Favorite Mens Singles Program of All-Time (Amateur)?

[wordsworthgirl]

This is sort of a sidetrack comment, but inspired by Oympia: don't you all miss the glorious days of pro skating? We used to actually look forward to the World Professional Championships in Landover each year to see what Brian Boitano and Kurt and Paul Wylie and Gordeeva and Grinkov and all the greats would come up with this year. My favorite program for each of the skaters I mentioned was actually one they performed at World Pros!

 

[IcyEdges]

This is sort of a sidetrack comment, but inspired by Oympia: don't you all miss the glorious days of pro skating? We used to actually look forward to the World Professional Championships in Landover each year to see what Brian Boitano and Kurt and Paul Wylie and Gordeeva and Grinkov and all the greats would come up with this year. My favorite program for each of the skaters I mentioned was actually one they performed at World Pros!

I miss this so so much! hwell:

 

[iluvtodd]

^ Oh, do I miss those great pro comps, also the Masters of Figure Skating ones!

 

[karne]

What was Ilia's short??

To answer the question, his short was Revolutions, which is my personal favourite of all his eligible programs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcEdneOh_Ew

 

[Olympia]

This is sort of a sidetrack comment, but inspired by Oympia: don't you all miss the glorious days of pro skating? We used to actually look forward to the World Professional Championships in Landover each year to see what Brian Boitano and Kurt and Paul Wylie and Gordeeva and Grinkov and all the greats would come up with this year. My favorite program for each of the skaters I mentioned was actually one they performed at World Pros!

Yes, I do miss this! They showed us so many artistic milestones at Landover. Remember the anticipation for whatever Underhill and Martini would skate? And the ice dancers such as Klimova/Ponomarenko. And the way Yuka Sato took off when she became a pro. Seeing this every year was like getting to watch the MGM musicals from the Arthur Freed unit, which were the peak of the genre.

 

[Sophie-Anna]

Yagudin-Gladiator 2002 olympics
Plushenko-Carmen 2002 olympics
Dai-Blues 2012 WTT
Fernandez-Charlie Chaplin 2013 euros

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Yes, I do miss this! They showed us so many artistic milestones at Landover. Remember the anticipation for whatever Underhill and Martini would skate? And the ice dancers such as Klimova/Ponomarenko. And the way Yuka Sato took off when she became a pro. Seeing this every year was like getting to watch the MGM musicals from the Arthur Freed unit, which were the peak of the genre.

Sigh. I so hope we get another surge of figure skating popularity and/or a leader/visionary like Dick Button who will set up a top-notch (or should I say first-rate? pro series again.

 

[MasterB]

I didn't start skating until 1980. In 1985 I met John curry and I had never seen him skate, no YouTube back but, I knew about his greatness. A few months later I ran into him again and in his very quiet voice he told me that he was impress with my skating. That tiny compliment meant the world to me and I will never forget it. Years later I finally got to see his Quixote program and to me it was a masterpiece.


There are too many great programs to pick from but, for me Johns is my genesis.

 

[TontoK]

Imagine a young boy in 1976. He's in rural Mississippi, watching the Olympics with his family. They are crowded around a small/medium television, watching the Olympics with the assistance of a rabbit-ear antenna.

Seeing John Curry skate was like watching something from another planet. Even through the static, the sheer beauty of what Curry was achieving lit up the small living room. He made instant figure skating fans of people who had no business enjoying a sport like that. The family was hardworking, honest, but not what you'd think of as "cultured."

Never in the 40+ years that I've followed the sport since I have seen anything to rival it.

Curry's 1976 Olympic LP is, without doubt, the finest moment in figure skating history.

PS. We also cheered for Dorothy Hamill like she was family, and she remains one of my sentimental favorites.

 

[Mathman]

That is so cool. MasterB and TontoK.

When Curry had his professional touring company, he was known for being as exacting on his skaters as he had been with his own skating. I hope I am remembering this story correctly, but Lori Nichol recalls that when she was touring with Curry one time the choreography called for two lines of girls to do simultaneous Axels to the outside. This meant that half of the girls had to do it the wrong way. Lori could only do an Axel counterclockwise, so she had to switch places with one of the other skaters. (Dorothy Hamill, another cast member, could do it both ways -- with delay ) Lori credits her experience in Curry's shows with setting her on the track to becoming a choreographer.

Here is Curry's Afternoon of a Faun, with Catherine Foulkes (whom Curry uses and tosses aside, as appropriate. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3wewU5xcXY

Catherine Foulkes, besides skating in Curry’s company, was a dancer with the Boston Ballet. After that she went to law school and became a successful real estate attorney. She returned to skating briefly at the request of her pal Dorothy H when Hamill needed someone to play the fairy godmother opposite Hamill’s Cinderella in the Ice Capades.

 

[Olympia]

I saw one of Curry's shows live, and he performed Afternoon of a Faun. It was ravishing. I agree with MasterB and TontoK that there was and is no one like him. His jumps in those days were mostly doubles, but even taking that into account, he was the start of a new era of men's skating. TontoK, like you I got interested in skating in that Olympic cycle, and it was exactly John Curry's performance in some televised program (possibly one of the annual Jimmy Fund specials) that made me see that skating was the sport for me. (With Toller Cranston not far behind.) That first Olympics spoiled me rotten, because the one skater I deeply wanted to win was Curry, and he won. I learned through further years of fandom that this rarely happened unless one was rooting for a Soviet pair. And then Curry continued skating as a pro! We were so lucky to have someone like him in our beloved sport.

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Paul Wylie- Henry V
Jeremy Abbott-Swing Kids SP & Exogenesis(Muse) FS
Too many of Kurt Browning's to even name specifics.

I just watched The Skating Lesson interview with Yuka Sato, and she said that Jeremy will use the Exogenesis program FS again this Olympic year!

 

[jenaj]

Daisuke Takahashi-Blues for Klook (NHK--not perfect, but still my favorite), Pagliacci ( Japan Nationals)
Jeremy Abbott-Exogenesis
John Curry-Don Quixote 76 Olympics
Yagudin- Man in the Iron Mask,2002 Olympics
Kurt Browning-Casablanca
Johnny Weir-Otonal
Jeffrey Buttle-Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp minor

 

[blue_idealist]

Shawn Sawyer - Alice in Wonderland & Amadeus
Kurt Browning - Casablanca
Daisuke Takahashi - Blues for Klook

 

[Kitt]

John Curry's Scheherazade is a little slice of heaven. I've watched it many times!

I also love Johnny Weir's Otonal. I can just picture his serious face while skating to it. (I love that music too).

 

[Olympia]

I just watched The Skating Lesson interview with Yuka Sato, and she said that Jeremy will use the Exogenesis program FS again this Olympic year!

Thanks so much for mentioning this episode of TSL! I'm not allowed to link to it because it's a private blog, but it's well worth a look, and I wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't brought it up. I love Yuka's skating, and it turns out that she's tremendously articulate on all aspects of skating as well. She even gives some wonderful evaluations of Nancy Kerrigan's and Oksana Baiul's programs in the 1994 Olympics, as well as of the current ladies' skaters. She's very insightful and is straightforward without any of the cattiness that many people think is a necessary component of honesty. Dave and Jenny's questions are also very interesting and useful; they bring out wonderful responses. This is truly a skating lesson, one of my favorites in the whole series. I'm only partway through it, but I haven't found a dull patch yet.

 

[yyyskate]

On top of my head, Patrick Chan's 2013 worlds short program. Because, I watch it live (the practice run-through is even better). It took my breath away unexpected. After watching that, I now understand why Patrick's PCS is so high.

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Thanks so much for mentioning this episode of TSL! I'm not allowed to link to it because it's a private blog, but it's well worth a look, and I wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't brought it up. I love Yuka's skating, and it turns out that she's tremendously articulate on all aspects of skating as well. She even gives some wonderful evaluations of Nancy Kerrigan's and Oksana Baiul's programs in the 1994 Olympics, as well as of the current ladies' skaters. She's very insightful and is straightforward without any of the cattiness that many people think is a necessary component of honesty. Dave and Jenny's questions are also very interesting and useful; they bring out wonderful responses. This is truly a skating lesson, one of my favorites in the whole series. I'm only partway through it, but I haven't found a dull patch yet.

Wasn't Yuka wonderful?! An amazing person! and I agree that the questions were great.

Another fabulous one is the Sandra Bezic interview. Fascinating about Kurt in particular.

 

[GGoldberg]

Kurt Browning - Casablanca

 

[noskates]

Totally forgot Yagudin's programs - both the short and long in the 2002 Olys.

I also remember a show program that Kurt did to guitar music - possibly in Stars on Ice - and there were no jumps. He interprets music better IMO than any other man has ever done. His programs have been innovative and exciting to watch. His facial expressions are priceless.

I very much miss the pro competitions and the original years of Stars on Ice and the World Champions Tour. I lived in the SF Bay Area in California for quite a long time and we always got stops on the tours. It was so amazing to see the best skaters finally free of judges and just able to skate their hearts out. It's too bad SOI's popularity has waned. I also think the ticket prices have become outrageous. It's no wonder attendance has fallen off. Don't know how a family of 4 could justify spending nearly $400 for a 2 hour show. I would love to see some of the current competitors in a show situation.