So, which team do you think is stronger?
Team A
Sasha Cohen
Irina Slutskaya
Michelle Kwan
Nancy Kerrigan
Midori Ito
Team B
Shizuka Arakawa
Sarah Hughes
Tara Lipinski
Oksana Baiul
Kristi Yamaguchi
So, which team do you think is stronger?
Team A
Sasha Cohen
Irina Slutskaya
Michelle Kwan
Nancy Kerrigan
Midori Ito
Team B
Shizuka Arakawa
Sarah Hughes
Tara Lipinski
Oksana Baiul
Kristi Yamaguchi
Mathman, you are brilliant...
the answer is quite clear!
actually, I think it's pretty even. Sarah Hughes is kind of the weak link on the Gold Team, though...
This is wonderful! A truly great perspective Mathman and ITA. It's a no brainer-Team A.
I am guessing this comparison is meant to show that the Silver Medallists are a stronger group of skaters than the Gold Medallists.
I think it is actually very close if one looks at the career accomplishments of these skaters. I would rate Yamaguchi over Ito, Baiul over Kerrigan, Kwan over Lipinski, Slutskaya over Hughes, and Shizuka over Cohen. So by my count it is actually 3 gold medallist to 2 silver medallist in a head to head match up. I am sure other people would have different opinions.
Remember the Skates of Gold Specials of the mid ninties. They should have a spewcial dedicated to the Olympic silver medalists called "Silver Blades"
:chorus: :chorus: :chorus:Originally Posted by Mathman
when you put it that way, it seems like a no brainer.. but i would sub shiz in for nancy to make my perfect a team :D
The color of the Olympic Medal does not determine your favorite skater.
Joe
LOL, in time of their Olympic wins the team B skaters apparently were the better ones, because otherwise they would not have won a gold medal, would they?
Good point. At least the Team Gold skaters brought it to the table when it was necessary. Sadly, the Team Silver skaters couldn't do so because of the pressure...I think all skaters on both sides have accomplished a tremendous amount. However, I must say in that regard, Kwan and Slute stand out.
Quite true. And not only did Sarah Hughes beat Irina Slutskaya in Salt Lake City, Sarah also won 2001 Skate Canada and the 1999 Vienna Cup!
Irina won six Russian championships, six European Championships, two World Championships and Olympic silver and bronze medals.
Anyway...in terms of their overall contributions to the sport, here's what I think (not that anyone asked me, LOL).
Sasha vs. Shizuka. Shizuka now has the somewhat more impressive resume, but Sasha is not done yet. They are both, each in her own way, absolutely stunning in the beauty of their skating.
Irina vs. Sarah. Sarah chose not to extend her skating career, while Irina continues to lay down one outstanding performance after another.
Michelle vs. Tara. Tara's career was cut short by chronic hip injuries, so we will never know what she might have accomplished. Could she have matched Sonja Henie's three Olympic gold medals?
Michelle? I can't really evaluate her performances objectively. She captured my heart unconditionally a long time ago, LOL.
Nancy vs. Oksana. At Lillehammer 4 judges though Nancy was better, 5 thought Oksana was. Oksana had an up and down post-Olympic career, to Nancy's steady-as-she-goes. My preference? I'm always a sucker for a drama queen.
Midori vs. Kristi. Evenly matched as Olympians, IMHO. Kristi'spro career was second to none, both with respect to the quality of her skating and also in terms of bringing audiences into the sport of figure skating. But Midori was and is equally adored in Japan. Will we ever see another triple Axel in the Olympic games?
(How's that for a non-committal answer?)
MM
Well, I don't have to ask you.
Anyway...in terms of their overall contributions to the sport, here's what I think (not that anyone asked me, LOL).
MM
I got what you mean if you put it like a team comp. You must mean overall not just one comp at one night.
[CENTER]Go back another olympics and add Katarina Witt and Liz Manley to those lists.[/CENTER]
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