At the age of nineteen, Johnny Weir has already experienced more intense competition and international exposure than most athletes his age dream of. The personal highs of goal achievement and stunning results of a quiet confidence push this young figure skater from Delaware to be the best athlete he can be.

On January 10, 2004, Weir, the 2001 World Junior Champion, won his first U.S. National Championship. He is currently preparing to compete in his first World Championships, which will be held in Germany this March.

Considered one of the sport's "rising stars," Weir actually got a late jump on skating, starting at age 12. An active youngster, Weir tried soccer, baseball, and equestrian before finally settling on skating and dedicating himself to the sport.

It was while Weir was still riding and showing horses that he first became interested in figure skating after watching it on television. He loved watching the sport and even went so far as to try out the jumps himself on roller skates in his family's basement.

Weir's first venture onto the ice occurred one harsh winter when the corn field behind his house froze over. Weir was thrilled to receive a second-hand pair of skates for Christmas, and to his parents' amusement, he used them to skate in between the frozen corn stalks! That convinced them to let him take group lessons at the University of Delaware.

At the end of his first lesson, Weir was supposed to practice stroking with his group, but he decided to try jumping instead. He had gotten pretty good in his family's basement, but the slippery ice was a different matter! Nevertheless, Weir's quicker-than-average progress soon became evident, and after only three lessons, his instructor approached his mother to let her know that her son showed promise and might benefit from private instruction.

The decision to choose between horseback riding and private skating lessons was a difficult one for Johnny, who had experienced much success on the equestrian circuit, but ultimately, he chose skating.

In his first year of skating, Weir tested up to the juvenile division and made the Junior Olympics in both freestyle and pairs (with Jodi Rudden). Weir and Rudden moved up to intermediate pairs, qualifying a second year for the Junior Olympics, but the following season, Weir gave up pairs and began concentrating on his singles skills.

Skipping intermediate freestyle, Weir moved up to the novice division and experienced immediate success -- a bronze medal at the 1998 U.S. Championships in Philadelphia.

Moving up to the junior division in 1999, Weir finished fourth at the U.S. Championships in Salt Lake City and went on to compete at two Junior Grand Prix events the following season, finishing second and seventh in his series debut.

At the 2000 U.S. Championships in Cleveland, Weir placed first in the short program, but struggled in the freeskate to finish fifth overall.

The following summer, Weir set his sights on the senior freestyle test and passed it. His senior-level debut at the 2001 U.S. Championships in Boston was a successful one in which he placed sixth overall.

Internationally, Weir still competed as a junior in 2000-2001, placing 6th and 2nd in his two Junior Grand Prix events.

On March 1, 2001, Weir won the World Junior Championship, capping off a wonderful year of skating.

The following season, Weir began competing both nationally and internationally at the senior level, placing 10th at the 2001 Goodwill Games, seventh at Skate Canada, and fourth at Troph饠Lalique.

At the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles, Weir improved his placement from the previous year, finishing fourth in the short program and fifth overall. He was named as an alternate to the World Championship and Olympic teams that year, and went on to compete at the Four Continents Championships, another senior international event. Weir narrowly missed the podium at that event, finishing fourth.

The 2002-2003 season was a difficult one for Weir. After having to withdraw from both of his Grand Prix events due to illness, he looked forward to the 2003 U.S. Championships in Dallas as a chance to prove himself. He seemed to be on his way to doing just that with a stunning 2nd place finish in the short program, but a knee injury during his free skate forced him to withdraw from the event. Despite this disappointment, Weir remains optimistic about his skating and knows what he needs to do to make things happen in his career.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Johnny Weir. His long term goals include being an Olympic and World Champion, and someday being a coach. Weir's main focus in skating right now is just getting more road mileage under his belt. He has achieved so much in such a short period of time that this is a very exciting time for him. At the same time, it can be very intimidating, but Johnny is a very intense and focused young man. He truly knows what he wants to do with his life, and he knows what he has to do to achieve those goals.

--figureskatersonline.com