Favorite American Lady Non-Gold Medalist at Olys | Golden Skate

Favorite American Lady Non-Gold Medalist at Olys

Who is your favorite 'American Favorite Sweetheart' who won silver or bronze at Olys?

  • Linda Fratianne (silver in 1980)

    Votes: 6 3.8%
  • Rosalyn Sumners (silver in 1984)

    Votes: 7 4.4%
  • Debi Thomas (bronze in 1988)

    Votes: 8 5.0%
  • Nancy Kerrigan (silver in 1994)

    Votes: 8 5.0%
  • Michele Kwan (silver in '98 & bronze in '02)

    Votes: 86 54.1%
  • Sasha Cohen (silver in 2006)

    Votes: 44 27.7%

  • Total voters
    159

Frau Muller

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Every now & then 'American Sweethearts' who are touted to win the Ladies Gold Medal at an Olympics fall short of expectations. For example, remember the heartbreaks of Linda, Rosalyn, Debi, Nancy, Michele & -- most recently -- Sasha.

Michele is in this poll due to her fall-from-expectations in '98 & '02, even though other -- less highly touted -- American misses ended up winning gold...but 'THE SWEETHEART' did not.

Who is your favorite among the Non-Golden American Sweethearts during the past 26 years?
 
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Frau Muller

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
I voted for Linda Fratianne in Lake Placid 1980. Everyone in the arena was almost certain that Linda had handily beaten a ho-hum Annet Poetzch that night. Linda won both the short & long programs, if memory serves. The story back then was that Linda was 'pre-cooked' by a consortium of German-speaking judges...they made sure that the stage would be set in the compulsory figures, with Linda well behind Annet. Somehow, the German-speaking Carlo Fassi (a coach who was friendly with many judges) was involved in this, the Fratianne camp alleged. How would I know? But those were the murmerings.

So I give my vote to Linda - the one who SURELY came closest to winning gold.

Roz - she did herself in in Sarajevo....singling many jumps.

Debi - also did herself in...

Nancy - this one was highly debated but I feel that Oksana genuinely won on the 'sparkle' factor.

Michele - Tara, then Sarah, definitely beat Michele in both the technical & 'sparkle' factors, on those nights. But one can't discount the enormous following that Michele had...true heartbreaks, for sure.

Sasha - definitely beaten by Shizuka...many say that she was lucky to have gotten any medal...but her SP certainly accounted for an overall high finish. One can't argue that!
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I voted for Sasha...

Linda was before "my time"

Roz is annoying and has never gotten over her silver lol

Nancy was my hero when I was little... but now it's meh

Michelle has never had my loyalty (no surprise)

so I had to pick Sasha... lol
 

Teresa Dawn

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
I put Sasha, never really cared for the others, of course I wasn't born at Linda's Olympics, and was only 1 years old for Rosalynn's but I have seen videos...
 

SusanBeth

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I thought Fratianne had won it too. She had strong skates in the sp and the lp. She was first in the sp and second in the lp. Denise Biellmann, quite rightfully, won the lp in 1980. She was wonderful. It's a shame she couldn't pull up to medal. Poetzch was entirely forgettable in free skating, but she must have been good at figures.

For those too young to remember-

1980 Oly Fratianne LP(Bizet_s Carmen)
http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12SVXP1D2T9RS3FY8VF8C9KA09

1984 Oly Rosalynn Sumners LP Not great quality. She had to wear white?
http://s45.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ZVVGWPZW3BML0BKLHET7O2KCD

I have Beillmann and Poetzch too, if anyone would like to compare them.
Requested:
Biellmann_1980_Olympics_Ladies_FS
http://s55.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=23LB91V6POFIP171ABTA4TRVY1
 
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Teresa Dawn

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Ahh, not to me, I love Poetzch :) (again too young to remember, but I have seen the vids), Beillmann, I never cared for. Thanks SusanBeth for the videos.
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
I must admit, I had a hard time with this one... Debi Thomas' lost was a true heartbreaker for me, as an African American skater at that time... I had been told for years that I simply didn't have the body type to skate and that my mom was wasting her money ~ if the goal was for me to be competitive... (in all fairness though, at 15 I was 5' 8 1/2'' with all the trimmings...) but watching Debi represent was probably my biggest affirmation through sports... She, Tai, and later the Diva Bonely were always big role models and I continue to be in awe of their talent and determination.

Kwan, however, received my vote because whether you love her, hate her and simply hate her fans, you cannot deny that she's the greatest ever and to never have won the OGM is more cosmic than ability.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Definitely Michelle because she's the epitome of grace in defeat. While '02 had issues, her '98 skate was a worthy OGM performance, she was outskated. Sasha may have been a favorite heading into the Games and had a GREAT SP, but her LP was less than memorable as far as Oly. LP's go. Yeah, yeah, she was a "hero" cuz she "courageously" skated on, but she still had 3 mess-ups on jumps, and looked so slow, tentative.

I do feel for Linda, and I think she's the only one on that list truly "wuz robbed". It would have been a great moment had Debi won. But, my vote goes to Michelle because she is truly "America's Sweetheart".
 

lisadotdash

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Actually my favorite is Denise Biellman. She was such a steady skater, always so fit, just hit almost every single time she was out there. She did not try to be someone she was not. Then again, a lot of people did not understand her programs. No beginning, middle or end, as Scott Hamilton said, "all middle" or something to that effect. And, she was a nice girl, too. No real flash and dash or attitude.
 

dutchherder

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
I voted for Michelle, because she's my favorite female skater-- maybe ever-- but she was fairly defeated. Linda and Nancy, however, were robbed. Go back and look at Baiul's OGM performance. She two-footed nearly every one of her landings. Roz would be my next pick, not because she should've won then (she shouldn't have), but because she went on to have such an admirable pro career. Today's ladies could learn a lot from her about promoting the sport.
 

krenseby

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Re:

I think Surya is one of the skaters who got the short end of the stick from American skating fans. The physical aspect of her skating was amazing. It was such a thrill to watch her compete at Worlds but also fascinating to know that she has retained much of her athletic power as a professional athlete. (I am not sure, but I think she was doing quite well in professional championships/cheesefests. She took them seriously I think.)

Kwanford Wife said:
I . She, Tai, and later the Diva Bonely were always big role models and I continue to be in awe of their talent and determination.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I don't think Surya's athletic ability has ever been overlooked... what she lacked in was artistry, and that's why a lot of people aren't diehard fans

or at least that's why I'm not... there is only so much excitement to a gymnastics floor routine on ice...
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I don't even think that it was lack of "artistry" that was held against Bonaly: it was the lack of edges and control between jumps. i think she has gained edges and power in her professional career.

But I digress.

I voted for Debi Thomas. I was sad about Sumners, upset more by Fratiane's mother having overheard that the fix was in than by the LP results, livid at Kerrigan's loss to a technically inferior Baiul, but Debi Thomas' performance broke my heart. And you always remember the first one.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
First of all, let's agree that the gold medalist in each of these cases does not mean the silver and bronze medalists were poor skaters.

Among the list, I would feel sorriest for Linda Frantiane because, imo, Anette Poetsch was a very poor free skater, especially THAT night.

Among the men, I would feel sorriest for Brian Orser in both Olys. He was the better skater in both those Olys, imo.

But figures ruled in those days.

Joe
 

SeaniBu

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
MK:eek: Seanibu? No???

I would beg to differ on Debi Not having the right body type if that was based only on her race background. That is less then true just in the aspect of the femur alone.
 
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diamondqueen

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Favorite American Lady Non Gold Medlist at Olympics

Michelle Kwan:thumbsup: , she is still my favorite skater with or without a Olympic Gold Medal.

diamond:clap:
 

Mafke

Medalist
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
I voted for Fratianne because the olympics were much more important then for enabling a professional career and a very narrow loss for Fratianne really sucked the blood out of her commercial prospects. Kwan flourished despite (because?) of her near misses.

The real controversy to me was the SP. Nobody debates that Poetzsch convincingly won figures - she was the best post-Schuba skater at figures). There's some question if Dagmar Lurz was really better than Friatianne or not but we'll leave that be). There's also no question the LP was judged fairly in terms of placements (1. Biellmann, 2. Fratianne, 3. Poetzsch).

On the other hand, lots of people point out that Poetzsch might have been held up in the SP, she was fourth despite a very easy combo (and IIRC an outright mistake).

I liked Poetzsch who at her best was a very good free skater (see her LP's at 1978 worlds and 1980 Euros - she was very musical but had iffy jump technique). But she wasn't going to have a career in the west (no way was East Germany going to let her skate for capitalist ice shows) and her victory did nothing to further popularity of the sport (except in East Germany) and a Fratianne victory could have done a lot to do that.
 

OwenEvans

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
I've always :cry: for Tiffany Chin in Sarajevo. Something like 14th in the figures, fantastic short and great long (where her only mistake IIRC was stepping out of her 3F) to end up fourth. Just a travesty, but because of (IMO) dodgy judging of figures, results often were. I've always thought it interesting that at Tokyo WC just a year later, after Roz and Elaine had retired and she was the reigning US champ, the judges thought her figures "improved" so much she was (I think) 3rd going into the SP.....
 
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