The moment you started liking a skater

[Neenah16]

As a new fan of figure skating my exposure is a bit limited but I do have my own experience on this topic, so here goes:

Yuzuru Hanyu SP at NHK 2016: this performance along with his LP at the same competition are the reason I am here today, I became his fan and fell in love with figure skating that day.

Patrick Chan: not a performance but a video of the step sequence of his LP last season, I really liked how he moved on the ice and really started appreciating his skating then.His LP was so beautiful.

Mai Mihara LP at 4CC: Mai made me feel real joy watching her that day, and I am her fan since.

Boyang Jin SP at 4CC: I love that program and it made me love Boyang. He and Mai both make me happy when I watch them.

I like other skaters but not as much as those four, and hopefully I will be adding to the list next season.

 

[Sabrina]

From the old guard, I liked/loved Maria Butirskaya a lot for her beautiful, balletic lines. I was so happy when she managed to win that world title. I also loved Sasha Cohen, for her spirals and all the rest of the skating when she was on.
From the new skaters, I joined the hysteria with Julia in 2014-15. I still love her and i wish she'll find a way to come back.
I was struck by the beauty of Misha Ge's skating, live, at Skate Canada. I am so sad he had retired.
Alaine is my favourite Canadian lady. In Canadian men, I like Kevin, Nick and Nam...and also Roman-the men category is quite crowded.
From the very young, I love Aurora Cotop and I wish her a lot of good luck.

Ah, and I am also a fan of Boyang Jin...

 

[musicfan80]

I might some flack for this but......This performance by Tonya Harding is responsible for me seeing, and falling in love with Maria Butryskaya way back in 1991. I still think a performance like this would get her on a World Podium even though it was more than 25 years ago.

Tonya Harding Skate America 1991, Oakland California. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOP3Dj0DraQ

That performance proved that Tonya could medal in Albertville four months later......if she had just held it together. Sigh.

 

[mrrice]

I often get flack for loving this girl but, I can't help it. Cynthia Phanuef. Skate Canada 2010:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSLT_Mg33zM

 

[elbkup]

a slightly different take on the subject:

I'm a relatively new recreational skater, started about 3 months ago. I live just down the street from the rink, so I'm able to skate about 5 to 6 days a week. I go to the noon session where there are only a handful of people there. After a couple of weeks, I purchased my own skates. A lot of the experienced skaters noticed this and started saying "hi" and would introduce themselves, ask me how my skates felt, and would offer a occasion word of encouragement. I thought this was pretty cool, as in a lot of sports and activities, the experienced people sometimes disdain newbies.

One of these skaters was a figures coach, who I learned skated in the 1992 Olympics! I was very impressed there was someone of this caliber at our rink. She started greeting me by name and would always wave when I came in, even if she was in the middle of giving a lesson. A couple of weeks ago, she was giving a lesson to a youngster, and waved and yelled "Hi Doug" when i entered the ice. I could see the youngster mouth the words "who's that?". I heard her say "that's my friend Doug". There's no way I can express how great that made me feel.

Watching this lady skate takes my breath away. I'm hooked.....

Slowpoke

Lovely story....

 

[Mathman]

Michelle Kwan, 1998 Goodwill Games, Rachmaninov short program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4xz4CKl-Dc

 

[plushyfan]

I have looked for myself in the audience of this video but, to no avail. The beginning of my looooong love affair with Maria Butyrskaya.

Her Pink and Brown skirted Disco Unitard was all I needed.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl9yRZOapKc

Plushy............1999 Worlds. While stocking Maria Butyrskaya, I saw this kids with a Big Boofy Head of Blond hair. He was wild on the ice but, I just knew he'd be great. I stalked him at Worlds in 2001 and became a devoted fan after his Bolero SP....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQo4mLyGsNE



Patrick Chan....My current #1 and IMO, the perfect blend of artistry, deep edges, and musicality. Brilliant!! I feel in love with him during this program.....He looks so young.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d9LSJIzuQU

for me

Patrick Chan's LP at TEB 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmazFXN8DWI

 

[Sai Bon]

Can't remember which competition, but Akiko Suzuki's "O". I already liked her, but after that I was hooked.

 

[elbkup]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ii8L_lrqQ

Elvis Stojko - Dragonheart. 1997 GPF... love the power of performance and music

 

[plushyfan]

Yuzuru at 2012 Worlds R&J LP . He looked so wildly and started the last footwork.

 

[MGstyle]

I must agree that the personality of a skater does play a big part when you get to know some of it. Max Aaron for example, I am not a fan of his skating style and I don't think I will ever be. But I heard one of his interviews last year (I tried to find it so I can link here, but I can't! :sad4 and I realized how genuinely good natured, down to earth and level headed (with a good sense of humour to boot) he is, my heart just melted. Then come to think of it, he is always a good sport and respectful at competitions. I came to sort of cheer for him just because he is such a good lad :luv17:

 

[mrrice]

This took me forever to find.....It's cute little Nabonari Oda winning the 2005 NHK Trophy and crying his head off.... :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHHRdtNNzS8

 

[karne]

It's the moment I learn about their off ice personality and backgrounds. Several important factors must exist: their religious faith, humility, discipline, approach to family and traditional social order. This is why I tend to like Eastern European and Russian skaters more and try to stay away from the US camp.

Seriously? Religion has nothing to do with anything. And I suppose by "traditional social order" it means you're only interested in racist/sexist/homophobic types? You mustn't have many favourite skaters then.

I must agree that the personality of a skater does play a big part when you get to know some of it. Max Aaron for example, I am not a fan of his skating style and I don't think I will ever be. But I heard one of his interviews last year (I tried to find it so I can link here, but I can't! :sad4 and I realized how genuinely good natured, down to earth and level headed (with a good sense of humour to boot) he is, my heart just melted. Then come to think of it, he is always a good sport and respectful at competitions. I came to sort of cheer for him just because he is such a good lad :luv17:

Was it the IceTalk one? That was a particularly good interview. And in person he is the sweetest, loveliest human being ever.

 

[Hyena]

I love this thread. What a nice way to look forward to the Olympic season.

I still haven't seen an Evgenia Medvedeva program that sucks me in, much as I respect what she brings as a competitor. But when she did that 3-3-3 combo at Russian Nationals last year I gained a whole new appreciation for what a bad you-know-what she really is. That moment made me a fan. I would love her to bring that kind of fire into a program I could get into.

 

[Mathman]

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. These were the first skaters I actually met in person, and before they were famous. There was a cheesefest in town and the deal was, if you donated a sizable chunk of money to the local public TV station you could get in on an exclusive pre-show meet and greet with "skaters like Michelle Kwan."

In the event, Michelle and the other competitors needed the time to prepare for their performances, so the "skaters like Michelle Kwan" turned out to be Belbin and Agosto, who were doing a half-time exhibition. They were so-o-o charming, taking time for pictures and conversation with everyone in the room.

Later (after they became famous) they organized a local benefit show for victims of a tsunami in Indonesia, and then another one for a similar cause. My favorite memory was of Johnny Weir and Orsher & Lucash doing a series of side-by-side-by-side jumps to warm up, of Inoue and Baldwin's "There she goes, just a-walkin' down the street," and of Evan Lysacek arriving at the last minute and not knowing the group choreography as he was paired with Oksnaa Baiul.

 

[Eeyora]

Michelle Kwan- 1994 Worlds long program
Kristi Yamaguchi- 1991 Worlds
Torvill and Dean- 1994 Skates of Gold
Ashley Wagner -2010 Nationals LP
Angela Nikodinov 2001 Nationals LP
Evgeniya Medeeva 2016 Worlds LP
Javier Fernandez 2016 Worlds LP
Berezhnaya and Sikheridze- 1998 Champions on Ice- Barcelona
Alexei Yagudin's- 1999 Worlds LP
Evgeni Plushenko 1998 Champions on Ice- Russian Folk Dance
Anisinna and Peizerat- 1999 Workds FD

 

[SnowWhite]

Was it the IceTalk one? That was a particularly good interview. And in person he is the sweetest, loveliest human being ever.

I loved that interview. It definitely was the one that made me a fan of him. I remember seeing him at US Nats in 2014 and liking him (and then totally loving Jason when I saw his Riverdance a little later). I was mostly only following ice dance and Patrick Chan at the time, so I didn't know any of the US men, I was just channel flipping, and then payed no attention to skating for a bit when both V/M and Chan weren't competing, so it's really been the last couple of seasons that I've gotten to know the whole men's field better.

For Nathan, I'm not a hardcore fan of his or anything, but seeing some more of his personality on Instagram really made me like him. I love his back and forth with Nam and Roman (aka RoNam). For anyone who hasn't seen it, Nathan's posted a couple photos with Mai at different times and Nam keep commenting that he wants to be invited to the wedding, and Nathan does the same thing on pictures of Roman and Nam together (their bromance is so cute, they use #RoNam on all their pics).

 

[Ice Dance]

Skaters I fell in love with from the moment 1. (OK, it may have taken 15 seconds or so, but genuinely upon the first impression).
-Maia & Alex Shibutani
-Sasha Cohen
-Denis Ten
-Deniss Vasiljevs
-Adelina Sotnikova
-Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates
-Gordeeva & Grinkov
-Sui & Han
-Naomi Nari Nam
-The Stieglers
-Keauna McLoughlin
-Oksana Baiul
-Silverstein & Pekarek
-Mallory & Holdberg
-Ryan Bradley
-Caroline Zhang
-Paolo Borromeo
-Yuna Shiraiwa
-Scott Hamilton
-Nguyen & Gart

Skaters I fell in love with the first time I saw them compete, but not until the long program:
Katarina Witt
Miskuteniok & Dimitriev
Klimova & Ponomarenko
Lewis & Bye
Feng & Ponomarenko
Loboda & Drozd

-I fell in love with Grishuk & Platov watching their rock & roll FD at the 1994 European Championships.

-I fell in love with Nicole Bobek at a local USA vs. the World competition where she brought the house down with a clean performance of Dr. Zhivago.

-With Mao Asada, it was during the practices for the 2009 World Championships.

-Weaver & Poje, it was Je Suis Malade at Worlds.

-Cappellini & Lanotte, I think, was a slow build, but their programs in 2014 and performances at SA 2014 were a big part of it and I was a huge fan by the time they won Worlds at season's end.

-Started to fall in love with Pechalat & Bourzat with their quirky Four Seasons number (it was not THAT Four Seasons).

-I've like Bobrova & Soloviev since their 2013 SD at Skate America, but really became a strong fan watching 2016 Russian Nationals.

-I have always liked Nathan Chen, but would say I became a stronger fan when he spent most of 2014-2015 fighting injury & pushing the bar anyway.

-McNamara & Carpenter I have liked since moment one, but really fell in love with during their SD performance at the 2015 JGP in Colorado Springs.

-Shen & Zhao was the first time I saw them perform Turandot during the GP in 2001.

-Though I have to add that I was really blown away by both Shen & Zhao and Pang & Tong during the practices the season before at the 2001 Worlds. After that with Pang & Tong it was a slow build.

-Fusar-Poli & Margaglio was the first time I saw their Quickstep on the GP in 2000.

-Anissina & Peizerat, it was Man in the Iron Mask.

-Denkova & Staviski was their baroque OD.

-Kozuka was at Skate America in Washington State.

-Beatrisa Liang was her program to Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone.

-Max was probably 2014 Nationals.

-Mirai was the 2010 Nationals.

-Biechler & Dodge I have always liked but became a stronger fan at their second JGP in 2015.

-Have always liked Jason, but became a stronger fan for Riverdance at the 2014 Nationals.

-Oda was Charlie Chaplin.

-Paul Wylie was his free at the 1992 Olympics

-Viktor Petrenko was his exhibition at the 92 Olympics

 

[largeman]

Alaine Chartrand: for the longest time she was to me just a forgettable skater with a beautiful French name. Then this happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0z56aKAvIs (2015 Rostelecom SP).

Wakaba Higuchi: 2015 Junior Worlds FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prbc8NGdCKk Explosive, and exhilarating to watch.

ETA: Yuzuru Hanyu: I was very late to this party. He actually did nothing for me, until his 2015 NHK free skate. Then it was fireworks going off in my head and it all suddenly made sense.

 

[gotoschool]

Mao Asada first in the 2007 Worlds LP Such marevlous positions in spins and spirals, lovely symmetrical and erect posture in jumps, subtle power, musicality, and such lovely line, extension and posture in each movement and and the tears at the end,

Midori Ito 1989 Worlds LP - all the power and emotion and abandon in her delivery and big jumps

Lu Chen 1996 Worlds Rach II- grace, fluidity, and compelling artistry that drew me in seamlessly to the world of the composition

Denise Biellmann 1980 Olympics LP- first it was just the way she moved that was so musical and unique especially since she created a lot of her own chorography to such an intriguing medley of music, then the Biellmann variations, the jumps and all her other lovely lines and positions

Victor Petrenko 1990 Original Program - the fabulous skating skills, height and symmetry of the jumps and the marvelously charming and humorous dance moves