Champion skaters on and off the ice

Around the rink I always hear the other skaters talking about how they don't like certain skaters because of their attitudes.
The majority of the people I talked to don't like Plushenko, for example because, 'he thinks he's all high and mighty'
And at Skate Canada, I was there with a friend of mine, and she 'lost all respect for Daisuke' when he got pissed that he didn't win, took off his medal, and stormed off the ice.
Meanwhile these are two of my favourite skaters because they're such amazing athletes.

Does a skater's attitude off the ice affect the way you view them an athlete?

I never heard of that happening with Takahashi! Which Skate Canada?

I'm not sure who the skaters at your rink are hanging out with and how they came to know Plushenko, who AFAIK does not spend much time in Canada. I have a friend who's met him several times and said he was lovely. Even if he isn't always nice and pleasant, you know what? Elite skaters are human. They're going to have their bad moments, they'll get pissed off, they might be having a bad day and feeling impatient. And all that might happen when there are fans, or even TV cameras, around.

Barring something extreme (very sleazy behavior, racist remarks, etc.) then no, I don't care what skaters do off the ice. They're not my friends and their role in my life is limited to me enjoying their skating (or not).

Earlier this week, there was a thread with links to the Orange Team interviews from TEB. The Orange Team girls are mainly fans; I don't think they were there in any sort of official capacity. The skaters weren't obligated to play along, they might have had other things they wanted to do, but many of them - including top skaters like V/M and Patrick Chan - nonetheless took the time to answer fan questions and have some fun with it. Isn't hat worth discussing more than who might have been caught at a bad moment?

Sorry about the miscomunication, they don't personally know him. They were watching the interviews that he did before the games.

Wildstorm said:

Does a skater's attitude off the ice affect the way you view them an athlete?

Click to expand...

Not really. To use an example from outside skating, nobody would ever call someone like Svetlana Khorkina the kindest, most gracious athlete in the world. But I love watching her gymnastics nonetheless. I try to keep in mind that different cultures may have different attitudes towards what one constitutes as 'sportsmanship' and that it's understandable for athletes to be disappointed when they don't win.

But do spill about that Daisuke incident! Which Skate Canada was it? I have never heard of that happening with Daisuke before either, and I've seen him lose live and he seemed very cool with it to me....

This year. We watched it live in Missisauga. He got the pictures taken with Patrick and Javier then he skated half a lap, wouldn't take his flag, didn't sign any autographs (Patrick and Javier were talking to the fans, taking pics etc.) and then as he got off he removed the metal.
He was having fun the next day during the gala practice though.

Takahashi was probably frustrated because he did not perform his best. He made two bad mistakes on his two biggest elements and took himself out of the running. So he was probably mad at himself.

Plushenko is a sweeheart, but maybe sometimes he comes across as terse and abrupt in interviews in English.

IMHO it is well worth the effort for skaters to be nice to their fans. A smile and a "hello" can make you be a fan of that skater for life.

But some people have a flair for it and others don't. When you shake hands with Scott Hamilton he makes you feel like you are the most important person in the universe to him at that moment. Other performers are not so much at ease in social interactions with strangers.

i don't know much about plushenko, but i remember after the olympics when he lost to evan he came off kinda snooty and with the feel that he was full of himself. a sore loser. his coach was kind of the same too. and yeah i'll be honest, the way a skater acts off the ice reflects my opinions of them somewhat. such as tonya harding. NO RESPECT.

Mathman said:

But some people have a flair for it and others don't. When you shake hands with Scott Hamilton he makes you feel like you are the most important person in the universe to him at that moment. Other performers are not so much at ease in social interactions with strangers.

Click to expand...

unless you bother him right before a broadcast... friends and I did that (I didn't think it was appropriate but I was outvoted) and he was still really gracious but obviously preoccupied LOL

Wildstorm said:

Sorry about the miscomunication, they don't personally know him. They were watching the interviews that he did before the games.

Click to expand...

If they were watching NBC, I'm not surprised they had that reaction. It's very interesting to see how differently Plushenko was portrayed in the US media in general before, during and after the games in 2010 vs. 2006.

evangeline said:

If they were watching NBC, I'm not surprised they had that reaction. It's very interesting to see how differently Plushenko was portrayed in the US media in general before, during and after the games in 2010 vs. 2006.

Click to expand...

agreed. all fluff pieces (no matter where you are) are editted for time and theme. It's no more true reality than a reality TV show.

Kurt Browning is a class act. i've never seen him skate LIVE but I met him in 2006 and he exceeded every expectation. I've never met a skater before to since that was just so down to earth and genuine and giving for the fans (of skating, not just of him.) GREAT guy.

I share the same view as Lucinda Ruh when it comes to gossip, which occurred a lot when she was touring with Stars On Ice, she didn't engage in it and felt it was all gibberish.

Rather, she was a loner, one whom was thinking about the universe and the creation of man.

oh wow, i was at Skate Canada too. Daisuke didn't stay as long for his fans as Patrick and Javier did. He did a quick "victory lap" and went off the ice. I don't think he was pissed he didn't win, but rather, he was disappointed with his own performance....

That would also make sence. We interpreted it as him being mad from what we saw I guess. Where were you sitting?

What impresses me most is when skaters go out of their way to particpate in shows for charities and serve as spokespeople for worthy causes. Like Yu-na Kim's work on behalf of UNICEF.

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto were very active when they lived in the Detroit area. They organized a show for the victimes of a natural disaster in Indonesia and raised over $20,000. They put together a star-studded cast of volunteers including U.S. champiomns Johnny Weir and Castile and Okolski and many others more or less on the spur of the moment. Two years later they did another one for intehnational disaster relief.

Wildstorm said:

That would also make sence. We interpreted it as him being mad from what we saw I guess. Where were you sitting?

Click to expand...

Nah, he didn't look mad...rather disappointed. I mean he has lost in the past, and there's no news about him being a sore loser lol. I was sitting a few rows up from that lady who was handing out teddy bears to every skater xD what about you?

Sometimes I wonder if there are not cultural / translation issues that make Russian athletes sound proud and haughty? After Cup of Russia, Queen Tuk was interviewed on NBC and sounded that way, or rather the translator made her sound that way. I have wondered it the nationality/culture of the translator can also make a difference in the interpretation? On the other hand, there is no mistaking Plushy racing around the rink with his finger up!

OMG her!!!! Haha... Denis Ten was sitting in your section for a while during ice dance eh?
You had pretty good seats. I sat near that lady's spot during the dance practice Sunday morning and it scored me autographs and pictures with Daisuke and Akiko, cause me and my friend saw Akiko warming up in the arena entrance to the left so we went up for autographs and a picture, and Daisuke walked over to talk to Akiko so we finally got his too! picture-> http://wildstorm-warrior.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4hhsrl

You should have seen the mob of japanese fans that came flying past us after we got our pictures XD

We were sitting on the right of the judges booth four rows from the ice.

I love Plush, Irina and many Russian skaters. i would love to visit and partake of the culture, museums, the ballet, the skating events. Russians I know in my area are very proud, nice people. They are generally very nice and one I know converted to Christianity (ashamed he was wrongly of his Jewish background he said,) and brought up in the atheist tradition. He love USA and does not want to go back. He was a nice man who became even nicer and happier when he found a church that made him happy. The Russian performer athlete does not like to lose. In ballet and skating, gymnastics, these Russian superstars are adored at home and egos get large. You could make a case for poor sportsmanship for Irina, Plush or Khorhina, and call them people with huge egos. Maybe you'd be right. But that extreme confidence generates great courage. There are cultural differences and the Russian skaters get slammed the most, and this is a rehash of Vancouver. I like Plushy and Irina enormously. I am turned off to the same extent by Khorhina, Pasha Grishuk, and to some extent, the person Baiul grew up to be.

It absolutely makes a difference off ice behavior, with fans and even with judges. Tonya Harding (before the hit-everyone recall the disdain for her as a person) Kerrigan who helps many people and has shown great love for a very ill brother, was slammed for years for a couple honest comments after losing the gold medal (unfairly) after heroic comeback. She does not even get listed in most people's top tens and she was a big US Champion.

So to say we don't judge people re gossip, and their real off camera personalities is being totally false. In skating we see Alissa get held up. People love her. One of my favorites, MK, can do no wrong in some people's eyes. But it's easy to be gracious when you skate great most of the time.

I much prefer athletes who speak their mind than the constant pollyannas like Peggy for example. I learned nothing from her in all those years. Thank goodness for Dick Button. He may be far from the nicest man but he was usually honest about what he was seeing.

I remember see Surya Bonaly act the same and I remember her backflip to the judges. I thought it was great. Without these characters, skating would be dull. I won't likely read Lucindah's new book, but it would be more honest if she did describe people exactly as they behaved. Her pro career appears over, so nothing to lose there. I like knowing the truth. I can think of a top skater who always won (mostly) and when she didn't one time, she was testy. She is a big sweetheart of skating so I would not want to rile her fans. The podiums are for the skating. Often the best human beings in life are the losers, because they value being kind over getting what they want. As in all fields of human endeavour, it seems unfair that Plush can be Plush when mad, but female skaters must keep smiling and be ever so gracious. Can you imagine if Yuna Kim threw a fit when she came in second at worlds? There'd be pages of talk! Double standards everywhere.

Wildstorm said:

OMG her!!!! Haha... Denis Ten was sitting in your section for a while during ice dance eh?
You had pretty good seats. I sat near that lady's spot during the dance practice Sunday morning and it scored me autographs and pictures with Daisuke and Akiko, cause me and my friend saw Akiko warming up in the arena entrance to the left so we went up for autographs and a picture, and Daisuke walked over to talk to Akiko so we finally got his too! picture-> http://wildstorm-warrior.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4hhsrl

You should have seen the mob of japanese fans that came flying past us after we got our pictures XD

We were sitting on the right of the judges booth four rows from the ice.

Click to expand...

I only went to the Men's LP 'cause of work YOU ARE SO LUCKY...OMG. When Daisuke, Patrick and Javier did the victory lap, I was at the front row with a bunch of skater girls, but I was too shy to ask for their photos I need more guts ha