Which of the Top Ladies of Today, Get to you emotionally?

janetfan · Mar 23, 2010

museksk8r said:
Those 3 got to me the most at the Olympics too! I can't believe I still haven't seen the LPs of Kostner, Suzuki, or Lepisto. From reports and protocols I've read, Caro would have made me cry, Akiko would have made me smile, and Laura would have surprised me with what may be her best LP in competition to this point. Gotta love NBC's Olympic coverage! :disapp::scowl::banging:

I really like Laura so I did check out her LP at the NBC Olympic site - but it was not the same as seeing it on TV Live. Akiko is one of my favorites and I love her WSS LP - but I still haven't seen it.

Not sure if I can bear to watch Caro ..........

If only Sasha had made the USA team we probably would have seen more coverage of the Ladies. But that means Mirai would not have been skating in Vancouver - and that would have been dissapointing too.

I agree - NBC's skating coverage was beyond terrible for this Olympics.

Joesitz (RIP) · Mar 23, 2010

An emotionally satisfying skater should have the following:

1. Technique which, in essence, means: no wrong edge takeoffs, no URs, no falls, no uncentered spins, no boring footwork in the same direction.

2. Musicality to keep with the rhythm of the music and its character as well as when the rhythm changes during the performance.

3. Ease of Flow the elements should be steps to the music and without hesitation in preparing for them.

The closest skater I saw at the Olys was Mirai, to the above criteria.

Technique without rhythm or Rhythm without technique will never make a dancer.

Bennett · Mar 23, 2010

I like Akiko. I hear her fans saying it's only her skating that makes them cry for joy. There are stronger skaters out there, but she's really focused on enjoying the performance and reaching out to the audience.
I think that the very top skaters can't be that way because of the enormous pressures to win.

janetfan · Mar 23, 2010

Where do you place good posture and carriage? In technique?
Seeing more than one lady lacking these qualities but who still finished in the top 10 at Vancouver makes me wonder how the CoP feels about this?

I still remember how beautiful Dorothy Hamill's posture and carriage was - how it helped set her apart from her competitors.
It is hard for me to enjoy skaters who lack this quality - even if they are good jumpers.

#1Kerryfan · Mar 23, 2010

silverlake22 said:
Mini Sasha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyju92SKiSk

Mini Yuna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7liNIlGSGts

Mini Shizuka:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9TV1Opr2wg

Mini Irina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGcUOkAKFDs

Mini Michelle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUAbzu2Robs

Mini Carolina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyBeyz2ms4g&feature=related

Mini Alissa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb3OT0NssTY

Mini Kristi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpvjmWORkw

Great choices!!!

#1Kerryfan · Mar 23, 2010

And Joannie's Vancouver short was by far the most emotional ladies skating moment.

Evan's emotions after his Vancouver short got to me too, but this is about ladies, not men :laugh:

Spun Silver · Mar 23, 2010

Joesitz said:
An emotionally satisfying skater should have the following:

1. Technique which, in essence, means: no wrong edge takeoffs, no URs, no falls, no uncentered spins, no boring footwork in the same direction.

2. Musicality to keep with the rhythm of the music and its character as well as when the rhythm changes during the performance.

3. Ease of Flow the elements should be steps to the music and without hesitation in preparing for them.

The closest skater I saw at the Olys was Mirai, to the above criteria.

Technique without rhythm or Rhythm without technique will never make a dancer.

Interesting. Where is Yu Na lacking, for you?

Jaana · Mar 23, 2010

I am watching again and again Yu-Na´s fantastic, elegant freeskate performance. It is something really perfect: the performance itself combined with beautiful choreography, the music, everything fitted 100 %. The other freeskate that I also keep watching is Mirai´s wonderful performance.

Layfan · Mar 23, 2010

R.D. said:
I find that it's really hard to tell how I feel about a skater until I see her perform live. And as of now that's a fairly small list. Out of the current "eligibles" I've only seen Cohen and Meissner live.

Nagasu seems to have a carefree joy (when she wants it to be there) that does come across on TV, but at the same time, while I enjoy it, it doesn't GRAB me. But that's on TV. Looks like I might get the chance to find out how she is live in a few weeks though.

Meissner I found engaging live, not so much on TV. Wagner is just OK I think (on TV, haven't seen her live). I agree with you about Yuna. She draws comparisons to MK and I think the latter was muuuch better at connecting with the audience (and "y'all know" I'm not her fan). I guess I can't relate to Kim at all and it makes her come out flat for me (again, on TV). Of the final group at the Olympics only Nagasu had my true attention. (Flatt wasn't bad, either, and I was looking to see if Mao Asada would land her 3As, but other than that, despite it being such a well-skated event, it lacked the suspense that the 1998, 2002 and 2006 events had IMHO- and even the 2010 men's event, which I caught the tail end of to see if Lysacek would win)

Out of curiosity, who ARE you a real fan of? I mean, in the past, who has really grabbed you?

(p.s. I have a hunch, as you suggest, that Yuna is better live, but it's just a hunch as I've never seen in it. It's probably hard to appreciate her speed and power on TV. In contrast, MK was transmits her emotions even on youtube. :biggrin:

)

skatingpunk · Mar 23, 2010

I think the music choices of a skater have a huge impact on how fans perceive a program. I was never a real fan of Joannie Rochette, but I loved both her SP and LP music this season and have found myself watching her performances quite a bit. I was attracted to Mirai's Carmen, but I also think part of it is because I just love that piece of music. As a lifelong fan of James Bond, Yuna's SP had me as her fingers slid down her arms. I think it took me longer to appreciate the Gershwin performance because I wasn't completely sold on the music.

Overall, I think it's Yuna who consistently exudes clear feelings: joy, melancholy, sass, passion, determination. She gets my vote.

chachacha · Mar 23, 2010

Absolutely NO doubt Yuna Kim. She is the BEST female figure skating in the history that I've ever see. She is like the combination of Peggy Flemings, Michelle Kwan, Karatina Witt, Irina Slutkaya. She got it all. So talented!

cosmos · Mar 23, 2010

Joesitz said:
1. Technique which, in essence, means: no wrong edge takeoffs, no URs, no falls, no uncentered spins, no boring footwork in the same direction.

2. Musicality to keep with the rhythm of the music and its character as well as when the rhythm changes during the performance.

3. Ease of Flow the elements should be steps to the music and without hesitation in preparing for them.

Wow, this is exactly what describes YuNa!!

prettykeys · Mar 23, 2010

No single lady skater has ever touched me just based on their skating. At 2010 Oly's, YuNa did, because I'm her fan (one could say I'm as much, if not more, a fan of her as a person rather than strictly as a skater--a common sentiment shared by some of her fans it seems

), and Joannie's brave, heartfelt SP got to me because of the circumstances, although if I didn't know them I don't think I would have been so moved.

Alexei Yagudin, and Shen/Zhao (with their Turandot) got to me.

Tinymavy15 · Mar 24, 2010

chachacha said:
Absolutely NO doubt Yuna Kim. She is the BEST female figure skating in the history that I've ever see. She is like the combination of Peggy Flemings, Michelle Kwan, Karatina Witt, Irina Slutkaya. She got it all. So talented!

Yes, but does she make you nervous when she skates...would feel sad if she messed up and did not win. Does she make you feel anything other than admiration of her talent?

Joesitz (RIP) · Mar 24, 2010

Spun Silver said:
Interesting. Where is Yu Na lacking, for you?

Yuna is not lacking in my criteria, although I insist that line is also very important. Yuna, for me, skates with a turned in knee of her free leg. I think it was the surprise of Mirai's skating that night which overwhelmed me. It was beyond competition. Can she do it again? I dunno. Looking forward to that sassy Carmen.

Layfan · Mar 24, 2010

Joesitz said:
Yuna is not lacking in my criteria, although I insist that line is also very important. Yuna, for me, skates with a turned in knee of her free leg. I think it was the surprise of Mirai's skating that night which overwhelmed me. It was beyond competition. Can she do it again? I dunno. Looking forward to that sassy Carmen.

I agree. It's the one and only thing that takes away from Yuna's skating. Her not-so-good turnout and unpointed feet. Maybe because she's so darned good, those flaws are all the more noticeable to me .. I don't know.

I was expecting that from Mirai after nationals. Still, maybe it's only because she skated last and she's so new on the scene that she moved me more than Yuna. But that just goes to show how well Mirai took advantage of skating last, turning it into a spectacular debut instead of letting it derail her. I just can't say enough about that performance.

We'll see if she can do it again - three times in a row, it would be. But she has been pretty solid all year, when you think about it. She has not had a meltdown, really. The difference between her skates is sometimes she has URs and sometimes not. And sometimes she REALLY performs and sometimes she sort of performs. Hopefully, she'll get to that point where she ALWAYS performs, even with falls, like Michelle and Sasha usually did.
Performance-wise, I thought Mirai was better at nationals. There are some moments in both her SP and LP choreo that are all about flourish and at nats she hit them so well. At the Olympics she sort of rushed through a couple of those moments. But it WAS her first Olympics. I'm so impressed with both her poise and Rachael's.

PolymerBob · Mar 24, 2010

I will have to go with the majority here and say Joannie's short was the most emotional. Where I digress from the majority is with Rachael and Mirai. Their performances were very good. In fact, I disagree with the disparity in scores. The differences is scores were due things that could not be seen by the human eye in real time. ( a debate in itself )

I can't say I got emotional about their performances, good as they were. They had basically 0.000034 % chance of a medal, so there was no pressure. They were a couple of kids having fun. Like they borrowed Dad's car for the first time and took it out on the highway.

R.D. · Mar 24, 2010

Layfan said:
Out of curiosity, who ARE you a real fan of? I mean, in the past, who has really grabbed you?

(p.s. I have a hunch, as you suggest, that Yuna is better live, but it's just a hunch as I've never seen in it. It's probably hard to appreciate her speed and power on TV. In contrast, MK was transmits her emotions even on youtube. )

I never had a favorite skater. Posters have speculated over the years, but none of it was ever truly true. As for performances that have grabbed me- they are few and far between. Most of them actually have been at live shows. In 2008 SOI- Meissner, Jen Robinson...there was Jeff Buttle's impressive jumping in his guest performance...I also liked Cohen's MS and Jen Robinson(?)'s performance of Angel in 2009. I wish I could have had the chance to see a COI show before they folded but oh well.

I'm curious to see Czisny and Nagasu live for the first time this year. Who knows, there could be more.

Even watching many of these same performances on TV just isn't anywhere near the same. I have to be there to get the full impact, really. Other than MK's 2003 National performance I really can't recall a moment that any TV performance has truly had an emotional impact on me. Although there have been ones that have come close. Mirai's SP at this year's Nationals for sure. Such joy. That's what really gets to me. I like to see skaters just having fun and enjoying themselves out there instead of looking so tense, stiff and "business-like". That seems to be the norm nowadays.

Layfan · Mar 24, 2010

R.D. said:
I never had a favorite skater. Posters have speculated over the years, but none of it was ever truly true. As for performances that have grabbed me- they are few and far between. Most of them actually have been at live shows. In 2008 SOI- Meissner, Jen Robinson...there was Jeff Buttle's impressive jumping in his guest performance...I also liked Cohen's MS and Jen Robinson(?)'s performance of Angel in 2009. I wish I could have had the chance to see a COI show before they folded but oh well.

I'm curious to see Czisny and Nagasu live for the first time this year. Who knows, there could be more.

Even watching many of these same performances on TV just isn't anywhere near the same. I have to be there to get the full impact, really. Other than MK's 2003 National performance I really can't recall a moment that any TV performance has truly had an emotional impact on me. Although there have been ones that have come close. Mirai's SP at this year's Nationals for sure. Such joy. That's what really gets to me. I like to see skaters just having fun and enjoying themselves out there instead of looking so tense, stiff and "business-like". That seems to be the norm nowadays.

I agree :disapp:

R.D. · Mar 24, 2010

Yes, and that's probably why live shows are the best for that. Less pressure for the skaters so they can focus on truly entertaining the audience. And some pull it off really well. Others still have to work on it.

Which of the Top Ladies of Today, Get to you emotionally?

janetfan

Match Penalty

Joesitz (RIP)

Bennett

janetfan

Match Penalty

#1Kerryfan

#1Kerryfan

Spun Silver

Jaana

Layfan

skatingpunk

chachacha

cosmos

prettykeys

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win

Joesitz (RIP)

Layfan

PolymerBob

R.D.

Layfan

R.D.

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