Skaters that could use improvement? | Page 5 | Golden Skate

Skaters that could use improvement?

StillBlueLake

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Sarah H: Got lucky IMO and never had much besides silly posing and bad knees. Horrible, eye poking out worthy lutz technique.

Weiss: ugh, mostly for off ice reasons. I hate arrogance.

T/M: Could they be any duller? If they tried?

Yoshie Onda: another case for voluntary blindness! :D
 

PrincessLeppard

~ Evgeni's Sex Bomb ~
Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I will step in and be a diplomat. While there are skaters who, do in fact,
cure any bouts of imsomnia I might be having, there is usually at least one
thing about their skating that I can appreciate. (I am desperately trying to
think of something Tim does that I like...okay, off ice, he's very, very nice...)

Ahem, anyway, so I was saying, there is always something nice in everyone's
skating, even if they are total weasels off the ice (I am so NOT mentioning
any names here, don't want to start one of THOSE threads).

Laura, fan of all....fan of many....er, fan of lots? :)
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
It's interesting that several names keep popping up over and over. I have to agree with the assessments of Maria B. I never enjoyed any of her performances and though I have tried, I never, ever saw what was so wonderful about Pasha (I guess she changed her name back to Oksana). All I saw when she skated was "knobby" knees.............One more comment.......I was totally surprised at Katia and Sergei and Paul Wylie being named as "least favorite" skaters. I want to ask.....why? 42
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Show - As always, a good post. I have no idea as to why people would put down Katia and Sergei, and Paul. It probably has to do with one incidental performance either competitive or exchibition.

I was never a fan of Maria B, but I had to watch her. She had, for me, certain elements which were among if not the the best. But total performance, I agree. She just disappeared from my mind after her skate.

I could never get to Tara either. For me she had so much to learn., and she could have. but her goal was to be the Oly champ at the wrong time. She did it, but it wasn't what I would call a sensation. (Nothing compared to whatSarah accomplished) Tara had her moments in SOI, but even there she was hardly the most interesting skater. She had her fifteen minutes (4 years of Oly champ) and now, in my opinion, is fading away. I think of her as a footnote for being the youngest Oly champ.

I'll probably get bombarded with posts with that view, but I just feel this way.
 

toutestgrace

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
ITA with eyria's assessment about the Russian ladies. Everytime I watch one of those skaters, I ask myself how, in the land of the Bolshoi and the Kirov, they could turn out such unpolished women figure skaters?
 

EricAba

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
I notice that a lot of people are listing Sarah Hughes as one of their least favorite skaters, and if you asked me a year ago, I would have agreed. But after seeing her "La Bayadere" at Worlds 2003, jumps aside, I thought she really developed a sense of grace and presence on the ice that I had not seen before, even after watching tapes of the same program from Nationals and the various fluff competitions.

Maybe it was her new body type, or her more refined movement, especially in the arms and hands, but something finally made her watchable for me. So much so that I think hers became one of my favorite ladies' long programs this year.
 
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SkateFan4Life

Guest
As much as I enjoyed watching Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marvel skate under the "Waitress and the Truck Driver" label, I never really enjoyed their skating. It was always a bit on the rough side, quite unpolished, and their programs always had one or more errors that cost them marks with the international judges.

I hope this doesn't sound snobby, because it isn't meant to be.
I think I'll start a new thread to praise U and M!
 

cynthiabc

Spectator
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Nancy Kerrigan would be my choice. Her skating never seemed to flow from the music. It was like painting by the numbers in comparison to genuine art. The skaters whom I most admire seem to be a part of the music.
 

alina

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 29, 2003
I didn´t enjoy:

Petrova/Tikhonov
Goebel
Sandhu

no more comment - I don´t like their performances

Alina
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
EricAba said:
I notice that a lot of people are listing Sarah Hughes as one of their least favorite skaters, and if you asked me a year ago, I would have agreed. But after seeing her "La Bayadere" at Worlds 2003, jumps aside, I thought she really developed a sense of grace and presence on the ice that I had not seen before, even after watching tapes of the same program from Nationals and the various fluff competitions.

Maybe it was her new body type, or her more refined movement, especially in the arms and hands, but something finally made her watchable for me. So much so that I think hers became one of my favorite ladies' long programs this year.

I agree. I actually enjoyed her skating for the 1st time at worlds. She looked more graceful but one competition isn't going to make a fan out of a lot of people that never really liked her (skating). If she would have continued to show grace on ice then maybe she would have won me over. I still hate her jumps though and I don't know how that would change since I don't see her ever making them pleasing to the eye.
 

mmandel

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Tara = IMO has no committment to the sport. Has not proven anything, both as an eligible & pro. Luck was on her side 3 times...

Sasha = Overrated. Needs a clean program. Needs to tame her ego/arrogance.
 

Grgranny

Da' Spellin' Homegirl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I'm just going to add a half a cent! I absolutely despise it when anyone does those pelvic thrusts. As much as I like the skater, I think it is repulsive.
Even more, I dislike Phillippe's disrobing. Ok, I know I'm a prude but that's how I feel.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Granny - I'm with you on this. While I'm no prude, and I do look at musicals like Chicago and Cabaret, I think of figure skating as a sport, and why the pelvic thrusts? I'm not amused!!

If it's done in exhibition skating, I'll let it go but can they do it better than the dancers in Chicago and Cabaret? I doubt it.

Joe
 

Grgranny

Da' Spellin' Homegirl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Yes, I agree. There's a place for things like that. I did see Cabaret but haven't seen Chicago yet. You just know when you go to movies like that, it's going to be there. How could anyone miss seeing Liza in anything? We even went to see her live in that famous outside park in Boston in 1986. Too bad, people can't refrain from smoking in places like that. Ruined the whole thing. I think it might be called Boston Commons, but don't remember. I do expect to see Chicago sometime. Probably when it is on tv. I'm not such a prude as to miss something like that when there's good music or dancing. :)
 

bestskate8

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Least favorite skaters, which I really bored to watch;)
TT/MM
Sasha C.
Petrova/Tikhonov
Bytirskaya
Yags
Goebel
 

merfsk8s

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
I wanted to add two more skaters to my earlier opinion. Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh - simply because they acted really rotten when they won silver this year at Worlds. They made all the usual Russian competitor comments about how the crowd wanted the Canadians to win and how Bourne and Kraatz were just given gold b/c it was their last comp.

Perhaps being a gracious loser isn't something that is valued in Russia, b/c I've seen a pattern w/their competitors of sour grapes - Butyrskaya, Plushenko, and now Lobacheva and Averbukh. Granted, Americans aren't always perfect (think Nancy Kerrigan) when they lose -but, the Russians are always blaming someone else when they falter, whether it is the judges, the audience, the ice, or who knows what?

It makes me ill....
 

curious

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Why do you put Plushy in that category? He always takes resposability for his loses. Never heard him give excuses or blaming anyone for them.:confused:
 

merfsk8s

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Oh, sorry - I thought he was one of the ones who tended to blame everything else except for his own skating for any losses, but I think you are right about that one....
 

mpal2

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I think the only negative I've heard regarding Plushy's attitude toward Yags, but we all know the feelings are mutual.

During one of the GPF's (I think) Peter Carruthers asked both of them what effect the other's skating had on their own skating. Yagudin admitted that Plushenko pushed him to do more. Plushenko said Alexei had nothing to do with his skating skills.

Obviously not true, but that's the worst I've heard about Plushy. He may have even changed his tune after the 2002/2003 season without the threat of Alexei at the events. :laugh: No more challenges. ;)
 
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