Skaters who revolutionized/made an impact in Figure Skating | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Skaters who revolutionized/made an impact in Figure Skating

Cherryy

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
I think that Sasha needs to be put on this list. She was probably the first one to promote flexibility and innovative spins so strongly. It was only after her that I-spin became so popular and it's clearly visible she inspired many skaters. Kiri Baga had just the same short program to Dark Eyes, Fumie had similar clothes, Julia's music choices especially in the 2011-13 seasons were clearly inspired by Sasha. I would say many young skaters followed her path and these are just some examples.

Many say that Mao made an impact but even though I truly love her, I would sadly say she didn't make much of an impact. Maybe after some time we will see more ladies trying the 3axel or in general programs with the highest difficulty level possible. As of now I think Kim is the one that had a bigger impact, as somebody already wrote, now most girls are relying on their 3Lz-3T, which became a standard combination for top female skaters partly because of Yuna.

The same with Midori - yes, she and Asada were pushing the technical envolope but who was in fact inspired by Ito? Well, except for Mao :laugh:

I'm not trying to diminish their achievements, as both Mao and Midori are my favourite skaters but it seems to me that sadly not many people follow their path.
 

jkun

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
I'm going to with Yuna on this one. She along with Mao showed the world an artistic, complete skater that had difficult 3-3 combinations. With her steady 3-3s since her junior days, in combination with her artistry, has made the 3-3, almost mandatory for any top skater.

Mao has also had a great influence on what constitutes a complete skater. Unfortunately, I think some of her influence was lost due to some inconsistencies, later in her career. While we might not see 3As in many more women after Mao. Mao has influenced many ladies into attempting more difficult programs.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I think that Sasha needs to be put on this list. She was probably the first one to promote flexibility and innovative spins so strongly. It was only after her that I-spin became so popular and it's clearly visible she inspired many skaters. Kiri Baga had just the same short program to Dark Eyes, Fumie had similar clothes, Julia's music choices especially in the 2011-13 seasons were clearly inspired by Sasha. I would say many young skaters followed her path and these are just some examples.

I agree about Sasha. She was one of the first baby ballerinas to pop up with super-flexibility. I do think Sasha should be credited for bringing more attention to and demanding more requirements spins and spirals, especially under IJS. She owned both of those categories for about two years until Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu and the other set of baby ballerinas emerged.


I'm not trying to diminish their achievements, as both Mao and Midori are my favourite skaters but it seems to me that sadly not many people follow their path.

I do think she made an impact on the sport. Because of Mao the women have the option to do a 3A in the SP...that wasn't an option pre-Mao.

No, not many will follow in Mao's path but it's not b/c they don't want to...it's b/c they can't. It's a testament to how incredibly difficult that element is that only a handful of women in history have managed to do it.

Mao is extraordinary because of that. A 3-3 is a very difficult element but many women are capable of doing it which doesn't make it as impressive as performing an element no one else can. The bar Mao set with the 3A is impossible for most to reach but that doesn't lessen her impact/contribution to the sport.

Mao pushed the boundaries of what a woman can do in this sport from a technical standpoint. That is her contribution and the impact she's had...and it's a pretty big one.
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Chan, Takahashi and Buttle were arguably the faces of CoP where a complete, well-rounded skater who mastered all facets of skating started to be appreciated, not just the jumps. The same way Curry revolutionized the sport artistically. I would arguably add Goebel and Fernandez for their technical brilliance and mastering quads and the 3-quad freeskate, in a similar way Plushenko/Yagudin/Stojko mastered the quad in general. Of course Yagudin is the perfect blend of artistry and athleticism and his Olympic performances still stand as the best of all time (although I'd put Hanyu's Sochi SP above his).

For ladies, Ito obviously. Kim as well given her balance of technical and artistic. Kwan for her artistry. Asada for pushing te technical envelope.

Pairs, Shen/Zhao - they were the first to really THROW and have huge twists. Before it was all about the SBS jumps but S/Z really drew attention to other spectacular elements.

Ice dance - D/W and V/M revolutionized how dance can be masterfully difficult and still artistically engaging. Torvill and Dean were the masters for their time and exhibited how ice dancing is an art but these two recent teams have showcased how ice dancing can be a sport, this changing the perceptions of many that ice dancing is merely theatre on ice.

Theater on ice? More like Lawrence Welk on ice. Every LD was the same: three parts, change of rhythm for the second part. And costumes that would not look out of place on The Lawrence Welk Show. There was a reason why ID was the perennial butt of every "How is this a sport" joke. ZZZZZzzzzzzz.

Torvill and Dean answered that perennial problem handily. There is a reason why Mr/Mrs/Ms Only Watch During the Olympics know who Torvill and Dean are--decades after they won gold. There's more than one way to be revolutionary.

And besides, you can also make an impact by being a consolidator, by bringing together all previous developments into one superior package. Dorothy Hamill certainly fits that description. So does Michelle Kwan.
 

minze

Medalist
Joined
Dec 22, 2012
I agree about Sasha. She was one of the first baby ballerinas to pop up with super-flexibility. I do think Sasha should be credited for bringing more attention to and demanding more requirements spins and spirals, especially under IJS. She owned both of those categories for about two years until Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu and the other set of baby ballerinas emerged.




I do think she made an impact on the sport. Because of Mao the women have the option to do a 3A in the SP...that wasn't an option pre-Mao.

No, not many will follow in Mao's path but it's not b/c they don't want to...it's b/c they can't. It's a testament to how incredibly difficult that element is that only a handful of women in history have managed to do it.

Mao is extraordinary because of that. A 3-3 is a very difficult element but many women are capable of doing it which doesn't make it as impressive as performing an element no one else can. The bar Mao set with the 3A is impossible for most to reach but that doesn't lessen her impact/contribution to the sport.

Mao pushed the boundaries of what a woman can do in this sport from a technical standpoint. That is her contribution and the impact she's had...and it's a pretty big one.


Spot on about Sasha and Mao. In impact does not mean that someone follows your path, but how you will be remember. And Mao certainly will be remember along with the greats. Sasha is the mother of flexible skaters.
 

minze

Medalist
Joined
Dec 22, 2012
I think that Sasha needs to be put on this list. She was probably the first one to promote flexibility and innovative spins so strongly. It was only after her that I-spin became so popular and it's clearly visible she inspired many skaters. Kiri Baga had just the same short program to Dark Eyes, Fumie had similar clothes, Julia's music choices especially in the 2011-13 seasons were clearly inspired by Sasha. I would say many young skaters followed her path and these are just some examples.

Many say that Mao made an impact but even though I truly love her, I would sadly say she didn't make much of an impact. Maybe after some time we will see more ladies trying the 3axel or in general programs with the highest difficulty level possible. As of now I think Kim is the one that had a bigger impact, as somebody already wrote, now most girls are relying on their 3Lz-3T, which became a standard combination for top female skaters partly because of Yuna.

The same with Midori - yes, she and Asada were pushing the technical envolope but who was in fact inspired by Ito? Well, except for Mao :laugh:

I'm not trying to diminish their achievements, as both Mao and Midori are my favourite skaters but it seems to me that sadly not many people follow their path.

I disagree. Skaters don't follow their path because it is difficult, but make no mistake Midori Ito is a legend that impacted the sport greatly. The same case for Mao. 3A, complete skater, the face of figure skating in the home of figure skating, considered best skater in the world at 14. There many reasons besides youger skaters following her footsteps that make Mao's impact on the sport significant.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Theater on ice? More like Lawrence Welk on ice. Every LD was the same: three parts, change of rhythm for the second part. And costumes that would not look out of place on The Lawrence Welk Show. There was a reason why ID was the perennial butt of every "How is this a sport" joke. ZZZZZzzzzzzz.

Torvill and Dean answered that perennial problem handily. There is a reason why Mr/Mrs/Ms Only Watch During the Olympics know who Torvill and Dean are--decades after they won gold. There's more than one way to be revolutionary.

And besides, you can also make an impact by being a consolidator, by bringing together all previous developments into one superior package. Dorothy Hamill certainly fits that description. So does Michelle Kwan.

:laugh: well not as bad as Lawrence Welk but I see your point about them being formulaic. I remember my coworkers being like "this is ice dance? But they've got spins and fancy lifts and stuff". My bf who laughs whenever I said ice dance is a legit sport was astounded by D/W and V/M at the Olympics. Of any of the 4 disciplines, I think ice dance has benefited the most under CoP and it's much more athletic instead of histrionics and "reaching/clawing dramatically" at the judges with over the top expressions.
 

leoncorazon

Skating on through
On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Country
United-States
Kat Witt...she brought sexy to ladies skating...not to mention intimidation...and while I think Chan's movement is divine I really see him as a continuation of what Curry started...and Kwan is my all time favorite but she really isn't revolutionary...fabulous at putting it all together at Nationals and Worlds tho...
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
:laugh: well not as bad as Lawrence Welk but I see your point about them being formulaic. I remember my coworkers being like "this is ice dance? But they've got spins and fancy lifts and stuff". My bf who laughs whenever I said ice dance is a legit sport was astounded by D/W and V/M at the Olympics. Of any of the 4 disciplines, I think ice dance has benefited the most under CoP and it's much more athletic instead of histrionics and "reaching/clawing dramatically" at the judges with over the top expressions.

Which is why I, for one, am weeping no tears if I/K break up. They're a throwback, a 6.0 team in an IJS world. Listen, if we were still living in a 6.0 world I'd be raving about them too. But we're not, and I have dreaded the retirement of Voir and Marlie because I can see a concentrated desire on the ISU to go back to the Euro!Trauma!Drama! era. Eliminating one lift is only the start. That's my gut feeling.

But I'm getting too OT here.
 

Sandpiper

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
@WeakAnkles
How does the judging system affect what you enjoy watching? (I'm not being sarcastic--it's a genuine question). Personally, I just enjoy who I enjoy and hope the judging system will reward the best skate, "best skate" being constantly debatable, of course. (I've no opinion on I/K and am neutral on ice as as a whole now that Virtue/Moir are gone).
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Which is why I, for one, am weeping no tears if I/K break up. They're a throwback, a 6.0 team in an IJS world. Listen, if we were still living in a 6.0 world I'd be raving about them too. But we're not, and I have dreaded the retirement of Voir and Marlie because I can see a concentrated desire on the ISU to go back to the Euro!Trauma!Drama! era. Eliminating one lift is only the start. That's my gut feeling.

But I'm getting too OT here.

Yeah I/K at least have strong basics but I totally expected them to head into the trauma/drama/camp camp. I loved how Davis/White and Virtue/Moir let their skating speak first and then accentuated with strong artistry and not the other way around.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I'll add Kurt Browning to the list

Oh for sure! Especially his pro programs have been innovative and bloody entertaining. His skating specials are also a perennial favourite... I mean look at that Singin In The Rain step sequence down the sidewalk! :bow:
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
@WeakAnkles
How does the judging system affect what you enjoy watching? (I'm not being sarcastic--it's a genuine question). Personally, I just enjoy who I enjoy and hope the judging system will reward the best skate, "best skate" being constantly debatable, of course. (I've no opinion on I/K and am neutral on ice as as a whole now that Virtue/Moir are gone).


They're athletes. They want to win. How do you win? You play the numbers game. Accumulate them points baby. As many of them as you can. And that is directly impacted by the judging system. Take away a major lift and there go the points for that lift. Instead we get 6-12 more seconds of steps. Oh boy. And all at the expense of what has made ID so much more exciting--the lifts (purists can boo hoo all they want, but listen to the applause of audiences and what they applaud the most for--it's almost always the most athletic parts of an ID program--the lifts and twizzles). A really good lift is like an exclamation point--it UPS!!! the emotion.

Here's a good example. After Torvill and Dean's Bolero program, you had untold number of programs that tried to turn Bolero into a formula: single piece of Dramatic! music; emphasis on manufactured emotion, and complete the program with a Very! Dramatic! Fall to the Ice! Hey it worked for T&D, right? And they won the Gold Medal, right? The problem was, everyone started doing it--so much so that they had to institute a rule banning that kind of ending. And as an audience member, all that Uber!Drama! wasn't dramatic--it was tedious and numbing.

Hope that answers your question.
 

Sandpiper

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
@WeakAnkles
I understand what you're saying. Attempts at recreating magic with only the base elements often results in tediousness. I may not be an expert in ice dance, but it's the same in any art or performance. Just look at novels, movies, TV, storytelling in general...

I meant the question more like--even if I/K were competing under 6.0, wouldn't their routines be equally tedious to you? And they'll probably win more, which will create more drama! skates, which will probably make ice dance even more annoying for you. :) It seems like you simply prefer COP ice dance over 6.0 ice dance. (Apologies if I'm reading you wrong though). Of course, I'm one of those people who doesn't think the best COP-points-getter is necessary the best skate; if that were true, we wouldn't have tweaks to the judging system all the time.
 

Manitou

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Kat Witt...she brought sexy to ladies skating....

That's right! She was the first skater ever to pose nude! And that is a HUGE historical breakthrough! lol
Nobody did it before and very very few after. Tanja Szewczenko was one of them. Actually she might be the only one...
 
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