Best Ladies' Spinner of the 80's and 90's

[dorispulaski]

Tonya Harding was quite the spinner. Here's 3 spins from 1987 NHK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC3xshNNvRQ#t=1m30s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlUUDmn0lvo#t=3m40s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU9K1W6w-Vw#t=0m20s

[christinaskater]

Denise Biellman
Lucinda Ruh best ever
Alissa Czisny

[gkelly]

I'd put Krieg and Ruh in a class by themselves, with maybe a slight edge to Krieg.

Others from that era who haven't been mentioned yet:
Kay Thomson
Jeri Campbell
Joanna Ng (had much of a senior career)
Yulia Vorobieva

Ann Patrice McDonough and Naomi Nari Nam were also quite strong spinners at young ages, not quite as fast when they finished growing (i.e., post 2000 anyway).

[Jammers]

Its sad watching Tonya when she was younger having all that potential and then just wasting it like she did. She was probably actually more artistic when she was younger too. Those spins were quite good but she never kept really improving as she should have. Not with the talent that she had.

[blue dog]

Its sad watching Tonya when she was younger having all that potential and then just wasting it like she did. She was probably actually more artistic when she was younger too. Those spins were quite good but she never kept really improving as she should have. Not with the talent that she had.

I wish USFS had encouraged Tonya to leave Portland and move to another coach, not because Diane and Dody were bad coaches, but it would've gotten her away from that environment. Of course there was the $$ issue, but there are scholarships and sponsors available. And from what her previous coaches had said, it's not that Tonya was hard to work with, it's that her mother and her first husband often got in the way.

With that said, Tonya was an amazing spinner for her time. The early nineties didn't have many good spinners.

[TtonyV7]

Ah Vorobieva!

Remember her end combo spin at 98 Worlds! WOW!

[pangtongfan]

Tonya was victimized by USFSA politics too, often. Yes she sabatoged herself at times, like gaining weight and being undertrained for the biggest few months of her career in early 1992. However she was dumped by the judges for years when in free skating she was jumping and in some ways skating rings around Thomas, Kadavy, and Trenary as the youngster, and her figures were fairly solid too. She then skated lights out at Nationals in 89 and probably should have won, but didnt even make the team as they inexplicably moved the even younger tiny jumps/no maturity Yamaguchi above her. It took her landing a triple axel to get them to finally notice her. And at an event like the 93 Nationals she landed similar jumps and made similar mistakes to a journeywomen like Kwiatkowski with no international cred and is bumped off the team in favor of her, unheard of for a former National Champion and World silver medalist. Kerrigan at that point was alread heavily promoted and backed over her as well. I almost dont blame her for what happened a year later.

[prettykeys]

I'd put Krieg and Ruh in a class by themselves, with maybe a slight edge to Krieg.

Others from that era who haven't been mentioned yet:
Kay Thomson
Jeri Campbell
Joanna Ng (had much of a senior career)
Yulia Vorobieva

Ann Patrice McDonough and Naomi Nari Nam were also quite strong spinners at young ages, not quite as fast when they finished growing (i.e., post 2000 anyway).

doris mentioned Kay Thomson a few posts up but corroboration is always nice!

[lcd]

The Swiss miracles are obvious. I thought the best traveling spin definitely belonged to Jeri Campbell. It brought gasps to the crowd during the warm up for US Nationals in 1988. She really knew where the sweet spot was on her blade.

[Olympia]

Its sad watching Tonya when she was younger having all that potential and then just wasting it like she did. She was probably actually more artistic when she was younger too. Those spins were quite good but she never kept really improving as she should have. Not with the talent that she had.

Yes, I agree. Even in 1994, before people realized her involvement in the attack on Nancy, the commentators pointed out how Tonya's moves were all beautifully smooth and finished. She wasn't just an undisciplined jumper. When someone has talent like that, it's a gift that doesn't come along every day, and shame on the country's federation if they don't figure out to help that skater along. Of course, Tonya's talent wasn't combined with the ideal skating personality, but as Bluedog says, she was in such a bad environment, and her family was more a hindrance than a help to her career. When you contrast Tonya's mother and husband with Nancy's supportive family (wasn't her father well known and liked by other skaters because of his presence at all skating events?), it's painful and sobering. I would feel sorry for her, except for what she did to Nancy, which nothing can excuse. I have to say, despite all the praise for her work on this forum, I haven't once wanted to go check out her programs on YouTube. When I think of how narrowly Nancy evaded a tragic, irreparable injury, my blood runs cold...it was just sheer dumb luck, and perhaps the grace of God.

But I'm eager to look up the spinners mentioned here who are new to me. Of course I love Ruh (and look for her programs at any excuse), and I loved Nam through her regrettably brief career. But Krieg I don't recall, or Thomson or Campbell.

[Ladskater]

Denise Biellmann would be at the top of my list. She started the whole Biellmann spin craze. Here she is in a competition from 1980 at Lake Placid, notice her famous spin at the end of her program. Simply amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_QiK85KRg


PS - I must send a shout out for Kay Thomson of Canada. She was an amazing and often overlooked skater. Her spins were awesome as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ID5wSy4og

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldsUuRaXj2g

[silverpond]

I would like to add Denise Biellman, who introduced the "Biellman spin" to the world. I still cannot quite figure out how anyone manages to do that maneuver without seriously injuring her/her back!

[eyria]

Tonya was victimized by USFSA politics too, often. Yes she sabatoged herself at times, like gaining weight and being undertrained for the biggest few months of her career in early 1992.

Tonya also smoked during her career, which couldn't have helped.