Unsung Skaters

Since we've all been having so much fun this summer speculating about favorite performances of one type or another, I thought I'd contribute a thread as well. Instead of focusing on past champions of Nationals, Worlds or Olympics, I thought it would be nice to recall some the wonderful "supporting" skaters who sometimes shared the spotlight with the superstars, but were more often overlooked. They may not have been the best jumpers, but their emphasis on the other elements of skating (spinning, footwork, edges, line, body carriage, basic, stroking, musicality and performance) made them stand out for me.

Some of my favorites include:

Robert Wagenhoffer (US national medalist in both singles and pairs from the late 70s and early 80s. He was coached by John Nicks. Sadly he died in 1999.)
1982 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw3thtysFm8

1981 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGGT6CB-9JM

Carol Fox and Richard Dalley
1984 Olympics OSP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIfUNMjh718

1984 Olympics FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kUYzVv9cXs

1982 Nationals FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ5rRMJK48s

Karen Barber and Nicky Slater
1984 Worlds FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR6A_uMU0mI

1984 Worlds OSP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBChFgwwe0M

Mark Mitchell (Easily the winner of the hard luck skater award in my opinion. 2 national medals and bumped from the team for an injured skater each time.
1991 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3QetYpuzKU

1992 Worlds FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6aOZJZhMMU&feature=related

1992 Skate America FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bB_ElXnwB8&playnext=1&list=PL5C7931FF4E8D5091

Erik Larson
1989 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgpUcJwJr98
1989 National OP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqeAW5_Njo

Michael Chack (for anyone old enough to know where the verbal use of his last name came from, you'll understand why I've posted so many clips of him. It's a crime he did not enjoy more success and attention.)
1993 US Olympic Festival TP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQUSWrGMHwA

1993 US Olympic Festival FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebYJwKs4kpk

1992 Nationals OP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beVzs9UZmiw&feature=related

Eric Millot
1995 Trophee Lalique FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WepifHHLd0A&feature=related

Caryn Kadavy
1987 Worlds FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD5Xsuk440k

Matt Savoie ( I adore him.)
2005 Nationals SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAsNpBJbk0

2006 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqY2Q2WUl8

Angela Nikodinov
2004 Nationals SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNbHfdHLQa4&feature=related

2001 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGsMDXLyXxs

Aren Nielsen
1994 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA52eMDg6NA

1995 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJabzAD9Nyg&feature=related

Dan Hollander
1996 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDpa_iwVvSE

Shepherd Clark
1993 US Olympic Festival FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ammB0JJj9_I

1996 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG0yNIsFBoE&feature=related

Rory Flack (She never had a standout amateur career, but man did she transform into a great entertainer as a pro. Best split jumps ever!)
1994 US Open TP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uclL44PYRU

Karen Kwan
1996 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4J5fqOhjr4

Ryan Jahnke
2004 Skate Canada FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TngyPQyw6k4&feature=related

2003 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojroEOUkbnE&feature=related

2004 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbzfIXTm0Mw

PS I know Paul Wylie made his mark, but these were from the days when that was far from certain. Two of his finest FS performances ever.
1990 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzB4Cn8MNSw

1991 Nationals FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlW2BMj8jxQ&feature=related

Does anyone else have any favorites to share?

Anna Rechnio
1998 Worlds SP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2jic7RAlck)
As the YT video description notes, INCREDIBLE placing by virtual nobody Anna Rechnio into second place after the short. I like her energy and attack, she really epitomized 'raw talent,' IMO.

Yukina Ota
2004 4CC SP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y1pEqiKTmk)
So much talent and grace, and with a layback that even Dick Button would be proud of.

Ilia Klimkin
ANYTHING. Seriously, just search "ilia klimkin" on YT (like so: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ilia+klimkin&aq=f)
A very creative and truly unique skater with some seriously cool moves, even if his music choices were completely and utterly bizarre at times.

David Liu
1992 Olympic SP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c3ceRk1P0Y)
He didn't have the jumps, but I really enjoy this SP, especially the one-foot step sequence.

Jonathan Cassar
2010 US Nationals LP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-k2Rc9hK4A)
His 2011 version of this is even better, but it's not on YT.

Chris Bowman
1987 US Nats EX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMRW1HmNiVI)
Wasted talent.

Ana Cecilia Cantu Felix
2009 Worlds SP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ0I5Iwk3h8)

What a great thread! It demonstrates that skating is full of wonderful treasures offered up by people who will never make it onto a top five list or even a top ten list of greatest skaters. As I started to read your post, I immediately thought of Mark Mitchell, and was glad to see that you had thought of him too. He had beautiful extensions in moves such as his camel spin. Like you, I was also a fan of Aren Nielsen, who had an easy, jazzy way of moving. Thanks for including him.

How about Rene Roca and Gorsha Sur? Lovely style, beautiful emotional connection, never won an international medal that I know of, but a joy to watch. They flourished professionally with Stars on Ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eeTWfe0F0A


And you included Angela Nikodinov! Such an exquisite skater. Also great to see Rory Flack on your list. She was the only other lady skater besides Surya Bonaly who did a back flip. I always preferred Flack's flip to Bonaly's, because she is so tall and elegant, and she spun impressively through the air.

What a great topic!! Some of the "lesser" skaters were truly outstanding, and it's a shame that there's only ONE gold medal. These folks had the bad timing to share the ice with a cadre of champions, but that doesn't diminish their talents and accomplishments.

Ryan Jahne was a terrific skater, with strong jumps, spins, and energy. At least he did qualify for the World team once. Unfortunately, he usually made enough mistakes to keep him out of the running for the podium.

Michael Chack was a solid skater with good technique, and I always wished he would gain prominence in the figure skating world.

Lisa-Marie Allen was a gorgeous skater with smooth lines, elegant flow, and strong jumps. She was the perennial runner-up to Linda Fratianne in the late 1970s.

Wendy Burge was another excellent skater who did make the World team. She was the perennial runner-up to Dorothy Hamill during the mid 1970s.

There were so many talented, hard-working, and dedicated skaters who competed at regionals and who did not qualify for sectionals, and other skaters, just as determined, who competed at sectionals and did not qualify for Nationals. And of course there are the skaters who did qualify for Nationals but were in the last flight and did not have a possibility of making the World team.

Thanks for mentioning Lisa-Marie Allen! She was so elegant, unusually tall for a singles skater--five foot eight, I think. She had Kiira Korpi's blonde elegance, and beautifully smooth moves and positions. Even if Fratianne hadn't been there, I doubt Allen would have dominated internationally: she was a good skater but not a great one as I recall. But she had grace and charm, and skating isn't just a power sport. Thank goodness for YouTube! Maybe some inspired packrat soul has managed to squirrel away a grainy video (probably a Betamax, considering the vintage) of Allen skating.

ETA: And here she is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PoM1JObYGg

Olympia said:

Thanks for mentioning Lisa-Marie Allen! She was so elegant, unusually tall for a singles skater--five foot eight, I think. Even if Fratianne hadn't been there, I doubt Allen would have dominated; she was a good skater but not a great one as I recall. But she had grace and charm, and skating isn't just a power sport. Thank goodness for YouTube! Maybe some inspired packrat soul has managed to squirrel away a grainy video (probably a Betamax, considering the vintage) of Allen skating.

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My pleasure, Olympia! Lisa-Marie Allen was the "Grace Kelly" of the US figure skating team, IMHO. Yes, I agree with you that she wasn't a dominating skater, yet she was so elegant and graceful. She had an absolutely stunning Ina Bauer!

Here's another entry. I initially left out Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar because they won two national dance titles. But in hindsight, I decided to include them here because they are almost never mentioned as a team when the great past US ice dance teams are talked about in light of American success the last six years. Yet between Blumberg and Seibert's three world bronzes and Belbin and Agosto's 2005 Worlds silver, this team had the highest Worlds finish in that 20 year span by an American dance team. They finished 5th at 1989 Worlds and a spectacular 4th in 1990. To put this into context, their immediate competition in Halifax in '90 were five teams who had or would win 8 Olympic medals (3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze) and 9 World Championships and an astonishing 24 total world medals. They defeated an up and coming Grishuk and Platov both there and at the Goodwill Games later that year in their farewell competition along with Rahkamo and Kokko. In that light, it's a real shame that they never snagged a world medal. They personified the snappy, technically sharp North American style of ice dance and proudly carried on the tradition laid out for them by O'Connor and Millns, Blumberg and Seibert and Wilson and McCall.

1990 Worlds FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZyZGhej1yU

1989 Worlds FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiMOcf2Xb0k

1989 Worlds OSP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUzHjLkGstw

w00t for Alaska representation with Rory she choreographs for Keegan Messing now and her son is a competitive figure skater.

Good to hear that Rory is still in skating, because she adds luster to the sport. I've seen her live, and she has a wonderful electricity. She gets inside the music and makes it come out through her, so that her skating always looks like a performance and not a checklist. She has always skated with a certain command, so that she was not girlish, coltish, or childish. I'll bet she's a grand choreographer. Go, Alaska!

Olympia said:

Good to hear that Rory is still in skating, because she adds luster to the sport. I've seen her live, and she has a wonderful electricity. She gets inside the music and makes it come out through her, so that her skating always looks like a performance and not a checklist. She has always skated with a certain command, so that she was not girlish, coltish, or childish. I'll bet she's a grand choreographer. Go, Alaska!

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I'm not a huge fan of her choreography, but it typically gets teh job done. Wish Keegan would go with someone else to achieve the next level of his skating. Rory recently remarried and lives in Utah, so he'd have to fly someone up either way... or fly down... oh well lol

Olympia said:

How about Rene Roca and Gorsha Sur? Lovely style, beautiful emotional connection, never won an international medal that I know of, but a joy to watch. They flourished professionally with Stars on Ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eeTWfe0F0A

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I don't remember seeing this before, but I <3 it!

So many of my favorites are here!

Robert Wagenhoffer really came into his own as a pro and won a World Professional championship. He died young, though.

Another dance team: Annenko & Sretenski who had the misfortune to come up in Russian ice dance when so many other talented couples were skating, but who were themselves wonderful too. They were fourth at Worlds twice:

1987 FD Romeo & Juliet (a wonderful program)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNo0HGiPLG8

1988 FD Not so wonderful, but still some nice moves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh9WI0207jQ

1990 Technical Program World Pros Tango
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJkJ_lIaGVc&feature=related

1992 World Professionals Summertime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ITYvFGQGjoQ

I also liked the Hungarian skaters, Engi & Toth
1989 Charleston OSP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CxYqzhpPkE
1989 FD an interesting West Side Story routine with lots of position changes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYd9BUhw5i0&feature=related


And also Gary Beacom-his pro programs are often linked, but his amateur performances were also interesting.

Here in 1984 Canadians LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzCTd2QFo1k

Oh, man, Annenko and Sretenski! They had a nice little pro career, especially at the Landover Pro competition as I recall. The husband of my late skating friend used to call Annenko "the Goddess," and when I think of this team, I always remember with both happiness and sadness how much fun it was to call them up after a Saturday TV broadcast and hash over the skaters' programs. We would generally give the Goddess and her partner a generous evaluation, though my friend was very perceptive about the small elements of everyone's performance. She'd have thrived as a CoP fan, but alas, she never got a chance to be one. I'm afraid she'd be spending a lot of time educating me.

I quote Rory Flack!
another one not yet mentioned, is Rohene Ward: I saw him once in a show and loved his skating, pity he left too soon!

Here's another mention: the choreographer edition.

Lee Ann Miller and Bill Fauver
Most people know Lee Ann these days as a noted choreographer. But like fellow choreographer Sandra Bezic she was once a top level pairs skater and Olympian. They finished second behind the Carruthers in 1984 Nationals and 10th at the Olympics. They were what Uncle Dick would call "gentle skaters" who did not overpower you with tricks but had nice lines and much of the stylistic sensibility that Lee Ann's choreography became noted for in later years.

1983 St Ivel FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrWpgjOGSh8&feature=related

Speaking of Sandra Bezic, she was a 5 time Canadian champion with her brother Val. They never placed highly in international competition and retired relatively young and moved on to fairly normal lives. Sandra came back to skating in the late 70's and early 80s as a pro skater in a few events before moving on to her storied choreographic career and television commentary. Here are a couple of their pro performances.

1980 World Pro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p86xxYS-ws

What a great video of the Bezics as pro skaters. I don't remember them at all as competitors, except by name. They had such beautiful unison, and such maturity of delivery. One thing that's often lost with the modern-day tricks that depend on the man's strength means that often the lady and the man are a foot apart in height. Often it can look as if a grown man is skating with a child. Val and Sandra are of similar height, and it makes for a better emotional connection, I think. I love that waist-high lift that he does.

The other treasure in this tape is the beginning practice section, where Janet Lynn is doing a spin. I think she's even pointing her toes. So exquisite.

Susanna Poykio

http://youtu.be/RN5T4UUYgAI

Two of my favorites:

Igor Bobrin:
1981 Worlds LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkZAE9KNuN4
1981 Worlds EX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Qg31eD3Rc

1981-1982 LP (I think at the Moscow News competition)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK7cLEUCl2E


Vladimir Kotin
1983 Europeans LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKO56REgQvI

1986 Europeans SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahBCt0oj14M&feature=related

1986 Europeans LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T0xf0gV3_M&feature=related

1987 Worlds EX with Debi Thomas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xILuCL2fQk&feature=related

I love this thread.

I always loved watching the Lithuanian ice dancers Drobiazko and Vanagas and feel that they were better than thier placements at times (2002 worlds come to mind.)

Anthony Liu, Chinese/Australian jumping bean of the early 2000 era, but with better artistry and skating skills than you'd expect from that description. He also does commentary now! It was a kick to hear him commenting on 4CC this past year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH9oknkmw6Y
That's probably the best 4T in the history of the sport right there. Just monstrous, but also so light and effortless looking, even a little bit delayed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HrppE5DvZg&feature=related
The biggest death drop I have ever seen from anyone not named Alexei Yagudin. He always had good use of his arms and hands, but it's really outstanding in this program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNkRZrW_H8
Unfortunately there's not a lot of videos of him out there on YouTube, but this one shows off the awesome delay action in his 4T even better. He had nice camel positions too, but none of these videos show them off too well.

I really wish I could find videos of his performances at Skate America in 99, which was the only time I saw him live.