Least Talented/Worthy Olympic Champion(s) ever?
- Thread starter wordsworthgirl
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- Jun 21, 2003
I don't think it is particularly useful to re-score old programs using IJS. Under 6.0 other things were valued that do not necessarily fill a box on a CoP protocol sheet.
The fact is that that evening in 1994, viewers were treated to two extraordinary programs, and the results could have gone either way with equal honor to both pairs. As Tamara Moskvina said, some prefer lyrics and some prefer physics. I felt we were incredibly lucky to have both that evening.
That's one messed up system if charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent weren't properly rewarded.
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- Dec 21, 2011
This, and if anything, this is more true in pairs than in the other disciplines. It is true, FlattFan, that were these programs- either GG OR M/D- skated today, even lower level skaters would kill them on the TES. The truth is that the sport was NOT as technically demanding for pairs back then. It is also true that were the programs skated today, M/D would win based on COP. But that's sort of a nonstarter. The programs were not skated under COP and were skated at a time when the level technically in pairs was MUCH lower, and when much MUCH different things were valued in assigning placements and were valued MUCH more heavily in assigning placements. You have unambiguously stated your opinion that this was a stupid system, then, and I am not going to try to change your opinion on that. But it's not really fair to say that based on how things are today, GG had no right to win in 1994. Based on how things were in 1994, it was a close call and GG came out on top.
I said based on 6.0, G/G should not have won.
Based on the new system, G/G should have lost by a huge margin.
One of the problem with 6.0 is how everything is so arbitrary. You can go back a few pages and see all kind of recollections. How G/G had better unison, had better throw technique, better line. Well, like I said, people seem to forget that G/G did simpler moves, hence, it appeared that they had better unison. They appeared to have better line because Natalia is built like a truck driver compare to Katia. No one compare Sergei and Dmitriev as Katia alone does not make a pair having better line and better extension.
On top of that, you can look back and see how messy their SBS spins were.
It's like people forget things, and since G/G had the look, they conveniently forgot the flaws they had in 94 LP.
Anyway, it's probably hard to convince anyone as everyone's set on their mind so let's leave it at that. All I know is I watch M/D programs from time to time in awe and never bother looking at G/G programs until today.
Based on the new system, G/G should have lost by a huge margin.
One of the problem with 6.0 is how everything is so arbitrary. You can go back a few pages and see all kind of recollections. How G/G had better unison, had better throw technique, better line. Well, like I said, people seem to forget that G/G did simpler moves, hence, it appeared that they had better unison. They appeared to have better line because Natalia is built like a truck driver compare to Katia. No one compare Sergei and Dmitriev as Katia alone does not make a pair having better line and better extension.
On top of that, you can look back and see how messy their SBS spins were.
It's like people forget things, and since G/G had the look, they conveniently forgot the flaws they had in 94 LP.
Anyway, it's probably hard to convince anyone as everyone's set on their mind so let's leave it at that. All I know is I watch M/D programs from time to time in awe and never bother looking at G/G programs until today.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
Truest thing ever said on this forum, and could apply to any issue on this forum
Of course if we all actually believed/realized the wisdom in these words, there would be no more point in us all talking at all 
I am not blind to GG's flaws on that night but still think that under 6.0 it was a tossup. As you say though, no point blabbering on
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- Feb 17, 2010
All I know is I watch M/D programs from time to time in awe and never bother looking at G/G programs until today.
Me too. M/D skated my all time favorite pairs program (1991-92 LP) and a few others that I loved and still watch today. While I marvel at G/G's tremendous ability, I don't particularly enjoy rewatching any of their competitive programs. I think if M/D had been from any other country the result would have been controversial.
Only looking at 1988 on, since that's when I started watching:
I'm surprised this one hasn't come up yet, but I'd nominate Petrenko's 1992 win as the most underwhelming. He was a great skater, but he won with a mediocre performance to a program I think he'd been using for three years. Even Wylie's better performance had a few minor flaws. That was not a great night of men's skating.
I'd like to forget the 2002 pairs event ever happened, but that isn't the fault of any of the skaters.
I'd agree with N&K in dance. 2006 was a ho-hum dance year. D&V were the nice, bright spot.
Tech-wise, Arakawa's 2006 win. Didn't she only only have five triples? Lovely in every other way, but this was not a great ladies' event.
I'm surprised this one hasn't come up yet, but I'd nominate Petrenko's 1992 win as the most underwhelming. He was a great skater, but he won with a mediocre performance to a program I think he'd been using for three years. Even Wylie's better performance had a few minor flaws. That was not a great night of men's skating.
I'd like to forget the 2002 pairs event ever happened, but that isn't the fault of any of the skaters.
I'd agree with N&K in dance. 2006 was a ho-hum dance year. D&V were the nice, bright spot.
Tech-wise, Arakawa's 2006 win. Didn't she only only have five triples? Lovely in every other way, but this was not a great ladies' event.
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- Jun 27, 2003
I don't know that I'd call it ho-hum. During the OD we had an epic amount of falls... plus Babs' stare down...
What a night of figure skating that was! Next best thing was that we had that wonderful discussion group afterward that Mary Carillo so wonderfully anchored. It was great TV with Barbara coming close to killing her partner out there on center ice. Good times!
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- Jun 27, 2003
It was probably one of the most memorable nights of Olympic skating... at least in more recent memory.
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- Oct 23, 2011
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- Aug 8, 2009
Oh, yeah. Petrenko is an OG medalist. I'd forgotten about that.
It's really a shame how Shizu won her OG medal. It wasn't just the jumps but the spins as well. Due to the rules at the time, they were all the same! But as a skater, I think Shizu is truly a genius.
It's really a shame how Shizu won her OG medal. It wasn't just the jumps but the spins as well. Due to the rules at the time, they were all the same! But as a skater, I think Shizu is truly a genius.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2011
aesthetic played alot in 6.0, While G/G were a lovely pair their technical merits were not
really double jumps and double twists, and no at that time M/D were doing innovative and faster spins and triple jumps
for me M/D and B/S are memorable
the later their single spotlight hogged by the deplorable, vile and nasty pairs S/P
really double jumps and double twists, and no at that time M/D were doing innovative and faster spins and triple jumps
for me M/D and B/S are memorable
the later their single spotlight hogged by the deplorable, vile and nasty pairs S/P
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- Jul 26, 2003
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Sale and Pelletier are not deplorable, nasty and vile. Attila the Hun, maybe so, but not S&P. They are just figure skaters.
True. Those are the Wolfgang Schwarz adjectives. If you use these for S&P, what do you have left for Schwarz?
Excellent point.
The word vile seems to have been made just for the kind of person Schwartz turned out to be.
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- Dec 16, 2006
Sale and Pelletier are not deplorable, nasty and vile. Attila the Hun, maybe so, but not S&P. They are just figure skaters.
Also, I think Sale and Pelletier became pawns by people who had agendas. Journalists like Christine Brennan and Phil Hersch saw it as a way to make money and write about figure skating. Commentators saw it as a way to stay on the air. The ISU may have seen the S/P situation as a way to push for the new system they were developing.
