Who is the best female figure skater in the world?

[pappus]

Katarina Witt

 

[ice coverage]

Well, you could make a case for Tessa Virtue.

Or for Meryl Davis.

The commentators always tell you that the dancers are the best pure skaters, and those are our best current dancers.

Thank you, Doris. The same thought re the ice dancers had crossed my mind. Happy to see Virtue and Davis mentioned in this thread.

 

[BounceAround]

For me there is Ito and then everyone else. She was no conventional artist, but there was amazing artistry in the physical audacity of her jumping and her speed. Watch her programs from 1989 and marvel that 25 years have passed and no one has matched her athleticism

I think she would have gotten relatively better PCS marks than 6.0 artistic scores. I thought her skating skills (not just speed) were excellent, but maybe I'm blind. I agree that she is far greater than most who have surpassed her in the medal count.

 

[pangtongfan]

Sandy Lenz is a lovely skater (IMO, way overrated by you, for some inexplicable reason -- nobody else here seems to share your fanaticism for her, but that's your opinion)

Gawd you become a bigger clown every day. How many threads and posts have I made about Sandy Lenz. I started one appreciation thread about her, and this is probably about my 5th post mentioning her name and now I am fascinated by her. Show my huge roll of posts that show my `fascination`with Sandy Lenz you refer to.

That you would consider Lynn over Kim when Lynn rarely got it together at the right time, and Kim was solid the majority of the time (and with much harder difficulty considering CoP and the harder jumps she had to do), not to mention call Kim far behind due to something as stupid as toe point, is simply laughable, and a clear example of who really is "narrow-minded" here.

Except Janet did put it together the vast majority of the time. The only time she didnt in a major event was the 69 Worlds and 73 Worlds. If she didnt she wouldnt have won the free skating at every Worlds or Olympics for awhile. She simply wasnt great in figures in an era that grossly overemphasized the value of figures, and had the best figures skater ever (Schuba).

I also did not just mention toe point for Kim. I mentioned that her extensions, body lines, posture, and positions (especialy in some of her spins) are often sloppy, and that she doesnt create the same level of intangible magic as Kwan, Lynn, and the super exciting Ito. If those things are of no importance to you, and instead someone is devalued due to not doing triple jumps in 1970 then good for you. I will function in the reality where Lynn is revered in a way Yu Na Kim and many more decorated skaters probably never will be across the world. Janet Lynn took a trip to Japan in the late 90s was still a celebrity there. Imagine Yu Na taking a trip to Russia or Canada in 2035 and being mobbed with adoring fans.

BTW a reminder your beloved Yu Na just skated her very best and still lost to a juniorish and strictly second rate Russian skater with nothing but big (although messy) jumps and pretty strong spins. Sounds like the best ever to me.

 

[BounceAround]

Sandy Lenz is a lovely skater (IMO, way overrated by you, for some inexplicable reason -- nobody else here seems to share your fanaticism for her, but that's your opinion)

Gawd you become a bigger clown every day. How many threads and posts have I made about Sandy Lenz. I started one appreciation thread about her, and this is probably about my 5th post mentioning her name and now I am fascinated by her. Show my huge roll of posts that show my `fascination`with Sandy Lenz you refer to.

...

BTW a reminder your beloved Yu Na just skated her very best and still lost to a juniorish and strictly second rate Russian skater with nothing but big (although messy) jumps and pretty strong spins. Sounds like the best ever to me.

You two are so cute together : .

 

[richster106]

Hear, Hear

 

[volk]

What's the criteria for picking one?

 

[richster106]

Hear, Hear

 

[OS]

BTW a reminder your beloved Yu Na just skated her very best and still lost to a juniorish and strictly second rate Russian skater with nothing but big (although messy) jumps and pretty strong spins. Sounds like the best ever to me.

Pwhahaaa... no disrespect, but do you think really think Lynn, Kwan, Yamaguchi, Henie stand a chance against THIS panel of judges in Sochi?

(Witt is likely able to stare anyone down and make them cry so she doesn't count.)

Sochi 2014 = Russian or go home!
Revenge of Salt lake City
$50 billion pet project for Prez's fav girl
Putin: Cultural learning of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Russia.

 

[usethis2]

I won't dare to name "the best skater in the world," but I can safely name the "strongest nerve" in the world.

 

[pangtongfan]

Pwhahaaa... no disrespect, but do you think really think Lynn, Kwan, Yamaguchi, Henie stand a chance against THIS panel of judges in Sochi?

(Witt is likely able to stare anyone down and make them cry so she doesn't count.)

Sochi 2014 = Russian or go home!
Revenge of Salt lake City
$50 billion pet project for Prez's fav girl
Putin: Cultural learning of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Russia.

Fair enough. Probably no skater in history would be allowed to beat whichever of Sotnikova and Lipnitskaya didnt mop up the ice at this corrupt event. I still dont think Kim is the best skater ever though which apparently offends some. Oh well.

 

[EricRohmer]

If were before 2012, I might have given less enormous admiration to Yuna. But seeing Yuna 2.0 rise & shine from almost impossible environment(ice rink quality etc.), I just....
Real talent.

 

[CarneAsada]

Pwhahaaa... no disrespect, but do you think really think Lynn, Kwan, Yamaguchi, Henie stand a chance against THIS panel of judges in Sochi?

(Witt is likely able to stare anyone down and make them cry so she doesn't count.)

It's funny you mention Henie. Didn't she once skate at the Olympics for a panel of entirely Norwegian judges? Never underestimate the size of Daddy Henie's pockets. Lynn was never a judge's pet but she was still great enough to mop the floor with Trixi Schuba in the free skate which to pangtongfan is the most important criterion. Kwan... who knows? Slutskaya was this close to beating her on American soil. Perhaps Kwan could've done the same.

I still dont think Kim is the best skater ever though which apparently offends some. Oh well.

Well this "some" includes people who obsessively detail every aspect of Kim's life, create "news" threads talking about minutiae such as her new dress, her arrival in Sochi, and her first practice in Sochi, and trawl skaters' social media to save for posterity records of every complimentary/admiring statement about Yuna ever uttered. They would probably be offended if Kim failed to set a new "World Record" every time she skated clean.

 

[OS]

Well this "some" includes people who obsessively detail every aspect of Kim's life, create "news" threads talking about minutiae such as her new dress, her arrival in Sochi, and her first practice in Sochi, and trawl skaters' social media to save for posterity records of every complimentary/admiring statement about Yuna ever uttered. They would probably be offended if Kim failed to set a new "World Record" every time she skated clean.

If there is a top 10 ranking for best supporter to the sport and their favourite skaters (ie/ Spent £££ annually actually going to competitions, skating shows, and then spend time online celebrate it.) I'd be honoured to be considered. I've never taken on a hobby lightly anyway and Yuna is my clear fav. Very proud of being her fan and she totally delivered all the promise I knew she had in her from her Vancouver performance 4 years ago and more. I thought she would have retired, I was wrong.

If there's a top 10 ranking for the most obsessive stalkish behaviour to curb the enthusiasm of rival skater's supporters (particularly rather puzzling obsession with 'moi'), I'd definitely would nominate you CarneAsada. You deserve an Olympic silver. Congratulations, you must be so proud!!

---------

As for my answer to this thread, it is easy. Who ever it is you want to be, yourstory always triumphs over history in one's life time.

 

[dorispulaski]

I guess I should now make a pitch for Trixie being the greatest skater of all time. Trixie was able to hold such a deep and solid edge that her first two tracings of any figure were so deep and so identical that it was her habit to offset the third tracing the tiniest bit so her blade would not get caught in the rut she had created with the first two tracings. Now that is blade control Furthermore, because that's how figures work, she had the same level of control with both left and right foot, forward and backward, inside or outside edge.

 

[pangtongfan]

I guess I should now make a pitch for Trixie being the greatest skater of all time. Trixie was able to hold such a deep and solid edge that her first two tracings of any figure were so deep and so identical that it was her habit to offset the third tracing the tiniest bit so her blade would not get caught in the rut she had created with the first two tracings. Now that is blade control Furthermore, because that's how figures work, she had the same level of control with both left and right foot, forward and backward, inside or outside edge.

Well in the truest sense of the word she was the greatest FIGURE SKATER of all time, wasnt she.

 

[dorispulaski]

Yes she was. And furthermore, she was greater than the men, except just maybe Gillis Grafstrom.

 

[RABID]

Best skater is always subjective. But a strong case can be made for YuNa being the best COMPETITOR of all time. The pressure of both Olympics had different qualities to them but the bottom line was that both were enormously oppressive (remember YuNa was last to skate in the hostile Sochi environment) and yet YuNa somehow thrived under them both (personally I was astounded to see how little perturbed she seemed to be).

 

[millie]

Really, the Olympian Gold medal is the greatest standard that all skaters strive for. To reach that, skaters have to be the best at that time to get there, so matter what era they skate. They skate to the standards at that time. In the ladies field, the only two ladies to achieve that is Sonja Henie and Katerina Witt. Truly the best skaters of all time.

 

[BounceAround]

I guess I should now make a pitch for Trixie being the greatest skater of all time. Trixie was able to hold such a deep and solid edge that her first two tracings of any figure were so deep and so identical that it was her habit to offset the third tracing the tiniest bit so her blade would not get caught in the rut she had created with the first two tracings. Now that is blade control Furthermore, because that's how figures work, she had the same level of control with both left and right foot, forward and backward, inside or outside edge.

Thanks for the fascinating info! Did you ever see Trixie do figures live?

I bolded the last part because I've noticed that each of the current Grandes Dames of the sport tend to favor certain edges. For what it's worth, I didn't think Trixie's freeskating was as bad as people make it out to be.