Brandon Mroz (born December 22, 1990) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2009 U.S. silver medalist and the 2006 & 2007 Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist. He is the first skater to have completed a

quadruple Quadruple may refer to: * 4-tuple, an ordered list of elements, with four elements * Quad (figure skating), a figure skating jump * Quadruple (computing), a term used as alternative for nibble in some contexts * Quadruple-precision floating-point ...

Lutz jump The Lutz is a figure skating jump, named after Alois Lutz, an Austrian skater who performed it in 1913. It is a toepick-assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. It is the ...

in a sanctioned competition.

Personal life

Brandon Mroz was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, one of four brothers. His mother and a brother suffered serious injuries in a car accident. Mroz's mother was at one time a synchronized skater, and his father an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player. Mroz has expressed interest in becoming a dentist.

Career

Early career

Mroz began skating at age 3 and a half. He was coached by Shannon Nester and Debbie Howe from 2001 through 2004 and by

Doug Leigh Douglas Leigh is a Canadians, Canadian figure skating coach. He is the head coach and founder of the Mariposa School of Skating. Among his former students are Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, Takeshi Honda, Jennifer Robinson (figure skater), Jennifer R ...

and Michelle Leigh in Barrie, Ontario, from 2002 through 2004. In addition to singles skating, he also trained as an

ice dancer Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...

and tested in that discipline up to silver level in the U.S. Figure Skating testing structure. In the 2001–02 season, Mroz competed on the juvenile level, the lowest competitive level in the United States. He represented the St. Louis Skating Club in competition. He won his regional competition, the Upper Great Lakes Regional Championship, to qualify at the juvenile level for the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed 6th in his qualifying group and went on to place 18th overall. In the 2002–03 season, Mroz moved up to the intermediate level. He won both the short program and the free skate at his regional competition to win the gold medal overall. By this win he qualified to compete at the intermediate level at the 2003 U.S. Junior Championships, where he placed second in his qualifying group, 16th in the short program, and 7th in the free skate to place 11th overall. In the 2003–04 season, Mroz moved up to the novice level. At the regional championship, the first qualifying competition for the

U.S. Figure Skating Championships The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is ofte ...

, Mroz won the short program and the free skate to win the gold medal overall. This win qualified him for the 2004 Midwestern Sectional Championships, the second and final qualifying competition for the national championships. At Sectionals, Mroz placed fourth in the short program and second in the free skate to win the silver medal overall. With this medal he qualified for the 2004 U.S. Championships at the novice level. At Nationals, Mroz placed 7th in the short program and the free skate to place 7th overall. Following the event, Mroz competed at the 2004

Copenhagen Trophy The Copenhagen Trophy is an annual figure skating competition held in Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarte ...

, where he won the novice men's competition after winning both segments of the competition In the 2004–05 season, Mroz remained on the novice level. At his regional championships, he placed second in the short program and in the free skate to win the silver medal overall. This medal qualified him for the Midwestern Sectional Championships where he placed 8th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 6th overall. Due to this placement, he did not qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. In 2005, Mroz moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he joined

Tom Zakrajsek Tom Zakrajsek (pronounced ''Za-cry-sheck''; born December 10, 1963) is an American figure skating coach and former competitive skater. As a skater, he competed as a senior on the national level. He coaches at the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colo ...

. In the 2005–06 season, he remained on the novice level for a third and final season. He had moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for his training, and represented the

Broadmoor Skating Club The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was ...

there. A switch of club meant a change of region. Competing at the Southwestern Regional Championship, Mroz won the short program and the free skate to win the gold medal overall. This win qualified him for the 2006 Midwestern Sectionals where Mroz competed for the first time under the

ISU Judging System The ISU Judging System (or the International Judging System (IJS)), occasionally referred to as the Code of Points (COP) system, is the scoring system that has been used since 2004 to judge the figure skating disciplines of men's and ladies' sin ...

. He won the short program and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, ahead of

Eliot Halverson Eliot Jon Halverson (born November 8, 1990) is an American figure skater. As a men's singles skater, she is the 2007 US Junior National Champion. Personal life Halverson was born in Bogotá, Colombia and was adopted from Colombia at age five m ...

. This win qualified him, again, for the 2006 U.S. Championships. At the 2006 U.S. Championships, Mroz won the short program by a point margin of 1.48. He placed third in the free skate, 5.25 points behind the leader in that segment. Mroz won the silver medal overall, placing 2.26 points behind champion

and 2.94 points ahead of bronze medalist

Curran Oi Curran Oi (born October 19, 1990) is an American figure skater. He won two ISU Junior Grand Prix silver medals and placed fifth at the 2009 World Junior Championships. He is the founder of ''Stats on Ice'', an online statistics database on figur ...

. In his free skate, Mroz landed all the triples except for the Axel, including a triple lutz-triple toe combination.

Junior career

Mroz was assigned to the 2006 Triglav Trophy. Competing on the junior level for the first time in his career, Mroz won both the short and free programs to win the gold medal overall, winning the title by 25.84 points ahead of silver medalist Jamie Forsythe. In the 2006–07 season, Mroz moved up to the Junior level on the national level, and he debuted on the

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

circuit. At his first Junior Grand Prix event, the

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of e ...

in Mexico City, Mexico, Mroz placed 11th in the short program and then won the free skate to take the silver medal overall, placing 7.53 points behind champion Kevin Reynolds and 0.16 points head of bronze medalist Daisuke Murakami. At Mroz's second event, the Junior Grand Prix event in Taipei City, Taiwan, Mroz won the short program and placed second in the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 7.73 points ahead of silver medalist Reynolds. These two medals qualified Mroz for the

Junior Grand Prix Final The ISU Junior Grand Prix Final or JGP Final (titled the ISU Junior Series Final in the 1997–98 season) is the culmination of a series of junior-level competitions – the ISU Junior Grand Prix organized by the International Skating Union. Medals ...

, to which he was the fourth-ranked qualifier overall. By qualifying for the event, Mroz also earned a bye to the national championships and so did not need to compete at qualifying events. At the JGP Final, Mroz placed 5th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate. He won the silver medal overall, placing 20.07 points behind champion

Stephen Carriere Stephen Carriere (born June 15, 1989) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2007 World Junior champion, 2006 JGP Final champion, and 2008 U.S. national bronze medalist. During his career, he has won two Grand Prix medals, ...

and 6.76 ahead of bronze medalist Reynolds. Mroz then competed at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Mroz placed second in the short program and third in the free skate. He won the silver medal overall, placing 9.23 points behind champion Eliot Halverson and 0.62 points ahead of bronze medalist

Austin Kanallakan Austin Kanallakan (born May 23, 1991) is an American former competitive figure skater. He won three gold medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is ...

This was the second consecutive year in which Halverson and Mroz had won gold and silver at the national championships. Mroz was subsequently placed on the team for the 2007 World Junior Championships where he placed 7th in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to place 4th overall, finishing exactly two points behind bronze medalist Sergei Voronov and 0.08 points ahead of 5th-place finisher Kevin Reynolds In the 2007–08 season, Mroz remained on the Junior level both nationally and internationally. He competed for the second consecutive season on the Junior Grand Prix. At his first event, the

2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 11th season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2007–08 ISU G ...

event in

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, he placed fourth in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, placing 1.69 points ahead of silver medalist

Guan Jinlin Guan Jinlin (; born April 25, 1989) is a Chinese former competitive figure skater. He is the 2008 World Junior bronze medalist and finished in the top ten at four Four Continents Championships. He was assigned to the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard ...

. At his second event in

Chemnitz, Germany Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

, he again placed 4th in the short program and won the free skate to win the gold medal overall, this time with a 3.30 margin of victory over silver medalist

Michal Březina Michal Březina (; born 30 March 1990) is a retired Czech figure skater. He is the 2013 European bronze medalist, 2011 Skate America champion, 2009 World Junior silver medalist and four-time Czech national champion. He also won the 2014-15 IS ...

. These two medals qualified Mroz for the Junior Grand Prix Final, for which he was the highest-ranked qualifier. At the JGP Final, Mroz placed second in both segments of the competition to win the silver medal overall, placing 15.86 points behind champion

Adam Rippon Adam Richard Rippon (born November 11, 1989) is an American figure skater. He won the 2010 Four Continents Championships and the 2016 U.S. National Championships. Earlier in his career, he won the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, the ...

and 5.30 points ahead of bronze medalist

Armin Mahbanoozadeh Armin Mahbanoozadeh (born August 15, 1991) is an Iranian American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2010 Skate America bronze medalist and the 2012 U.S. national pewter medalist. He is also a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix Final medalis ...

. This was the first time that the United States had swept the JGP Final men's podium. By qualifying for the JGP Final, Mroz received a bye to the 2008 U.S. Championships. At Nationals, Mroz competed for the second time on the junior level. He placed 3rd in the short program and 2nd in the free skate to win the silver medal overall, 10.13 points behind champion Rippon. He was subsequently placed on the team to the 2008 World Junior Championships where he placed 3rd in the short program after landing a 3A-3T combination. He placed 5th in the free skate to place 4th overall, placing 3.40 points behind bronze medalist Guan Jinlin.

Senior career

In the 2008–09 season, Mroz moved up to the Senior level both nationally and internationally. He debuted on the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

circuit. At his first event, the

2008 Skate Canada International The 2008 Skate Canada International was the second event of six in the 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario on October 30 ...

, he placed 6th in the short program and 7th in the free skate to place 7th overall. During his free skate, he was credited with a 4T. Mroz went on to compete at the 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, his second Grand Prix event. He placed 6th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 5th overall. Due to the timing of his Grand Prix events, Mroz had a bye to the 2009 U.S. Championships. At Nationals, Mroz placed 4th in the short program after being credited with landing a 3A as his required element axel jump and a 3Lz-3T as his combination jump. He placed 2nd in the free skate, in which he was credited with landing a 4T and eight triples, including a 3Lz-3T combination. He won the silver medal overall, placing 12.19 points behind champion and training-mate Jeremy Abbott and 0.60 points ahead of

Evan Lysacek Evan Frank Lysacek (; born June 4, 1985) is an American retired figure skater. He is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2009 World champion, a two-time (2005, 2007) Four Continents champion, the 2009 Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time (2007, ...

. Following the national championships, Mroz was assigned to the 2009 Four Continents Championships and the 2009 World Championships. At Four Continents, Mroz placed 5th in the short program after landing a 3A, 3F, and 3Lz-3T combination. In the free skate, Mroz placed 9th after landing a 4T, but making errors on several other jumps, including his 3A. He placed 8th overall.ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Men Result
/ref> In his debut at the senior World Championships, Mroz skated a strong short program to place 8th in that segment of the competition. He placed 13th in the free skate to finish 9th overall. His placement, combined with that of World Champion

, earned the United States the maximum three entries to the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...

. Mroz won his first senior Grand Prix medal, silver, at

2010 Cup of China The 2010 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 4–7. Medals were a ...

. He followed it up with a bronze medal at 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. Competing with a dislocated shoulder, he placed 7th at the 2011 U.S. Championships. In August 2011, Mroz began working on other types of quads – 4Lo, 4F, and 4Lz. He landed 4Lz successfully on September 16, 2011, in the short program at the 2011 Colorado Springs Invitational. The International Skating Union subsequently ratified the jump as the first successful 4Lz landed in a sanctioned competition. His assigned 2011–12 Grand Prix events are

2011 NHK Trophy The 2011 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena in Sapporo from November 10–13 ...

and

2011 Cup of Russia The 2011 Rostelecom Cup was the final event of six in the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Ice Palace Megasport in Moscow on November 24–27. Medals w ...

. Mroz became the first skater to land the 4Lz in an international competition on November 12 in the short program at NHK Trophy. After ending his competitive career, Mroz began skating in Willy Bietak's ice shows on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Programs

Competitive highlights

''GP:

; JGP:

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

Senior results

Pre-2008 results

References

External links

*
Brandon Mroz
at the

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mroz, Brandon American male single skaters 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from St. Louis