Jeffrey Buttle *Peter Pan*

[Iulya]

Jeffrey Buttle (born September 1, 1982) is a Canadian figure skater. He is the 2008 World Champion and 2006 Winter Olympics bronze medalist. Buttle is the first Canadian men's world champion in 11 years following his gold medal performance in Sweden on March 22, 2008.

http://www.jeffreybuttle.com/images/brickwall2.jpg http://www.jeffreybuttle.com/gallery/db/db-csoi07-01.jpghttp://www.jeffreybuttle.com/gallery/misc/jg08-08.jpg

Biography

Jeffrey Buttle was born in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario, and he began skating at age two and competing at age six. He also competed in ice dancing with his older sister Meghan.

Buttle won the silver medal on the junior level at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in 1998. The next year, he placed in the top ten at his first senior nationals. He rose steadily through his ranks, gaining valuable experience on the junior level. He made his senior international debut in the 2001-2002 season, making his mark immediately by winning the silver medal at the NHK Trophy behind Takeshi Honda. At the Canadian Championships, Buttle made his first run on the podium and placed third. It earned him a trip to Korea for the 2002 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, where he won his first gold medal.

Buttle's bronze medal finish at Nationals caused him to be named first alternate to the Canadian 2002 Olympic Figure Skating Team. However, silver medalist Emanuel Sandhu withdrew too late from the competition for Buttle to replace him, so Buttle did not compete. Instead, he went to the 2002 World Figure Skating Championships and placed high enough to earn Canada two spots to the next World Championships.

The next season, Buttle repeated his podium finish at Nationals, but was unable to defend his title at Four Continents. He worked to turn things around in the 2003-2004 season. He won his first gold medal on the Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit and his second silver. Buttle qualified for the Grand Prix Final, but was forced to withdraw. After that setback, he had a disappointing Nationals and did not earn a spot to Worlds. Buttle was instead sent to the Four Continents Championships, which he won for the second time. Buttle decided he needed a change of scenery and spent that summer training in Lake Arrowhead with Rafael Arutunian, and Arutunian is still his secondary coach, after Lee Barkell.

Buttle recovered in the 2004-2005 season. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final a second time and won the silver medal. He went on to win his first National title. He finished the year with a silver medal at the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships.

In the 2005-2006 Olympics season, Buttle won Trophée Eric Bompard and came in second at Skate Canada. With a gold and a silver medal, he qualified for the Grand Prix Final and captured his second consecutive silver medal at that competition. He went on to win his second National title and went into the Olympics as the reigning World silver medalist. While not a favorite to win, he was a favorite to medal.

At the Olympics, Buttle skated a flawed short program that left him in sixth place going into the free skate. Two days later, during the free skate, Buttle fell on his attempt at a quad toe jump and then put a hand down on the ice after a triple axel. After this inauspicious beginning, he pulled himself together to pull off a personal best and place second in the free skate, third overall, winning Canada's first bronze medal in men's figure skating since Toller Cranston in 1976. Buttle later said that he kept thinking of winning a medal in his short program but later focused on simply enjoying himself in the free skate program, and it paid off.

After the Olympics, Buttle went on to the World Championships, held in Calgary. However, he was unable to perform at his best in front of a home audience and fell to sixth place.

Buttle being thrown by Evan Lysacek at the 2008 Four Continents gala

Buttle withdrew from the 2006 Grand Prix series due to a stress fracture in his back. He began his season at the 2007 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, where he won his third consecutive national title. After Nationals, Buttle went on to the 2007 Four Continents Championships in Colorado. He was the leader after the short program, but a disappointing free skate in which he only did a double axel without combination and a single on the second attempt left him with the silver medal, behind American Evan Lysacek.

Buttle then competed at the 2007 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. In his second international competition of the season, Buttle was second after the short program with a new personal best. He placed eighth in the free skate, dropping down to sixth place overall. His placement, combined with that of Christopher Mabee, earned Canada two spots to the 2008 World Championships.

For the 2007-2008 season, Buttle competed on the Grand Prix, placing third and fourth at his two events. At Nationals, he lost his title to Patrick Chan. At the 2008 Four Continents Championships, Buttle won the silver medal.

At the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships, Buttle surprised many when he won the Gold medal by a nearly 14 point margin after placing first in both programs.

Off the ice

While Buttle's family is not French-Canadian, Buttle went to a French language school as a child and is therefore perfectly bilingual in English and French.[2] He studied chemical engineering at the University of Toronto part-time before taking time off to focus on his skating.

In 2002, he was named one of the top ten "Most Beautiful People in Figure Skating" by the International Figure Skating magazine.

Buttle is the athlete representative on the Skate Canada Officials Advisory Committee.

Buttle has choreographed programs for Kim Yu-Na and Lauren Wilson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blushing over gold
GOTEBORG, SWEDEN -- Jeffrey Buttle couldn't stop blushing yesterday.

"It's been just overwhelming," he said.

"Everyone keeps calling me 'World Champion'. I keep blushing. My name is Jeff."

He said he kept doing it over and over like he did when a capacity crowd of 9,751 fans were introduced to the final skater at the event-ending gala and it was him.

It all really hit home when the P.A. announcer said: "The new world champion, from Canada, Jeffrey Buttle!"




That was an exceptional feeling, one even better than winning a bronze at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

"I knew it was going to be crazy. That's definitely a feeling I'd never had before. I was just hoping I could skate after that," he said. Buttle's first day as world champion here yesterday was a dream.

MOST LIKABLE

Perhaps the most likable person on the Canadian team for the past five years said he didn't take his cellphone to the Scandinavium Arena for his free skate final the night before.

"I left it in my room. When I got back I had 40 messages. The first one was from my sister. They're all wonderful. I still haven't been able to call most of the people back."

Asked if one of them was from the prime minister, Buttle laughed.

"No. I'd feel terrible if the prime minister called and got my voice mail."

Is there a town anywhere in Ontario that won't be laying claim to Canada's new world figure skating champion?

"Smooth Rock Falls," began Buttle of where he was born. "Kapuskasing, London. Timmins, Sudbury, Barrie," continued the 25-year-old, who became the first Canadian to win gold at the event since Elvis Stojko 11 years ago.

"My dad worked for Ontario Hydro. We moved a lot. I've been all over. There's someone at every one of those places who offered me something."

He's especially looking forward to walking into the Mariposa training centre in Barrie, "where they have banners for all the medal winners internationally."

Buttle said being world champion was the last thing to hit home when he sat in Kiss 'n' Cry and his scores came up.

"I was so happy when I skated, I wasn't thinking world champion. I couldn't believe I laid it all down, all the pieces.

"It was such a great win. It was not a questionable win. I had a great skate. I beat the defending world champion who had a great skate."

One minute he spoke of that and the next he was being asked about Vancouver 2010 by three Canadian journalists yesterday.

"I'm ready for it," he said of the build up and attention he just guaranteed he'd receive on the road to Canada's homecountry Olympics.

While many may view his title here as all the stars and moons and planets being perfect and this world title being very difficult to duplicate four years from now, Buttle said that won't be his mindset at all.

"I got this without the quad," he said of the four-rotation jump Kurt Browning landed for the first time at Worlds 20 years ago, and the jump that won Stojko three world titles - one fewer than Browning and the last of which was in 1997.

"Think what I can do with the quad."

Buttle won the world title with some controversy created by silver-medal winner and defending world champion Brian Joubert of France, saying there's something wrong with the judging system that allows a skater to win gold without even trying one.

OTHER ELEMENTS

While many celebrated the idea that the Canadian's win was for all the other elements of skating instead of just the home-run jump, Buttle says he plans to have the quad by the time he gets to the Olympics.

"I didn't obsess with not having the quad, even when I was watching all these guys landing them at practice. I just told myself to stick to my program and do it and do it well.

"But I'm going to go home and definitely push the quad."

Meantime, Buttle heads home to prepare for the Stars On Ice Tour of Canada, which stops in Ottawa April 19, Toronto April 25, London April 27, Winnipeg May 1, Edmonton May 2 and Calgary May 3.

"That's going to be a real reward," he said of being able to celebrate his titles on the 12-city tour, which starts in Halifax and ends up in Vancouver and Victoria.

'And now, ladies and gentlemen, Canada's new world figure skating champion, Jeffrey Buttle!'

He may be blushing every night.

[whisper]

:D Peter Pan has a topic! Ce tare e in poza aia cu peruca:cry:

[rocs_a]

multumim ca ai deschis si pt el thread!
ma uit ca a inceput sa patineze la 2 ani (!?!?!?!)...abia te tii pe picioare pe pamant la varsta aia

[irinaidu]

pater pan, ha ha, nu pot sa cred ca ai scris asta. dar chiar asa arata. o poza cu el cu costumul ala verde, parca de un sp de anul trecut sau acum doi ani are cineva???

[Iulya]

http://www.zazalon.com/jeff060418.jpg

[irinaidu]

super tare!!!

[bijoufan]

offf...baiatul asta sta bine si la tehnic, si la artistic, a castigat si cm'ul asta, as zice pe merit, pentru ca nu a gresit, desi nu mi s a parut ca a stralucit, si totusi, mie nu mi place.nu pot sa mi explic de ce, dar patinajul lui nu ma atrage...:(

[ange_florinutza]

haha..nici mie nu imi place, nu imi place deloc. Cu toate ca sta bine cam la toate capitolele ( in afara de cvatruple). Nu mi-as fi imaginat vreodata ca o sa ajunga campion mondial, nici macar dupa SP. Ori sunt eu nebuna, ori programul lui Brian a fost de 10 ori mai frumos :D

[bijoufan]

atunci suntem 2 nebune, pentru ca si dupa parerea mea, brian a stralucit in LP!:D

[whisper]

Deci 3 pana acum..ca si eu tot pe Bri(daca Steph nu a vrut:() il vroiam campion:ok:

[bijoufan]

m am tot uitat pe ols si pe youtube in ultimele zile si chiar am remarcat cat de iubit este brian joubert. exact acelasi fenomen l am observat si la alexei:D si chiar am vazut niste posturi pe forum, mai vechi, in care fetele l au "transpus" sa zic asa pe brian in alexei yagudin. cred ca asta se datoreaza si daruintei si pasiunii pe care o pun in programele lor, dar mai ales faptului ca isi doresc intotdeauna sa multumeasca publicul, si cred ca asta conteaza mai presus de orice competitie, rivalitate si medalie:)

[rocs_a]

am gasit eu ceva cu verde, insa e doar un tricou. am zis sa pun totusi :) ar fi tare sa aiba si o palarie verde :D
thx Ade :)

[ricochet4]

buratino a castigat campionatele mondiale fara nici o quadrupla. dar oksana baiul a castigat jocurile olimpice fara nici o tripla! si o aterizare pe doua picioare...

[Anisia]

Probabil ca uneori conteaza si ordinea intrarii in competitie, nu? Daca nu era el ultimul, ci Brian,poate ca atunci nu mai era campion.

[Tracoromana]

buratino a castigat campionatele mondiale fara nici o quadrupla. dar oksana baiul a castigat jocurile olimpice fara nici o tripla! si o aterizare pe doua picioare...

Este o mare eroare ce spui in legatura cu Oksana Baiul. La lp a sarit 6 triple dintre care una in combinatie. (Youtube - Oksana Baiul - 1994 Olympic Gold Winner)

As fi postat si linkul dar nu suntem pe threadul potrivit.

[mikeyy]

Chiar daca nu a avut cvadrupla, a avut 2 triplu axel dintre care unul in combinatie cu alte 2 sarituri. Si in plus a mai avut inca 2 combinatii. Iar acel triplu axel in combinatie cu 2-2 a valorat mai mult decat cvadrupla lui Brian.

[rocs_a]

Probabil ca uneori conteaza si ordinea intrarii in competitie, nu? Daca nu era el ultimul, ci Brian,poate ca atunci nu mai era campion.

deja ma dor ochii de cand citesc asta... erau 14-15 puncte intre el si Buttle...nu mai avea cum sa il ia pe jeffrey... doar daca sarea inca vreo 2 cvadruple, dar asta insemna sa renunte la combinatii , pierdea puncte si de acolo si de la cvadruple nu se stie daca primea punctaj maxim...so, aurul pt el era doar un vis, atata vreme cat buttle a facut curat, indiferent de ordinea lor. plus, buttle a fost consecvent, primul la sp, primul la lp

[Anisia]

Ok, ok, am inteles. N-am spus ca sigur devenea el campion,ci doar daca facea totul curat. Jeff a meritat medalia, nu contest.

[irinaidu]

jeff a fost o surpriza pt multi pt ca nimeni nu se astepta ca el sa nu se topeasca in lp asa cum a facut anul trecut. dar bravo lui l-au tinut nervii.
brian a fost superb dar a pierdut cum se zice pe barba lui. punctele de la sp l-au costat. nu are rost sa mai comentez cat de aiurea mi s-a parut totusi arbitrajul la sp. am vazut foaia cu notele in detaliu pt fiecare element. m-am uitat doar la brian, tomas si steph si nu are rost sa mai spun cine mi s-a parut a100 oara supranotat. dar indiferent de asta brian a fost bun dar jeff a fost cel mai bun per total.
eu ma bucur ca am vz o competitie. adica chiar a fost competitie si totul s-a decis in ultimul minut. a fost un dezastru pt nervii mei dar a fost frumos.

[Anisia]

Cred ca ai stat ca pe ace la ultima grupa, nu?:)

[irinaidu]

nu pot sa iti explic. pe de o parte ma gandeam ca sunt stupida si ca nu e munca mea si ca ce o fi o fi dar pe de alta parte aveam senzatia aia in stomac ca inainte de un examen.
plus ca vroiam asa de mult sa fie si johnny si brian pe podium.

[bijoufan]

era mai frumos cu sistemul de notare 6.0:D

[ricochet4]

Este o mare eroare ce spui in legatura cu Oksana Baiul. La lp a sarit 6 triple dintre care una in combinatie. (Youtube - Oksana Baiul - 1994 Olympic Gold Winner)

As fi postat si linkul dar nu suntem pe threadul potrivit.

Nici vorba de asa ceva. Am citit mai demult ca nu ar fi sarit nici o tripla, dar acum, recitind, se pare ca a aterizat o tripla. A ratat si combinatiile, nu a avut nici o tripla in combinatie.

Baiul's program lacked any technical punch until the final seconds, when she rescued the gold medal with a triple-toe jump and a double-axel, double-toe combination jump. She had landed a sloppy triple flip in the first minute, left out two combination jumps, then reduced a triple toe to a double.

Sursa: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE0DC163AF935A15751C0A9629582 60&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

"Nancy did a triple-triple combination and the other skater (Oksana Baiul) did a double axel, double toe, that's a nothing combination," said Josee Chouinard of Canada who finished ninth.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE0DC163AF935A15751C0A9629582 60

[lady_k]

Tocmai am citit pe FSU ca bunicul lui Jeff a murit martea trecuta.:(
Saracul, nici nu se poate bucura pe deplin de medalie....

[ricochet4]

bunicul ?

[lady_k]

Da, bunicul.

[ricochet4]

deci bunicul nu se poate bucura pe deplin ?

[lady_k]

Nu. Asa se intelege?:P La Jeff ma refeream.

[irinaidu]

hai mai rico ca esti raut :P cu bunicul :D

[irinaidu]

sunt in dispozitie de gale si iata ca are si pan una care imi place.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VP-jVroV81E

[florik2000]

Things were looking bad for Jeff Buttle in late 2006. Many thought the Canadian figure skater had reached the zenith of his career by winning the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. In August of the year, he suffered a stress fracture in his back due to over training, and was off the ice entirely for two months. Afterwards, he just practiced edges for another month before resuming full time training in November.

"I didn't need any surgery, just rest," Buttle recalled, "but it was difficult coming back. I felt like I was starting from scratch. I had quite a bit of pain because I hadn't been using my back and it was tight. I had to do a lot of pain management. I still have some residual pain but I'm as fully recovered as I'm going to be."

Buttle's Grand Prix results didn't give any indication that he would have a sterling 2007-08 season. Though he won several Grand Prix events, including the NHK Trophy in 2003, the Cup of China in 2004, and Trophée Bompard in 2005, he had not won in 2006 or 2007. While he was the runner-up at the ISU Grand Prix Final in both 2005 and 2006, he then missed the event for the next two seasons due to his injury. With other skaters performing well in the series, Buttle was not on anyone's radar as a podium favorite in 2008.

The po****r blonde from Smooth Rock Falls has always fared well at Canadian Nationals, winning the title from 2005 to 2007, and never finishing off the podium since 2001. But signs of impending decline were there too when he finished second to upstart Patrick Chan in 2008.

"I knew Patrick was going to be good at Nationals," Buttle noted. "Then he came in the long program and just blew us away. It's great to have that kind of push domestically, but it did motivate me to work even harder."

Unless you're a Japanese lady, not being your national champion does not bode well for the major international season. First up for Buttle was the Four Continents Championships, which has always been good to him. He had amassed a pile of medals from the event since its inception, winning gold in 2002 and 2004, but only a silver in 2007. But on a good note, the 2008 competition was in the Far East where Buttle knew he'd have impressive fan support. Just like the previous season, however, he had to settle for the silver.

"I was pleased with the result," said Buttle of his 2008 silver medal. "I wasn't overly pleased by how I skated, but I think it was a small improvement over Nationals. As long as things are getting better, I'm happy with that. My goal was just to improve on my consistency and have confidence going into Worlds, and I accomplished that."

"I trained great after Four Continents," he continued. "After looking at the protocol, we changed some of the highlights to be more judge-friendly. It was the same elements in the long program, but in a different order to try to show them off better and get more points."

The strategy worked when it was time for the big one - Worlds. After winning the silver medal at the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships, Buttle had not regained the podium at Worlds, placing sixth in both 2006 and 2007. No one expected him to win in 2008, but he did. And he won convincingly, taking both the long and the short program to surpass 2006 World champion Brian Joubert by almost 14 points. He was the only gold medalist at Worlds to win all phases of the competition.

"It was definitely a second chance for me," Buttle noted. "I was in the same position last year, skating last after being second in the short, but I finished sixth. So this year, what was different is that I was much more prepared. I had the intention to go out and skate my best, not worrying about what I don't have, and just enjoy myself. I was very happy with how I skated. When I went out on the ice, it felt just like home."

When Buttle reached the 'Kiss and Cry' area after the long program, he asked his coach if it would be enough. "He said yes," recalled Buttle. "I asked 'good enough for a medal?' and he said 'No, it might be enough for a gold medal'. I don't know if I believed him. Maybe I half believed him. It was just surreal when the marks came up. I was just shocked."

Buttle feels that his win is a testimony to how hard he has worked. Not just the jumps, but on everything. "I was fortunate to skate a clean program. I was training very hard to do that, not just the jumps. We worked whole sessions on spins and everything in between. That is figure skating - everything that happens in those four and a half minutes. It's not just about the jumps."

The 25-year-old shared that he became inspired with skating after watching Kurt Browning and Brian Orser. "It was about the most memorable programs. You remember the program, not what elements they did. That's when I'm most passionate when I skate. I went out there and left everything on the ice and had my heart on my sleeve. I definitely feel that I earned the title. It put a kick in my step."

For his 2007-08 short program, Buttle used a triple flip-triple toe loop combination complemented with a triple Lutz and triple Axel. He also used a triple Axel-triple toe combination to open his long program, which included two other combinations - a triple Salchow-double toe loop and triple Lutz-double toeloop-double loop. His solo jumps included four more triples (Axel, flip, loop and Lutz) and a double Axel.

"I'm always working on the quad toe loop," noted Buttle. "I first landed one in practice at the NHK Trophy in 2002, but it's not consistent. If I can get to 60 percent, I'll put it in the program. I also started back working on the quad Salchow and quad loop last year. I started landing the quad Salchow a while ago, but had stopped working on it. I land some in practice each week, but it's about the same as the quad toe. I'll work on the quads more this summer."

Lately, however, Buttle has been trying to improve his triple toeloop. "It's sometimes good, sometimes ugly. Once I can land the quad toe, adding a triple toe afterwards won't be too hard if I can fix the triple toe." Buttle, however, did have the quad toe-triple toe combination in both his long and short program as far back as 2002.

Rafael Arutunian and Lee Barkell coach Buttle, who splits his training time equally between Lake Arrowhead, California and Barrie, Ontario, Canada. He has worked with Barkell for several years, and with Arutunian since the spring of 2004.

"Having two different perspectives solidified some things in my mind," Buttle said of the dual-coach system that works well for him. "Switching from one style to another helps me identify what I need to work on to improve. Rafael has really helped me to develop consistency and increase my mental strength."

Buttle usually trains for three or four hours a day on ice, six days a week. He also does an hour or two of off ice work every day. "I started with more strength training after my injury so I could handle more impact," he said. "Now I'm doing more plyometrics, Pilates and ballet."

The skater used to do competitive ballet when he was younger, but now just does it for maintenance. "I started in ballet for skating but there was a lack of guys, so I had a partner and did both duets and solos in recitals. But it got to be where ballet was fighting with skating so I had to stop."

Buttle took his dancing skills to the ice, partnering with his sister, Meghan, in ice dancing from ages eight to 12. "That was so long ago that I don't even remember what results we had," he admitted. "I think we made it up to intermediate dance, but I was shorter than she was and she wanted to go on to Nationals. I think I was holding her back because after I quit, she did really well." Meghan went on to compete nationally in ice dancing and internationally in synchro.

Buttle had actually started going to public skating when he was two. "There wasn't much to do in town except skate," he acknowledged, "and I was never a huge hockey fan." By the time he was eleven, he had mastered the double Axel, and at 13, had landed both the triple toeloop and the triple Salchow.

David Wilson choreographs Buttle's programs. "I started with David when I was young and just did what I was told. Now it's more of a collaboration. It makes my programs better and better each year. David and I bring lots of ideas for music to the table and we don't keep it if we don't agree on it. David found the music for the short and I found the music for the long."

For the last part of the 2007-08 season, Buttle used Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla for the short and music from the Ararat soundtrack by Michael Danna for the long. Earlier in the season, he used I Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo for the short, but now uses the music for his exhibition programs.

The music for both programs is the same as for the 2006-07 season. "I only competed them two times," Buttle explained. "I knew from the get go that I was going to keep the long, but I got a new short. After the Cup of Russia, the judges and the federation told me I should go back to my old short. I loved the new one, but I had not competed it well, and I needed to find something in my comfort zone."

The short program is actually a softer version of Adios Nonino. "A lot of people have skated to it before," said Buttle, "but this version is unique. Piazzolla dedicated it to his dying father and I dedicated it to my parents who did so much for me in my skating."

"The long program music is from a Canadian film that was on television," he continued. "I loved the music when I saw the film. Since the music is Armenian, and Rafael is Armenian, it was a perfect fit."

Last summer, I Pagliacci was one of the first pieces of music Buttle and Wilson listened to. "We wanted to so something more theatrical," said Buttle, "but it was too far out of my comfort range. I loved it and didn't want to get rid of it ,so we re-edited it to add the operatic part and used it for the gala."

Buttle is immensely po****r in Asia, where Korean and Japanese fans accord him the status of a rock star and shower him with gifts at each event in the Far East. He appreciates their interest. "I look through everything and bring some of the presents home for family and the younger skaters at the rink," he said. "Some of the others I give to charitable organizations. I keep all the letters to write back."

The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver will be Buttle's last hurrah. "I'm getting up there in age and there's other stuff I want to do," he shared. "I have a blast in Stars on Ice and I want to do more shows while I'm still young. I only got to do 12 shows last year and by the end of the last one, I wished I could keep going."

Buttle also deferred his studies at the University of Toronto when he started going to California in 2005. "They've been really good about it, but I want to finish my degree in chemical engineering. I've only got one full year finished now. I'll probably stay involved in skating, probably in choreography because I'm more passionate about the creative side of skating. Working with David has made me fonder of that end of it. Every year I become more and more involved."

The athlete trained as a judge under the old scoring system and currently serves on the Skate Canada Officials Advisory Committee. "I've studied the new system enough to compete," said Buttle, "but not to judge. And we have callers come to the rink to evaluate my programs to see if we've interpreted the rules correctly. I doubt that I'll judge in the future."

To relax, Buttle listens to all kinds of music. "I like rock, classical and a variety of different music," he said. "I also like to hang out with my friends and family. I tried to watch all of the movies that were nominated for the Oscars. I like good films in any genre." Buttle also likes to read, mainly comedies. He also likes to go to the beach for holidays. The skater is also an active volunteer for local charities including the Alzheimer's Society, Sunnybrook Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital.

[praf_de_stele]

yey...ii place rock`ul :cool: atunci e baiat bun...:P
eu chiar m`am bucurat ca a castigat medalia de aur...a meritat`o :)

[Iulya]

Buttle preparing new programs in California
World champion still not sure he will add quad next season

http://web.icenetwork.com/images/2008/03/24/osU4m4fZ.jpg

By Laurie Nealin, special to icenetwork.com (07/16/2008)


Jeffrey Buttle takes what he calls "nature walks" several times a day when he is training in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., -- not for pleasure, mind you, but out of necessity.

It seems that the tree-shrouded cottage in which the world champion lives while working with coach Raphael Arutunian is impenetrable when it comes to communicating via cellphone, so Buttle takes his Blackberry outside in search of a signal.

"I'll take one step to the left," said the three-time Canadian champ when informed that a strange echo was distorting his voice during an interview with icenetwork.com.

Buttle arrived in California about a week ago after working with choreographer David Wilson in Toronto to create his new programs for the 2008-09 season.

His short program is set to a piano and strings composition by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Buttle describes the piece, entitled "May in the Backyard," as "very avant-garde in its style, yet with a classical feel."

"It's really cool. When I asked David about it, he loved it. It's kind of playful in parts, then sharp in other parts. It brings out my personality. At the same time, it's doing something I've never really done before," Buttle said.

The long program is a "very classic, very clean" piece by British composer Gerald Finzi. Buttle said he downloaded it onto his iPod without realizing it, but when he heard it he was immediately attracted to the music. It is entitled "Eclogue," a word which means a literary or musical poetic verse.

This week, Buttle is headed to South Korea where the who's who of the sport will perform in two Superstars on Ice shows this weekend. Then, it's off to Japan for four shows headlined by his female counterpart Mao Asada. Buttle reported that Evgeny Plushenko and Evan Lysacek will perform in Korea, while Sasha Cohen is slated to skate in both countries.

The global travel should prove to be a good warm-up for the season ahead which will see Buttle travel to Beijing for the Cup of China and, hopefully, back to Seoul for the Grand Prix Final.

The Cup of China comes on the heels of the Skate Canada event, but that doesn't faze Buttle in the least since he reports never having suffered jet-lag when traveling to Asia.

"I might get affected a little bit on the way back. Traveling to Europe affects me more. I'm not really sure why. The first night I just make sure I don't fall asleep too early and then my body is pretty quick at adjusting to schedules," said Buttle, who won the 2004 Cup of China in Beijing.

Buttle has not committed to any summer competitions as yet, preferring to wait and see how well his programs progress. If he were to do a competition, it would be the Thornhill event which is held in the Toronto area in mid-August.

After returning from Asia, Buttle will train for a few more weeks in California before heading home to his training site in Barrie, Ontario, where he will also perform on Aug. 7th with a star-studded cast in the annual Mariposa Gala, a fundraiser for a local hospital.

"This year's show is going to be so awesome. There are so many great skaters performing," he noted.

Buttle is the third world men's champion from Canada to come out of the Mariposa school. Brian Orser was the first, followed by Elvis Stojko.

"It's crazy, really. They have everyone's names and their international and national results on these boards. It's pretty cool that I can join that Barrie club," said Buttle, whose own stats have not yet been updated to mark his global win last March.

"Maybe they are waiting until after the [2010] Olympics," Buttle chuckled.

In response to the question that Buttle is perennially asked about his intentions to get a quadruple jump into his repertoire, he said he will focus on training that jump once his physical strength is back up to championship form later this summer. As for the changes the ISU made -- increasing the points awarded for quads while also taking greater deductions if the attempt fails -- Buttle said his intent is to have his quad so consistent that the risk of missing it is a non-issue.

So far, the highlight of Buttle's summer has been performing outdoors in Sun Valley, Idaho, at one of the legendary summer ice shows held there. He described last weekend's new experience as "really neat, really cool."

The last time Buttle skated outdoors was at the annual opening of an outdoor ice rink last December in Barrie. It was -20 Celsius for that outing.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080716&content_id=49351&vkey=ice_news

[irinaidu]

iulia, te-ai pus pe adunat stiri !!! mersi !!!

[Iulya]

Jeffrey Buttle retires from figure skating:shock:
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 | 7:37 PM ET Comments23Recommend72


Reigning world champion Jeff Buttle is retiring from figure skating, saying that he's satisfied with everything he has accomplished in his career.

Buttle, 26, started considering his options following his world championship victory in Sweden this past spring.

"After a few months, and after I recovered from the high, I decided to look at everything I've accomplished," Buttle told reporters at a Toronto hotel on Wednesday. "And coming to this decision, I had to make sure that I was proud and satisfied with everything that I've done. At that point, I was sure."

Buttle said the lure of competing for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver gave him pause to think about continuing on, but in the end, the world champion decided enough was enough.

"That was definitely the battle that was going on in my mind. I had to figure out if that was something that I really wanted," Buttle explained. "After the world championship, I was so happy with winning that I had to reflect on how important that was to me and having the Olympics here in Vancouver is important to me but winning them wasn't. It just wasn't in my heart."

Lee Barkell, Buttle's coach of 18 years, said the one thing that stood out about Buttle above all else was his genuine joy and passion for the sport.

"That was something he was able to maintain during his entire career, through all the ups and downs," said Barkell, who was also impressed by the drive and commitment Buttle displayed at all times.

"Every single day he skated, he was on a mission," Barkell said.

An engineering student at the University of Toronto, Buttle said he intends to continue to pursue his degree and participate in some professional figure skating shows. He also wants to stay involved with the sport and help Skate Canada in some way.

"Jeff has been a leader and ambassador for our sport and country over the years. He has embraced his role as a Canadian champion, world champion and Olympian by being a role model for young skaters in Canada and will continue to be involved and support Skate Canada," said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson.

Buttle made his senior international debut in the 2001-2002 season, placing second at a Grand Prix event in Japan.

He then placed third at the Canadian championships and first at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

During the next six seasons, he climbed steadily through the ranks of international skating.

In addition to winning three national titles (2005, 2006 and 2007), he won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. In sixth place after a flawed short program in Italy, Buttle turned in a solid free skate to land on the medal podium.

Buttle won a gold (2008) and a silver (2005) in the world championships.

At this year's worlds in Sweden, he placed first in both programs and won the title by a wide margin.

Though he didn't attempt the vaunted quadruple jump, Buttle finished almost 14 points ahead of defending champion Brian Joubert of France.

With that victory, he became the first Canadian man to win a world title since Elvis Stojko in 1997.

"Representing Canada around the world has been an honour and I'm very proud of my achievements as a competitive figure skater," Buttle said. "I've had so much support throughout my career and I'll be forever grateful to my fans, coaches and of course, my family."

[Tracoromana]

Mie una imi pare rau ca se retrage. Tocmai incepuse sa imi placa, mai ales dupa showul Supermatch Koreea cand m-a amuzat placerea lui de a patina...

[praf_de_stele]

nu pot sa cred...:(

[Cristinush]

Pe bune?! :shocked: wow, nici nu ma gandeam...desi..poate e mai bine pt el sa se retraga dupa o victorie mare, decat s-o dea in bara la vreo competitie majora. oricum, ramane acelasi simpatic peter pan :) :P

[irinaidu]

si pe mine m-a socat. nu imi pare rau in mod deosebit dar sunt mirata. probabil ca omului chiar ii place sa patineze dar nu si sa fie in competitie. am observat asta la mai multi. ce e drept e ca spiritul competitie nu e tot una cu talentul. si cred ca presiune asupra lui acum ca olimpiada e in vancouver era cam mare.
dar asta totusi ma bucura dintr-un punct de vedere. dupa worlds anul asta brian nu a mai ales sa faca urmatoarele programe cu kurt browning. nu se stie de ce. si toata lumea a zis ca e din cauza ca canadienii l-ar fi obligat pe kurt sa nu il mai ajuta pe brian si sa-l ajute pe jeff pt olys. e clar acum ca treaba asta nu e adevarata.

[mikeyy]

Eu cred ca a intervenit ceva...poate si-a dat seama ca nu va putea face fata competitiei de anul acesta si decat sa aiba parte de un rezultat slab mai bine se retrage......e de apreciat ca stie cand sa se retraga.
De asemenea poate se va razgandi pt Vancouver....e la el acasa olimpiada si chiar daca va avea un rez mai slab nimic nu se compara cu prezenta la o editie a JO organizata in propria tara.
Mai e un lucru de luat in seama...cat de mult a evoluat Patrick Chan....si asta poate fi un factor!

Nu-mi cade bine cand aud ca se retrag marii campioni!

[irinaidu]

mie nu-mi cade bine cand aud de patrick chan. oricat nu m-ar interesa jeffrey buttle macar el cand ii ieseu lucrurile era digerabil si are unele showuri de gala chiar faine. dar patrick chan ma face sa ma duc sa-mi incalzesc ceva de mancare pana termina el rutina.

mihai, dar daca jef nu participa la nici o competite preolimpica cum s-ar putea califica pt olys??? intreb pt ca nu stiu exact mecanismul.

[mikeyy]

Nu trebuie sa participe el neaparat...fiecare tara isi castiga locurile. Canada fiind tara gazda, cred ca va avea 3 locuri asigurate, indiferent ce vor face la mondialele din 2009.

[irinaidu]

aha. dar ar trebui sa participe macar la nationalele de anul viitor, nu?

ps: sper ca nu face e-man un come back. :D

[Cristinush]

ps: sper ca nu face e-man un come back. :D

Mai bine nu:D mai bine Patrick Chan, daca ar fi dupa mine :P

[whisper]

:P Eh...daca asa a hotarat: Drum bun pe mai departe! Succes!(in ce o vrea el sa se implice).


Eu cred ca a intervenit ceva...poate si-a dat seama ca nu va putea face fata competitiei de anul acesta si decat sa aiba parte de un rezultat slab mai bine se retrage......e de apreciat ca stie cand sa se retraga.
Cu chestia asta sunt sunt de acord - desi ar putea fi luata ca o lipsa de curaj din partea lui sau a oricui face asta, dar il inteleg.

[rocs_a]

mie chiar imi pare rau pt el, in primul rand pentru ca era un patinator bun care te facea sa sari de pe canapaea .
bine ca s-a retras in glorie macar
si-n plus, dupa 18 ani probabil o fi asteptat omul apogeul si cum l-a atins , poate i s-o fi acrit de rutina . asa as vedea eu situatia.

[mikeyy]

aha. dar ar trebui sa participe macar la nationalele de anul viitor, nu?


Da....in urma nationaleor isi desemneaza reprezentantii

[Iulya]

Un articol interesant despre Jeff Buttle
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/cover_title.gif (http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/INDEX.PHP) - click here

cateva poze din articol:
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/medal.jpg
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/GreenTSitting.jpg
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/Jersey.jpg
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/archive/2008/DECEMBER/look%20down%20skate.jpg

[irinaidu]

iulia, dar articolul nu e?

[Iulya]

cum sa nu fie?
da click pe imaginea cu titlu Jeffery Buttle Makes a gracefull exit

[irinaidu]

aha. nu ma prinsesem. acum l-am citit dar dupa ce mi l-ai dat pe mess :)

[Cristinush]

Frumoase pozele (indeosebi ultima;) ) si dragutz articolul!Merci :)
btw, pe tatal lui il cheama Peter, acuma stim de unde vine Peter Pan :P

[irinaidu]

fun program chiar daca camasa e cam dubioasa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7TKdnAnHUQ&feature=channel_page

[praf_de_stele]

s`a inspirat de la sandhu :cry:

[Iulya]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090312.WBGoFigure20090312181421/WBStory/WBGoFigure

Buttle busy, even in retirement

Since reigning world figure skating champion Jeff Buttle quit the competitive life, he's had no shortage of skaters seeking him out to choreograph their routines.

Buttle will design the routines for at least five skaters, including Tommy Steenberg, a 20-year-old who finished tenth at the U.S. championships this year behind Jeremy Abbott (after being seventh in the long program).

Buttle has been busy on skating tours since early January and will try to squeeze some of the work in between tours. He's currently in the midst of the U.S. tour of Stars on Ice. When it finishes, he'll be a headliner in the 12-stop Canadian arm of the tour, which starts April 23 in Halifax and finishes in Vancouver on May 12.

He's also signed up to do programs for Edbert Khong, one of the stars of the Junior Nationals in Calgary last month. Khong finished second in pre-novice men, and won the ice dancing event at the same level with his sister Edrea.

He also skated in a Japanese arm of the tour, which caused him to miss the Canadian championships in Saskatoon in January.

"It felt really weird not being at Four Continents or nationals,'' he said on Thursday, in Toronto to sign autographs at a Sears store. "In Japan, it was tough for me even to see videos on the internet.''

But he doesn't regret his decision to retire from competitive skating, even after winning his world title in spectacular fashion in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2008. "I'm having the time of my life,'' he said. "I knew right from the get-go that I'm doing what I want to be doing.''

On the Stars on Ice tour, he opens with a fun, disco number that he hopes will attract U.S. fans. He has skated seldom in the United States.

He then follows up with what was meant to be his long program this season, before he decided to retire. Performing it under spotlights, he said, is "magical.''

He says he pulls out all the stops in the long routine and performs six triple jumps. Because he's breaking in new skaters, he won't do triple Axels in the program until later in the tour. It's difficult, he says, adjusting to different ice surfaces at every pause. In Detroit, he found the ice was hockey-hard, and had to adjust his technique in the pre-event warmup.

Buttle has been living out of a suitcase this season, and hasn't been home to his Toronto loft more than 10 days in the past six months. If he has time to spare, he visits his parents in Barrie, Ont.

He says he doesn't mind being on the road, but, like everyone else on tour, gets weary of wearing the same clothes, week after week. "None of us is really impressed by any of our wardrobes any more,'' he said.

[Iulya]

Jeffrey Buttle: Loving the Pro Life
http://www.ifsmagazine.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1789

[whisper]

Sa stergem praful de pe acest topic!
Jeffrey Buttle se insoara..sau marita..de fapt se casatoreste :) pe 16 august va avea loc nunta! Norocosul va fi un anume Justin :)
http://www.theknot.com/wedding/Jeffrey-and-Justin/view/8939382816359723/43343448

Felicitari ambilor! Sper ca mariajul sa tina ceva mai mult decat cel al lui Johnny!