Flashback to 2006: Matt Savoie and transitions

[Scovies]

I was only looking for one performance, but I ended up going down the YouTube figure skating rabbit hole (as I'm sure a lot of you have done!) and came across Matt Savoie. I remember enjoying him at 2006 nationals, but I wasn't an obsessive FS fan at that point, and at the time, I didn't realize how special he was. He feels like a mix of Jeffery Buttle, Joshua Farris, and Jeremy Abbott, artistically. He had serious problems with inconsistency throughout his career, but he was pretty brilliant at 2006 U.S. nationals, and had a very respectable showing at the Olympics as well. He didn't have the quad, but absolutely mastered transitions, IMO. Nearly every jump has a cool/interesting entry. Check him out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqY2Q2WUl8

When Kurt Browning says, "That was awesome" to a piece of your footwork, you know you've got something. :agree: That hydroblade into his 3A is amazing.

 

[Interspectator]

That was special. Well done that man!

 

[demarinis5]

I was a big fan of Matt's back in the day. His skate at his Nationals in 2006 was amazing! I remember being thrilled that he made the Olympic team.

Matt is now a lawyer in Boston and married his partner in 2012.

 

[Scovies]

I was a big fan of Matt's back in the day. His skate at his Nationals in 2006 was amazing! I remember being thrilled that he made the Olympic team.

Matt is now a lawyer in Boston and married his partner in 2012.

Aw, that's great to hear. Thanks for the info.

 

[rollerblade]

Ahhh, this program reminds me so much of B&S Meditation. If there's one thing Sandra Bezic said right (about Medi), it was "the choreography weaves"; and that is how I'd describe this FS of Matt's. He actually placed 2nd in the Free, barely half a point behind Evan, and damned if I remember anything Evan did that year. :think:

Anyone knows who choreographed it? The wiki listing doesn't say.

 

[nieves]

So cool. I love those traveling sit spins he does that are also in Yuzuru's R&J1 program.

 

[BlackPack]

Matt Savoie One of my favorite male skaters.

This is poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAsNpBJbk0

Please don't even start thinking about how judges put Lysacek ahead of Matt. It hurts.

 

[beebee51]

I believe Tom Dickson choreographed many, if not most, of Matt Savoie's programs. Matt was a gorgeous skater and I was fortunate to see him live at the Olympics in Torino. IIRC, Matt was hampered with knee problems during his competitive career. And in those days, his transitions, particularly the difficult jump entries, were under-appreciated (though, not by Dick Button!)

 

[Scovies]

I believe Tom Dickson choreographed many, if not most, of Matt Savoie's programs. Matt was a gorgeous skater and I was fortunate to see him live at the Olympics in Torino. IIRC, Matt was hampered with knee problems during his competitive career. And in those days, his transitions, particularly the difficult jump entries, were under-appreciated (though, not by Dick Button!)

I love how Dick latched onto the intricacies of what Matt was doing! While he wasn't always a perfect commentator, he certainly knew good skating when he saw it.

 

[Interspectator]

-Love the performance....not sure about the music though. hwell:

 

[jkun]

Really like some of his transitions, very cool. The music was not my favorite. I like few of the selections, but feel like he should have just stuck with a single piece of maybe 2... At a certain point, towards the end I guess, the transitions before jumps became more distracting, and just there for the sake of being there. There's something about a standard 3Lz with a few steps before that is just awesome. When you start complicating with some more unique elements I think it kind of loses the wow factor. But that's just me.

 

[TontoK]

Matt was such a unique competitive skater. It always seemed as though he skated to haunting music that was not widely know. Almost like it had been composed for him.

He was smooth as silk, and I always felt like he was unjustly overlooked. He skated in the Johnny/Evan era, and in some ways he was superior to either of them.

 

[BlackPack]

He was smooth as silk, and I always felt like he was unjustly overlooked. He skated in the Johnny/Evan era, and in some ways he was superior to either of them.

IMO Matt as a skater is superior to those two as well as many, many skaters. He was special.

 

[beebee51]

I always enjoyed programs to music from The Mission but after 2005/2006, in my eyes, Matt owned that music. To this day, I really don't like to see anyone else skate to it. Also love his Ragtime program. Matt was a gem--one of my all-time favorite male skaters

 

[emma]

I was a huge fan, and 2006 was very special. Thanks for the reminder, it will be wonderful to watch some of his videos tonight with a glass of wine!

 

[jcoates]

Thanks for starting this thread. I adored Matt and always felt he was undermarked at nationals, inconsistency or not. He was a treasure at a time when creativity was on the decline for most men.

 

[Scovies]

Thanks for starting this thread. I adored Matt and always felt he was undermarked at nationals, inconsistency or not. He was a treasure at a time when creativity was on the decline for most men.

You're welcome . Though skaters of his time included Buttle, Takahashi, and Lambiel, so we certainly had some beautiful artists to choose from. I don't think Savoie ever got the credit he deserved, though.

 

[jcoates]

You're welcome . Though skaters of his time included Buttle, Takahashi, and Lambiel, so we certainly had some beautiful artists to choose from. I don't think Savoie ever got the credit he deserved, though.

Your're right. I was referring more to the crop of US men at the time. Weiss and Goebel were there when Matt rose to early domestic notice. He retired as Johnny and Evan were taking over. He really stood out for me among that group.

 

[georgia]

I was only looking for one performance, but I ended up going down the YouTube figure skating rabbit hole (as I'm sure a lot of you have done!) and came across Matt Savoie. I remember enjoying him at 2006 nationals, but I wasn't an obsessive FS fan at that point, and at the time, I didn't realize how special he was. He feels like a mix of Jeffery Buttle, Joshua Farris, and Jeremy Abbott, artistically. He had serious problems with inconsistency throughout his career, but he was pretty brilliant at 2006 U.S. nationals, and had a very respectable showing at the Olympics as well. He didn't have the quad, but absolutely mastered transitions, IMO. Nearly every jump has a cool/interesting entry. Check him out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqY2Q2WUl8

When Kurt Browning says, "That was awesome" to a piece of your footwork, you know you've got something. :agree: That hydroblade into his 3A is amazing.

and.. they all have something in common. Tom Dickson as their choreographer for many years!

 

[georgia]

This is my favorite program of his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAsNpBJbk0