In his 10 trips to the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships on the novice, junior and senior levels, Douglas Razzano has consistently shown he has the goods to compete with the very best. Following success on the Junior Grand Prix circuit and a trip to the Junior Grand Prix Final, Razzano earned a 5th place result in the senior men's category in 2012 and has competed in senior Grand Prix events the last two years. It was my pleasure to speak with Douglas about his skating, new programs and goals for the upcoming Olympic season:
Q: What achievement so far in your skating 'experience' are you most proud of to date?
A: I would have to say my proudest moment thus far in my skating career was my short program at the 2011 US Championships in Greensboro. It was clean, easy, and the most "out of body" performance I've ever done.
Q: With the 2013/2014 season on the horizon, what are your biggest goals and how
do you plan to achieve them?
A: Naturally, my ultimate goal is to be on the Olympic Team. After my disappointing season last year, I took a step back, realized where I went wrong and made strict plans to change things. I skated very defensively last season like I was protecting my finish from Nationals (5th) the previous year in San Jose. Since January, I’ve reworked my triple axel technique and am working on the quad toe like a fiend to make it consistent. That’s the key to everything in this sport, consistency.
Q: You're a very strong jumper with great attack on your jumps. What do you think will be skating's next benchmark technically? A quad/quad combination? A quad axel? A quint jump? Do you think any of these are even possible and is it worth the risk?
A: I think skating’s next technical benchmark will be just adding more quads to a program. I don’t think I will ever see a quint jump in my lifetime.
Q: What are your thoughts on your competitors and who do you think are the men to beat this season?
A: To be perfectly honest, this is one of the problems I had this past season. I spent too much time worrying about my competitors and trying to please everyone. This season, I’ve really tried to not pay attention to anyone, anything, and just skate for me. I believe that if I skate for me, my results will be good.
Q: What are your new programs for this season and who will you be working with to do choreography?
A: I am going to go back to an old short program from a few years ago that I love so much, "Clair de Lune". For my free skate, I am using "Turandot" and "Nessun Dorma". It is music that I’ve wanted to use for a long time and there isn’t a better season to use it. Since the short was already done, my long choreography will be primarily done by myself and my coach. I have found a passion for choreographing and know that if I skate with my heart and soul, it really doesn’t matter who choreographed the program.
Q: Do you think that PCS need to be evaluated in a more transparent way or are they being fairly judged?
A: I absolutely don’t think that the PCS are fairly judged. As evidenced by this year’s World Championships, there were certain results that were extremely unjust. In my opinion, this system is no better than the last. That may be bold, but the actions of the judges do nothing but prove that.
Q: What's one thing about you most people don't know?
A: Most people don’t know that I have a brother. It’s true! His name is Stephen, he’s 23, and is in business school at Arizona State University. I also have my real estate license so if anyone needs real estate help in Arizona, call me!
Q: If you had to skate pairs or ice dance, who would you choose as your partner?
A: I would do dance. As I’ve gotten older, I have grown to appreciate it so much more than I did when I was younger. Partner wise, I have spoken to Tanith Belbin and we’ve decided that we’d be fantastic.
Q: What one skater - past or present - do you respect most?
A: Michelle Kwan, hands down.
Q: What keeps skating FUN for you and keeps the competitive fire going?
A: I think I still enjoy skating because I love challenging myself physically and mentally to be better and better. I want to achieve my goals. I love performing and live for that amazing moment after an amazing performance.
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