First skater/s you ever saw (TV or live)

Sam L · Apr 29, 2016

I was thinking about this after thinking the other day about the first tennis match I ever saw. My early memories in Figure Skating are quite vague but I remember seeing Midori and Kristi at the 1992 Olympics on TV. That must be my first experiences with Figure Skating and Torvill/Dean's famous program. But I wasn't that into Figure Skating until the Kerrigan/Harding incident and '94 Olympics (Grishuk/Platov and Baiul) was when I fully became a certified fan.

Just wondering what are everyone's early experiences with Figure Skating.

el henry · Apr 29, 2016

Janet Lynn, probably Wide World of Sports.

My first distinct memory is watching a comp (I have been told it was 71 Worlds, but I don't remember on my own) where the crowd (not American) was so upset with her 4th place finish that they insisted she come out on the ice ETA: after the comp was over and before the medal cermony, even though she had not medaled.

Not very many of my memories are distinct :laugh:

mrrice · Apr 29, 2016

The first professional tennis match I ever saw live was the ladies Gold Medal Match in Atlanta between fellow Californian Lindsay Davenport and Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Talk about contrasting styles....Lindsay is very tall, Like 6' 3" and Arantxa was much shorter and faster. Arantxa had a winning record over Lindsay and all odds makers had Arantxa winning. Well, Lindsay shocked them all and won the OGM and dazzled the crowd with her hard hitting shots that hit the lines like bullets. Amazing.

The first skating event I went to was skate america in 1991 and Tonya Harding was spectacular. However, we all know who stole my skating heart and I've been devoted to her ever since. That would be Maria B. who I saw in 1999.

TV, Definitely Peggy Flemming for the Ladies but, it was mainly from commercials because she was retired by the time I could really get into her skating. Scott Hamilton for the Men.

karne · Apr 29, 2016

Probably technically the first skater I watched was whoever went first in that last group of the men's free skate in Vancouver. I think Takahashi. But of that group, the only one to really grab my attention was, of course, the King himself.

mrrice · Apr 29, 2016

karne said:
Probably technically the first skater I watched was whoever went first in that last group of the men's free skate in Vancouver. I think Takahashi. But of that group, the only one to really grab my attention was, of course, the King himself.

Elvis????

karne · Apr 29, 2016

mrrice said:
Elvis????

Of course not, the mighty Plushenko! The only true King of the ice, no matter how others may pretend to his throne.

mrrice · Apr 29, 2016

karne said:
Of course not, the mighty Plushenko! The only true King of the ice, no matter how others may pretend to his throne.

OMG Karne...................That made my day.

Ares · Apr 29, 2016

1998 Nagano Olympics (most likely), it's the first clear memory. I can't rule out watching something before but either way I don't remember. The first figure skater? I have no idea. I do recall myself writing down skaters names in my notebook as a kid back then and red dress of Marta Andrade. Years later I found that performance on youtube and it turned out that my memory was spot-on.

blue_idealist · Apr 29, 2016

On television, Kurt Browning, when I was three years old, but I thought his name was "Kurt Brownie" then. I also remember watching Jozef Sabovcik, Brasseur/Eisler, Petrenko, Manley, and Underhill/Martini around the same time, although I had equally interesting pronunciations of their names. I didn't know the difference between pro and amateur competitions, either. I was afraid of Brasseur and Eisler's routine in which he dressed up as a woman and she as a man. A few years later, I was also terrified of Philippe Candeloro.

For live skating, besides the small-time ice show in my town (Michel Brunet and Jennifer Boyce performed there once, I think, at least it was him with some partner for sure, not Chantal Lefebvre), my first experience with live skating was some Disney show in the mid-'90s, and then Stars on Ice in 1998.

bwayrose7 · Apr 29, 2016

My first (and alas, only) memories of live skating were Disney on Ice (Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, IIRC) in the late 90s.

Both of my absolute earliest memories (on TV) involve the same skater, although one must have been a recording or a rerun because it aired the year before I was born. The one I'm sure I watched live was that cheesy Snowden on Ice 1997 Christmas special, does anyone remember that? With Ekaterina Gordeeva and Scott Hamilton? I stumbled across it again on YouTube not long ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTdAADXWQtY

But the one I remember most clearly to this day was part of a 1992 Disney holiday special. Katia and Sergei skating to "A Whole New World" and as what I think was supposed to be Cinderella and Prince Charming but was set to the Nutcracker pas de deux. Many years later, I was probably a teenager, and I forget exactly where I was but I could hear music, not well enough to really identify it, but enough to realize it was familiar... and when I figured it out, it wasn't because it was the Nutcracker, I remember my first thought was that it was that music they'd skated to.

karne · Apr 29, 2016

Oh, the first "name" skater I saw live...that would have been one of the Dodds brothers for certain. Not sure which one as it would have been quite a long while ago. Paris and Matthew were definitely my first pairs experience live.

Crossover · Apr 29, 2016

The 1992 Olympics is my first experience with winter Olympics and figure skating when I was a kid. I still remember vividly how beautiful Kristi in a blue-green dress was at that time. She looked like a fairy out of Disney animations. The announcers on TV introduced her as not only an excellent ladies' skater formed a rivalry with a skater from Japan, but also a good pair skater. Midori was remembered as anther gorgeous-looking Asian skater in a mysterious black dress for a while. Later I was shocked that many people labeled her looks as "ugly" as a result of my efforts to know of her name. I realized that beauty can be very subjective. Anyways, my focus was all about Kristi, so I'm not sure whether I saw Midori land her iconic 3Axel in the LP live as oppose to that Kristi smiling on the podium was stamped on my memory. I also vaguely remember Surya's presence in the event, but I certainly was glad to see her again at the 1994 Olympics. The fact that Kerrigan and Harding also participated in the 1992 Olympics was another pleasure of my selective memory.

SarahSynchro · Apr 29, 2016

I remember watching Liz Manley bring the house down in Calgary during her free program. I was five years old and watching it on tv with my parents.

Krunchii · Apr 29, 2016

Michelle Kwan 1998 Olympics SP was on the news and they showed part of it, I think the step sequence, it was a Chinese news report about her and they were talking about how amazing she was. I still remember the dress very well. I don't remember any other specifics but I remember as a really small kid (late 90s) figure skating used to be on all time, surf through some channels you could probably find it, shame it's just not the same these days.

Also I need some help identifying a skater, this was in the early 2000s, I remember seeing a male skater, I think with long-ish dark hair, a singles skater, wearing a grey or silver short sleeved top with black pants, skating and then he suddenly slid down and just laid down on the ice for a bit and then got up and started skating again, I think it was around the centre of the ice and it looked very deliberate. Years later I still remember laughing about it with my grade school best friend but I never found out who this skater was or saw the performance again.

mrrice · Apr 29, 2016

SarahSynchro said:
I remember watching Liz Manley bring the house down in Calgary during her free program. I was five years old and watching it on tv with my parents.

She broke up the battle of the Carmens......... :drama:

andromache · Apr 29, 2016

Krunchii said:
Michelle Kwan 1998 Olympics SP was on the news and they showed part of it, I think the step sequence, it was a Chinese news report about her and they were talking about how amazing she was. I still remember the dress very well. I don't remember any other specifics but I remember as a really small kid (late 90s) figure skating used to be on all time, surf through some channels you could probably find it, shame it's just not the same these days.

Also I need some help identifying a skater, this was in the early 2000s, I remember seeing a male skater, I think with long-ish dark hair, a singles skater, wearing a grey or silver short sleeved top with black pants, skating and then he suddenly slid down and just laid down on the ice for a bit and then got up and started skating again, I think it was around the centre of the ice and it looked very deliberate. Years later I still remember laughing about it with my grade school best friend but I never found out who this skater was or saw the performance again.

Based on the hair, it sounds like it could be Philippe Candeloro, though it depends on if you can recall if it was an amateur or pro event. Philippe was a pro in the 2000s. (Laying down in the middle of the ice doesn't sound like a competitive event though, I guess.)

mrrice · Apr 29, 2016

andromache said:
Based on the hair, it sounds like it could be Philippe Candeloro, though it depends on if you can recall if it was an amateur or pro event. Philippe was a pro in the 2000s. (Laying down in the middle of the ice doesn't sound like a competitive event though, I guess.)

It does sound like Philippe.

Krunchii · Apr 29, 2016

andromache said:
Based on the hair, it sounds like it could be Philippe Candeloro, though it depends on if you can recall if it was an amateur or pro event. Philippe was a pro in the 2000s. (Laying down in the middle of the ice doesn't sound like a competitive event though, I guess.)

I just went on youtube and furiously went though a bunch of videos I think this is it! Thank you so much, in my memory I remember the background was all white but I was really little at the time so I probably just remembered it wrong. Thanks so much andromache!

4everchan · Apr 29, 2016

same for me.... but i was a bit older... its was 1988 calgary olympics for me.... i remember Gordeeva eating popcorn or something in the audience... pairs had finished the event and they kept showing her in the stands throughout the rest of the week... then we were blessed with all the pro competitions that went on in the 90s... so much skating on tv.... i am planning to attend either nationals in ottawa this year or skate canada autumn classic in montreal... haven't had a chance yet to see a real competition live...

SarahSynchro said:
I remember watching Liz Manley bring the house down in Calgary during her free program. I was five years old and watching it on tv with my parents.

Ice Dance · Apr 29, 2016

I remember seeing Scott Hamilton and Robin Cousins battle it out for gold with what seemed at the time to be two perfect programs. For years, when I was a kid, I thought this was a memory from the 84 Olympics. LOL. But obviously, it must have been a World Professional Championship or something similar.

I remember my first live skating show. Apparently Linda Fratianne was the headliner (I still have the program), but I don't really remember her. I remember Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

Early memories are so messed up. The first televised amateur competition I "seem" to remember was the 1988 U.S. Nationals. But I remember there being a big story about Tiffany Chin's attempt at a comeback, and Tiffany wasn't even there so . . . who knows what I really remember from that time period.

I do remember Katarina Witt winning the Olympic gold medal. No messed up memories there. I remember where I was. I remember who I was with. I stayed up super late & was the only one watching by the end. I was rooting for Debbie. And Katarina blew my mind.

First skater/s you ever saw (TV or live)

Sam L

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.

mrrice

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

mrrice

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

mrrice

Ares

blue_idealist

bwayrose7

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

Crossover

All Hail the Queen

SarahSynchro

Krunchii

mrrice

andromache

mrrice

Krunchii

4everchan

Ice Dance

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