Brandon Mroz
Figure Skating - Singles
2010 Olympic hopeful
Personal Specs
Height: 5'10"
Coach: Tom Zakrajsek
Short List Performance
- 2009 U.S. Championships silver medalist
- 2009 World Championships - ninth
- Two-time U.S. Junior Championships silver medalist (2007, 2008)
- Ranked No. 17 in the ISU World Standings as of April
Vancouver Watch
Three American men will make the U.S. Olympic Team, which means Mroz will have to break up the triumvirate of U.S. Champions Evan Lysacek, Johnny Weir and Jeremy Abbott. He did beat both Lysacek and Weir, winners of the previous five national titles, at the 2009 U.S. Championships. He also topped Abbott at his first World Championships, finishing ninth. If he can repeat either feat at the 2010 U.S. Championships, he'll be one to keep an eye on in Vancouver.
Personal
His mom, a former synchronized skater, put Mroz in an ice skating class at 3 1/2 years old, and he hasn't left the ice yet. Mroz is currently finishing his senior year at Cheyenne Mountain High School and would like to become a dentist after his skating career. He is one of four brothers. His father owns a hand-made jewelry store and used to coach him in hockey.
His hobbies include watching movies, snowboarding and hanging out with friends. He owns a Shih Tzu dog named Wags. One of his sporting role models is Pat Rummerfield, a recovered quadriplegic who competes in Ironman triathlons and marathons and helps children recover from spinal cord injuries. Mroz's brother suffers from a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident and was visited by Rummerfield.
Did You Know...?
- Won a DARE Essay Contest
- Won his local Boy Scouts' Pinewood Derby in 2002
- Grandmother passed away from cancer three years ago, leading Mroz to begin making gift baskets for kids with cancer at local hospitals
- Would like to be on "American Gladiators"