In any discipline what skate at the Olympics is your all time favorite?
- Thread starter princess9
- Start date
Well, I mentioned an SP program in my OP.
LP very emotional and beautiful was Chen Lu's Butterfly lovers. That Oly was the best Ladies podium to date. 3 out of this world perfect skates. Wish they had decided to divide the gold. Despite Tara's jumps and tech superiority, I could have justified any order top three. I doubt we'll ever see 3 perfect moving performances like at Nagano again from the ladies. It was stellar in all respects.
Nancy's LP from 1994 was very memorable to me as I expected faults and I thought it was perfect. I was watching so closely and was impressed with everything. Her best skate by far under insane circumstances. Talk about pressure. Sadly, I also remember vividly Tonya's wretched free skate in Norway. Despite my opinion of the affair, I wished her well.
Great gala/exhibition/worlds or professional 'best skates' are for another thread. I have a different set of best for those but leave it to another poster to try that one out. Off season banter!
Most Memorable men for me. AYagudin,'s SP Winter, 2002
PWylie LP from Albertville 1992
Most memorable pair were G and G in Calgary. I just loved little Katia. Such energy and youthful vitality.
Ice Dance. Bolero was the first I recall to grab me. After that Grishuk and Platov's performances all stood out as I watched them carefully after all the focus on her story. I did not love their skates. They simply are vivid in my mind. Riverdance impressed me greatly and I thought B/K the best team and as usual underscored.
V/M 2010 was breathtaking and I loved every step. Magical. The kind of beauty we got used to watching in G/G is embodied in this young dance couple.
I have to say it was not the best SP and I did not like the costume, but I will never forget Rochette's SP from Vancouver. I really cried for her and it was an amazingly good skate given the circumstances.
LP very emotional and beautiful was Chen Lu's Butterfly lovers. That Oly was the best Ladies podium to date. 3 out of this world perfect skates. Wish they had decided to divide the gold. Despite Tara's jumps and tech superiority, I could have justified any order top three. I doubt we'll ever see 3 perfect moving performances like at Nagano again from the ladies. It was stellar in all respects.
Nancy's LP from 1994 was very memorable to me as I expected faults and I thought it was perfect. I was watching so closely and was impressed with everything. Her best skate by far under insane circumstances. Talk about pressure. Sadly, I also remember vividly Tonya's wretched free skate in Norway. Despite my opinion of the affair, I wished her well.
Great gala/exhibition/worlds or professional 'best skates' are for another thread. I have a different set of best for those but leave it to another poster to try that one out. Off season banter!
Most Memorable men for me. AYagudin,'s SP Winter, 2002
PWylie LP from Albertville 1992
Most memorable pair were G and G in Calgary. I just loved little Katia. Such energy and youthful vitality.
Ice Dance. Bolero was the first I recall to grab me. After that Grishuk and Platov's performances all stood out as I watched them carefully after all the focus on her story. I did not love their skates. They simply are vivid in my mind. Riverdance impressed me greatly and I thought B/K the best team and as usual underscored.
V/M 2010 was breathtaking and I loved every step. Magical. The kind of beauty we got used to watching in G/G is embodied in this young dance couple.
I have to say it was not the best SP and I did not like the costume, but I will never forget Rochette's SP from Vancouver. I really cried for her and it was an amazingly good skate given the circumstances.
Ah, finally someone mentioned Paul Wylie's LP from Albertville. Loved it.
I started a thread like this sometime ago, I think. My very very favorite remains the same: Sasha Cohen's 2006 SP to Dark Eyes. If I could only watch one Olympic program for the rest of my life, I'd choose that one.
Princess, I'm so happy that you chose Oksana's SP to the Swan. I feel the same way you do: that skate remained etched in my mind forever down to her immitating a swan shaking its head and her ending pose. Johnny Weir said it was Oksana at the Olympics that inspired him to start skating. I too, feel that in retrospect, I can see the arguments for why Nancy should have won. But Oksana was just so mesmerizing.
Other favorites of mine are both of Yagudin's programs in 2002, Johnny Weir's 2006 SP, Stephane Lambiel's 2006 SP, Sasha Cohen's 2006 LP, Sasha Cohen's 2002 LP, Tara Lipinski's 2006 LP and Chen Lu's 1998 LP. And most definitely both of Kim Yuna's 2010 programs but especially James Bond.
And ITA that the 1998 was the greatest Olympic ladies' podium ever. At least it's my all-time favorite and no other Olympics has ever come close for me since, except for almost the men in 2002.
(This year I loved the ladies podium, too, and I was so happy that the top 6 ladies (mostly) did so well and put up such a fight. But I'm biased as an American and it wasn't the same emotional experience for me as 1998.)
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This performance from Albertville, even with a few mistakes left me in awe of this team.
It remains to this day my favorite Pairs program - and it's influence is still felt in 2010.
Natalia MishkutenokArtur Dmitriev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-lIi2YAJyY
Oh, wonderful! But do you really think it's influence is still felt? I don't think I really see choreography that original these days...
I'm glad someone mentioned Abt. His performance probably wouldn't be on most people's favorites lists, but it will always be on mine. I loved his LP more, though. The Euros and Worlds skates are amazing. Under Yagudin's and Plushenko's shadows, his talent didn't shine as much as it could have, but I think he possessed some qualities the two never did.
Paul Wylie was on my list, too. I've recently watched that 1992 Henry V skate again several times, and it retains its impact. I feel almost as you do, Layfan, about the two sets of ladies' podiums from 1998 and 2010--except that unlike you, I found that the Vancouver ladies' competition was as great an emotional experience for me as the 1998 one. Country of origin didn't have any influence on me this time--I felt as though I belonged to the Kingdom of Skating when I watched the ladies' final flight, especially the top two finishers. Mao and YuNa belong to the world and to the ages--they're that good. Maybe it's precisely because no American was a contender for gold that I could feel so objective and happy about the outcome of this year's Olympics, but whatever the reason, I was as thrilled at those two great skates as if I were Asian myself.
Pairs: no particular order
Natalia and Dimitri LP 1994
G and G LP 1994
P/T 2010
Dance:
Torvil and Dean
V/M
Men:
John Curry 1976 LP
Johny Weir 2006 Swan
Ladies:
Every program from 1998 entire ladies podium, with huge emphasis on MK's Rach PC3 sp
Mao Asada 2010 sp
Shizuka 2006 LP have you seen an ina bauer as beautiful as hers
Natalia and Dimitri LP 1994
G and G LP 1994
P/T 2010
Dance:
Torvil and Dean
V/M
Men:
John Curry 1976 LP
Johny Weir 2006 Swan
Ladies:
Every program from 1998 entire ladies podium, with huge emphasis on MK's Rach PC3 sp
Mao Asada 2010 sp
Shizuka 2006 LP have you seen an ina bauer as beautiful as hers
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My bad, didn't see your post on Wylie. No disrepect intended.
As a plain old figure skating fan, it was thrilling to watch the performances of Yuna, Mao and Joannie and I was rooting for all three of them. It was especially thrilling to watch Yuna live up to the tremendously high expectations.
As an American, I have to be honest and say that having no American lady medal threat was a bit of a cloud over the Olympics. But I say that as a figure skating fan, too. It's not good that American and European ladies' figure skating are where they are now. Thank goodness for the Asians but I think as figure skating fans we can all hope that the Americans and European ladies can get back to their former glory as well. I do have a lot of hope.
Of course, Mirai's breakthrough performances made up for a lot. It was just as good as seeing her medal, really.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
As far as I know the pewter medal is strictly a U.S. thing. I think it is based on the idea that for sectionals and regionals the top four advance.
I don't know how "official" the pewter medal is at U.S. Nationals, but at leat the top four get their picture taken.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Ladies_Podium_2008_US_Nationals.jpg
http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/95...8660526C6ABB07EE246F67BAC3879E30A760B0D811297
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- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
yeah, I like the 4th place medal idea.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Nationals.jpg
lol at that shot, three out of the four are wearing almost the exact shade of baby blue.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Nationals.jpg
lol at that shot, three out of the four are wearing almost the exact shade of baby blue.
- Joined
- May 15, 2009
From Albertville, and not everybodies cup of tea - but I always loved the creativity and originality of the Duchesnays.
Here is their Free Dance to West Side Story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_GzLX7ofo&feature=related
Here is their Free Dance to West Side Story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_GzLX7ofo&feature=related
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
This is really hard. I've really only seen since 1998, so my pick will be based on what I remember from 1998 - 2010.
For men I'll say Elvis Stojko's silver medal LP performance in '98. I know it wasn't technically the best or a winning performance, but it was really emotionally moving because he was skating with the groin injury and I'll never forget him having to walk to the podium since he was so injured he couldn't even skate. I've lost respect for Elvis since then, but I used to love and admire him a lot. I'll say that Evan's SP and LP are my second favourite, because they also moved me emotionally. You could tell how much he wanted to skate well and how happy he was at the end when he did. Sorry, but Plushenko's Olympic performances, all of them, left me cold and Yagudin's and Kulik's did not do much for me either.
For ladies I have to go with 1998 too, but I can't choose between Michelle and Tara's LPs so I will give them a tie. It was just such a nail-biter and both really rose to the occasion. I can barely remember the 2002 and 2006 ladies performances at all, so they must have not made an impression on me and Yu-Na's performances this year were technically sound but a bit boring to me.
For pairs I have to say Pang and Tong this year even though they didn't win an OGM. It's my favourite because it was skated with a lot of heart to a really fitting song, The Impossible Dream, which I think fit well because nobody really expected them to win the Olympic silver over the Russian and German teams this year. An honourable mention goes to Sale and Pelletier in 2002. I liked that performance because it was skated perfectly and with joy, but my liking of it was marred by the judging scandal.
For dance I pick Virtue and Moir and Davis and White's free dances at the 2010 Olympics, HANDS DOWN. I have to say that the FD at the 2010 Olympics is probably my favourite part of a competition EVER. Both teams were flawless and really so far above the rest of the field that it was amazing. None of the other ice dance Olympics that I watched even come CLOSE.
For men I'll say Elvis Stojko's silver medal LP performance in '98. I know it wasn't technically the best or a winning performance, but it was really emotionally moving because he was skating with the groin injury and I'll never forget him having to walk to the podium since he was so injured he couldn't even skate. I've lost respect for Elvis since then, but I used to love and admire him a lot. I'll say that Evan's SP and LP are my second favourite, because they also moved me emotionally. You could tell how much he wanted to skate well and how happy he was at the end when he did. Sorry, but Plushenko's Olympic performances, all of them, left me cold and Yagudin's and Kulik's did not do much for me either.
For ladies I have to go with 1998 too, but I can't choose between Michelle and Tara's LPs so I will give them a tie. It was just such a nail-biter and both really rose to the occasion. I can barely remember the 2002 and 2006 ladies performances at all, so they must have not made an impression on me and Yu-Na's performances this year were technically sound but a bit boring to me.
For pairs I have to say Pang and Tong this year even though they didn't win an OGM. It's my favourite because it was skated with a lot of heart to a really fitting song, The Impossible Dream, which I think fit well because nobody really expected them to win the Olympic silver over the Russian and German teams this year. An honourable mention goes to Sale and Pelletier in 2002. I liked that performance because it was skated perfectly and with joy, but my liking of it was marred by the judging scandal.
For dance I pick Virtue and Moir and Davis and White's free dances at the 2010 Olympics, HANDS DOWN. I have to say that the FD at the 2010 Olympics is probably my favourite part of a competition EVER. Both teams were flawless and really so far above the rest of the field that it was amazing. None of the other ice dance Olympics that I watched even come CLOSE.
Yes, it was sad that Stojko got injured, but I felt that he overplayed it. As he was able to skate his programmes through, I believe that he could as well have had the skates on during the victory ceremony. My thoughts were at the time and still are now that he kind of tried to steal the glory of Kulik´s gold away from him and get attention away from Kulik by showing how injured he (Stojko) was.... The recent impressions about Stojko & his personality based on his interviews have only strengthened my belief.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2003
For me personally, the ultimate Olympic performance is Gordeeva & Grinkov in Lillehammer in 1994. Looking back, I am still amazed at the brilliance of their programs in Lillehammer--the sheer technical perfection of the pairs elements, the speed, the crispness, the maturity of their musicality, and of course their sublime connection on the ice. Whenever I hear the strains of Moonlight Sonata, I immediately think of the delicate, wintry beauty of their long program. I will never forget their performance that year.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
I don't see it that way at all. If I remember correctly, Stojko didn't mention the groin injury a lot before he skated any of his programs there. If he really wanted attention, he would have mentioned it a lot. Also, if I remember correctly about this as well, he received medical attention after his LP and the medical people probably told him he should not put his skates back on. I do not believe that Elvis was always such a jerk as he is now. My Mom and I both think that he's become a jerk due to bitterness about his (kind of) failed professional career.
I tend to agree with you. I remember Elvis's demeanor after the 1994 long program, when Urmanov got the gold after a lights-out performance from Stojko. Stojko didn't say anything, though he looked as though he was biting his tongue. Then, was it '94 or '95 when he skated in the World Championship injured? His coach said afterward, "You really are Superman!" I think Stojko was one of those people who operates on adrenaline, past his normal capacity, and then collapses afterward. After all, at that point in his career, he didn't need to "steal the glory" from Kulik. By and large during that Olympic cycle, he was the one in the spotlight: as a multiple world champion and a pathfinder in terms of performing quads singly and in combination. A lot of people love Kulik, including me, but as an amateur he did nothing memorable before the 1998 Olympics. (Myself, I really started admiring him during his pro career, when he became more innovative while retaining his meticulous technique.) Stojko was a showman, and he never suffered from excess humility, but as you say, blue_idealist, I think he wasn't a jerk until afterward.
I don't think Elvis is a jerk. He has the big ego of a long time champ but so do most successful skaters. He felt that jumps were dying under CoP and felt Plushenko the winner. Plush responded badly but that's him and that's Russian pride too. He took a lot of heat for his honesty. Sale did as well. I'm sick of the PC skaters who cannot answer a question sincerely.
I felt Elvis gave many great exciting perforances. You can't say that for Urmanov. And you can't say that for Kulik. Acc. to TAT he ran from competition as he feared losing. He was not a born competotor like Elvis. Only Elvis and God know how much pain he was in. I don't know Elvis but I loved his skating.
I felt Elvis gave many great exciting perforances. You can't say that for Urmanov. And you can't say that for Kulik. Acc. to TAT he ran from competition as he feared losing. He was not a born competotor like Elvis. Only Elvis and God know how much pain he was in. I don't know Elvis but I loved his skating.
