Your five favorites of all time in each discipline

anyanka said:

Her backflip in front of the judges at Nagano = totally boss. I was never a fan of hers, but I gasped, laughed, and then cheered at my TV when she did it. It was her final farewell or more of a "good riddance" to the judges.

She's a tremendous show skater, she was built not for pretty artistic endeavours but for powerful set pieces.

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I really did love her even though I tend to prefer the more artistic skater often. She had a punch to her skating and worked so hard too.

In no particular order:

Men
- Curry
- Kulik
- Lambiel
- Lysacek
- Takahashi

Ladies
- Hamill
- Fleming
- Arakawa
- Poykio
- Lepisto

Pairs
- Rodnina with both partners
- Kilius & Baumler
- Gordeeva & Grinkov
- Shen & Zhao
- Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze

Dance
- Torvill & Dean
- Anissina & Peizerar
- Moiseeva & Minenkov
- Gritschuk & Platov
- Davis & White

MEN:
John Curry ( the reason why figure skating was created !)
Patrick Chan (best blade ever)
Stephane Lambiel ( technique, emotions, quality with some bravura included as well, a real DANCER on the ice)
Alexei Yagudin (perhaps the best ever "whole package" has been put onto the ice)
Toller Cranston ( the pioneer of modern male figure skating, without him Takahashi, Orser, Hanyu, Browning etc. just couldn't "happen")

LADIES:
Yu-Na Kim ( an incredible, subtle, ethereal perfect "whole package" on the ice with grace, technique. The perfect "feminine touch" in every way. A real gift for us)
Mao Asada (the same timeless class. In the 6,0 era she would win everything. Easyness and the music itself. The second best olympics performance ever in history in 2010.)
Chen Lu ( musicality, art, easyness, touching performances with very high technical quality together)
Janet Lynn ( the pioneer of the modern female figure skating. very similar impact in the sport than Cranston in men. Every second is pleasing to watch her).
Michelle Kwan ( I can't describe why, because of her quite a few imperfection, but her presence on the ice was unique)
I cannot leave out:
Denise Bielmann ( she was FAR ahead of her time having able to jump 3 Lutzes and other 4 triples when the winners had only two different triples in their repertoir, plus her elegance, fittness and innovations made a great impact in the future of the sport. f.e. Bielmann spin.All these qualities kept her in the professional circle in the longest period ever.)

PAIRS:
The Protopopovs ( the prototype of pairs skating and the all time synonime of perfection and art in this sport)
Gordeeva/Grinkov ( the models of modern pairs skating, technique, elegance, pure quality, class and emotion)
Mishkutionok/Dmitriev ( the most passionate, lovable pairs ever, giving always everything by their hearts, also innovative and a lots of "bravuras" included)
Shen/Zhao (the symbol of the new era in the sport combining acrobaticism with art and emotion. Unique in this way)
Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze ( class, quality and unison and lyricism. A leading real man with a great woman who needs and gets support to shine in every minute. The best ever programme ( a short one) in the discipline - Lady Calyph 2002 Olympics)

DANCE:
Torvil/Dean ( no one ever could match them in quality, unison, innovation, intricateness, braveness to make the discipline improve to its present status. every single program -amateur or professional- of them is breathtaking)
Klimova/Ponomarenko ( the prototype of the lyrical, and balletic/dancing Russian ice dance in its VERY best. Gorgeous)
Virtue/Moir (probably the closest ever to thhe Greatest Torvil/Dean. Incredible quality, emotion and professionalism.
They made the incredibly difficult elements integrated to the choreography so smoothly and evidently that the judges sometimes were not well educated enough to realize this unique art in front of their eyes. Audience always was.)
Pakhomova/Gorshkov (Without them the discipline never would be as highly appreciated to be an Olympic sport. Innovative, lovable, intricate, sexy but down-to-earth. The real ancestors of Torvil/Dean. The best ever lady in ice dancing ever since.)
Anissina/Peizerat ( because of their quality, innovative programmes which made a real impact in the future of the sport)

Well, choosing five per category is a whole lot easier than limiting it to one!

Men - Todd Eldredge, Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Matt Savoie (Jeff Buttle, Adam Ripppon, Ilia Kulik, Elvis Stojko, Javier Fernandez, Taka Kozuka, too - Jason Brown for the future)

Ladies - Midori Ito, Michelle Kwan, Yuka Sato, Mao Asada, Akiko Suzuki

Pairs - G&G, Shen & Zhao, Robin & Aliona, Kirsten Moore Towers & Dylan Moskovitch, Pang & Tong

Dance - Meryl & Charlie, Tanith & Ben, Bourne & Kraatz, K&O, Klimova & Ponomorenko (love Torvill & Dean, Nathalie & Fabian, Delobel & Schoenfelder too)

Pairs
1. G/G
2. Shen/Zhao
3. Pang/Tong
4. M/D
5. V/T

Men
1. Yuzuru
2. Patrick
3. Stephane
4. Plushenko
5. Jason Brown

Ice dance
1. V/M
2. D/W
3. I/K (too bad they split )

Ladies
1. Mao
2. Caroline Zhang
3. Midori Ito
4. Sasha
5. Michelle

This will be hard but I'm going to give it a try. I love them all when it comes to figure skaters. One more than the others for different reasons.

Men 1 Takahashi
2 Cousins
3 Lambiel
4 Hanyu
5 Buttle
Ladies 1 Yamaguchi
2 Mao
3 Hamill
4 Arakawa
5 Ito
Dance 1 V/M
2 Bourne/Kraatz
3 Torvill/Dean
4 Pechalet/Bourzat
5 Weaver/Poje
Pairs 1 Gordeeva/ Grinkov
2 Shen/Zhao

Ladies
Yuna Kim
Mao Asada
Michelle Kwan
Erm...

Pairs
Shen / Zhao

I know I'm going to have second thoughts and third thoughts and will edit interminably, but I want to get something down.

Men
Kurt Browning (my favorite of all time, both in the air—while jumping—and on the ice with his unparalleled bladework)
John Curry (as Bigdeal says, the reason figure skating was invented)
Daisuke Takahashi (charismatic, smooth, compelling)
Stephane Lambiel (like Takahashi, the whole of his skating is far more than the sum of its parts)
Alexei Yagudin (can jump, can dance, can ignite the ice)
Honorable mention: Paul Wylie, Toller Cranston

Ladies
Michelle Kwan (like Browning, my favorite of all time, the perfect blend of musicality, grace, strength, and emotional power)
Mao Asada (graceful yet powerful, expressive, a model of perseverance)
YuNa Kim (an artist and one of the finest jumpers ever)
Yuka Sato (beautiful skills, radiant personality)
Honorable mention: Sasha Cohen

Ice Dance
Torvill and Dean (no explanation required)
Klimova and Ponomarenko (lyrical and romantic, yet technically splendid as well)
Davis and White (quick-footed, brilliant)
Virtue and Moir (what a connection to each other, and technically innovative too)
Denkova and Staviskiy (they draw me in every time)
Honorable mention: Rahkamo and Kokko

Pairs
Gordeyeva and Grinkov (beyond compare)
Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze (supple, lyrical, with pure technique)
Shen and Zhao (for how they transformed themselves from an athletic pair to a lyrical one, with a powerful emotional unison)
Underhill and Martini (even more so as pro skaters, where their jazzy, powerful style came into its own)
Sale and Pelletier (strong yet flowing)

originally posted by bigdeal
Mao Asada (the same timeless class. In the 6,0 era she would win everything. Easyness and the music itself. The second best olympics performance ever in history in 2010.)

This a little off topic, but I am interested in your opinion. I have also thought that Mao would do better under the 6.0 system because her high tech content would not be subject to constant scrutiny by tech panels and she would not be subject to low GOE's on her jumps, both of which often seem highly questionable to me especially at Worlds 2014. Do you agree? Are there any other reasons you can think of? What competitions do you think she would have won or done better in had she skated under the 6.0 system? Also, you don't mention Sochi. Do you think her LP Bells of Moscow performance in Vancouver 2010 is better than Roch 2 in 2014? Sochi is better to me.

Men Kurt Yagudin Lambiel Chan Takahashi
Laidies Witt Kristi Kwan Yuna Radionova

sky_fly20 said:

Not Likeable skaters

Pairs

1 Sale / Pelettier
2 Gordeeva / Grinkov
3 Shen / Zhao
4 Totmainina / Marinin

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What the....? How on earth are G+G not likeable?!

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).

I follow pairs/dance even less so this is more of a "liked what I saw" list.

Pairs:
- Gordeeva & Grinkov
- Volosozhar & Trankov
- Pang & Tong
- Shen & Zhao

Dance:
- Torvill & Dean
- Virtue & Moir

96skiluvr said:

What the....? How on earth are G+G not likeable?!

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because they were overrated ?

sky_fly20 said:

because they were overrated ?

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G/G are not overrated, they deserved every bit of admiration they ever received. Two golds speak for themselves.
I think it has to do with Ekaterina herself a bit. I admired G/G, but I think Ekaterina overspent the popularity she inherited from G/G. Just my humble opinion I don't expect to be shared or disputed. For me she made some decision I don't necessarily agree with, but it's just me...

Men

Michal Brezina
Brian Joubert
Tomas Verner
Jeremy Abbott
Stephane Lambiel

Ladies

Carolina Kostner
Ashley Wagner
Tuğba Karademir
Yuna Kim
Kiira Korpi

Pairs

Berton/Hotarek

Ice Dance

Ilinykh/Katsalapov

I'm not interested in pairs and ice dance.

CezarMart said:

G/G are not overrated, they deserved every bit of admiration they ever received. Two golds speak for themselves.
I think it has to do with Ekaterina herself a bit. I admired G/G, but I think Ekaterina overspent the popularity she inherited from G/G. Just my humble opinion I don't expect to be shared or disputed. For me she made some decision I don't necessarily agree with, but it's just me...

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the questionable OGM 1994 win over M/D ?
besides G/G never innovated anything, double twists wont cut it too

G/G belong to the likes of
T/D, Yagudin, Kwan etc. overhyped and talked about
but did not innovate anything

I really have never heard the opinion that T/D were overhyped.

Weren't they one of the first pairs to compete a quad twist?

I think they deserved their win over M/D, even with Sergei's mistakes. Anyway, the win will be debated but at least both teams put in good overall routines, which is better than many other competitions where it becomes "who was less awful."

sky_fly20 said:

the questionable OGM 1994 win over M/D ?
besides G/G never innovated anything, double twists wont cut it too

G/G belong to the likes of

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1994 would have been questionable either way. If M/D had won then exactly the same number of people would have challenged the results. It was exactly 50-50. Even Moskvina admitted that. She said this: "some people like the miller, some like miller's daughter". I loved that quote so much that I still remember it!
Between them two I was going for M/D, but I have to say G/G's Rachmaninov was spectacular too. Actually, I was going for B/E, but I knew they had no chance against the Russians.

And who is talking about innovations? This thread is about faves, not innovating, isn't it?

CezarMart said:

1994 would have been questionable either way. If M/D had won then exactly the same number of people would have challenged the results. It was exactly 50-50. Even Moskvina admitted that.
Between them two I was going for M/D, but I have to say G/G's Rachmaninov was spectacular too. Actually, I was going for B/E, but I knew they had no chance against the Russians.

And who is talking about innovations? This thread is about faves, not innovating, isn't it?

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It is, yes, CezarMart. And actually the thread isn't asking for 'Not Likeable' skaters either, just top 5 faves, in each discipline, of all time.