Retrospective Looking Back -- World Professional Championships -- | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Retrospective Looking Back -- World Professional Championships --

dlarry1

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 5, 2006
One of my favorite events too! This is where I saw my favorite program of all time, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding's "1492." The only clips I can find are from when they are much older and not throwing the original tricks, but it was the program that made me fall in love with figure skating!!!
 

hikki

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Country
Japan
Finally, here's Yuka's first title of four, won in 1995. Technical Program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOcSjJ-bfCQ

This is my all time favourite Yuka program. Showed off her speed, jumps, skating etc all so well. I'm not a big fan of her later programs to so many identical banal female vocalist songs where she skates slowly and poses a lot.

Kristi vs. Midori in the 1993 and 1994 were also fantastic!
 

jcoates

Medalist
Joined
Mar 3, 2006
Here's a few more.

Caryn Kadavy had such an up and down amateur career and which ended on such a sad note. That led to a somewhat shaky beginning to her pro career. She's always skated in Debi and Jill's shadow in the US and though she won bronze at 87 Worlds, her short-circuited Olympic showing really hampered her confidence. Gradually though, she gained consistency and presence and became one of the most dependable pros on the circuit for more than a decade. Here's one of her best skates from the 96 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEyFBdTsXkE&feature=fvwrel

Katia Gordeeva also had several wonderful singles programs at this event following Sergei's death. Here are a few.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CdljxyH-U&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0S-VDywXxA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdkFS3R30-8&feature=related
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Here's a few more.

Caryn Kadavy had such an up and down amateur career and which ended on such a sad note. That led to a somewhat shaky beginning to her pro career. She's always skated in Debi and Jill's shadow in the US and though she won bronze at 87 Worlds, her short-circuited Olympic showing really hampered her confidence. Gradually though, she gained consistency and presence and became one of the most dependable pros on the circuit for more than a decade. Here's one of her best skates from the 96 World Pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEyFBdTsXkE&feature=fvwrel

Katia Gordeeva also had several wonderful singles programs at this event following Sergei's death. Here are a few.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CdljxyH-U&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0S-VDywXxA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdkFS3R30-8&feature=related

Once, I don't remember when, the TV network put up a split screen showing Oksana Baiul's "Meditation" from Thais side by side with Caryn Kadavy's. Cadavy, who had had more ballet training than the usual American ladies' skater, certainly held her own with Oksana. Oksana's version had a lot of hand movements (that were a bit fluttery and fussy to my eyes), while Cadavy's was streamlined and flowing. I think she brought a great deal of distinction to skating, both as an amateur and as a pro, because of her beauty of line.

Gordeyeva...what can I say? She had some wizardry in her movements that made her look as though she were running or even flying across the ice. Of course she was a weak jumper compared to the other pro ladies of her time, like Yamaguchi, but her other technique (I don't even know the vocabulary for some of the moves she mastered...and that footwork!) and her innate musicality made her unique and enchanting. It must have taken such strength of character to go out there and skate as a single, knowing that she could never equal the jumps of her fellow competitors. Talk about mental toughness! I can't wait to watch the videos you've linked to. She's sublime at every stage of her career, even now when she skates in things like the Canadian version of "Skating with the Stars."
 
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