Which program would you use to introduce someone to figure skating?

[lariko]

If you want pure skating - go back to the 6.0 period where baby ballerinas weren't throwing quads and triple axels and skating was more organic. A person new to the sport is not going to appreciate 4 revolutions or what might or might not go into making that jump....

As the person new to watching the sport, you are wrong. It depends on the person. that’s why we are suggesting a list, so someone could just scroll through it, given the new tech, and see if it’s something they like or not.

Those lists can not recreate the drama and sentiment of a competition, because I dunno about others, but I also watch the competitions as sort of an ongoing reality show drama because the skaters have big personalities projected off the ice and the scoring gets emotional once you get someone close to your heart, the way you create them in your mind.

So, a big competition might be better than the list of highlights anyway, no matter who puts it together, Team Spirals or Team Jumps.

Plus, honestly, I am sure most fans like some of the technical and some of the skater’s skaters, not just attach themselves to one skater fanatically, and berate everyone who is not like them before or after. In this respect a high level competition usually offers a good selection as well.

Finally, many skaters as far as I can see, emphasize a particular trait of their character in either a specific program or systematically. If someone needs a source of that trait in their life, plugging in for a while into that athlete is just going to click, irregardless of classification or nationality.

 

[gkelly]

Also, if it's ever possible to bring the prospective new fan to a live event rather than just showing them video, that will probably be more exciting.

 

[mrrice]

Also, if it's ever possible to bring the prospective new fan to a live event rather than just showing them video, that will probably be more exciting.

100%. I admit that most of my friends are dancers and they appreciate the "Atmosphere" There is a buzz in the audience that you can hear as the skaters warm up. It's very exciting and I remember my heart pounding at my first live event.

 

[NanaPat]

Also, if it's ever possible to bring the prospective new fan to a live event rather than just showing them video, that will probably be more exciting.

But NOT to an entire competition (like 4 15-hour days or even one 15-hour day). And a GP or GPF is a better length than an event with 30+ entries.

My daughter is a much more casual fan than I am (partly because she works and I am retired), and we found that adding stuffies to toss added a lot to our enjoyment of a live event.

So, take your prospect to a short live event and give them a stuffie to toss to the skater of their choice (once live events and stuffies return, of course).

 

[el henry]

Javier Fernandez, 2016 World Championship.

This Sinatra program was so old-school sexy, so cool, so well executed.

Athletic and perfectly captures just the right vibe. It's one of my favorite men's programs ever. It's one of the few that I rewatch quite a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk7I7Pe1xkc

Looove the program.:luv17:

But I need to add, that is because I love Guys and Dolls, the musical. So although the final half of the program is Luck Be A Lady, Frank's version, they have more of the score, even have a few bars of my favorite, "Fugue for Tinhorns" before that.

And a program based on a character that actually works. I generally dislike programs based on one character, but Javi (and David Wilson, give him his due) were spot on with this one. Javi *is* Nathan Detroit. Writing out tout sheets, playing dice, gambling and showboating.

 

[Jeanie19]

Also, if it's ever possible to bring the prospective new fan to a live event rather than just showing them video, that will probably be more exciting.

Absolutely. I took my niece to the 2016 Worlds figure skating championships and she has an opinion of all the skaters there. She never saw figure skating before. Most underscored by her Satoko.

 

[sworddance21]

For your theatre, dance and ballet-loving friends, I’d go with Mikhail Kolyada’s FS yesterday—a breathtaking work of art.

https://youtu.be/sIcO0G6kPXk

And then there’s this fellow; always and forever, a brilliant artist on the ice.

https://youtu.be/FHjf25eDWJA

True - always a fan of Daisuke. I might also add in some Rohene Ward.

 

[TontoK]

Looove the program.:luv17:

But I need to add, that is because I love Guys and Dolls, the musical. So although the final half of the program is Luck Be A Lady, Frank's version, they have more of the score, even have a few bars of my favorite, "Fugue for Tinhorns" before that.

And a program based on a character that actually works. I generally dislike programs based on one character, but Javi (and David Wilson, give him his due) were spot on with this one. Javi *is* Nathan Detroit. Writing out tout sheets, playing dice, gambling and showboating.

You are correct, dear friend.

I'm just so enamored of the "Luck..." section that I tend (incorrectly) to think of it as a Sinatra program.

Further, I hadn't really thought of it as a character program before... just a guy being cool. Now that you've pointed it out, it's obvious.

 

[skylark]

Short Programs: Nathan Chen's Nemesis, then Caravan, Ashley Wagner's Hip Hip Chin Chin from 2016 Worlds

Free Skates: Savchenko/Massot's La Terre Vu du Ciel, Javier Fernandez' Guys and Dolls, Adam Rippon's Beatles Medley (2016), Ashley Wagner's Moulin Rouge, Jason Brown's Riverdance, Sui/Han's Rain, in Your Black Eyes, Mariah Bell's Hallelujah, Davis/White's Samson and Delilah, Manta/Johnson's Sweet Dreams, Chock/Bates' Elvis/Fever

Pairs tricks are pretty mind-boggling and eye-goggling, which is impressive and fun. These ^^^ are just a few off the top of my head. Also Michelle Kwan's 1998 pro comp East of Eden.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

I once introduced someone to ice dance as a specific discipline with the Shibutanis' Olympic rhumba SD It was a hit!

Generally, what program I would pick would depend a great deal on the person I was picking for, if I knew them at all well. Someone with a background or interest in ballet would be more likely to appreciate a classical program, someone who enjoys a specific pop or rock artist would probably get excited to see a skater using music they were familiar with, and a kid who loves sparkly costumes should probably be shown the sparkliest possible. Then again, sometimes people can surprise you! In general I'll admit I'm biased in favor of programs I love and especially programs I love that come with a dramatic sports story. (Savchenko/Massot's La terre vue du ciel is spellbinding enough on its own, but it's that much more heartstopping when you know it was Aljona's fifth Olympics, when you know they were coming from behind and had to deliver better than their best to stand a chance of winning, and that's just one example)

 

[jcskates]

It really depends on the person and what their taste is. But here are some stuff that I'll show to my friends.

Virtue/Moir: 2018 Olympics Free Dance (you can show the short too, but the free program is what hooked me into FS)
Tonya Harding: 1991 Free skate (1st triple axel)
Yuna Kim: take your pick of programs. Lol.
Evegenia Medvedeva: Anna Karenina
Mariah Bell: Britney Medley SP cause you know Britney
Nathan Chen: 2019 GP Final FS
Nam Nguyen: 2019 Skate Canada FS
Shoma Uno: Great Spirit SP (i love this song)

 

[Anni234]

I once introduced someone to ice dance as a specific discipline with the Shibutanis' Olympic rhumba SD It was a hit!

Same! I have used it twice and it has worked wonders

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Yuna Kim: take your pick of programs. Lol.

Whilst Yuna Kim was technically perfect, I think it takes somebody who understands figure skating to appreciate her.

I feel from an outside perspective it isn't as exciting unless people understand the technical aspect and the sheer perfection of edgework and jumps.

 

[iluvtodd]

So many great ones have already been mentioned! Here are some of mine - for the fun/entertainment factor & some serious ones:

Jason Brown's Riverdance - 2014 US Nationals
Davis & White's Samson & Delilah - 2009 Worlds
Plushy's Sex Bomb - exhibition
Javi's Guy's & Dolls - 2016 Worlds, Man of La Mancha - 2019 Europeans
Aliona & Bruno - La Terrre Vue de La Ciel - 2018 Olympics & Worlds, That Man - sp
Midori Ito - 1988 Olympic free skate & her "Rain" exhibition - 1992 Olympics
The Kerrs's Scottish Dance
Michelle Kwan - Salome - 1996 Worlds, Hands, Winter, Pocahontas, East of Eden
Torvill & Dean - Hat Trick
Kurt Browning - That's Entertainment
Scott Hamilton - I Love Me
Viktor Petrenko - Mambo #5
Paul Wylie - JFK
Nathan Chen - Nemesis, La Boheme, Rocketman

To introduce my friends to my "Todd" fandom - First Knight - 1996 Worlds, 1492 - 2001 Worlds, The Glory - 1999 Masters of Figure skating, Il Mare Calmo de la Sera - 1998 Hershey's Spring Challenge
Sean Rabbitt's East of Eden - especially from 2019 US Nationals, his free skate from 2017 US Nationals

 

[klena]

Alina Zagitova Don Quixote

 

[CarolPooh]

Whilst Yuna Kim was technically perfect, I think it takes somebody who understands figure skating to appreciate her.

I feel from an outside perspective it isn't as exciting unless people understand the technical aspect and the sheer perfection of edgework and jumps.

Yuna is the first skater I like. At that time, I didn't even know what an outside edge is but I was enchanted by her skating. Casual fans are not a single entity, their preference can vary drastically. Whenever people say "causal fans love beautiful skating/quads/whatever", it is nothing more than their personal opinion.

For the program I would show, I choose my favorite program in different disciplines, which are Yuzu's Seimei, Yuna's Bond girl and V/M's Moulin Rouge. I guess it is normal to want that person to like the same programs as you do. Besides, unless you know that person's preference, I think it is the safest statistically to go for the most beloved skaters.

 

[lariko]

I’ve never even seen Yuna Kim’s full program, because she was ‘before my time’. I just saw a clip or two with whatever elements she was perfectly performing. I am more of a forward facing fan, I want to know what’s happening next, not what had been.

I guess, sometimes, it gives me a weird perspective, because I can’t get it what peeps are so crazy about in someone like Gracie Gold.

Like, fine, maybe they are not as great as you say the others had been ten or twenty years ago, but they are NOW.

 

[silveruskate]

Kolyada's FS this year will get a lot of hearts racing, especially any teens that want to start watching figure skating.

 

[jenaj]

Michelle Kwan, East of Eden at 1998 World Pro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwAZb14Ags

Shen and Zhao, Turandot, 2003 Worlds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kql3sf_crA This brings tears to my eyes every time.

 

[NanaPat]

Julian Yee's "every cliche know to figure skating" exhibition.

I find Julian a very exciting skater in general, and I think many prospective FS fans would as well. But then, they'll complain because Julian doesn't win, so maybe best stick to the exhibition.