Best or favorite positions or move / element

[SeaniBu]

I think this will be subject to the individual performer. And would like to see something new come up that isn't a "animal impressionistic incarnate." Although I still like seeing any skater doing just about any "element," there are some that just leave me wondering, "is there any reason at all other then points?"

Without doing some research ( and what is the point when some of the most knowledgeable are posting here ) I think the Ina Bauer - foot forward in a "lunge style" and the arch of the back.
GOOORRRGGEEEEOOUUSSSSS!!!!! gorgeous
Sasha, Shizuka and Johnny get a from me on this one - actually "two snaps and a twist" for Johnny (hope someone remembers that from In Living Color). It is so refreshing to see some of the men bridging the "famine boundary."

This is a "spin" of the ugly possessions thread, but all the "ugly" talk made me long for the beautiful. I also wouldn't mind if someone felt like making a poll, but I don't have the confidence that I would mention them all to be satisfactory.

 

[76olympics]

Paul Wylie had a beautiful Ina Bauer- you would have sworn he was 6 feet tall!

As you said , I picture certain ideal (IMHO) moves with individual skaters:

Spread eagle and death drop: Brian Boitano

Triple twist: G and G

Toller Cranston: Arabesque type spin with his leg up around his head. He also did leg kicks that were beautiful.

Dorothy Hamill : Classic beautiful layback

Footwork: Kurt Browning--really unbelievable!

Ilia Kulik goes down into a split and pulls himself back in a smooth, unbroken motion!

Tuck Axel: Jozef Sabovcik (John Misha Petkevitch's was splendid too!)

Boy! I could do this all night! There are so many beautiful moves out there!

 

[SeaniBu]

Without A Doubt

Footwork: Kurt Browning--really unbelievable!

Mind blowing, I wish I was he, Just for those few minutes!!!!!


Was thinking more a "single" move, but I did say element. Well, now it is more encouraging to look at new posts, Thanks!!!!

 

[julietvalcouer]

Honestly, I don't have anyone in mind (except Scott Smith, because I see him several times a week practicing it) but for me the move I love to see a man do is a solid outside-edge spreadeagle. Very few actually do it really well, meaning hold it for a long time with a deep, deep edge. That's one move I really think looks better when men do it.

Whereas I really prefer the standard spiral done by women. A classical spiral with a high, but not TOO high free leg, gentle arms, and a deep edge is one of the most beautiful moves a woman can do.

 

[CDMM1991]

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Dec-15-Fri-2000/photos/lifestyle.jpg

 

[lotusland]

I can't pick just one element, so I'm breaking it down into disciplines.

Call me crazzzzzyyyyyyyyy, but I absolutely love watching a Pair Team or Dance Team stroke. I love the deep, deep edges, the great line created by pushing with the centre of the blade (no toe puches for me), the phenominal power and the speed, and the look of the two bodies in such a tight position.

For the women, I love a classic and properly done traditional layback, with a lovely arch in the back, freeleg held out and away from the standing leg, with the knee bent and lower leg and foot held parallel to the ice. Tough to do properly, let alone well, and few achieve it. I also love the Ina Bauer, deep arch in the back, good bend of the forward leg and a nice straight position in the back leg ... Shizuka's is lovely.

For the men, a classic, deep, deep edge outside or inside spread eagle done in in either direction is my idea of gorgeous. I absolutely hate it (blech! blech!) when skaters "sit" in their spread eagle elements.

 

[flowjo35]

Thanks CDMM for that picture. Wow, I forgot how great Brian's spread eagle was. I also love Michelle's split falling leaf, awesome. Shizuka's ina bauer is also beautiful.

 

[julietvalcouer]

Eh. I'm not hot on his arm and hand position--I can't see his left hand clearly, but his right is bent at a funny angle, also slightly hyperflexed. (Yeah, pot-kettle-black here, but it does look a bit odd.) Some of it may be the costume bunching in the shoulders.

Yes, I'm hyper-anal about tiny things. My coach says that I would make a killer judge, the one skaters for MIF tests would hope they didn't get. I get these very set images in my mind of how lines should look or how a move should be finished.

 

[southwest wind]

I always thought Jennier Robinson had a lovely layback spin.



SWW

 

[JonnyCoop]

I, too, am a huge fan of the Ina Bauer and would like to see it done more, at least by people who would be able to do it correctly, like Shizuka.

Same with the spread eagle; IMO Boitano had the best I've ever seen.

I also like a good, well-done layback, and especially like unusual variations of it. I really like Angela Nikidonov's (I also like the forward spin she does with the arm out downward and diagonally) and actually one of the best of the "unusual" laybacks I've seen was done by Mexico's Rocio Salas Visuet. (I'd post a link to a pic if I could find one, but have been unable to do so, and I'm terrible at tracking these things down).

 

[Tonichelle]

ina bauer - Paul Wylie has the best evar of the guys, but Kurt can get into a very nice one when he wants to... Josee Chouinard also has a gorgeous ina bauer

spread eagle - Paul Wylie and Brian Boitano... Kurt, again, has a great one when he wants to

spirals - Sasha for all except the spiral with the hand holding it (ala Kerrigan) I think jenny kirk had the prettiest one

layback - Angela Nikodinov and Sarah Hughes

 

[MKFSfan]

Instead of a liking specific element best, I have favorite element/position depending upon the skater. There are certain things I think each skater does best for them, not neccessarily of the entire field, but something they put into most of their prorgams and make it their "own". Like:

~I love Michelle's COE spiral, very steady and exquiste, very Michelle! After seeing hundreds of skaters struggle not only with the position (getting the leg up and keepig tension) but ugly COE, makes me appreciate Michelle's more and more. Love her split falling leaf, esp. when it's followed by a spread eagle. And I love her sit spin with a death drop enterance.

~I adore seeing Shiz do an ina baur. I love her new Y-COE spiral where she lets go of her foot.

~I love seeing Brian's spread eagle.

~Yag's footwork.

~Sasha's fan spiral, especially when it's preceeded by the Y-sprial, or goes into a side catch (as a skid move). I used to get so sick of seeing the I-spin at the end of all her programs until the original R&J this fall ended in a beillmann, almost fizzled out, and I was like,"Bring back the exclaimation point! Do the I-spin!" So, for me, that's Sasha's signature, end in the I-spin! Oh, and her russian split is bar none.

~As much as it is overdone, I do like Irina's double beillmann in her combo spins-shows stregnth and flexibility as well as her spinning strength.

~I love Fumie's back scratch spin! Noone does it better.

~I LOVE AP's layback, with the side catch. She was way ahead of her time!

~I love a good classic layback, w/o catchfoot/beillmann, ala Sarah Hughes or Anglea. Emily's layback with beillmann is pretty good!

~Alissa has many pretty positions and pointed toes. I love her layback and her beillmann.

~Naomi Nari Nam had the best forward charlotte and a great beillmann spin.

 

[JonnyCoop]

Shawn Sawyer has a MARVELOUS spiral, I just wish he would hold it longer.

 

[emma]

I love a lot of what everyone has already posted, but I also loved Buttle's ina bauer that he used I think in his original long program for this season.

ETA: and I also love Weir's triple axel, particularly his landing and how he holds the edge and rides the curve...nice!

 

[rjulie510]

The classic Michelle Kwan's FI-FO COE arabsque spiral. Deep and steady edge she gets is unreal. Especially thanks to CoP so many ladies try COE with such wobbly edges (Often times I'm afraid they will fall during COE), it makes me appreciate Michelle's even more. I did also have BI-BO COE spiral she did at the end of FOG.

 

[sk8addict]

Attitude

Angela's layback in the attitude position!!! Getting lost in COP. Hard to do.

 

[azsk8fan]

Michelle's Falling Leaf move, Paul Wylie's spread eagle, Jill Trenary's axel-salchow combo - Boitano's 'tano lutz, Yagudin's entire WINTER program clap: )
just about all of Paul Wylie's programs after he turned professional

 

[JonnyCoop]

Yagudin's entire WINTER program clap: )

Actually, that reminds me of something that we don't see often, but I always love when it is used -- using the ice as a prop, so to speak. Yagudin did it in "Winter" when he picked up the ice shavings and threw them in the air (I believe it was at the start) and Boitano did it in his BRILLIANT "Les Patineurs" short program when he wiped them off his skate blade and threw them over his shoulder.

 

[diamondqueen]

Best or favorite positions or move/element

Michelle's falling leaf and spiral, Dorothy Hamill's lay back, Peggy and Janet Lynn for their great artistry.

Brian Boitano's artistry and spread eagles.

diamond

 

[Vash01]

I like all the choices listed so far, and I may repeat some of them in my list.

Outside spread eagles: Boitano
Falling leaf-Michelle
COE spiral- Michelle
Russian splits- Sasha
Inside spread eagles- Buttle, Wylie, Berezhnaya
Regular spiral- Dorothy, Nicole
Layback spin- Angela
Triple axel- Kulik, Yagudin
Camel spin-Robin Cousins, Maria Butyrskaya
Triple lutz-Viktoria Volchkova (great outside edge)
Quad toe-triple toe combo- Plushenko,Cheng Jiang Li
Split triple twist- G&G
Lifts-Shishkova-Naumov (pointed toes and positions in the air),Zagorska-Siudek (daring)
Regular sit spin- Michelle, Anton S. (both have such straight backs!)
BODS- G&G
Ina Bauer- Shizuka and Yukina


Among irregular moves:

B&S move where Anton is in spiral and Elena is in spread eagles, bending backward, and they hold it for a long time.

M&D's death spiral where he pulls her from a static position into a DS

Biellman spin- Denise Biellman

Natalia's spin- M&D

Throw triple loop from a spiral position- B&S

K&D move where he lifts her off the ice, turns her around and throws her into a double.

That's all I can think of right now.

Vash