Jason Brown’s Full Circle Moment: Returning To Skate America After Six Years

Skate America has always been close to Jason Brown’s heart. As one of figure skating’s premier international events, it was the stage for his Grand Prix debut in 2013 — the breakthrough season that first propelled him onto the world stage.

Now 30, Brown says this year’s iconic venue in Lake Placid, New York, holds an additional significance. The rink is the same one featured in the 2004 film Miracle, which chronicled the U.S. men’s hockey team’s stunning victory over the Soviets at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980.

“I grew up watching Miracle. I couldn’t be more excited,” Brown says of competing at the Olympic Center’s Herb Brooks Arena. “To have a career this long and finally skate in that rink — it’s such a cool full-circle moment.”

This year’s Skate America will serve as the fifth of six stops on the Grand Prix circuit, featuring competition across all four disciplines — women’s, men’s, pairs, and ice dance. The event has deep roots in Lake Placid, where the inaugural Skate America was held in 1979. This will mark the sixth time the historic rink has hosted the event — and the first since 2017.

Adding to the nostalgia, the 2025 Saatva Skate America also marks Brown’s first appearance at the event in six years.

“It’s crazy that this will be my first Skate America in six years, because it’s also going to be my sixth Skate America,” he says with a laugh. “For so long, Skate America was synonymous to me with the Grand Prix series. I couldn’t wait to get back out there and compete in front of a home crowd. It’s really, really special.”

Something else that will be special is that for his free skate, Brown is bringing back Riverdance — the program that helped define his career more than a decade ago. His winning free skate back in 2013 propelled him to a runner-up finish overall and earned him a place on the U.S. Olympic team for Sochi in 2014 — while a viral video of the performance captivated millions of viewers around the world.

“I can’t believe 12 years later I’m going to get to do it again,” says the two-time Olympian. “I’ve never brought a program back before, so it’s a very new and exciting thing. That program really kicked off my career, so it’s my way of saying thank you to the fans who’ve supported me all these years.”

To him, Skate America has consistently been a testing ground. “It always felt like a pre-nationals event,” says Brown. “Skating in front of that home crowd and having all the same U.S. Figure Skating people behind the scenes always made me more confident walking into the U.S. Championships.”

Brown’s longevity in the sport and Olympic bronze medal speak volumes, but his motivation remains simple.

“I’m so proud that I’ve been top 10 at every single worlds and Olympics I’ve been at; that’s something to be proud of,” he says. “There were times I thought, well, if I’m not winning medals, maybe I’m not competitive. But I’ve learned there are so many ways to go out there and prove that you’re in the mix.”

Over the past two decades — and even since his last Olympics in Beijing in 2022 — he has watched the sport evolve in breathtaking ways.

“It’s taken off technically,” he recalls. “But I want to prove that the quality and integrity of the artistic side of skating matters too.”

That conviction fuels his drive at this stage of his career.

“Every time I go out to compete, the expectation is to be perfect,” he says. “I’ve learned to lean into the messiness, the grit of being a competitor. There are so many paths to success in this sport, and I want to redefine what that looks like.”

Over the years, Brown has learned how to manage the inevitable ups and downs of competition.

“There were times when I took everything personally,” he shares. “If I didn’t perform well, I felt like I was letting people down. Now I know that good or bad, I have a support team rooting for me regardless.”

One anchor of that team has been with him nearly his entire career. “I’ve worked with a sports psychologist every week since I was 10,” he says. “That’s a non-negotiable. I honestly don’t know how I’d function without it.”

The growth that’s come from that has helped him handle the emotional crash after major events.

“After Beijing, I cried for six days straight,” Brown remembers. “It wasn’t that I was upset — I was proud of my skates — but the crash is so intense. Everything builds to that one moment, and when it’s over, it just hits.”

As he looks toward the Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, Brown is making his goals clear.

“First, I want to be on that Olympic team,” he says. “I’d love to help Team USA win another gold in the team event.”

He would also cherish the chance to be on the ice with a new generation. “There’s such an incredible group of athletes going to Milan,” he says. “I just can’t wait to share that experience with them.”

After two decades in the sport, Brown still radiates joy.

“I thought I’d retire eight years ago, then four years ago,” Brown admits. “And now here I am, heading into potentially a third Olympics.”As for what comes next? “I just love this sport so much,” he says. “Whether it’s mentoring, coaching, choreographing, or telling athlete stories, I want to give back. I want more people to fall in love — not just with skating, but with the athletes who make it so special.”