Best Male Skater of the 90s

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

Jaana,
I defer to your knowledge about Ilia (and often refer to it ), but I have a tape of the Centennial and Ilia and Yags are on it, skating like gangbusters. Plus on "The Skating Blade" reference
www.theskateblade.com/ref...5-1996.htm
at the Centennial on Ice, St. Petersburg, Ilia is listed as finishing first, Yags second, Urmanov third, then Scott Davis, Candeloro, and Zagorudniuk. No mention of Paskevich. I remember seeing Ilia compete against Paskevich in '96, though. Maybe you're thinking Euros, where Paskevich and Ilia finished second and third, respectively.

But Centennial was Ilia's best performance of "Aladdin" to be sure--he hit everything perfectly whereas at Worlds he left out the 2t on a planned combination. I remember him saying afterwards when I reporter asked him something like "Did you learn anything from this experience?" Ilia said, "I learned not to leave out any combinations." I thought that was such a great line!
Rgirl

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

I'll choose:

Paul Wylie
Todd Eldredge
Ilya Kulik
Alexei Yagudin
Kurt Browning
Viktor Petrenko (I really liked Viktor before he got so caught up in using props)
Philippe Candeloro/Elvis Stojko
Alexei Urmanov

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

My #1 Male in 90's choice goes to Kurt Browing.
Even he did not win any Oly madel. But his LP "Casablanca" in 94 Oly brought the new aspect of LP in competetion. He is the only male in 90's can interprete any musical in such a proper manner.

The rest in the list can go in any order. I don't have any perticular preference.

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

>Rgirl,
"The Skating Blade" reference
www.theskateblade.com/ref...5-1996.htm
at the Centennial on Ice, St. Petersburg, Ilia is listed as finishing first, Yags second, Urmanov third, then Scott Davis, Candeloro, and Zagorudniuk. No mention of Paskevich. I remember seeing Ilia compete against Paskevich in '96, though. Maybe you're thinking Euros, where Paskevich and Ilia finished second and third, respectively.>

No, I´m meaning the Centennial on Ice, because that was careerwise a really crucial competition to Ilia (and Pashkevich). If Ilia had not won, had not skated better than Pashkevich there, Ilia would not have been selected for Worlds 1996. The Europeans 1996 were before the Centennial on Ice, and because Pashkevich was second at Europeans and Ilia was third, the Russian Federation made the decision whom to send to Worlds based on the results at Centennial.

In the Centennial free skate Ilia skated early and Pashkevich was the last skater (shown in our broadcast anyway), so it was very exciting to watch how Pashkevich will skate... He lost his nerves, that is the impression I got.

Yagudin was not in the Worlds mix at all, and I don´t think it was even close that he could have won in Centennial? I never got the impression that there was any competition between Ilia and Yagudin, there was no excitement in the commentary (Finnish commentary) either about any competition between those two. The impression I got from the competition, is that it was such a very clear win for Ilia. LOL, I have to admit though that I don´t believe that I have watched Yagudin´s Centennial programmes or marks after the broadcast in 1996.

Because Pashkevich was not selected for Worlds (normally the selection is done based on results at Europeans), he changed the country for Azerbayan (sp?).

Marjaana

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

PAUL WYLIE!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I am a huge Yagudin fan, but I agree that he more has come into his own since 2000.[/quote]
I agree.

Dee

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I´m meaning the Centennial on Ice, because that was careerwise a really crucial competition to Ilia (and Pashkevich). If Ilia had not won, had not skated better than Pashkevich there, Ilia would not have been selected for Worlds 1996.[/quote] Ilia certainly skated better than Pashkevich. Since Pashkevich didn't even make the top six, I'd say Ilia basically blew him off the ice:smokin:

I didn't mean to imply that the Centennial was intended as a match-up between Ilia and Yags; I just meant that that's how they skated. It was a great competition between Ilia and Yags, and the first time I noticed how good Yags was and what potential he had. I already knew Ilia was great Later in '96 Yags won Jr. Worlds. That's all I meant, that Yags was winning or placing high in important competitions starting in '95/96.
Rgirl

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

>Rgirl
I didn't mean to imply that the Centennial was intended as a match-up between Ilia and Yags; I just meant that that's how they skated. It was a great competition between Ilia and Yags>

I guess we are not agreeing in this matter, LOL. I cannot see Centennial as a match-up or as a competition between Ilia and Yagudin, and even less as a great competition between them. I mean, their marks were so different, that there simply was no competition. In both short programme and freeskate Ilia skated earlier than Yagudin and their marks were:

IK / short programme
5.8 5,8 5,8 5,7 5,8 5,6 5,7
5,9 5,8 5,9 5,8 5,8 5,9 5,8

Yagudin
5,6 5,6 5,7 5,5 5,9 5,7 5,4
5,5 5,5 5,6 5,6 5,8 5,7 5,2

IK freeskate
5,8 5,8 5,8 5,8 5,8 5,8 5,9
5,8 5,9 5,9 5,9 5,9 5,8 5,8

Yagudin
5,7 5,7 5,7 5,7 5,8 5,5 5,8
5,5 5,7 5,5 5,7 5,8 5,7 5,7

Our commentator mentioned that Yagudin already had won Junior WC before Centennial and in Europeans he was sixth.

Marjaana

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90s

Kurt Browning!!!


Ladskater

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90's

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I guess we are not agreeing in this matter, LOL.[/quote] :lol: It's true, Jaana, and I'm such a big Ilia fan, too! Ilia was indeed the clear winner over Yags at the Centennial; however, I still enjoyed the competition between them in that event

Besides, all this was just me trying to make the point that, at least IMO, Yags was winning or placing high in some important competitions starting in '95/96.

Anyway, I bet we agree on this: Ilia Kulik is one of the most phenomenal figure skaters ever to grace the sport.
Rgirl

Re: Best Male Skater of the 90s

I am


www.spacemag.co.uk




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