Why is ... your favorite skater?

What is it about your favorite skater/s that makes them your favorite? Details!

MK - there is a simple elegance and strength to her skating that draws me in as well as the seamless way that she weaves together a program. I also love the emotion she brings to each of her performances.

Kurt Browning - footwork and a quality in everything he does. Also his playfullness.

Brian B. - impressive work ethic, beautiful, strong skating - also, he's a local guy. I grew up down the street from his cousins.

G&G - the way that their love for one another was visible when they skated.

Yags - charisma, charisma, charisma - as well as some pretty impressive jumping and footwork

Tharrtell.........I was thinking about this as a possible thread the other day..........I'll take two of my favs....Paul Wylie: his "never give up attitude", the lean of his body, his line, magnificent footwork, and his interpretation of the music. Then there's Janet Lynn: the sheer joy in her face and body movements as she skated. I've never seen that look on anyone's face until Michelle...42

Michelle Kwan, because of the EMOTION she expresses in her skating. She so feels her music and who she is trying to portray, or what she wants to convey to the audience. She can bring me to happy tears with simple stroking.

Tara is my alltime favorite skater. I was initially drawn to her because her age and talent. Although she is 4 years older than me, I felt like I could relate and admire her. She had her dream, and even when no one else believed in her, she kept her faith, and did it! Her "Always Dream" attitude sets a wonderful example for younger skaters and older people as well. As I began to follow Tara more closely, I saw her dedication to St. Theresa and her Catholic faith, and also her chaity work. She works so closey with the Boys and Girls club, and St. Judes. I just feel that she is such a role model, adn sets such a great example for everyone. After meeting her and speakign to her in person a few times, I have become the most dedicated fan. She is so sweet and down to earth, and totally appreciative. Tara is glad to pose for picures and sign for people young and old, and is always smiling. I remmeber onne occasion when I stopperd her and she was in a rush, she was running late, but she posed for a picture quick. Another time, she was having a rough practice session with SOI, because I believe her hip was giving her trouble, but she stopped and talked with me for a while. What a sweet and completely considerate person Tara is.

Fave skaters!

Good topic! to make us think of WHY we like someone!

Jozef Sabovcik....His endurance...going through rough times and not giving up...and then, on the ice, come on! AIR TIME! The most height and amplitude on jumps and split leaps EVER!

Paul Wylie...The emotional element he gave to ALL of his routines, from amateur to pro....no one, before or since, has ever fully drawn me in like him, although G&G were close

Kurt Browning....humor, style and grace under pressure! In spite of the 'failures' at the Olympics, he maintained his dignity

Yagudin....I am not really sure! He is like a combination of my other three faves...the technical arsenal, the drama, the style and great footwork. And I love the fact that he is spontaneous off the ice....maybe he sticks his blade in his mouth once in a while, but he says what's on his mind, and not some filtered, PC crap!



Kasey

TaraFan, you are lucky you got to meet Tara several times and take pictures with her!

Some of my favorites:

Watanabe and Kido, because they always seem like they are having so much fun.

Vakhtang Murvanidze -- I like his 'tude.

Barbara Fusar-Poli -- She gives her whole self to the audience in every performance.

Mathman

why I like these skaters

Pairs(in no particular order)

1. Sale & Pelletier - their contemporary and modern style is different and refreshing. They have great rapport and an admirable work ethic. As far as their skating goes, I like all their technique and artistry but most of all the "vintage S/P", that is, their showmanship, energy, chemistry/interaction with each other and connection with the audience. Lastly but most important of all, it is a pleasure to be their fan because they are available and willing to interact with us *S&P fans*.
2. G&G - chemistry and unison.


Dance(in particular order)

1. Torvill & Dean - innovative choreography, chemistry, and just so lovely to watch.
2. K&O - great dancers.


Mens(in no particular order)

1. Brian B - consistent and able to deliver when it matters the most. Watching him during his amatuers years, I knew he would come through.
2. Todd Eldredge - a gem when it comes to technique. It is subtle and just as good as that of the quad kings.
3. Kurt Browning - a genius. Whenever he skates, it seems like his body is speaking to you through the music. Very mesmerizing and a great performer. He has truly come along way from his days in amatuer.


Ladies(in no particular order)

1. Joanne Rochette - a miracle just waiting to happen.
2. Angela N - something about her draws me into her skating.
3. Katrina Witt - like Brian B, consistent and able to deliver when it matters the most.
4. Elizabeth Manley - fun fun fun skating and full of personality. A pleasure to watch.

hmmmmmmmmm lets see... how shall I do this LOL


Kurt Browning -- What DON'T I love about the guy should be the question LOL... I love how he's so versatile. Sure other guys can do serious and funny peices... but he does them believeably... there is no "better" kind of skating for him... it just IS

Scott Hamilton -- He "introduced" me to figure skating... He's a clown... but he's down to earth... sweet guy from everything I've heard and read.

Steven Cousins -- He's hot, end of story LOL

Jamie & David -- The basic emotion... they can take something like Love Story, with grey/boring colored costumes, and just breathe romance... no one touches me like they do save for G/G

G&G -- THE pair....

Torvill & Dean -- they make Ice Dance something more than just Ice Dance... I can't begin to describe it.

Paul Wylie -- Not only because he's got a beautiful line and edge... or because he's everyone's Underdog hero... but for the fact that he is a devote Christian and that he's really a role model to me... I would love to just sit down for an afternoon and talk about things other than skating...

Angela Nikodinov -- She's so light and beautiful on the ice, and I love her personality... I didn't see Angela pre-Elena so I can't comment on what she's become... but she's just gorgeous!

ok I'll type more later... going to get ready for the movies in a few and I want to cruise the board some.

Michelle Kwan:There is just something special to her skating. You can tell she loves to be out there and really loves skating.

Sarah Hughes: Yeah, she has her flaws but I just can't help but to enjoy her skating. Like Michelle, there's just something about her.

Tim Goebel: He's the first male skater I ever really cheered for.

Tonia Kwiatkowski: She's a great skater with much class and maturity. Yes, I would have to say she's my all time favorite skater.


S/Z: I first saw them skate in the 98 Games. I was sad because I knew Meno and Sand were retiring and I didn't have a team to root for anymore.

Meno and Sand: They are the first team I remember seeing.

Sonja Henie...she was truly the Queen of Ice. I first saw a program about her on HBO I think it was...I had never heard of her. I was waiting for my friend to get ready to go watch the Stanley Cup (is it illegal to refer to hockey on this forum ) and he had it on because he knew that I love figure skating. Well, we missed the beginning of the game because the show was so good.

Sonja paved the way for women in figure skating. There were others before her...but nothing like her. she won 10 world titles and 3 Olympic gold medals. She took skating to a whole new level on the amatuer and professional scene, and revolutionized the use of the Zamboni with her ice shows. Sonja had a great head for business and was the highest paid person in the entertainment industry in her day with her ice shows, and movies. This was unheard of from an ice skater. She also stood up for what she beleived in, was independent, and took trouble from no one. She got some bad publicity during WWII, and some people think that she was money hungry, and would do whatever it took to get ahead.

From the first time that I saw Sonja she had my heart, and I admire her immensely. I love to watch the glitz and glam of her movies, especially the skating. Sonja is an icon in this wonderful sport. I had the pleasure of seeng a Sonja Henie exhibit this past May at the Skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. I spent about an hour on that alone. It was great.

Great thread! It's interesting to think about *why* we like a skater.

Torvill & Dean - my all-time favourites. They were my first memory of ice skating in 1994 (I was 10), and they drew me in instantly. I loved their FD in the Olympics. I love their innovation, choreography, the way they use the music, originality, style, class, and dance ability. I love the way they were so versatile as skaters and performers, they strived for perfection, and always put everything into their performances without ever appearing over-the-top. I also like that they did their own choreography. Their choreography was always intricate, detailed and interesting, and fit the music/story perfectly.

Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - my favourite pairs team, I think. I love their beautiful lines, technique, edging, originality etc. Some people criticised Elena for not showing emotion with her face, but I think it's irrelevant because she always conveyed everything perfectly with her body movements, which is what skating's about. I think their pairs move with Elena doing a spread eagle with an arched back, and Anton doing a spiral, is one of the most beautiful skating moves ever. They have great elements and choreography.

Irina Slutskaya - out of the top 4 at Worlds 01, which is when I got back into skating again (I didn't know who any of them were), Irina was the one who drew me in. I love her style, particularly the up-beat routines, which suit her so well. I love her power and spring. If you think of all the elements, she excels at them all in some way. She gets a lot of criticism from some fans of her rivals, but I think she's an amazing skater.

Michelle Kwan - she has had some wonderful routines in the past, particularly Salome, Red Violin and Fields of Gold. My only gripe is her lack of difficulty in her programmes, but she has wonderful carriage and smooth movements, and a beautiful style.

Sasha Cohen - I love her skating style. Her last two SPs, Malaguena and My Sweet & Tender Beast, are two of my favourite ladies programmes ever. Malaguena was so powerful and compelling, despite the mistake on the flip, and she has an amazing layback.

Evgeny Plushenko - I didn't really enjoy his skating in 01 Worlds (although I like his LP more now than I did before), but Sex Bomb definitely made me more of a fan! I thought it was terrific. He's such an incredible athlete, and not afraid to be himself. He's obviously very comfortable with who he is. He's always constantly pushing himself (and everyone else) and has great artistry and confidence. Sometimes, I think I like *him* more than I like his routines!

Evgeni - I just love his attitude, his style. I first noticed him a few years ago when I wasn't *that* into skating and I credit him with bringing me back as a fan. He's always interesting, more interesting to me than anyone else. Wonderful artistry and emotion in his skating. I also like him as a person, as icenut was saying - he has a great sense of humor and zest for life, and I love watching his interviews and all the fluff pieces on him.

Sasha Cohen - She's my fave bcs of her expressiveness - it's like when she's skating, she gives her whole self to the program. I can watch her w/o even noticing or being affected by any of her little technical errors because her presentation is so beautiful.

I have more faves of course but those are my top two

Michelle Kwan: Okay, does Michelle give a flying f--k about losing Olympic gold medal to another teenybopper? No! Of course she don't. She is strong to every dilemma that comes up in her skating career. She doesn't quit, she doesn't throw her skates at people's faces when she loses. She fights through it and grows stronger on skating because of it. OTHER than that, her skating is very amazing. You can tell that she belongs on the ice and the figure skating is her thing.

Alexei Yagudin: The way he skates is incredible. He can flow through the music and skate in the "right places" of the music. He's exciting, he's sexual. He's never afraid to do any illegal move on the ice. He can hump the ice like he did in "Overcome" and every girl and gay guy would go crazy for it.

Salé and Pelletier: This pair is just WAY too cute together. They have a strong chemistry together and when they skate, you know they love being with each other and skating together. I can never be board watching these two. And I love it when they do lovey dovey moves on the ice.

Michelle, she never gives up and loves what she does

Sasha, she has that fire in her eyes and that determination to make it.

I agree with aly*cutie. Irina is another one of my favorite skaters, also, because she has some amazing moves.

Alexei - because of his passion, determination, will, power, drama, charisma,
sex appeal, eyes, smile, enigmatic character, emotional outbursts on and off ice, Gladiator, LoA, Winter, Revolution Etude, Racing, Overcome and even One banana, huge entertainment value , more or less rough charme, humor, accent, - perfection, wisdom, shyness and modesty - political correctness , and a whole lot of unforgettable, precious moments!!! Gotta lurve this guy! Spasibo!

Anke

sasha-shes amazing. Everything she does has so much beauty. Its amazing. She never hits a bad pose. Shes always pushing the abilty of things.

Germanice said:

wisdom, shyness and modesty - political correctness ,

Click to expand...

Anke, meinen wir denselben??

I've always been a bit torn between Yagudin and Plushenko.
Before 2002/2003 I thought Alexei had a slight edge over Evgeny in the presentation, but with "Petersburg" compared to Alexei's masterpieces ("Gladiator", MITIM) I'm not that sure anymore.
Judging from the impression they give me off-ice, I would prefer Evgeny. As much as I admire Alexei's personality - Evgeny has character. There's a word in Russian which describes best what Evgeny seems to me. íàñòîÿùèé (I hope this forum allows cyrillic letters) - it means "real" in a very positive way.

Anyway, these two are my favourite skaters. Somehow I can't really imagine one without the other. Both seem so fascinating to me as human beings that there hasn't been any other skater so far who impressed me so much.

Oh, yes. There is one. Sasha. My favourite skater in the women's field. Her size alone is enough to win me over.
And there are many other fascinating aspects about her: jewish-ukrainian-american heritage, firy personality and presence on the ice, flexibility of course - to use one word: star quality.
She can almost hold a candle to Alexei and Evgeny.

I like this topic, it really made me remember back to performances that made me fans of certain skaters.

Michelle Kwan is my favorite skater. She is so at one with her music - it seems to flow through her movements. She becomes the music.

Alexei Yagudin is another of my favorites. When he is on the ice I can not take my eyes off him. He has wonderful expression, exciting jumps and he conveys his programs so well.

G and G were my favorite pairs. They had such perfect unison and such skill. At worlds this year S and Z became favorites. Their jumps and especially their throws have always been remarkable, but their long program just took my breath away - it had such expression along with their technical excellence.

Anissina and Peizerat-they made me love dance. Before them, I liked about four dances performances that I had ever seen. They have intriguing lifts, they interpret music better than any other dancers I've seen, and they have such passion on the ice.

Kurt Browning-he has the best feet in the business. He can skate to anything and make it look amazing.

B&S-they have beautiful lines and speed. They are creative in their moves and aren't afraid to try something new.

K&P-they have such amazing chemistry on the ice. It is beautiful to watch them.

Michelle Kwan-she's just lovely. She does everything well, and she puts her heart into her skating

Sasha Cohen-she has the best spirals and great spins. Her programs this year were wonderful.

Lucinda Ruh-she trounces everyone in the spins department. I am mesmerized every time I watch her.

Brian Orser-he always has great programs filled with footwork. He can interpret all sorts of music and also displays his heart when he skates.

Brasseur&Eisler-they do such daring moves and creative lifts. They have the best pairs programs in the Pro World. I finally got to see them CSOI for the first time this year, and they wowed the crowd.

Alexei-great all around skater. he has the jumps, good spins and interesting footword. He also displays a lot of emotion when he skates.