"The weather in Turin is pretty much like the weather we're having right here," she said Tuesday from her home in Newark, Del., "so I'm bringing a lot of warm clothing -- which is odd for a trip to Italy, I guess."

But she couldn't care less about the weather, she said.

The mother of three-time U.S. figure skating champion Johnny Weir is thinking about her son's gold medal prospects at the 20th Winter Olympics. And while Patti has complete confidence in her son's abilities, she's bringing along a few "good luck charms" just in case.

"Aside from a good pair of shoes, I'm packing all my superstitious outfits," Patti said. "It can't hurt, and it will make me feel better, too.

"His supporters will be there, too, holding signs. They call themselves Johnny's Angels."

Lancaster County native Johnny Weir, 21, won his third straight U.S. Figure Skating Championships crown last month, despite finishing third in the free-skate competition.

"He arrived in Turin on Saturday," Patti said. "He told me the security in the city was incredible and that he saw barbed wire in some places."

She paused, then started to laugh.

"I think he was serious about that," she said, "unless he was being facetious -- which he certainly can be."

In fact, the press has come to expect outlandish remarks from the figure skater who, Patti said, was raised to speak his mind and "just be himself."

But Johnny was relatively tame during a press conference Tuesday in Turin, where he praised one of his strongest competitors, Russian skater Evgeny Plushenko. He even talked about simplifying his routine, despite his penchant for dramatic costumes with wild touches, including fishnet sleeves and feathers.

"I enjoyed the press conference," Patti said. "Johnny mentioned that this is the first time his father (John) and his little brother (Brian) would get to see him skate in person at a major event.

"In fact, we weren't sure if all of us would get to go until a few days ago," she said. "But we're making it happen. John and Brian are going to meet me in Italy on Saturday."

The Weirs lived in southern Lancaster County for 10 years and still have friends and family here, including Johnny's grandparents, Robert and Marcella Moore of Willow Street, and his aunt and uncle, Diane and Joel Neff of Quarryville.

In 1996, the Weirs moved from Little Britain Township to Newark to be with Johnny as he trains.

Patti said she has been accompanying her son to major competitions around the world since the 1990s.

"Italy will be a six- or seven-hour trip, which is just like going to the West Coast," she said. "That's an extremely easy trip; you take a nap and you're there. It's a different story when you're flying to Australia or Russia."

Once Patti arrives in Turin (spelled Torino in Italian), she hopes to see her son immediately.

"They're staying in this self-contained village for the athletes," she said. "No one can get in unless the athletes come out to the gates and accompany guests inside.

"Johnny said they have everything they could want there," Patti said, "pizza, a Laundromat -- everything."

Unlike her son, who has an ear for languages (he speaks French and Russian), Patti will have to get by without knowing any Italian.

"It's OK, because a lot of people speak English in Turin," she said. "The only Italian word I know is ciao."

"Aside from a good pair of shoes, I'm packing all my superstitious outfits. It can't hurt, and it will make me feel better, too."

Patti Weir

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