Broadmoor skater Mroz trying to break through

As Brandon Mroz whizzes around the ice, he feels like a first-year actor on the red carpet. Every step he takes, he notices someone with a long list of credentials, someone who has scaled figure skating’s highest peak, someone familiar with places he dreams of going.

“It’s nice not having experience,” Mroz said. “At the same time, it’s kind of hard.”

The Broadmoor Skating Club member begins his second season on the senior tour Friday at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, where his performance against an accomplished field could determine if he’s a contender for the 2010 Olympics.

Stiff competition awaits in U.S. teammate Johnny Weir, a fifth-place finisher at the 2006 Olympics; Russian Evgeni Plushenko, a two-time Olympic medalist and three-time world champion; and Canadian Patrick Chan, a 2009 world silver medalist. Also competing are Belgian Kevin van der Perren and Slovenian Gregor Urbas, both Olympians.

Mroz got his feet wet last season, with a ninth-place finish at the world championships after a runner-up showing at the U.S. Championships. He spent the summer refining a second quadruple jump in his long program and adding artistry to his free skate.

“My nerves are for my own goals and what I want to reach,” he said. “I’m never nervous about who I’m going against. … I’m just trying to compete against myself.”