2007 Junior Grand Prix, Bulgaria	6 52.65	4 111.97	4 164.92
2006–2007 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
March 29–30, 2007	2007 Gardena Spring Trophy	5 46.27	3 105.53	3 151.80

References

1. "Alexander JOHNSON: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. from the original on October 8, 2018.
2. Hewitt, Chris (January 22, 2016). "U.S. Figure Skating: Alexander Johnson comforted by an old friend, 'Eleanor Rigby'". Pioneer Press. from the original on January 24, 2016.
3. Brannen, Sarah S. (March 3, 2017). . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018.
4. Rutherford, Lynn (October 4, 2018). "Alexander Johnson Savors Every Chance to Compete". U.S. Figure Skating. from the original on October 8, 2018.
5. Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (February 25, 2013). . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
6. Blount, Rachel (January 18, 2016). "Minnetonka skater overcomes injuries to perform at nationals". Star Tribune. from the original on January 24, 2016.
7. Tiegs, Jacque (August 12, 2014). "Johnson rebounds from ankle surgery". Golden Skate.
8. Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (July 3, 2014). . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
9. Cloutier, Claire (May 14, 2019). "Interview with Alexander Johnson (2019)". A Divine Skate. from the original on May 23, 2019.
10. Capellazzi, Gina (August 28, 2018). "At age 28, Alex Johnson is set to make his Grand Prix debut". figureskatersonline.com.
11. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018.
12. Johnson, Alexander (May 31, 2017). "Excited to announce that my short for 2017/2018 will be to Legends by Sacred Spirit. Choreography: Tom Dickson" (Instagram).
13. Johnson, Alexander (May 31, 2017). "A look into my new long program for the 2017/2018 season. I'll be skating to Mea Culpa and Sadeness by Enigma. Choreography: Rohene Ward" (Instagram).
14. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017.
15. "Program info". Official website of Alexander Johnson. from the original on October 8, 2018.
16. Johnson, Alexander (June 1, 2015). "Journal". Alexander Johnson Online / Figure Skaters Online. from the original on January 25, 2017.
17. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.
18. "Alexander Johnson". U.S. Figure Skating. from the original on October 8, 2018.
    . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
    . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013.
19. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 10, 2010.
20. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
21. "Competition Results: Alexander JOHNSON". International Skating Union. from the original on October 8, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Alexander Johnson at the International Skating Union