Ok, how many here are Slutskaya fans?

From the title of the thread I thought this was going to be a positive thread about Irina. This seems to be -" may be she has some good qualities off the ice, but..." thread.

I say unequivocally that I am a fan of Irina Slutskaya's skating. It does not mean that she has no flaws. I love the things she is great at- speed across the ice, powerful jumps and spins, the willingness to take on challenges. I also like her spunk on and off the ice.

There are other skaters that have some great qualities and some weaknesses- for example Sasha Cohen, Michelle Kwan. I would not focus on their weaknesses, but rather on their strengths. I enjoy watching Irina's skating as much as I enjoy theirs (and several others'). It is just a different personality and a different skater. I like the fact that she maintains her uniqueness, and not try to copy a certain style.

Vash

I'm a huge fan of Irina and her skating, but especially of Irina the person.

I agree with the person who posted that Irina's high point in skating was her SP from the 2002 time period- "Serenade" was extraordinary, but I like her current programs as well.

As far as Irina the person, I have a GREAT admiration for her and the way she lives her life. How many of us could be so positive and wonderful facing the challenges she does? And the charisma and personality she shows in her interviews is delightful.

I could be wrong here but I thought only those who are Irina fans could answer the question? It was not a who here likes/or dislikes Irina kind of question. If this turns out to be another "irina is going to win Torino no matter what" kind of thread, i'm going to throw up.

I'm with Vash in that I try to enjoy the many different skills and strengths of all the top skaters. There are many different styles of presenting the technical skills, and it's the style differences that really make figure skating enjoyable for me to watch.

The thing I enjoy most about Irina is that she seems to know what her style is, and her strengths are. I'm equally sure she understands her weak points too. And team Irina IMO does a great job highlighting and maximizing the presentation of Irina's strengths.

DG