Why do you love skater X? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Why do you love skater X?

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I think the key is, do you like your favorite just as much when he/she fails and when he/she succeeds?

This point flirts with that all-important distinction of fairweather fan vs. true fan.

I must stress, fairweather fandom isn't necessarily a bad thing. Everyone likes a winner. In fact, it can be good in a way- and here is an example. You see it all the time in team sports- when a city's team does well, suddenly everyone is hanging signs and watching/attending games. They help fill up the arenas and pump up the surrounding atmosphere. True fans stick around even when the team does poorly- and they are essentially the life-blood and support of this team, as they keep buying the tickets and merchandise. But the fairweather fans come in droves when the team is winning and help to provide that electric atmosphere that is so infectious during the playoffs. Eliminate them from the equation and you still have an enthusiastic crowd, but it is much smaller.

Translating this to skating, or individual sports, it's a little trickier. I'm sure most athletes would much rather have the fans who stick by them through thick and thin than the ones who are plentiful when everything's good, but vanish when the going gets tough. Sort of like how friends work...who are your REAL friends?

In response to R.D.'s question about fandom: I feel like I have a need to reply to unfair criticisms about a skater if I have more background knowledge about them (most likely because I liked them to begin with to read up more about them) and someone is spreading horrible rumours about them, especially if someone is trolling and writing crappy posts just b/c they really dislike someone. I'm not sure if it has to do with fandom per say, more like having to do with not being able to stand unfair comments.

Well, this is a fair point. I don't have to "like" someone to feel an unfair comment is being made. I do this a lot as well.

I was really getting at reactions to more mild criticisms, say perhaps "she's slow" or "she does nothing for me" type of comments. Not the inflammatory type. I see strong reactions by fans of some of these skaters who are being criticized mildly and I want to know why they do it- the psychology behind why they feel the need to be defensive.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
This is more my tendency toward U.S. skaters -- my like for a skater and/or skaters tends to involve things beyond what they do on the ice.
For example, I like the Shibutanis because they are fun outside of the ice. I love that Maia and Alex have such great senses of humor with their Facebook + Twitter posts and YouTube videos. Also the fact they make an effort to stay connected with fans via those mediums also is quite attractive to me. Combined with the fact they are some of the hardest workers in Ice Dance (how many times did they change that pesky Latin SD again?), it makes me a fan regardless of how they do.

Rachael Flatt is another skater I tend to like because I like her off-ice personality and also her work ethic. She is definitely passionate about life and all the things within it, which in some ways could be her downfall because she is doing too much, but regardless I admire someone who clearly loves life so much. Granted I like other people's skating better than Rachael's, but I am a fan for all the other reasons above and I think there are still some great aspects to her skating as well that people tend to down play -- namely enthusiasm, persistence and power.

Ross Miner is another skater I feel many downplay, but I just love his slow, steady and calm approach. I think in the age of flashy, showy skating, Ross Miner's smooth skating style is refreshing. I like that he just goes out there in the ice and skates his program good, bad or otherwise and does it with little pretension. Also in regardless to off-ice personality, I love his dry sense of humor on Twitter, especially when he teams up with his buddies, the Shibs.

Outside of the U.S...

Akiko Suzuki is a skater who I like because of her passion for life and skating. I can't understand Japanese, but I just love how she takes photos of whatever comes to mind and post them on Twitter. I appreciate a skater who can see greatness in the little things and I think that shows in the nuances of her skating.

Daisuke Takahashi, as others pointed out, gets fans because he performs his heart out each and every time. He is not perfect, but regardless you always come away glad you saw Daisuke skate. I love his performance style.

There are others, so perhaps I'll elaborate more when I have a chance.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Wow - sapphiresky, you couldn't have said it better. I will say that the one aspect that turns me completely off with a skater is arrogance!!! And that's one of the reasons I've never been able to stomach several male skaters in particular. Like anybody who is at the top of their game in sports, the true classic sportsman is the one who has alot of self-confidence but doesn't smack you in the face with it. They let their performance do the talking!! And the swaggering and the posturing is completely unnecessary! Under the new rules, I appreciate any skater that can get all their elements in with top points but not make you feel like they're just skating from one trick to another to get those points. I like seamless transitions, someone who clearly feels the music and engages their performance with the crowd. I would love to see Michelle Kwan skating at the peak of her competition years under the new rules! To me she embodied all that was good or should be good about figure skating. She was athletic, beautiful, graceful and she could deliver. And in none of the interviews I either read or saw her do did she come off as a spoiled brat who was full of herself!!! I haven't seen enough of the "new" skaters to have a full appreciation for them yet.

Sadly, Michelle really never had much time nor did she conform well to COP. Some her spirals and spins were downgraded and her jumps were "puny" compared to Slutskaya or an on Kostner, Rochette, Sokolova, Kim, Asada, Suzuki et al. She was the 6.0 queen.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
If I concentrate on the men´s skating only and think about my biggest favourites of all time, they all are rather different as skaters:

John Curry
Robin Cousins
Philippe Candeloro
Alexei Urmanov
Ilia Kulik
Stephane Lambiel
Jeffrey Buttle
Evan Lysacek
Daisuke Takahashi
Patrick Chan
Javier Fernandez

Definetely I´m not enthusiastic about skaters because they are coming from a certain country and could not care less about the religion... Maybe it is the effortless way they move on the ice (with the exception of Candeloro), the speed (well Curry was not a fast skater, but what did I know about those things in that time???). Apparently I do like tall skaters most (exceptions being Candeloro, Takahashi, Chan and Fernandez, which I like in spite of them being short). Anyway it is a lot more difficult to skate and especially jump if you are about 6” tall.
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Sadly, Michelle really never had much time nor did she conform well to COP. Some her spirals and spins were downgraded and her jumps were "puny" compared to Slutskaya or an on Kostner, Rochette, Sokolova, Kim, Asada, Suzuki et al. She was the 6.0 queen.
Michelle's jumps were certainly not puny compared to Akiko or Mao. They had great flow and distance as much as them or even better.
 
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plushyfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Country
Hungary
my point of views:
I love the skaters
1. has an unmistakable style
2. has charisma
3. has personality on and off ice
4. diverse ( she/ he can convey different feelings in the skating)
5. enjoyable to watch in every aspect( skating, outfit, shape, I don't like the too small skaters)
6. I like if the girls are pretty, fit for skating(for example I don't like Mae Berenice Meite, she has beautiful body, but she needs to go to run)


My favorite male skaters:

female skaters

1. Lu Chen
2. Mao Asada
3. Yuna Kim
4. Michelle Kwan
5. Maria Butyrskaya
6. Sizuka Arakawa

male skaters:

1. Evgeni Plushenko (plus he never disappoint)
2. Ilia Kulik
3.Robin Cousins
4.Philippe Candeloro
5.Alexei Yagudin
6.Yuzuru Hanyu


and even more....
 
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lulu

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Great question! In general, I tend to prefer skaters who have a definitive style (whatever that style may be), unique choreography and are capable of skating to a wide range of music. The skaters I like are pretty diverse, but among female skaters, I tend to prefer more powerful, athletic skaters.
 
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