Brilliance and perfection

[blue dog]

A 17-year old Tessa Virtue and a 19-year old Scott Moir:

http://youtu.be/w1zoxs6Hxjw

[Dragonlady]

I'll go you one better. This is Virtue & Moir at 2004 Canadians where they won the Junior Championship. They were 14 and 16. Note the look on Shae-Lynne's face as she's watching them.

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

I first saw this dance at Thornhill in August of 2003 and was gobsmacked at their obvious talent.

And here's Charlie & Meryl from 1999 in Thornhill. I don't know how old they were but again, the talent is obvious:

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

[lavender]

Loved Plush's presentation when he was younger. I was excited to see how he would mature but then as he got older things didn't go into that direction. He does has presence for sure but I don't love his presention anymore.

[dorispulaski]

Dragonlady, Meryl was born on January 1st, 1987, so at Thornhill, (which I believe is a summer competition) in the summer of 1999, she would have been 12 years old. Charlie would have been 11, as he was born October 24, 1987.

And, yes, D&W and V&M as youngters were both appealing, and obviously very, very talented

[sillylionlove]

Those were great videos! Even at a young age Davis and White were so talented! Other then the juvenile lifts...their speed and edging was amazing at that age.

[Olympia]

Wow, those videos of V/M and D/W are stunning. Absolutely phenomenal.

[skateluvr]

3 words...Mao at 15. And for tiny wonders Caroline Zhang and Mira Nagasu. Both have had ups and dows but they were amazing at 14. As was Rachael Flatt. She was just amazing in her consistency. I love seeing these videos. Tessa and Scott are such handsome kids. The beautiful ice dancers always make me think beauty counts a lot for female dancers. Youth of course, has its flowering.

[seniorita]

Mao at TEB 2005 is one competition I wish I was there. The program, her presence and dress, everything was perfect!

[icefan1005]

Virtue and Moir doing a Fourteen Step way back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n13Rc...hannel&list=UL

Davis and White with their 2003 FD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0_IWtmls8A

[deedee1]

Yukina Ota at age 16:

Jr Worlds SP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSZCU...feature=relmfu

Jr Worlds FP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4W2T4sGAto

EX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZufEz...eature=related

Really a shame injuries forced her into early retirement...

[demarinis5]

Thank you to everyone for posting the videos. It was such a treat watching these wonderful selections!

[Olympia]

Gordeyeva and Grinkov, in 1986, when she was fourteen and he nineteen. They had just become world champions. Senior world champions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWAYn...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtFgZ...eature=related

And here they are in the Calgary Olympics. I think this is the moment when they really clicked, and we noticed that their hearts both beat in the same rhythm. Complete unison--complete unity. Notice how rapturous Peggy and Dick are in their remarks. Peggy's only complaint is that Katia doesn't point the toe of her free leg at one moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B0tSnQKzwo

And no one's mentioned Michelle at fifteen, doing Salome. Her first world championship, 1996.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKmUW8wPB0s

[skateluvr]

Mao at TEB 2005 is one competition I wish I was there. The program, her presence and dress, everything was perfect!

Well, I really hope she brings back the triple flip/triple loop. and forgets about trying to perfect the 3 axel. She is so ethereal and touching in her Jupiter program. She has become a skater than can transfix us without jumps. I will always be in her corner. Delightful indeed.

[eyria]

My preference is always for skaters with good feet. Everything else can be fixed later but if you don't have good feet, you're in trouble.

I definitely see what you mean about the importance of good feet, edges, and basic skating skills. But--I'm not sure I agree everything else can be fixed later. One thing I always look for is whether the skater has a "good back." By this I mean, is the skater's back nicely arched? Are the shoulders up and square? Does the upper body stay still and centered as the skater moves across the ice? These are skills that tend to be acquired early on in a skating career. When skaters show up at the elite level with a flat back/poor posture, it doesn't usually seem to improve much. Their choreography and general interpretation often improves, but not so much their actual posture. I consider Miki Ando an example of this, as well as Caydee Denney.

[SGrand]

Those videos of V/M and D/W at such young ages are so incredibly cute! Meryl is the most adorable little thing!