"Chill Inducing" Performances

[Fossi]

Sarah's Olympic LP. Amazing technical ability! Such great presentation! Such joy.....and that reaction! What a wonderful moment for Sarah.

Another moment that gave me chills of a different kind is Michelle Kwan's exhibition after SLC Olympics. I was so happy for Sarah, but when I saw this skate I realized how many other skaters dream big and fall short. I felt sorry for Michelle.

I loved Yagudin's Winter. He is just an all around great skater! Gived me chills!

[KatyaFan]

katia's skate to mahler at COAL
g and g's crazy for you and vocalise
Her fragile, stella and di bolero program

berezhanya and shikarliduze 's the kid

brasseur and eisler - any prog they put the "chain saw" in

seeing shae-lynn bourne last year in her SOI program without victor.

[Muse]

Mishkutienok & Dmitriev's Olympic LPs - both Rachmaninov's piano concierto and Liszt's Liebestraum.

Gordeeva & Grinkov's Vocalise, and Katia's memorial program for Sergei

Klimova & Ponomarenko's 1992 Olympic LP and professional Dracula program

Katarina Witt's 1994 Dedication to Sarajevo LP

Grishuk & Platov's 1994 Olympic Rock N Roll LP

Ilia Kulik's 1998 Revolutions SP, 1997 Worlds Faust SP, 1996 World's Addams' Family SP & Aladdin LP, 1998 Olympic LP, Casi Un Bolero duet with Katia, House Is Not A Home program from Bacharach tribute, and 2003 Ice Wars 2 performances.

Oksana Baiul's 1994 LP performance - West Side Story excerpt, Olympic SP, and 1994 Exhibition Swan program

Lu Chen's 1998 LP and Exhibition program, 1996 Worlds Rachmaninov's Piano Concierto #2 LP

Viktor Petrenko's Bryan Adams' Legends Championship performance

Paul Wylie's 1992 Olympic LP, and Apollo 13 performance for Sergei's Memorial

Kurt Browning's Brickhouse, 1994 Olympic LP, Singing in the Rain program

Bechke & Petrov's SOI Czardas program, 1997 World Pro LP (Streisand & Diamond's You Don't Give Me Flowers Duet), World Pro "Romance" program

Brian Boitano's Skates of Gold Music of the Night program, Seal program at Sergei's Memorial

Michelle Kwan's Olympic Exhibition program to Fields of Gold

Anyway, I think that's all for now. LOL :D

[colesgrands]

I still get goose bumps and tears when I watch my tapes of Brian Boitano's long skate at '88 Olympics...this was a man who knew he had just won Olympic Gold. And, then there was Katia...'96 COAL....there are no words, even today!

[Mathman]

Welcome to Golden Skate, Colesgrand! I hope you like it here and post often.

Mathman

[SkateFan4Life]

[QUOTE=BronzeisGolden]

1. Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic LP - This program had so many wonderful moments. He had such carriage, style and grace and you could sense that he was "seizing the moment" and finally letting all of the pressures of past expectations slip away. I am all chills at the end of this program, from the footwork into the 3t on especially.

Amen to that!! I remember when Paul stood at center ice to begin his long program, Scott Hamilton, commentating, said (to paraphrase), "A lot of people thought Paul Wylie should not have been named to the US team. They said, "Paul's already had his chance to skate at the Olympics. Mark Mitchell is the future, and he should have been sent. And now, Paul Wylie has the chance to win an Olympic gold medal." Scott was choked up as he said that last sentence.

Indeed, it was one of those goose-bump inducing moments. Paul seized the moment and skated one of the greatest programs of his career. He received scores that pretty much reflected his quality, although the marks would have been higher, had Paul not buried himself with 10th, 11th, and worse finishes at previous Worlds and Olympics of 1988. He did not have the reputation to receive high marks, and when he finally skated a great program, some of the judges were unwilling to bestow winning marks. Viktor Petrenko, on the other hand, made several major mistakes in his long program, and his marks weren't as high as they normally would have been, but they were higher than Wylies, thanks to his reputation as a two-time World Silver medalist and reigning Olympic bronze medalist.

In any case, it was a great moment in figure skating, and a great moment for Paul Wylie. After so many years of disappointment, he achieved greatness.