Is nostalgia shaping how we view figure skating?

[gsk8]

Every generation seems to have its “golden era.”

Some fans miss the artistry and presentation of older programs.
Others think today’s skaters are more athletic, technical, and complete than ever.

So how much of skating nostalgia is real… and how much is emotional attachment?

- Were older programs more memorable?
- Did previous eras allow for more individuality?
- Or are fans simply attached to the skaters and styles they grew up with?

Which era of skating connected with you the most — and why?

 

[TontoK]

My figure skating fandom dates to 1976. I will never forget the legends that hooked me on the sport. Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, Rodnina and Zaitsev. I treasure the memory of my southern family huddled around the small television, awed by what we saw. The local news would flash the results before the evening telecast, politely telling us to shield our eyes if we didn't want to know in advance.

The performances of those legends live comfortably side-by-side with current programs. The current state of sport is better than before in some respects, and worse in others. It balances out.

It's not either/or for me. I'll take both, please. I'll take all the Toller Cranston you can bring, and I'll take a double helping of Ilia Malinin to go along with it.

 

[4everchan]

My intro to figure skating was Calgary 1988. I was young but got hooked. However, it is with Patrick (of course) that I became more intense about attending events. I don't miss skaters or styles from the past. I have favourites.every year. I think I am more of a fan of the sport right now than I was before but I will cherish the golden age of Canadian skating for as long as it isn't replaced by a new crew and that will be hard to do. So, fan of the sport first, fan of specific skaters then.

 

[4everchan]

I should add that my first real favourites were Josée Chouinard (my first real skating crush), Kurt Browning, Rakhamo-Kokko, The Duchesnays, Klimova-Ponomarenko, Bourne and Kraatz, Mishkuteniok and Dimitriev and Kovarikova and Novotny.
I am sure I am forgetting some but those where the skaters "I grew up with". Then, there was another batch of favourites and then another batch etc. So I guess, what I am trying to say is that every cycle or two, I find myself as a renewed fan. Right now, I really like Yuma, Adam and Jun. Who will it be in 4-8 years ? Who knows ? Previously, it was Shoma, Nathan and Patrick. Before, Stéphane, Daisuke and Jeff.

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

I started watching skating in 2021 so it's too soon for me to have nostalgia . It certainly seems to me that many people are influenced by their nostalgia in how they feel about skating, but other forum members can speak for themselves. I have watched a number of videos of Olympic winners and other famous skaters going back to the 1970s and I do not see an age where singles skating looked more beautiful or creative than it does now. Some of it looked the same (like the Mao Asada and Yuna Kim era) and earlier stuff looked different. Not better, just different. I thought some aspects looked less aesthetic then, but it could just be what I'm used to. So it makes sense to me that there would also be people who miss one of those older styles because they connected emotionally with it at the time and miss the things that made it different from current skating.

 

[ladyjane]

I think every era has its stars of the business. I remember Kurt and Robin, but I will remember Yuma just as much. I remember Natalja and Artur, Aljona and Bruno, Sui and Han in their hey day, but also will remember Riku and Ruichi. In ID I am spoilt for choice in almost every era. Sure, nostalgia might play a role, but the performance quality of the programmes and Dances I remember are always just wonderful. True, not so much interested in jump, cross-over jump, etc., but I didn't like that in the past either!

 

[iluvtodd]

We always watched figure skating during the Winter Olympics, but it was the 1988 Calgary Olympics that really did it for us (thank you Brian Orser, Brian Boitano, Midori Ito, Katia & Sergei), and from that point on we started watching Worlds, US Nationals, Europeans, and the Champions Series (now called the Grand Prix of Figure Skating). I do regret that we didn't follow the sport more intently from 1984-1988, as we had NO idea what a rivalry was brewing between the Brians. Back then I thought it was one Olympics (one & done) for Brian Orser, so I was thrilled that he was back (I was SO impressed by him in the 1984 Olympics)! Then we discovered Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Elvis Stojko, Todd Eldredge, Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Yuka Sato, (ALL still favorites of ours). We still love the sport, and there are many of the current & recent skaters we admire very much, too. Every season/Olympic cycle has introduced us to new favorites (Javier Fernandez, Satoko Miahara, Shoma, Deniss V. Donovan Carillo, Sean Rabbitt, Adam Siao Him Fa, Yuzu, Takahiko Kozuka, Shun Sato, Jason Brown, Jacob Sanchez, Katia Kurasova, Matteo Rizzo, Isabeau Levito, Bradie Tennell, Kaori Sakamoto, Yuma, Chock & Bates, The Browns, Piper & Paul, Fear & Gibson, Riku & Ryuchi. Haase/Volodin, to name a few ...).

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

I suppose that it's not only in Figure Skating but in all domains? I was forgetting that in really older times, TV would show only the last group in some disciplines, at best. But even if we speak only of this Century, we are bound to forget the most forgettable skaters of the past, and be irked by those of today, and forget that we also had to go through what would annoy us it in the past?

Not having watched much from the previous decades (and you can imagine that French TV was more focused on French "medallable" Skaters in TV-only times), I appreciated very much the 2010-2018 Olympic cycles, with many great skaters (not always in the last groups) and many great programs. I admit that there were drawbacks, such as the cut in Spiral lengths (I'm saying that because I'm still under the impression of Donovan Carrillo's Free Program for next season, and its brief but numerous Spirals), but I love Steps proficiency, we had no shortage of beautiful carriage either, nor of deep interpretation, maybe an age of maturity in this respect, and so many artistic personalities and technical profiles (in the whole meaning of technical)... I have the impression that this was the period when we had the greatest density of highly enjoyable skates in every Championship in Single Skating. Enjoyable to me of course...

 

[yfan1]

Is nostalgia shaping how we view figure skating?​

No.

- Were older programs more memorable?

Depends. I'd say it's more that the performances were memorable.

For me the sweet spot happened between 2002-2008, so it's not full 6.0 for me.

- Did previous eras allow for more individuality?

Eh, not really. Individuality comes from within. I think if you place Kaori Sakamoto or Yuma Kagiyama into 6.0, for me they'd still be forgettable. OTOH, place Takahashi, Yuna, Mao, Hanyu into 6.0, they'd be memorable. Or take Kwan and Browning and place them into CoP and they'd be memorable, even if they'd skate differently.

Previous eras allowed for freer programs and performances though.

- Or are fans simply attached to the skaters and styles they grew up with?

Many remember their childhood fondly. But some get into skating later in life. So depends, really.

 

[noskates]

My fandom dates back to the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA. I'd like to tell you I was only 2 years old but.......heh!heh! Squaw is only about 2 1/2 hours from where I grew up and I've spent many hours there since - playing golf, ice skating (well, ice falling - hence my user name) and slowly over the years the vestiges of the Games have all but disappeared. I never attached to a skater until the Calgary games and Kurt Browning! From then on I couldn't get enough and my first World Championship was in Oakland CA in 1992. I relished in the TV coverage and the tours like SOI and World Figure Skating Champions On Ice and the professional televised competitions. Since then I've been to many competitions - worlds and nationals and even Skate Canada one year in Victoria, BC. Kurt has always been my favorite skater (although Jason Brown is right up there) and I do miss the combination of athleticism and grace. I think skating went through a period where jumps were the main focus and I was anti-quad for several years because I thought it detracted from the beauty of figure skating. Thankfully, and thanks to Jason IMO, the skaters of today are combining awesome athleticism with music interpretation, choreography that makes sense and music isn't just a backdrop to the tricks, and I feel the sport has come together again. So yes, I'm nostalgic for the good ol' days but I'm also excited about the current crop of skaters.

 

[lariko]

Yes. I'm certainly nostalgic for pre-2022 FS, when FS was actually great and fun for me. My time as a fan was really short, from 2018 to 2022, and as much as I tried to hang in after 2022, I just got so disillusioned and dislike the changes and everything else so much, I dunno if I can ever enjoy it again without any negativity. I don't like the negativity. So, I am more and more leaning toward my other hobbies. Just kinda hanging in to see what June 9th brings.

 

[TontoK]

Yes. I'm certainly nostalgic for pre-2022 FS, when FS was actually great and fun for me. My time as a fan was really short, from 2018 to 2022, and as much as I tried to hang in after 2022, I just got so disillusioned and dislike the changes and everything else so much, I dunno if I can ever enjoy it again without any negativity. I don't like the negativity. So, I am more and more leaning toward my other hobbies. Just kinda hanging in to see what June 9th brings.

Just step away for a while. That's what I did with Ice Dance after the Olympics. It was a garbage result, and I'll believe that to my dying breath, but I got over it... well, I'm just really ignoring it.

You can reengage later once the season is in swing. We're all just twiddling our thumbs until then anyway.

 

[Jeanie19]

Nostalgia is not shaping figure skating for me. I started watching from 1994 Olympics forward. I have had many favorites leading up to 2015...Todd, Sasha, Mao, etc. But figure skating became amazing for me starting in Oct 2015 with Evgenia. I miss her, but I my love for figure skating has grown. I have many favorites now Kevin, Deniss, Sophia S, Ilia, Alysa, Isabeau, Jacob,etc. But I love juniors now and watching a skater from the beginning like Jacob, since his first junior nationals at age 12 is wonderful. The only thing that has been a problem these past 30 years is some very questionable scoring.

 

[lariko]

Just step away for a while. That's what I did with Ice Dance after the Olympics. It was a garbage result, and I'll believe that to my dying breath, but I got over it... well, I'm just really ignoring it.

You can reengage later once the season is in swing. We're all just twiddling our thumbs until then anyway.

I am. My other hobbies take up my free time. I check back once in a while to see if there are any announcements prior to June 9th. I don't know if June 9th will fix anything or not, but if there is not even a potential to reduce negativity, I will just let go of figure skating. The athletes are fine, but I need to protect myself from negativity. I'm too old to endanger my health and peace of mind for anything. Once I am over it, I will just remember 2018-2022 fondly and block out 2022-2026.

 

[PaulE]

I suppose that it's not only in Figure Skating but in all domains? I was forgetting that in really older times, TV would show only the last group in some disciplines, at best. But even if we speak only of this Century, we are bound to forget the most forgettable skaters of the past, and be irked by those of today, and forget that we also had to go through what would annoy us it in the past?

The statement in bold reminds of the joy I got when I first started going to competitions. My first interest in figure skating probably started in the 1940s (I am really old ) when my parents took me to Sonja Henie movies. Then, when I was old and rich enough to buy my first TV (a used black and white one) I started to watch figure skating on TV and really enjoyed it—especially after finally getting a color TV and seeing Peggy Fleming in her chartreuse dress in 1968.

Anyway, the joy from actually going to competitions (starting in 2007) was being able to see all the skaters that were competing, not just the final group. I got to see skaters such as Clara Peters (Ireland), Fleur Maxwell (Luxembourg), Sean Rabbit (USA), and Ana Cecilia Cantu (Mexico)—the skaters I would never have seen if I had just watched TV.

 

[Zora]

Sometimes I think I'm just getting tired of figure skating, that it's me who has changed and doesn't enjoy this sport that much anymore. And then I check out the 2010 Olympics and watch the men's SP and FP and I'm immediately hooked. It's hard to find a bad program, even in the lowest skating groups, skaters are entertaining, engaging and artistic and have decent skating skills.
So personally I think 2010 was peak artistry, at least for the men. Some good skaters followed, of course Hanyu, Uno, also Fernandez improved a lot. But the general level of programs regressed and leaves a lot to be desired since then.

 

[yfan1]

Sometimes I think I'm just getting tired of figure skating, that it's me who has changed and doesn't enjoy this sport that much anymore. And then I check out the 2010 Olympics and watch the men's SP and FP and I'm immediately hooked. It's hard to find a bad program, even in the lowest skating groups, skaters are entertaining, engaging and artistic and have decent skating skills.
So personally I think 2010 was peak artistry, at least for the men.

I don't really think that's nostalgia. It's the fact that most of those skaters were trained with 6.0 ideals in mind, and the rules were a lot less busy.

Funnily, Hanyu's probably the last skater trained with 6.0 ideals who skated and left us in 2022 (apart from Sui/Han, who came back). We're in era of AI slop-esque programs now. Fit whatever to whatever music and the judges will throw scores at you if they like you.

 

[elektra blue]

reading your comments honestly i'm very impressed by some of you, who remmeber WWII and are able to use modern technology. what's your secret? my 5 yo nephew can teach me already how to use the newest phones!

getting back on topic: i started watching in 2014, too soon for nostalgia for me, but i understand why so many of you still are heated about 80s olympics shenanigans i miss skaters, i don't miss old times

 

[Magill]

I agree totally. I miss skaters, not the times.

I am also the Sochi generation, BTW.
Yuzuru and Yulia, Javier and Jason drew me in for good. Zhenya, Satoko, P/C helped to keep me in.
I liked various skaters later but none of them seemed to me even close. But I do not think it is nostalgia though. I think it is a real decline in the general skills level and in the number of memorable programs skated by charismatic and expressive performers.
I blame ISU changes and judges, not skaters. And not the "times".
We have wonderful skaters, of course, even now. Talent knows no barrier and can always break though...

 

[TallyT]

There may be nostalgia involved for many, as there is for other recreations (how many 'retro' music streaming stations are there? I have a world radio 'map' I like to listen to and I can tell you. A lot.) There is a problem also with defining what 'nostalgia' means, I firmly believe 2014-18 was the peak in men, does that count?

Anyway... as a fan of evidence (even about me) I took a squiz at my own collection of downloaded (aka the ones I found worth keeping forever) skates - at least a thousand at the minute, even taking out the disconcertingly large number of Yuzu, and at the dates involved. Starting with a select and sometimes-fuzzy-but-I-don't-care group in the 90s they then cover pretty much the whole of this century from 2000 to about 2022-23, and then a dropoff for the quad just past. I do have some for that, and the same few names keep turning up, but not nearly as many as for every other quad since 2000: however, I also noticed how many juniors' programs I kept for 2022-26, which makes me optimistic when the current, mostly rather vacuous (to me) lot of top seniors age out and are replaced by more interesting ones.

There's little rhyme or reason either, no time (except for 2014-maybe-2020 men) where I can point and say "yes, this was when I loved skating most" more "hmmm, this or that skater - and not necessarily the big names that are remembered now - got to me." So it's no more nostalgia that my hard drive full of fannish TV shows and movies... it's more a personal connection.