Maria Butyrskaya | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Maria Butyrskaya

Jorje286

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
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ceg15

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
I never really saw a lot of her skating. The skating that I did watch of hers, she never seemed to pull it together and she always seemed in distress or something...
 

sk8m8

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
In my last post I forgot to mention that Maria's Maleguanea program is one of my favorites and should have won her a medal.

People keep talking about Maria's nerves...yes, I agree she had to battle them to do well in compettion. I will also add that she was never the same skater after she won the World Champs and in the months that followed her BMW was car bombed. Some said it was retaliation for beating Irina, though that is a rumour and should be treated as such. Her last Olympics were marred because she skated too soon after abdominal surgery and couldn't perform her program. If you recall, it was at the Worlds right after that when she withdrew after the short program and then retired.
 

sk8m8

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
no, my misunderstanding, her Maleguana program was either 96 or 97 and perhaps both.
 

geoskate

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
I think she should be an inspiration to skaters who are not naturally gifted artistically.

I have her skates from the mid-1990's on tape, and she didn't stand out as a particularly beautiful or artistic skater. By the time she won her world championship about three or four years later, that had all changed. She had become a stunning skater for whom artistry was a strong point. That change must have come about through sheer hard work on her part.
 

Jorje286

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
I don't think you can pull off artistry by hard work.

I somewhat see your point though. I didn't watch any of her pre-99 performances except for the 98 olympics performance. And she did quite badly on the artistic side compared to her 99 performance at the worlds. (and she did the same program)

But I do think she's naturally gifted. She just has that umatched elegance and beauty on the ice. She doesn't need to make lots of facial expressions or even some obvious body movements to express herself; it just flows naturally in her skating. I think for her to choreograph her programs and to design her own clothes, she must be artistically inclined more than the other performers.

BTW, do you have any pre-1999 performances that you can upload? :) thanks in advance
 
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Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
One memory that I will always treasure-

I was watching the practices for Ladies SP at the 2001 worlds in Vancouver. Maria was struggling. She fell on or had problems with nearly every triple flip attempt. It did not look good. Come competition time, she landed it cleanly and skated a clean SP. She was a fighter and a competitor. Early in her career her fed did not support her. She was even kicked off the team at one point. She fought back and became the first Russian lady to win a world championship in the Ladies event- ahead of Irina Slutskaya who is a legend in her own right.

At the same world championships in the LP, she was in contention for a medal, although she did not. However, her LP skate (17 moments in spring) was beautiful, mature, sophisticated. She received a standing ovation from the audience. In a way I understand her frustration in not receiving the artistic marks she deserved under the 6.0 system.

Vash
 

Vash01

Medalist
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
I first noticed Maria at the 1996 Europeans. I also watched Irina for the first time at the same time. Both seemed like promising young Russian ladies. (Sorry for bringing Irina in, but they burst on the scene around the same time and gave Russia a strong ladies team). In the past the Russian singles ladies never caught my attention. (The late) Kira Ivanova or IIRC Natalia Lebedeva (1990 worlds), Olga Markova (too weird outfits) did not impress me, but I felt that Maria and Irina definitely had potential. I was so surprised when Maria won the worlds in 1999, beating Michelle Kwan! Those days Michelle appeared to be unbeatable so this was a rare achievement. It helped that MK was 4th in the SP and Maria was 1st. Maria did not crumble under the pressure of having to skate well enough to win the gold medal (she may have placed second in the LP; I don't remember). She had truly arrived.

In 1998 Oly she had a chance to win the bronze ahead of Lu Chen. She was in 3rd place entering the LP. However, nerves got to her, as they sometimes did, and the bronze slipped away. Her desire for an Olympic medal remained unfulfilled and I feel sad about it. I always think of her as a gifted artistic skater, and a true fighter.

Vash
 

Jorje286

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 24, 2006
(she may have placed second in the LP; I don't remember)

Nope. She beat Michelle in both the SP and LP. If I remember correctly, she got 5.8s and 5.9s all over the board, and she skated before Michelle in that competition. (I think she also got 6s on presentation, but I am not quite sure).
 
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