A year ago at this time, Jeffrey Buttle was probably flat on his back on a couch somewhere, learning how the other half lives.
The half that watches events like HomeSense Skate Canada on television, wishing they could be out there on the ice, doing all that fun stuff.
His back was that much of a mess, his fall season a complete writeoff.
So if you're Mr. Buttle, you don't quibble a heck of a lot about the fact your performance Sunday at Pepsi Colisee wasn't quite up to your lofty standards.
Nope. You just take your bronze medal and run.
And enjoy it for all it's worth.
"Nothing hurts and I'm feeling good," said Buttle, 25, of Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. "Very much (better). I think we spent a lot of work just getting stronger and getting the jumps bigger, and I know they have been.
"So now it’s just about getting the mileage on the programs and making sure that I’m getting the other stuff done."
Buttle will be the first to tell you he's nowhere near being the guy who proudly brought home a bronze medal from the 2006 Torino Olympics, or a silver the previous year from the world championships.
Not just yet, anyways.
"I think it’s just going to take (more) training," said Buttle. "Making sure that when I come to competitions, that I’m ready and feel capable of winning. This time, I was probably not in that place. I had a really bad competition in Barrie a couple of weeks ago ... it was just a little competition, but stuff like that can affect you.
"I just need to train a little harder."
It wasn't really anybody's best day in Sunday's free skate, with the possible exception of Belgium's Kevin van der Perren, who won the day and the silver medal, behind world champion Brian Joubert of France.
You listen to the athletes in the sport long enough, though, and you'll realize it isn't always about where you finish.
Especially when it's only November.
So you take the small victories when you can get them. And for Buttle, being physically able to compete beats the heck out of the alternative.
Every day of the week, for that matter.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I'm thinking the problem with Jeff's skating isn't his skating but what has been going on in his head lately. Up until a week and a half ago or so Jeff was down in the L.A. Santa Ana Valley area where he lives while training at Lake Arrowhead. There have been some very distructive fires there. A matter a fact Jeff had to evacuate from where he was staying because the fires were closing in. I think what hampered Jeff's skating was life. He was probably thinking of too many things at once and didn't skate with the usual passion. Like when was the last time you saw a World/Olympic level competitor mess up basic crosscuts? It had to be what was going on in his life off of the ice in the last few weeks.
I hope life gets better for Jeff, so that he can enjoy his skating in and out of competition.
Post a Comment