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And replace it with the eternal smile???? even when she falls.... No disrespect to Carolina.
What is refined skating?
- Thread starter Meoima
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And replace it with the eternal smile???? even when she falls.... No disrespect to Carolina.
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me too...she was one of my all time favorites
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I like your definition of refinement! And yes, IMO, Chen Lu was a beautifully refined skater -- nuanced, graceful, and delicate. I miss her, too.
Except I think Katarina had problems with toe pointor lack of. But no one is perfect. I think Kerrigan, Trenary, Kadavy, Butyrskaya, Bobek, Arakawa, Cohen. Kim,, Kostner, Kwan are all refined or finished or polished skaters regardless of their jumps. THey skate or skated like well turned out ladies.
Katia never had a problem with toe point.
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Well I remember seeing that and Uncle Dick making a comment or Auntie Peggy one of the two about lack of toe point by Katia.
Agree with you and with plushyfan. She remains one of the most refined ever.
By that definition, wouldn't Yuzuru Hanyu be considered "refined"?
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Wait for another 5 years. If the kid is refined at this point, then PChan is beyond refined. But I know you don't mean it that way.
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The dictionary defines refined as: "very subtle, precise, or exact: refined distinctions." I guess one could apply that to some of the more polished skaters. This Olympics and Worlds, I would say both Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner fit that description. They both displayed absolute gracefulness, exquisiteness and refinement in their skating. It takes years for a skater to reach such perfection in their skating skills. It was a treat to see two such performances this year from two veteran skaters.
It was Auntie Peggy who said that in 1988 during GG's olympic LP while Katia and Sergei were doing a back outside death spiral. I still need to find skaters who can point their toe in that particular position, and also skaters who can do that by keeping the free leg as low to the ice as Katia did. I always thought that it was a "filling the silence" comment, more than anything else.
On top of everything else, now there is the catch-foot position during the back outside death spiral, such an ugly position, who cares to point the toe.
Katia doesnt' have a problem with pointing her toe, whether is a layback spin or a spiral her toe is always pointed.
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Thank you guys Lu Chen is a dream come true for a ladies' skater.
Yuz has enormous potential for refinement, but he's not there yet. He still performs moves that aren't relevant to the music. As mentioned in another thread, he still needs to work on his posture, extension, line, as well as emotional emphasis. He mentioned taking ballet classes so it will be so exciting to see his development.
Matt Savoie is refinement personified. Physically he resembles John Curry. While John Curry was precise to the point of painful, elegant precision, Matt is fluid and poetic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GvfuvHbwVI
Lu Chen is a dream come true for a ladies' skater. Yuz has enormous potential for refinement, but he's not there yet. He still performs moves that aren't relevant to the music. As mentioned in another thread, he still needs to work on his posture, extension, line, as well as emotional emphasis. He mentioned taking ballet classes so it will be so exciting to see his development.
Matt Savoie is refinement personified. Physically he resembles John Curry. While John Curry was precise to the point of painful, elegant precision, Matt is fluid and poetic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GvfuvHbwVI
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Perfect music selection and perfect flow!!!
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- Feb 17, 2007
I equate refinement in figure skating to gracefulness. It's skaters who are very polished, finish their extensions and focus on the little details that only slow cams can see. If I could pick one single performance, I would say Shizuka's 2004 Worlds Free Skate is the epitome of a refined skate. Still one of my all time favs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xzGdVragbo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xzGdVragbo
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Meoima...
Lu Chen Retrospective (I think we need one because there are too many young people and new fans who aren't familiar with her)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYzxIjEewuk
- Butterfly Lovers: After being written off by the judges for 2 seasons despite being a former World Champion, she fought back and won the Bronze yet again. She was before the time of Shen and Zhao so she was a pioneer as a Chinese figure skater with not much backing from the powerful Federations on the judging panels. No Chinese has won a major figure skating medal before, and she won the Olympic bronze twice as well as the World title. She could have arguably won more World titles. She was as artistic as Michelle Kwan, but a very different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFt3bDPar60 - the best ladies' Adios Nonino interpretation, sorry, Yuna...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y12W0J13oSc - one of the finest programs ever skated in FS... this is the definition of refinement. That is art.
Lu Chen Retrospective (I think we need one because there are too many young people and new fans who aren't familiar with her)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYzxIjEewuk
- Butterfly Lovers: After being written off by the judges for 2 seasons despite being a former World Champion, she fought back and won the Bronze yet again. She was before the time of Shen and Zhao so she was a pioneer as a Chinese figure skater with not much backing from the powerful Federations on the judging panels. No Chinese has won a major figure skating medal before, and she won the Olympic bronze twice as well as the World title. She could have arguably won more World titles. She was as artistic as Michelle Kwan, but a very different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFt3bDPar60 - the best ladies' Adios Nonino interpretation, sorry, Yuna...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y12W0J13oSc - one of the finest programs ever skated in FS... this is the definition of refinement. That is art.
I would argue that the key element to attaining refinement is maturity. Whilst experience can lead to maturity, it's not always the case.
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- Feb 13, 2014
Meoima...
Lu Chen Retrospective (I think we need one because there are too many young people and new fans who aren't familiar with her)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYzxIjEewuk
- Butterfly Lovers: After being written off by the judges for 2 seasons despite being a former World Champion, she fought back and won the Bronze yet again. She was before the time of Shen and Zhao so she was a pioneer as a Chinese figure skater with not much backing from the powerful Federations on the judging panels. No Chinese has won a major figure skating medal before, and she won the Olympic bronze twice as well as the World title. She could have arguably won more World titles. She was as artistic as Michelle Kwan, but a very different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFt3bDPar60 - the best ladies' Adios Nonino interpretation, sorry, Yuna...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y12W0J13oSc - one of the finest programs ever skated in FS... this is the definition of refinement. That is art.
Oh thank you so much. I remember this lady face, but not her name. 1998, that time I was just 10 so I couldn't even remember the winner's name.
What a gold I've found here in this thread.
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My thoughts exactly.:yes:
For me, Tessa and Scott are refined skaters. (but I guess ice dancers should be, by definition, refined)
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I agree with these. Regarding more recent singles skaters, I would also add Jeremy Abbott and the matured Carolina Kostner (I really don't think it gets much closer to perfection than her Ave Maria at Worlds). When you watch these skaters skate, it gives the feeling of liquid gold. The amplitude, power and precision of their movement are paired with a contrasting ease, subtlety and elegance. This also has to be matched by the smoothness and power of their sweeping edges that just leave you sighing in awe. Another important thing for me is that these skaters all have a very organic quality in the way they respond to music. It's genuine and convincing to me.
I hesitate to add Patrick Chan. Although he's a phenomenal skater with very good polish, something about the way he moves just appears off to me. I think it's the arms. I don't think he uses his arms very well. They are rather wooden. Mao Asada is elegant and beautiful, but she doesn't quite have the sweeping edges and power that the others do.
And I have high hopes for Polina Edmunds for growing into such a skater. She has all the right ingredients and just needs sometime to become soup
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