Dick's Diddies

Mafke · Feb 17, 2006

merrywidow said:
After watching "Olympic Ice" the other day when they showed Katarina Witt's 88 gold medal performance...that statement "sexy sells" is all too true. Since all she did was one triple jump and a bunch of posing..l...

How many women back in 1988 do you think were capable of landing triple jumps? ... (I tho't that Katerina landed a triple salchow & a triple toe but doubled her triple loop?)[/QUOTE]

If memory serves, Witt had five triples planned and did four (two toe-loops, two salchows, one of each had a double toe added on). She did double the loop.

Thomas had five triples also planned (same as Witts, but spaced differently she had a 3-3 planned, a very big deal then) but things didn't quite work out.

Manley did four different triples IIRC (no flip) but none in combination.

Ito did all five different triples being done then and did seven total in the lp which was pretty much unheard of at the time.

Don't ask me how I remember this, maybe because Calgary 88 was the first skating competition I taped.

SusanBeth · Feb 17, 2006

Most women in the 80's had triples. Elaine Zayak started that in 80 and 81. (Edited:I just meant the rush for more and more triples. Fratianne did a 2 triple program in 1976. ) She had the toe loop and salchow, but repeated them many times. That's the reason for the Zayak Rule.

I think Debi had done a 5 triple program to win US Nationals in ' 86. I believe she had a 5 triple program at 1987 worlds and Witt managed to top it by pulling out a very rare, for her, 3 loop. Manley did several triples including a great 3 Lutz, but with a long backward glide entrance. So, several triples were the norm.

I thought, in fact I can't believe, Witt did only one triple in 1988. I'll have to rewatch it later, but 1 triple wouldn't have gotten her anywhere.

Edited: Beat to the post again

dorispulaski · Feb 17, 2006

Give Elaine credit where credit is due:
She had a double axel triple toe and she also had a triple loop, but was much more inconsistent with it than the 3t and 3s. She did both triple toes and triple toe walleys, but now the jumps are counted as the same jump.

And she came back with the 3t, 3s, and 3lp in 1994 (she still wasn't consistent on the 3lp).

Biellman certainly landed the 3lz in 1981 when she won her world championship, and I believe she landed it in 1980 as well. Jill Trenary had a 3flip (inconsistent, but she did land it from time to time). And in 1988 Midori Ito gave one of the best women's 6.0 system technical skating programs I have ever seen.

SusanBeth · Feb 17, 2006

DORISPULASKI said:
Give Elaine credit where credit is due:
She had a double axel triple toe and she also had a triple loop, but was much more inconsistent with it than the 3t and 3s. She did both triple toes and triple toe walleys, but now the jumps are counted as the same jump.

And she came back with the 3t, 3s, and 3lp in 1994 (she still wasn't consistent on the 3lp).

Biellman certainly landed the 3lz in 1981 when she won her world championship, and I believe she landed it in 1980 as well. Jill Trenary had a 3flip (inconsistent, but she did land it from time to time). And in 1988 Midori Ito gave one of the best women's 6.0 system technical skating programs I have ever seen.

Very true! She also had some interesting entrances into the jumps. I wasn't a real Zayak fan until 94 Nationals. That was heart :love:

way above the call ! Her artistry had matured very well too. She proved that she was a champion in my book.

Linny · Feb 18, 2006

Within the Rules

And Elaine Zayak was within the rules as they stood at that time. Why fault her for taking advantage? Just like Jeff grabbed 5 points on a failed quad attempt - can't fault him either.

Linny

equestrianguy · Feb 18, 2006

How many women back in 1988 do you think were capable of landing triple jumps? It was a different era & replaying Kat's win was a great example of how womens skating has evolved over the years. I will say, however, that no woman since has been able to portray a character on ice to match Katerina. (I tho't that Katerina landed a triple salchow & a triple toe but doubled her triple loop?)[/QUOTE]

Maybe they didn't show the entire program. Although, Ms. Witt kept commenting on how slow she looked..lol 1988 is a little before I started watching TV since I was a wee lad.. I have seen clips from her two gold medal performances. I have to say she looked like a drag queen in 1988...maybe thats why I liked her so much...

76olympics · Feb 18, 2006

I remember 1988 very well and Liz Manley's performance was the shooting star that night. I think Witt and Thomas' efforts were palllid. Neither of them had the vibrance, the charisma or the technical fireworks that Liz had. We were jumping up and down at my house at the end of that performance. If she could have won gold, I would have been ecstatic!

JonnyCoop · Feb 18, 2006

Jasper said:
That was the first time I had seen a woman's skate from the 80's and I was shocked. Skating sure has changed and evolved, as you said. The speed, the jumps, everything. Katarina barely made it around the rink once, I think. But she did interpret the music and played a character nicely.

That's not a good program to use an indicator of women's skating in the late 80s. Even "critics" (well, reporters, and people like us, pre-internet

) said at the time that there was a ridicolously low amount of actual skating activity going on in that program. Check out Debi Thomas, Liz Manley, and Midori Ito about the same time -- these ladies did not mess around out there.

SusanBeth · Feb 18, 2006

JonnyCoop said:
That's not a good program to use an indicator of women's skating in the late 80s. Even "critics" (well, reporters, and people like us, pre-internet ) said at the time that there was a ridicolously low amount of actual skating activity going on in that program. Check out Debi Thomas, Liz Manley, and Midori Ito about the same time -- these ladies did not mess around out there.

I remember yelling at the tv screen during Witt's skate. I was upset (I was very pregnant at the time. I don't usually get irate, just irritated.) I was remarking that she should skate or get off the ice. I was convinced the judges wouldn't buy it. Then, they bought it.

Gipson · Feb 18, 2006

Dick commenting on Kevin van der Perren's footwork, it was something like "Oh my! Look at the swash in that swashbuckling!"

maruru · Feb 18, 2006

SusanBeth said:
I remember yelling at the tv screen during Witt's skate. I was upset (I was very pregnant at the time. I don't usually get irate, just irritated.) I was remarking that she should skate or get off the ice. I was convinced the judges wouldn't buy it. Then, they bought it.

And so did Albert Tomba... (I lofl'ed seeing his face after Kat finished the program, obviously little skating going on in the program didn't matter to him at all :laugh:

)

Gipson · Feb 20, 2006

On ice dancing:
"If Sally and Joe Frontporch think they can get up and do that, they've got another thing coming."

Tom: Are you saying, Dick, that their twizzle was not a fizzle?
Dick: There's no shamizzle in that fazizzle.

"It's seems to me that that dress is almost the biggest powder puff I've ever seen in this world."

Lanie · Feb 20, 2006

Dick's comment on the Kerrs being "genetically similar" cracked me up.

Gipson · Feb 21, 2006

"If you're going to sing the national anthem, you better be Whitney Houston and not Roseanne Barr."

pollyls · Feb 21, 2006

Tenorguy said:
FreeKatie -
I saw Dralion as well, but to me Stephan looked like half-gypsy, half-tufted couch!

I'm a latecomer to this thread, but I wanted to share that I thought Stephan looked like a member of Duran Duran circa 1982.
:yes:

Linny · Feb 21, 2006

best one so far

The best one so far was "chloroform choreography".

Linny

Gipson · Feb 25, 2006

Elena Sokolova:
"Forgive me for saying so but I don't think she's burst onto this ice at all. I think she's out of condition. I think she's been slow, she hasn't been pushing. She gets some good jumps in but it really isn't very much trained for an Olympic kind of competition, I don't feel."

Sokolova:
"Gosh, you know I didn't see any redemption being sought even when she was in the warmup or when she was coming out of the rink. I kind of feel that the music is blah, there's no stretch in the arms and the legs, there was no tension in the program. Um, I'm sorry to be so negative but, uh, that's the way I saw it."

Yan Liu:
"One thing I wish she'd do is tie up her shoelaces and not leave them hanging out."

Susanna Poykio:
"Just not a with it performance in any way, shape, or form. That's very sad to see the entire, so to--soufflé unsouffle."

Sarah Meier:
"As the saying goes, there was more choreography in that landing than there was in a lot of the rest of the program."

And a bonus quote from Tom Hammond on Silvia Fontana:
"Scores don't really matter but here they are."

Dick's Diddies

Mafke

SusanBeth

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

SusanBeth

Linny

equestrianguy

76olympics

JonnyCoop

SusanBeth

Gipson

maruru

Gipson

Lanie

Gipson

pollyls

Linny

Gipson

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