Highland Park parents celebrate son's Olympic medal

When Highland Park figure skater Jason Brown fell on the ice Sunday at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, his parents didn't fret.

“In this sport they have a saying: The ice is slippery,” Steve Brown told the Daily Herald in an email Monday. “Falls are just a part of the sport.”

Brown's fall cost him only one point, and his routine was strong enough to help the U.S. win the bronze medal in the new team skating event.

It was the Highland Park High School graduate's first Olympic medal, and his parents are understandably ecstatic.

“I can't begin to express how proud we are of the entire U.S. team,” Steve Brown said. “These guys pulled together and will forever be linked by this experience.”

Jason never stopped smiling during his routine Sunday, even after the fall. His skating earned praise from U.S. television commentators, and Steve Brown said the teen had the stadium's attention, too.

“When the Russian crowd started clapping in rhythm to his program, you could feel his connection,” he said.

Brown finished fourth in the men's free skate portion of the event, which featured skaters of both genders.

The Russian team won the gold medal. Canada claimed the silver.

Jason Brown isn't done in Sochi. He'll compete in the short program Thursday and the free skate Friday.

“We're thrilled by his performance (Sunday) and beyond excited for the next two,” Steve Brown said.

The elder Brown said he and his wife, Marla, are having the time of their lives in Russia. By the time Jason skates again, more than a dozen of Jason's relatives will be at the Olympics to cheer him on.

Away from the ice, Steve Brown said, he hasn't experienced any of the notorious hotel problems reported in Sochi.

“Quite the opposite. Everything has been fantastic,” he said. “The hotel is very nice and clean. Transportation via bus or train is free, secure and easy.”