Verzuz Battles: Figure Skating Edition

[lilshorty]

The way it works...

1. Pick a skater/team you like.
2. Pick another skater or team who skated in the same era as them.
3. Compare the two of them (program to program, style, career wins/losses, medal count, etc.).
4. Declare a winner based on the facts (and yes, it can be your own opinion too).

I’ll go first...

A. Fumie Suguri
B. Sasha Cohen

Fumie Suguri is a five time national champion. Sasha won nationals in the U.S. only once, but it was in the Kwan era.

They both have about the same number of worlds medals and the same colors.

Both had a flutz, and they were great spinners (I prefer Sasha’s I-spin over Fumie’s, and Fumie’s scratch spin over Sasha’s).
Both have beautiful style and Grace. Sasha has great flexibility, but Fumie has better basic skating.

Sasha has an Olympic medal and Fumie doesn’t.

I prefer Fumie’s Moonlight Sonata over Sasha’s, but I like Sasha’s Swan Lake better.

Fumie is my fave, but I’ll hand the win over to Sasha, based on the strength of her Olympic medal.

Winner: Sasha Cohen

 

[el henry]

Thanks for starting a Verzuz, but wouldn't we actually compare the programs?

So

Jason Brown: Riverdance v. Toller Cranston: Firebird
W: Jason Brown
Jason Brown: Love is a B*tch v. Toller Cranston: Graduation Ball
W: Toller Cranston

and so on...
Although I only listened to Verzuz once (EW&F v. Isley Bros) so I may not know the rules at all, and your thread, your rules

 

[Mathman]

Well, I had to look up "Verzuz," not to mention Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, but anyway ...

I was always intrigued by Maria Butyrskaia and Sarah Hughes. They were a decade apart in age, plus Sarah rettired at 17 while Maria won Europeans at age 29. What connects them is the battle for #3 in the world. In 1998 Maria was figured to be the best after Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski (she got 4th). In the next olympic cycle, Sarah made steady progress and won bronze at 2001 worlds, placing ahead of Butyrskaia (and behind the 2002 Olympic favorites Kwan and Irina Slutskaya.) Maria beat favored Michelle at 1999 worlds, while Sarah pulled off a similar unexpected but well-deserved victory at the 2002 Olympics. Maria was the first Russian world champion (despite never having the full support of the Russian Federation); Sarah was grandfathered in to eligibility for the world championships when they changed the age requirements (Sarah's U.S. rival Sasha Cohen was not, which set Sasha back to a certain extent.) Very different paths to success.

Maria had a fine triple Lutz, while Sarah's was a little on the flutzy side. Maria was graceful and womanly, but got a little bit stiff-legged from nerrvs; Sarah was also somewhat straight-legged, but in a youthful, coltish fashion.

Although Maria skated to a number of figure skating atandards in her long career, the two never used the same music for a direct comparison. Perhaps the closest is Maria's "St. James Infirmery" vesrus Sarah's exhibition "Bye, by, Blackbird" (taking into account the difference betwee an exhibition and competition).

Maria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJwO3eKUNQ

Sarah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZO3PHJ97SY

Winner? It's hard to overlook an Olympic gold medal. But one could also argue that a world championship in a non-Olympic year is just as much of a challenge -- both mean that you were the best that year. Overall I think I would give ithe crown to Butyrskaya (though I am a big Sarah Hughes fan, too.)

 

[lilshorty]

Thanks for starting a Verzuz, but wouldn't we actually compare the programs?

So

Jason Brown: Riverdance v. Toller Cranston: Firebird
W: Jason Brown
Jason Brown: Love is a B*tch v. Toller Cranston: Graduation Ball
W: Toller Cranston

and so on...
Although I only listened to Verzuz once (EW&F v. Isley Bros) so I may not know the rules at all, and your thread, your rules

Sure! You can compare anything about why skater A was better than skater B from the same era of figure skating.

 

[lilshorty]

Well, I had to look up "Verzuz," not to mention Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, but anyway ...

I was always intrigued by Maria Butyrskaia and Sarah Hughes. They were a decade apart in age, plus Sarah rettired at 17 while Maria won Europeans at age 29. What connects them is the battle for #3 in the world. In 1998 Maria was figured to be the best after Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski (she got 4th). In the next olympic cycle, Sarah made steady progress and won bronze at 2001 worlds, placing ahead of Butyrskaia (and behind the 2002 Olympic favorites Kwan and Irina Slutskaya.) Maria beat favored Michelle at 1999 worlds, while Sarah pulled off a similar unexpected but well-deserved victory at the 2002 Olympics. Maria was the first Russian world champion (despite never having the full support of the Russian Federation); Sarah was grandfathered in to eligibility for the world championships when they changed the age requirements (Sarah's U.S. rival Sasha Cohen was not, which set Sasha back to a certain extent.) Very different paths to success.

Maria had a fine triple Lutz, while Sarah's was a little on the flutzy side. Maria was graceful and womanly, but got a little bit stiff-legged from nerrvs; Sarah was also somewhat straight-legged, but in a youthful, coltish fashion.

Although Maria skated to a number of figure skating atandards in her long career, the two never used the same music for a direct comparison. Perhaps the closest is Maria's "St. James Infirmery" vesrus Sarah's exhibition "Bye, by, Blackbird" (taking into account the difference betwee an exhibition and competition).

Maria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJwO3eKUNQ

Sarah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZO3PHJ97SY

Winner? It's hard to overlook an Olympic gold medal. But one could also argue that a world championship in a non-Olympic year is just as much of a challenge -- both mean that you were the best that year. Overall I think I would give ithe crown to Butyrskaya (though I am a big Sarah Hughes fan, too.)

Sarah for me. Maria had better jumps, but Sarah had more beautiful aesthetics (line, spins, posture). Plus Maria skated a little too nervous for me, while Sarah skated like a rock star.