Best Ladies' figure skater of all time? Take 2

Who do you feel should've won in Henjie's day if her wins were not earned.

I agree with your selection of Witt, though. Such a great competitor.

Henjie certainly did not deserve her first World title in 1927 where she only won since 3 of the 5 judges were from Norway and all 3 voted for her. That was the event that changed the rule. The great Herma Szabo should have won her 6th straight World title in singles (she was also a pairs World Champion multiple times). Had Herma not been upset there I think she would have gone to next years Olympics and won her 2nd straight title, denying Henjie her 1st of 3. After that decision Herma could probably see the political push to drive a very young Sonja to the top and opted out. At the 1928 Worlds she apparently was outskated by Maribel Vinson and won due to bloc judging. Fritzi Burger also outskated her a few times in the middle of her dominance and still lost each time due to all the backing Henjie had from all corners. Cecilia Colledge overtook Henjie in skill level by 1935 and 1936 and should have beaten Henjie at the 35 Worlds and 36 Olympics but didnt due to all the political and reputation behind Henjie by that point. Henjie had her father chasing judges down the street with a broom who didnt vote for her. Her first of three Olympic golds her father payed off the judges to ensure her winning. No wonder she won all those titles, along with the really weak competition of the era. She will never be the best ever to me, not even close. I put Witt, Yamaguchi, Kwan, Heiss, Albright, Hamill, and even Ito, Slutskaya, Kim, Asada, Lipinski, Szabo (her contemporary whom I already mentioned) on a whole other plateau from her altogether.

Peggy Fleming is another vastly overrated skater and champion.

I didn't know that.

Delobelfan30, that is really interesting. Skate politics sure started early, didn't they?

yes the politics started early and hasn't changed since. that is the problem

Who could you watch for hours?
For me, that is Janet Lynn.

Binthere said:

Who could you watch for hours?
For me, that is Janet Lynn.

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Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen. Sorry if it's a boring answer but ... that's the truth. That is why I voted for Michelle. I don't care what Philip Hersh says ... Michelle is better and greater than Katarina Witt and she would be even if Katarina won five Olympic golds. I couldn't get over how disappointed I was when I saw videos of Katarina years later ... she is just not fun to watch.
I find it impossible to answer this question fairly though because when I look at videos of Peggy and Dorothy it's just too hard for me to judge then against ladies who have come so much farther technically.

Also, I could watch Oksana Baiul's "Swan" forever, even if it didn't have the most difficult technical content. Talk about wasted potential. What that girl might have done if she stuck around a few more years.

Katarina won FIVE gold medals??????? wow, here I thought she only had a measely little two!

Great post, delobelfan.

janetfan said:

I am a new member here and just read through this interesting thread.
It is tough to vote because I have followed skating for a long time and have many favorites.
It made me think who is my favorite all time Lady skater? Is my personal favorite also the best skater in history?
As some have noted it is difficult and even unfair to compare skaters from the present decade to skaters who came from much earlier eras. Obviously the sport has evolved with better training techniques and choreography. Even today's boots are better than those from the past and there are more rinks allowing for more intensive training.
I voted for Janet Lynn (surprise) based of the influence she had on the sport. I see Janet's influence when I watch the graceful Chen-Lu skate.I see a more disciplined version of Janet when I watch Michelle skate. I see a more highly trained version of Janet when I watch Yuna skate.
Janet was the most highly regarded skater by her peers and she is the one who first combined the athletic and artistic aspects of skating creating the performance art that we see today. She was the major innovator - so much so the ISU changed the rules due to the impact her free skating had on crowds and TV audiences.
Who can say which skater is the best of all time? I think Janet was the most influential skater and that is why I voted for her.

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Janetfan, after reading all your posts I couldn't help going back and youtubing Janet Lynn. I totally see what you mean. She was GORGEOUS and I though I could totally see her skating influence in the styles that Michelle Kwan and others
worked to achieve. Michelle Kwan always said she considered Janet Lynn an idol. And I think Dick Button said Kwan's positions on her jump landings were reminiscent of Janet Lynn. (or did he say that about Sasha Cohen? I can't remember. but it's true for both of them.)

I picked Michelle Kwan. To me, her winning streak considering the competition she had at the time - Chen Lu, Irina, Sasha, Tara, etc is just a breathtaking accomplishment. Did Katarina Witt face the same tough competition when she was winning her streak of European gold medal? Maybe. I'd have to look into it...

semper12 said:

you all missed the very best figure skater... it is Sasha Cohen

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I think Sasha Cohen wins the prize for best figure skater never to win a world or Olympic gold medal. But winning DOES matter. She might have had extraordinary talent but the fact that she couldn't put to clean programs together when it matters most knocks her out of the running without a doubt.
I mean, it's almost ridiculous that she allowed Kimmie Meissner and Fumie Suguri to beat her at the 2006 worlds. She should have romped that competition Kim Yuna-style.

Layfan said:

I think Sasha Cohen wins the prize for best figure skater never to win a world or Olympic gold medal. But winning DOES matter. She might have had extraordinary talent but the fact that she couldn't put to clean programs together when it matters most knocks her out of the running without a doubt.
I mean, it's almost ridiculous that she allowed Kimmie Meissner and Fumie Suguri to beat her at the 2006 worlds. She should have romped that competition Kim Yuna-style.

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Ugh, I'm still so sore and pissed about worlds that year! Let's just say I'm not a very big fan of Kimmie and that she did not deserve gold that year... can't believe that she didn't get any UR calls and that she got those PCS scores...

I am really surprised Dorothy Hamill is not an option!