Your five favorites of all time in each discipline

Ladies:
Michelle Kwan
Janet Lynn
Midori Ito
Alissa Csizny
Akiko Suzuki

Men:
Kurt Browning
Daisuke Takahashi
Yagudin
John Curry
Dick Button

Pairs
Shen and Zhao
Gordeeva and Grinkov
Protopopovs
?
?
Dance
?????

Ladies:
Carol Heiss
Debi Thomas
Jill Trenary
Yuka Sato
Carolina Kostner

Men:
Nobuo Sato
Toller Cranston
Alexander Fadeeyev
Alexei Yagudin
Takahiko Kozuka

Pairs:
Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler
Mandy Woetzel & Ingo Steuer
Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao
Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman
Rena Inoue (by herself - she landed those throw triple axels in spite of her partner)

Dance:
Isabelle & Paul Duchesnay
Susanna Rahkamo & Petri Kokko
Barbara Fusar-Poli (she had more than enough talent for the entire team)
Kim Navarro & Brent Bommentre
Meryl Davis & Charlie White

Sandpiper said:

Men (the ones I feel strongly about):
- Plushenko: Extremely versatile range of performances and the most compelling to watch. Can be dramatic and serious in one program, and fun and lighthearted in the next. (Favourite performance: Tribute to Nijinsky at the Russian Nationals will forever be an all-time great in my heart).
- Takahashi: No one has his attention to detail. Every single gesture, every position, is just perfect. (Favourite performance: Luv Letter at the Vancouver Olympics gala is the best example of his attention to detail).
- Yagudin: His performances are a bit like the skating equivalent of big diva ballads (the good ones). Bombastic, serious, dramatic as hell but always impressive. (Favourite performance: The Man in the Iron Mask at the Salt Lake City Olympics. I know everyone else likes Winter, but this is the performance that embodies what I personally like about Yagudin).

Ladies (In flux. I stopped following the discipline closely after Michelle retired, and am just catching up now):
Michelle Kwan: The eternal queen of ice. If I must describe her in one word, I would use "inspiring." (Favourite performance: Tosca at the US Nationals. I find it actually holds up better than her well-known earlier routines. Will need to refresh my memory for a lot of them though).
Mao Asada: I love how she combines attack and grace. (Favourite performance: LP at Sochi, when she knew she had no chance of a medal, she went and delivered that).
Yuna Kim: Pure elegance, with her feathery-light landings and expressive but subtle performances. (Favourite performance: no single one stands out. Kiss of the Vampire, Send in the Clowns, Concerto in F, and the James Bond Medley are all wonderful in their own ways).

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Sandpiper, it's not just that I like many of your favorite skaters that makes me savor your descriptions but the way you use language. You bring out such wonderful points and convey such vivid images. For example, though I wouldn't put Plushenko on my all-time list (though I admire him and respect his place in skating history), I think you've evoked him perfectly. I agree that his Nijinsky program is his best ever. Thanks for such delightful characterizations! Possibly my favorite phrase: "Attack and grace" for Mao. Yes, yes, yes!

Sky, innovation isn't the only thing that skaters bring to the feast. The thing that Gordeyeva/Grinkov did better than anyone else was the quality of each move. Their unison was extraordinary, and their lightness and speed across the ice was unrivaled. Though that doesn't obligate you to like them, you might be able to acknowledge their suitability as near-universal favorites among skating fans, just as I can acknowledge Plushenko's precision and creativity and his place on the list of all-time men's favorites.

CezarMart, perhaps you are referring to the few years in there where Katia almost seemed to be living publicly on the memory of Sergei, with the books about their life that she collaborated on and the Target perfume and so forth. I agree that this isn't something I would have felt comfortable doing, but I think that part of her actions at that time stemmed from the fact that she was still processing her loss, as were her fellow skaters. This was a way to keep alive the memory of not just Sergei as an individual but of Gordeyeva/Grinkov. Also I suspect that Katia was approached by people who found her marketable, and either she liked the idea or was persuaded to do it by her agent, or maybe even Scott Hamilton. But that phase didn't last all that long. I notice that almost from the moment she entered into a committed relationship with Ilia, she stopped having such a public private life, and she rarely showed up in non-skating media after that. Thereafter she became part of the general texture of the skating scene once more, I think. And even at the peak of Katia publicity, she was never as in-your-face as some other celebrities. It was all pretty tasteful, I thought.

Aww, thanks Olympia. It's good that even when we don't always share the same favourites, it's possible to appreciate different skaters what for they brought to be table and to understand what other people saw in them. This is why I included some brief descriptions about why I liked certain skaters (for singles, since I'm not entrenched deep enough in pairs/ice dance to be articulate there). I'm glad at least one person found my post a worthy read. I'm still prepared to get roasted for the "big ballad" comment (sue me, I like those).

I may be out of the line in saying this, but I think it's best not to take Sky too seriously. I agree with some of Sky's opinions but the way they're expressed, well... Anyway, G&G were awesome and I'll just leave it there.

G&G are my all time favorite pair team probably, and I do think they are the best ever, but I have to disagree had M&D won people would have complained about the result. Even those who defended G&G's win, or agree with it, would not have complained about the result with M&D winning as with their spectacular and perfect performance and G&G's mistakes it would be impossible to.

That is the way I measure in the closer controversies (not the blatant ones like Sotnikova vs Kim and Kostner in Sochi, or Chan vs Ten at the 2013 worlds, which are too obvious) and determining if the right person won. Do people complain about who won and would any if the other had. In the case of G&G vs M&D in 94 I dont think anyone would have complained the other way, and many did the way it was, so was probably the wrong outcome that night. Same with Chen vs Kwan at the 96 worlds. Yes close, but nobody would have complained if Chen won and some did that she didnt, so probably the wrong result. The same could be said of Chan vs Takahashi at the 2012 worlds. Nobody would have complained had Takahashi won, even those who defend Chan's win, while obviously that is the not the case with the actual result.

Ladies:
Lu Chen
Butyrskaya
Katarina Witt
Kwan
Yuna or Mao

Men
Plushenko
Robin Cousins
Kulik
Candeloro
Yuzuru

Pairs
Bereznaya/Sikharulidze
G/G
Mi/Dm
Volo/Tr
Shen/Zhao

Ice dance
Krilova/Ov
Kli/Po
Gri/Pla
Bes/Buk
Usova/Zhu
(OMG just Russians..)

^Really good choices, Plushyfan. Even with the all-Russian ice dance.

Sandpiper said:

^Really good choices, Plushyfan. Even with the all-Russian ice dance.

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yes, I liked the Russian skaters in my whole life.. i would add in my list Fadeev, Yagudin, Kovalyov, Bobrin, Moyseeva/Minenkov,..

Ladies
Michelle Kwan
Sasha Cohen
Mao Asada
Tara Lipinski

honorable mention to Grace Gold and Julia L

Ice Dance
Meryl and Charlie by far
Tanith and Ben


Men's
Evan L
Jason BRowb have a good feeling about him

Pairs
G&G
S&P

@Plushyfan
I enjoy the Russian "style" (if it can be called that) as well. I like Kulik--everyone remembers the giraffe performance (though the skate was great despite the costume), but I want to give a nod to his beautiful Olympics short program. I need to catch up on some of the older skaters like Fadeev (yeah, he's not "old" in the grand scheme of things. I'm probably just too young).

Sandpiper

I also adore the Nijinisky program. This was the original program by Smekalov..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbjJufbHXpE
This is less-known version but even more beautiful in my opinion..

@Plushyfan
I also like that version of Nijinsky, though I prefer the Russian Nationals performance because it's more "perfect" (a few small mistakes here, though they didn't harm the program). And the footwork at the Russian Nationals had more attack, imo, though the footwork here is interesting in its own way. I actually really like the GPF version too (yes, the one he lost to Sandhu with thanks to the combination rules). The loop after the quad (vs. the usual toe loop) just looked so cool to me for some reason.

(Apologies to anyone else if we're taking over the thread with Russians and Plush.)

I watched the Plushy link above!! his interviews

plushyfan said:

Ladies:
Lu Chen
Butyrskaya
Katarina Witt
Kwan
Yuna or Mao

Men
Plushenko
Robin Cousins
Kulik
Candeloro
Yuzuru

Pairs
Bereznaya/Sikharulidze
G/G
Mi/Dm
Volo/Tr
Shen/Zhao

Ice dance
Krilova/Ov
Kli/Po
Gri/Pla
Bes/Buk
Usova/Zhu
(OMG just Russians..)

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I was always rather fond of Butyrskaya. She's like The Diva In Need Of Tranquilizers. You just never knew which Butyrskaya would show up--at any moment--on the rink. She could be Total Diva one moment and Total Nervous Wreck the next. Absolutely compelling to watch.

Of course one could say the same about her hair. You just never knew what color would show up at the start of the season! Clairol should have hired her as a spokesmodel.

Pairs:
Mishkutenok and Dmitriev
Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze
Gordeeva and Grinkov
I haven't found any other pair to consider my favorite since B&S retired.

Ice dancing:
Klimova and Ponomarenko
Krylova and Ovsyannikov
Drobiazko and Vanagas
Bourne and Kratz
Annissina and Peizerat

Ladies:
Mao Asada
Yuna Kim
Katia Gordeeva - we tend to forget that she became a great single skater after Sergei's death. She did not compete as single in any amateur competition but her skating is wonderful.
Michelle Kwan
Sasha Cohen

Men:
Kurt Browning
Ilia Kulik
Alexei Yagudin
Stephane Lambiel
Patrick Chan

Ladies: (I couldn't pick which was my favorite, they all have been a favorite during their prime)
Kristi Yamaguchi - my first favorite skater
Oksana Baiul - loved her balletic style and i was compelled by her story
Michelle Kwan - kept me interested in ice skating during my college years, i loved her consistency and wanted the OGM for her so badly
Sasha Cohan - the most frustratingly talented yet inconsistent skater, i so wanted her to just hit when it matter most
Julia Lipnitskaya - i loved her haunting long program which caused her to become my new favorite.

Men: (these i was able to rank)
1. Evgeny Plushenko - I loved his arrogant attitude because he usually could back it up. I thought he was robbed in Vancouver.
2. Philippe Candeloro - The best showman of the olympic skates imo, I still love his '98 long program (d'Artagnan)
3. Ilia Kulik - Despite ugly costumes he had a ease and elegant style that I loved.
4. Scott Hamilton - I always enjoyed his professional programs, he knew how to entertain. I am over him as an announcer though.
5. Alexei Yagudin - I liked his programs and I enjoyed his rivalry with Plushenko.

Pairs:
1. Mishkutenok and Dmitriev - i loved their athletic style and i'll admit that when i first started watching figure skating I had a crush on Artur
2. Gordeeva and Grinkov - the ultimate love story, they made beautiful pictures on the ice.
3. Kazakova and Dmitriev - in the wake of Grinkov's death Dmitriev's comments made him seem like such a nice guy and made me root for them even more
4. Shen and Zhao - what can i say, i love a good love story
5. Wötzel and Steuer - they always had beautiful music which made me really like them.

Ice Dance (I knew my favorite right away but had to really think about 2-5)
1. Grishuk and Platov - they had so much speed and there was always drama, i am shocked by how few people have them listed, i loved them and still find today's ice dancing boring by comparison.
2. Anissina and Peizerat - passionate and unique.
3. Delobel and Schoenfelder - they had some really pretty and interesting programs
4. Usova and Zulin - I really liked them in 92 but later the details about his abusiveness and womanizing made me less of a fan of his.
5. Belbin and Agosto - Despite being from the US I have rarely been drawn to the US teams (i hesitate to admit this but i really am not a d/w fan either) but I did like this team.

My top 5 in no order, plus an up and comer with the potential to be one of my favourites:

MEN
Yagudin
Takahashi
Hanyu
Chan
Browning
Up and comer: Brown

WOMEN
Kwan
Kim
Asada
Ito
Bonaly
Up and comer: Lipnitskaia

PAIRS:
Shen/Zhao
Volosozhar/Trankov
Sale/Pelletier
Gordeeva/Grinkov
Brasseur/Eisler
Up and comer: Sui/Han

ICE DANCE:
Anissina/Peizerat
Virtue/Moir
Davis/White
Krylova/Ovsiannikov
Bourne/Kraatz
Up and comer: Weaver/Poje

Wonderful post, Risa. I agree with a lot of your comments/picks, especially Baiul, Kwan (I'm still sad she never got that Olympic gold, but her career is worth far more than that), Plush (though I find him more blunt than arrogant), Kulik, and the pairs teams. I chuckled a bit at the "so over Scott Hamilton as an announcer" part. I sometimes find him entertaining in a lolwut way, but he's as inconsistent in his commentary as Sasha was in her skating.

A question to think it over and over again ... but never coming to an end ...

Pairs
1. Gordejewa/Grinkow
2. Rodnina/Saizew and Ulanow
3. Babilonia/Gardner
4. Underhill/Martini (their title in 84 when they couldnt hear any music)
5. Shen/ Zhao

Men
1. John Curry (the beginning of artistic impression!)
2. Robin Cousins (what a crowd pleaser at his time, the height of his jumps)
3. Alexej Jagudin
4. Brian Boitano (his SP of 1988) and Brian Orser

Ladies
1. Yuna Kim (the perfect skater at all)
2. Katarina Witt (who else could win 2 Olympics and she could grap every audience with her emotions)
3. Dorothy Hamill
4. Kristie Yamaguchie (the next perfect one)
5. Denise Biellmann and Shizuka Arakawa

Dance
1. Davis/White (due to their impact technically) and Virtue/Moir (Mahler and their unique Carmen)
3. Torvill/Dean
4. Klimova/Ponomarenko
5. Denkova/Stavisky (what they did without taking advantages of height difference! And that is it what afford Cappellini/Lanotte today!)

There was a nice comment to be read here on Fusar-Poli/Margaglio. I couldnt agree more, her temper was unbelivible!

Ladies:
cohen
Kwan
Mao
Yuna
Akiko

Men:
Browning (footwork and interpretation, first quad)
Plushenko (longevity, amazing jumps, lots of personality)
Yagudin
Daisuke (interpretation +++)
Hanyu (nice personality, crazy jumping)
Special mention to Chan for his skating skills

Pairs:
Pang/tong
V/T
S/S (innovation, longevity)
S/K (good programs)

Ice dance
V/M (skating skills, interpretation, high level of difficulty)
W/P (interpretation+++)
P/B (originality)
up and comer: H/D (I love their SD a lot)