Maria Butyrskaya

Doggygirl · Jun 3, 2005

JonnyCoop said:
Maria, to me, was one of those skaters who's "great on the ground, scary in the air", much like Silvia Fontana. She IMO never got enough credit for the way her skating flowed (around a lot of stiff-legged jump landings, granted) and especially for her hand and arm positioning. I really wanted to see her medal in SLC, but she gave one of her worst performances there. "17 Moments in Spring" (her long program in 99-00 and 00-01 is one of my all-time favorite Ladies long programs. It is surprising how few truly ELEGANT skaters we see among the ladies, and Maria was one of them.

You have really summed it up - ITA with your opinion. I just watched her SP from 2000 World's today, and am going to watch it again. Her Otonal from 99 Worlds nearly brought me to tears yesterday. I wonder if Johnny was influenced at all by that performance when he chose that music.

DG

brad640 · Jun 3, 2005

Mathman said:
And well will your effort be rewarded, if you get Michelle's Red Violin LP! The all-time great clutch Kwan performance (plus the prettiest dress in her extensive wardrobe).

I loved reading your recap of the 2000 worlds! Competitions with Maria were so exciting because she always faught to win and she was always outspoken about injustice in the sport.

That was one of the years that Peggy actually got it right with her prediction, and she showed uncharacteristic attitude by being honest for once about her disdain for the Russian ladies. Michelle had wonderful speed in the LP, but watching it back I could tell how much she has improved her jump technique with Raphael this year because all of her jumps were very low back then. I loved her hair and makeup that year, and I would not mind at all if she revived Red Violin for her Olympic LP.

Doggygirl · Jun 3, 2005

Mathman said:
And well will your effort be rewarded, if you get Michelle's Red Violin LP! The all-time great clutch Kwan performance (plus the prettiest dress in her extensive wardrobe).

Mathman

I have since watched MK's LP which was outstanding, and also the SP's from MK, MB, IS, SH, and AN thanks to a kind person on the Skating Video's site that posted those 5.

You are right - what a "come from behind" stellar victory for MK.

Since this IS Maria's thread, I will say that I LOVED re-watching that SP. WOW. I will say again that I wish she had strong interest in being a choreographer. So many skaters just sort of skate with music in the background, and I think that's especially true in the SP with all the legitimate concerns about element completion. IMO, Maria was commited to the choreography and the music no matter what, and I give her huge props for that.

DG

IDLERACER · Jun 3, 2005

Along with Yamaguchi, Kadavy and Baiul, my guess is that she will continue to show up on year end Christmas specials for the next few years. Unlike Irina and Oksana, learning English has always been a bit of a struggle for her, which also limits her press exposure in this country.

mzheng · Jun 3, 2005

ChiSk8Fan said:
Maria was a fantastic jumper, but a nervous competitor. In practices and through years of effort, she did learn the triple axel. But, she never mastered it enough to try it in competition.

Not only herself appeared so nervous. She made ppl look at her nerve wracking.

emma · Jun 4, 2005

mathman....thanks for that recap...i got butterflies reading it just remembering how exciting that competition was and in all the phases....WOW!

redviolin and that performance of it really were special. But this is about Maria, and I too thought she was amazing...but god, when she was off she was off, and her stiff knees in competition were down right unpleasant and distracting (imho), that only seemed 'stiffer' when she was off/falling...that's why i made the comparison between her and sasha in another thread...but thinking about what Doggygirl said earlier here, I think would now agree that the better comparison might be with Eman, brilliant skater but when he makes a mistake, the whole thing unravels and we can't even catch a glimpse of his solid technique and great choreography...so thanks doggygirl, i hadn't thought of that.

And yes...it would be wonderful to see Maria involved in choreography....her eye for detail plus fashion sense could make some wonderful 'total packages'.

Finally, her diva-personality: i hate working with diva's, but love watching them in action when I'm not involved...I miss her too.

Doggygirl · Jun 4, 2005

emma said:
Finally, her diva-personality: i hate working with diva's, but love watching them in action when I'm not involved...I miss her too.

I totally, totally totally agree with that!!!

Ladskater · Jun 4, 2005

Maria was and is a seasoned pro. Unfortunately, she suffered from her nerves when it came to competing. She sometimes tended to become ploddy at the end of her programs. I did get a chance to see her skate live in a pro competition held here in Vancouver, and I must say I had a better impression of her abilities watching her skate live than I ever did watching her skate via the television. She came across as a true performer.

In a way she reminds me of Surya B. - struggling to be at the top of her game, but not quite getting there. One has to applaud her tenacity. These kind of skaters are often painful to watch. It's kind of like watching a boxer take his final blows but he keeps getting up to fight to the finish.

I think Maria would make a good coach. She has the dedication and drive needed to develop a champion. Who knows maybe we will see a great skater come along someday coached by none other than Maria Butryskaya!!

Doggygirl · Jun 4, 2005

Ladskater said:
Maria was and is a seasoned pro. Unfortunately, she suffered from her nerves when it came to competing. She sometimes tended to become ploddy at the end of her programs. I did get a chance to see her skate live in a pro competition held here in Vancouver, and I must say I had a better impression of her abilities watching her skate live than I ever did watching her skate via the television. She came across as a true performer.

In a way she reminds me of Surya B. - struggling to be at the top of her game, but not quite getting there. One has to applaud her tenacity. These kind of skaters are often painful to watch. It's kind of like watching a boxer take his final blows but he keeps getting up to fight to the finish.

I think Maria would make a good coach. She has the dedication and drive needed to develop a champion. Who knows maybe we will see a great skater come along someday coached by none other than Maria Butryskaya!!

I hope so!! I have no idea if she has the sort of personality and business acumen to translate her personal skills to *management* skills. But if she does, I hope to see it one day!! ITA with everything you said, and I'm pea green that you've seen her perform live.

DG

CDMM1991 · Jun 4, 2005

I remember my mom always used to love to watch Maria skate.

CDMM1991 · Jun 4, 2005

One post away from my avatar

Tony Wheeler · Jun 5, 2005

I think most people know by now that I could gush for days on end about the amazing qualities Butyrskaya had, but the only comment I want to add to this thread is re: Kwan. When Maria was asked about the results of the SLC Olympics, she said something along the lines of "It would have been fair had Kwan won," and also went on to say that she gave all the credit in the world to Sarah Hughes for going out there and risking things the way that she did.

cmego500 · Jun 5, 2005

When it comes to Maria, i'll be honest and say that i never liked her skating because it felt very forced to me. But what i will say about her is that she had a passion for the sport unlike anyone else. The odds were always against her, yet everytime she proved them wrong so for that i applaud her.

Skate Sandee · Jun 5, 2005

I liked Maria's passion and drive, but could NEVER relax watching her. Those stiff knees reminded me of Kerri Strug (pre Atlanta Olmpyics). I would literally cringe when Maria hit her landing positions, antcipating her bones actually grinding and shattering. It's hard to get drawn into a skater's performance when you are more concerned for her knees.

I will say the one program that I absolutely loved of hers was Habanera - it was an exhibition that I desperately wished she turned into a competitive program. The music was perfect for her.

And any criticisms of Kwan were harmless. (I'm a Kwan fan who agreed that MK's short haircut and overly red highlights were not a good look for her). And Michelle was able to prove that she could win outside of North America. Those statements aren't that harsh. And she was far more complimentary than critical overall. If nothing else, she respected Kwan as a competitior.

RealtorGal · Jun 5, 2005

I thought Maria's triple loop was the prettiest I've ever seen.

As for her comments about MK, I only remember one. She was asked by some commentator about MK, and she laughed and in her fractured English she said, "Oh, Michelle is big problem for me!" It was said very good naturedly.

flowjo35 · Jun 5, 2005

I think Maria showed that you did not have to be a teenager to win. She competed after 25 in which people are now saying for skaters is too old. I like the over 20 ladies because they have been through a lot and the maturity shows when they skate. I think Maria did a great job of this. Sometime we don't appreciate a skater until after they are retired. This is why I think they should stay as long as they want and are competitive.

chuckm · Jun 7, 2005

Maria skated in one of those team competition TV specials last season, and she couldn't land a single jump. I actually felt embarrassed for her.

If she wants to have a pro career, she needs to get back into training.

slutskayafan21 · Jun 7, 2005

She should have turned pro after her 99 World title, or atleast after failing to defend her title after the 2000 Worlds. Maybe winning the short program at the 2000 Worlds gave her incentive to keep trying, and the Olympic being two years away, and just missing the Oly bronze in 98. Still her highest stock as a pro was likely at that point, by the time she turned pro, her value had already slipped after terrable Oly and World(qualifying round only)showings, and the new generation of pros were also coming on board.

Matt · Jun 9, 2005

The last I saw of Maria was on European TV skating at this year's Obertsdorf Champions Gala. AFAIK, she's doing work on the European exhibition circuit (I think she was at SOI Belgium last year, but don't quote me on that)

I never cared for Maria as an amateur until rewatching her programmes from '99 Worlds. Except for stiff-leg landings, she had one of the better jump techniques of the ladies at that time, with a true lutz and flip (although she had problems landing the latter in competition) and an awesome 3loop. Her spins (except for the layback) and spirals usually had good, clean positions as well

attyfan · Jun 9, 2005

The discussion on 2000 Worlds makes me feel a little sorry for Irina -- at both that event and SLC, she was having an undefeated season (I think) when she came in with a free skate that enabled another American skater to leap over her head to gold. I like to see Maria, though, because I like fighters.

Maria Butyrskaya

Doggygirl

brad640

Doggygirl

IDLERACER

mzheng

emma

Doggygirl

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

Doggygirl

CDMM1991

CDMM1991

Tony Wheeler

cmego500

Skate Sandee

RealtorGal

flowjo35

chuckm

slutskayafan21

Match Penalty

Matt

attyfan

Custom Title

Similar threads

Connect with us