rink after a skating session in Dallas and died, something that added to his sense of "personal failure and...painful loss". Weir later reported that due to what he called his "stupidity and hubris", U.S. Figure Skating withdrew their support of him; sportswriter Barry Mittan stated that they "essentially gave up on Weir". 2003–2004 season The 2003–2004 season was "the turning point" for Weir; Mittan called it "an amazing comeback". In the summer of 2003, he trained with Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova for six weeks at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut. Weir's friend and fellow skater Sasha Cohen helped him contact Tarasova, who waived her fees for him. Working with Tarasova gave Weir the confidence he needed to recover from the previous season. He moved from his longtime rink, the more prestigious one at the University of Delaware, to a nearby rink called The Pond, which was less crowded and not as well-known. The only Grand Prix competition U.S. Figure Skating assigned to Weir that season was "the second tier" Finlandia Trophy. He was one of two skaters to skate a clean short program with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, a "scratchy triple Axel", and the best spins in the field. He was first after the short program, but came in second place overall, slightly behind Gheorghe Chiper from Romania. Weir popped both his Lutz and loop jumps, but successfully performed his triple Axel-triple toe loop combination and four other triple jumps. He had to compete in the Eastern Sectionals again, coming in first place despite a fall and securing a spot in the U.S. Nationals. Weir came into the 2004 U.S. Nationals in Atlanta with "something to prove". He came in first place, the first to do so by qualifying at sectionals since Rudy Galindo in 1996. It was his first national title. He was also the youngest male skater, at the age of 19, to win the U.S. Nationals since Todd Eldredge won in 1991, also at the age of 19. Weir's short program was not the most difficult, but he had "a clean and elegant skate" with a triple Lutz-triple toe combination, a triple Axel, and a triple flip, all landed successfully. He was in first place after the short program, with marks ranging from 4.9 to 5.8. He also won the free skate, even though he did not include a quadruple jump. Skating last,