- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
1. Katarina Witt - I will never forget her Carmen performance at the 88' Olympics. It was truly legendary.
2. Kristi Yamaguchi - She combined artistry with athleticism beautifully. She answered Midori's 3axel threat with 3lutz/3toe and did it consistently, plus she had a 2nd 3lutz later in her program.She's probably the only female US skater (besides Dorothy Hamill maybe) who had a very successful amateur career and has gone on to be just as successful as a pro and is still very successful with commentating and guest appears nearly 20 years after her Olympic. To date, I think she is one of maybe (3) US figure skaters who is well-known to the general public.
3. Midori Ito - Because she pushed the sport with her 3axel. Others pushed before her, but she pushed and as a result others (e.g. Kristi) pushed back with 3/3s etc.
4. Oksana Bauil - Others had artistry before her but I think she set the tone at the 94' Olympics and since then the "artists on ice" and the "baby ballerinas" have emerged in large part due to her influence.
5. Tara Lipinski - I've never seen the type of joy and enthusiasm that she brought when she skated. She really and truly seemed to love skating, and though I'm sure she was as nervous as the next person I never saw it when she skated. She always seem to be in the moment - enjoying the moment. I think what she did at 14 and 15 winning the World Championships and the Olympics, setting records that will never be broken by itself puts her in the top tier of skaters to be remembered. Also, the technical piece she brought to her programs (2) 3lutzs, 3loop/3loop, 3sal/half/3toe. I think many young ladies know her story and wouldn't be upset if they were able to lay it down the way Tara did at such a young age and win Worlds and the Olympics.
6. Irina Slutskaya - I'm not sure how much she influenced the up and coming ladies. I'm sure she has had a huge impact on the ladies coming up in the Russian Figure Skating Union. I think Irina has more titles than any figure skater in recent history. Why she's one of the top ladies for me is because she wasn't a baby ballerina. She wasn't an "artist on ice" or the "soul of figure skating" she was Irina. She did it her way and she was very successful. In addition to that she went through some very rough times. Once season I think she finished 15th at Worlds and this was after she'd actually won a world title, but even through her failures and her illnesses she kept fighting and came back to win another World title and an Olympic medal. She is a very tough woman and gave new meaning to the word true athlete.
7. Sasha Cohen - Despite her falls and faults. She is truly a beautiful skater. IMO all of the spiral positions, artistry/baby ballerinas we are seeing on ice today are being directly influenced by what Sasha brought to the ice. IMO all these ladies (whether they're doing it consciously or not) are attempting to capture the beauty and grace she brought to the ice when she was competing.
2. Kristi Yamaguchi - She combined artistry with athleticism beautifully. She answered Midori's 3axel threat with 3lutz/3toe and did it consistently, plus she had a 2nd 3lutz later in her program.She's probably the only female US skater (besides Dorothy Hamill maybe) who had a very successful amateur career and has gone on to be just as successful as a pro and is still very successful with commentating and guest appears nearly 20 years after her Olympic. To date, I think she is one of maybe (3) US figure skaters who is well-known to the general public.
3. Midori Ito - Because she pushed the sport with her 3axel. Others pushed before her, but she pushed and as a result others (e.g. Kristi) pushed back with 3/3s etc.
4. Oksana Bauil - Others had artistry before her but I think she set the tone at the 94' Olympics and since then the "artists on ice" and the "baby ballerinas" have emerged in large part due to her influence.
5. Tara Lipinski - I've never seen the type of joy and enthusiasm that she brought when she skated. She really and truly seemed to love skating, and though I'm sure she was as nervous as the next person I never saw it when she skated. She always seem to be in the moment - enjoying the moment. I think what she did at 14 and 15 winning the World Championships and the Olympics, setting records that will never be broken by itself puts her in the top tier of skaters to be remembered. Also, the technical piece she brought to her programs (2) 3lutzs, 3loop/3loop, 3sal/half/3toe. I think many young ladies know her story and wouldn't be upset if they were able to lay it down the way Tara did at such a young age and win Worlds and the Olympics.
6. Irina Slutskaya - I'm not sure how much she influenced the up and coming ladies. I'm sure she has had a huge impact on the ladies coming up in the Russian Figure Skating Union. I think Irina has more titles than any figure skater in recent history. Why she's one of the top ladies for me is because she wasn't a baby ballerina. She wasn't an "artist on ice" or the "soul of figure skating" she was Irina. She did it her way and she was very successful. In addition to that she went through some very rough times. Once season I think she finished 15th at Worlds and this was after she'd actually won a world title, but even through her failures and her illnesses she kept fighting and came back to win another World title and an Olympic medal. She is a very tough woman and gave new meaning to the word true athlete.
7. Sasha Cohen - Despite her falls and faults. She is truly a beautiful skater. IMO all of the spiral positions, artistry/baby ballerinas we are seeing on ice today are being directly influenced by what Sasha brought to the ice. IMO all these ladies (whether they're doing it consciously or not) are attempting to capture the beauty and grace she brought to the ice when she was competing.