Alex Johnson personifies the teenage overachiever. His figure skating career has taken him from Italy to Bulgaria to this week's U.S. Figure Skating Championships. When he's not competing, he practices two hours a day; when he's not on the ice, he's doing Pilates or other workouts. He is among the top students in his class at Hopkins High School. He has a job at Macy's. In short, Johnson is the kind of kid who can wear out an adult just by reciting his schedule. But with the kind of goals he has, slowing down is not an option.
Johnson, 17, begins his third nationals today with the junior men's short program. Since finishing second in the novice men's division at the 2007 nationals, he has confidently stepped up to juniors, finishing third and fourth in two international events and running away with the Midwestern Sectional title.
"It's already been a great year," said Johnson, of Minnetonka. "I've worked hard all year, and everything paid off. This feels like icing on the cake. I'm really prepared, and I just want to go out and enjoy it."
Actually, Johnson has worked hard since he first put on hockey skates at age 3 to try out the backyard rink his dad made. Six years later, he started lessons; by 2001, he was training with coach Joan Orvis at Edina's Braemar-City of Lakes Figure Skating Club.
Johnson competed in four U.S. Junior Championships, ending with his fifth-place finish in the intermediate division in 2005. His steady climb continued at the nationals, where he moved from ninth place in novice in 2006 to the silver medal last year. That earned him his first international assignments and put him on the fast track to the next level.
In the six weeks after the 2007 nationals, Johnson and Orvis pushed his training into high gear for the shift to juniors. They have added choreographer Sebastien Britten to their team to refine Johnson's artistry, which is maturing as he does. His long legs and broad shoulders give him a natural elegance, and his expression complements his assured, athletic jumps.
Those things don't happen easily. Orvis marvels at the effort Johnson puts in.
"He is so hungry to be successful, he has a work ethic that is unbelievable," Orvis said. "If he has a bad session, he'll pick up another one. With him, it's a matter of perseverance.
"He is totally responsible for everything he does. It's not me talking to his mom. He just takes control."
After earning third place at the Gardena Spring Trophy in Italy, Johnson was invited to represent the United States in his first Junior Grand Prix competition last fall. He finished fourth, and Orvis said such near-misses only fuel his drive. So does the considerable depth of the junior men's field.
Today, Johnson will skate against established junior stars such as Adam Rippon, winner of the 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final; Armin Mahbanoozadeh, last year's U.S. novice champ; and Brandon Mroz, Austin Kanallakan and Curran Oi, who finished second, third and fourth among junior men at the 2007 nationals. Still, Johnson is on a roll. He won the Midwestern Sectional by nearly 33 points, a huge margin in the new scoring system, and only senior winner Wesley Campbell surpassed Johnson's total of 199.26 points at that competition.
A high school senior and honor student, Johnson is eager to show his friends -- most of whom will see him skate for the first time -- what he has been doing when he misses school. Later this week, he will be awarded a U.S. Figure Skating scholarship.
True to his nature, Johnson plans to begin school at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology next year while continuing to train. He said he doesn't want to lose his study habits -- which hardly seems likely.
"You have to set high standards and high goals, in skating and in life," he said. "My education has always been important, and I want to keep pursuing that. And I have a ton more I want to do in skating.
"I'm going through these new chapters of my life, and I'm excited about that. At nationals, I just want to skate two clean programs and enjoy it. I'm just going to go out and do my thing."
